8.29.2019

Monthly Wrap Up: August

Can you believe Septemeber is upon us? I love all things Fall cooler weather, comfort food and especially football just to name a few! This month I was really laid back with my reading and only read three books, but they were all five-star reads! Here’s how my August went reading-wise.

Books Read
42. Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
43. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
44. Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Reading Stats
5 Stars - 3
4 Stars - 0
3 Stars - 0
2 Stars - 0
1 Stars - 0

Genres
Fiction - 1
Thrillers - 2

Pages Read - 1,056

Books via Publisher
Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio
The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames

Thank you Lake Union, Little Brown and Co, Berkley Books, Ballantine Books, and Viking thank you all for the amazing books!

ARC’s via NetGalley/Edelweiss
The Other Mrs.by  Mary Kubica
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey

That’s it for my August Wrap Up please feel free to share your wrap up I love to check out all things bookish!!

8.28.2019

Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood
Published: August 6, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Format: via audiobook
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson's heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded." Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on. 

But two years later, when Ginny's best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth--its squalid hallways filled with neglected children--she knows she can't leave her daughter there. With Ginny's six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.

For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.

My Thoughts
Keeping Lucy is the touching tale of Ginny who goes to lengths to try to get her daughter Lucy back. It’s the late 60’s and Ginny is giving birth when she wakes up she finds out her daughter Lucy has been taken away from her. She later finds out that Lucy has Down Syndrome and given the time there was no other option but to put children who they consider “different” away in orphanages. Ginny was also told Lucy had other problems health wise and this was the best for everyone involved.

A couple of years pass and Ginny finds out that Lucy isn't in the type of place she thought she was. The place isn't fit for anyone and Ginny and her best friend decide to visit Lucy and take her for the weekend but once she is there and sees things for herself she decides Lucy will never go back and from there on it's Ginny and Lucy against the world.

They go on a road trip and Lucy soon begins to open up but only after Ginny sees how Lucy has suffered in that place. She begs her husband and his family, who are very powerful back home, to help but Ginny soon sees she might have to do this alone. Since she didn't have a choice, in the beginning, she takes a stand now and chooses the love for her child over everything and everyone.

Keeping Lucy made me an emotional wreck. The storyline is amazing and touching about a mother whose child was literally taken from her without her permission. She worries if Lucy will even know who she is. However, once they lock eyes Ginny’s heart is complete and Lucy knows this is her mama. This shows us the lengths a mother will go for her child and no matter what others think about Lucy, Ginny cares and will fight for her. If you want a heartwarming read look no further than Keeping Lucy.

8.27.2019

Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Published: August 6, 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: via audiobook
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis
When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is. 

My Thoughts
I’ve always had an iffy relationship with Ruth Ware, I’m always excited by her new reads but sadly they don't live up to the hype. Now maybe it's just me who hypes them up so high but her books just never “get” there for me. Well, all that has changed with her newest book The Turn of the Key, this book is just...spectular!

The Turn of the Key is told through letters from the main character Rowen to a lawyer she hopes can help her. All we know is that she is accused of murder. We met Rowen who comes across an ad as a nanny so she goes for an interview to this massive home which is all decked out tech-wise. When she meets the kids things don't go well but somehow she gets the job and strange and scary things begin to happen.

She is soon left with the children while their parents go away and Rowen tries her best to get along with the kids but they are a handful and one of them continues to tell Rowen that she should leave or bad things will happen. The fact that Rowen begins to hear things and suspect somethings aren't right doesn’t help matters.

While Rowen does have reason to fear, she’s isn't so innocent we start to learn more and more about Rowen as the book goes on and soon her secrets are relieved and the real reason she came to this house. As things unravel Rowen’s real story doesn't help her case and she is left to defend herself. 

