7.31.2013

WoW [39]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
Expected Publication: February 18, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary via Goodreads
Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

Why I Can’t Wait…
Simply put it sounds like an amazing story! I love book on friendships and this one sounds like the perfect one.

Feel free to share your WoW below.

7.30.2013

Review: Turn around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield

Turn Around Bright Eyes by Rob Sheffield
Expected Publication: August 6, 2013
Source: ARC via publisher
Publisher: It Books
Rating 4/5

Summary via Goodreads
An emotional journey of hilarity and heartbreak with a karaoke soundtrack, in the spirit of Rob Sheffield's bestselling Love Is a Mix Tape.

Turn around Bright Eyes picks up Sheffield's story right after Love Is a Mix Tape. He is a young widower devastated by grief, trying to build a new life in a new town after his wife's death. As a writer for Rolling Stone, he naturally takes solace in music. But that's when he discovers the sublime ridiculousness of karaoke, and despite the fact that he can't carry a tune, he begins to find his voice. His karaoke obsession takes him to some strange places, whether that means singing a Frank Sinatra song in a senior-citizen community in Florida, attempting a Merle Haggard classic at a cowboy saloon in the Mojave desert, or clearing the room at an after-hours dive in Chinatown. But he finds the music leads him to the most surprising place of all--a new life and a new love.

Turn around Bright Eyes is a story about finding the courage to start over, move on, and rock the mike. It's about falling in love and navigating your way through adult romance. It's about how you can learn the weirdest things about yourself just by butchering a Hall & Oates song at 2 A.M. under fluorescent lights in a room full of strangers. It's about how songs get tangled up in our deepest emotions, evoking memories of the past while inspiring hope for the future. But most of all, it's a book about all the strange ways music brings people together.

My Thoughts
Turn around Bright Eyes is yet again another fabulous read by Rob Sheffield. I truly enjoy the way Rob writes about his love of music and how a single song can always bring you back to certain moment in one’s life. In this novel he explores his love for karaoke and the songs, good or bad, that have become intertwined into his life. He speaks of friends, his family and how he found love again after his wife’s death.

I’ve been a huge fan of Rob Sheffield’s ever since I read his articles in Rolling Stone magazine and especially after his first novel, Love is a Mix Tape. This man’s knowledge of music amazes me. Every song isn’t just a song to him. It’s a memory, a story or most importantly a slice of life.

While my heart will always have a special place for Love is a Mix Tape, Turn around Bright Eyes doesn’t disappoint by far. His novels make me so aware of why I love music.  Music to me isn’t just noise in the background; it’s so much more than that. It’s the thing I live for, besides books. It’s the thing that picks me up when I’m having a bad day and it’s also the one thing that can make a good day even better. Music to me is simply embedded in my soul. It’s a part of me, just like the blood that runs through my veins. It’s the one thing I begin and end my day with each and every single day.

So this is why I love this book. I simply GET IT. I get how someone can take something as simple as a single song or music and see how everything in this world can somehow always come back to it. I highly encourage any music lover to put up Rob Sheffield’s books, you won’t be disappointed. You will discover some great tracks and stories that you can relate to and some that will indeed touch your soul.

7.25.2013

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

 
Q: What do you do with your books after you are done reading them?

A: If I’m really attached to them and they are my favorites I keep them forever, if not I donate them. I just donated a huge box of over 40 books to the Salvation Army last Friday. It was a very hard thing for me to do since I LOVE my books but I knew they could bring some joy to a fellow reader out there. That made the pain a little more bearable to take.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’.
Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

7.24.2013

WoW [38]


Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Expected Publication: March 4, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins

Summary via Goodreads...
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Why I Can’t Wait....
It has EVERYTHING I want! Good story, great cover and the AMAZING Lauren Oliver! Who could ask for anything more? I recently got this on Edelweiss so I'm super excited to read it!!!

What are you waiting for? Please feel free to share and leave your link below.
Also be sure to add me on Goodreads…I love seeing other peoples book interests.

