Showing posts with label Atria Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atria Books. Show all posts

Sunday, November 5, 2017

BOOK REVIEW - WITHOUT MERIT by COLLEEN HOOVER - ATRIA BOOKS

By: Colleen Hoover
Published By: Atria Books
Released: Available Now
Details: Netgalley for honest review

Blurb:Goodreads

Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.



BOOK REVIEW:

Gahhh! I have sat on my thoughts for weeks on this book.

Firstly: I am one hundred percent a Colleen Hoover fan.

Hell. Yeah!

Love her as a writer and as a person. She’s a good woman.

This review will be uber short, because it is probably a case of it’s me and not you when it comes to this book.

Gahhh! I had trouble. I felt depressed reading it. I just felt the things I didn’t want to feel and that was kinda sad for me, but that is okay. Readers are gonna either dig this book…or maybe feel like me. Each to their own. 

I totally understand what Colleen was writing and I get that she was writing something different. I do get all that.

But...

I always write a review that is from my heart and this book was maybe not the book for me. And that is okay. Maybe it was because of what happened in my life in early 2016. That could be more the reason...maybe.


Wednesday, August 23, 2017

RACING THE SUN BY KARINA HALLE - ATRIA - SIMON & SCHUSTER - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Karina Halle
Published By: Simon & Schuster, Atria
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 321 Pages

RATING: 4.25 DERIO STARS!

Goodreads: Blurb

It’s time for twenty-four-year-old Amber MacLean to face the music. After a frivolous six months of backpacking through New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia, she finds herself broke on the Mediterranean without enough money for a plane ticket home to California. There are worse places to be stuck than the gorgeous coastline of southern Italy, but the only job she manages to secure involves teaching English to two of the brattiest children she’s ever met.

It doesn’t help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, Italian ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, Derio tests Amber’s patience and will at every turn—not to mention her hormones.

But when her position as teacher turns into one as full-time nanny at the crumbling old villa, Amber finds herself growing closer to the enigmatic recluse and soon has to choose between the safety of her life back in the States and the uncertainty of Derio’s closely guarded heart.


BOOK REVIEW:

This is my first Karina Halle read. I have quite a lot on my Kindle, but haven’t cracked them open yet.

I really enjoyed Racing the Sun as my first KH read. I felt like I was in Capri and walking around the streets.

Desiderio Larosa or Derio shortened, which is less of a mouthful, is a captivating character in the early stages of the book. He has lost so much and he drinks, and broods, he locks himself away and behaves in all those ways that make us want to know more and get below the surface.

Amber and Derio… My-oh-my do they have some toe curling sexual encounters in the most beautiful scenic places.

I absolutely loved Derio’s character…da …da…da…daaaaaa—until…

It was like a whiplash to my heart. Interesting change in direction KH went with his character. It felt kinda odd.

It didn’t stop me enjoying the story. It just felt a bit sudden and not in line with his previous behaviour, considering Amber’s situation and job title and his relationship to the children. I get what she was doing, but at the same time…

A wonderful start to my KH reading journey. I am looking forward to cracking open some more of her works.


Tuesday, August 2, 2016

ARC BOOK REVIEW - SWEAR ON THIS LIFE by RENEE CARLINO - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - SIMON & SCHUSTER

By: Renee Carlino
Published By: Simon & Schuster, Atria
Releasing: August 2016
Details: Advanced readers copy from Publisher for honest review.

RATING: 4.25 STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

How are you supposed to feel when you find out your childhood friend Jase, who knows your deepest, darkest secrets wrote a book with you in the starring role, about your desperate childhood and most of it was true? 

What do you do with that?

All names changed of course.

Twelve years have passed and Emiline’s life is better, but Jase’s life has gone onto bestselling stardom at her expense under the pen name J.Colby.

Newsflash.

Emiline enlightens her roomie, who has already read the book, and she keeps telling her to keep reading and get to the end of the book!

