Friday, September 30, 2016

Follow Friday

Follow Friday

Hosted by 
Parajunkee's View 
&
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!
Recently Feature & Follow has gotten a makeover now each week we will have a prompt to respond to. 

Any other way you like.  
My email followers are low and I'm working on changing that. However, you are welcome to follow in your preferred form.  If you want to follow via GFC just in case it goes away I ask you follow a second way, email, Linky, Bloglovin'. Thanks!!!!

This Week's Prompt:



Is there a book/series that everybody seems t love, but you can't stand? Why?

Answer:

I would have to go with Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I wanted to love it so much but I just struggled through the whole book. I couldn't find the charm and love that everyone else has found. I didn't enjoy the characters, I didn't like the story, and as much as I tried it just wasn't for me. I was tempted to read the 2nd one because maybe it would get better but decided in the end it was time to pass it off. 

What's that series you didn't love that everyone else did?

Cover Reveal: Shadows of the Forest



Shadows of the Forest
Emma Michaels
Publication date: November 5th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult


Everyone is dying to live in the Shadows of the Forest.
They gave me three rules to follow in exchange for my brother’s life:
1. Do not enter the West Wing;
2. Do not go outside after darkness falls; and
3. There is only one exit; The Gates.

This is what happened when I broke them…







Author Bio:
Emma Michaels is the award winning author of the Society of Feathers series with over 15 publications under her belt. With a love for all things story-telling this bibliophile plans to take over the world one cup of coffee at a time. A rule breaker who isn’t afraid to have uncommon opinions she is an avid lover of mathematics and stand out fiction which transcends both its genre and format whether books, games, movies, or otherwise. A good story is a good story. When she isn’t online she is out dancing in the Washington rain or seeking new adventures.

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Book Blitz: The Random Series



Random Series Mega Bundle 
Julia Kent
(The Random Series, #1-8)
Publication date: August 3rd 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

From New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent comes a very special sale. Regular price $25.99!
Darla’s not the type to pick up hitchhikers on the turnpike in rural Ohio — especially naked ones. She also didn’t plan to have her first book become a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, and turn into eight books of heart, heat, hilarity and crazy comedy mixed in with wild, deep romance that lasts and lasts…
The Random Series giant boxed set contains the first 8 books in the Random series, a bestselling saga that defies categorization. Romantic comedy, heart-stopping drama, unconventional sensuality, rock star gods, mousy librarians with quite a nightstand drawer stash, a mother who is addicted to sweepstakes winnings, sugar-free gummy bears that cause a CDC scare, and a chicken running for president (who probably polls better than any of the current choices)…you won’t find another book series quite as “random” as this.
Save when you buy this omnibus, and sink into a half a million words of fun and love.
This boxed set contains:

