Category: Book Reviews

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Book Review: My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

My Oxford Year

by Julia Whelan

  

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 24, 2018)

Major Motion Picture Already in Development with Temple Hill Entertainment

Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future—perfect for fans of JoJo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks.

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.

When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.

Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

His voice is so melodious, so low and soothing, it should be accompanied by choral music.

Everyone else looks very British about it, like this is where fun comes to die.

 “Given the lovely turn of your figure, it’s quite gratifying you’re not one of those dreadful American girls who subsist entirely on lawn clippings and glacier water,” Charlie says. My mouth is too full of scone to reply.

 He has this ability to go still, as if he’s stopped breathing. Like a vampire. Which makes me realize I’m not breathing.

 She also holds a fan.   Like, an actual fan. Like it’s Gone With The Wind and she’s about to tap someone flirtatiously on the shoulder with it. She drips money like a leaky faucet.

My Review:

 

I adored this delightfully crisp and eloquent book; it pleased me and did so in a cleverly amusing and intellectually stimulating manner.   I greatly enjoyed the thoughtful and well-chosen quotes and poems that started each chapter, which provided just a little taste of what was to come.   Julia Whelan is a master wordsmith with graceful and elegant wordplay.   My Oxford Year was written from the first person POV of Ella, an endearing and wholly relatable character that I instantly connected with. I quickly fell into Ella’s vortex and enjoyed hitchhiking in her head and was loath to leave her and her new friends behind. The storylines were unique, relevant, and expertly crafted. Ms. Whelan’s writing was nimble, flawless, lushly detailed, and a felt like a long awaited gift. I will most likely be stalking her listings as long as I have functioning brain cells.  I was provided with a review copy of this inordinately clever book by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours. 

About Julia Whelan

Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, lifelong actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and creative writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. While she was in England, her flirtation with tea blossomed into a full-blown love affair, culminating in her eventual certification as a tea master.
Find out more about Julia at her website, and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Book Review: The Things We Need to Say by Rachel Burton

The Things We Need to Say

by Rachel Burton

Goodreads

Amazon US / UK 

B&N

 

Sometimes the things we never say are the most important.

Fran loves Will with all her heart. They had a whirlwind romance, a perfect marriage and a wonderful life. Until everything changed. Now Fran needs to find her way again and teaching a yoga retreat in Spain offers her just that. Leaving behind a broken marriage she has some very important decisions to make.

Will needs his wife, he needs her to open up to him if they’re to ever return to the ways things once were. But he may have damaged any possibility he had of mending their relationship and now Fran is in Spain and Will is alone.

As both Fran and Will begin to let go of a life that could have been, fate may just find a way of bringing them back together.

 Perfect for fans of Katie Marsh, Amanda Prowse and Sheila O’Flanagan

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Midlife crisis? … Couldn’t he have just bought a Porsche or something?

 

His family were of the traditional British stiff-upper-lip variety; tall and robust with good bone structure – the kind of people who could drink all night without appearing inebriated and still be up at dawn to feed the dogs and shoot the pheasants.

My Review:

 

I surprised myself with the level of engagement and I experienced with this insightfully written, melancholy, and slowly developing story. I have no personal interest and typically avoid or don’t relate to the main issues at the foundation of the storyline, but the emotive and well-crafted words chosen and artfully arranged by this talented author required that I stop and reevaluate my opinions. Most of the characters were facing life-altering transitions and several were living in significant turmoil caused by messes or their own making, yet I couldn’t look away. I am usually annoyed by the avoidance tactics, extreme waffling, and flight tendencies displayed by the character of Fran, however, Fran was so endearing and making such an effort to put herself back together, I could easily forgive her shortcomings. The storyline was evocative, unpredictable, and intriguing; I remained engaged and speculative from beginning to end. Ms. Burton’s writing was superb throughout, and the characters’ inner musings were profoundly insightful, observant, and thoughtfully executed. This book is a cautionary tale to remind us what happens when people become so entrenched in perfecting and achieving their goals that they lose sight of themselves and everyone/everything around them. Been there, done that, bought that shirt. Though thankfully, not the same shirt as these characters.

 

Author Bio 

Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first learned to talk. After many false starts, she finally made one up that was worth writing down.

