Author: Empress DJ

Empress DJ AKA Honolulubelle is a Rabid Reader, Unabashed Reviewer, and All-Purpose Goddess
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Book Review: After Care by L.B. Dunbar

 After Care

by L.B. Dunbar

 

Goodreads

Amazon US  / UK  /  CA  /  AU

Paperback

What do you get when you cross a breast cancer survivor with a sexy, mature man….

 

Blurb:

Breast cancer survivor Edie Williams is ready to live.

Divorced. Mother of two.

She’s planned the vacation of a lifetime for a reboot,

only to encounter an awakening adventure—Tommy Carrigan.

Manager of the band Collision, Tommy Carrigan has his plate full.

Independent. Carefree.

He’s on an annual holiday with his band family,

when the unexpected happens—Edie Williams.

Love might be just what the doctor prescribed,

but can it survive the world of rock-n-roll?

If you enjoyed The Sex Education of M.E., you’ll love After Care, another romance for the over-forty from L.B. Dunbar. Continue the adventure previously published in Love Notes, the newsletter of L.B. Dunbar.

A romance for the over 40.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I was forty-three. I should have been in the prime of my life. Where was that sexual libido return everyone promised me would happen? Oh, right, it walked out the door with a younger model—blonde, thin, and cancer-free under her skin.

 

Marriage was hard work. One in two marriages still ended in divorce. I wasn’t a statistic; I was a trend.

 

When leaving the hospital, aftercare was always part of the experience. What you did after—the procedure, the treatment, the incision that cut deep. However, nothing could have prepared me for how I’d take care of myself after Tommy Carrigan. There was no list, no instruction manual online at patient dot com for matters of the heart.

 

I just want to be close to you… No one’s ever talked like that about me, and I just want to capture it for a little while. I want to hold onto it, if I can. For just a little bit.

 

I bet you’re used to leather and lace, and I’m one-hundred percent cotton.

 

You’ll never be an excuse, darlin’. Always my reason.

 

My Review:

 

Being an, ahem, mature woman on the plus side of forty, I couldn’t help but notice that bookstores have a rather limited selection of engaging offerings featuring vibrant and appealing main characters within my demographic of a platinum-haired goddess. Interesting female characters of my age tend to be written as secondary players, and most typically are the younger heroine’s indulgent or eccentric auntie. With this in mind, I found L.B. Dunbar’s After Care to be a refreshing and welcome change of pace and have a deliriously gleeful urge to erect an altar of pink typewriters in her honor. Not only were her characters highly appealing and alluring, they were smart and well seasoned. The premise was unique and relevant while the storylines were multi-layered, well-crafted, and wily. However, the writing wins the blue-ribbon prize as Ms. Dunbar’s word-craft was delightfully textured and insightful, witty, thoughtfully observant, hit all the feels, and sizzled and snapped with sensuality. I was quickly invested in the tale and remained happily engaged throughout.   Ms. Dunbar has a new fangirl.

 

 

ABOUT L.B. DUNBAR      

Avid drinker of Coca-Cola, L.B. Dunbar loves the sweet things in life. Her affair with all things romantic began with her first book at the tender age of six: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One can never forget her first! From there, the reading journey includes a deep love of fairy tales, medieval knights, regency debauchery, and alpha males. She loves a deep belly laugh and a strong hug. Occasionally, she has the energy of a Jack Russell terrier. Accused, yes, that’s the correct word, of having an overactive imagination; to her benefit, such an imagination works well. Author of over a dozen novels, she’s created small town worlds, rock star mayhem, and MMA chaos. Her other duties in life include: mother to four growing children and wife to the one and only.

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Book Review: Should’ve Been You  (Man Enough #3) by Nicole McLaughlin 

Should’ve Been You

 (Man Enough #3)

by Nicole McLaughlin 

Goodreads

Amazon

 

Childhood neighbors get a chance at love in Should’ve Been You, an achingly romantic novella in Nicole McLaughlin’s Man Enough series!