Random Acts of Crazy (Book 1)
Random Acts of Trust (Book 2)
Random Acts of Fantasy (Book 3)
Random Acts of Hope (Book 4)
Randomly Ever After: Sam and Amy (Book 5)
Random Acts of Love (Book 6)
Random on Tour: Los Angeles (Book 7)
Merry Random Christmas (Book 8)
random-499
EXCERPT:
The last time I saw Sam was four and a half years ago at the qualifiers for the National Debate Tournament. He was from a neighboring school and I’d seen him since freshman year at different speech tournaments, every Saturday, from the end of October through March with few exceptions. I had a sense of who he was from the start. He was Lincoln-Douglas debate all the way, baby. Smart, determined, and turning from a silent geek into one hell of a hot guy by the time we were seniors.
The funny part was he didn’t know it.
The awesome part was that was what drew me to him.
He wasn’t awkward, like the other guys. Sam was so self-contained and knew himself so deeply that he didn’t need to talk about it, show off, or prove his manhood. Talking to Sam could be torture. Catching him in the halls, in the cafeteria with his group from his high school, and me with my group from their rival, we intersected enough to hang out. Over ice cream bars and the occasional cup of coffee by our senior year, there was an accumulation of just enough conversations for me to decide that I wasn’t crazy and that there was a spark of interest there.
What happened to confirm that was burned into my brain, the second strongest memory of my life.
I lost one of the most intense debates of my career two weeks before qualifiers, and Sam found me in a corner of the enormous high school auditorium. I was trying to cry quietly, and mostly not succeeding. He just found me—that’s all. He didn’t lord over the fact that he placed first in the tournament that day, to my third. He didn’t try to say all the right words that everyone thought were kind, and considerate, and comforting, and helpful.
He didn’t stumble or say “I’m sorry.” He just walked up and stopped a few feet away from me, his brow lowering with a frown of recognition, and then did something so perfect it makes me ache to this day. Decisively, step by step, he closed the gap and just put his arms around me.
Tucked my cheek into his chest and wound one arm around my waist, the other around my shoulders, rested his head on my hair, and held me.
I would give anything to go back to that moment in the auditorium, with its cracked wood seats and its shabby, threadbare carpet, its smell of lemony bleach, to feel again how Sam filled all my senses. My ear against the wool of his suit, his arms wrapped around me like a cocoon of understanding. His aftershave, the rasp of his cheek against my ear. Sam created a world for me in that one moment, a safe world where I could cry. A world where I fell in love.
What I didn’t know then was that two weeks later at the national qualifier tournament, I would dismantle that world, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, completely unaware that I was doing it at the time.


Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down
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Book Blitz: Ky



Ky
Irish Winters
(In the Company of Snipers #13)
Publication date: September 27th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense


TEAM Agent Ky Winchester survived a brutal encounter with a Taliban madman only because of a woman with green eyes, an angel he thought he’d dreamed in the depths of torment. She came to him in that far off torture chamber, cloaked in the tender magic of hope, and because of her, he was willing to believe he might survive his nightmare. It’s too bad he never thought to ask her name. Too bad he’ll spend the rest of his days searching for her.
Whoever she is…


FBI Agent Eden Stark is the Bureau’s number one and very top-secret psychic asset. While running from a different kind of madman, this one intent on mechanizing America’s military, turning them into controllable drones, Eden’s plane goes down in the frigid Canadian north. It’s very probable she won’t survive the night. Two meched-up FBI agents are already tracking her. Maybe wolves.
Maybe someone else.
More about the In the Company of Snipers Series, from the Author:
This series revolves around ex-Marine scout sniper, Alex Stewart, and his covert surveillance company, The TEAM, home-based out of Alexandria, Virginia. An obsessive patriot and workaholic, he created the company to give ex-military snipers like him a chance at returning to civilian life, a chance at normal, with a decent job.
This is not a serial with each book ending at a cliffhanger. I wouldn’t do that to you. I hate cliffhangers! In the Company of Snipers is a collection of passionate love stories involving strong men and women who are tough enough to take on the world alone. Each is a stand-alone read, complete in itself.
Spoiler alert: Every story contains adult scenes including sexual situations (some explicit), language, and violence. I don’t write sweet romance, so be forewarned.
Book 1, ALEX, reveals how The TEAM came to be, as well as how Alex met Kelsey, how they fell in love and fought all odds to stay together. Each of the following books is a complete romance in itself where, in the course of an active TEAM operation, one agent comes face to face with his or her demons. The men and women I write about are all patriots and warriors, dealing with what they’ve lived through or the mistakes they’ve made.
It’s my hope that you’ll come to realize, along with my heroes, that Love Changes Everything…
EXCERPT:
The cold solved her perspiration problem. She shivered, but didn’t stop struggling with each step.
Still pulling. Still—argh. My arms are killing me. “I. Can. Do. This!”
Her voice sounded shrill and slightly hysterical in the whisper of the quiet pines. So be it. She’d been slightly hysterical before. Certain times required hysteria, maybe dementia. Maybe even outright crazy, the way this day had gone. Surely the day you fell out of the sky demanded a scream at all the crazy gods who let it happen, right?
But screaming would only burn energy she couldn’t afford to waste, and she knew better. Besides, it reminded her of the day her father had left. Make that, deserted. She’d screamed plenty when that happened, her heart torn out of her at Drake Franklin’s ultimate betrayal to his child. What good had screaming, ‘Daddy. Don’t go. Daddy, please. Don’t leave me!’ done?
Nothing. Drake Franklin hadn’t even looked back—just said he’d had enough of all the bullshit and walked out of her life. Left Casey Franklin and her seven-year-old daughter, Eden, without a car or a dollar to their names.
Eden grew up fast, believing every word her mother taught her. Who wouldn’t believe the woman who worked her heart out to support her child? The wise woman who taught her: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Never give up. Work your heart out and your heart will steer you true. Stuff like: I do believe. I do believe. I do. I do. I do.

