Book Review, Giveaway: More of You by A.L. Jackson

A second-chance, small town, stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson’s Confessions of the Heart Series.

 MORE OF YOU

 A Confessions of the Heart Stand-Alone Novel 

September 10th, 2018

 Goodreads

Amazon  /Paperback  / Audible

Are you ready for my newest romance?

My daddy warned me never to fall for a boy like Jace Jacobs . . .
The second I saw him walk through the door, I knew he was trouble.
A gorgeous rebel with a bad attitude and a huge chip on his shoulder.
My heart warned me. I didn’t listen. I saw something protective and good beneath the fierce, tough exterior.
I fell hard and fast.
He promised we’d be together forever, and then left me with a broken heart.
Now, ten years later, Jace Jacobs is standing at my door.
Sexier than he’s ever been.
Provocative and commanding.
Successful and powerful.
The man I always knew he would become.
But I promised myself I’d never lose my heart to him again.
Even time couldn’t dim our chemistry. One glance of his intense eyes, and I become weak. One brush of his hand, and he brings me to my knees.
Little do I know, Jace holds the key to everything I’ve lost and everything that threatens my future.
Now he will either save me, or he will break me all over again . . .
More of You – a Confessions of the Heart second-chance, stand-alone romance

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Pain radiated from him like the heat waves that held to the sticky, summer air.

 

Who said I wanted to hear all your dirty little secrets? You usually leave me feeling like I need to pour bleach into my ears.

 

I was pretty sure Faith’s mom swooned right there, while her father slit my throat with a metaphorical knife… I would have laughed if her father weren’t clearly stabbing me over and over in his mind.

 

My Review:

 

Holy sizzling sex scenes – clutch the pearls, I was gasping. More of You featured heavily emotive and intriguing storylines with intensely sexy and compelling characters. The atmosphere swirled with grief, uncertainty, despair, hostility, and anger. I struggled with so much turmoil and angst, angst, angsty angst, I was dreadfully weary with it! Yet – I could not stop reading as the well-crafted mystery and ever-looming elements of danger and suspense kept niggling at my curiosity; and toss in a naughty best friend and a precocious and adorable toddler for levity and heart-squeezes and I was hooked. The mystery surrounding a murder and subsequent threats to the widow was well-plotted and maddeningly paced. I am not quite sure how she does it, but time after time, A.L. Jackson’s agile and crafty word skills keep me glued to my Kindle despite my personal distaste for near constant emotional tension and upheaval. Although her dazzlingly alluring characters and provocative storylines certainly help tip the scales.

 

 
Don’t miss the adorable giveaway for the More of You release! It’s a Fight for Me Bundle + the EXCLUSIVE products from my MORE OF YOU release boxes!

I hope you love Jace and Faith as much as I do. I’m so proud of this story, and am so thrilled to release it out into the world!

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, and FIGHT FOR ME novels. Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, MORE OF YOU, the first stand-alone novel in her brand-new CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART series.
.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
.
Be sure not to miss new  and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive releases – newsletter  http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson 
– text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

Connect with A.L.

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonPage
Reader Group: http://smarturl.it/AmysAngelsRock
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonAmzn
Bookbub: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonBookbub
Twitter: @aljacksonauthor
Instagram: @aljacksonauthor
Snapchat: @aljacksonauthor

Book Review: When the Lights Go Out by  Mary Kubica

When the Lights Go Out

by  Mary Kubica

 

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Park Row; Original edition (September 4, 2018)

A woman is forced to question her own identity in this riveting and emotionally charged thriller by the blockbuster bestselling author of The Good Girl, Mary Kubica 

Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag, Jessie discovers a shocking detail that causes her to doubt everything she’s ever known.

Finding herself suddenly at the center of a bizarre mystery, Jessie tumbles down a rabbit hole, which is only exacerbated by grief and a relentless lack of sleep. As days pass and the insomnia worsens, it plays with Jessie’s mind. Her judgment is blurred, her thoughts are hampered by fatigue. Jessie begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what she’s only imagined.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, another woman’s split-second decision may hold the key to Jessie’s secret past. Has Jessie’s whole life been a lie or have her delusions gotten the best of her?

“Kubica brilliantly unravels the lives of two women in this tense and haunting tale of identity and deceit. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT will keep you questioning everything-and everyone-until the riveting conclusion. A twisty, captivating, edge-of-your-seat read.” –Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of ALL THE MISSING GIRLS

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I told her that we’re trying. Trying to have a child, trying to start a family. An odd choice of words for creating a baby, if you ask me. Trying is how one learns to ride a bike. To knit, to sew. To write poetry.