After graduating with a degree in Classics and another in English, she didn’t really know what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a paralegal, and a yoga teacher.

She has spent most of her life between Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles and very tall romantic heroes.

Her debut, The Many Colours of Us, was an Amazon Kindle bestseller. Her second novel, The Things We Need to Say, is released on 11 May 2018. She is currently working on her third novel in which the heroine follows the love of her life to live in a city in northern England. It has no autobiographical elements at all…..maybe.

Find her on Twitter & Instagram as @bookish_yogi or search Facebook for Rachel Burton Author. She is always happy to talk books, writing, music, cats and how the weather in Yorkshire is rubbish. She is mostly dreaming of her next holiday….

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rachelburtonauthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/bookish_yogi

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bookish_yogi/

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Book Review: Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter

Every Single Secret

by Emily Carpenter 

Goodreads

Amazon / B&N

“Every Single Secret takes you on a journey into a dark, surreal world…A true psychological thriller that will leave you breathless.” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten and Emma in the Night



Emotionally guarded Daphne Amos always believed she’d found a kindred spirit in her fiancé, Heath. Both very private people, they’ve kept their pasts hidden from the world, and each other, until Heath’s escalating nightmares begin to put an undeniable strain on their relationship. Determined to give their impending marriage the best chance of succeeding, Heath insists that Daphne join him on a seven-day retreat with Dr. Matthew Cerny, a psychologist celebrated for getting to the root of repressed memories. Daphne reluctantly agrees—even though the past is the last place she wants to go.The retreat’s isolated and forbidding location increases her unease, as do the doctor’s rules: they must relinquish their keys and phones, they’ll be monitored at all hours by hidden cameras, and they’re never to socialize with the other guests.One sleepless night, Daphne decides to leave her room…and only then does she realize that the institute is not at all what it seems—and that whatever’s crying out from Heath’s past isn’t meant to be heard. It’s meant to be silenced.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I am what people call guarded. I don’t blog. I don’t post. I don’t share. I don’t love people in that beaming, open-armed way you’re supposed to, but there is a good reason for it. Dark things vein through me, the way precious metal shoots through the heart of a mountain. Dark things that should stay hidden, embedded deep within the rock. It is for the greater good that I stand guard over my mountain, over my past.

 

He’s a locked door, Daphne. And he doesn’t like it if you knock too hard.

 

I can’t afford to be driving you gals into town for this, that, and the other. Around here, if you get a fever, we call the preacher ’cause he lays on hands for free.

 

It hadn’t taken me but a week at the ranch to figure out that Mrs. Bobbie was the ringmaster and Mr. Al was the clown that cleaned up the elephant poop.

 My Review:

 

I quickly fell into this tautly written, captivating, and intriguing tale that essentially held me hostage and on edge from the first sentence to the last few pages. The storyline was unpredictable, fascinating, horrifying, cringe-worthy, and brilliantly crafted. I didn’t want to put my Kindle down and essentially abandoned all plans for the day and left my phone unanswered. Ms. Carpenter must have completed a massive amount of research, as she was spot on with her peculiar and warped characters’ particular oddities, quirks, and disorders, and better yet, still allowed them to be endearing and alluring despite their diabolical tendencies. I was so absorbed by her flawlessly transportive writing I felt myself holding my breath and even bracing for impact more than once. This clever author has cunning and guile and deftly put me right beside her characters in every scene with lush and evocative details. I think she may be onto something with this writing hobby.



About the Author
  

Goodreads /Amazon

EMILY CARPENTER, a former actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, she now lives in Georgia with her family. BURYING THE HONEYSUCKLE GIRLS is her first novel. You can visit Emily online at emilycarpenterauthor.com

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Book Review, Giveaway: Lead Me Home by A.L. Jackson

Lead Me Home

A second-chance, friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson’s Fight for Me series…

Amazon

Paperback

Audible

 

LEAD ME HOME

 A Fight for Me Stand-Alone Novel

by A.L. Jackson

Fourteen years ago, my life changed forever.
My sister disappeared. That day I was selfish. That day I chose myself over her. And that day, I lost everything.
Including Nikki Walters.
She’s the girl I’ve loved my whole life. She’s gorgeous. Caring. Every single thing I’ve ever wanted but denied myself. She was my sister’s best friend, and I destroyed any chance of keeping her.
When her safety is threatened, I have a second chance to do the right thing. But as soon as she moves in, I want her in all the wrong ways.
All it takes is a brush of her hand, and I’m losing all control.
The fire between us is only burning hotter.
But neither of us saw what was coming.
And it just might be Nikki Walters who destroys me in the end.
The highly anticipated sexy, suspenseful stand-alone second-chance romance from NYT Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson.
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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

My attraction to him was so intense I wondered how he didn’t taste it in the air.