Young Eden became a positive-thinker out of necessity—a glass is half-full kind of a girl. She believed in the inherent goodness of people. It worked until the day an illegal immigrant had broadsided her mother’s rattletrap of a twenty-year-old Honda Prelude in rush-hour traffic in the middle of Podunk Boise, Idaho, and left her dead at the scene. How a guy with no insurance and no driver’s license got released from jail on his own recognizance in time to flee south of the border made no sense to a fifteen-year-old girl without a friend or a relative in
the world.

One of her mother’s girlfriends took her in. Eden legally rejected her father when he didn’t step forward to claim her. She assumed her mother’s maiden name, Stark. Life went on.
But nothing had hurt as bad as standing alone at Casey’s grave telling her mother goodbye for the last time. Unless you factored in Eden’s dumb-butt, seventeen-year-old boyfriend, Stan’s, betrayal with that hooker waitress at Denny’s the day after the funeral. Stan claimed he only hooked up with her because he was lonely. The ass didn’t have a clue what lonely was. The one day that Eden could’ve used a real friend, all she got was another rude awakening. Guys lie. Guys cheat. Guys only think about themselves and that puny, little thing dangling between their legs.
“I sure know how to pick ’em,” she told the bundle sliding quietly along behind her.
Night threatened in black and blue shadows at the edge of the sky she could no longer see. Too many tall, bushy trees obstructed her view. Pines, every last one of them. She used to love the lacy, elegant Noble pines when decorated with snow and glistening icicles the way these were. Pines always reminded her of tinsel and Christmas, one of the few good holidays left in the world. Not anymore. These Nutcracker Suite bad boys just might be the death of her, which could be a good thing in the long run. Freezing to death seemed a better way to go than a double tap to the cranium, her brains spilled out for the wildlife to sample. An Eden buffet. Hmmm.
She blew out a deep breath of frosty air and staggered on. Even gliding over snow-covered ground, her load was a heavy one. Ten feet to go. Then five. Then I can rest and maybe this headache will stop.
At last Eden dropped to her knees, sure she’d done the best she could. This was the only bare patch of earth within dragging distance, sheltered beneath the fanlike branches of a densely
packed stand of evergreens. It almost seemed serene, this spot. Serene and surreal. A little reverent. Sacred even. But mostly— diggable, if that was even a word.
Yes. It would do. A single shaft of the weak winter sunlight fell across her snow-dusted boots. A brave little bird flitted in the chilly branches overhead, but it didn’t sing. Didn’t even chirp. What the heck did birds have to sing about in the frozen north?
She took a moment to catch her breath, but ended the break before her limbs had the chance to seize from exhaustion or her backside from the cold. This next chore would be harder. She still had to bury the body.