National Guardsman Jase Beckford wants to live a quiet life raising cattle and taking care of his mother. His childhood friend and neighbor Hannah is still his best friend, but when he walks into the Walters house one morning and sees her twin sister Becca for the first time in five years, he wonders if he missed out on something special.

Becca Walters has nursed a secret crush on Jase since childhood, but he always preferred Hannah, so she buried her feelings assuming her sister and Jase would one day turn their flirtation into a real relationship. And this Christmas, she is anticipating a proposal of her own, so Jase’s reappearance in her life doesn’t mean anything. Much. Okay, maybe more than Becca would like to admit.

However, when Becca’s sister gets engaged to someone who’s not Jase, Becca and Jase find themselves spending more together. And when secrets are revealed, suddenly those dormant feelings come back to life; but is the possibility of something between them worth risking the happiness of everyone they love?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Turkey Bacon… I have an open mind about many things, I’ll have you know. But the sanctity of pork fat is not one of them.

 

I was just thinking that if you’d been my middle-school teacher, I would not have been able to focus… All men— no matter their age—can appreciate a beautiful woman. Even teachers are fair game for the spank bank.

 

Aiden was a big guy. Goatee, shaved head, enough muscles for three men.

 

Sometimes I miss having a man around. I mean . . . obviously they have their uses.

 

My Review:

 

I enjoyed this quick and entertaining tale of a recent veteran who had returned to his small rural Kansas community while continuing to serve with the National Guard while establishing his new venture into cattle. His human relationships proved to be a bit trickier and considerably more complicated. I had not read the previous books in the series and apparently did not need to as was never confused, although I was feeling the prickling of curiosity as his fellow guardsmen sounded interesting and quirky. The premise was interesting and relevant, the storylines were easy to follow and engaging, and characters were likable and endearing. I was satisfied with the happy for now ending to the blossoming romance and would be interested in continuing the series with all the previous and future installments.

About the Author 

Amazon  Website

Nicole loves to read, bake, make lists, and binge watch an entire television show season in one day. She lives with her husband and three boys in a small town outside of Kansas City.

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Book Review, Giveaway: RUNAWAY GROOM I Do, I Don’t – Book 2 – by Lauren Layne

 
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“Lauren Layne gets the red rose for this one, and fans of The Bachelor will fall in love with this thoroughly charming story.”—Kate O’Keeffe, bestselling author
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RUNAWAY GROOM
I Do, I Don’t – Book 2
Lauren Layne
Releasing Jan 30, 2018
Loveswept

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For one charming playboy, getting cast on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime—until he finds love where he least expects it.

Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.

NOW AVAILABLE!

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I was one of the few noncrazies in the early stages. One woman carried her pet turtle strapped to her chest. Another woman was stressing about whether the producers would want to count her dual personalities as one contestant or two.

 

Twenty-one. My life has come to this— being known as a number. I’m surprised they don’t tag my ear.

 

They’ve told me to pace myself, but that started to get hard when contestant number six told me (and the rest of America) that her hobbies include Brazilian waxes and flossing, and so help me God, I don’t even know if she was talking about her teeth.

 

But once, just once, I want someone I care about to look at the crapshoot that is my life, to take in the Jilted contract and the Killboy movie shoots and the never-ending tabloid rumors and say, “Yeah, that stuff sucks, but Gage is worth it.” I want to be worth it. Just once.

 

My Review:

 

What fun!   Runaway Groom is destined to be a runaway hit. Packed with smart snarky humor, witty banter, poignant insights, and steamy love scenes, this rom-com is one of Ms. Layne’s best. The story was highly amusing, unfailingly entertaining, and well written with a dual POV. I may require Botox if I continue to follow this author as my face seems to maintain a near constant smirk while reading her clever arrangements of words.

 

Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies.  She lives in New York City with her husband.
A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in 2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she’s written over two dozen books, hitting the USA TODAY, New York Times, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists.
 