This book was just amazing to me, you get this story that straight up opens with a murder and a suspect already in jail. If that wasn't enough we get this huge mansion with a ghost or something and nannies that keep disappearing. Then we find out Rowen’s secrets which was a huge plot twist and lastly, we get a second plot twist at the end! Ruth Ware doesn't disappoint with this thriller it is one that pays off dividends! If you want a great page-turner of a book look no further than this one….it’s the ultimate read!

8.19.2019

Blog Tour: Reining Her In by Katie Ashley

Today we are celebrating the release of REINING HER IN by Katie Ashley by participating in the blog tour. This is a standalone, contemporary romance title that is available now to read as part of Kindle Unlimited. Check out the blurb and links below, and follow Ashley's Group for details.

REINING HER IN by Katie Ashley

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED
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Blurb
The last time I saw Declan St. James was at our rehearsal dinner. That was shortly before he jilted me at the altar. To avoid the swarm of whispers and finger-pointing every time I dared to show my face in public, I fled two hours south to Atlanta and never looked back. Over the last decade, I’d planned hundreds of scenarios about how our next meeting would go down. The expletives I’d hurl at him. Which knee I might use to annihilate his balls. Which dimpled cheek on his ridiculously handsome face I would send a stinging slap across. But being elbow-deep in a cow’s ass was not one of them. Normally, I didn’t get up close and personal to a bovine’s rectum. At least not since veterinarian school. But desperate times found me back home to attend my grandfather’s funeral, who happened to be the town’s large animal vet. Those two facts had left me wading through manure in Roy Wallace’s pasture to care for a distressed heifer. While time and maturity seemed to have changed him from the boy I knew, I still wasn’t falling for his charm. Or his hard, chiseled body. Or ass you could eat dinner off of. No, I wasn’t going back down that street again. Unfortunately, Declan didn’t seem to get the message. Instead, he seemed as stubborn as he ever was and ready for a fight. It’ll be the fight of his life for me to let him back in my heart.

Excerpt
“Do you want to know what I think?” Declan asked.

“No. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

As Declan loomed over me, I took a tiny step back. “I think you still have feelings for me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I’m sure you heard me.”

“I didn’t think I could have considering how delusional you sounded.” When I jabbed my finger into his chest, I momentarily lost my train of thought. His pecs were rock-hard. Damn, he was even more built now than he was back when he was playing football in high school. Once I regained my senses, I spat, “Of course, I have feelings for you. Murderous, angry feelings.”

“I hate they’re all still so negative. I still consider you one of the smartest, best-looking, and kindest women of my acquaintance.”

“Wait…you what?”

“Why is it you haven’t come back home in ten years?”

“Don’t be pedantic.”

He grinned. “You always loved using those big words.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. Call me crazy, but I always found your intelligence sexy.”

“Sure you did.”

“I did.” He waggled his brows. “It kinda turned me on when you used that extensive vocabulary of yours.”

What the hell? Was this real life? “Are you drunk?”

Shrugging, he replied, “No. I’m just stating facts.”

“I would think you would have to be drunk or high to stand before the woman you humiliated and flirt with the finesse of a teenage boy. We’re at my grandfather’s funeral for God’s sake.”

That seemed to sober him up a little. I had no idea where this was coming from. Only a few minutes ago he was angry at me.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Look, Declan, I need to get back inside. Thank you for apologizing. That helped. But if we need to rehash the past can it not be today?” I took a deep breath, hoping it would give me the courage and strength I needed to get my game face back on. I need this day to be over.  

But then his eyes focused on my lips, and too many odd sensations ricocheted through me. I had to get the hell out of there. I took a step back and my foot came down on air instead of concrete. Flailing, I started to fall back when Declan grabbed my hand. As I tried to pull myself toward him, I ended up jacking him toward me. A high-pitched scream escaped my lips as I tumbled backwards off the porch and into the shrubs below.

Although it should have been a soft landing with all the brush, the branches scraped and scratched like agony, causing me to shriek with pain. Of course, it didn’t help when Declan’s body crushed onto mine.

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Declan asked, “Are you okay?”