What does Emiline do?

She reads every page, because if she didn't I wouldn't have been reading a book within a book.

Heheh.


Twelve years is a long time to be separated. I think I personally would have turned to the last chapter in desperation and read it, once I realized this was our story, my story. I would have skipped all the bits in between as I knew my life, even though J. Colby had taken fictional liberties, and then gone back and filled myself in on the rest. My curiosity would have been too strong, this was the boy who I’d loved, who had looked out for me. We’d shared so much. I would have wanted to see how J. Colby saw our ending ASAP.

That's just me. :) 

This is a story that will pull at reader's heart strings. Two kids living as neighbors in love challenged homes. 

From the rubble comes hope. 

I really loved reading about grown up Jase. The man is sexy. I personally would have enjoyed reading a lot more about them in the present, giving me that something extra.

I adore Sharon and Cyndi.

Another great read from Renee. Such a cool idea the concept of reading a book within a book. I’ve loved her past works and will always read a Renee Carlino book.




Michelle


Friday, July 1, 2016

BOOK REVIEW - YOU WERE MINE by ABBI GLINES - ROSEMARY BEACH # 9 - SIMON & SCHUSTER - ATRIA BOOKS - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Abbi Glines
Published By: Atria, Simon & Schuster
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from publisher for honest review, 239 Pages

RATING: 4.25 TRIPP STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

From #1 "New York Times" bestselling author Abbi Glines comes a brand-new Rosemary Beach novel about Tripp Newark and his hidden romantic past with Bethy Lowry.

In the eyes of the wealthy playboys who frequent Kerrington Country Club in Rosemary Beach, Tripp Newark is a hero. Under pressure from his parents to become a lawyer and lead a conservative, upper-class life, Tripp disappeared from town five years ago to travel the world, forfeiting the opportunity to inherit millions. Yet few know what he was really running from...

Bethy Lowry was unraveling long before her boyfriend drowned in a riptide trying to save her after she'd had one too many drinks--again. A trailer park kid working as a cart girl among the wealthy patrons of Kerrington Country Club, Bethy has always been impressionable. But five years ago, before she earned her reputation as a hard-drinking, easy girl, she had spent a single summer with Tripp Newark that changed her life forever...



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:


I so enjoyed reading Tripp’s story. He is such a great guy. I liked the introduction we got to his character in Woods and Della’s story.

I think I was a little disappointed in Wood’s attitude on the island when it came to Charity and Tripp. It kind of felt forced angst. I couldn’t see Woods allowing anybody to pressure him like he did Tripp. I kinda got my grrr on with that.

I’m so happy Tripp got his Bethy, it was inevitable.

Grant and his bubba were gorgeous to read. Oh to be a fly on the wall when his babe was older. J

Abbi Glines books are always quick reads for me. When I am feeling like a pool side type read I pick one up.

The story telling recipe doesn’t offer a lot of surprises outside of her formula and that is okay as she sells so well. Her reading audience is enormous. Readers of all ages are invested.

I am addicted.

Next up is Kiro and Emily’s novella.



Michelle

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

BOOK REVIEW - ONE MORE CHANCE by ABBI GLINES - CHANCE # 2, ROSEMARY BEACH # 8 - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - ATRIA BOOKS

By: Abbi Glines
Published By: Atria Books
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from publisher for honest review ( Simon & Schuster Aust) , 256 Pages

RATING: 4.5 HEART FELT STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Grant Carter did everything in his power to convince Harlow Manning that he was a good guy. More than a smooth-talker and someone she could trust. He had to overcome his reputation as a playboy, and his history with Harlow's half-sister, Nan, a woman with a reputation of her own.

Harlow had taken the chance, falling hard and fast for the guy who thrilled her with his all-consuming desire. After a lifetime of avoiding bad boys like Grant, she had opened herself to the possibilities of love...