 

The frustration over my identity boils inside me until I feel myself begin to lose it. All this red tape preventing me from getting what I need, from proving who I am. I’m starting to question it myself. Am I still me?

 

It’s an insidious way to die, I think, from lack of sleep because there is nothing gory about it, no blood, no guts, and yet the effects are just as gruesome. I know because I’m living it. As the sun begins to rise on the eleventh day, it’s only a matter of time until I die. This is what it feels like knowing you’re about to die.

My Review:

 

What clever sleight of hand, and I totally fell for it. This engrossing book was a minefield of intriguing and heart squeezing storylines. Ms. Kubica’s excellent storytelling was expertly woven with flawless word choices, bringing forth vivid and sharp visuals and several instances of chicken skin.   I was quickly under the influence of her powerful word voodoo and keenly felt the characters’ frustrations, discomforts, confusion, and fatigue.

Written from a dual POV, the two main characters and narrators were difficult to hold in positive regard, as they were often exasperating and repellent. Jessie was struggling with a conundrum while she was also not the brightest bulb in the pack. And as Jessie was suffered from extreme sleep deprivation and experiencing hallucinations, her observations and thoughts were untrustworthy and increasingly erratic; while her mental and physical decline and descent into madness were fascinating. I steadily grew to despise the character of Eden and found her obsessive and all-consuming drive to reproduce to be horrendously irresponsible and selfish.

Ms. Kubica’s well-crafted storylines and writing style were compelling yet taut with tension and angst. I was so caught up in their apprehensions that I am in dire need of a relaxing spa day. Until I can work one of those into my schedule, the next best plan would be a generous scoop of Ben and Jerry’s while trolling my TBR in search of an amusing comedy and lighter fare for my next read.

About Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL and PRETTY BABY.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter.

.

Connect with Mary

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Book Review, Giveaway: A Wedding in Cornwall by Laura Briggs

A Wedding in Cornwall 

(Books 7—12)

by Laura Briggs

Goodreads  / Amazon 

 

The last six novellas in the UK bestselling series A WEDDING IN CORNWALL are now available in one collection! Join American event planner Julianne in her final set of adventures ‘across the pond’ in beautiful Cornwall. From celebrity sightings to a local talent show, from a charming village fete to a secret Cornish garden, there’s never a dull moment for Julianne and her Poldark-esque true love Matthew in the quaint village of Ceffylgwyn.

This collection contains A Romance in Cornwall, A Star in Cornwall, A Sewing Circle in Cornwall, A Talent Show in Cornwall, An American in Cornwall, and A Garden in Cornwall. Exclusive bonus materials include a sneak peek of the author’s all-new 2019 Cornish romance series!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Book 7 – A Romance in Cornwall

The catch in her voice gave her away. I couldn’t help but smile. It was proof how far Kitty had come that we hugged goodbye, a brief one, but a warm one. She was far from the prickly girl who had stormed out of my office two years ago, when I suggested she was a diamond in the rough, who would have died rather than admit how much she wanted that job at the manor.

I was thinking it could be fun to be a writer. All that money and loads of spare time when your book is finished. No more dusting knickknacks and cleaning drapes for me.

He’s a dishy one, as sweet as chocolate and as brainy as Sherlock. Many a heart was broken in the village when he finally fell in love. If I’d been ten years younger, I’d have chased him up the nearest tree in haste to catch him.

“She hasn’t been out in the daylight for two days now,” said Dovie, keeping her voice low in the Fisherman’s Rest. “Only comes out in the evenings. Like a vampire, she is. I’d no idea writers were like that.”

Book 8 – A Star in Cornwall

Edwin has the makings of an excellent actor… At least I’ve never seen a child so young be quite so artful at thinking up stories. Did you know that he blamed a ‘piskie’ for the disappearance of all my chocolate-covered marshmallow puffs in my desk drawer?
I did Shakespeare in high school a couple of times. Basically, people just expect the usual hallmarks. Two people in love, a swordfight … like The Princess Bride with ‘thee’ and ‘thou.’
I wish I could act… Andy has loads of fun with the society. I tried to join once, but I was so awful they would only let me help move the furniture about.

Book 9 – A Sewing Circle in Cornwall 

His glance landed on the fabric pieces in my hands, and the tangle of sewing supplies that appeared to be having a terrible brawl amongst themselves in my workbasket. 

How such a stupid argument could turn into such a personal philosophical dilemma was staggering my imagination at this point.

Your own head can be your worst enemy when you’ve let one little mistake become a chain reaction of them, after all.