 

Human emotions were such tricky little things. They could be fleeting and fast, forgotten before we gave ourselves time to ponder them, or they wiggled their way in, so deep that it was impossible to imagine they hadn’t been part of us all along.

 

Lily was looking at me as if she were chipping pieces of me away and labeling each one as evidence.

 

I think that’s what missing someone means. They’re missing from you, not just from your life, but from your heart. And nothing, no matter how hard you try, really works or fully functions because you’re missing that piece.

 My Review:

Add another heart-squeezing, steamy, and angst-filled romance to your TBR, as it was well worth the anguish; and the mystery that has plagued me all through this well-crafted series was finally, finally, yes finally solved as to what happened to Sydney. I was flailing more than usual for fear this book was going to be a total angst-fest – as the characters were in constant conflict with themselves as well as with each other for over two-thirds of the book. Oh, the agony! That much angst is just – tedious torment for me. Thank goodness Ms. Jackson tossed in some amusing testosterone-fueled banter between the well-bonded and tightly-knit he-men, steamy sensual scenes, a well-woven mystery, and a sexy, filthy talking, and cranky lead character that I could forgive anything for. Written in my favorite dual POV, I got past my pet peeve and sighed with satisfaction on reaching that delightful HEA.

 
Don’t miss our amazing giveaway going on to celebrate the LEAD ME HOME Release!! Grand prize includes signed SHOW ME THE WAY and FOLLOW ME BACK and the entire BLEEDING STARS SERIES Paperbacks!!

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, and BLEEDING STARS novels. Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, LEAD ME HOME, the third stand-alone novel in her brand-new FIGHT FOR ME 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 releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or 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
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Book Review: The Replacement Wife by Britney King

Title: The Replacement Wife
Author: Britney King
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: May 3, 2018 

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From the bestselling author of The Social Affair comes a new riveting, powerful psychological thriller which offers a savage look into a utopian cultish society where beauty and perfection are valued at all costs. 

For readers of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, The Replacement Wife offers a peek into the lives of a married couple up against impossible odds and the notion that history has a way of repeating itself.

Statistically speaking, fifty percent of marriages end up in divorce. What are the odds for murder? 

Widower Tom Anderson is a savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Problem is, one is a lonely number. Thankfully, he solved for X by finding the perfect woman. It wasn’t easy. Tom is very specific. He has to be.

Having checked ‘find trophy wife’ off his list, life was moving along swimmingly. Until that perfect woman let it slip–she has a past. One she kept hidden, almost perfectly.

Sure, she lied–she fudged the numbers. Most women do.

Now, Tom has buyers’ remorse and according to cult rules only two options: get rid of her–or single-handedly erase her past.

She’s a liar. But she does keep house well. And she makes a mean lasagna.

Decisions, decisions.

Razor-sharp and utterly gripping, this electrifying story explores the lengths one will go in the pursuit of perfection, little white lies that can turn lethal, and the danger lurking behind the smiles of those we trust most.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m not ready to die. I always thought I’d be old. I thought I’d have wrinkles and saggy skin…laugh lines well earned… Regret tastes horrible, in case you’re wondering.

 

I might be sick and not for the reason he thinks. That name—his dead wife’s—it’s the first four letter word, not counting work, that I actually dislike.

 

In my experience with organized religion, people wore fake smiles they stretched across their face. They had to grin and bear it, but they were glad when it was over so they could get back to their judging and their sinning.

 

Her chest heaves. It’s like she’s deflating. No need to worry, her implants will keep her afloat. I’m impressed by the way they’re so…out there.

 

The little boy’s face flashes in my mind. I have to admit, he was kind of cute. For a split second, I wonder what it would have been like to have kept him. You know, like finders, keepers. It must be the liquor talking.