 

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Book Review: Don’t Be Afraid by C.A. Harms 

 

Don’t Be Afraid

by C.A. Harms 

 Goodreads

Amazon

 

Have you ever looked at someone and just knew,
knew that they were put in your life for a reason?
The one person that would be not only your best friend, but would be your absolute everything?
That’s how I felt the first time I saw him.
That one day when a few little words changed our entire lives forever…Don’t be Afraid, he said.
Life can change so quickly.
One moment you can be smiling and feeling as if you’re walking on clouds and the next, everything you love, everything you treasure crumbles at your feet.I told him to fight, I told him I needed him.
We needed him.
But there are just some fights that can’t be won…He was my angel then, and he’s still my angel now.
In a way, I believe he’s still looking out for us, giving us a future.
Sometimes it’s as if I can still feel his presence,
guiding us and keeping us safe.

So, I won’t be Afraid.
I’ll live. I’ll fight.
It’s what he would have wanted.

I’ll do it for him…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m scared… I don’t know how to be me without you.

 

Miss him, fall apart. I’m here to pick you up, I promise.

 

He knew I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. How could anyone not see the beauty inside you and be weakened by it?

 

I promised her pancakes and eggs… There may have been a mention of chocolate chips too… What? Isn’t it in the aunt handbook that I should spoil my one and only niece every single chance I get?

 

My Review:

 

While the premise was relevant and predictable, the exceptional quality, depth, and poignancy of Ms. Harm’s writing, as well as the complexity of the explored emotions shared by the characters, were not; and those were the unexpected treasures I gleaned from this heartrending tale. The storylines were robust with all the feels, agony, fear, love, grief, satisfaction, levity, despair, elation, and completion. Tears were often close and on more than one occasion my eyes stung while my throat constricted and burned, and my chest tightened with threats of an ugly cry.   And while I typically prefer to eschew that phenomenon, this thoughtfully written and engaging story was more than worth my distress.

 

 

About The Author

   


C.A. Harms
Goodreads
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I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are the greatest part of my days, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my best friend for seventeen years, and looking forward to many more.

I am one of those authors that adore my readers. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write.

 

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Book Review, Giveaway: When the Stars Come Out – A Cottonbloom Novel By Laura Trentham

 

When the Stars Come Out

A Cottonbloom Novel

By Laura Trentham

 

Cottonbloom. A beautiful, faraway place where a woman can escape her past—and find reason to stay forever in Laura Trentham’s When the Stars Come Out. . .

Willa Brown never planned to stay in Cottonbloom. She was on the way to somewhere else when she landed there and found work at the Abbot brothers’ garage. . .and a sense of comfort and safety that she had never known. The same holds true for Jackson Abbott himself. With one glance in her direction, he can make Willa’s heart melt. But what begins as an unrequited crush turns into something far more powerful than Willa could have ever imagined. . .

Jackson’s most meaningful relationship has always been with his car—and he’s not afraid to admit it. Still, he can’t help but become emotionally entangled with his new star mechanic Willa, who is definitely hiding some dark secrets of her own beneath the hood. Jackson desperately wants Willa to trust him, and to seek protection in his arms. But even as the two slowly surrender to their shared attraction, the danger lurking in Willa’s past remains a stubborn obstacle. Can she open up enough to give them both a chance at having real and lasting love?

 

Praise for When the Stars Come Out

“The fifth installment in the Cottonbloom series, following Leave the Light On (2017) is hot and sweet, and readers will cheer for Willa and Jackson. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Susan Mallery will love the immersive world that Trentham has created in Cottonbloom, a small southern town divided by the Mississippi River.” Booklist

“When the Stars Come Out is a tender and sexy small-town tale of blossoming love.” BookPage

Returning to Cottonbloom has never been sweeter, When The Stars Come Out is pure literary magic, it’s sure to have readers mesmerized from start to finish!! Red’s Romance Reviews, 5 stars

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Country Aire trailer park wouldn’t get a magazine spread unless it was in Trailers and Trash, but she’d lived in far worse places.

 

With curly red hair and dark blue eyes, she crackled as if an electrical current gave her endless energy.

 

The Honda coughed like a lifelong smoker that needed an oxygen tank.

 

The only new clothes Willa splurged on were underwear. Apparently, the line she wouldn’t cross in the name of poverty was buying used panties.

