Month: June 2018

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Book Review: A Sin Such as This by Ellen Hopkins

 

A Sin Such as This

by Ellen Hopkins

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Atria Books (May 29, 2018)

In this gripping follow-up to Love Lies Beneath, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s “fabulous, sex-filled masterpiece of mystery and romance” (Library Journal, starred review), beautiful, wealthy Tara Lattimore’s story continues when her sinful past threatens to derail her current marriage—and her sanity.

Tara thought she was finally settling down when she married the handsome Dr. Cavin Lattimore. Just as she was willing to overlook his gambling habits, she discovers his secret meetings with Sophia, his gorgeous ex-girlfriend and his son Eli’s occasional girlfriend. Life gets even more complicated when Tara’s niece, Kayla, starts hooking up with Eli. In a matter of weeks, Tara has reluctantly gone from rich, single San Francisco professional to Lake Tahoe housewife managing her niece’s whiplash moods, while resisting her stepson’s tantalizing sexual advances.

Adding to the family drama is her younger sister, Melody, who’s having a serious marital breakdown, which means she might know something about her husband Graham and Tara’s brief dalliance years ago. As Tara’s fragile trust in her family teeters, timed with the arrival of certain people from her past, she also can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching her. Baiting her.

Tara has always considered herself a tough, self-made woman after surviving a childhood defined by poverty, abuse, and neglect. For years, she suffered from the sins of others. She committed a few of her own. Now she wonders if the misdeeds of her past are about to catch up with her—and if she can ever outrun them.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Nice guy? Kill me now… A nice guy is roughly the equivalent of a decent girl. They’re like comfort food. Satisfying, but in all the wrong ways.

 

Worry causes wrinkles, and no one’s attracted to those.

 

My Review:

 

Mind blown!   I had actually started to panic as after another intriguing yet slow build during this well-crafted and engrossing, yet maddeningly paced addictive tale, the storyline exploded at the 97% mark and I gasped as my heart seized in fear of another heinous cliffhanger. I was grinding my teeth, blinking hard, and ready to foam at the mouth! But, thankfully, I stumbled through an action-packed final 3% that left me so breathless I needed to read that 3% again much slower to absorb it all. W.O.W. Ellen Hopkins is a master storyteller who is also an evil genius and a wily minx. Her tantalizingly twisted yet alluring characters with their shady half-truths and bewitching storylines kept me 100% engaged yet somewhat itchy throughout.   I had formed numerous wild theories of how the story would conclude but would never have dreamed up how all those little tightly woven threads knitted themselves into this finale. My gray matter will never be the same.

About Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing, and resource initiative.
Connect with Ellen
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Book Review: Love Lies Beneath (Love Lies Beneath #1) by  Ellen Hopkins

Love Lies Beneath

 (Love Lies Beneath #1)

by  Ellen Hopkins

Goodreads

Amazon / B&N

 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collateral comes a gripping novel about a woman caught in a love affair that could be her salvation…or her undoing.

Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.

Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.

Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.

Writing in beautiful prose, Ellen Hopkins unveils a new style while evoking her signature poetic form that readers fell in love with in Collateral and Triangles.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Penelope is one of those rare young things whose obviously natural curves and fawn suede complexion rival anything my pricey plastic surgeon could accomplish. If I had hackles, they’d be bristling.

 

The woman always could stun me silent. She circles the room again, trailing haughtiness like perfume.

 My Review:

 

There was something about the slow build of this story that kept me on edge while unable and unwilling to put my kindle down. It was not action packed or emotional, yet quite tightly written with lavish and evocative details that formed sharp visuals and prickled my skin. Masterfully crafted and tautly written, I was intrigued and felt as if I was forever several steps behind yet so very close to grasping something just out of reach. The characters were enticing yet untrustworthy, I suspected every single one of them of deceit, and at the top of that list was the enigmatic character of Eli who possessed black belt verbal sparring skills. But that ending – oh my – so completely unexpected, and would have me fuming and stamping my little foot if I didn’t already have the next book locked and loaded. Ellen Hopkins has mad skills.

About Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative.

