Showing posts with label 3.5 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3.5 stars. Show all posts

Thursday, October 19, 2017

[Excerpt Reveal] A Little Too Late by Staci Hart

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A Little Too Late, an all-new romantic standalone from Staci Hart is coming October 24th!

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A Little Too Late by Staci Hart

Publishing Date: October 24th, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

I wasn't supposed to fall in love with the nanny.
When my wife left, she took the illusion of happiness with her, and I've been caught in a free fall ever since. For nine long months, I've been fighting to figure out how to be a single dad, how to be alone.
For nine long months, I've been failing.
When Hannah walked through the door, I took my first breath since I'd found myself on my own. She slipped into our lives effortlessly, showing me what I've been missing all these years. Because Hannah made me smile when I thought I'd packed the notion of happiness away with my wedding album.
She was only supposed to be the nanny, but she's so much more.
The day my wife left should have been the worst day of my life, but it wasn't. It was when Hannah walked away, taking my heart with her.

Excerpt:

Hannah The first time I saw Charlie Parker, I didn’t see one thing at a time; I saw all of him. It was an assault on my senses, an overwhelming tide of awareness, and for a moment, the details came to me in flashes over what was probably only a few seconds but felt so much longer. His hair was blond and gently mussed, his face long and nose elegant. I could smell him, clean and fresh with just a touch of spice I couldn’t place. I tipped my chin up—he was tall, taller than me, and I hovered just at six feet—and met his eyes, earthy and brown and so deep. So very deep. And then he smiled. He was handsome when he wasn’t smiling. He was stunning when he was. I was so lost in that smile, I didn’t register the flying gob until it whapped against my sweater. Tiny splatters of something cold speckled my neck. This was the moment the clock started again, and the sweet serenity slipped directly into chaos. A blond little boy looked up at me from his father’s side with a devilish gleam in his dark eyes. The spoon in his hand was covered in blood-red jam and aimed at me like an empty catapult. Several things happened at once. Charlie’s face morphed into embarrassed frustration as he reached for who I presumed to be his son. The boy—Sam, I guessed from the names I’d been given by the agency—spun around lightning fast and took off down the hallway, giggling. Another child began to cry from somewhere back in the house, and a bowl clattered to the ground, followed by a hissed swear from what sounded like an older woman. I glanced down at the sliding, sticky mess against my white sweater and started to laugh. Charlie’s head swiveled back to me, his face first colored with confusion, then in horror as he looked at the Pollock painting on my sweater. “Oh my God,” he breathed, his apologetic, wide eyes dragging down my body. “Jesus, I am so sorry.” I was still laughing, almost a little hysterical. I couldn’t even tell you why. I waved a hand at Charlie, and he took my elbow, guiding me into the house as I caught my breath. Another crash came from the kitchen, and a little girl came toddling out into the entry, leaving powdery footprints on the hardwood. Charlie’s face screwed up. “Sam!” he called, stretching the word, a drawn-out promise of consequences. A riot of giggling broke out in the kitchen. We both snapped into motion. I followed him as he scooped up his crying daughter and stormed toward the kitchen. The little girl watched me over his shoulder with big brown eyes, her breath hitching in little shudders and her small finger hooked in her mouth. Charlie stopped so abruptly, I almost ran into him. When I looked around him and into the kitchen, my mouth opened. I covered it with my fingers as laughter bubbled up my throat. A bag of flour sat in the middle of the floor, the white powder thrown in bursts against the surrounding surfaces and hanging in the air like smoke. The floor next to the bag was the only clean spot, shaped like a small bottom—the little girl’s, I supposed. A bowl lay upside down, its contents oozing from under the rim and slung in a ring from ceiling to cabinet to floor, as if it had completed a masterful flip on its way to its demise. And in the center of the madness stood an older woman with flour in her dark hair and dusted down the front of her. Clutched under her arm was a wriggling Sam, offending spoon still in hand. Her face was kind but tight with exasperation. “Please tell me this is the new nanny,” she said flatly. “I doubt we could convince her to stay at this point,” he said with equal flatness.
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Preorder Today!