 

Everything the man did was sexy and arousing. She pictured him with a wrench in his hand and the flex of his biceps as he torqued a bolt. Her inner muscles clenched. Next time she saw him do that she might require resuscitation on the shop floor.

 

“I have a feeling all those Abbott brothers are good with their hands. I know Wyatt sure is. Comes from working on cars, I’d guess.” Sutton made a sound like she’d tasted something delicious.

 

 My Review:

 

This was a cleverly amusing, heart squeezing, emotive, and angsty read that was packed with family drama, quirky characters, and wry humor, and written from my favorite dual POV. Deftly detailed with lush descriptions the story flows in an agile and engaging manner while Ms. Trentham kept the sharp and colorful visuals smoothly scrolling through my gray matter while the stalwart and admirable character of Jackson was rattled from his routine enough to find what he needed was right under his nose, although the anxious and skittish Willa made him work for it.

When The Stars Come Out could easily be read as a stand-alone book although it continues on from the established storyline with many of the characters from the previous book in the series, Leave The Night On. And while you don’t need to have read the previous book, it was also an engaging and fun story and would deepen your enjoyment of this clever tale. I was intrigued by the various multi-layered storylines and characters as Willa’s secrets were slowly being revealed. Willa was a complicated and fretful character and I found her to be somewhat frustrating as she was severely lacking in interpersonal skills and was rather cowardly as her fight or flight response was always flight, which had lead to some bad decisions. Of course, I’ve never made any of THOSE myself. 😉 There were several subplots and lots going on yet the ending pulled most of it together nicely with a surprising twist and a few treats, while also lighting a fuse for the next installment, which I am already eager to get my mitts on.

 

Giveaway 

Enter to win the first four (4) books in the Cottonbloom series!

 Kiss Me That Way, Book 1

Then He Kissed Me, Book 2

Till I Kissed You, Book 3

Leave the Night On, Book 4

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Author Bio

An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.

She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. KISS ME THAT WAY, Cottonbloom Book 1, won the Stiletto Contest for Best Long Contemporary and finaled in the National Readers Choice Award. THEN HE KISSED ME, Cottonbloom Book 2, was named an Amazon Best Romance of 2016 and was a finalist for the National Excellence for Romance Fiction. TILL I KISSED YOU, Cottonbloom Book 3, is a finalist in the Maggie contest. LEAVE THE NIGHT ON, the latest Cottonbloom book, was named an iBooks Best Book of the Month and a Recommended Read from NPR.

Social Media Links

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

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Book Review, Giveaway: All of You by Lindsay Detwiler

Title: All of You

Author: Lindsay Detwiler

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 27, 2018

Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

Cover Designer: Soxsational Cover Art

 .
Add to TBR

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 AVAILABLE NOW! 
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Amazon: US | UK | CA | AU
Kobo | iTunes | Nook

 

There’s no such thing as impossible when it comes to saving the one who holds your heart.
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A sexy doctor who’s restricted by expectations.
A quirky poet who’s defined by her dark past.
All it takes is Alex Evans saving Marley Jade one fateful night for their futures to be realigned. And when a passion sparks between them, they must decide if they can piece each other back together and make love work.

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My Rating:

 

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

You know, not all men are the devil. Look at me. I’m not half bad.

 

He’s everything I’d never imagine my heart fluttering for… I’m more of a Wednesday Adams person, while he seems to be more like a Ward Cleaver. A very sexy, tempting Ward Cleaver, at that. Not that I’m judging. Okay, I’m judging

 

This black-haired, Converse sneakers girl has snagged the sexy, supersmart doctor. I don’t know how the hell it happened, but I think he’s under my super odd, not-so-charming spell.

 

I’m usually pretty low-maintenance because, well, when you live in a town with about five eligible bachelors, all of whom you’ve already slept with at one point and decided against, looking like a cover girl isn’t exactly a priority.