 

I’m naked in a trunk. How much worse can it get? It’s like Mark Twain said, it’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.

 

Secrets do a lot of things. They make you exciting. They make you adventurous. They make you important. But there comes a point where having a secret without anybody knowing loses its fun. And while, maybe you don’t necessarily want to let others in on what that secret is, you at least want them to know you have one.

 My Review:

 

I’m more than a bit conflicted on how to rate this one. The premise was chilling and the writing was more often than not compelling and shot through with brilliant observations and insight, yet there were times I grew exasperated with the storyline and characters, who were all quite vile. What a nest of vipers! I feel a considerable level of skepticism toward all organized religions and cults, but this church and their “programs” took it to a new level. And I just couldn’t get a handle on the oily Melanie, she obviously thought herself to be quite intelligent, yet she was often moronic, and almost always contemptible. Yet I couldn’t put this intriguing and tautly written book down. This was my first time reading the massively talented Brittany King – the gal has mad skills and may just be an evil genius. But I would caution her family members to tread lightly and always remain on her good side.

 .
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels.

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

 

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

 


The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. 

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 
Web• http://BritneyKing.com
Instagram • https://instagram.com/britneyking_ 
Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/BritneyKingAuthor
Twitter• http://twitter.com/BritneyKing_
Goodreads • http://bit.ly/BritneyKingGoodreads

To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser. 
Happy reading.

 

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Book Review: Anything For You (The Connor Family, #1) by Layla Hagen 

Anything For You

(The Connor Family, #1)

by Layla Hagen 

Goodreads

Amazon / B&N

 

Hotshot CEO Landon Connor knows his way around the boardroom. Ever since he lost his wife, Landon is all work and no play. But after he seals the biggest deal of his career, he decides to take a trip to his hometown. Nothing spells vacation like a little time with his boisterous family in the LA sun.  But the tempting landscape designer working for his sister spells a whole lot more than fun. Maddie Jennings is everything Landon didn’t think he wanted anymore. He can’t get enough of her sweetness, or her sensual curves.  Despite fanning herself every time Landon comes near her, Maddie tries to ignore their attraction. It’s the smart thing to do. But when Landon romances her with late night walks and bouquets of flowers, she can’t help giving in to his sexy charm.

But can Landon open up his heart for longer than a summer?

 .

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

I was a sucker for men in suits, but men with rolled-up sleeves and muscled forearms were my kryptonite.

 

Maddie smiled sweetly at him while working on his cocktail. “Rule number one. Never be disrespectful to the person serving your food or beverage. You never know what they might put in. ”When she slid his glass toward him, the guy looked down at it as if afraid to touch it. I held my glass up in her direction, grinning. Her sass was contagious.

 

The dating world is a lot like seeing a fin in the water and thinking it’s a dolphin, only to later discover it’s a shark. It takes trial and error to get to the good ones.

 

My Review:

 

I adore Layla Hagen’s sweet and sexy romance, they are my guilty pleasure and have never failed to put a smirk on my face. Written in my favorite dual POV, the engaging story was low angst with clever hits of humor and provided a lovable cast of endearing new characters as well as and a sweet, steamy, equal, and supportive relationship. Nirvana. I look forward to many more stories featuring the feisty and lovable Connor clan.

 About Layla Hagen

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Layla Hagen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She fell in love with books when she was nine years old, and her love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

She writes steamy and romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

She is represented by fabulous Louise Fury (The Bent Agency)

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Book Review: MY ONE REGRET by Claudia Burgoa

MY ONE REGRET

by Claudia Burgoa

 My One Regret is a contemporary romance, standalone title. Check out the images and purchase links below to get it while it’s 99 cents!

Purchase Now for 99 cents!

Limited time sale!

Amazon  |   iBooks    | Nook 

 

 

Add the book to Goodreads

Synopsis:

When he left her, he made the biggest mistake of his life. But now she might be gone for good. 

Kaden Hades couldn’t handle touring with his rock band and a relationship— until he discovered Sadie, the love of his life. But when tragedy struck with his teenage daughter, Kaden broke off the engagement, swearing to put his kids first.

Then he gets the phone call. Sadie’s been in a car accident. 

By the time he reaches her side, she is critical.