Author Bio:
Irish Winters is an award-winning author who dabbles in poetry, grandchildren, and rarely (as in extremely rarely) the kitchen. More prone to be outdoors than in, she grew up the quintessential tomboy on a farm in rural Wisconsin, spent her teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, but calls the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah home. For now.
The wife of one handsome husband and the mother of three perfect sons, Irish divides her time between writing at home and travelling the country with her man while - writing. (Seriously, what else?)
She believes in making every day count for something and follows the wise admonition of her mother to, "Look out the window and see something!"
To learn more about Irish and her books, please visit www.IrishWinters.com.
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Book Blitz: Pretty Wicked



Pretty Wicked 
Kelly Charron
Publication date: September 30th 2016
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

The daughter of a local police detective, fifteen-year-old Ryann has spent most of her life studying how to pull off the most gruesome murders her small Colorado town has ever seen.
But killing is only part of it. Ryann enjoys being the reason the cops are frenzied. The one who makes the neighbors lock their doors and windows on a hot summer’s day. The one everyone fears but no one suspects.
Carving out her own murderous legacy proves harder than she predicted. Mistakes start adding up. And with the police getting closer, and her own father becoming suspicious, Ryann has to prove once and for all that she’s smarter than anyone else—or she’ll pay the ultimate price.
Written in a mature YA voice. Some graphic content.
READ CHAPTER 1:
Some people are called to certain things in their life. That’s what hunting is for me. An urge. A desire. The closest thing I have to a calling.
My name is Ryann Wilkanson. I’m fifteen years old.
And I’m a killer.
It was hard to pick my first. Call me sentimental, but it had to be just right.
I knew what I wanted. What I needed. Someone worth the risk, the challenge. Somebody who deserved it. Now, I’m not talking about the horrible, abusive assholes you see on TV. I wanted someone who I thought deserved it…
And to be honest, that could’ve been just about anybody.
Some people might think it’s odd to contemplate killing someone, but it was the most natural thing in the world to me. I didn’t dare talk about it—I somehow knew that much—but my thoughts raced with vivid, red-tinted images.
While my fantasies were fun, I had to wait. I still lacked the skill and organization to actually go through with it.
And, as I matured, I realized part of me was still hesitant. A piece of the puzzle was missing. It was as though I was waiting for permission. Something to give me the final push into action.
Funnily enough, I got that that clarity six years ago, when I was nine. My dad thought he was simply giving me a ride to school, but he initiated the defining moment of my life.
I remember it like it was yesterday. He’d just come off nights and wasn’t in the best of moods when my mom asked him to drive me and Bri. I’d raced to the car first, winning shotgun, leaving Brianna to storm behind me. She was a sore loser, and it only made my grin bigger.
We were just a few blocks from the house when Dad started with one of his commentaries on all that was wrong with society.
“Jesus. People like that make me sick.”
We had stopped at a red light, and I spotted a guy standing on the corner with a sign that read Please Help.
At first I felt kind of bad for him, and I didn’t understand why Dad was upset. “At least he’s not dealing drugs,” I suggested.
“Brilliant observation. Maybe we could put that on a T-shirt for him,” Bri said. My father laughed and my stomach dropped. She never wasted an opportunity to make me look stupid.