 

My Review:

 

All Of You was a quick, easy to follow, emotive, and heart squeezing story with a sweet and transformative romance between admirable and endearing characters. Written from a dual POV the premise straddled several genres and could be considered part New Adult, women’s fiction, small-town, contemporary romance, and family drama; although all that doesn’t really matter to me as I mainly consider it a well written, entertaining, and engaging read. The storylines were realistic, well constructed, and held my interest and attention throughout.   I enjoyed and cared about the characters and wanted to know all about them. Marley was a bit offbeat for her small-town. She was tattooed, converse clad, clever, and partially broken yet sweet and easily lovable. I was quickly drawn to her and remained quite curious throughout while the wily writer gradually revealed their tragic family secrets at a tantalizing pace, which kept me intrigued and eager for each new tidbit. Alex was the perfect book boyfriend although both characters produced a new and improved version of each other by the book’s satisfying conclusion.   Sigh, they have inspired me today, I seem to be looking forward to the next rainstorm and am even considering pulling out my long mothballed kayak. Miraculous!

 

 AVAILABLE NOW! 

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Amazon: US | UK | CA | AU
Kobo | iTunes | Nook

 

Facebook I Twitter I Website
A high school English teacher, an author, and a fan of anything pink and/or glittery, Lindsay’s the English teacher cliché; she love cats, reading, Shakespeare, and Poe.
She currently lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad (her junior high sweetheart); their cats, Arya, Amelia, Alice, and Bob; and their Mastiff, Henry.
Lindsay’s goal with her writing is to show the power of love and the beauty of life while also instilling a true sense of realism in her work. Some reviewers have noted that her books are not the “typical romance.” With her novels coming from a place of honesty, Lindsay examines the difficult questions, looks at the tough emotions, and paints the pictures that are sometimes difficult to look at. She wants her fiction to resonate with readers as realistic, poetic, and powerful. Lindsay wants women readers to be able to say, “I see myself in that novel.” She wants to speak to the modern woman’s experience while also bringing a twist of something new and exciting. Her aim is for readers to say, “That could happen,” or “I feel like the characters are real.” That’s how she knows she’s done her job.

Lindsay’s hope is that by becoming a published author, she can inspire some of her students and other aspiring writers to pursue their own passions. She wants them to see that any dream can be attained and publishing a novel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

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Book Review: Diamonds and Dirt Roads Billionaires in Blue Jeans #1 by Erin Nicholas

Diamonds and Dirt Roads
Billionaires in Blue Jeans #1
by Erin Nicholas 
 
                 
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A pretend relationship…within a pretend relationship.

Attorney Evan Stone knows every crazy stipulation in billionaire Rudy Carmichael’s will. After all, he wrote it. And he’s determined to make sure each one is fully met by Rudy’s triplet daughters. Even if that means dating the workaholic CEO, Ava. Or pretending to at least. And even if it means resisting the so-right-for-him-she’s-totally-wrong party girl, Cori.

Cori’s only got three things on her to do list from her dad:
• Move to Bliss, Kansas.
• Run his pie shop with her sisters for a year.
• No dating. For six months.

But stepping in for her sister when it’s clear that Ava and Evan aren’t fooling anyone with their “romance” isn’t really dating. And falling for her sister’s pretend boyfriend while pretending to be her sister…well, that’s ridiculous. No matter how real things feel whenever she and Evan are together.

THE SERIES

Billionaires in Blue Jeans
Not your typical billionaire romances…

A tough corporate CEO, a nerdy research scientist, and a globe-trotting party girl walk into a conference room…

Where the sisters, Ava, Brynn, and Cori, find out they have been named co-heirs to their father’s multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Whether they want it or not.

But they also inherit a list of conditions that have to be met:

One, move to Bliss, Kansas–wherever that is–for a year.

Two, run their father’s pie shop together. Yes, a pie shop.

Three, follow his edicts for their love lives. Yep, he went there.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But the girls are going to have some help. Evan, Parker, and Noah, best friends and lifelong residents of Bliss, are equally fascinated with and dreading the idea of meeting the triplets they’ve heard so much about. The small town guys didn’t know their kooky friend, Rudy, was a billionaire until he was diagnosed with cancer. But they did know he was a guy they would do anything for. Even help his very fish-out-of-water daughters navigate small town life. And make pie. And maybe fall in love.

