Category: 5-Stars

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Book Review: Foretold  (A Ghost Gifts Novel  #2) by Laura Spinella

Foretold

 (A Ghost Gifts Novel  #2)

by Laura Spinella

Amazon  | B & N

Laura Spinella’s Ghost Gifts trilogy continues as Aubrey’s otherworldly talents—and a visit from a former lover—threaten to tear apart her family.

A mysterious death in a muddy swamp, missing children in different states…psychic Aubrey Ellis and her partner, investigative reporter Levi St John, have their hands full. The added strain of raising their son, who struggles with his own psychic gift, pushes life to the brink of collapse.

Enter Zeke Dublin—Aubrey’s first love from her carnival past. Tensions escalate when it’s clear that the attraction between them is alive and well. But as Levi discovers disturbing clues about the body pulled from the swamp, he begins to suspect Zeke’s sudden presence is more than coincidence.

As Aubrey’s uncanny abilities take an unsettling turn, she fears that this time her own child is in danger. Who can Aubrey trust to help solve the unknowns surrounding her life—the father of her son, or a man who’s always understood the deepest secrets of her psychic gift?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If it was possible to be silent on top of silent, that’s what she was doing. Unfortunately, it backfired, and silence translated into a loud confession.

 

Dylan—a curly-haired kid with fat dimples and bright eyes—burped loud enough to rattle bric-a-brac.

My Review:

 

The mystery and intrigue were increasingly compelling in depth and breadth, with additional twists, unique complications, unpredictable detours, and remarkable discoveries.   The tautly written and complex storylines were deviously well constructed and maddeningly paced and along with the prickly and contentious relationship between the main characters; I was on edge and anxious for elucidation and resolution. The massive amount of clues was daunting yet more puzzling was their cryptic nature which required keen attention and concentration. I was rapt to my Kindle and hugely annoyed when my traitorous eyes demanded I stop for sleep. I had been a bit conflicted about Zeke throughout, but the sweetness of his final story broke my heart. I am more than eager to dive into book three, Echo Moon.

About Laura Spinella

Laura Spinella is the author of the Ghost Gifts trilogy—including Echo Moon, Foretold, and the #1 Kindle bestseller Ghost Gifts—as well as the highly acclaimed Unstrung and the award-winning novel Beautiful Disaster. She is a two-time RITA finalist who consistently receives reader and industry praise for her multifaceted characters, emotional complexity, and intriguing storylines.

Spinella lives with her family near Boston, where she can always be found writing her next novel. She enjoys hearing from readers and chatting with book clubs. Visit her at www.lauraspinella.net.

Connect with Laura

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Book Review: Ghost Gifts  (A Ghost Gifts Novel  #1) by Laura Spinella

Ghost Gifts

 (A Ghost Gifts Novel  #1)

by Laura Spinella

All Aubrey Ellis wants is a normal life, one that doesn’t include desperate pleas from the dead. Her remarkable gift may help others rest in peace, but it also made for an unsettling childhood and destroyed her marriage. Finally content as the real estate writer for a local newspaper, Aubrey keeps her extraordinary ability hidden—until she is unexpectedly assigned the story of a decades-old murder.

Rocked by the discovery of a young woman’s skeletal remains, the New England town of Surrey wants answers. Hard-nosed investigative reporter Levi St John is determined to get them. Aubrey has no choice but to get involved, even at the terrifying risk of stirring spirits connected to a dead woman’s demise and piquing her new reporting partner’s suspicions.

As Aubrey and Levi delve further into the mystery, secrets are revealed and passion ignites. It seems that Aubrey’s ghost gifts are poised to deliver everything but a normal life.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’d given up on calling it prayer years ago. Prayers were meant to be answered. So far, Missy’s had not been.

 

In five years he’d exhibited all the spontaneity of a wet match.

 

He’d watched his mother paint her whole face, kind of like a human paint-by-numbers. She could even do it with a cigarette in her hand, though she repeatedly insisted it was her last one.

 

He wore metal through so many pieces of flesh that Levi imagined unhooking them would cause the punk rocker to fall apart.

 

My Review:

 

I immediately tumbled into this captivating and consuming tale during page one and practically loathed reaching the last page, as I didn’t want to leave the story behind.   Thankfully I have the next two books to hopefully sate my appetite for this talented mastermind’s cunning word voodoo. Her clever storylines and skillfully adroit writing style were ingeniously crafted, lushly detailed, and highly evocative. It was sublime.