Dad grunted. “Don’t be naïve, Ry. He’s probably scraping enough together to get his fix. People like that are after one thing—and it’s not a job.” He rolled his eyes, disgusted. Not a minute later, while we were still waiting at the light, a kid in a fancy sports car passed us. “See, look at that. Punk probably had it handed to him from Mommy and Daddy. He’s what—seventeen? Probably hasn’t worked a day in his whole goddamn life. Entitled brat. This is the problem with the world. You got two lazy bums on opposite ends of the spectrum, and neither are worth their salt.”
My father didn’t have a whole lot of empathy for anybody, and he certainly didn’t entertain excuses. I had to be the best if I wanted him to love me. “People need to either lead, follow—”
“Or get out of the way,” I finished. He patted me on the head. I knew this rant well and kind of understood my father’s reasoning. The homeless guy couldn’t even be bothered to walk up and down the rows of stopped cars to beg. He just stood there with an empty cup. He really was a waste.
I fought the urge to point out to my dad that I was nothing like those people—and never would be—but I knew he wouldn’t care. He loved me, but nothing I did seemed to impress him, especially since my older sister Brianna, the golden child, had perfected every- thing before I even had a chance to try.
I had to do something really big to make an impression.
I had to be a leader.
In the car, all those years ago, I realized that my desires could turn into something much more. Those entitled, useless people my dad despised were taking our hard-earned money, space, and air. And I was someone with deadly urges who wasn’t afraid to do something about it. Not everyone could say that.
But unfortunately, I would have to wait. I was much too young to execute my plans in the way I wanted.
My thoughts, however, were uninhibited, and I became enamored with the power and control that selecting the right kill could bring. The foreplay was intoxicating. I daydreamed about the countless ways I could do it. About all the places I could sneak up and strike. About the legacy I would leave behind.
For years I researched and studied serial killers— or as I liked to call them, The Greats. Most of The Greats hadn’t started until well into their adulthood. Call me an overachiever, but I wanted more kills in less time. I had all the qualities required: above-average intelligence, inside information (Dad was a cop), and a sweet cherub face.
But I also had something more. Tenacity. I knew what I wanted, and come hell or high water, I was going to get it. By fifteen, the thirst inside me could finally be quenched.
Cue my first planned victim—a snotty little brat who lived only a few streets away from me. Olivia McMann. Ugh. She was exhausting. Spoiled. Whiny. Brianna used to babysit her. I’d be dragged along because my parents usually worked overtime at their respective jobs. I was twelve and old enough to stay home alone, but they insisted. Like I had nothing better to do.
Brianna would be online with her friends or texting her boyfriend, and she’d stick Livy with me. Olivia wouldn’t leave me alone. One night she pestered me for hours on end until I lost it on her. Then she got the quivering lip and teary eyes and went crying to Bri.
Bri’s voice ripped across the room. “Ryann, what did you do now?”
“Nothing! Why do you always assume it was me? Maybe Livy is being a little crybaby over absolutely nothing,” I said, arms crossed tightly across my chest.
The brat came running up behind me. “You’re mean, Ryann. I hate you!”
I swept my hair into a ponytail and turned my back to her.
Death glare in full force, Brianna dug into me. “Why are you being such a pest? Leave Olivia alone already. Go find something to do, and don’t think for one second I’m giving you any of the money.”
She proceeded to get Olivia some licorice. A reward for her evilness. Maybe they were in on it together and shared private laughs while discussing different ways to torture me.