But a life-changing secret has torn them apart, and now Grant and Harlow must decide if they have enough fight to make it work - or if the pain of betrayal has permanently destroyed their future.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

“If you wake up and this is a dream, call me. I’ll come running, I swear,” he said, then took my hand and kissed my palm. “All you ever have to do is call me, and I will drop anything to be with you.”

Yup, that was my star quote of this book.

This book was a more emotional read than I anticipated after Take A Chance. Abbi came back and gave me a good dose of love and heart hurting moments.

A wonderful instalment that was supposed to give us feels and I got them.

Grant has made it his mission to love Harlow like nobody could love her and she made it her mission to be in control of her destiny, no matter the consequences.

It did feel personal this read, being a mother myself, I think that just added to a deeper connection with this instalment.

I loved Rush being Rush and I think I am crushing on Mase. I’m intrigued about Major, me thinks I know who Major might wind up with...but time will tell.

Another book ticked off in order on my Abbi Glines journey of quick reads that I know exactly when is the right time to pick one up and get a dose of her lads and the dramas that follow them.



Michelle


Monday, December 8, 2014

BOOK REVIEW - RUSH TOO FAR by ABBI GLINES - TOO FAR # 4 - SIMON & SCHUSTER - ATRIA BOOKS - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Abbi Glines
Published By: Simon & Schuster , Atria Books
Released: Available Now
Details : Paperback from publisher for honest review, 242 Pages

RATING: 4.5 RUSH YOU MAKE ME FLUSH STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Fallen Too Far was Blaire's story. Now it's time for Rush to share his side.

Everyone in Rosemary Beach thinks they know how Rush Finlay and Blaire Wynn fell in love. But Rush is back to tell his side of the story...

Rush has earned every bit of his bad-boy reputation. The three-story beach house, luxury car, and line of girls begging for time between his sheets are the envy of every guy in Rosemary Beach, and Rush handles it all with the laid-back cool of a rock star’s son. All he needs are his best friend, Grant, and his sister, Nan.

Until Blaire Wynn drives into town in her beat-up pickup truck with a pistol under her seat. The Alabama farm girl instantly captures Rush’s attention once he discovers that the angelic beauty is his new stepsister, but he vows to keep his distance. Even if she needs his help. Even if he craves her.

Because Rush knows why Blaire is all alone in the world, forced to ask for help from the father who abandoned her three years ago. And he knows if he gets too close it will destroy Nan, who has a secret connection to Blaire.

He has every reason in the world to stay away from her. Find out why he doesn’t.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

The regret in my chest would be my only companion in bed tonight.

I do LOVE Rush Finlay. He is possessive and wants to protect those that are in his inner circle. His inner circle is not very big.

Most of us who have read the Too Far series have a Rush Crush.

Having already read Fallen Too Far, we know Blaire’s side of how they met and the shenanigans that were Rush Finlay, but being in his head was still a great ride.

OO, he is so sexy!

Blaire is the innocent, who falls in deep with Rush only to be ... well, you know if you have read the previous books.

Nan, even through Rush’s eyes is still a great, annoyingly twisted sister set out to cause a bit of trouble and drop a few crocodile tears along the way. Abbi does write her very well.

I really enjoyed being in Rush’s head for a whole book, he’s a really popular character who is extra uber sexy when we are in his head and knowing what he is really thinking when he is looking at Blaire. I loved his moments with Grant and his claim on Blaire.

Another Abbi G book I devoured quickly with a few more on my shelf still to catch up on.

I am looking forward to One More Chance, which is next on my list.

Michelle


LOVE THIS COVER!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

BOOK REVIEW - JUST FOR NOW by SEA BREEZE # 4 - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Abbi Glines
Published By : Simon & Schuster, Atria
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from publisher for honest review, 307 Pages

RATING: 4.25 PRESTON STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

The day Preston Drake figured out that wealthy women paid well for a set of tight abs and a pretty face his life turned around.

