Thursday, January 30, 2020

REVIEW: Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel by Ginger Scott



We're celebrating the release of Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel by Ginger Scott! One-click your copy on all platforms today and add it to your TBR! You won't want to miss this twisty romance!


OUR REVIEW:

I've read this novel twice now, y'all, and you'd think knowing what's going to happen the second time around would make it less twisty in my head, but NOPE. Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel is layer upon layer upon layer of WTF.

As many reviewers will show in their reviews--it's better not to say too much because the more you explain, the more you give away, so I won't do that here. What I will say is that it's an interesting mix of romance and action and M. Night Shyamalan-esque stuff going on--light on the romance and heavier on the other aspects. Other things I can share is that it's a stand alone novel; there's a resolution at the end and that the characters are older teens (I can definitely see my students intrigued by this novel).

The last thing I can share that isn't a spoiler is that this is something completely new from Ginger Scott. It is absolutely crazy different from anything she's ever done--it's the thing we love about her: she is fearless about taking risks and trying to challenge herself and her readers. So while you may feel a little nervous about going into this one blind, we definitely suggest that you do and we think you'll be glad you did.
PURCHASE:

Don't forget to add it to your TBR! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48840620-cvdd


RIVERDALE meets INCEPTION in this twisty and unique Ya coming-of-age romance by Ginger Scott

Quarterback.
Class president.
Burnout.
We all have our identities.
Most of the time, they come from our circumstances. They’re made by others—shoes for us to walk in whether they fit or not.
But what if?
What if we could take off those shoes.
What if we could wear a different pair?
What if those boxes we put ourselves in are better…worse?
And what if, when we do…we’re trapped there for good?
They all call me Cowboy.
She’s the damsel who doesn’t need to be rescued.
And him…he’s the villain.
This is our story. And this is how we want it to be told.

About the Author:



Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

COVER REVEAL: Mum's the Word by Staci Hart


Mum's The Word, the third in the Bennet Brothers series from Staci Hart, is coming March 31st. Check out the beautiful cover for this upcoming spring release. I love the vibe of this series and the covers are to die for! Mark your calendars and get ready to fall in love with Marcus Bennet!











Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.

My mother has summoned me home to take my place at Bower Bouquets, and as the heiress, I’m expected to do as I’m told. I’m expected to sit by her side as she does her best to decimate the Bennet family and their flower shop, Longbourne. I’m expected to play by her rules, or she’ll ruin me too.

But the day I crash into Marcus Bennet changes everything. And the kiss seals the deal. If my mother finds out, I’ll lose everything—my family, my life, my security. Worse, she’ll make sure the Bennets pay for my mistakes.

Falling in love with a Bennet is not an option.

But I might not have a choice.

Pre-order your copy of Mum's the Word from your preferred retailer today!


Amazon | B&N | Kobo | AppleBooks | Goodreads










Want something to read while you wait? The first two standalone books in the Bennet Brothers series are both LIVE!






Everyone hates parts of their job.

Maybe it’s the paperwork. Maybe it’s the day-to-day grind. Maybe it’s that client who never knows what they want, or the guy who always cooks fish in the microwave.

But not me. I love every corner of the Longbourne Flower Shop, every flower, every petal, every stem. I love the greenhouse, and I love Mrs. Bennet, my boss. I love creating, and I love being a florist. I don’t hate anything at all.

Except for Luke Bennet.

The Bennet brothers have come home to help their mom save the flower shop, and Luke is at the helm. His smile tells a tale of lust, loose and easy. He moves with the grace of a predator, feral and wild. A thing unbridled, without rules or constraint. When he comes home to save Longbourne, I almost can’t be mad at him. Almost.

He doesn’t remember that night I’ll never forget. That kiss, touched with whiskey and fire. It branded me like a red-hot iron. But it meant nothing to him.

Everyone hates part of their job, and I hate Luke Bennet.

Because if I don’t, I’ll fall in love with him.

Amazon | AppleBooks | Kobo | B&N | Google










They say there’s no such thing as perfect.

But I’ve built my life to perfection—the perfect boyfriend, the perfect apartment, the perfect career planning celebrity weddings. My job—my only job—is to make sure every event is absolutely and completely perfect.

What’s not perfect? Kash Bennet.

And I wish I didn’t find that so appealing.