I knew Michael was wrong. Never trust the opinion of somebody whose tattoos look like a Russian prisoner’s.

Book 10 – A Talent Show in Cornwall

Colin was the ‘serious musician’ type, who seemed in his own world while playing, as if the guitar and his body had melded together and every molecule of his being was focused on the mellow, complex riff serenading the mostly-unappreciative patrons of the bar. Excepting, of course, the female ones.

I call it shyness — but others tended to call it rudeness, since Nikki was ‘different’ and among the typical number of teenagers set apart by their peers to be socially ostracized and mocked. 

… he didn’t even have the decency to tell me first when he took the job on that drilling crew… I had to hear about it from Jenny Bryce’s niece, who looked proper smug about telling me … stupid little cow, crushing on someone like him. He’s ten years older than her.

Never a ‘congratulations, Kitty’ or ‘oh, joy, my daughter’s getting married’ just a ‘what’s all this about?” Like you caught me stealing sweets from the grocer’s jar.

I felt a sudden rush of indignation and anger that the sneer in their voices could make me see her that way, bringing me back to my school days of popularity versus obscurity. 

It was like a scene out of a movie — things that never happen to real people, those impetuous moments of passion that evade real life for ninety-nine percent of us. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosie’s jaw drop, as mine was doing the same.

Book 11 – An American in Cornwall

These days, anything looked like a crowd compared to my village’s version of High Street, where a traffic obstruction consisted of a produce truck and a motorbike both trying for a narrow turn at once.

A rich Cornish accent with a touch of something else in it —Irish, Scottish, a Celtic brogue of another kind —that would make any woman shiver just a little. A strong voice like black coffee laced with something gentler, it matched the creases at the corners of his eyes when he smiled.

How could Aimee be immune to this? It was impossible — he was good-looking, had swoon-worthy quiet, rugged charm, and that accent was making even me fantasize about romantic Cornish sea captains and rugged, sea-salted fishermen.

You’re right that some secrets — some feelings — are bigger than the two of us… But I respect that some things can’t be shared, so keep them private as long as you want. Even if that happens to be forever…

Book 12 – A Garden in Cornwall

Mrs. Norbit’s reign of terror continued… she continued to swipe fingers along the bottom of every portrait’s frame and the surface of every stick of furnishing; and appear suddenly and silently, like a Gestapo agent emerging from the shadows, if you happened to be an offender with a saucerless cup of tea or a trail of crumbs on your desk.

Nothing alive is ever the same from moment to moment, I thought, remembering Matt’s words about changes in a garden’s life. My arms tightened around him as I reminded myself that it was true about a human’s life, too.

Sometimes a place in your mind is all you have… For some people, a memory becomes a place in itself — bigger and better than just pictures or reminders.

Heavens, I’ve seen hens in a coop bicker less over one nesting box than the two of you over some insignificant point of conversation. It’s enough to make an army general cry surrender and crawl under his bunker.

 

My Review:

I had mistakenly started this series with book number twelve several months ago, which only served to whet my appetite to go back to read the previous installments of this sweet and engaging series. The characters were quirky and endearing, the villains were expertly cast, and the writing was easy to follow, had a smooth and gentle flow and contained an amusingly insightful and observantly descriptive style. I gleaned several new additions to my Brit Vocabulary List with my favorite being “spit spot” – which Mr. Google informed me was frequently used by Mary Poppins to mean hurry up. I have been using and abusing it with regularity, though I am a bit concerned some uninformed person may take me literally…

 

Author Bio –

Laura Briggs is the author of several lighthearted romance novels and novellas, including the bestselling Amazon UK series A Wedding in Cornwall. She has a fondness for vintage-style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern-day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, caring for her pets, going to movies and plays, and trying new restaurants.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaperDollWrites

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

Website: https://paperdollwrites.blogspot.com/

 

Giveaway to Win A Wedding in Cornwall 

3 different prizes (Open Internationally)

1st Name Drawn will win – A paperback copy of the anthology to be shipped to the winner by the author via Amazon

2nd Name Drawn will win – A digital/eBook copy of the anthology to be sent via email

3rd Name Drawn will win – A Smashwords coupon code good for a free download of 1 ‘Surprise eBook’ from the Cornwall series of novellas

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review, Giveaway: Evie’s Little Black Book by Hannah Pearl 

Evie’s Little Black Book

by Hannah Pearl 

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK  

 

Is hunting down every man you’ve kissed the answer to finding Mr. Right?


When Evie is invited to the wedding of the guy she’d fancied throughout her teens, it’s the final straw. What’s wrong with her and why can’t she keep a man? 