The run down rat-infested trailer he had shared with his alcoholic mother and three younger siblings was now only a place he visited to pay the bills and stock the pantry with food.

He no longer worried about his family starving or living without electricity. The money he made entertaining rich older women more than covered his family’s needs and his own. He had it all figured out. Except…

There was this girl.

She was as innocent as he was tainted.

Amanda Hardy wished her knees didn’t get weak when Preston walked into a room. She hated the fact her heart raced when he flashed his smile in her direction. He had a different girl in his bed every night. He was the kind of boy a smart girl ran from. So, why was she coming up with ways to get close to him? Even when it was obvious he wanted to keep her at a distance.

Maybe her heart knew something the world didn’t. Maybe Preston Drake was more than just a pretty face.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

One day someone will come along and you’ll change for her. 
She’ll be the one you can’t live without, and she’ll be more important than anyone else.

Preston the Gigolo and Amanda the sister of Marcus, this relationship was going to have its troubles, and it did.

I really liked Preston in Just For Now, he really grew on me. The things he does to keep his siblings fed and healthy while his mother is not worthy of the title.

Oh, the things he does with Cougars to keep himself out of the trailer, but these things are never going to be a good thing in the long run.

Amanda has been crushing on Preston, she has no idea of his extra-curricular activities neither does his close friends. Preston is keeping a big secret. I couldn’t help love him for wanting to keep Jimmy, Brent and Daisy as safe as he could manage considering.

The only thing that had me going WT!! Was something that happened near the end that was the solution to something and it felt too quick and not fleshed out considering what it was. It brought my rating down because it felt rushed and a quick fix. I would have been more endeared to this solution if the other characters involved had been brought into play much earlier giving the reader a valid reaction to this solution. It’s a pretty big gift to give, considering what it is and not one that should be weighed in a few pages.

All in all, another enjoyable read in the Sea Breeze series. I keep coming back for more. They aren’t really deep reads, but all the same enjoyable.


Michelle

Thursday, August 28, 2014

ONE FAVORITE MOMENT EVENT & GIVEAWAY - K.A. TUCKER - TEN TINY BREATHS - YA CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - SIMON & SCHUSTER - ATRIA BOOKS



Ok, I am here today to tell you about a favorite moment of mine from any book in this series. I have admittedly at this stage only read Ten Tiny Breaths and I loved it. 

One favorite moment out of this book, I think would be probably my new found appreciation for the stripping profession. Now I know that is an odd moment. I do have many as I loved the book, but it was something that stood out for me. I have since read a lot of books e.g. Rock Chicks by Kristen Ashley and I do always remember what K.A. Tucker taught me in Ten Tiny Breaths.

Sure, you get dip sticks in every profession, but I liked Cain and the way he respected his staff. I liked the security lads, Nate and Ben, for the same reason. The girls are there to make a future for themselves, same as the guys. Hard times, call for certain measures. I loved Storm. I thought her character showed me a lot, she is a mamma and she needs to care for her chick. Life deals tougher hands, to some, more than others.

Obviously I have Trent moments, like the laundry scene , but I wanted to talk about this one, as Trent is a bit of an obvious moment. Who doesn't love a Trent moment?

Let's not forget Pervie Pete. Whenever he popped up, he was amusing, he grew on me.

I look forward to reading everybody's fave moment in the series.

I will show you my review I did back, when...

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

Breathe, I hear my mother’s voice say.

Ten tiny breaths.

It doesn’t help.

It never fucking helps, dammit!

I’m shaking all over as I sink further and further into the dark abyss where I go when people I care about die.

I can’t seem to get out of it.

I’m drowning under the weight of it.



This book , the more you read, the more it will get to you, affect you.

Make you think differently.

The chapter titles are like a step program. 

Kacey , 20yrs old, fighter body, tough exterior, very broken, and her sweet sister 15yr old Livvie, escape their loser guardians, trying to make a life for themselves. Where Livvie is calm and sweet, Kacey is a ball breaker.

