Sisters Like Us Excerpt Tour
Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can’t afford and a teenage daughter who’s pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she’s scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother’s ridiculous Susie Homemaker standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper’s fresh-baked cookies.
Spending half her life in school hasn’t prepared Dr. Stacey Bloom for her most daunting challenge—motherhood. She didn’t inherit the nurturing gene like Harper and is in deep denial that a baby is coming. Worse, her mother will be horrified to learn that Stacey’s husband plans to be a stay-at-home dad…assuming Stacey can first find the courage to tell Mom she’s already six months pregnant.
Separately they may be a mess, but together Harper and Stacey can survive anything—their indomitable mother, overwhelming maternity stores and ex’s weddings. Sisters Like Us is a delightful look at sisters, mothers and daughters in today’s fast-paced world, told with Susan Mallery’s trademark warmth and humor.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
Critics, too, have heaped praise on “the new queen of romantic fiction.” (Walmart) Booklist says, “Romance novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling,” and RT Book Reviews puts her “in a class by herself!”
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month, January of 1992. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool’s Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Seattle with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a tattletale toy poodle. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Animals play a big role in her books, as well, as she believes they’re an integral component to a happy life.
Connect with Susan
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“How’s it going?”
She looked up as Lucas walked into the living
room, then leaned her head against Jazz. “We’re still getting to know each
other. It’s only been a couple of days, so Jazz is a little scared.”
“Sure.” He sat in a club chair across the room. “There’s
been a lot of change. How are you holding up?”
She glanced at him and rolled her eyes. “Why are
you asking? You know I’m mad at my mom.”
“Yes, I do. Want to tell me why?”
She didn’t know what it was about Lucas, but she
could always talk to him. Maybe it was because he didn’t speak to her like she
was a kid—he treated her as if she were a regular person with thoughts and
opinions and feelings.
When she’d first met him, she’d wondered if he was
one of those creepy old guys she and her friends were always being warned
about. One of her friends had a stepdad who’d tried to touch her, which was
horrible and disgusting.
But Lucas wasn’t like that. He was nice. He
listened and when he was around, her mom was a lot calmer. Becca had even
gotten used to the really young girlfriends. Some of them were complete
airheads, but a few had given her some fashion advice. Still, what was with
naming your kid Persimmon?
“She always says no,” Becca grumbled, remembering
the question. “I’ve begged for a dog forever and she said it was because of my
dad. Then he moved out and she still said no. Great-Aunt Cheryl left the dogs
to me in her will. They’re mine. Mom should respect that.”
Lucas didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t have
to. She squirmed slightly. Jazz gave her a quick lick on her cheek before
flopping to the floor. Becca sprawled out next to her and held her paw in her
hand.
“Fine,” Becca said with a sigh. “Three dogs would
be a lot, and I’ve never taken care of a dog before.” She glared at him. “There
are instructions in the book and I’ve been reading them. I know how much they
eat and when they have to be walked. I’m going to take care of Jazz. I’ll feed
her and play with her and pick up after her.”
She shuddered as she thought of the volume of poop
the three dogs had generated over the past couple of days. Gross didn’t come
close, but everything had a price.
“I’ll even clean up the yard. I’m going to be a
good dog mom. You’ll see.”
“Sounds like you have a plan.”
“I do.” She sat up. “Are you really taking Thor?”
“I am. He’ll be spending his days here while I’m
at work so Jazz won’t be alone.”
“Does Mom know?”
“I’ll tell her after dinner.”
Becca chuckled. “Thanks. She can’t tell you no and
there’s no way she can watch Thor and make me get rid of Jazz, so thank you.”
“That wasn’t my master plan but it does seem to
solve a lot of problems.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a
DVD case, then handed it to her. Becca look at the cover and laughed.
“You didn’t! Sixteen Candles.
Thanks, Lucas. You know it’s my favorite.”
“I do know.”
Becca had a thing for the `80s. The clothes, the
overstyled hair. How on earth did anyone ever wear leg warmers? But Madonna’s
music was great and the John Hughes movies were always fun to watch.
“Come on,” Lucas said as he rose. “Bay and Thor
are playing outside. Jazz should be with them to get the kinks out from her
long drive down.”
“Okay.” Becca turned to her dog. “Come on, Jazz.
Let’s go in the backyard.”
The slim, muscled dog rose and stretched, then
walked at Becca’s side. Becca stroked her head and ears. She was all Jazz had
now.
“I’ll be here,” she told the dog. “You can depend on
me.” Because she knew all about what it was like to be an afterthought, and she
never wanted Jazz to feel that way.
Excerpt Tour:
Tuesday, January 2nd: Romantic Reads and SuchWednesday, January 3rd: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, January 4th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Friday, January 5th: Books a la Mode
Monday, January 8th: Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, January 9th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Wednesday, January 10th: Reading Reality
Thursday, January 11th: The Sassy Bookster
Friday, January 12th: OMG Reads
Saturday, January 13th: I Wish I Lived in a Library
Monday, January 15th: Suzy Approved
Tuesday, January 16th: Palmer’s Page Turners
Wednesday, January 17th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Thursday, January 18th: Books & Spoons
Friday, January 19th: Moonlight Rendezvous
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