In between consoling herself with ice cream and chocolate, and sobbing her heart out to her cousin Chamaine, Evie has a brainwave – and it all centers around her ‘little black book’ (well, more floral patterned notebook really) – which contains the details of every man she’s ever kissed or dated. Perhaps the cure for her disastrous love life has been nestled within its pages all along … 


Does Evie’s little black book really hold the answers, or will she learn that exes are exes for a reason? 

My Rating:  

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘What you need next,’ she declared, ‘is new underwear. I always feel better when I’m wearing really sexy knickers.’ She pulled the top of her pants up over her trousers to show me. I could see what looked like a piece of leopard print string, and I presumed her taste in underwear was a little skimpier than mine. An elderly gentleman on the next table choked on his tea.

 

‘I like a lot of different types of women.’ That was an understatement. I suspected that Matt and George had very few types of women they didn’t like. ‘But you know what I find most attractive of all in women?’ he asked me. I shook my head, wondering whether he’d be offended if I’d answered with my first response of a vagina and a pulse.

 

If you want people to notice you, you have to show them that you have something worth noticing.

 

I wasn’t a pretty crier. My nose was running and I was taking big, heaving gulps of air every few seconds to power the tears. Jake walked to the cupboard, opened it and handed me a huge bar of Dairy Milk. ‘I’m sure Bea won’t mind you raiding her stash,’ he said. ‘This seems like an emergency.’

 

My Review:

 

This was a slow moving yet thoughtful and often humorous read that chronicled a woman’s efforts to examine her past to recoup and repair her tattered identity by reaching back to examine what had transpired during and after her previous crushes, attractions, and relationships with men. Much of the narrative is interior as she works through her memories and observations of the past while also dealing with the present and meeting new and more interesting people while learning to trust again. The writing was insightful and observant with frequent lashings of slyly amusing dry wit.

 

Ms. Pearl had obviously done her research and compiled the easiest and clearest representation of how an intelligent woman would allow herself to be treated in such a heinous and dastardly manner. She nimbly captured the subtleness and myriad nuances of how a woman could gradually be stripped of her identity and self-confidence and allow and even expect mistreatment and subjugation. Evie wasn’t merely trying to understand what went wrong with her previous relationships, she was trying to find who she had been as she had lost herself and no longer trusted her own judgment, and rightly so, she had been decimated. And thanks to Ms. Pearl, my Brit Vocab List now includes stonking – which Mr. Google tells me is something remarkably large or exciting, I like that.   In an effort to utilize a fraction of my newly acquired knowledge I will close this review with a small sampling of what I have gleaned from my sloney and swot reading list… Bloody Nora, I’m not telling porkies when I say my personally culled Brit list is mahoosive and stonking.

 

Author Bio –

Hannah Pearl was born in East London. She is married with two children and now lives in Cambridge.

She has previously worked as a Criminology researcher at a university in Leicester, as a Development Worker with various charities and even pulled a few pints in her time.

In 2015 she was struck down by Labrynthitis, which left her feeling dizzy and virtually housebound. She has since been diagnosed with ME. Reading has allowed Hannah to escape from the reality of feeling ill. She read upwards of three hundred books during the first year of her illness. When her burgeoning ereader addiction grew to be too expensive, she decided to have a go at writing. In 2017 she won Simon and Schuster’s Books and the City #heatseeker short story competition, in partnership with Heat magazine, for her short story The Last Good Day.

Hannah is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association.

Blog – dizzygirlwrites.wordpress.com 

Twitter https://twitter.com/HannahPearl_1

 

Giveaway

 Win 2 x set of floral notebook, pen, book locket necklace and chocolate (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Review: Last Heartbreak (A Nolan Brothers Novel Book 5) by Amy Olle 

Last Heartbreak

(A Nolan Brothers Novel Book 5)

by Amy Olle 

Falling in love was easy, instant, and dangerously all-consuming. Breaking up won’t be so simple.

Shea and Isobel were teenagers when they had a baby together, months before they’d even gone on their first date. Now, after nearly eighteen years of marriage, the heartaches have piled one on top of the other, dousing the fire of their passion and drowning the memories of a life built together. Though he is her first and only love, two years spent living separate lives has convinced Isobel it’s time for them to let go.

Except quitting isn’t in Shea’s blood. Every day of his life has been a fight—to save his brothers, to put food on their table, to hold on to the tattered shreds of his dignity—and now he’s in for the toughest fight of them all: the battle to win back his wife. But with Isobel already one foot out the door, is it too late for their second chance at happily ever after?

