Book Blog Tour by Amy Vastine

Thank you to  Prism Book Tours for hosting the book blog tour for The Better Man! I am so grateful to all the blogs who are participating. There are reviews, excerpts, and guest posts throughout the tour. Hopefully you'll be able to take a peek!

The Better Man, which is the beginning of the new Chicago Sisters Series, is set in the busy city of Chicago, but is full of family, friendship, and love. It's also from the clean romance Heartwarming line of books from Harlequin. Scroll on down to read a little about this book and series and to read an exclusive excerpt! We hope you enjoy the tour!

September Tour Schedule

15 - Launch

16

Book Freebies, Contests, Sweepstakes, and Giveaways

17

The Written Adventure

Katie's Clean Book Collection

18

Christy's Cozy Corners

The Wonderings of One Person

SBM Book Obsession

19

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

Kelly P's Blog

J.R.Richardson Fics

21

Pretty Girls Read Books

Getting Your Read On

22

deal sharing aunt

My Devotional Thoughts

Southern Chelle

23

Undercover Book Reviews

Copywrite1985

24

Bookworm Lisa

Reader Girls

My Life, Loves and Passion

25

I Am A Reader

i blog 4 books

26

Lola's Reviews

Wishful Endings

28 - Grand Finale

The Better Man

by Amy Vastine

Adult Romance

Harlequin Heartwarming

January 1st 2014

Kendall Montgomery's six-year-old son has barely spoken in the past year, locked in his world of silent grief. Then one day, he spots his dead father across a crowded street.

Max Jordan moved to Chicago to be closer to his own son and prove he can be a better father than his deadbeat dad. His striking resemblance to Kendall's husband and his track record with fatherhood make her determined to keep her distance until Max helps her little boy come out of his shell. But can she trust him with their future? How can she be sure he won't take off just when they need him most?

Amazon - Harlequin

An Intro to The Better Man and an Exclusive Excerpt

The Better Man is the first book in the Chicago Sisters Series, which introduces us to the three Everhart sisters, Lucy, Kendall, and Emma. All three sisters live in the Lincoln Park area, and even though the story has a big city backdrop, the focus is still on family and community. These sisters always have one another's backs, even though they couldn't be any different. Funny how siblings can be raised in the same family but develop such separate identities! Lucy is the strong-willed, fanatical health-nut who takes up any cause she deems worthy. Middle-child Kendall is the shy artist, whose loyalty knows no bounds. Emma is the confident baby of the family who believes she has her entire life mapped out. The Better Man features Kendall and her son, Simon. Book Two, The Best Laid Plans, is Emma's story and scheduled to come out in March 2015. Lucy's story is told in the third book, with the working title, The Better Fight, and should be out at the end of 2015.

Here's a little excerpt of the three sisters in action:

"And I am now, officially, the meanest mommy. Ever."

Lucy put a hand on her sister's head. "Oh boy. Just remember every mom has felt like that at one point in time. I know I crowned Mom the meanest when I was little. She was a repeat winner of the title for years."

Kendall let out a breathy laugh. "I remember you being much meaner to her than she ever was to you."

"Of course I was. I'm meaner than everyone," Lucy said, unashamed.

"I still love you, though." Kendall got up and grabbed a large bowl off the top of the refrigerator. From the pantry, she pulled out three bags of Halloween candy and tossed them on the kitchen table.

"You really shouldn't give out candy. I could have brought over a whole bushel of organic apples."

"We are not going to be that house." The two sisters opened and emptied the bags into the bowl. Lucy offered to help with dinner. Kendall had bought the ingredients for chili and no one chopped vegetables better than Lucy. Kendall set her up on the cutting board with an onion and some peppers.

"It's better that you rip the Max Band-Aid off now rather than later," Lucy said while they cooked. "Simon will get over it. So will you. It's always better to be the one who walked away instead of the one left behind."

"Which one were you again?" Kendall asked, recognizing that Lucy's guard was down.

"Ha-ha. Iíve been both. At the same time," she added. "Now, stop making this about me."

"You love when things are about you," Emma said, joining the conversation. Dressed in her nursing scrubs and a purple witch's hat on her head, she sat down at the table next to Lucy with a bag of cheese puffs.

Kendall held a hand over her heart. "Maybe knock next time and give a girl some warning. Isn't it against your nurse's training to give people heart attacks?"

"And isn't it against your nurse's training to put processed poison into your body?" Lucy added. She snatched the cheese puffs out of her sister's hands and walked them over to the garbage.

"Hey!" Emma sprung to her feet. "I was eating those! I haven't eaten all day."

"Another reason you shouldn't eat them. Your body needs fuel, not intestine-destroying acids."

"Uh-oh, who's eating junk food in front of Lucy?" Kendall's mom popped her head into the kitchen. "Girls, don't fight over food." She took the bag away from Lucy and handed it back to Emma, who scrunched up her face and pursed her lips at her sister.

"It's your body," Lucy relented. "Sorry for trying to protect it."

Their dad followed behind their mom and gave Lucy a hug. "You're a good big sister, but never throw away someone's cheese puffs."

"I'm coming over tomorrow and helping Mom throw away all your junk food. We're putting you on a diet."

"What?" He looked at his wife for confirmation.

Maureen's shoulders slumped and she glared at Lucy. "I wasn't going to tell him what we were doing. If you don't tell him, he doesn't miss it. When you tell him, he gets all worked up."

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Tour-Wide Giveaway

- Gift Card Grand Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and a signed paperback (US) or ebook (INT) of The Better Man

- US Grand Prize: Signed paperback of The Better Man plus swag (shown above)

- 5 copies of The Better Man (paperback for US and ebooks for INT)

- Ends October 5th

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If you're a blogger interested in supporting Heartwarming books - Kate James is looking for you! Her Heartwarming debut, A Child's Christmas, is coming out this November. Bloggers can sign up HERE!

Single mother Paige Summerville wants to give her seven-year-old son the Christmas of his dreams. Jason needs surgery to beat the illness that’s plagued his young life, leaving Paige desperate to make ends meet. So she turns to a charity that grants the wishes of sick children . . .

Then a stranger arrives bearing gifts for Jason—and for her. He’s Daniel Kinsley, a lawyer who’s grown cynical about family. But his kindness in making Jason’s wishes come true offers him more than he ever imagined. Is there room in Paige’s heart for a man who could fulfill all their dreams? And not just at Christmas!