With Sadie in a coma, memories flood Kaden’s mind. Her kisses. And all the wonderful experiences they shared. The day it all went wrong…and Kaden made the biggest mistake of his life. Now, as her last line of defense against those who’ve given up hope, he’ll move heaven and earth to protect her.

Because she’s always had his heart—but if he loses her, his world will come apart.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m too old to be kissing toads, knowing they’ll never become princes.

 

Sadie was an open book, and yet as strange as the deep blue sea. She was starlight with a hint of darkness. A beautiful chaos that drew me into her world.

 

Your smile brightens my day. You’re the sun. I’m a sunflower who follows you along.

 

I forgot that life is a sequence of beads of many sizes, colors, and textures. Just because I encounter a few ugly ones, doesn’t mean that it’s over.

 

My Review:

 

I don’t know what it is about Claudia Burgoa, but she seems to weave a magical spell that holds me spellbound to her angsty books, despite my typical abhorrence and aversion to stories that features some of my least favorite tropes. She has mad skills and wicked word-craft. She also employed clever humor, endearing and nuanced characters, and deliciously sensual love scenes to balance the angsty narrative. I adored these characters and their complicated and heart squeezing love story. She was his Hummingbird and, as was befitting as he was a singer, he was her Nightingale. Yet they also teased by fired off creative and amusing nicknames that frequently had me smirking, such as Sugar Tush, Poochie Doo, Puddin’ Knickers, Poopsy Doodle, Muffin Bun, Sugar Booger, and Mr. Fudge Nuggets –  just to name a few.

 

Purchase Now for 99 cents!

Limited time sale!

Amazon  |   iBooks  |  Kobo  | Nook 

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:


Claudia is an award-winning, international bestselling author. She lives in Colorado working for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. And a wonderful husband who shares her love for all things geek. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

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Book Review: A Clean Sweep by Audrey Davis

A Clean Sweep

 by Audrey Davis

Goodreads

Amazon  US / UK

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A CLEAN SWEEP is a laugh-out-loud tale of love, lies and second chances.


Love comes around when you least expect it. Fifty-something widow Emily isn’t expecting romance. Nor is she expecting a hunky twenty-something chimney sweep on her doorstep.
Daughter Tabitha knows something isn’t quite right with her relationship, while her boss – Abba-loving Meryl – thinks she’s found the real deal. Are they both right, or pursuing Mr. Wrong?


Emily’s sister, Celeste, has the perfect marriage … or does she? Can a fitness tracker lead her down the path to happiness or heartbreak?


Susan is single, overweight and resigned to a life of loneliness. There was the one who got away but you don’t get another try, do you?


Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions in a book that will grab your heart, make you smile and wish you had a chimney to sweep.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She hoped it was a passing phase. Her daughter had been through more phases than the moon. With a few total eclipses along the way.

 

Up Yours Chimney Services… they were members of the European Federation of Chimney Sweeps, which sounded very impressive. Perhaps they all met up once a year in The Hague or Brussels. She imagined a giant table around which sat dozens of men – perhaps women too – comparing brush lengths and discussing the merits of coal versus wood. Maybe having a sing along in Mockney accents.

 

Emily had known for weeks now that the tap was a nuisance but had pushed it to the bottom of the pile of jobs that needed doing. Like her taxes and shaving her legs.

 

“They can be a handful at times, but they’re adorable really.” Privately Tom thought they were about as adorable as a dose of genital herpes but wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

 

“She’s not the cause, just a symptom.” Which made this other woman sound like a rare medical condition rather than a brazen hussy who’d snaffled her man.

 

As Celeste still regarded exercise with trepidation and loathed having to wear trainers – so unattractive – she always opted for the park. At least it was flat there and she didn’t have to contend with disgustingly healthy individuals bounding past her while she wheezed red-faced up a slight incline.

  

My Review:

 

I smirked my way through this crisply written, delightful, cleverly amusing, and sweetly heart-squeezing tale. Written in the third person omniscient POV for multiple characters of both sexes, I adored the humorous observations and inner musings of the outstandingly quirky cast of characters. And there were plenty of them, all uniquely distinct, flawed, and endearingly bent. Each household was experiencing significant transition, which included and was not limited to excitement, heartbreak, disappointments, new love, lost love, and remarkable gains and losses. The storylines were rife with scandals, stressors, secrets, scares, shames, surprises, and scams. And I relished them all. I also added collywobbles to my Brit vocabulary list, which means a nervous or upset stomach and is a fun word to roll off the tongue. I am eager to put it into usage, although, hopefully, not in reference to myself.