It’s possible Rudy knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote his will.

It’s equally possible that he was completely crazy.

No matter what, everyone can agree on one thing…Bliss, Kansas is never going to be the same.

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My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

There was plenty to mourn when it came to her and her father. His death was not even number one on the list.

 

He’d actually thought briefly about how a six-month public relationship with her would keep him essentially celibate, but then he’d quickly stopped thinking about that when he’d started to hyperventilate. He’d told himself he could make it for six months. He was a grown man, for God’s sake. He could sacrifice for a greater good. People went off to war, after all. And into space. And…other places where they couldn’t have sex for long periods of time even if he couldn’t think of one at the moment.

 

I’m sitting here feeling like a regular, dumb-ass guy who just happened to rub a lamp and ended up with a goddess genie in his lap and I was hoping to get a really good taste of you before you figured out how much better you could do.

 

You should never say all of it to me… All is a lot with me. I’m best in small doses.

 

My Review:

 

Diamonds and Dirt Roads was an entertaining and enjoyable read despite the somewhat complicated premise that featured well-educated, wealthy, and privileged identical triplets who were vastly different in personality and temperament, and requiring them to adhere to precise social and vocational stipulations while living together in a small-town, and gasp working in a pie shop selling their own creations, or forfeit billions in inheritance.  I enjoyed the well-crafted and multileveled storylines, which were as insightfully thoughtful as they were cleverly amusing. The characters were endearingly quirky, enticingly complex, and whip-smart. I reveled in Ms. Nicholas’s storytelling, clever levity, sharp wordplay, humorous and titillating verbal sparring, witty banter, sassy word duels, and provocative teasing. And in the midst of all this upheaval, role reversals, and family drama, a sweet, transformative, and steamy love story took root where it was not supposed to, which of course, made it all the more alluring. 

 

About the Author

 

Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling,  enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

You can find Erin on the web at  www.ErinNicholas.com, www.ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com, on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ErinNicholas) and even on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/erin.nichola…)

 

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Book Review: Smoke and Mirrors (City Limits Series #3) by M. Mabie

Smoke and Mirrors
by M. Mabie

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Smoke and Mirrors is LIVE, 99¢, and FREE in KindleUnlimited!

Contemporary Romance| Second Chance Romance

Smoke and Mirrors is the third standalone in the City Limits series. It features a new couple navigating their second-chance romance. Enjoy this love story between a fireman who has returned home from the military and the single mom he left down the street. Welcome to Wynne.

Blurb

My best laid plans had backfired. I’d thought by putting miles between myself and my first love that she’d be free to live whatever life she’d wanted, but when I came back from serving my country and Faith was raising her little girl alone, it was time to make new plans.

In eight years, not a single day had passed when she wasn’t on my mind, and not a night went by when I didn’t miss her. She was fierce and stunning and didn’t need a man in her life, but when the time came—and she wanted one—the line would start behind me.

Like smoke, I’d let her slip through my fingers once, but I’d never forgive the man in the mirror if I let it happen again. She was the fire inside me that would never burn out.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Mrs. Downing, now isn’t a good time to flirt with me. They’re going to think you have a head injury.

 

He licked his fork clean and then stuck the plastic handle in the front pocket of his denim overalls. He patted the disposable silverware and said to me, “I’ll need this for dessert.”

 

I’ve got baggage. Luggage, really. Tons of it.

 

I sent them a pic of you cleaning out Darrell’s gutters… Oh, come on. You took your shirt off twenty feet away from my window. Girl code mandates sending a picture to my best friends.

 

Son, the inside of this house is like its heart, and it’s beautiful. But the front porch is the face and it looks like a divorcee who needs night cream.

 

“I think she’s poopin’. She’s been in the bathroom for a long time.” There was some rustling around on the other end, and then she bellowed. “Mom, are you still poopin’? Aaron’s on the phone… I’ll talk to you until she’s done. Sometimes it takes a while.” Again she shouted at her mother. “Do you need some toilet paper?”

 

It’s funny how a moment can be so big that you worry it won’t fit in your heart, but then you feel your insides swell and it finds a place.