Connect with Ellen

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Book Review: Moonshine and Muscadines (Hemlock Creek Book 3) by Josie Kerr

Moonshine and Muscadines 

(Hemlock Creek Book 3)

by Josie Kerr

Goodreads

Amazon  US / UK / CA / AU

 

Tallulah Douglas is starting over. She’s left her abusive husband behind in California and is building a new life for herself and her teenage daughter in the North Georgia mountains. Between working at her family’s vintage shop, volunteering at the local legal aid office, and avoiding the scrutiny of the town’s Gossip Brigade, dating is the last thing on Tally’s mind.

Only two things are worthy of Robert McFerrin’s attention: his eight-year-old daughter and his fledgling distillery business. He just wants to keep his head down and live his life, but unfortunately, memories are long in Hemlock Creek and getting a fresh start is easier said than done.

A captured bouquet and too much muscadine wine sends Tally into Rob’s arms, and smarmy suitor makes her stay there. Can a fake relationship develop into something more?

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“What? What is wrong with you? Who doesn’t like weddings? I love weddings.” A dreamy look drifted across Billie’s face for a split second, and then she was back to her no-nonsense self. “I’m good at weddings. After all, I’ve had four. It’s the marriage part I have a problem with.”

 

If this were a spaghetti western, the main theme song, complete with whistles and the cries of coyotes, would be playing as the two men faced each other across the dusty expanse of desert. But this was actually the lobby of the only modern three-story building in the county, and the elevator music version of that damn Toto song was all Rob could hear as that jackass Chad Bryson eyeballed him.

 

I’m an open book… Okay, I’m an open book that’s facedown and dog-eared and maybe a bit redacted, but I’ll truthfully answer any questions you have.

 

Okay, that was an excellent subject change. Wow. Total boner-killer… Inchworm city over here now.

 

What did this woman look like? Kind of like Miranda Lambert if Miranda Lambert was a freeze-dried chain-smoker?

 

Chloe yawned so wide it seemed as if her head had hinges.

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and playful read packed with clever humor and observant wit.  Although I never want to live in a small community again, Hemlock Creek sounds like such a hoot where gossip and team fishing are competitive sports and local businesses are as quirky as their eccentric customers with a coffee shop named Nonesuch Possum, a boutique named Goat Waggle, and an antique shop named Backward Glance. The storylines were keenly written, stealthily amusing, buoyantly satisfying and pleasantly enjoyable. I found myself perusing slowly in order to fully savor each well-chosen word. The writing was crisp, pleasingly breezy, and vibrant with colorful and evocative descriptions of each quirky character as well as the sounds and surroundings in each scene. I adored Tallulah, but how could I not? She wore “super-cute leopard-print Mary Janes,” snotted on her boyfriend’s shirt during an ugly cry, and snorted when she laughed. And Robbie Mac was the perfect charmer. I was blithesomely entertained from beginning to end and greedily wished for more, although I always do when I’ve lost myself so thoroughly inside a perfectly written tale. Please, Ms. Kerr, I beg of you, keep this delightful series going.


Josie Kerr   

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Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

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Book Review: Encore (Rock Star Duet #2) by Rachel Lacey

Encore

(Rock Star Duet #2)

by Rachel Lacey

Goodreads

Amazon /  Barnes & Noble /Apple iBooks/ Google /  Kobo 

 

SHE STOLE CENTER STAGE…IN HIS HEART

Rocker Colton Nix would do just about anything to rid himself of the unflattering nickname his womanizing ways have earned him in the tabloids—anything except settle down with a woman, of course. If his parents taught him anything, it’s that love is as fleeting as celebrity. But after a few too many drinks on a private island in the Caribbean, Cole wakes up with the king of all hangovers…and a wedding band on his left ring finger.

Celebrity assistant Jenn MacDonald has her future meticulously planned, and she’s ready to make her next move: becoming a songwriter. Drunk-marrying a rock star was definitely not on the list. When Cole suggests they stay married for six months so that he can ride out the good publicity while helping her launch her new career, she can’t help but say yes. She’s even able to convince herself—almost—that her decision has nothing to do with the way one glance from Cole sets her body humming like the strings on his favorite guitar.