“Can’t. Breathe,” I wheezed.

“Shit. I’m sorry.” When he started to get off of me, he bellowed in pain. “Fuck. I think there’s a branch up my ass,” Declan grunted.

A laugh burst from my lips at his statement and the absurdity of the situation. “Oh, you think me being victimized by a shrub is funny?” Declan demanded.

“It sure as hell is.”



Read it Now

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

 


About the Author

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, and her spoiled mutt, Duke. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Scooby-Doo.
With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education, she spent eleven years teaching both middle and high school English, as well as a few adjunct college English classes. As of January 2013, she hung up her red pen and expo markers to become a full-time writer. Each and every day she counts her blessings to be able to do her dream job.
Although her roots are firmly planted in the red Georgia clay, she loves traveling the country and world to meet readers and hang out with fellow authors. When she’s not writing or chasing down her toddler, you might find her watching reruns of The Golden Girls, reading historical biographies, along with romance novels, or spending way too much time on Facebook.
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8.13.2019

Review: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Published: Scribner
Publisher: May 28, 2019
Format: via audiobook
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis
A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the bond between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne—sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Francis and Lena’s daughter, Kate, and Brian and Anne’s son, Peter. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while tested by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.

My Thoughts
Ask Again, Yes is the story of two families who endure a tragedy and how they overcome and try to move on from it. Francis and Bruce were two rookie cops who worked briefly together but later find themselves neighbors. When they moved in Francis wife, Lena wanted and needed a friend but Brian’s wife Anne was very closed off from the get-go. Soon Kate, Francis and Lena daughter and Peter, Brian and Anne’s son become close friends. Over the years we see their friendship grow and they become each others consent.

Peter has always known his mother is different than other moms, she has episodes and doesn't come out of her room for days or weeks and her highs are highs but her lows are really low. She continues to have these manic episodes and Peter doesn't know what exactly is wrong with her and his father is no help at all. She needs help but doesn't know what to do and all of this comes to a head one night and what happens as a result of it could end Peter and Kate’s friendship but also tie the families together forever.

This novel spans over 40 years and shows us overtime how these two families lives are embedded into each other. We see Peter and Kate grow up and apart but are always thinking of each other until they finally reunite. Kate’s life while it has its struggles family wise isn't as hard as Peter's. His family life is all but destroyed after that one night, his mother is in a mental institution and his father basically leaves him behind with his uncle never to be heard from again. Of all the characters I felt for Peter, his life is the one that could've destroyed him but his uncle and Kate were two people who wouldn't give up on him. As he got older he family problems and his past got the better of him which led to a dark period in his life but once again Kate was there to help him through it.

This is a story of love, friendship, hardships, mental illness, and addiction. We get the highs and lows of these two families who were destined to come together for better or worse. I loved the spanned of decades and how we see them grow and overcome their demons with help from each other. Ask Again, Yes is a wonderful yet gritty story at times that shows us we can overcome anything in life.

8.12.2019

Review: Birthday by Meredith Russo

Birthday by Meredith Russo
Published: May 2, 2019
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Format: via audiobook
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis
Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up—and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.

My Thoughts
Morgan and Eric are soul mates in all ways, they were born the same day and time and have been best friends forever. They have always had a shared birthday party but as time moved on and life dealt them tragedies, like the death of Morgan’s mother they tried to keep their friendship intact. 

Each one is dealing with family and personal issues, Eric has a father who isn't the most supportive person and while Morgan is trying to come to terms with his true identity and these feelings he's having towards his best friend. Eric has known for a while that Morgan is dealing with something but doesn't want to push, he wants Morgan to come to him when he is ready but deep down Eric has an idea what Morgan is going through. Morgan hasn't been dealing with the death of mother well and with a father who isn't very expressive he doesn't know who to turn to, he wants to tell his best friend but is scared to lose the one person he truly loves in this world.