7.23.2013

Review: A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh

A Sweethaven Summer [Sweethaven Circle] by Courtney Walsh
Published: February 16, 2012
Format: Kindle purchased
Rating 4/5

From Goodreads
A faded scrapbook reveals secrets that reconnect old friends in a place called Sweethaven. Campbell Carter has come to Sweethaven in search of answers about her mother's history. Just before losing a battle with cancer, Suzanne Carter sent letters to childhood friends from her hometown of Sweethaven, Michigan. Suzanne's three friends -- Lila, Jane, and Meghan -- haven't spoken in years, yet each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together as girls. Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers. As the scrapbook reveals secrets from the past, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored -- just as Suzanne intended. A Sweethaven Summer is the first book in the Sweethaven series, followed by A Sweethaven Homecoming and A Sweethaven Christmas.

My Thoughts
I’ve had this book setting in my Kindle for a while now and figured I’d finally read it during last weekend’s rain storms. I was pleasantly taken from the first pages of this wonderfully written book. Following the death of her mom Campbell sets out to find the answers to her questions, but in the process finds out she has more questions than answers than she ever imagined.

One of her biggest questions is who is her father? Her mother became pregnant her finally summer at Sweethaven and never told anyone who he was. She also finds out she has family which her mother lead her to believe she didn’t have. While she hates being angry at her mom she comes to see her mom lied to her, lied about just everything about her life.

Campbell sets out to Sweethaven to hopefully find the answers and maybe even find out who her father is. So she seeks out the only ones who could possibly help her…her mom’s best friends. We learn about each friend one by one and are shown that each one has a secret of their own. Although each woman is brought together in thinking they are going to say their goodbyes to their old friend Suzanne no one knows she has already passed away.

You go in thinking it’s all about Campbell and her need for answers and closure but it’s so much more than that. This novel takes us on a wonderful ride showing us how sometimes love and forgiveness sometimes goes hand in hand. How life isn’t always what we think or imagine it will be. Nothing and no one is perfect but how it’s up to us to make what we want in life.  Most importantly how friendships are a precious thing. Friends can know you better than anyone else even your own family.

This book with it's great characters that will keep you intrigued and a story that will make you want for more. I can’t wait to read the other two novels in the series, definitely worth the read.

7.22.2013

Cover Reveal: Out from Under You by Sophie Swift

Out from Under You by Sophie Swift
Series: Smart Girls Finish First #1
Publication Date:  August 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Add to your Goodreads

Synopsis:
“Love is an earthquake. It comes when you least expect it. It rips the ground clear away. Right out from under you.”

The day Lia Smart met Grayson Walker, eight years ago, was the day she fell helplessly in love with him. Coincidentally, it was the same day Grayson fell in love with someone else: Lia’s smarter, sexier, superior-in-every-way older sister, Alex.

Now, nearly a decade later, Alex and Grayson are long over and twenty-two-year-old Lia has finally managed to forget all those lonely nights she spent pining after her sister’s boyfriend. But when Grayson unexpectedly arrives back in town with Alex for Labor Day weekend and the two announce that they’re not only back together but engaged, all the feelings that Lia buried suddenly come bubbling back to the surface.

But Lia is no longer the awkward, gangly tomboy she was at fourteen. Far from it. And Grayson is conflicted by the lustful thoughts he’s now having for her. He knows he could never act on those thoughts, however. Grayson has always prided himself on being one of the “good guys.” But as the weekend wears on, he’s finding this new grown-up version of Lia more and more impossible to resist...

Heartbreaking and sexy with a dash of humor, Sophie Swift crafts a passionate, unforgettable tale about desire, growing up, and the kind of love that shakes us to the core.

*Contains adult situations and explicit content. Recommended for ages 17+

AUTHOR BIO:
Sophie Swift is an east coast girl who recently transplanted to Southern California. She writes about sexy boys by day, and dates them by night. Her sizzling, new adult romance, OUT FROM UNDER YOU, the first in a new contemporary series, will be released in August of 2013. She loves books that quicken her pace, music sung by adolescent boys, and cupcakes with too much frosting.

Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

7.19.2013

Review: OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
Expected Publication: July 23, 2013
Format: E-Arc via Edelweiss
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads
When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he's her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again.