They were near strangers when they exchanged drunken vows on the beach, but the connection—and the attraction—between them is powerful and real. Soon, they’re making beautiful music together, both in and out of bed. They’re giving the performance of their lives, until it all comes crashing down around them. But every great performance deserves an encore, and theirs might just be love.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I do get panties thrown at me onstage, which is less sexy than you’d imagine… Well, some of them are hot, but some of them are dirty… and not in a good way.

 

The most shameful “walk of shame” she’d ever made. The only time she’d ever had to make the walk of shame. Except she hadn’t even gotten laid. She’d gotten married.

 

My Review:

 

I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this steamy and engaging tale much more than I expected, as I don’t often read rocker-star romances. The premise was original and interesting while the writing was well paced, insightfully observant, and held my avid attention. And as enticing as all that was, I always find Ms. Lacey’s characters to be my favorite aspect of her work. Her characters tend to be well nuanced, alluring, a bit fractured, and undeniably endearing. I’ve heard of drunk-dialing, and umm, maybe even committed that discourteous act a time or ten, but drunk-married was a new term and whole other level of faux pas, hooray – I don’t feel so shame-faced now.

About the Author

Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 

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Book Review, Giveaway: UP TO YOU (A Love with Altitude Novel #4) by Daisy Prescott

Today we are celebrating the release of

UP TO YOU by Daisy Prescott.

This is the fourth book in the

Love with Altitude standalone series.

—————–

Purchase UP TO YOU on Amazon  |  Nook  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

UP TO YOU

 (A Love with Altitude Novel #4)

by Daisy Prescott

Amazon  |  Nook  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

 

BOOK BLURB: 

I’m the last single woman among my friends. Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m fine with flying solo, especially with ski season right around the corner. You won’t hear me complaining. Until my mother decides I need a date for my cousin’s wedding … and chooses the worst man in the world for me.

Landon Roberts is the human equivalent of a parka with every ski pass he’s ever purchased hanging off of his zipper. Apparently my mother is the last person in Colorado to know about Landon’s reputation.

To make things worse, his super hot brother Aiden’s back in town. Still gorgeous and still not remotely interested in me.

I can survive this wedding disaster as long as I pretend my date is someone else.

***

As one of the stars of Aspen’s rugby club, I don’t need help meeting women. Tell that to my mother. She’s picked out my date for the biggest wedding of the year.

Mae London is the local girl who broke every heart in the valley before she left for California. Now she’s back and hotter than ever. Too bad she hates me.

Enlisting the help of my brother, I’m going to become the ideal man, and charm Mae right out of her bad opinion of me.

This wedding date will be perfect as long as I pretend to be someone else.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Thanks to me and my advice of getting back on the horse after her last relationship ended, she met Justin. I guess she took me literally, and not only rode the horse, but the cowboy, too. Can’t blame her. Justin wearing a pair of chaps does cause spontaneous ovulation.

 

Man, you’re a mess. No wonder your dating life has more punches than a loyalty card at Fuel Coffee.  

 

“You went out with Landon Roberts, too?” Placing my pint on a napkin in front of me, the bartender gives me a sympathetic smile. We need a secret sign or pin for the Sisterhood of the Unfortunate.

 

…he’s getting worse with age, instead of better. Instead of being a fine wine or cheese, he’s a stale, three-day-old loaf of bread or a questionable almond that leaves a bitter aftertaste.

 

You’ve just ruined me for all other men. Are you okay with that? Because if this doesn’t work out, I’m going to die alone with dozens of cats and a huge collection of balloon knick-knacks, and it will be all your fault.

 

My Review:

 

This was a delightfully fun and pleasurable read loaded with clever and amusing wit, appealing characters, and comical observations.   The storylines were humorous, engaging, easy to follow, and a little steamy. I haven’t read all the previous books in the series and while it wasn’t necessary, the idea of spending more time with this quirky cluster of friends is undeniably tempting.