I could have told you every perfectly imperfect thing about the gardener at Longbourne. Like his hair, lush and black and far too long. Or his nose, the flat bridge of a Greek god, bent a little like it’s been broken. Or his size. Beastly. Roped and corded with muscles, gleaming with sweat and peppered with dirt. There’s no escaping him, not if I’m going to use his family’s flower shop for my events.

But nothing is what it seems. And in the span of a heartbeat, my perfect life is turned inside out. They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new. When Kash offers his services to the cause, it sounds like the perfect plan.

What’s not part of the plan? Falling in love with the gardener.

But they were right—there’s no such thing as perfect.

And I’m the fool who finds out the hard way.

Gilded Lily is available for a little while longer in Kindle Unlimited!



Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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COVER REVEAL: The Guy in the Middle by Kate Stewart

We're so excited to reveal the cover for The Guy in the Middle by Kate Stewart! The sign ups are open to bloggers, and we would love for you to join us for the upcoming release events!



Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
I was born to play and bred to win.

My priorities were instilled in me early on—family and football. Those ideals led me to TGU and a coach whose ironclad principles mirrored my own.

With one last college season to play, my goal was singular—get drafted. By realizing my NFL dream, I could save my family, our ranch, and the only home I’d ever known.

Two birds, one ball.

Playing hard was my only option, but there’s always a wild card.

For all of my planning and hard work, I never anticipated falling for the coach's daughter. Harper was a fair catch, but who knew loving her could be the one play to throw my career before it started or that the weight of our secret would change the game.

*The Guy in the Middle is a stand alone novel in the Underdog Series. This is Lance's story.


Blogger Sign ups!
Teasers: Feb 4, 11, 18, 25
Excerpt reveal: Feb 12
Release day: Feb 29
Review tour: Feb 29-Mar 7



About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate's title, Drive, was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.

Kate is a lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

REVIEW: A Favor for a Favor by Helena Hunting


AFFAF - RB banner

“This book has it all—explosive chemistry, feel-good fun, and loads of banter.”

—Kendall Ryan, New York Times bestselling author

A Favor for a Favor, all-new enemies-to-lovers standalone sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting, is available now!

A Favor for a Favor, cover
OUR REVIEW:

After reading A Lie for a Lie I wondered who would be the focus of  A Favor for a Favor and felt completely validated when I guessed right: Bishop, the mysterious new disgruntled player mentioned at the end of the first book in this series, and Stevie, RJ's sister. These two had a bumpy start--lots of wrong perceptions and hilarious one upping of each other to provoke snarking and I was totally here for it. It was fun to know what was going on while the characters didn't and then to see them go from prickly personalities to these really warm yet somehow assholish characters. It was an interesting journey. On the one hand I thought they were both jerks at some point or another and then they'd each do something completely endearing and wonderful. Somehow it all worked and I zoomed through their book completely entertained and am now just tapping my fingers waiting for the third book in this series (King's book--and it looks to be equally entertaining!).

Helena Hunting's books are a fun, light escape from the daily grind and has definitely got me on a romcom reading kick.

A new stand-alone romance about trading favors, battling wills, and winning love.
When I joined Seattle’s NHL expansion team, I thought it was the start of something great. But nothing ever goes the way you expect. Take my introduction to my new neighbor. She came rolling in on the hot mess express at midnight, making a racket while she tried to get into my team captain’s apartment. Did I mention that he’s married to a woman who definitely was not her?
Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. She’s his sexy, pastel-haired younger sister.
So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough. As long as I can keep my hands to myself and my hormones in check.
AFFAF - AN
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/AFFAF
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2msA1pY
Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2Gh4xtv
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2m17XK2
AFFAF - Teaser 2 AN
About Helena Hunting
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Connect with Helena
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2mloUim Facebook: http://on.fb.me/Zt1xm5 Facebook Fan group: http://bit.ly/2kN5yCD Website: http://www.helenahunting.com/ Never miss an update! Subscribe to Helena's mailing list: http://bit.ly/2MlRKq6

Monday, January 27, 2020

REVIEW: HOW TO KILL A ROCK STAR BY TIFFANIE DEBARTOLO


Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love. 

When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending.


Paperback417 pages
Published September 1st 2005 by Sourcebooks Landmark

OUR REVIEW: (ETA: this review has been sitting in our drafts folder for FIVE YEARS!!! Oops!)