LAST HEARTBREAK is a full-length, stand-alone steamy contemporary romance from USA Today bestselling author Amy Olle. Fans of emotional, sexy romances will fall in love with this fifth installment in the series about the five Irish-born, fiercely loyal, beautifully flawed Nolan brothers. Books in the series may be read in any order.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Eighteen years. The porcelain year.” Porcelain. Like a toilet. Seemed fitting.

 

“Is this my T-shirt?” He rumpled the cotton in his grip. “I’ve been looking everywhere for this.” “Hmm? Oh, you must’ve left it here by mistake. I sleep in it sometimes.” A smug smile curved his impossibly pouty mouth. “And I also wear it when I clean the toilets.”

 

“You know what’s crazy?” Sophie nudged Isobel with a soft elbow. “Your only real flaw is your perfectionism.” Isobel narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.”

 

My Review:

 

The Last Heartbreak was an angsty and insightful read featuring a failed marriage where both participants had starved the relationship to a skeletal level. Yet the bones hadn’t quite been picked bare.   I held my breath for this deeply flawed couple, they were struggling with each other as well as their own complex issues and family dramas. While I was rooting for them I wasn’t sure they could or should find their way back to each other.

I recall feasting on the first two divinely written books of this series two years ago yet seemed to have lost track when the third and fourth books arrived. I am drawn to this family of complicated brothers as well the author’s skilled and agile style of storytelling. As with my previous experience with her work, Ms. Olle’s engaging narratives were emotive, observant, and heart squeezing with lashings of wit and sensuality – oh my, at one point I was actually gasping for breath and in desperate need of libation.

About the Author

Goodreads

Amy Olle writes sexy contemporary romances filled with hope, heart, and humor. She is delighted to put her Psychology degrees to good use writing romance.

Her debut novel, BEAUTIFUL RUIN, is the first book in a series about the five Irish-born Nolan brothers sent as children to live with family on a remote island in northern Michigan.


BEAUTIFUL RUIN received a Readers’ Favorite 5-star review!

Amy lives in Michigan with her long-suffering husband, brilliant son, and (female) turtle named George.

If you would like to receive notifications of Amy’s new releases, join her mailing list at: http://www.amyolle.com/newsletter/

Book Review, Giveaway: Twisted Fate (Southern Devotion – Book #4) by Amy K. McClung


Author:
 Amy K. McClung

Title: Twisted Fate

Series: Southern Devotion, Book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 4, 2018
Designer: Claire Smith
.
 Add to TBR
.
 Available now! 
All other links: books2read.com/twisted-fate

Two love stories. Two lost souls. Two fates, twisted together.

Old habits are hard to break when lust factors in. Angel is celebrating her sobriety and making changes in her life. Surrounded by happily married couples, she realizes how much she wants to fall in love. Angel meets her match in more ways than one.
.
Cameron has been working behind the scenes, manipulating fate to help his friends find their happiness. But as he works to make everyone else happy, he’s hiding his own pain. So focused on concealing the truth, his relationship with Gavin suffers because of it.
.
Join Angel and Cameron in the spectacular conclusion of Amy K. McClung’s The Southern Devotion series, as this group of friends battle to find their happily ever afters.
 Available now! 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It popped into my head. I sometimes have spontaneous Tourette’s.

 

Its true name is Cameron Jr. Any male genitalia can be a penis. It takes a truly spectacular specimen to be a Cameron Jr. Lesser penises have begged for the name and been denied. He’s a legend unto himself. He stands to attention and other penises salute him.

 

We were social butterflies, painting the town, spreading fabulosity all over. Trust me; fabulosity was a word.

 

No one will reach our level of happiness. We’ve bought cloud nine and aren’t moving.

 

My Review:

 