Author Bio

Audrey Davis survived secondary school on the West coast of Scotland. Rubbish at science but not too bad at English, she originally wanted to be an actress but was persuaded that journalism was a safer option. Probably wise. She studied at Napier College in Edinburgh, the only place in Scotland at that time to offer a journalism course.

Her first foray into the hard-nosed newspaper world was as a junior reporter in Dumfriesshire. Duties included interviewing farmers about the prize-winning heifers to reporting on family tragedies. She persuaded her editor to let her launch an entertainment column which meant meeting the odd celebrity – or just the downright odd. From there, she moved to the loftier rank of senior reporter back in her home patch. Slightly more money, less farm animals but a higher crime rate. As Taggart would say: ‘There’s been a murrrrder!’

After a stint in London on a video magazine – yes, she is that old – Audrey moved to Singapore with her fiancé. She tried valiantly to embrace the stinking heat, humidity and lack of jobs, although she did work briefly on a magazine which was banned by the government for ‘artistic’ use of naked men’s bottoms.

Next on her adventures was a land Down Under where her main focus was raising Cost Centre One (aka firstborn) and coming to terms with the imminent arrival of Number Two. Still, she loved the Aussie way of life – BBQs, beaches and bring your own booze to restaurants – so it came as a blow when OH announced a move back to the UK. Not a job between them, the climate a possible deal breaker and an Exorcist-style vomiting infant on the flight home didn’t bode well …

Always a survivor, Audrey sought out similar-minded friends (i.e. slightly bonkers), got the children into a good school and thought about taking up writing again. Sadly, thinking about it was as far as she got, unless you count shopping lists. Then, hubby drops another bombshell. Switzerland. As in – it’s packing time again. Off to the land of cheese, chocolate, scarily efficient trains and a couple of teeny, tiny issues. Like driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road and speaking a foreign language (French). The former was conquered fairly quickly (we’ll skip over the wall demolition in week two), the latter remains an ongoing battle of the hopeful against the hopeless. At least she provides amusement for the local workforce.

It wasn’t until 2016 that Audrey rediscovered her writing mojo with an online Writing Fiction course. From there, her first novel – A Clean Sweep – was born, although it took a bit longer than nine months from conception. A short, darker prequel – A Clean Break – followed, and in November 2017 she published the first in a novella trilogy, The Haunting of Hattie Hastings Part One. Part Two is published on 21 March 2018, with the conclusion following in May/June. After which she might have a wee lie down …

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/audreydavisbooks

Twitter- https://twitter.com/audbyname

 

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Book Review: Keeping 6 (Rock Point Series #1) by Freya Barker

 
Title: Keeping 6
Series: Rock Point Series #1
Author: Freya Barker
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: May 2, 2018
Cover Design: Rebel, Edit & Design

Bookstore owner Kerry Emerson finally seems to be back in control of her life. Her failure of a marriage firmly in her rearview mirror and her recent business expansion a success, she is in charge of her own future. One that is looking better than ever. 


The sight of the tall man, with the familiar salt and pepper goatee pushing open the door of her store, sets her hair on end. He doesn’t exactly bring good memories. 

FBI Special Agent in Charge, Damian Gomez, is just looking for a decent cup of coffee when he walks into the small store offering books and brew. The pretty, feisty woman behind the counter is an unexpected surprise. Not at all unpleasant, especially since her finger that used to hold a wedding ring is now bare. 

Her wild hair, boho style, and silvery grey eyes suddenly hold a lot of promise. But when his office is pulled into an international investigation into the trafficking of rare books and manuscripts, the straight-laced SAC realizes he has to keep his distance from the woman who might well be involved. 

Easier said than done since fate seems determined to throw them together.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Damn that man. I can’t even hang on to a good snit.

 

My mind twisted in so many different directions, I was giving myself whiplash.

 

He really has no idea the kind of danger he’s putting himself in right now. My sister can be like a rabid Chihuahua, especially with men.