But despite her feelings for Beck, Bea can't stop thinking about someone else: a guy who is gorgeous and magnetic... and has no idea Bea even exists. But Bea knows a ton about him. She spends a lot of time watching him. She has a journal full of notes. Some might even say she's obsessed.

Bea tells herself she's got it all under control, but this isn't a choice, it's a compulsion. The truth is, she's breaking down... and she might end up breaking her own heart.

My Thoughts
This is a wonderfully written story about a topic that today is still very much not truly talked about. OCD Love Story is the story of Bea and her life dealing with her OCD. However Bea doesn’t think of herself as having OCD. While in counseling with other teens she thinks everyone else is way worse than she is and wonders why she is even though to begin with.

I initially thought this was going to be a LOVE story between Bea and Beck, but as a read it I didn’t come out seeing that at all. I mean they did date somewhat but I saw it more as a love story solely about Bea. I saw it that way seeing how by the end she comes full circle about her OCD. How she totally denies it because once she accepts it and becomes truthful with herself about it, it’s only then that she finally receive help and deal with all her issues.

I was completely happy with how the topic of OCD was dealt with. It wasn’t portrayed as something bad or something that “crazy” people deal with. It was dealt with honesty and recognized as a real disease and a mental disorder. Towards the end your heart couldn’t help but break a little for Bea when she is forced to face the truth about herself and her disease. It’s all about accepting and loving who you are.

7.18.2013

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: Book Vacay: Where is the best destination reading spot for you? (Where do you like to go to read other than your home.)

A: Well since I live in TX and it’s hotter than hell here this is a tough one. I’m not really an outdoorsy person but I do like to read outside if it’s not too hot. Nothing fancy I just sit on front steps and read.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

7.17.2013

WoW [37]

The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle
Expected Publication: November 5, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Summary via Goodreads...
To the outside Diana and Joe have a perfect family-three lovely children, a beautiful home, and a café that's finally taking off. But their world is rocked when it's discovered that their oldest daughter, 17-year-old Morgan is having an affair with her married teacher, TJ Hill.

Their town rocks with the scandal. When the case goes to trial, the family is torn further apart when Morgan sides not with her parents-as a manipulated teenage girl; but with TJ himself-as a woman who loves a 30-year-old man.

Told from the perspectives of Morgan, Diana, and TJ's wife, Rain, this is an unforgettable story that fully explores the surprising, even shocking, events that change the lives of two families.

Why I Can’t Wait....
I love a good scandal! This seems like a good book with some mystery, which is great to curl up with on a winters night. I hope I can get a copy can't wait to read this!

What are you waiting for? Please feel free to share and leave your link below. Also be sure to add me on Goodreads…I love seeing other peoples book interests.

7.16.2013

Review: Love at High Tide by Christi Barth


Love at High Tide by Christi Barth
Published: July 8, 2013
Format: copy via NetGalley
Publisher: Carina Press
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads
Darcy Trent is lucky Cooper Hudson is on hand to sweep her off her feet—literally—when she nearly drowns while swimming in the ocean. But life-saving aside, Mr. Perfect's timing stinks: Darcy's career is about to take her to the complete opposite side of the Atlantic. Still, a little summer loving with the tall, blond and sexy former cop is far too tempting to pass up.

When his plans to enter the Secret Service went south thanks to a bum knee, Coop retreated to the family beach house to mull his future. Romance is the last thing on his mind, until he fishes a curvy brunette out of the sea. Now, spending time in Darcy's arms seems like the ideal distraction, even if it is just for a week. But with Darcy's departure date fast approaching and their careers on the line, can they realize in time that their beach fling might become the real thing?

My Thoughts
Want an easy breezy stress free beach read? Well, this one is for you.

Classic type read about a girl who’s been too focus on her career to have a relationship, and guy who is recovering from a career set back. They meet while both on vacation and taking that time to try and set their lives back on track.

There is a few funny moments between Darcy and her best friend who is trying her hand in becoming an P.I. Needless to say they find themselves in trouble more than once. Of course Cooper is there with the help of his cousin to help them out.

There isn’t much to this book, meaning it is what it is. A good summery beach romance novel, and trust me there is nothing wrong with that. Who doesn’t love and enjoy a good summer romance?