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About the Author

AuthorPics.jpgStaci 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. From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

Connect with Staci:

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Sunday, January 8, 2017

[Blog Tour] Lucian Divine by Renée Carlino

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“My guardian angel is a drunk.”
Evelyn Casey's life is at a standstill. She's in her mid-twenties, struggling with the dating scene in San Francisco. Nothing seems to be working out, and she’s starting to think that she’ll live out her days in her crummy apartment with her overbearing roommate, Brooklyn. It's absurd, but sometimes Evey longs for a guardian angel to show up and save the day.
And then he does. Seriously. His name is Lucian and he's a guardian angel, been on the job for two thousand years. His sudden presence in her life is both good—he's brilliant, witty, and warm—and bad—he's brilliant, witty, warm, and hot as ----. But as perfect as Lucian seems, he’s got problems of his own. He’s taken up drinking and he’s brazenly inserted himself into Evey’s life, going against the greatest cosmic law ever created.
For Evey, the rules are simple: You are not allowed to hook up with your guardian angel. But sometimes fulfilling your destiny requires a leap of faith, a confrontation with God.
Yes, God as in God.

iTunes | B&N | KOBO | AMAZON PRINT

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Review
Going in to books blind is what I do best. I love diving into the unknown and discovering the characters and the story. Lucian Divine by Renee Carlino was and unknown adventure. I had no clue where this book was going to take me and I loved that. This book gave me the feelings of suspense, intrigue, and forbidden.

At the beginning, I was a little confused. I didn't know what Renne Carlino wanted to do with the story. Guardian Angels are everywhere. Guarding, protecting, and getting into trouble. The guardian angels I read about are not your traditional ones and I loved that twist that Carlino created for the book.

Lucian was felt like a tortured soul or guardian angel in this case. He was troubled and angry and wild. That us because of a certain girl named Evelyn. He was supposed to be protecting her and for years he did just that, but as time moved forward he was falling more and more in love with Evelyn.

Evelyn is just a normal human girl trying to live her life. She's outgoing and fun. She has no clue that Lucian sits on her doorstep or guards her from afar. How can these two very different people be together?


Lucian Divine was a unique and rewarding story. I loved falling in love with the characters. I did find some things that needed improvement though. The story felt rushed at times, where it advanced too quickly for my liking. I also felt like there was a lack of history and background. I never found out much of what went on with the angels and I feel like more of that should have been included. Other than that, Lucian Divine led me on a fun angel filled journey.

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About Renée Carlino
Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of contemporary women's novels and new adult fiction. Her books have been featured in national publications, including USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Latina magazine, and Publisher's Weekly. 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 her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. Learn more at www.reneecarlino.com
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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

[Dual Review] Twisted Palace by Erin Watt


These Royals will ruin you…


From mortal enemies to unexpected allies, two teenagers try to protect everything that matters most.


Ella Harper has met every challenge that life has thrown her way. She’s tough, resilient, and willing to do whatever it takes to defend the people she loves, but the challenge of a long-lost father and a boyfriend whose life is on the line might be too much for even Ella to overcome.

Reed Royal has a quick temper and even faster fists. But his tendency to meet every obstacle with violence has finally caught up with him. If he wants to save himself and the girl he loves, he’ll need to rise above his tortured past and tarnished reputation.
No one believes Ella can survive the Royals. Everyone is sure Reed will destroy them all.
They may be right.
With everything and everyone conspiring to keep them apart, Ella and Reed must find a way to beat the law, save their families, and unravel all the secrets in their Twisted Palace.

Amazon Purchase Links
US * UK * Canada * Australia  * Germany * France


Tanya and Lexy's Thoughts
**3.5 Stars**
Twisted Palace was my most anticipated read yet.  I was waiting for this book as soon as I finished the last words of Broken Prince. The first two books had me hooked. I lived, breathed, and dreamt about the Royals. I spoke about these books to my friends and anyone who would listen. So you can imagine my disappointment when I got to this book. It was good but it wasn’t as good as I hoped. I wanted more drama, more suspense, and more shock but Twisted Palace lacked these things.

I won’t talk about the plot or anything that goes on because I would ruin the book for you. I will just say that a lot of crazy happened. We see read in a though situation, the toughest yet. I saw little way out. Although I saw Reed, I was missing the other Royal boys. They didn’t make an appearance as much in the other two books and I missed that. I wanted more closeness but it didn’t happen.