 

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

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NEXT TO YOU (A Love with Altitude Novel, #1)

GET IT FOR FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Amazon  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Barnes & Noble

CRAZY OVER YOU (A Love with Altitude Novel, #2)

Amazon  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Barnes & Noble

WILD FOR YOU (A Love with Altitude Novel, #3)

Amazon  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Barnes & Noble

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

 

new daisy prescott full size

 

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies about real love.

Her Modern Love Stories feature characters in their thirties and forties finding and rediscovering love in unexpected and humorous ways. Her Wingmen books star regular guys who often have beards, drive trucks, and love deeply once they fall. Daisy’s Love with Altitude latest small town, rom-com series is set in Aspen, Colorado. Bewitched is a magical serial set in Salem, Massachusetts. Don’t miss her standalone, Tinfoil Heart, a rom-com about love, letting go, and little green men.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter

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Book Review, Giveaway: The Varlet and the Voyeur (Rugby #4) by Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway

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The Varlet and the Voyeur, an all-new standalone in the USA Today bestselling Rugby Series from Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway is LIVE!

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He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)

William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever.

THE VOYEUR (and the VARLET)

Josey Kavanagh is a self-proclaimed mess, but she’s finally getting her shi…uh, act together. She’s set her sights on becoming a veterinarian, but there’s one teeny tiny road bump. Her living arrangements are coming to an abrupt end, leaving Josey homeless and in need of a job to pay her way through college.

THE PLAN

What he needs is a companion to keep him on the right path.

What she needs is an apartment with free rent.

Will is convinced Josey will make the perfect companion, since she’s brutally honest and basically ‘just one of the guys.’  Josey is convinced she can ensure Will doesn’t succumb to his voyeuristic proclivities by keeping a scrupulous eye on him.

Except, what happens when the varlet is tempted by the voyeur, and vice-versa?!

Perchance something very, very volatile. And vexing.

The Varlet and the Voyeur is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the 4th(and last) book in the USA TODAY bestselling Rugby Series.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I wish speaking out loud came with a delete button. How awesome would that be?

 

I cried so much after you broke things off that night, that I used all the tissue in the hotel room? All the Kleenex, all the toilet tissue. I used all the towels, and was tempted to use the edge of my sheet… Think of the trees, Will! And now I need more tissue, you selfish, cowardly coward! You’re killing trees!

 

My heart shimmered inside my chest. I was sure if they opened me up they’d see it glittering. That was how Will made me feel. Like a unicorn cupcake dipped in edible glitter covered in chocolate sprinkles.

 

My Review:

 

I have enjoyed every book I have ever read by either of these two clever wordsmiths, whether as an individual effort or their collaborated labors. Singly or combined, their amusing arrangements of words are essentially a guaranteed promise to provide a smirk filled day of gleefully engaging and inescapable perusal as once I start one of their books I am rendered essentially incapable of stopping. I adored these devastatingly quirky yet highly endearing characters as well as the unique conundrums they caused themselves and each other. Written from a dual POV, the storylines were delightfully crafted, deviously insightful, swoon-worthily sexy, cheekily clever, and peppered with smart levity and gasp-inducing sensuality. I am always happiest when I can claim having learned a few vocabulary words, which is a boast I can yet again claim with my current new additions being the old-world words of varlet (an attendant, as well as a dishonest or unprincipled man), and muffin-walloper (a Victorian widow who spent her days gossiping and eating cake).

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Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2l89gDn

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/TheVarlet

Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2jqFMiU

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Enter the giveaway to win a signed paperback of The Varlet and the Voyeur!

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Start the Series of standalones with The Hooker and the Hermit!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2wp3GoC

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/TheHookerandtheHermit

Meet Penny Reid:

Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full-time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

PennyReidAuthorPic.jpg

Connect with Penny:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Newsletter: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/

www.pennyreid.ninja

Meet L.H. Cosway:

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favorite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

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Connect with L.H. Cosway:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LHCosway/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jVTDk8

Twitter: @LHCosway

Newsletter: https://goo.gl/vkhYHN

Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com

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Book Review: Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson

Matchmaking for Beginners

by Maddie Dawson

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Hardcover: 370 pages

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 1, 2018)

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Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.

When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbors running from happiness. Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.

