BLOG TOUR - SAVE THE DATE BY ALLISON RASKIN

  

Title: Save The Date
Author: Allison Raskin
Publisher: Canary Press
Release Date: 8th April 2025

BLURB
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Emma Moskowitz and…someone…

When couples therapist Emma Moskowitz is unceremoniously dumped by her fiancé six months before their wedding, her world comes crashing down: her thriving private practice, her status as a popular online creator, even her book deal all hinge on the fact that Emma is an expert when it comes to romantic relationships. Not to mention her heart is ripped in half.

It isn't fair. She worked so hard to be ready for marriage. If only Emma could find a different groom by her planned wedding day, nothing would have to change....

So commences Operation: Save My Date.

As Emma publicly shares her untraditional journey to the altar online, things get complicated quickly. She finds herself caught between Will, a charismatic podcast producer who is not interested in being a replacement groom; and Matt, a sweet, recent divorcee eagerly looking to settle down.

As the wedding day approaches, Emma must decide what future she truly wants for herself. After all, her family, her book editor, and a large portion of the internet are watching... 

PURCHASE LINKS
BookShop.org
HarperCollins
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Books-A-Million

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Allison Raskin is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the cohost of the popular podcast Just Between Us and cocreator of a YouTube channel by the same name. Allison has written and developed multiple TV shows and created the original scripted podcast Gossip. A vocal mental health advocate, Allison has a master's degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She also runs the mental health–focused Instagram account @emotionalsupportlady.

AUTHOR LINKS
Author Website
Instagram

 

EXCERPT 

ONE

“I just don’t understand what happened.”

Emma Moskowitz lay face down in her parents’ office as they talked above her inert body. The carpet irritated her sensi­tive cheek, but getting a rash was the least of her worries at the moment. She was used to rashes. What she wasn’t used to—at least not yet—was the staggering pain of betrayal.

“He didn’t explain why he was doing this?” her father, Alan, asked for what had to have been the fifth time in as many min­utes.

Instead of verbally responding, Emma let out a long groan to signal that she wasn’t yet in the mood to psychoanalyze why her carefully planned life was falling apart. She was still very much in the maybe I could just lie here for a few years and then die stage of grieving. That stage wasn’t talked about nearly enough. It was important.

“What did she say?” Alan looked to Emma’s mother, Deb­bie, for an interpretation of what could best be described as an animalistic, guttural moan.

“I don’t think she wants to talk about it just yet,” Debbie of­fered, despite knowing this explanation likely wasn’t going to appease her type-A husband.

 

“Can I have some water?” Emma interjected, finally mov­ing into a seated position from a full-body sprawl. She wasn’t entirely confident that she was capable of drinking anything yet, but she thought she owed it to her family to try. She knew her mom hated seeing her in pain and her dad hated not hav­ing a clear solution to offer. Now that he was retired, Alan wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Emma didn’t want her recent upheaval to become his newest pet project (along with pickleball, online poker and brewing his own root beer). De­spite her mother’s endless complaints of being smothered by her loving husband, Alan was the busiest retired person Emma knew. And as a couples therapist, she knew quite a few. Having a recently retired spouse was the new seven-year-itch—except this version of an itch appeared to be an overwhelming desire to be left alone. Emma wished with all her might that she was someone who wanted to be left alone instead of being herself: a person who as a child found a way to play “wedding” at every single playdate.

“Do you want bottled or from the tap with ice?” Debbie asked as though the right form of H₂O could fix a broken heart.

“Doesn’t matter.” Emma sighed for effect. “Nothing mat­ters anymore.”

Through a brief exchange of eye contact, Alan and Debbie mutually agreed it wasn’t safe to leave their youngest daughter by herself. So Alan went to retrieve the requested water, while Debbie did her best to sit on the floor, ignoring her numerous knee issues and bad back. Her hand hovered over Emma’s leg; she was unsure if physical touch would cause comfort or alarm.

“I am so sorry this is happening to you,” Debbie whispered.

Emma thought about all the other times in her life that her mother had said this. There was the time Emma fell off a chair when she was six and broke her collarbone. The time in her early twenties when her “best friends” planned a weekend trip without informing or inviting her. And there were the far too many times Emma had been unceremoniously dumped by a variety of men.