 

“You know you’re near perfect, right?” “Near?” I sputter, mock insulted. “Perfection is boring, but near perfection? There isn’t a thing more intriguing, more tantalizing, more beautiful than that.”

 

Deadly words, those— I’m fine. Especially since it doesn’t take much to know she’s anything but fine.

 

…the reality of her never was a match to the dream of you.

 

There’s a reason I’m moving to Durango, aside from my job. More than an hour or two at a time and my mother has me reaching for the rat poison… for me!

 My Review:

 

I have enjoyed every Freya Barker book I have ever picked up. Her books always provide me with a smirk-worthy level of entertainment as in addition to the intrigue of a good mystery and few murders and maybe a fight or two, Ms. Barker always supplies a healthy serving of humor, spicy sensuality, adult level romance, and authentic characters that I would enjoy knowing. I wasn’t familiar with the law enforcement terminology of keeping your 6, but I had an inkling of what it would mean, and it was an excellent title for this engaging tale. I adored FBI Special Agent in Charge Damian Gomez and loved the humor make available by the family dynamics of his intrusive relatives. I am already looking forward to the next installment of this new series.

“With impeccable writing Freya Barker weaves words into a story so captivating I was glued to the pages for hours.” ~Britt Red Hatter Book Blog

 

 

“Freya’s unmatched storytelling leads the reader up a mountain of suspense and intrigue. Dangers lurk as the cast of characters, both main and secondary, along with the readers, are consumed in the mystery of what’s to come. Five stars granted for the first book in this edge of your seat series. Cannot wait to see what’s coming next.” ~A.C. Bextor, Best selling author of KEPT: A Second Chance Fairy Tale

 

 

“Freya Barker has never written about perfect people. She writes about real people. This is why I can never put her books down.” ~ Kez’s Korner Blog

Damian

“You?”

My head whips around at the sound of a woman’s voice.

It’s been a long-ass morning already with meetings I would’ve loved to have avoided. Since being put in charge of the Durango field office, it seems I spend more time in meetings than working in the field. I swear each week there are new task forces put together, and I can barely keep up. I stepped out of the office for a much-needed break to find that the coffee shop around the corner had a sign plastered on the door stating they were closed due to a family emergency. Desperate for my caffeine fix, I kept walking and bumped into Kerry’s Korner: Books & Brew. Something about the name is familiar. I push the door, which opens with the ring of a bell, when I hear her voice. 

She’s pretty. The woman behind the counter looks like a seventies flower child, with wild, dirty blonde hair, some kind of flowy top leaving her collarbones and a goodly amount of cleavage exposed, and a pixie face. Something about her is familiar, and it appears she knows me, too. Fuck if I can’t place her. 

“Got me at a disadvantage, sweets,” I tell her with a shrug.

“You’re FBI,” she says, propping her hands on her nicely rounded hips. “I remember you.”

I look at her a little closer. Not a hardship, there’s a lot to check out. Those pale gray eyes trigger a memory. “You’re Kimeo’s girl,” I say, remembering the case a few years ago when I first saw her for the briefest of moments. A case long since put to rest, but not before this woman was snatched and roughed up before we got to her. We’d been called in by Gus Flemming, a friend of mine who owns an investigation and security company in Cedar Tree. Kimeo, the wife of one of Gus’s guys, found herself in the middle of shady land deals and this woman, her best friend, had been kidnapped to ensure her silence. I may not have remembered her name until I saw her standing behind the counter of Kerry’s Korner, but I sure as hell remember her. I also remember the wedding ring on her finger, which is why I didn’t bother looking twice at the time. 

The hands resting on her hips no longer sport that wedding ring, just a large knuckle ring on the middle finger of her left hand as a sort of fuck you to the world. I bet she flips that bird easily, judging by the attitude she throws off. I like it.

“Kerry,” she says, almost as a challenge. 

“Right. You look better now,” I tell her, making her snort loudly.

“No shit. I’d just been used as a punching bag when you found me and shoved me into the back of a van without a word.” Yup, most definitely a challenge. She doesn’t like me much, I deduct from the slightly distasteful look on her face.

“Was a little preoccupied with my investigation. Sorry if I didn’t take the time to make nice.” Fuck me, I sound like a dick. Something about her attitude grates on me, especially when she rolls her eyes dramatically before placing her hands on the counter in front of her and leaning over. 