I read this novel after God Shaped Hole and I'd highly recommend that you follow the same order. Why? It's a lighter read than God Shaped Hole, even with its angsty moments it's not quite as heavy as GSH--it's really quite different. In this novel rather than explore the relationship of two people working through issues of love and family and living in the world, we explore the unnecessarily complicated love affair of Eliza and Paul and their place in the world of music. 

Unnecessarily complicated? Yes, though if it hadn't been complicated I guess we wouldn't have had quite the story we did. Why do I think it was "unnecessarily complicated"? Because Eliza made decisions for people in this novel without fully thinking about what they would want or like or ...ugh. Do I think her heart was in the right place? Yes, but good lord...what a CF. What Eliza intended to do was selfless but controlling and the consequences were far and wide reaching. I know I'm making Eliza seem ...well, not great..but I did like her, even when I wanted to shake her, and I know that she was trying to do the right thing. Speaking of trying to do the right thing, Paul made decisions with that same desire to "do the right thing" in mind. He ignores his instincts and allows himself to be pressured into things he truly didn't want because he thought it would be right for his band and the impact of his decisions resulted in a craptastic results, ultimately. I know you're thinking..WHY WOULD I WANT TO READ THIS NOVEL, THEN?

Well. 

Even though Eliza and Paul are a hot mess, I liked them. They're funny and observant and flawed. 

I also loved Tiffanie DeBartolo's fears and observations on the state of music/America/pop culture, as seen through her characters, and I found myself nodding my head a lot at what Paul said (especially the younger, more idealistic version of me) while appreciating the more mellow and accepting/resigned position of Loring. I can easily see these concerns about art and artistry existing as long as humans exist. It's that push/pull of wanting to express and evoke emotion and wanting to stay true to your art versus needing to afford to live versus commercialism versus fame versus industry machines controlling the manifest destiny of EVERYTHING. oh my gosh. Let me just stop now.

Anyway.

 If Tiffanie DeBartolo ever writes anything else, I wouldn't even have to think about it, I'd snatch it up immediately. I love her prose, the observations her characters make, and the obvious care she takes in crafting her works of fiction. 

Saturday, January 25, 2020

REVIEW: A Lie for a Lie by Helena Hunting


OUR REVIEW:

I read the first two books in this series back to back and it was interesting to see how different they were in some ways and yet how very Helena Hunting they were in others.

In A Lie for a Lie, the narrative was told partially in the present and partially in the past. Initially I was admittedly a little put off by the flashback because I was eager to get into the 'now' part of the story but that was dumb on my part. Having the context and the background helped establish RJ and Lainey's history and connection and had that been glossed over, I definitely would've felt like the novel was missing something. That being said, I was impatient to get to see how RJ and Lainey would work out once they reconnected and let's just say it didn't go as smoothly as RJ would've liked; Lainey really made him work for every ounce of attention she gave him and even though how they initially remained separated was really neither of their faults, I understood why she was so pissed and hurt.

What made A Lie for a Lie different was that the big reveal and conflict seemed to happen earlier than I expected and so it made the aftermath and resolution really feel developed and concluded by the end. I enjoyed the heart of RJ and the quirks of Lainey and immediately jumped into A Favor for a Favor to see which characters would get the Helena Hunting treatment next.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/30DbYVh

SYNOPSIS:

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.
Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.
A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

REVIEW: Blitzed by Alexa Martin


OUR REVIEW:

Go ahead and sign me up for every single thing that Alexa Martin does.
Writing another book in this series? I'm there.
Writing a new series? Sign me up.
Writing the back of a shampoo bottle. Yes. Give it to me.

What can I say? I've really enjoyed everything Alexa Martin has done, including the newest book in this series of stand alones, Blitzed. Brynn is funny and strong and her counterpart, Maxwell, is sweet and attentive and together they make for a fun and swoony read.

The standout thing for me is how Blitzed shows us how empowered women empower women. Brynn is a woman's woman. She's supportive and encouraging to her girlfriends and clients and even strangers. She's exactly as awesome as I hoped she'd be when we met her two books ago...maybe even more so because in those books she was so put together and in this one we get to see her clumsy self, her interior monologue, and that even she has moments of failure. And while we never get to be in Maxwell's head, he's doing all the right things, saying all the right things, and I will happily volunteer as tribute should he ever need a fictional best friend.