Although her present situation technically fell into the latter category, Emma felt that having her fiancé walk out on her for no apparent reason warranted its own classification of suffering.

This time was different than when her college boyfriend left her to date a high-schooler. Or when her adult boyfriend left her for a college student. This felt like the sort of pain you couldn’t get over with a laugh and a puff of medical-grade mar­ijuana. This felt like the sort of pain that changed you forever.

Alan returned with both a cold glass of ice and a plastic water bottle. When Emma didn’t move to take either one, he set them on the side table and declared, “I think I should call him.”

“Call who?” Debbie asked with the cautious optimism of someone who hoped her husband wasn’t a total moron.

“Ryan! Maybe I can talk some sense into him. Or at least get some answers.”

Fear overtook Emma’s nervous system at the mere thought of that conversation occurring. She reached out and grasped her father’s ankle to let him know she meant business. “Please do not contact him. He won’t tell you anything useful,” Emma pleaded. “All he told me is something is missing and there is no point in working on it because it can’t be fixed. I just need to move on.”

Debbie and Alan looked at Emma with a mixture of com­passion and concern. Emma couldn’t blame them—not after showing up the previous evening crying and shouting “It’s over! He left me!” before abruptly passing out on the couch to avoid her feelings. Emma felt a pang of guilt that she’d left her par­ents with such confounding uncertainty for almost ten hours. She knew more than most that not knowing was a special form of torture. It was time to fill them in.

“It only lasted twenty minutes.” Emma moaned as the pain­ful memory hit her again. They had been eating dinner in front of the TV when she noticed something was off. As soon as she asked about it—expecting to hear that Ryan’s stomach hurt or his boss was annoying him again—the floodgates opened. Ap­parently, he’d been having doubts for months but didn’t know how to tell her. Emma tried her best to fight for them, but a switch had been flipped in Ryan’s brain and it was like trying to reason with a concrete wall. Every suggestion she flung out to try to work on their relationship was met with steely resis­tance. It was obvious that once the words were finally out of Ryan’s mouth, he had no intention of taking them back. He had been set free while Emma was left crushed and disoriented. Their engagement was unceremoniously over in less time than it took to watch a network sitcom.

“What were the doubts? Do you know?” Alan asked in a rather accusatory tone. Despite being retired, he would forever be a lawyer combing through details in search of a win. He didn’t seem to understand that social contracts could be broken far more easily and with fewer repercussions than legal ones.

Emma shook her head. “Unless something is missing is a clari­fying answer for you. Because it’s not for me!” She could feel that she was losing control of her emotions. Within a minute or two, any attempt at coherent speech would be usurped by streaming tears and a horrifying amount of snot. She tried to get a handle on herself as her brain went into overdrive, pok­ing and pinching the most vulnerable parts of her psyche, her insecurities finding every possible way to punish her for some­one else’s decision.

The entire breakup had felt surreal from start to finish. Emma hadn’t even fully realized she was experiencing a breakup until about halfway through. She’d known things had been off be­tween them for a few months, but it seemed to be more of a Ryan issue than a Ryan-and-Emma issue. He was unhappy with his job. He was struggling with anxiety. He had less interest in his hobbies than normal. To Emma, a licensed marriage and family therapist, it was pretty obvious he was in the midst of a depressive episode. She tried her best to be supportive while her partner was going through a tough time—and she used every ounce of self-esteem that came from her newly earned secure attachment style to not take it personally.

Turns out, she should have taken it personally. Because, ac­cording to Ryan, the issues in his life were not related to anx­iety or depression after all. He was miserable because he was in the wrong relationship. She was the source of the problem, not him. And once he realized that, he had to end things right away. Or, you know, once Emma dragged it out of him on a random Monday night.

As Emma recounted this to her parents, somehow manag­ing to make it through without dissolving into incoherent sobs, she felt slightly vindicated by the looks of confusion on their faces. This was objectively confusing, right? To ask your live-in partner to marry you and then walk out six months later com­pletely certain that there was nothing to be done to salvage the relationship? Emma was a couples therapist, for Christ’s sake! She made a living salvaging relationships and Ryan wasn’t even willing to try? It was both a personal and a professional slap in the face.

