9.30.2015

WoW [141]

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

Lies and other Acts of Love by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Expected Publication: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

Synopsis
After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies.

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even though her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves .

Why I Can’t Wait
I was a huge fan of her previous book Dear Carolina and this one sounds just as wonderful. She quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.

9.29.2015

Review: First & Goal [Queen of the League #1] by Laura Chapman

First & Goal [Queen of the League #1] by Laura Chapman
Published: September 9, 2015
Format: Kindle purchase
Publisher: Marching Ink
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
When Harper Duquaine’s no-nonsense approach to work unintentionally ruffles the wrong feathers at her new job, she joins her co-workers’ fantasy football league to prove she can hang with the guys. Only problem: she doesn’t know a sleeper from a keeper (or any of the other lingo thrown her way).

Embroiled in a world of lineups, stats, and trades, Harper’s quest to make nice topples when her competitive streak emerges. And her promise to herself that she’ll be a strong, independent woman and leave the drama and heartache behind is seriously tested when she catches the attention of her two biggest competitors: J.J., a local celebrity determined to win a fantasy championship, and Brook, the mild-mannered coach who seems too good to be true. Both threaten her resolve to remain single… and, more importantly, her chances at winning the prize pool.

With a slew of conflicting advice in her real and fantasy worlds, Harper must figure out how to play the game and come out a winner.

My Thoughts
When we met Harper she has recently moved due to some “personal issues” which we find out has to do with her ex. In her new job she is closer to home and is living with her brothers but her social skills at work aren’t helping her at all. So what is a girl to do? Well she joins her coworkers in their fantasy football league. She didn’t really want to but she figures if it helps her socially why not but once she starts she finds herself all caught up in it and not only that she might get some friendships and maybe even a little romance thrown in for good measure.

While she finds some good friends along the way she finds herself in the sights of JJ who is a ladies man and thinks every woman wants him but when Harper isn’t taken by his slick ways he makes it a mission to beat her not only at fantasy football but also unmask her secrets and reveal her past and let everyone know she isn’t so innocent as they all think she is. All the while Harper has eyes for Brook who is everything she would want in a man. He is kind, he coaches the local high school football team and looks after his sister and loves his nieces to no end. However she doesn’t know how he feels about her, he keeps his feelings close to his chest so Harper doesn’t know if what she thinks is real or if she’s getting mixed signals. As time goes by and the more they spend time together they both admit there is something there but they can’t tell anyone because if they do the other people in the league will think this was all a plan to up their chances in winning.

For those of you who don’t get football much less fantasy football it’s all about taking chances. You never know what can happen because things can change in a blink of an eye. That’s how I see life and love also. You never know what is possible if you don’t just dive in and take that chance. It’s all about the thrill of the game and cheering for that underdog or sleeper to get that win. Harper is that sleeper. She had a bad time in the past with her personal life but you never know what’s out there for you if you don’t take that chance and luckily she did.

This is one book that I fully enjoyed not just because I LOVE all things football and I’m a fantasy football junkie [what can I say I won my league last year!] but this book is funny, romantic and definitely has you cheering for Harper when things get stacked against her. Bottom line: never sleep on a sleeper you have to watch out sometimes because they are the ones you didn’t think had a chance  but are usually the ones who will surprise you and win it all in the end.

9.23.2015

WoW [140]

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

Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany
Expected Publication: March 8, 2016
Publisher: Washington Square Press

Synopsis
What happens when two sisters who were torn apart when their young mother abandoned them—and grew up in tragically different circumstances—reunite thirty-five years later to find her? For readers who love Jodi Picoult, acclaimed author Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.

Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name—only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school, and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.

Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.

How do our early experiences—the subtle and the traumatic—define us as adults? How do we build relationships when we’ve been deprived of real connection? Critically acclaimed author Amy Hatvany considers controversial and complicated questions about childhood through the lens of her finely crafted characters in this astute novel about mending wounds by diving into the truth of what first tore us apart.

Why I Can’t Wait
First off I love Amy Hatvany books! Secondly this one sounds amazing, love books that focus on family especially sisters and this one has a storyline that I can’t wait to devour.

9.22.2015

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Ready to Reach by Inglath Cooper


Ready to Reach [Nashville #1] by Inglath Cooper
Published:October 4th 2012
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Add to Goodreads
Buy: Amazon


Synopsis
Ever thought a dream might pass you by?
Nineteen-year old CeCe Mackenzie is determined to make her dreams come true. She heads for Nashville with not much more to her name than a guitar, a Walker Hound named Hank Junior and an old car she’d inherited from her grandma called Gertrude. But when Gertrude ends up on the side of I-40 in flames, Nashville has never seemed farther away. Help arrives in the form of two Georgia football players headed for the Nashville dream as well. When Holden Ashford and Thomas Franklin stop to offer CeCe and Hank Junior a ride, fate may just give a nod to serendipity and meant to be. Because while CeCe is chasing after her dream, she might find love as well.
New Adult Romance where “the characters are so alive you can almost hear them next to you.”