And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Pay no attention to Wendy… She missed the class on manners because she was attending two extra courses on personal intimidation.

 

The life force is running out of this room! I’ve been at funerals that had better vibrations than this.

 

We never got married because I’ve finally learned that if you have to bring the law into your personal relationships, then you’re doing it wrong.

 

One time he said to me, “You know, I had a great six-pack when I was young,” and I said to him, “Bragging about beer is so unbecoming for an old man.”

 

It’s like he’s a person who has his emotions in a safety deposit box somewhere, and he forgot where he put it.

 

My Review:

 

Matchmaking for Beginners was the second superbly written book of Maddie Dawson’s that I have had the pleasure of reading. It produced a near-constant smirk and frequent subvocal chuckling. I have a strong compulsion to stop everything and simply indulge in all the various publications of this woman’s clever and creative work as I reveled in her word skills. I adored her highly amusing, clever, and keenly crafted storylines from start to finish. Her quirky characters were each uniquely, inexplicably, and magnetically intriguing, even the villains.

The main character of Marnie was an oddly unobservant bubblehead who was all too easily tilted off the rails and careening towards ruin. While I may have wanted to give her a few smacks to the head with my Kindle, I also found her extraordinarily endearing and held my breath for her on numerous occasions. Ms. Dawson’s humor was well-honed, shiny, and crisp. I particularly enjoyed the witty exchanges between Marnie and Patrick, the “luminous” misanthropic hermit living in the dank basement. Sigh, more, please!

 

About Maddie Dawson

Maddie Dawson grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers. Her various careers as a substitute English teacher, department-store clerk, medical-records typist, waitress, cat sitter, wedding-invitation-company receptionist, nanny, daycare worker, electrocardiogram technician, and Taco Bell taco maker were made bearable by thinking up stories as she worked. Today she lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with her husband. She’s the bestselling author of five previous novels: The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World, and A Piece of Normal.

Connect with Maddie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

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Book Review: Tied Down by Chelle Bliss and Eden Butler

 

Tied Down

by Chelle Bliss & Eden Butler

 


Tied Down is the second full-length book in the Nailed Down series – and can be read as a standalone.
 

#TiedDown 
 

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Add to your TBR
 

Buy the Paperback and receive the ebook free

https://amzn.to/2LdgkdA

Synopsis


Cara Carelli is a silver-tongued mafia princess, master manipulator, and the only woman I’ve ever loved. But she’s also smokin’ hot and my ex-wife.
 

When Cara led me straight into a trap and pleaded for my help, I couldn’t say no. She thought she had the upper hand, but this time, I was in control and planned to make her beg.
 

They say all’s fair in love and war and turnabout’s fair play, but what starts out as a wickedly seductive ploy turns into a twisted game of the heart.
 

Tied Down is the second full-length book in the Nailed Down series by USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss and Eden Butler.

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Cara was the best actress I knew. She lied like a gambler with nothing in his hand and a million-dollar pot in front of him.

 

He took a step, and the woman walked backward, looking at Dale on the bed, then around to the rest of us as though we might help. “It’s time for you to find some other dick to jump on. Your gravy train ended a long time ago.”

 

As women, it’s a struggle, most times, to find the perfect man. Let’s be honest, they don’t exist. And so, we’re left with marble men and putty men. Depending on what you want, you have to decide which ones you’re willing to tolerate.

 My Review:

 

I am loving the combined effort of the dynamic duo of Eden Butler and Chelle Bliss pooling their massive talents. The writing was tip-top and seamless, the only rankle I had was in the far from admirable character of Cara, I deemed her antics to be several levels beyond despicable and unpardonable, but lucky for her, Kiel was more forgiving. The storylines were engaging and entertaining with occasional hot licks of incendiary sensuality – oh, my. I have read both books in this series and am more than eager for the next installment and hope it comes soon before I forget all the shiny little tidbits I have gleaned from this book.