Emma had a bunch of clients in far worse situations than hers who’d been tirelessly working on fixing things for years. One notable client had slept with his wife’s second cousin for three years and they were still together. Yet Ryan—who only a few months ago had cried with happiness as he put an en­gagement ring on Emma’s finger—insisted there was no point in even attempting to repair whatever he thought was broken. He had too many “concerns,” so it was best to just move on. What those concerns were exactly remained a mystery that would likely haunt Emma until she died in what she anxiously feared would be an untimely and possibly gruesome fashion.

While on the topic of unfortunate demises, Emma briefly considered murdering Ryan before news of her abandonment became public. That way she would be perceived as a grieving fiancée instead of a rejected loser, which felt much more palat­able. While murder would never be her first choice when deal­ing with a crisis, her reputation was on the line. It is one thing to get blindsided by your partner when you’re a civilian. It’s quite another when you have a master’s in clinical psychology and make a living giving relationship advice. It was the profes­sional equivalent of a cardiologist not realizing she was having a heart attack: mortifying. For the first time, Emma regretted her inability to hide in obscurity due to her hard-earned success.

Oh, fuck.

“My book deal!”

Excerpted from Save the Date by Allison Raskin. Copyright © 2025 by Allison Raskin. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

 

 

REVIEW - SURVIVE THE UNREST - SMALL TOWN EMP BK4 BY GRACE HAMILTON

  

Title: Survive The Unrest
Series: Small Town EMP
Author: Grace Hamilton
Publisher: Relay Publishing
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, EMP, Action, Suspense
Release Date:9th April 2025

BLURB
In the aftermath of disaster, safety comes with a price…

It’s been one year since the NWO was defeated. A year since the world got a fighting chance to claw its way out of darkness. But the road back is a long one, and the journey is fraught with danger.

At first, Austin Merryman is relieved to see soldiers in town, tasked with restoring order. He’s intrigued, as well. Dr. Lydia Koble is working to establish a regional government in the aftermath of the EMP. And she wants to meet community leaders like Austin.

Austin and Amanda set off for a meeting with the doctor, leaving Savannah, Malachi and Andy at the homestead. But they quickly discover Koble is not the benign leader she pretends to be. She craves power—and she’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

Meanwhile, Savannah slowly realizes the soldiers at their farm are not there for her protection. She, Malachi and Andy are little more than hostages.

And their battle for survival is not over yet… 

Goodreads Link 

 
REVIEW
Once again, the cover represents a snapshot from the book of Amanda & Austin and the dog they add to their family. The cover fits really well with the rest of the bookcovers for this series, and I would definitely pick it up from a book store shelf. I'd want to learn more about the characters and world.

I had mixed feelings approaching reading this book, I hadn’t realised that it had been six years since I read Survive The Conflict bk3 in the series. I was worried I wouldn’t remember everything that had happened but was never the less still really eager to revisit the great characters in this series.

The book basically picks up a year after the New World Order were defeated. It may have been a year but there are still people reeling from the war raged with the New World Order. Austin is grieving his brother Ennis whilst being immensely proud that his brother took down Zander. Theres a memorial gathering planned at Grangeville so Austin, Amanda, Savannah and Andy travel there. Savannah is naturally eager to see Malachi who lives in Grangeville with his mother Tonya who is still running the ministry for those who still practice religion. Savannah is also wanting Andy to have a chance to meet and mix with some children his own age, rather than being round adults the whole time.
Theres unrest at the service with Adam Kerry grumbling and asking where the government is at their time of need, Austin steps up and talks about the need for them all to pull together to work together to improve their own lives.

Then an army truck pulls into Grangeville and the men led by Captain Miguel Garcia ask for Austin saying its important they speak with him. They want to transport Austin and Amanda back to the homestead in the army vehicle and discuss something important. At first Austin is very wary, can the newcomers be trusted and what do they want to talk to him about back at his homestead? Then it turns out that Amanda did basic training with Captain Miguel Garcia years ago so Austin relaxes a little. It’s decided Savannah & Andy will stay with Tonya whilst they find out what the army men want. Captain Miguel Garcia eventually explains that his boss Dr Lydia Koble wishes to speak to Austin and Amanda at the base is Boise as soon as possible. Captain Garcia explains that Dr Koble wants to bring “leader types” such as Austin & Amanda who want to work towards peacekeeping, order and rebuilding together. More ominously Captain Garcia also mentions that Dr Koble wants to know what Austin actually knows about the Blackdown Protocols & Dr Bastani. On a positive note, Dr Koble is extremely interested in getting the power back on, though on the negative side she wants to be in control of it deciding who gets access to it and when.
Of course, Austin is reluctant to leave Savannah alone at the homestead with Andy, even when Captain Garcia says he will leave two experience armed guards, it’s not enough for Austin. Then Malachi offers to stay at the homestead and help continue the preparations for winter with Savannah.