Finally, we can't talk about these novels without talking about the absolutely hilarious Lady Mustangs. These women are the kind of women we all need in our lives--they call you on your shit, they support you no matter what, and they do it with humor, kindness, fierceness, and style. Damn what I wouldn't give to be their newest friend.

Y'all don't skip this series. Every book is entertaining as hell--lots of heart, romance, and laughs. Please, Alexa Martin, get to writing; we need more!

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/2Fp6mUB

SYNOPSIS:

Maxwell Lewis has to make the play of his life in order to breach the woman of his dream’s defenses in this new football romance from the author of Fumbled.
Brynn Larson owes a lot to reality television and professional athletes. Her bar hit new heights of success after becoming a local haunt for the Denver Mustangs players and their WAGs. But although she’s grateful, that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. And that’s exactly what she would be to ever consider dating a professional athlete. Even if it’s Maxwell Lewis, whose shy smile makes her wonder what going on behind those beautiful brown eyes. 

Maxwell knew from the moment he met Brynn that she was going to change his life. It was only a matter of time. But when he finally makes a move, fate conspires against him and everything goes wrong. Now he has to show her that their potential is real. Too bad for him, Brynn isn’t fooled by his glamorous NFL life, and when ghosts from both their pasts make a sudden reappearance, she must decide who she can trust. But when the person she’s most afraid of is herself, navigating life’s tackles is harder than anticipated.


Monday, January 20, 2020

Headliners by Lucy Parker

OUR REVIEW:

The London Celebrities series by Lucy Parker has consistently been one of my favorite series; the characters never fail to interest and entertain me and I just love feeling like I'm behind the scenes of broadcast or play productions. In the case of Headliners I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers tension between Sabrina and Nick. Their snark and sniping at each other was hilarious and made their falling for each other that much more fun to read. Throw in all the shenanigans happening on their live broadcast and their future contracts connected to their mutual success and I just could not get enough of them. I have no idea if there are more couples to explore in this romcom series but if this is it, sign me up for whatever Lucy Parker is writing next because I have a feeling I'll love it.

BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/2QoS5xQ



SYNOPSIS:
Sparks fly when two feuding TV presenters are thrown together to host a live morning show in Lucy Parker’s latest enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance.

He might be the sexiest man in London, according to his fan site (which he definitely writes himself), but he’s also the most arrogant man she’s ever met.

She might have the longest legs he’s ever seen, but she also has the sharpest tongue.


For years, rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have traded barbs on their respective shows. The public can’t get enough of their feud, but after Nick airs Sabrina’s family scandals to all of Britain, the gloves are off. They can barely be in the same room together—but these longtime enemies are about to become the unlikeliest of cohosts.

With their reputations on the rocks, Sabrina and Nick have one last chance to save their careers. If they can resurrect a sinking morning show, they’ll still have a future in television. But with ratings at an all-time low and a Christmas Eve deadline to win back the nation’s favor, the clock is ticking—and someone on their staff doesn’t want them to succeed.

Small mishaps on set start adding up, and Sabrina and Nick find themselves—quelle horreur—working together to hunt down the saboteur…and discovering they might have more in common than they thought. When a fiery encounter is caught on camera, the public is convinced that the reluctant cohosts are secretly lusting after one another.

The public might not be wrong.

Their chemistry has always been explosive, but with hate turning to love, the stakes are rising and everything is on the line. Neither is sure if they can trust these new feelings…or if they’ll still have a job in the New Year.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

REVIEW: The Fight for Forever by Meghan March

OUR REVIEW:

At the end of the second book in this trilogy, House of Scarlett, all hell had broken loose and that's exactly were The Fight for Forever picked up--hell breaking loose in Gabriel Legend's office and let me tell you that those first pages set a tone. A tone of me fighting a desire to flip to the last pages of the book to find out what happened. I was a hot mess--what was going to happen next, how would it happen, and who would be behind it--but once I decided not to spoil the ending for myself, I settled in for a fun ride. Gabriel and Scarlett are such a force to be reckoned with--completely enamored with each other, supportive of each other, and a power couple not to be effed with. I liked how it was them against the world, instead of them against each other, and I liked that Meghan March made the source of conflict and tension one that came at them instead of one that came from them. Their romance was so much sweeter than I anticipated --an unexpected treat. If I could offer one wish, it would be to see Scarlett's dickish dad and her ex really get what's coming to them. Maybe Flynn or Q or one of the other secondary characters will nudge Meghan March's writer brain and we'll get to see that happen? In the meantime, if you've been holding out to read this series until all the books are released, now's your chance. We think you'll enjoy this sweet and sexy romance.