Brianna was seventeen at the time, and she hated me. No matter how hard I tried, she always dismissed me like I was an annoying pain in her ass.
“Not everything is my fault, you know,” I said, determined to stand my ground.

“Well, she’s not the one in my face right now. Go play with her for an hour until her bedtime, and maybe I won’t tell Mom.” Smiling smugly, Bri tilted her head. I wanted to punch her. As soon as we were out of her sight, Olivia stuck her tongue out at me and danced around, joyous in her victory.
“See, I told you I’d get you in trouble. I always get my way. You have to do what I say.” She laughed.
I promised myself I’d never forget.
Back then, I’d imagined choking her or holding one of her mom’s embroidered pillows over her face until her squirming stopped. I knew her parents were well-off. Only the best for their princess. Olivia was the type of kid who tantrumed, tattled, and fake-cried to get what she wanted, no matter the cost to anyone who got in her way.
Olivia was going to turn into the same kind of spoiled, manipulative bitch I’d seen time and again at school.
I knew how to deal with someone like her. After all, I had killed. Once.

Author Bio:
Kelly Charron is the author of YA and adult horror, psychological thrillers and urban fantasy novels. All with gritty, murderous inclinations and some moderate amounts of humor. She spends far too much time consuming true crime television (and chocolate) while trying to decide if yes, it was the husband, with the wrench, in the library. She lives with her husband and cat, Moo Moo, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Thursday, September 29, 2016

#DustOffYourBookshelf Thursday

#DustOffYourBookshelf Thursday
Dust off your Bookshelf was originally created to share books that have been on my “to read pile” for a long time. Some so long I’ve forgotten that they are there, and have purchased duplicate copies. Each week I will share on my blog as well as Instagram a new title. Some may be newer and some so old I have forgotten they are there. I do have issues with buying books and never reading them. I’m hoping that by share them I will be motivated to read them. Plus it’s always fun to find new books hiding within the bookshelves. Feel free to join in and share on Instagram or your blog. Just let me know so I can check out your choice this week too. Just use #DustOffYourBookshelf
This weekly makes me feel like a hoarder when it comes to books because deep down I really am. I have so many books that I keep adding to my shelves but they never end up getting read. I keep saying one day they will all be read. 

This weeks book is one that I'm looking forward to reading. I enjoyed the authors other book and already I can't wait for the new one coming out. 

My book choice this week: 
Armada
by Ernest Cline
Add to (Goodreads)

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. 

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon. 
Feel free to dig through your shelves and share what you find. 
Please leave a comment telling me where I can check it out.

Cover Reveal: The Fighter and the Baroness



The Fighter and the Baroness 
Sunniva Dee
Publication date: November 29th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Victor Arquette knows the meaning of sacrifice. Destined to legendary status in mixed martial arts, his life is founded on it. Dedication equals sacrifice, and sacrifice means around-the-clock training, no partying, no junk food, no alcohol—and no women.
Helena von Isenlohe is the heiress to Kyria Castle. Due to her father’s lack of financial prowess, the restoration of the ancient German estate rests on Helena’s shoulders. A failed attempt leaves a wealthy man alone at the altar—and the fleeing bride on a plane to the United States.
A chance meeting, and Victor and Helena’s chemistry is undeniable. Except, her presence clutters his focus. Victor shouldn’t crave their nights, shouldn’t be concerned where she is or with whom. And meanwhile in Germany, Kyria Castle deteriorates at a suspicious speed, indebting Helena further to the man she left behind.
Victor and Helena believe in duty. They embrace sacrifice. But when love strikes, it strikes hard, and sometimes you have to choose where your heart is truly at home.
EXCERPT:
Helena enters the room like she expects someone to jump out from dark corner. Neck stretched, she takes in a high quality yet typical hotel room with a king-sized bed and two nightstands. The TV is big and flat, resting on top of a dresser, and then there’s a mirror over a small office desk with a phone and some restaurant flyers on it.
“It’s nice,” she says. “I like that it doesn’t smell like smoke.”
“That would be terrible. Is that what you’re used to? Smoking rooms?”

“We have a cigar room,” she replies, confused, until she breaks in an apologetic laugh. “Oh, as in smoking versus nonsmoking hotel room. I get it.”
“You have a cigar room? Would that be right next to the swan pond?” I tease. It’s cute to see embarrassment flush her cheeks. “Hey,” I continue, mock-petting her cheek, “don’t feel self-conscious about living in a castle. Even though it’s, let’s just say, a hair’s breadth over the top for us commoners.”

“Don’t I know it,” she says. “So which side of the bed is mine?”
I consider, rubbing the light scruff that’s grown on my chin since yesterday. “Well, since you just touched the left corner, it now has cooties. You’ll have to sleep on the cooty-side.”
This girl, she’s been so immediate in her responses. I guess I expected a laugh or some expressed annoyance at my silly comment. Instead, she sinks down against the pillows on her side of the bed and breathes, “Okay,” with the smallest smile raising the corners of her lips.
She uses the arc of one foot to slide her shoe off before she skips off the other. I watch as she wiggles her toes graciously, green nail polish gleaming in the dim shine from the bedside lamp.
Helena is tired. I guess it’s been a long day, the flight being just a small part of her exhaustion. I’m drawn to her eyes, not for the first time. The color of them is almost watery. No, they are watery.
“Who gave you that color?” I blurt out.
“What?”
“Your eyes. It’s like they’re made of water.”
I’m not the impulsive kind, and yet I’ve already committed strange acts around this girl. Where I come from, women expect smart, premeditated interactions, never initiated by questions like the one I just shot at Helena. This they’d ignore. They’d change the subject into something not insane, or they’d titter and squirm, not knowing how to respond.
She lets her eyes float from her feet to my eyes before they still. “My father. I’ve got his eyes.” She laughs softly, hands around the remote for the TV. “Grandma used to say our eyes were the color of the swan pond because we were both born in rooms with windows overlooking it.”