Their parents have died. Kacey has lost a lot.

Heard death claiming it's next victim.

Tanner is the resident landlord of the Melrose Place style 3 storey apartment complex in Miami, where the girls have found their temporary 6 month paid up front, safety nest. An assortment of character’s live there. Tanner and Pervie Pete being amongst them. Tanner will really grow on you, in an interesting way. Pervie Pete...not so much.

Enter Trent, all muscle and a bit of a mystery. He lives on one side of the girls.

Enter Storm, all Barbie and a whole lot of boobs and her 5 yr old daughter Mia, the sweet little princess has found a friend in Livvie. They live on the other side of the girls. Storm is a girl with heart. A girl that drew the short straw in life, but is making no excuses , she is looking after her daughter and working towards more in life. 

You will LOVE Storm.

Kacey needs to find a gym, not your prissie gym, the hardcore, darkly lit, ratio of women 1:50 men, kind.

The fighter kind. 

She is a kickboxer , a good one. The Breaking Point is where all the hardcore players work out. She is there to sweat, and work hard, release some of the demons she carries around with her.

She is there to fight her demons.

If that is possible.

The more you read, the more you see under the layers of Kacey. It is quite a ride for the reader.

I will forever think of a stripper, strip club, strip club owner, hired muscle, strip club bar tenders...differently. Not that I gave a lot of thought to this profession, but, K.A.Tucker will show you a group of characters who are loving, caring, understanding...a family of sorts. Everybody has a story of how they wound up working in the strip club.

Sometimes the journey in life takes a detour and you wind up working at a place like Penny’s Palace, with characters like, the owner Cain, the hired muscle Nate and Ben, and bartender Storm .

Some use it for the money, the stepping stone to a better life. They know why they are there. They have a planned out future that needs good cash to achieve it.

Penny’s Place comes with a group of people who look out for each other, genuinely care. Nate is a big teddy bear, Ben...well, he is a bit of a player, but deep down a nice guy, using the profession to make a life, a future.

Penny's Palace and its characters is the back drop to this story.

This is a story about characters that have been damaged, even broken, some almost beyond repair.

Almost.

You will meet Dr. Stayner. LOVE this guy. The words that spill from his lips, they brought back something that happened when I was in High School. 

The night before last day, silly day, of High School before exam squatting... something terrible happened. Some of my fellow year 12 students went to a party, they drove later to Macdonalds.

They didn’t make it.

They had a tragic accident.

They had been drinking.

They were only 16-17yrs old.

One drove, one died, one got pretty banged up. They were only kids. They made a bad decision to get in a car, because they were hungry, because others at the party were hungry. They had all been drinking.

I have never forgotten that accident. Listening to Dr Stayner in this book...well, we will all get something out of this book. I got to look at the tragedy that happened in ’85 and I got some closure for the boy who was driving that I knew from High School, who lived and had to live with what happened, because he was the one who chose to drive. It wasn’t his car. The 3 guys were going to simply get MacDonalds for everyone.

They never made it.

I could tell where Ten Tiny Breaths was going, I was not sure how it was going to get there, but I could see where I was being taken. But then I got that BAM! moment where I got all girlie and did a sookie la la. The latter half of the book really opens up into this emotional, heart breaking story.

We are used to seeing Kacey with this tough exterior, the fighter chick for most of the book, she has done it all to keep her demons at bay, never exorcising the demons, just keeping them hidden under the surface.

Contained.

Not a healthy existence.

Then the guy from 1D enters her life.

This is a story that will squeeze your heart and wring it out for all the people affected by drink driving and the tragedy that comes from innocence.

Good people make bad decisions too.

Decisions that kill.

I am a squeaky person, never had a traffic infringement or broken the law. When you are a young kid, generally you have never broken the law, but you can make a bad choice in the moment, that will have consequences that could not be fathomed.

Consequences that can affect many.

Sometimes bad choices are successful, nobody gets hurt, killed. But is it worth it to roll that dice?