It soon becomes apparent that Captain Garcia and his men have one aim, to get Austin & Amanda to Boise and in front of Dr Koble as soon as possible. Captain Garcia is the not the same man that Amanda did basic training with. When they come across a small town that has been attacked by men dressed up as military and people are injured Captain Garcia is insistent at moving forward say these people are not his problem, he has his orders to carry out. Amanda & Austin refuse to accept this and will not move on until they have helped the injured. Its soon proven that Amanda’s thoughts are correct about the inexperienced men with Captain Garcia when there’s an ambush and he walks right into it. Garcia and his men are killed. So, it is just Austin & Amanda that arrive at the Boise base in the school. Unfortunately, Dr Koble has not returned from a visit she was making elsewhere so they have no choice but to wait. It’s not long before they realise everything is not as it seems and they are advised to escape as soon as possible and to contact a man called Professor Novak in Spokane. Austin & Amanda’s “insider friend” is brought before Dr Koble when she finally returns and is shot! Austin & Amanda don’t hang around to speak to Dr Koble the steal a jeep and break out of the base. They are chased and tracked but eventually arrive back at the homestead with an extra passenger, a dog! They arrive in the nick of time to help with final preparations for a battle with Andy’s Uncle Zeke who wants his nephew, but Andy is petrified of him so Savannah, Malachi etc do not intend on handing him over.

Austin & Amanda learn a lot has happened at the homestead whilst they have been away. The so called, “guards/protectors” turned out to be lazy, and inconsiderate, just taking whatever they wanted until Savannah relieves them of their weapons and they then appear to be cooperating, however both Malachi & Savannah are literally waiting for the guard’s retaliation. Their guard slips down when visitors from Grangeville arrive and soon the guards have the upper-hand again. The homesteaders can’t believe the destruction and devastation the guards have left behind them, but they roll up their sleeves and get on with salvaging what they can and preparing for “Uncle Zeke” to arrive.

When the battle is over its decided that though the homestead had been a good place for them it is no longer safe and they all need to move on. The whole group go to Grangeville, staying at Tonya & Malachi’s home. Though the future is uncertain, Austin & Amanda know they need to speak to Professor Novak in Spokane and they intend on sneaking off alone on yet another treacherous mission. However, Savannah is determined to go with them, having heard they had such a narrow escape getting away from Dr Koble. Malachi is torn, between his need to protect him mother Tonya & his love & need to protect Savannah.

I really enjoyed the process of Savannah “growing up” throughout the series so far. She is very protective of Andy. It would have been so easy to just hand him over to his Uncle Zeke, but she knew Andy didn’t want that, so with the others at the homestead they prepared for a battle! The romances are still going on but obviously ended up taking a back seat to the main plot full of angst, betrayal and action. Malachi mentions that he thinks Savannah would make a great mum the way she looks after Andy, and she remarks she wouldn’t want to bring children into the world how it currently is, so I’m not sure of their possible future. The World that these characters are living has changed forever even if the power was to come back on things could not go back to how they were before.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were Wow! I couldn’t believe that the group were having to leave all they’d tried to build at the homestead. Though I guess thanks to Uncle Zeke and Dr Koble’s army knowing the area its in it really is no longer a secret, safe place. Where will the character settle or travel next? And in a world, that's like a powder keg ready to ignite at any moment where do you go and who do you trust? I was surprised to learn that Dr Lydia Koble isn't the top boss she appears to be, she seems to be very beholden, reliant and strongly influenced my Kevin Goodman.

Summing up the battle with Uncle Zeke at the homestead may have been won but I can’t help feeling is he going to turn it into a war. I can't help wondering if Savannah etc wouldn't have been ensuring future safety better if they had just shot him when they had the chance. I can’t wait to read more. I needn’t have worried about it being so long since I read the last book in the series as I soon slipped right back into the Small Town EMP world with its array of brilliant characters.