Ella was my favorite character since the beginning. She had strength and power. In this book I was missing a lot of the characteristics that made me fall in love with her. She didn’t have passion. I wanted her to be her own character and stand up for herself. There was once part that just had me boiling over because that did not seem like an Ella thing.


The plot wasn’t strong enough. I thought it could be improved on to make it flow more easily. Another thing that I didn’t like was that the ending was so rushed! It happened to quickly and it didn’t give me enough time to process the whole thing. If it would have continued a little more and had more explanation it would have been great! The end could have included more Reed and Ella too. So overall the book could have done better but even with all these negative things I enjoyed the story. Now I am really excited for Easton. He will be the next book and I couldn’t be more excited because this book set it up good! There were little snippets and clues but not enough so it kept me guessing! I can’t wait to read more from these authors!
**3.5 stars**
I waited for this book for months. I needed it. I re-read books 1&2 to prepare, I was dying to know what happened, but once I read it? I felt let down. All of the anticipation and suspense I was looking for just wasn't there compared to the others in the series. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite. I was just a let down. I can't describe it.  

I won't go into detail about the plot or anything that gives away the story, but I felt compared to Paper Princess and Broken Prince, the plot wasn't as strong. It felt rushed. With Paper Princess and Broken Prince there was so much drama and suspense, which made me love it, but when it comes to Twisted Palace, it just wasn't there. I didn't get the secondary characters which were just as much of the story as Reed and Ella. 

Reed seemed to "mellow" which was different from him in the other ones and give him. Ella was portrayed as strong and passionate in books 1 & 2, but it just wasn't there this time around. Had the book been a little longer and not have felt as rushed, I think it would have been better. The end could have been more in depth with Reed, Ella and the other Royal boys (I seriously missed them in this book). I'm excited for Easton's book though, because it's Easton. we see Easton all throughout the books and I can't wait to get to know him more than just the snippets we get of him.

I can't wait to see what else these two authors can come up with though, because overall, their gift is amazing! Bring on the next Erin Watt book!

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Friday, October 21, 2016

[Blog Tour and Review] Hat Trick by Kristen Hope Mazzola

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Grab Hat Trick by Author Kristen Hope Mazzola NOW!
#FREE with KindleUnlimited!

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Blurb
One accident - a freaking car crash.
That’s all it took to send my brother’s and my life into a tailspin with no end in sight. I was going to be something. I was going to be the best. I had the Olympics in my sights. And it all went to shit in one flash. Brayden wasn’t ready to raise a younger sister when I was thrown into his lap. He had his life and everything going for him. Thankfully, he was still drafted to his dream hockey team. The same one dad played for when we were growing up.
It took time, but I started to get better, started to open up, started skating and even dating again. I even thought I found the perfect guy for me.
Isn’t it funny how guys hit on you when they know you’re not available, but when you’re single they won’t give you the freaking time of day? I guess the game is more fun that way. And for the captain of my brother’s team, that’s exactly what I was. A hat trick is three goals in hockey. Some say three is a crowd and they might be right.
I was Gavin Hayes' unobtainable goal.
*A No Cheating Standalone*
Happy couple on the couch in the morning

Kristen has an amazing Teespring campaign going on RIGHT NOW where 100% of the profits are going to support The Marcie Mazzola Foundation

BUY THE SHIRT HERE

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About the Author
I am just an average twenty-something following my dreams. I have a full time “day job” and by night I am an author. I guess you could say that writing is like my super power (I always wanted one of those). I am the lover of wine, sushi, football and the ocean; that is when I am not wrapped up in the literary world. Please feel free to contact me to chat about my writing, books you think I’d like or just to shoot the, well you know. A portion of all my royalties are donated to The Marcie Mazzola Foundation.


Review
**3.5 stars**

Kristen is a new author to me and I was looking forward to this book because of hockey. But, I found the book to be lacking and had a hard time following. It jumped years by being one year in 2 chapters and then going forwards another year in the next.  It felt like parts of the story was missing because of the lack of detail. Multiple chapters had multiple points of view in them, which made it seem as if the story would overlap, but it didn't give off that feeling.