7.12.2013

Review: Finding Bliss by Dina Silver

Finding Bliss by Dina Silver
Expected Publication: July 16, 2013
Format: E-ARC via NetGalley
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Rating: 4/5

Summary via Goodreads
Chloe Carlyle has always longed for the perfect family. Growing up with an alcoholic single mother, she has seen her share of heartbreak and disappointment, and is striving to build a new legacy for herself. After graduating from college, she takes a job working as a summer girl for the Reeds––a wealthy, accomplished family that personifies her American dream. Her summer takes an unexpected turn when the Reeds’ eldest son Tyler, the star quarterback for Notre Dame, shows up and turns her life upside down.

An ambitious young woman with a wry sense of humor, Chloe never imagined herself as the type to succumb to the looks and charms of the hometown hero, but she falls hard for Tyler, and is devastated when they part ways at the end of the summer. As she heads off to law school, Chloe tries to convince herself this was just a fling, but she can’t quite get over him. It’s not until Tyler contacts her out of the blue late one winter night that everything changes.

After doing everything in her power to build the perfect life, Chloe soon learns that there are things beyond her control. She must draw on inner reserves of strength as her life takes unpredictable—and sometimes heartbreaking—twists and turns, and she finds herself faced with decisions she never thought she’d have to make. Poignant, heartfelt, and emotional, Finding Bliss is a reminder that you don’t have to live a fairytale life in order to have a happy ending.

My Thoughts
While some might see this as a romance story I don’t. I see this as a story of hope and achieving whatever you want in life. All Chloe wanted in life was a “normal” family. While taking a summer job for a rich family she falls for Tyler. His parents tell her to stay away from him but of course she doesn’t. She falls for his moves and in some cases lies and leads in with her heart and not her head. Let’s be honest…we call all relate to that right? Me personally, I’m not a fan of Tyler’s, I see him more as a guy who is just playing with her emotions.

Chloe has always had a place in her heart for him and one night when he’s on his way to see her Tyler has an accident. Of course Chloe is there to mend him back to health. Tyler starts to fall for her in the process.  They eventually end up together but while she finally gets her man there’s only one more thing that could make her family complete…a baby. I won’t spoil the rest of the plot of Chloe’s journey but it’s a very emotional and hard one to make come true.

What I took from this at the end is that no one can have that “perfect” life that they have envisioned for themselves. Life throws you curves balls and its how you manage things that determine how your life will be. No matter much you try and make things work, life always has other plans for you in the end. The way you thought things would be is never how they turn out. It’s those unexpected things that truly make life worth wild, sometimes it’s those unexpected things that are way more wonderful than anything we could ever plan.

7.11.2013

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: Activity: PHOTOBOMB!!!! Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. Share it of course.




A: I couldn’t just pick one! So I went with two of my recent faves… Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. Sorry if the pic’s not too good took in real quick on my laptop.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

7.10.2013

WoW [36]


Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Expected Publication: April 22, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BYR

Summary via Goodreads...
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters.

Why I Can’t Wait....
Hello it’s Jenny Freakin’ Han! Plus look at that gorgeous cover and it simply sounds like a great read.

7.09.2013

Review: Stargazey Point by Shelley Noble

Stargazey Point by Shelley Noble
Expected Publication: July 9, 2013
Format: Finished copy via publisher
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads
Devastated by tragedy during her last project, documentarian Abbie Sinclair thinks she has nothing left to give by the time she arrives in Stargazey Point. Once a popular South Carolina family destination, the town's beaches have eroded, local businesses are closing, and skyrocketing taxes are driving residents away. Stargazey Point, like Abbie, is fighting to survive.

But Abbie is drawn slowly into the lives of the people around her: the Crispin siblings, three octogenarians sharing a looming plantation house; Cab Reynolds, who left his work as an industrial architect to refurbish his uncle's antique carousel, a childhood sanctuary; Ervina, an old Gullah wise woman with the power to guide Abbie to a new life, if only she'd let her; and a motley crew of children whom Abbie can't ignore.

Abbie came seeking a safe haven, but what she finds is so much more. For Stargazey Point is a magical place . . . a place for dreamers . . . a place that can lead you home.