 

★❤️★TIED  DOWN ★❤️★

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎Available Now▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Amazon: amzn.to/2IggKOf

iBooks: chellebliss.com/td-ibooks

Nook: chellebliss.com/td-nook

Kobo: chellebliss.com/td-kobo

🌎INTERNATIONAL READERS

Amazon UK: amzn.to/2GVZe2c

iBooks UK: apple.co/2GkzpMl

Kobo UK: bit.ly/2GCBbHQ

Amazon AU: amzn.to/2E6nvPQ

iBooks AU: apple.co/2pU2dzQ

Kobo AU: bit.ly/2Gk1YFy

Amazon CA: amzn.to/2GHAsW0

iBooks CA: apple.co/2GHIduT

Kobo CA: bit.ly/2pRH8Gx

You don’t have to read all the books in this series, but they are great fun so don’t miss out..

Buy the Nailed Down Paperback and receive the ebook free

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kc8KDP


★★NAILED DOWN-READ NOW★★

Amazon: amzn.to/2sBII3O
iBooks: apple.co/2ByK8PE
B&N: bit.ly/2HlieXO
Kobo: bit.ly/2o1Wc45
Google: bit.ly/2FSnlRZ

🌎INTERNATIONAL READERS
Amazon UK: amzn.to/2C3hbMK
iBooks UK: apple.co/2GEbkN7
Kobo UK: bit.ly/2HK4rZZ

Amazon AU: amzn.to/2Cr1Px2
iBooks AU: apple.co/2pjWFiY
Kobo AU: bit.ly/2DCbl16

Amazon CA: amzn.to/2HmY4fZ
iBooks CA: apple.co/2G6mKvm
Kobo CA: bit.ly/2DCaGg8

Goodreads TBR→ chellebliss.com/nd-tbr
 


Meet the Authors
 

Chelle Bliss

USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She’s written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in History. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.
WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – NEWSLETTER – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM


Eden Butler

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of Fantasy, Mystery and Contemporary Romance novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum.
When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden patiently waits for her Hogwarts letter, edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.
She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.    Please send help.

WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – NEWSLETTER – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM

Subscribe to Eden’s newsletter http://eepurl.com/VXQXD for giveaways, sneak peeks and various goodies that might just give you a chuckle.

 

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Book Review: Atticus by S. Bennett

Atticus: A Woman’s Journey with the World’s Worst Behaved Dog

Sawyer Bennett writing as S. Bennett

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Purchase Atticus:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Google Play

| Kobo | Paperback | Audible

 

Goodreads Link: http://bit.ly/Atticus_GR

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Synopsis:

A heart-warming and deliciously funny story about the world’s worst-behaved dog and how he trained his human how to love herself again.

Through the haze of vodka and self-loathing, Hazel Roundtree saw the poor creature lying in a ditch.

One brown eye. One blue.

Covered in mud and crying from pain, the puppy was desperately trying to free itself from a hopeless situation.

She almost kept walking by. She had her own problems and besides… no one had ever stopped to help her.

Who we’re ultimately meant to be is a journey without end, but there’s always a defined start…

Hazel had no idea the dog would be her beginning, her second chance, the miracle she never saw coming. She named him Atticus. He grew up to be a very bad—and completely awesome—dog. He took Hazel on a life-changing journey filled with mischievous adventure and painful heartbreak. In the end, Hazel grew up to be completely awesome, too.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I call it killing them softly,” he says, his voice so gentle and tender I can barely hear him. “It’s a beautiful and peaceful way to die. It’s an honor for me to help them make that transition.” My head snaps to the right where I stare out the window, furiously blinking back the tears from my eyes. For all the grouchy, assholish ways this man has treated me on most occasions, I just realized he may have one of the kindest hearts I’ve known.

 

I realized my dog would always be an unruly child.

 

I wouldn’t put it past your dog to be interested in the news… He’s smart, that one. Like deviously smart. Sometimes I find myself watching what I say around him so as not to be a bad influence.