Birthday is soulful and heartbreaking at the same time. You feel for these two teens who are trying to find themselves in a world that can be cruel. The one thing that they have is each other, no matter what happens, no matter what they may do they always will be there for each other. That love is real and it will transcend everything. That love is so deep that even they become surprised as to how much its true. This story is about friendship and love and how some people truly are soul mates from birth.

Healing Heather & Accepting Aerin by Tinsley Sellers


Healing Heather by Tinsley Sellers
(Beckley’s Daughters Romance #1)
Publication date: July 20, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
She’s going 120mph in a 65 zone—and if driving even faster could change history, Professor Heather Harris would floor it. She’s on a collision course with Sergeant Brian Daniels, a state trooper determined to enforce the speed limit and slam the brakes on his own heartache. Can a fast-moving physicist find love with a laid-back law officer, or will ghosts from their pasts keep driving them apart?
“All relationships come with an expiration date. All of mine just happened to fall on the same two days.” —Heather Harris
After a long year of tragedy and loss, Dr. Heather Harris is finally ready to come to terms with the deaths that have left her devastated and alone in the world. Spending summer break at the lake cottage she inherited from her grandparents is the first step in coping with her crushing grief, but she soon finds herself on a collision course with Sergeant Brian Daniels, a police officer whose passion for classic cars won’t stop him from enforcing the speed limit.
Brian Daniels embraces his small-town, laid-back, lakeside life. After years of heartbreak at the hands of his first love, he’s finally free—and a fast-driving, karaoke-singing physics professor offers an exciting diversion. Opposites attract, but the sudden appearance of a blonde on a Harley threatens to throw a monkey wrench in the works. Will the pull of his past be stronger than the promise of his future?
Welcome to the small-town world of Beckley, Michigan. The two-lane roads are long and winding, the many lakes are cool and blue, and the dense forests are green and shaded. Summer days are warm and sunny and summer nights are clear under the glittering stars. The people are warm, friendly, smart, funny–and very, very real. When you need a place to call home, Beckley welcomes you—and sometimes the family you choose is as strong as the bonds you’re born with.


Accepting Erin by Tinsley Sellers
(Beckley’s Daughters Romance #1)
Publication date: November 16, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Chet Coakley needs a quiet place to write the last novel in his best-selling series.
When a freak accident ends his baseball career, Chet finds his second chance writing a series of retro-detective novels. He’s on a deadline and can’t afford a distraction—especially not in the form of a vivacious blonde innkeeper who challenges everything he believes about himself.
Professional chef Aerin Buckholtz owns a vintage lodge and fifteen cabins on a secluded lake in the Michigan woods.
Betrayed by her best friend and self-conscious about her appearance, Aerin believes that romance isn’t meant for her. She’s building her business—and working to earn good reviews seems safer than admitting her attraction to a handsome former athlete who feels far out of her league.
Can Aerin and Chet learn to see themselves through each other’s eyes and accept a love neither one saw coming?
Welcome back to Beckley, Michigan! Autumn is in the air and as the days get shorter, the air gets cooler and the trees begin to turn every shade of gold and red. The people are just as warm, friendly, smart, funny, and real as you remember. When you need a place to call home, Beckley welcomes you—and sometimes the family you choose is as strong as the bonds you’re born with.
If you like small-town romance, you’ll like Beckley. If you like smart heroines who balance demanding professional careers with a commitment to family, friends, and finding love, then you’ll definitely like it here. If you like strong, sexy, hard-working heroes who have not-so-secret soft spots for kids, kittens, and classic cars, you may find that you never want to leave!
Accepting Aerin is the second in the Beckley’s Daughters Romance series. This series is recommended for adult readers and contains explicit language and intimate situations.

Get both for only 99¢ each for a limited time!