My Thoughts
I was really excited to read this book. I seemed to have everything I like in good love story. Two lost souls who were brought together by only some would have to believe was faith or destiny. While I wasn’t completely disappointed I must admit I was slightly left wanting more. I didn’t feel the connection I was hoping for between Abbie and Cab. I wanted that spark, that thing that would make me want to root for them more. I was hoping and rooting for them but it just wasn’t there.

I enjoyed the characters themselves and the supporting ones as well. I think it was well written and had a beautiful background as its setting. The whole carousel and beach town setting just seemed like the best place for two people to fall in love. However for me at least something was simply missing.

The one thing that kind of bugged me was the storyline involving the Crispin siblings. I just felt like we didn’t get the whole story. When I was finished I felt like there was something more there.

Don’t get me wrong I liked this book, I just felt like I could’ve loved it. I wanted to. All that was missing was the “magic.”

7.08.2013

Review: The Great Divide by Janet Goss

The Great Divide by Janet Goss
Published: July 2, 2013
Format: Finished copy via publisher
Publisher: NAL Trade
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads
For the past ten years, Vera Van Loon has been beating the city heat at her friend’s idyllic lakeside guest cabin. There, she’s Aunt Loony to Kit Garrett’s teenagers, a kayaker instead of a straphanger—and a million miles away from the complications of real” life in Manhattan.

If only she didn’t have to alternate weekends with one of the Garretts’ relatives, everything would be perfect—until she discovers the truth: Uncle” Cyrus is hardly the man she thought he was. He’s just her type, wildly appealing—and a worthy Scrabble opponent. All of a sudden, everything is perfect until Labor Day. Because Cyrus prefers the rural life and Vera could never give up New York.

Back in town, a chance encounter with a seductive local convinces her she’s where she belongs—but Cyrus has other ideas. With choices, and crises, coming from all directions, it’s time for Vera to make a life-or-life decision that will be anything but a day at the beach.

My Thoughts
The Great Divide is a good summer read…nothing more and nothing less. It’s an easy breezy summer book. It’s the story of Vera and her summer “family” and how she spends all her summers with them. All of that is thrown out when she realizes she must now share her weekends and cabin with “uncle” Cyrus. Needless to say “Uncle” Cyrus isn’t what she thought he was.

They both of course hit it off and eventually decide to embark into a summer fling, just enjoying their time together nothing serious at all. Well we know how that goes. Both of course start to want more than just the summer but seeing how they live in somewhat different worlds, hers-city, he’s rural. While neither one wants to give up their lives they decide maybe it’s for the best to part after summer.
They both try to move on they realize that there was something more, something deep between them more than just the summer.

The Great Divide has more than just a summer romance featured. There are a great collection of characters. Vera’s city friend had a fling with a younger guy years ago and sets out to look for him again in hopes to having another child. Kind of odd seeing how he doesn’t even know he was one child already. In the process she never thought they would end up a family. There are also her crazy and odd neighbors who provide a good laugh or two.

If you are looking for something light, quick and fun pick this one up for your next beach read. Who doesn’t need a little summer romance every now and then?

7.03.2013

WoW [35]


Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
Expected Publication: February 25, 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books

Summary via Goodreads...
Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

At school, nobody sees the scratches or her pain. The only person she connects with is the mysterious Captain Lyric, who writes song lyrics on her fourth-period desk for her to complete. With pencil marks and music, Alexi carves out a comfortable space for herself as she and the Captain finish each other's songs--words on a desk feel safer than words spoken aloud.

But when Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend who understands her better than anyone. He has secrets of his own and knows all about suffering in silence. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally speak up.

With her powerful, moving debut novel, author Courtney C. Stevens emerges as an extraordinary new talent to watch.

Why I Can’t Wait....
This sounds like a really great story and I can’t wait to find out what exactly her secret is. Plus music! I’m down.

7.02.2013

Review: The Rest of Us by Jessica Lott


The Rest of Us by Jessica Lott
Expected Publication: July 2, 2013
Format: E-Arc via Edelweiss
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 3/5 stars


Summary via Goodreads
A gorgeous literary debut about second chances, The Rest of Us is an indelible love story that explores the legacy of an affair between a young student and her older professor.