“Damian. Right?” She doesn’t wait for my confirmation before she continues, “Well, Damian, what brings you to my bookstore?”

“Coffee. Straight up,” I tell her without blinking. She turns her back without a word and starts fiddling with the expensive-looking machine on the sideboard, and I take the opportunity to check out her backside. “Double shot?” she asks over her shoulder, catching me ogling. 

“Good guess.” I smile at her, which only earns me another eye roll. Attitude in spades, this one. As much as it irritates me, it somehow turns me on, too. 

She’s late thirties, maybe forty, if I had to venture a guess from the lines around her eyes. She obviously laughs a lot—something I wouldn’t mind hearing. I have a feeling with that slightly raspy voice of hers, her laugh will sound even sexier. She’s not wearing a stitch of makeup from what I can tell and seems totally at ease in her skin. Not usually the kind of woman I find myself drawn to, but this one has an appeal all her own. Most women I end up with are well put together: stacked, sweet, and sultry. Just the way I like them. This one, though? This one is like the fucking girl next door. Fresh-faced, with a hippy vibe, barely enough tit to fill my hands, but an ass that should be framed, it’s that lush. Always considered myself a boob man, until I just got an eyeful of her backside. 

While she doctors the elaborate coffee machine, I take the time to check out her shop. An older building, it has an old-fashioned facade with shallow bay windows, displaying an assortment of books, framing the door. Old wood floors that have been left bare to the wear and tear of foot traffic, resulting in a well-worn look more suited to an old saloon. Rows of rugged bookcases, jutting out from the back wall, with chalkboard display signs indicating the different genres. The counter is on one side in front of the window and on the opposite side, in front of the second bay window, is a small seating arrangement with an old, brown leather couch and two club chairs around a small, round coffee table. On the counter is a large, round, glass cake stand with pastries. 

“Here you go. Anything else with that? A pastry to sweeten you up a bit or perhaps a book on appropriate social behavior? I have both.” I can’t stop the smirk tugging at my mouth. This one’s a handful, for sure. Too much of one. I pull out my wallet and slap a couple of dollar bills on the counter. 
“Nah,” I drawl. “Not the kind of sweet I’m looking for, and as for the book, I’ll just wait until you get done with it. You’re probably due for a reread.” I snag my coffee off the counter, and with a wink, I saunter out the door, leaving her standing with her mouth hanging open and fire shooting from those pretty gray eyes.

Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and some hot, sizzling sex in their lives.

A recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya has not slowed down.


She continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

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Book Review: Unwritten by Rachel Lacey

Unwritten

(Rock Star Duet #1)

by Rachel Lacey 

Amazon US / UK / Can ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~

 Add on Goodreads

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The first book in Rachel Lacey’s sizzling new Rock Star Duet, where the only thing brighter than the glare of the spotlight is the power of love.

Pop sensation and Hollywood star Katherine Hayes has worked hard to maintain her squeaky-clean image. But with nude photos going viral on the internet, the ensuing smear campaign threatens to ruin everything.

A chance meeting with a handsome college professor—who’s adorably clueless about her identity—is a rare break from the stress. But when shocked recognition dawns in his eyes, her survival mechanism kicks in. She can’t simply let him walk away to add grist to the rumor mill.

Josh Randall has already loved and lost his soulmate. Yet when he witnesses Kate in a vulnerable moment, he can’t deny the pull between them. Even though he believes down to his bones that true love doesn’t come twice in a lifetime.

A no-strings fling sounds like the perfect solution. But Kate never expected Josh to see the woman hiding behind the celebrity—or that the paparazzi would catch on to their sizzling passion so quickly. Making it hard to keep their tangled emotions from tearing their hearts apart when it’s time to say goodbye…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

You blend in like a supermodel at a nun convention.

 My Review:

 

I enjoyed this well-crafted and heart-squeezing story from beginning to end. The writing was engaging and emotive while the storyline was entertaining, active, and well-paced. Ms. Lacey is a recent find for me and I have greatly appreciated her word skills with each foray into her work. Her characters tend to be uniquely flawed yet enticing and endearing.   She has my attention now as I have joined the ranks of her adoring fans.

 

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.

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