BUY IT:


Google Play: http://bit.ly/37qt22M

ABOUT MEGHAN MARCH:

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret.

With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world.

A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com.

Meghan is represented by Bookcase Literary Agency.


Tuesday, January 14, 2020

REVIEW: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord


OUR REVIEW:



"I really need to get my daughter a copy of this book."

"I know a ton of my students would love reading this."

These were the thoughts that I had on repeat once I got about a third of the way into the novel and could tell that my enjoyment was going to endure through the duration of the reading. Tweet Cute was very cute with more complexity than I think the name led me to believe. Don't get me wrong--it's sweet and funny and adorable, just like Jack and Pepper, but it also delved into the pressures students feel from school and family and social media and even their friends. I enjoyed how the journeys of our main characters paralleled each other in many aspects and how she resolved the conflicts that arose because of one less than thoughtful tweet and the exchanges that followed. By the end, I was happy with where each of these characters ended up and found myself wishing I could peep in on them one more time, just to see how they were doing. 

This was definitely not an angsty teen drama; Tweet Cute was clever and layered and sweet and the perfect addition to my classroom library.


SYNOPSIS:

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.
Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.
All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.
As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

Monday, January 13, 2020

REVIEW: RICOCHET by Krista and Becca Ritchie


REVIEW: (ETA: this was written several years ago and been sitting in our drafts folder so.....)

SPOILERS to the first book...be warned...

The Ritchie sisters officially have a new stalker..ahem...fan in me. It started with Addicted to You and I'm actively trying to squeeze in every book in this series between the books we're obligated to read and review. I guess you could say this series is becoming my addiction...yeah I know..sooooo clever.

In Ricochet we live through the months of Lily and Lo's separation due to Lo's stay in rehab. It's the ultimate challenge: can he make it without alcohol and can she make it without sex? I'm not telling you. NOT TELLING..you must read it. I will tell you, though, that if the first one was hard to read because of how dysfunctional and co-dependent they were, this one is hard because of the struggle to deal with choices and decisions and to see Lily embark on her discovery of who they are and why they are. Her discomfort and day to day struggle was painful to witness and yet something that had to be done. I loved the way they handled her story and some more pieces of the Lo + Lily history came into the story. I loved that we learned even more about Rose and Connor and Ryke and Daisy..and even Lily and Lo's parents. 

I think of all of the things I'm loving about this series is that the subject matter of addiction is almost the main character in this book. It's taken seriously and it's hard to read and I loved that it's never, ever taken lightly. It's never belittled (by those who matter) and that Lily's struggle to deal with the truth, and her truth, was painful. I loved that the Ritchie sisters put her in real situations and made her live through them and deal with the hard stuff. I loved how honest Rose, Connor, and Ryke were. And I loved seeing Lo begin to take positive steps to recovery..and seemed determined that Lily do the same.

I also loved seeing the evolution of their love. Her fear, his strength...the anxiety and worry and need for the other one to be okay--I was rooting for them both the entire way.

It's really such a fantastic series. It's unlike anything else I've read and I'm eager to see what the other books have in store for us. Thanks so much Becca and Krista for writing these books; I love that you've given me (and your readers) something to think about.

Buy it: https://amzn.to/2ttbxjC

SYNOPSIS:

As a sex addict, Lily Calloway must do the impossible. Stay celibate for 90 days.

Cravings and fantasies become her new routine, but while Loren Hale recovers from his alcohol addiction, Lily wonders if he'll realize what a monster she really is. After all, her sexual compulsions begin to rule her life the longer she stays faithful to him.

Progress. That's what Lily's striving for. But by trying to become closer to her family--people who aren't aware of her addiction--she creates larger obstacles. When she spends time with her youngest sister, she learns more about her than she ever imagined and senses an unsettling connection between Daisy and Ryke Meadows.