I am looking forward to book # 2 - One Tiny Lie - Livvie's story - April 2013.

I highly recommend this read. It has a message through it, well a few messages. It will be an eye opener to how you think . It will twist your heart.

It may even save a life.



TEN TINY BREATHS:


Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty year old Kacey and her fifteen year old sister Livie escape Grand Rapids, Michigan to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.
Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

***Caution: Mature content! Not suitable for younger readers. Contains reference to drugs, swearing, and sexual content ***

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ONE TINY LIE:

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fit Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

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FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE:

I believe you don’t have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person’s life. You have seconds. Seconds to win them over, and seconds to lose them.
Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second-guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with his staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control . . . and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl, but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can’t get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

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FIVE WAYS TO FALL:

Sometimes you can’t change—and sometimes you just don’t want to. Discover Ben’s side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

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IN HER WAKE: A Ten Tiny Breaths Novella:

Author’s Note: Although it is a prequel, In Her Wake is best read after completing Ten Tiny Breaths.

Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.

When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.

Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.

And there’s only one person who can give that to him…

Amazon | B&N | iBookstore | BAM | Bookish | Other





About K.A. Tucker:


Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Links:

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** YouTube ** Pinterest ** Instagram


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Friday, June 27, 2014

BOOK BLITZ - NOWHERE BUT HERE by RENEE CARLINO - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - ATRIA BOOKS


Nowhere But Here Cover



Title: Nowhere But Here 

Author: Renée Carlino

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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About Nowhere But Here:



Nowhere But Here Cover



A Chicago reporter in her mid-twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius.

Kate Corbin has lost her spark. From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love.

With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart.

USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down.

Amazon | iTunes | B&N



To read an exclusive bonus short from Nowhere But Here, 

click the following link: Nowhere but Here bonus scene


About Renée Carlino:


renee carlino


Renee's first friends were the imaginary kind and even though her characters haven't gone away, thankfully the delusions have. She admits she's a wildly hopeless romantic and she blames 80's movies staring Molly Ringwald for that. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she's not at the beach with her boys or working on the next book, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.


 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

BOOK COVER REVEAL - UGLY LOVE by COLLEEN HOOVER - ATRIA BOOKS

By: Colleen Hoover
Published By: Atria Books
Release : 5th August 2014
Details : 320 Pages

Blurb: Goodreads

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY # 11 - FIVE WAYS TO FALL by K.A. TUCKER - TEN TINY BREATHS # 4 - ATRIA BOOKS - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY # 11


2ND APRIL 2014


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at:








Spotlights upcoming releases.



FIVE WAYS TO FALL
by
K.A. TUCKER

TEN TINY BREATHS # 4

Releasing : 24th June 2014


Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…




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I am looking forward to this one. After reading Ten Tiny Breaths, which I loved, I have just received, One Tiny Lie and For Seconds To Lose from the publisher. I am very excited to binge on these two books in anticipation for Five Ways To Fall.



Since my last WOW, I have been to the Indie Author Down Under event on the Gold Coast. Around three hours drive from me, down south. Met a lot of authors face to face I have spoken to in cyberspace. Abbi Glines and C.M. Stunich and Kelly Elliott made the trip from the US. Lovely to meet them all.

I have a posting up on the event. HERE

I snagged a bed load of swag that I will be putting up every Friday for giveaways.



What I have read and reviewed
Since last WOW :

Guns by J.A. Huss - Brilliant!!
Play by Kylie Scott - Loved it!
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione 
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews 
In Kelly's Corner by Roxie Rivera 
In Jack's Arms by Roxie Rivera 

I am currently reading:

THE KING by J.R. Ward





I was lucky enough to get an early copy last week from Aussie publisher. I have been taking it slowly and loving it. Lassiter just made me snort out loud with laughter. He is too funny. Love him!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's WOW this week.

Happy Reading!

Michelle