The story between Gavin and Myla seemed to lack and wasn't extremely attention grabbing. There wasn't a lot of detail or supportive backing to their story. The pieces you learned about were sweet, but those pieces you learned were few and lacking.  

The piece of the story that was one of my favorites was the fact it brought Gavin and Myla's brother, Brayden, who are teammates closer. They were able to put their difference aside for Myla and do something nice for her. 


Overall, the book had its sweet parts and the parts that made you like all the characters and the back/current story. 


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Friday, September 23, 2016

[Review Blitz] Challenge by Amy Daws

Title: Challenge
Author: Amy Daws
Release Date: Sept 23, 2016
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He’s her patient. She’s his doctor. They shouldn’t. But God, do they want to. 


Camden Harris, the famously hot, hulk of a footballer is laid up in a London hospital. But his busted knee doesn’t stop him from running his well-practiced game on Indie Porter—his redheaded spitfire of a doctor. She’s not his type, not even close. But she could be the perfect distraction from the soul-crushing damage this injury could cost him. 

Indie’s tired of her naivety putting a target on her back. As a gifted child, she’s let her education take the front seat her whole life. But a fling with a footballer like Camden might be just what she needs to grab life by the balls. 

And he could be the perfect guy for the plan she’s been sitting on for over two years. 

But when feelings make a final play, there’s no amount of medicine that can heal the damage to their hearts. 


We arrive at my building and take the lift up to my fourth floor flat. As I’m unlocking the front door, she asks, “Are you a good dancer, Camden?”

This question is odd, even for her. “Why do you ask?”

She sighs and leans against the wall just as I open the door. “I envisioned you were tonight when I was dancing with some bloke.”

My jaw clenches. “I don’t need to hear about you dancing with other guys.”

She smirks. “But I was thinking about you so it shouldn’t count.”

“It counts.”

“I think I like this jealous side of you. I might have to use it to my—”

Her snarky comment is cut off by a satisfying yelp as I wrap my arms around her waist and throw her over my shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she squeals as I savour the feel of her bare legs in my hands.

I turn and walk her inside, kicking the door closed with my foot. “Do you think you’re smart, talking to me like that?” I ask, completely unable to hide the smile on my face.

Her hair tickles my back as she giggles. “I am quite smart, actually. I skipped three whole grades in primary school. Did you know that?”

“I didn’t know that. Tell me then, what did they do to punish clever girls with smart mouths in boarding school?”

“Oh, naughty, naughty things.” She giggles again and I have a momentary desire to put her down just so I can see her face when she does it.

“I might need a demonstration.” I walk down the hallway and straight to my room, forgoing the polite flat tour, the offering of drinks, and the inane small talk. Our arrangement is for sex and sex alone.

“I might be inclined to oblige.” Her voice is breathy when we reach the quiet darkness of my room. 





**3.5 Stars**
This was my first book by Amy Daws and I can't say that I loved it but I can't say that I hated it. I just didn't connect with the characters like I usually do. It was well written, it just didn't suck me in.

Cam's character was decent for a male lead. Star footballer athlete who lives for his sport, he eats and breathes it. After an injury that could ruin his career, he is rushed off the field to the hospital where he meets Indie, his resident physician and someone he wasn't prepared for. She provokes feeling and things he didn't know he wanted.

Indie is a child prodigy and medical resident. She's a gorgeous virgin redhead who hasn't lived much.  After getting a page from her medical trainer of a highly important case her life is changed forever. She's attracted to her patient yet she is unable to give herself to him emotionally. Until she realizes she can't live without him.

Overall, this was a decent story about a British athlete who falls in love with his doctor. There is definite chemistry between the two from the beginning.


Amy Daws lives in South Dakota with her husband, and miracle daughter, Lorelei. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired Amy's first book, Chasing Hope, and her passion for writing. Amy is a lover of all things British and her award-nominated contemporary romance series, The London Lovers Series, is centered around Americans in London. It's emotional and self-deprecating with lots of humor sprinkled in. 

On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to Strawberry Shortcake's theme song or stuffing themselves inside children's-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn't do for their little miracle. 

   
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