With Lily and Lo's dysfunctional relationship teetering and unbalanced, they will need to find a way to reconnect from miles apart. But the inability to "touch" proves to be one of the hardest tests on their road to recovery. Some love brushes the surface. Some love is deeper than skin.

Lily and Lo have three months to discover just how deep their love really goes.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

REVIEW: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

OUR REVIEW:

I've enjoyed every single Colleen Hoover novel that I've read so it's a little crazy that I haven't read them all, I think. I don't know why I haven't read them all--maybe a fear that I'll find one I don't like? I don't know. What I do know is that the last few things I've read from her, I've devoured. 

Regretting You is my first read of 2020 and I stayed up way too late reading it and probably was way too invested in the story and characters than I should be, as noted by my inability to stop thinking about anything but how pissed off I was at both Morgan and Clara at different points in the novel when I should've been planning for my classes. Or how when I got to the 80% mark  on my planning period I was stressed out at how close I was to finishing and how much more story I wanted instead of running to the front office to make sure I got give a make up exam later this week. Or how I legit got to the last 5% and felt like the choice to stop reading so that I could spend a little more time with these characters was a hard one. Obviously I had absolutely zero will power and squeaked out the last of the reading before my last class of the day which just left me in a fog of Clara and Morgan and Jonas and Miller and thinking about what would happen next and where they all would end up. 

So who would like this novel that I've given an endorsement but not really analyzed it deeply? I think teenagers and readers with teens or readers who had challenging parental relationships may identify with some of the conflicts Morgan and Clara had. I think people who like YA fiction or romance will find this an enjoyable read. And I definitely think you have to like reading from two perspectives, as this is how the novel is structured. Finally, if you like really wonderfully kind male characters, you'll love Miller and Jonas

Happy reading, y'all.

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SYNOPSIS:

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.
With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.
While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

REVIEW: Release by Aly Martinez

OUR REVIEW: It's been a while since we've read an Aly Martinez novel so when I saw she was releasing a stand alone novel, I thought it would be a good opportunity to read her latest.
Release AMAZON
I went in blind so I didn't realize that after the prologue we'd be primarily reading about the origin story of Thea and Ramsey, building up to how he ended up in prison. Once I quit looking for the more current chapters and just let their story build and grow, I settled in for a sweet story of how Thea and Ramsey went from childhood frienemies to best friends to lovers; how they helped each other in neglectful circumstances and became a little family who could count on each other to get through the tough days and laugh on the easier days. It was only around the last 40-ish percent that the reasons for Ramsey's imprisonment and their estrangement started to click into place and his reactions to her made more sense. While there were a few more surprises and tense moments in this last half, ultimately this romance was a sweet one.

Part coming of age, part friends to lovers romance that focuses on a subject not normally seen in this genre: love after serious prison time, Release is a good weekend read that's warm and will quickly get you to that happily ever after.

Release - BT banner Release, an all-new “mesmerizing” and “captivating” standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez, is available now!

 SYNOPSIS:
Growing up, Ramsey Stewart branded my soul in ways time could never heal.
At twelve, he asked me to be his girlfriend.
At thirteen, he gave me my first kiss.
By sixteen, we’d fallen in love, planned a future together, and had our eyes set on the horizon.
Love never fails, right?
But for Ramsey, it did.
Love failed him.
I failed him.
The entire world failed him.
At seventeen, Ramsey was convicted of killing the boy who assaulted me.
Move on,he wrote in his first and only letter from prison.
Start a new life, he urged.
I don’t love you anymore, he lied.
There was no such thing as giving up on Ramsey. Love may have been our curse, but he was mine—then, now, and forever.
So here I am, twelve long years later, waiting for a man I don't even know to emerge from between the chain link gates.