Last year I just happened to stumble upon this series and binge read three books in a row.   And despite having read several hundred books since then, I still remember them. The books were easy to follow yet I was impressed by the depth and diversity of the young characters as they struggled with considerable social issues, medical concerns, family drama, and each other as they matured, bonded, and gradually formed a strong and cohesive unit. I admired and adored this odd collection of quirky and compelling characters, each with their own issues, oddities, and traumas. Twisted Fate is the final installment and brings an emotional and satisfying conclusion to the series and brings all the featured characters at the end with a fast-forward of thirty-five years. I enjoyed their transitions, adventures, romances, heart-squeezes, matchmaking/meddling, feuds, diva ways, clever banter and amusing quips. I’m curious to see what this cleverly insightful and observant author comes up with next.

~~~~~~~

The Southern Devotion Series


For the Love of Gracie
Book 1
 On sale for 99c 
 
Curves in the Road
Book 2
 On sale for half price 
Complicated Relationships
Book 3
 On sale for half price 

Amy McClung was born in Nashville, TN. She is the second oldest of four girls and occasionally suffers from middle-child syndrome. She met the love of her life online in August of 2004, on his birthday of all days, and married him in September 2005.Currently they have no human children, only the room full of colorful robots that transform into vehicles and the large headed Pop Funkos who represent their favorite characters. Collecting movies, shot glasses, Pop Funkos, and dust bunnies are some of her favorite pastimes.Amy began writing in September of 2011 and independently published her first YA novel, Cascades of Moonlight, Book one of the Parker Harris series the following May. Her first book was a means of therapy for her, enabling her to escape reality for a while during a difficult transition in her life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Review: UNSCREWED by Ren Alexander 

UNSCREWED

by Ren Alexander 

Goodreads

Amazon B&N

 

Greg Rodwell.

The myth, the man, the legend.
Yeah. I’m none of that crap.
Okay. I’m a man. There’s that much.

Almost everyone calls me Rod, whether I like it or not. I’m the guy others look to for a laugh, a dirty joke, a distraction—the office clown. Even my best friend, Hadley, laughs.

It’s just that, I’m not always laughing. Not even on the inside. Nobody knows the real Greg or the agony I hide with humor. My recently dead sister had a clue, but she’s in no position to blab. I screwed up big time—then and now—but it’s all my undoing. Through everything, Hadley’s been my cure and my curse. And I fell in love with my married best friend. But she wasn’t always married, and I wasn’t always broken.

I had a millisecond of a chance, but I blew it, siding with morality. What guy does that? And sailing that sinking ship all the way down, I sacrificed my wants for her needs. Doing that, I fathered a kid with the office trouser troll. Stupid? Hell to the yes. Because now, regardless of the grand total, I want something I can’t have. Integrity and my sanity be damned.

But nobody, especially Hadley, can know the real Greg Rodwell, my tortured soul, my unashamed love, or my darkest truth, because it wouldn’t just blow her mind.

It would rock our damn world.

.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Do Jewish vampires avoid the Star of David? Does killing time damage eternity? Do you need a silencer if you shoot a mime? Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane? If a person dies and then rises from the dead, do they get a refund for the coffin?

 

…our new receptionist is denser than a lead coffin and no doubt couldn’t write dialogue for porn.

 

…her Legal Eagles shirt is knotted to the side, calling attention to her belly button. She also cut a V into the collar of her shirt, showcasing her tits. It’s low enough that you can almost see their price tag.

 

Gloria laughs, and I’m stunned. In all the years I’ve worked with her, I’ve never seen that humanoid crack a smile. It’s like witnessing an alien abduction or playing cards with a ghost. No one would fucking believe me.

 

You’re like fogged glass I can’t touch. A solar eclipse I can’t look at. Forbidden fruit I can’t eat.

 

My Review:

 

Ren Alexander is an evil minx and seems to have bewitched me.  Her word voodoo is strong and quite bawdy.  But, hmm, I am deeply and irrevocably conflicted about this one… I am not sure what genre to use to categorize it, what to rate it, or even how I honestly feel about it.  I’m all over the place with this book. The storylines captivated yet also made me itch and annoyed me greatly – yet I remained intrigued and highly invested and couldn’t seem to put my Kindle down.  Amazon listed Unscrewed as a Romantic Comedy, but I have to disagree.  There was no romance other than a fantasized one, and while there was a considerable amount of clever well-honed humor, the overriding tone was one of tension and angst – sigh.  I had enjoyed and admired the irreverent and razor-sharp wit as well as the overall enigmatic persona of Greg Rodwell in the author’s previous Wild Sparks Series, but I found him rather exhausting in this book.  I don’t believe a new reader could fully appreciate Greg without first reading the previous series.  Greg deserves the exalted title of the Sultan of Snark, as while his humor was rather juvenile it was also keenly clever and highly amusing.  However, when his life took a spiky downturn with a series of highly unusual and unfortunate events, his rapier wit twisted into a more caustic and abrasive outlook and took on a cruel middle-school mean-girl quality, which broke my heart.

 