As a college student, Terry fell madly and destructively in love with Rhinehart, her famous poetry professor, tumbling into a relationship from which she never fully recovered. Now, fifteen years later, she’s single, still living in the same walk-up she moved into after college, and languishing as a photographer’s assistant, having long abandoned her own art. But when she stumbles upon Rhinehart’s obituary online, she finds herself taking stock of the ways her life has not lived up to her youthful expectations and grows disproportionately distraught at the thought that she’ll never see him again.


She is shocked when a few weeks later she bumps into Rhinehart himself: very much alive, married, and Christmas shopping at Bloomingdale’s. What ensues is an intense and beautiful friendship, an unexpected second act that pushes Terry to finally reckon with the consequences of their past and the depth of her own aspirations—and to begin to come back alive as an artist and a woman. Set in New York’s vibrant art world, The Rest of Us is a captivating read and is as much a love letter to the city and the struggles of its artists as it is a sharp and stirring novel of the heart.


My Thoughts
This book is all about love, heartache and second chances. The story tells the story of Terry and her relationship with her professor. While having moved on with her life she is forced to relive t when she thinks he has passed on. In flashbacks we learn all about their relationship and what leads up to the breakup.

I personally didn’t feel the emotional pull that the writer was trying to make us buy into. While I think the overall story is good and I enjoyed the writing I just couldn’t buy into this “love story.”

While this is a storyline we have seen time and time again I do agree that we must deal with and address our past actions if we ever want to move on. That things that seem important when we are young aren’t valued the same when we are older.


Event: The New Look of Indulgence

Sexy new look!
Classic romance with a fresh new twist.

Indulgence brings together classic romance, new and fresh voices, those alpha heroes we all love, and are simply great category romance reads.

Indulgence books are short contemporary romances.  They are new, fresh, edgy, light, and whimsical and always have a happily ever after.

Emotionally and physically satisfying.

Sure, Brazen may be the naughty little sister of Indulgence, but where do you think Brazen learned everything?

Famously Engaged, by Robyn Thomas
A chef and a rock star. They couldn’t be from more different worlds…
Rock star royalty’s favorite son, Jake Olsen, couldn’t help but interfere after listening to his future brother-in-law talk non-stop about his ex-wife, Beth Carlisle. Jake decides that the only way to get the groom’s mind off his ex-wife is to give her a fake fiancé.
Before Jake can convince Beth of his plan, he's forced to move in with her to avoid the paparazzi. Their instant attraction makes for a sizzling "first date", but soon Jake’s fame gets in the way and Beth wants out. Too bad Jake's figured out just why her ex is so obsessed with her, and he's afraid he's not going to be able to give her up either.
Now it's up to Jake to convince this chef together they make the perfect recipe.


Amazon: http://amzn.to/16KcgH1
Barnes and Noble: Coming

The Wedding Gamble, by Cindi Myers
Preschool teacher Laura Nichols is celebrating her birthday and sister's bachelorette party in Vegas. Being in Sin City is thrilling and she intends on tapping in to her wild side. Laura can't resist the added excitement that comes with saying yes when a hunky man off the street proposes...
FBI agent David Abruzzo has been working undercover as a thug to bring down the Zacolli crime family, but his cover depends on convincing the mob he came to Vegas for a quickie wedding. If they catch on to his plan, his cover's blown, and he's as good as dead. 
Over the course of 48 hours, David and Laura use rollercoasters, glowing condoms, and exotic male dancers to stay alive and bring the crime family down. But it will take more than Lady Luck, one night of passion, and a little Vegas magic to turn their fake marriage into something real.

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/11bhLAf




Dishing Up Desire, by Barbara DeLeo
Image consultant Blake Matthews is facing his toughest PR challenge yet: salvage the image of celebrity chef Kirin Hart. Once he does, he'll be able to acquire LA's most successful PR firm. But Kirin's no easy fix. She's stubborn about changing her comfortable homemaker image, and is being sued for sexual harassment by a junior staffer. She needs a PR lifeline fast. Only problem is Blake wants more than to make her over...