Author Bio:
Between studies, teaching, and advising, Sunniva has spent her entire adult life in a college environment. Most of her novels are new adult romance geared toward smart, passionate readers with a love for eclectic language and engaging their brain as well as their heart while reading.
Born in the Land of the Midnight Sun, the author spent her early twenties making the world her playground. Southern Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece--Argentina: Buenos Aires, in particular. The United States finally kept her interest, and after half a decade in Los Angeles, she now lounges in the beautiful city of Savannah.
Sometimes, Sunniva writes with a paranormal twist (Shattering Halos, Stargazer, and Cat Love). At other times, it's contemporary (Pandora Wild Child, Leon's Way, Adrenaline Crush, Walking Heartbreak, and Dodging Trains, coming in late March 2016).
This author is the happiest when her characters let their emotions run off with them, shaping her stories in ways she never foresaw. She loves bad-boys and good-boys run amok, and like in real life, her goal is to keep the reader on her toes until the end of each story.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Book Review: Beautiful Bastard

Title - Beautiful Bastard 
Author - Christina Lauren
Series - Beautiful Bastard #1
Genre - Romance
Format- Paperback
Published - February 12th 2013 
Add it to (Goodreads)
Find it on (Amazon)
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.


Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

Review
I received Beautiful Bastard in return for an honest review from the publisher. Chloe has spent years working for the men of Ryan Media the time has come for her to start working for Bennett Ryan the younger son who’s return home from working in France. On his return instead of making a good impression, Chloe is caught having a non-workplace conversation thus starting their torrid work relationship. Both Bennett and Chloe are a lot alike so working together isn’t always the most pleasant place but she only has 4 more months when everything changes forever. 

Neither one can deny the physical attraction for each other and when at a late meeting they lose themselves in what they have worked hard to deny. However, having a taste is not enough for either of them turning into a dangerous game that could ruin both of their careers. As the clock ticks down to Chloe’s final project things are heating up between the two and causing them both to gain feelings towards each other. What will happen when a trip to San Diego changes the game? 

I love Chloe she’s smart stubborn and determined to do what it takes for her career. I have to admit that Bennett kind of grew on me because he is, after all, a bastard but a good guy. I like the chemistry between the two it just works really well they complement each other even if they are both very much alike it works. I like a couple who aren’t in insta-love but actually have to work for it. 

Wow!!!! I can’t believe I waited to dive into Bennett and Chloe’s story. I’ve been in a funk for a while but Beautiful Bastard was just what I needed to pull me out. I admit the title is a little shocking but it clearly is a perfect way to describe Bennett. A beautifully written whirlwind romance that captured my heart as well as my imagination. While the relationship was based on an attraction it grew into a sweet swoon romance. I loved both Chloe and Bennett they are easy to connect with and you can’t help to cheer them on as they find what they have been missing in   loved her writing style it’s one that you can get lost in with brilliant characters the author has created an enchanting story. While it may be my first it won’t be my last as I plan to read them all. I can’t wait to get to know the new characters in the next book which I’m looking at eagerly as I write my review. Loved every moment of Beautiful Bastard it’s just amazing I can’t stop talking about it. 