But I also had empathy and sympathy for the Gregster as his life was in a meteoric downward spiral, which had me bracing for a total meltdown.  Poor Greg was circling the drain, in constant turmoil, and fronting on overblown bravado while drowning in angst.  He was also as sexually frustrated and randy as a pubescent teen; his inner musings were consumed with his constant and painfully erect appendage and his secret obsession and unrequited love for a married woman.  Yet a good portion of this mess was not of his making and I empathized with the obnoxious twit while I also want to administer a few swift slaps to the head. And then there is the thorny issue of a cliffhanger. ;(  I am hooked, and appalling so. Yet my conflict remains firmly rooted…

About the Author

Ren Alexander was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. She graduated from West Liberty University, where she received a B.S. in criminal justice. Although interested in that field, her true passion was reading and writing. She currently lives in Detroit, Michigan with her husband, two daughters, and two cats.

Ren’s novel, “The Keys to Jericho,” was chosen as an “Official Selection” in the Romance category of Apple Literary’s 2017 Annual Book Awards.

Find Ren:
Goodreads /  Amazon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wild_renalex
FB: https://www.facebook.com/RenAlexander…
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/author_rena…
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/RenAlexa…

Book Review: Why Her? (Mistaken Identities #2) by Rie Warren

Why Her? 

(Mistaken Identities #2)

by Rie Warren 

Goodreads

Amazon

If you believe in second chances . . . 

All I did was dance with her at a bar. Just once.
Then this undeniably gorgeous party girl, Stevie, turns up at my house, the contractor in charge of my remodel.
Ha!
How am I supposed to take her seriously?
The problem is she’s excellent at her job, which aggravates me even more.
She’s changing my house, changing my life, and my animal urge to protect and possess her feels like a betrayal to my deceased wife.

She’s absolutely unsuitable.
He’s uptight, f*** hot, and there’s no way she can compete with the ghost of his wife.

A book full of filthy sex and beautiful tortured romance. Why Her? is a standalone novel with a tear-worthy HEA, no cheating, no cliffhangers, just all yes. Keep the fan handy, you’ll need it.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

“I ordered pizza.” “I thought you said you were making dinner.” … “I am. I’m making it come to the door.”

My Review:

This atomically hot and lusty couple had amazing sexual endurance and supernatural stamina, I feel so clumsy and inadequate by comparison. For a middle-aged widower with a relatively sedate first marriage, Kane seemed to be making up for lost time as once he finally caved for his attraction to the feisty Stevie, they want at it like savages. They scorched the sheets with rapturous abandon every-single-time with their wild and passionate interplays that occasionally had me flinching. Rie Warren seems to have a proclivity for filthy pillow talk and copious amounts of body fluids since this lewd lipped pair habitually went off like geysers. In addition to their creatively lascivious exploits, there were clever naughty bits of humor, family drama, and a heart-enlarging and transformative romance. And as an added bonus, a new euphemism for spanking the monkey was gleaned when Stevie confessed to unwittingly witnessing Kane “shuck his corn.” ~ Smirk, I doubt I could ever have too many alternative expressions in my pockets for that…

Rie Warren   

Home of Alpha Male Romance and the Original Bad Boys, Author of the Carolina Bad Boys, the Bad Boys of Retribution MCthe Bad Boys of X-Ops and the Don’t Tell series.

All of Rie Warren’s self-published series are available to read on Kindle Unlimited, including the instant hit Bad Boys of Retribution MC, Carolina Bad Boys, Bad Boy Ballers, and many more!
Badass, sassafras Rie Warren is the author of Sugar Daddy and the Don’t Tell series—a breakthrough trilogy that crosses traditional publishing boundaries beginning with In His Command.
She lives in gorgeous Charleston, South Carolina with her small family where she basks in the sunshine during the day, and adjourns to her woman cave at night. A nocturnal creature, she stays up way too late talking to herself, her characters, and anyone who will listen. She’s all about writing with heat, heart, and a hint of the dark, and she doesn’t shy away from the impossible.

Rie’s work has been called “edgy”, “daring”, and “some of the sexiest smut around”.

Sign up for my newsletter for special promotions and release news:

Book Review, Giveaway: Calamity in Camberwell (The London Murder Mysteries Book 3) by Alice Castle

Calamity in Camberwell

(The London Murder Mysteries Book 3)

by Alice Castle

Goodreads

Amazon US/ UK  / B&N

Beth Haldane, SE21’s answer to Miss Marple, worries she is losing a kindred spirit when her friend Jen, the only other single mum in the playground, suddenly gets married and moves to Camberwell.

Soon Beth has to face much more pressing fears. Has something gone horribly wrong with Jen’s marriage? What is her husband really up to? Why is her daughter leading Beth’s son astray? And where on earth IS Jen anyway?

As Beth’s friends push her to start dating again, Beth turns to Met Police DI Harry York for help. But will they solve the mystery in time, or will it turn out that in south-east London, not everyone gets to live happily ever after?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