 

About Laura Spinella

Laura Spinella is the author of the Ghost Gifts trilogy—including Echo Moon, Foretold, and the #1 Kindle bestseller Ghost Gifts—as well as the highly acclaimed Unstrung and the award-winning novel Beautiful Disaster. She is a two-time RITA finalist who consistently receives reader and industry praise for her multifaceted characters, emotional complexity, and intriguing storylines.

Spinella lives with her family near Boston, where she can always be found writing her next novel. She enjoys hearing from readers and chatting with book clubs. Visit her at www.lauraspinella.net.

Connect with Laura

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Book Review: One and Only (Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1) by Jenny Holiday

One and Only 

(Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1)

by Jenny Holiday 

Goodreads

Amazon 

 

Miss Responsibility meets Mr. Reckless
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With her bridezilla friend on a DIY project rampage, bridesmaid Jane Denning will do anything to escape – even if it means babysitting the groom’s troublemaker brother before the wedding. It should be a piece of cake, except the “cake” is a sarcastic former soldier who is 100% wicked hotness and absolutely off-limits.
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Cameron MacKinnon is ready to let loose after returning from his deployment. But first, he’ll have to sweet talk the ultra-responsible Jane into taking a walk on the wild side. Turns out, riling her up is the best time he’s had in years. But what happens when the fun and games start to turn into something real?

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She was talking fast and ending declarative statements with question marks— sure signs she was stressed. Elise always sounded like an auctioneer on uppers when she was upset.

 

The words job list practically gave Jane hives. Elise had turned into a total bridezilla… But, oh, the job list. The job list was like the Hydra, a serpentine monster you could never get on top of. You crossed off a job, and two more sprouted to take its place.

 

He was having trouble imagining Jane as a girl. She seemed like the kind of person who had been born thirty years old.

 

Gia was gorgeous. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Jane was used to it— it was like she’d had exposure therapy or something— but when you were meeting Gia for the first time? Well, just hope you weren’t simultaneously operating any heavy machinery.

 

Gia started humming the wedding march but morphed it into the theme from Jaws as Elise approached the bar.

 

 My Review:

 

I greatly enjoyed this humorous and sexy tale but it wasn’t all cotton candy and marshmallow fluff as the author skillfully wove in some insightful and thoughtful observations about the military, family drama, the cruelty of gossip, self-concept, anxiety, addictions, and PTSD. I adored her complicated and quirky characters with my favorite being the geeky yet staid and responsible Jane who was a devotee of cosplay, Comicon, and all things Xena. The storylines were adroitly paced, consistently engaging, pleasantly entertaining, and cleverly amusing with sizzling hot licks of sensuality between the two main characters.   This was my first Jenny Holiday read, an experience I plan to habituate.

About the Author:
Jenny Holiday is a cunning Slytherin who is constantly being told she’s unduly optimistic. This year, after realizing she had accidentally put “hero makes late-night grilled cheese sandwiches for heroine/other hero” in three books, she started doing it on purpose. When she’s not writing, she’s probably having porch wine with her neighbors and enjoying having gardened. Follow her @JennyHoli on Twitter, @holymolyjennyholi on Instagram, and find other fun stuff at JennyHoliday.com.
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Book Review: The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane(Part One: New Beginnings) by Emily Harvale

The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane

Part 1 – New Beginnings

by Emily Harvale

#LilyPondLane

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK

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Mia Ward is amazed to be told she has inherited her great-aunt Matilda’s thatched cottage in the tiny seaside village of Little Pondale – especially as Mia didn’t know she had a great-aunt Matilda.

She’s even more astonished to discover she’ll only inherit the place if she actually lives there for one year. Mia’s a city girl at heart, not to mention she’s afraid of water, so the fact the cottage backs on to a sandy beach, is not, in her opinion, a bonus.

But Mia’s struggling to pay her rent since being fired for inappropriate behavior at the office party, and her boyfriend’s also dumped her. When her best friend, Ella and Ella’s brother, Garrick offer to help her move and settle in, Mia decides to see this as a new beginning.

It may also be the start of an exciting adventure because now Mia wants to know just who, exactly, was great-aunt Matilda. And she’s determined to find out. But it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to make sure Mia doesn’t stay in Little Pondale….

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She felt about as welcome to the south coast of England as the German Luftwaffe had been in the Second World War.

 

They’re all so twee I half expect a beautiful princess, together with seven vertically challenged men, singing songs and carrying pickaxes, to march down the York stone paths.

 

The closest you’ve ever been to a tree is sitting on a wooden chair.

 

Oh deary me. I’m talking ten chickens at a time, aren’t I?