 

My Review:

 

Smoke and Mirrors was a comfortable, pleasant, and easy read populated with adorable, endearing, quirky, and lovable characters. The premise was realistic, easy to follow, and relevant while the characters were common, small-town, everyday working-class people, who were uncommonly good and exceptionally appealing. I relished this sweet couple and Ms. Mabie’s engaging dual POV narrative from start to finish. Add in a precocious, feisty, and precious four-year-old then blend it all together with wit, cunning insights, smirk-inducing levity, a sweet and steamy love story, and clever writing, and you have a delightful and entertaining book to cherish and enjoy.   I didn’t notice how ingenious the title was until I made the connection of Aaron, the male protagonist, being a fireman. A kind, thoughtful, sweet, and sexy fireman. I fell in love with him right away and he just kept getting better and better. I hope Ms. Mabie continues this charming and breezy series in perpetuity; after all, she has an entire town to pick and choose from.

Smoke and Mirrors TEASER SQ

If you haven’t yet started the City Limits series of Standalone, you can find them on KU.

Roots and Wings(City Limits, #1 – Standalone)  bit.ly/CityLimits1

Sunshine and Rain (City Limits, #2 – Standalone) bit.ly/2CityLimits

 

City Lmits Facebook Cover Photo

Roots and Wings FB AD SIZE teaser

M. Mabie is the writer who made thousands of readers hate to love (and love to hate) the angst-filled contemporary romance, Bait.

She lives in Illinois with her husband. She writes unconventional love stories and tries to embody “real-life romance.” She cares about politics, but will not discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head.

She has always been a writer. In fact, she was born with a pen in her hand, which almost never happens. Almost. M. Mabie usually doesn’t speak in third-person. She promises.

www.MMabie.com

Newsletter: mmabie.com/subscribe

Bookbub: bookbub.com/authors/m-mabie

Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorMMabie

Take the Bait Reader’s Group: facebook.com/groups/takethebait

Instagram: @m_mabie

Twitter: @AuthorMMabie

Amazon: amazon.com/author/mmabie

 

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Book Review, Giveaway: Mend by Chelle Bliss

Mend 

by Chelle Bliss

 

From USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss comes a feel-good, sexy second-chance STANDALONE romance.

Six years ago, the only girl I ever loved moved away.
She said she’d come back to me.
She promised she’d write.
She swore she’d always be mine, but Evie Bailey lied.

Now, Evie’s back, and this time, I’m not letting her go without a fight.

Before senior year, I was forced to move away, leaving behind the only boy I ever loved.
He said he’d love me forever.
He promised nothing would tear us apart.
He swore he’d wait for me, but Jack Nelson lied.

Now, Jack wants to make me his again, but he may never be able to forgive my sins.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I loved her from the moment she walked into homeroom on the first day of eighth grade. The fact that she had on a Nirvana T-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans just made me fall even harder.

  

He’s about as exciting as a piece of toast… The man doesn’t even eat dessert. Who doesn’t eat dessert? It’s unnatural…He’s definitely not a keeper… I can’t be with someone who doesn’t appreciate a great cupcake or even a cookie, for shit’s sake.

 

Shave your bits, girl. You may get lucky tonight… I like a great hairy leg, but yours is a bit prickly. I don’t think Jack will approve… You’ll need a machete to get through that jungle, doll…

 

My Review:

 

Mend was a quick and easy read with an engaging, sweet, and somewhat steamy love story occurring over two time periods.   Packaged with endearing characters, an emotive and heart-squeezing yet entertaining narrative of young love, conniving villains, snarky levity, small-town pettiness, and a sweet first and second-chance romance; Chelle Bliss has completely satisfied my wishlist for today. Loves me some Chelle Bliss!