 

 My Review:

 

I’m feeling a bit stunned after reading this heart-squeezing and evocative tale, much like a deer in headlights. I’ve never read a book quite like it as it was written with a dual POV (my favorite), although one POV was from a mischievous canine named Atticus, whose POV was just as compelling and insightful as his human guardian’s. The premise was captivating and original and the storylines were ingeniously crafted and well paced. The rag-tag grouping of characters were not always admirable yet I adored them as each had an impressive tale that had made them persuasively appealing, realistically flawed and world-weary. The writing was devastatingly insightful, cleverly amusing, and easy to fall into.   I frequently smirked at the colorful depictions of the dog’s antics, motivations, and wit, while the human storylines often plucked at the other end of the emotional spectrum and stung my eyes and put a hot rock in my throat a few times. I seldom shed actual tears but will also confess to a blubbering meltdown during the last few chapters before reaching the oh so satisfying and sweet conclusion. I zipped to Goodreads and double-checked to be sure, but I was appalled to realize I had never read Sawyer Bennett’s work before picking up this dear and delightful treat. An error on judgment I plan to rectify with regular redress.


About the Author: S. Bennett is the pen name for New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Sawyer Bennett. Under the name S. Bennett, Sawyer writes general, young adult and women’s fiction stories that deal with the realities we face on a daily basis such as love, loss, personal growth and all things in between. She tackles difficult issues with grace, while adding her signature humor along the way. Because Sawyer is a romance writer at heart, you’re likely to find a love story within each of her books, though it’s not always a guarantee. When she isn’t writing as S. Bennett, she’s writing contemporary romance as Sawyer Bennett, and sweet romance under the name Juliette Poe.

Connect with Sawyer:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennettbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BennettBooks

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawyerbennett123/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Sawyer_Bennett

Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/sawyerbennett

Sign up for Sawyer’s newsletter: http://sawyerbennett.com/signup/

Follow Atticus on social media!!

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Book Review: Breezy by Kelsie Rae

Breezy

by Kelsie Rae

Goodreads

Amazon 

 

Breezy comes from a place without hurricanes, but that never stopped her from blowing in and causing chaos wherever she goes. She’s feisty, energetic, and unafraid of speaking her mind. She’s also a hot mess in need of a job.

Derrick’s used to dealing with all types of people. After all, he owns his own business. But when he meets Breezy, she impacts him harder than any storm ever could. Too bad even the gorgeous new girl in HR can’t make him break his one rule: no dating employees. Ever.

There’s just one problem. Breezy’s never been good at following directions, and her boss isn’t the only one with a serious office crush. Can the new girl convince him to throw caution to the wind?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure all the good ones are taken or gay. Whoever said there’s a lot of fish in the sea hasn’t been fishing around here.

 

I swear, anytime I’m around this guy he makes me sweat like a sinner in church.

 

I always thought nerds were supposed to be overweight virgins living in their moms’ basements. Not a hot British guy with sexy glasses.

 

FYI, we are not in a relationship, and he’s made it very clear I have cooties.

 

I’m sorry, mate, but shagging in public is slightly frowned upon in the States. Maybe you should head to Amsterdam?

 

My Review:

 

This delightful book was good fun and gave off more sparkle than a highly polished disco ball.   I adored these smart, enticing, and feisty characters and I doubly enjoyed their quick banter, individual quirks, and sassy wit. Breezy was not only the cheeky main character’s nickname but an apt description of the author’s highly amusing and clever writing style. Bree was adorable; she was capable, genuine, ballsy, witty and prone to impulsivity, clumsiness, and chaos. She also snored and drooled in her sleep. I was hard-pressed to believe that this clever manuscript laced with endearing characters was merely Ms. Rae’s second book as it was exceptionally well-crafted, playfully entertaining, immediately engaging, and kept a gleeful smirk on my lips throughout. Kelsie Rae is one to watch as she undoubtedly has a successful future ahead of her. I greedily covet all her words – whether from past, present, and future accomplishments.

About the Author


Kelsie prides herself on writing straight from her own heart, which is how she fell into sweet contemporary romance. She’s a sucker for a love story with all the feels. When she’s not chasing words for her next book, you will probably find her reading or, more likely, playing with her “monsters”.

She adores chocolate, photography, baking, chick flicks, and running. And now that she’s actively pursuing her writing dreams, she’s set her sights on someday finding the self-discipline to not eat an entire batch of cookies in one sitting.