Release - AN

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Excerpt

It was funny. I’d spent almost half my life surrounded by the biggest, baddest criminals the state of Georgia had been able to capture. Yet, I was terrified of a five-foot-five woman who for some asinine reason was still in love with me. I couldn’t be around her. Not if I wanted to keep my head straight and my eye on the prize. I had three years before I got off parole. I needed to get a job, tuck away some cash, and, the second I was allowed to leave Georgia, get the hell out of there. Maybe, if I was lucky, I’d be able to convince my sister to come with me. We didn’t have to go far. We could stay in the south if she wanted. South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee—there were schools everywhere. Nora wouldn’t have trouble finding a job. The hardest part would be convincing her to leave Thea. However, maybe if she did, Thea would finally move on with her life and stop obsessing about me. I’d known they lived together for a while. I didn’t want anything to do with Thea while I was locked up, but I was happy as hell Nora had someone to lean on. I had been under the impression that Nora had gotten her own place when she found out about my release. I had been under that impression because Nora had straight-up told me she was getting her own place after I’d declared there was no way I was living with Thea. Now, I was hiding in my room, waiting for Nora to wake up, open my door, and escort me to breakfast like a damn bodyguard so I could avoid confrontation. Next up in my efforts to kill time was a workout. Sit ups, push-ups, planks, running in place. This was when I realized Nora hadn’t bought me any deodorant. Another shower. Another naked lap around the bedroom, and this time, I managed to keep my hands off my cock. Finally, I got dressed. This required me to pick through a bunch of preppy shit Nora had bought for me to find tattered jeans and a fitted green tee that clung to my chest like a damn glove. In my closet, I found a belt and a pair of distressed brown lace-up boots that maybe could have doubled as combat boots if the war was taking place on a runway. But what the hell did I know about style? I’d been wearing orange or puke beige for almost half my life. When I was done with all of that and there was still no sign of Nora, I sat on the edge of the bed and decided to give the phone thing a try. I wasn’t totally out of the technology loop. We had computers at the library and we were allowed to use them if we earned the privileges. But they might as well have been dinosaurs compared to the phone she’d bought me. I couldn’t even get it to read my face with the fancy secret laser thing. I gave up trying pretty quickly. So there I was, bored out of my mind, starving, and poking at my newfound wrinkles in the bathroom mirror, when I heard a knock at my door. “Ramsey?” I froze, my eyes locked on the mirror, panic staring back at me. Thea. Jesus. I needed to find somewhere else to live. Leaning out of the bathroom, I stared at the door. If I was super quiet, maybe she’d think I was still asleep and go the hell away. When I didn’t reply, she knocked again. Her voice was timid and sweet, not at all like the fearless girl I’d grown up with. I hated it. “Ramsey? You hungry? I’m making breakfast? I was wondering if you wanted something?” Everything from my name to the fact that she was making breakfast was a question, as if maybe she was asking permission to cook in her own house. My stomach was currently feasting on my backbone. Still, I said nothing. She sighed. “Okay. Well, if you change your—” There were several seconds of silence. I quirked my eyebrow at the door, trying to figure out why she’d abruptly stopped talking, and then cursed my inability to develop x-ray vision. I held my breath, hoping to hear her footsteps as she walked away. No. Such. Fucking. Luck. The door swung open and she came walking inside with her hands stacked over her eyes. “Look, I know you’re awake. I heard you running earlier. I also heard you take at least three showers. Sorry, but the house isn’t that big. Neither is the hot water heater. Are you at least dressed so I can open my eyes?” Brave. Unapologetic. And completely oblivious to boundaries. Now that was the Thea I knew. “Get out,” I barked. “Dressed? Not dressed? Help me out here?” “Get. Out.” She kept her eyes closed. “You gotta eat, Ramsey. You can’t stay locked up in this room forever.” I wanted to tell her to get the hell out again. Honestly, it was on the tip of my tongue. But it never made it past my lips because my traitorous eyes stole a head-to-toe of her lithe body. She was barefoot, wearing jeans—tight ones that tapered at her ankle. They looked like mine in the sense that they had a rip in the knee. They didn’t look like mine in the sense that they hugged the curve of her hips and more than likely her ass too. A pink tank top stretched across her chest, and I swear on my life, fuck x-ray vision because I could see the pebble of her nipples beneath the fabric. It wasn’t a ridiculous dress. It wasn’t stupid fucking heels. She wasn’t wearing a face full of clown makeup. She was just Thea. The nostalgia pumped through my veins like acid even as my cock stirred. Fuck, I should have jerked off again in the shower. “I’m dressed,” I bit out, desperate for her to put her damn hands down and maybe use them to cover her tits instead. Her long, brown lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. Those fucking eyes had once owned me. As a huge smile lit her face, I felt the claim all over again. “Oh, look, you chose one of the outfits I picked out for you.” Of course I had. Of fucking course. As soon as I got her out of my room, I was going to take the outfit off and light it on fire.

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About Aly
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children. Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person. She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
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