AUTHOR BIO
RITA AWARD WINNING AUTHOR INGLATH COOPER writes books that aim to give her readers a mini-vacation. A stretch of time during which they can visit other places and other people’s lives. Her books have reached the top 100 Amazon Kindle Bestseller list, with Truths and Roses hitting #11.


Inglath Cooper’s Nashville series became a reality after she spent time in Music City, writing lyrics with other songwriters. She fell in love with the community and gets to revisit regularly through her characters.


Author Links


**GIVEAWAY**
$50 Amazon GC
Click HERE to Enter


Excerpt
CeCe
. . .It’s a full truck with the four of us. My shoulders are pressed up against both guys, and I try to make myself smaller by hunching over.
Mountain Guy throws the truck in gear, checks the side mirror and guns onto the highway. “Reckon we oughta know your name,” he says.
“CeCe,” I answer. “CeCe MacKenzie.”
“CeCe MacKenzie,” he sings back with a country twang. “Got a nice little rhyme to it.”
“What’s yours?” I ask, aware that I will now have to quit calling him Mountain Guy.
“Thomas Franklin.”
“You don’t look like a Thomas,” I say.
“I get that a lot.”
“I’m sorry,” I start to apologize.
“Hey, no problem. My folks wanted the world to take me seriously, so they never gave in on the Tom, Tommy thing.”
“Oh. Makes sense.”
“Attitude over there is Holden Ashford.”
“Hey,” Holden says without looking at me. He’s still wearing the dark glasses, and I wonder if his eyes are as unfriendly as his voice.
“Hey,” I reply, matching my tone to his.
“Where you from, CeCe?” Thomas asks, shooting a glance my way.
“Virginia.”
“Georgia,” he says, waving a hand at himself and then Holden.
“Let me guess,” Holden says. “You wanna be a singer?”
“I am a singer,” I shoot back.
I can’t be sure because of the glasses, but I’d swear he rolled his eyes. “What about the two of you? You headed to Nashville to be plumbers or something?”
Thomas laughs a deep laugh that fills up the truck. “Heck, no. I sing. He writes and plays guitar.”
“That’s why he takes himself so seriously.” The words are out before I can think to stop them.
“Matter of fact, it is,” Thomas says, another laugh rolling from his big chest.
“Up yours,” Holden says without looking at either of us. I’m not sure if he’s talking to Thomas or to me.

9.16.2015

WoW [139]

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

The Ex by Alafair Burke
Expected Publication: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Harper

Synopsis
A woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.

Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it.

Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart.

 Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?

 For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?

Why I Can’t Wait
I love a book with some mystery and suspense and this one sounds really good! I can’t wait to read it!

9.15.2015

#TastykakesMiniWins VoxBox

Today I got my newest VoxBox from Influenster and I thought I would share my thoughts. For those of you who don’t know Influenster is a site where you join and link up your social media and surveys are sent out and if you are lucky you get boxes that contain coupons and products to test.

I received the #TastykakesMiniWins VoxBox I must say this is the best box I’ve gotten so far! Lol. I really loved this one because they are so good! Plus since they are mini you don’t feel guilty, you get the sweet but in snack size. OMG!! If you haven’t tried these you have to I can’t stress how good they are. Do yourself a favor and try these out!
Tastykakes

9.10.2015

Let football season officially begin!!

YES!!!!!! It’s that time of year again today is the official start of football! Oh how I love the fall and football season. Being from Texas we love football season it’s a rite of passage Friday night lights, college game day Saturdays and NFL Sundays. So after seeing a post by Sarah’s Book Shelves I thought I would post some of my favorite football inspired books movies and TV shows. And lastly while I love the game as a whole my heart belongs to my home team… I mean come on we have the best defensive guy in the league…how can you say no to this?? 
GO TEXANS!!!
BOOKS
Cora Carmack [Rusk University series]
Shannon Stacey [A Boys of Fall series]
Julie Brannagh [A Love and Football series]
 
Laura Trentham [Falcon Football series]
Bella Andre [Bad Boys of Football series]
Farrah Rochon [New York Sabers series]
Natalie Decker [Rival series]
Taylor Hart [The Last Play series]
Singles
MOVIES/TV SHOWS
The one that started it all [for me]...

Those are some of my faves, even if you aren't a football fan I'm sure you can find one of these that will keep you entertained.