Healing Heather Sneak Peek:
That’s your truck?” I almost dropped my ice cream. My hot caramel, double scoop, butter pecan with whipped cream and two cherries sundae, to be precise. All over the front of Brian’s blue and white striped button-down shirt.
After I had hung up on him, I couldn’t shake the image of the ice cream. The craving got too strong, and I had decided that spending my dinner calories on that outrageous sundae made perfect sense. A tiny voice in the back of my brain had whispered that I might be trying to run into someone—not naming any names, not pointing any fingers—accidentally on purpose. You’re not helping, I had whispered back to the voice, but hopped in Violet and hit the road rolling towards Bowdon anyway.
Johnson’s was an old-fashioned soda fountain, and entering it was like stepping back fifty years in an instant. The fresh-faced teenage girl behind the counter wore a pink and white striped apron, and an exaggerated pink bow held back her blonde ponytail. Her hand-drawn name tag read Lizzie, with a tiny pink heart dotting each ‘i.’
When I had placed my order, she grinned. “One Sergeant’s Special, coming right up!” She had cheerfully gotten busy, scooping and topping like someone who had built that particular confection on more than one occasion.
“The Sarge likes his with an extra cherry,” she held up the half-empty jar of maraschinos as evidence. “One or two for you?”
“Two, of course,” I peered over the counter as she worked. “And maybe just a little more whipped cream?”
As I emerged from the ice cream parlor with my enormous probably-better-than-sex sundae, the first thing I saw was a fully-restored classic pick up. Parked directly in front of Johnson’s, right next to Violet, it was a Dodge, 1951 or ’52, five-window. From the pristine condition of the Sea Mist Green paint to the spotless whitewall tires, I surmised that it still had the original straight-line 6-cylinder engine and three-speed transmission. Brian stepped wordlessly aside while I handed him my sundae and circled the truck, utterly transfixed. I may have been drooling just a little. Clicking the latch, I lifted the driver’s side bonnet—and gasped out loud.
“Yeah,” he nodded over my shoulder, “it’s a 392 Hemi. Just like yours.” He grinned and started spooning my sundae into his mouth. “I bought her about eight years ago, and it took me six years to bring her back to life. I figured she deserved the Hemi.”
He scooped another generous spoonful of my ice cream into his mouth and savored. “Dang, did Lizzie make this? Just gets better every time.” He handed me back the paper bowl and closed the truck bonnet. “Wanna go for a ride?”
Did I ever. Girl Code or Common Sense 101 be damned, there was no way I was turning down a ride in that beauty-on-the-outside, beast-on-the-inside truck. Without a word, I climbed into the cab on the passenger side. The interior had been meticulously restored, and the tan leather bench seat had been customized with intricate stitching.
He roared the engine to life, and my heart skipped a beat. In seconds, he had turned off the main highway, and we headed east an empty two-lane, windows rolled down and radio turned up.
“So, if I remember correctly, this is the part of the country song where I kick my shoes off and put my pretty bare feet on the dash.” I smiled sweetly and licked the caramel from my spoon, a little more suggestively than was strictly necessary. Something about the rolled-up sleeves and half-unbuttoned casual shirt he wore over a plain white tee spoke to me on an almost cellular level, triggering a sensual response I couldn’t really control. I took another bite, swirling my tongue through whipped cream with exaggerated innocence.
“Followed by the verse where I kick you out of my truck for spilling ice cream all over the leather,” he looked meaningfully at the paper bowl and its rapidly melting contents. The molten caramel and the summer heat had conspired, almost liquefying the butter pecan.
“Sorry,” I said meekly, sitting up straighter and corralling my wayward thoughts. “I won’t spill, I promise. But you may have to help me finish this, it’s a double.”
“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” He kept his left hand on the wheel, and while I held the bowl, tried unsuccessfully with his right to secure a spoonful. “I’m a lefty. Help me out here?”
I slid over a bit closer and held the sundae-loaded spoon to his lips. Without taking his eyes from the road, he took the bite with obvious relish. I repeated the process, then helped myself to a spoonful. Sharing the single spoon felt intimate and little romantic.
We drove in comfortable silence. Neither one of us mentioned our recent conversation, and it didn’t feel necessary to bring it up. The road wound through the silent forest, then suddenly opened up with hayfields and horse pasture on either side of the road. Three horses glanced up briefly, then resumed their leisurely grazing. A white farmhouse stood about a hundred yards from the road, flanked by a tidy barn and a stable. I imagined a young family: a father leading his young daughter on the back of a pony; a mother laughing and pushing a baby boy on a tree swing.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked suddenly, startling me from my reverie. “I just don’t want you to misunderstand.”
“Of course you can,” I replied, curious. “But don’t feel like you need to explain anything to me. I don’t want you to think I…” I trailed off, not knowing exactly how to finish my thought.
“Think you what? Judge me? Pity me?” He slowed the truck, pulling over on the shoulder, and turned to face me. “I don’t think you would do either. But let’s just set the record perfectly straight. Yeah, I had a relationship with Amanda. It was a lot of years, a lot of chaos, a lot of pain, and now it’s over. It’s been over for a long time.”
“Okay…” I exhaled. “She made me think you were still seeing each other pretty exclusively. I didn’t—I don’t—want to be in the middle of anything.”
“You aren’t. You couldn’t be. There’s nothing to be in the middle of.” His green eyes still showed pain, though. I reached over and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The pain in his eyes gave way to something that looked like optimism. Or maybe hope. Either one was fine by me.
“Well then. That’s resolved. I’m sorry I was rude this afternoon, it was uncalled for.” I smiled an apology. “So, Sergeant SeaMist, is this a ’51 or a ’52?”