Kirin doesn't need a makeover--her fans love her as she is. But she could lose everything if the sex scandal and reputation that has followed doesn't get quashed right away. Kirin agrees to let model-perfect Blake work his magic for two weeks, but things get complicated when she can't deny the way her body flares to life whenever he's near.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/19PTKCs
Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/15ZJUWR

Cover Reveal: Lennon's Rain by Chris Meyers

Title: Lennon’s Rain by Chris Myers
Expected release date: August 19, 2013
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Age Group:  New Adult [Sexual content]
Cover designed by: Books on the Edge, photo from Shutterstock
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours
Add to Goodreads

Book Description:
Sometimes in love, you choose wrong…
Eighteen-year-old Lennon Tyler has his first girlfriend Jinx. Now what? He’s gone from the oasis of easy groupies to the Sahara. With her past history, he believes she should make the first move. With his sexual prowess, Jinx worries why he hasn’t made any advances. Add his sexual frustration to the return of his fifth grade crush plus a Japanese temptress equals trouble for Lennon.

In fifth grade, Rain broke Lennon’s heart and her own. She has never forgotten her best friend and skateboarding partner. When Lennon sees her at a sorority party, he doesn’t hesitate to humiliate her. Instead of embarrassing her, he stirs up old feelings that neither of them got over.

About the Author
Chris Myers suffers from an overactive imagination. She spent her high school years writing torch songs for fantasy guys then moved onto writing thrillers, new adult, and young adult. She has a real job but would love to write full time. Her books have won and placed in the finals and semifinals for several awards including Paul Gillette, Rocky Mountain Gold, and Amazon Breakthrough Novel. Chris lives in Colorado with her daughter, her better half, and BeBe, a rambunctious Bichon.

Author social media links:
https://twitter.com/cmyersfiction
http://www.facebook.com/chrismyersfiction
www.chrismyersfiction.com
http://chrismyersfiction.blogspot.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/review/new/17880816-lennon-s-rain

7.01.2013

Blog Tour: This is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker


This is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker
Expected Publication: July 2, 2013
Format: E-ARC via Edelweiss
Publisher: Soho Teen
Rating: 4/5
Find: Amazon/BN/Goodreads



Summary via Goodreads

This is not a story of forgiveness...
The mystery of their best friend's murder drives four girls to destroy the Gregory family.
Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club saw Willa Ames-Rowan climb into a boat with James Gregory, the Club’s heir apparent. Everyone at Hawthorne Lake Country Club watched him return. Alone. They all know he killed her. But none of them will say a word. The Gregory family is very, very good at making problems go away.
Enter the W.A.R.—the war to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan. Four girls. Four very different motives for justice and revenge, and only one rule: destroy the Gregory family at any cost.

 My Thoughts
I truly enjoyed this story of lies, cover-ups and the lives of some little rich kids who have everything. It all focuses around the friends and sister of Willa who are out to revenge her death. The center and the focus of the murder is James Gregory. James is the next in line to take over the Gregory family business. They are known and basically own the entire town, so when James is considered the prime suspect in Willa’s death every in the town just chalks it up to “boys being boys.” No one has the gall to confront the powerful Gregory family, all except Willa’s sister. She is determined to find out exactly what happened and wants to make sure those who did this will pay.
While going all lengths to find out what happened more secrets are uncovered and some that are better left unturned. Willa’s sis and friends find out that by trying to take down the Gregory family, they in turn are not expecting that all of their secrets and lives will soon be turned upside down as a result.

This book keeps you glued and guessing, it’s keeps you wanting to know more. I went into this thinking it was merely a story of catty rich kids, which it is somewhat, but it’s also more than that. It’s much more than just a story of revenge, it’s one of love, hope, family and more importantly finding yourself and wanting to belong.
About the Authors
Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing partners with a passion for good books, pop culture, and Bravo programming. Not necessarily in that order. A prepubescent obsession with Lois Duncan and their mother's insistence that they read Men Are Just Desserts inspired This is WAR. The sisters live in Cleveland, Ohio, in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex.
Cyberstalking is always encouraged at lisa-laura.blogspot.com and @landlroecker on Twitter.