Wishlist Wednesday

Wishlist Wednesday
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the list and onto our wonderful shelves. 
Hosted by Pen to Paper

This one sounds cute

My choice this week is:

Accidental Cinderella 
by Emily Evans 
Add to (Goodreads

A ball…a gown…a pumpkin…and a happily ever…this standalone, contemporary YA romance has them all. 

When Ella receives an exciting invitation to attend an exclusive boarding school, she knows she won’t fit it. These kids are elite, wealthy, and driven. She’s ‘average Ella’ on a scholarship…at least, that’s what she wants everyone to believe. A lost shoe…a lost shirt…oh my…When events push her to need a boyfriend, Ella asks hot senior Hale. 

His response? “No.” 

Yep. That’s her fairytale. 

Hale’s driven, and he needs an A on the fall project. He doesn’t need the sweet but average scholarship girl screwing up his grade – not after last year. Tanking science will ruin his entry into a top pre-med program. He’s focused. School. Homework. Rowing. No girl’s going to mess up his plan. Not even one as intriguing as Ella. 

These two meet in ashes, sparks fly, and their lives light up. 


Once Upon A Time... 
What's on your wishlist?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday 
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. In my case not so patiently waiting for the new releases, which I lack.

I'm in a sci fi kick. This one's cover is so creepy but I'm intrigued. 


My Choice this week is
Pitch Dark
by - Courtney Alameda
Expected Publication - June 27th 2017
Add to (Goodreads)


Tuck Durante is a shipraider, combing space for Earth artifacts from a war that ended 500 years ago. When his parents' ship crashes in the dead zone and the crew goes missing, Tuck hires a ragtag rescue team.

Meanwhile, curator Lana Gray is fighting to keep the US PANAMJohn Muir—and the remnants of its crew—alive. Their space capsule housing Yosemite National Park was hijacked. The hijacking turned ninety-five percent of her crew into nightmarish creatures called mourners who flay, dismember, or decapitate with nothing more than sharp-pitched shrieks.


Now, despite their differences, Lana, Tuck, and their crews must work together to save the John Muir. In space, nobody can hear you scream...but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear.
What are you waiting on?

Cover Reveal: Raphael's Fling



Raphael’s Fling 
Alix Nichols
Publication date: November 17th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance


My name is Mia Stoll and I dream about publishing a monograph on medieval Paris. Problem is, I’m better qualified for writing a handbook on how to go from a budding scholar to a pregnant runaway in three easy steps. 
– – –
My sister Eva carries a torch for the wrong man. Here’s the gist of my sermons to her: “Drooling over your hunky astronaut boss is a loser’s trek to Calamity with three stops along the way: Heartbreak, Job Loss, and Spinsterhood.”

The thing is, I’m in a terrible—you could even say impossible—position to lecture Eva.
I’m attracted to my own boss.
Raphael d’Arcy is funny, smart, and uber-rich. He’s also smoking hot. That alone should have scared me away, were I not such a dolt, my academic achievements notwithstanding.
But there’s more.
Raphael is France’s most notorious playboy who doesn’t do relationships. He does one-night stands. If sufficiently intrigued, he might do a fling. Which is the most I could ever hope to have with him—a short-lived fling.
So what, right? It’s not the end of the world.
But consider this: Getting my heart broken by Raphael d’Arcy is the least of my worries. Some very serious merde has been piling up in my life lately.
And it’s about to hit the fan.
Raphael’s Fling is a standalone sexy romance in the Darcy Brothers series. No cliffhangers. Guaranteed: a swoony bad-boy hero, laugh-out-loud moments and a happily-ever-after

Author Bio:

Alix Nichols is a caffeine addict and a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy, especially in his Colin Firth incarnation. She is a bestselling author of romantic comedies set in Paris.

At the age of six, she released her first rom com. It featured highly creative spelling on a dozen pages stitched together and bound in velvet paper.

Decades later, she still loves the romance genre. Her spelling has improved (somewhat), and her books have made Amazon Top 100 lists, climbing as high as #1. She lives in France with her family and their almost-human dog.

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