 

Justin Lake? He’s the local baker and his buns are the best for miles around. And I don’t just mean the buns he bakes… He’s in one of those male stripper dance groups in his spare time.

 

We’re all fairly certain the grandmas of those three young bucks spent the night under the same blanket, if you get my drift.

 My Review:

 

New Beginnings was a fun, light, and engaging start to a new series. I flew right through this first installment and am eager to delve into Part 2, Summer Secrets, next. The characters are highly likable and people I would enjoy spending time with.   The storylines are well-written, amusing, and pleasantly entertaining with a bit of a mystery as to exactly who Mia’s long-lost Auntie and sudden benefactor really was. I’m enjoying their discoveries as well as the transitions the city girls are facing by moving into a well-appointed thatched cottage in a rural seaside village with Llamas, no cell reception, and a gossipy housekeeper who spins superstitious tales of witchcraft and has a pet white rat named Prince Gustav. What fun!

Now get ready for Part Two:

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK

 

Blurb:

Escape to the seaside village of Little Pondale with Part Two of this heart-warming and romantic, four-part serial. 

Mia Ward was amazed to inherit her great-aunt Matilda’s thatched cottage in the tiny seaside village of Little Pondale – especially as Mia didn’t know she had a great-aunt Matilda. She was even more astonished to discover she’d only inherit the place if she lives there for a year.

Now Mia and her friends, Ella and Garrick are embracing village life. Garrick’s also embracing someone in The Frog and Lily, so Mia turns her attention to one or two of her sexy, single neighbors. But great-aunt Matilda remains an enigma and Mia’s still determined to discover who she was.

When Mia’s mum, Lori arrives, she’s eager to see what the summer has to offer. There’s the Kite Festival, the Fête, the Frog Hill Run, but what really appeals to Lori, much to Mia’s horror, is the Midsummer Night’s naked bathing in the pond at Frog’s Hollow.

As sweltering days surrender to sultry nights, love is definitely in the air. And when an incident means Mia has to face her greatest fear, help arrives from a surprising source. But one thing is clear… someone is trying to make sure Mia doesn’t stay in Little Pondale…

 

Author Bio –

Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her hometown of Hastings where she now spends her days writing… and chatting on social media. Emily is a Member of the SoA, a PAN member of the RWA and a Pro Member of ALLi. She’s an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All Star. Emily loves writing and her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.

Emily says, “I write about friendship, family and falling in love. I believe in happing endings.” When she isn’t writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies – and will do anything to avoid both.

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter

https://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale

https://www.instagram.com/emilyharvale

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Book Review, Giveaway: RAINY DAY FRIENDS (Wildstone #2) by Jill Shalvis

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Starting over was her plan. Getting derailed by secrets wasn’t…
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RAINY DAY FRIENDS
A Wildstone Novel
Jill Shalvis
William Morrow/Harper Collins
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Following the USA Today bestselling author of Lost and Found Sisters comes Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship
 
Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.
 
Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
 
Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan.
 
Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Brown changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.
 
BUY NOW
AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS
OTHER | PAPERBACK

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m giving up on getting a bikini body, so pass the butter, please. Grandma says the good Lord put alcohol and carbs on this planet for a reason and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Him down.

 

But after Kyle had passed away, some things had come to light. Such as the fact that he’d hidden an addiction from her. A wife addiction. It’d gone a long way toward getting her over the hump of the grieving process.

 

Most of my wrinkles are from laughter, except for these right between my eyebrows… These are my ‘WTF’ lines and those suckers are deep, all given to me by our family dinners.

 

I’ve moved on to pizza delivery guys because at least I know they have a job, a car, and pizza… Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. One hundred percent of pizza deliveries end in happiness.

 

But the important thing here is to remember to practice self-care in times of stress. Take a walk, paint a picture, murder someone, burn the body, and clean up the crime scene.

 

Despised is a little strong. It implies that I’d unplug your life support to charge my iPhone, so I save that word for things like chia seeds, infomercials, and slow walkers in the aisles of the grocery store.

 

My Review:

 

I giggle-snorted my way through this delightful and crisply written tale. The writing was top-notch and the storylines were well-crafted, cleverly amusing, and totally engaging. I adored every single quirky character who were each provided with unique issues and peculiar traits. Ms. Shalvis’s keen wit and sharply honed levity were smoothly woven into the narrative with a stunning level of skill and agility. I have come to cherish Jill Shalvis and her adorable characters.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

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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.

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

UP TO YOU

 (A Love with Altitude Novel #4)

by Daisy Prescott

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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)

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

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

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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.

 

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