To onlookers, her long fringe, sturdy build, and diminutive stature might say adorable little Shetland pony, but inside, Ben’s exams made her feel like an overbred dressage horse, nostrils flaring, quivering with nerves before going into the ring to do utterly impossible things with her hooves.

 

Puberty was lurking round the corner, like the bad fairy at the Christening. It would change her soft-skinned, gorgeous boy, with his luxuriant eyelashes and ready smile, into a gangling, bristly, spotty giant that she would scarcely recognise or want to acknowledge.

 

‘What happened? Not a pervert? What was he, a boob man?’ Sam leaned in to get all the details. ‘Toe sucker?’ said Lily understandingly.

 

Oh come on, don’t you recognise Ryan Gosling when you see him? Someone’s just using his picture. You can bet he looks nothing like that at all.

 

‘I should go to the movies more. The only things I see now are superhero films with Ben. He’s ten… I don’t think I’ve seen a man who isn’t wearing a mask and a Lycra bodysuit for years.’ ‘Well, you can probably find loads just like that on Tinder,’ said Sam.

 

What do you call it when you’ve had déjà vu twice? Déjà vu-vu? Or déjà déjà vu?

 

 My Review:

I have become quite a fan of Ms. Castle’s wry and sardonic humor and cleverly amusing depictions of her characters’ appearance, temperament, and contemplations. Her vivid and evocative descriptions never failed to call forth keenly sharp and smirk-inducing visuals. This installment had a lighter tone than the first two volumes as the focus was not on solving a murder (until much later in the book) but rather on the characters themselves.

Widowed for eight years, Beth felt under pressure from her friends and co-workers to return to the social minefield of dating. Her colleagues even introduced her to Tinder – oh my. And being a world-class procrastinator, Beth did what she did best – she dithered and ruminated – over everything. I adored the little pixie boot-wearing sprite but there were times I wanted to give her a good pinch, or ten.

My curiosity was quickly piqued and remained alert to something rather foul and troublesome occurring in the home of her friend Jen, although the discovery of what exactly was always thwarted by Beth’s scatty dithering. I was beginning to despair that the wily author had forgotten to include my favorite Detective Inspector, the Inscrutable Harry York, although he was just busy elsewhere until midway through the book. I look forward to more pairings and hopefully sparks flying for this somewhat recalcitrant duo in future installment as I am totally grooving on this author’s lush word skills. My latest extra fun bonus word addition to my Brit List was “goolies,” which are those rather useless appendages that my coy and genteel Grandmother called the family jewels, but of course, only when absolutely necessary.

Author Bio –

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019. Alice is currently working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en

Links to buy books: MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery

myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich

myBook.to/HotChocolate

She lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

Giveaway 

Win a signed copy of Calamity in Camberwell

(Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Review: Rancher’s Dream (The Montana Cahills #6) by B. J. Daniels

Rancher’s Dream

The Montana Cahills #6

by B. J. Daniels

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: HQN; Original edition (July 24, 2018)

A bride becomes a target in New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels’s latest can’t-miss suspense

Tragedy sent Deidre “Drey” Hunter running from rancher Hawk Cahill and into the arms of a sleek businessman who promised her a new life. But dreams of Manhattan days and cosmopolitan nights shatter when he brings her back to an ultramodern paradise in her hometown of Gilt Edge—and vanishes on their wedding night.

Taunted by seclusion and silence, Drey starts to doubt everything…including her sanity. Only Hawk, the stubborn cowboy from her school days, believes the threats are real and that someone is ready to kill. But is he willing to forgive the past if it means ending her nightmare?

My Rating:

My Review:

This intriguing volume in the Cahill series was taut with suspense and included a generous dollop of second chance romance. There were several compelling mysteries to solve and secrets to reveal. The evidence was muddled concerning the incredibly naïve Drey being set-up, gaslighted, or losing her mind, and although I had strong suspicions as to who was behind her tribulations, I couldn’t discern the why.   And I loved that. Ms. Daniels has skillfully penned a crazy good mystery as her writing kept me attentive, on-edge, and highly curious. The separate storylines wove in and out until combining seamlessly into a satisfying conclusion. The final installment of this beloved series is in the works and I look forward to seeing how this crafty writer wraps things up.

About B. J. Daniels

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author B.J. Daniels was born in Texas but moved with her family to Montana at the age of five. Her first home was a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon and later a lake house on Hebgen Lake outside of West Yellowstone.

Most of her books are set in Montana, a place she loves. She lives now in a unique part of the state with her husband and three Springer Spaniels.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to play tennis, boat, camp, quilt and snowboard. There is nothing she enjoys more than curling up with a good book.

Connect with B. J. Daniels

Website | Facebook | Twitter