         Author Bio
Tinsley Sellers grew up in Chicago, spending her summers with her grandparents in a tiny town a lot like Beckley, Michigan. Life took her to Arizona, Washington, and Idaho before she finally found her home in Arkansas. She is married to an amazing, supportive (and handsome!) man, with whom she has rescued three dogs and two cats. When she’s not writing, she teaches physics and engineering at the local university. When she’s not writing or teaching, she’s probably trying new recipes. She enjoys fast cars, loud music, fine whisky, and big books. In no particular order.

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8.06.2019

Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
Published: July 30, 2019
Publisher: William Morrow
Format: via Edelweiss
Rating: 5/5


Synopsis
Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it--teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy's sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.


Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it's naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way--a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.


When they're alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn't give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she's going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.


To protect herself and her family and save the life she's built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can't beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.


My Thoughts
In Never Have I Ever we met Amy who lives a pretty ideal life, she married a man who loves her, stepmom to a teen and new mother of a baby boy. She has a good circle of friends and one night during book club the new neighbor makes her presence known. Roux is unlike any of the other moms on the block, but she came to play and Amy is her target. Unknown to anyone else Roux has a secret about Amy that could truly blow up Amy’s life but little does Roux know that Amy isn't one just to lay down and be exposed.


Amy has made a new life for herself after years of running from her past. She did something in her teens she isn't proud about and someone else took the blame for it and she hasn't gotten over it. She has made it her mission to help and protect the ones she hurt and although she wants to do right she doesn't want her past to claim her present.


Roux has come to town with the sole purpose to ruin Amy’s life. She has something that Amy has and she wants it now. However, Roux has no idea that Amy is doing a little background check of her own and soon she discovers who Roux really is and the devastating secret(s) Roux has. Roux is sick, twisted and a master manipulator but she has met her match with Amy who isn't backing down and wants Roux to pay for all her wrongdoings.


Never Have I Ever is pure genius, this book had me on my toes from the first page. I love the banter between Roux and Amy and how they always one-upped each other. Just when one thought they were winning the other comes back with something stronger. This is a game that at the end no one really wins, but the reveals are masterpieces. Joshilyn Jackson has outdone herself with this novel of twist and turns and with each revelation, you are bound to be amazed. If you want an honest to god amazing read look no further than this jaw-dropping story.