AMAZON – chellebliss.com/mend-amz

IBOOKS – chellebliss.com/mend-ibooks

NOOK – chellebliss.com/mend-nook

KOBO – chellebliss.com/mend-kobo

GOOGLE – chellebliss.com/mend-gp

SIGNED COPY – chellebliss.com/mend-signed

Mend Release Giveaway

Chelle Bliss is the USA Today bestselling author of Misadventures of a City Girl, the Men of Inked series, Enshrine, and the ALFA Investigations series. She hails from the Midwest, but currently lives near the beach even though she hates sand. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, coffee fiend, and ex high school history teacher. She loves spending time with her two cats, alpha boyfriend, and chatting with readers.

Where to follow and connect with Chelle Bliss

WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – NEWSLETTER – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM

Posted on

 Book Review: Girl Unknown by Karen Perry 

 Girl Unknown

by Karen Perry 



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound


 Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (February 6, 2018)

“Explores emotional danger with relentless, surgical accuracy.”—Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of The Trespasser and Into the Woods

David and Caroline Connolly are swimming successfully through their marriage’s middle years—raising two children; overseeing care for David’s ailing mother; leaning into their careers, both at David’s university teaching job, where he’s up for an important promotion, and at the ad agency where Caroline has recently returned to work after years away while the children were little. The recent stresses of home renovation and of a brief romantic betrayal (Caroline’s) are behind them. The Connollys know and care for each other deeply.

Then one early fall afternoon, a student of sublime, waiflike beauty appears in David’s university office and says, “I think you might be my father.” And the fact of a youthful passion that David had tried to forget comes rushing back. In the person of this intriguing young woman, the Connollys may have a chance to expand who they are and how much they can love, or they may be making themselves vulnerable to menace. They face either an opportunity or a threat—but which is which? What happens when their hard-won family happiness meets a hard-luck beautiful girl?

 

 .

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

There is an energy on campus during those first weeks of the new semester that is like nothing else. The air is charged with the frisson of possibility. A cheerful busyness takes hold, giving a new life and sheen to every faded surface, every jaded room… I felt it too— the beat of possibility, the urge to get a head start on the year. After seventeen years working at this university, I was still not immune to the buoyant lift of first-term energy.

 

We never had children because I didn’t want them. Any child I had with you might be born with a dorsal fin and several rows of teeth.

 

Mum had stepped toward the bed and was standing with one hand upon it, quietly contemplating it, when it occurred to me that the previous inhabitant had probably died in this room, in that very bed Mum was touching. And in all likelihood, my mother would die here too. A strange vertiginous thought. I felt like someone had punched me with it. I couldn’t escape the feeling that by moving her into this room I was somehow hastening her doom.

 

That night in the cold darkness at the top of the stairs, overhearing the conversation, that was the moment when things began to unravel for me… A pinched, mean voice inside me whispered: If you are not the love of his life, then what makes you so sure he is yours? … Like a stone dislodged deep inside me, I felt the structure of my being start to crumble.

 

She had the cool beauty of a glassy lake on a cold day— you wanted to stare at it, to take it all in, though you wouldn’t want to touch it. A coldness that seemed biting.

 

My Review:

 

Girl Unknown was a gripping and enthralling read that steadily built and maintained an intriguing and inescapable level of tension and suspense as well as an unmistakable sense of impending doom from the very first word of the bewitching prologue to its devastating conclusion.   I gasped in disbelief, cringed, flinched, held my breath, clenched my fist, and even growled in frustration at the annoyingly dense David, yet I was mesmerized by the storyline, transfixed by the narrative, embedded and engaged with the characters, and physically unable or unwilling to put my Kindle down any longer than necessary. The characters were as hypnotically intriguing as they were repellent and fractured. I loathed/loved/despised/pitied them in equal measure. Adulting did not happen yesterday. The storyline was cleverly well-crafted, alluring, and maddeningly fascinating while the writing was keenly honed, insightfully observant, well detailed, emotive, and infuriatingly well-paced. I must stalk these talented wordsmiths at every opportunity!

  

About Karen Perry

Karen Perry is the pen name of Dublin-based authors Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. Together they wrote Girl Unkown.

 Paul Perry is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books. A recipient of the Hennessy Award for New Irish Writing, he teaches creative writing at University College, Dublin.

Karen Gillece is the author of several critically acclaimed novels. In 2009 she won the European Union Prize for Literature (Ireland).

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