Saturday, December 1, 2018

Review: My Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

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Blurb:
“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.

Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

My Review
Sometimes I like to switch things up and read something a little different. That is exactly what My Little Darlings was, something different. 

Let me start by saying that this was such a strange read. Lauren has just given birth to twin boys. From the start I knew this was going to be weird. Lauren's twin birth did not go as planned and then as she's left alone in the maternity ward she starts hearing things. She has strange dreams and envisions as woman with her own set of twins, but these are not normal twins or a normal mother. Lauren swears the woman was trying to kidnap her babies, but is she actually suffering from some type of psychosis? Lauren tries to determine if she is losing her mind like everyone keeps telling her. Is she just sleep deprived? Or is something more going on as she suspects. Is some strange woman after her boys and why?
Lauren's husband is no help and at times I wondered if he was trying to drive her mad or if he really was just a "piece of work" needless to say, I was not a fan of him. 

This book is creepy and will keep you trying to figure out what is real and what is fiction in Lauren's world. I feel like the ending was not as satisfying as I had hoped. I need to know a little more, more about what happens after. This was a little bit slow paced but it was a page turner because I wanted to know if Lauren had lost her mind. As soon as you think you know what is going to happen or you figure something out, things take a different turn . All in all it was an okay read. It really depends on what you are into. This is more of a thriller/mystery read.  If you are looking for romance then you need to go somewhere else because there is NONE of that here. Just a creepy book. 


3 stars!!! ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you. 



About the Author:

Melanie Golding is a graduate of the MA in creative writing program at Bath Spa University, with distinction. She has been employed in many occupations including farm hand, factory worker, childminder and music teacher. Throughout all this, because and in spite of it, there was always the writing. In recent years she has won and been shortlisted in several local and national short story competitions. Little Darlings is her first novel, and has been optioned for screen by Free Range Films, the team behind the adaptation of My Cousin Rachel.

Connect:
Twitter




Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Blog Tour: All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover


CAN A PERFECT LOVE SURVIVE A LIFETIME BETWEEN TWO IMPERFECT PEOPLE?
ALL YOUR PERFECTS
COLLEEN HOOVER
ON SALE JULY 17, 2018

37684188

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us—whose writing is “emotionally wrenching and utterly original” (Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series)—delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham have a perfect love story, but their unique connection is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart, day by heartbreaking day. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair. So do they risk it? Is their history worth saving?

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple struggling with a relatable issue – infertility – whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. In Colleen Hoover’s inimitable style and brilliant narrative voice, this heartbreaking page-turner asks: Can a resounding love with a fairytale beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?





MY REVIEW

The only thing I'm ever certain about when reading a CoHo book is that it's going to make me feel, feel something, anything. All Your Perfects did not disappoint. If anything this one made me cry so much more than I anticipated. 

Quinn and Graham's love is the kind we all hope to have. Moments filled with laughter and constant loving touches, but it's also littered with the moments we all try to run from. Sometimes in our lives and relationships we get so wrapped up in everything that is wrong and "flawed" that we forget just how lucky we are. It's when we lose sight that we can lose everything. 

While the struggles in this book are not ones that I have experienced, I wept for Quinn, I wept for Graham. I found myself so wrapped up in their story that I feverishly sped through the book just to see what would happen. Just to see if their marriage would survive. If their love was enough. 

Is love ever enough? 

5 stars!!!!! 

***arc provided from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:







COLLEEN HOOVER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, Maybe Someday, Maybe Not, Ugly Love, Confess, November 9, It Ends with Us, and Without Merit. Colleen has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three times—for Confess in 2015, It Ends with Us in 2016, and Without Merit in 2017. Confess was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Colleen and her family founded The Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service offering signed novels donated by authors. All profits are given to various charities each month to help those in need. Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Visit ColleenHoover.com.

FIND COLLEEN ONLINE:
Twitter: @ColleenHoover
Instagram: @ColleenHoover

Buy Links:

THE ALL YOUR PERFECTS tour

07/17: Denver, CO
07:00 PM
TATTERED COVER BOOKSTORE

07/23: Portland, OR
07:00 PM
POWELL'S BOOKS
Call Store for details: 503-228-4651 or pre-order

07/24: Seattle, WA
07:00 PM
THIRD PLACE BOOKS

07/25: San Francisco, CA
07:00 PM
BOOK PASSAGE

07/26: San Diego, CA
07:30 PM
WARWICK'S

07/27: Phoenix, AZ
07:00 PM
CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE


07/28: Los Angeles, CA

04:00 PM
THE RIPPED BODICE

07/29: Dallas, TX
06:00 PM
HALF PRICE BOOKS

08/02: Atlanta, GA
07:00 PM
EAGLE EYE BOOKS

08/03: Asheville, NC
06:00 PM
MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE/CAFE

08/04: Cincinnati, OH
05:00 PM
JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS

08/05: Chicago, IL
03:00 PM
ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP

08/06: Detroit, MI
06:30 PM
SCHULER BOOKS & MUSIC, Okemos

08/07: Minneapolis, MN
07:00 PM
BARNES AND NOBLE/Edina
Call for more details: 952-920-2124


08/08: Kansas City, KS

07:00 PM
RAINY DAY BOOKS

08/09: Austin, TX
07:00 PM
BOOK PEOPLE

09/17: New York, NY (just added!)
07:00 PM
THE STRAND BOOKSTORE

All Your Perfects
by Colleen Hoover
Atria Books | ISBN: 9781501193323| 320pp | Paperback | Publication Date: July 17, 2018

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Review Blitz: xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan

      The first time we met was at a party.

Your ex arrived to show off the person he'd left you for last month, and you asked me to pretend to be your date.

I was more than happy to help. You were attractive, smart and witty--and that kiss we shared? It left me wanting you for days.

The second time we met was in my office on campus where we were both surprised to discover you were the new master’s degree student in poetry that I would be working with. You promised to be professional. I did no such thing.

The late nights and intense study sessions spent alongside you majorly throw me off my game. I want you, and I fight with myself daily over this fact.

I know I'm crass, that my sexual innuendos and dirty mouth annoy you, but I live for those two bright spots of color in your cheeks. If that's the only reaction I can get out of you, I'll gladly take it.

You hate Mondays so every Monday I slip an anonymous poem into your bag and your smile gets me through the week.

I think I'm falling for you, and I know it's wrong. I know that I'm only supposed to be your adviser and nothing more, but here's the thing. I think you're falling for me too.

xo, Zach


My Review
It has been a long time since I have read one of Kendall's books and xo,Zach  is just what I needed. 
Poppy meets Zach at a party one night, shares this amazing few hours with him then leaves. She's not ready for a relationship, she has too much going on. What she doesn't expect is to run into him at his office, he's her new advisor. 

This was such a great read and I loved Zach and Poppy. I loved their meetings and their chemistry. I only wish we had gotten to see all of the things he wrote her. I think this was a pretty light and steamy read and it has gotten me in the mood to read more of Kendall's books again!

4 stars!!!! 
   

Amazon | Amazon Paperback | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

         

   A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTREST | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB | NEWSLETTER                

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Blog Tour: Hot Shot by Karina Halle

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Hot Shot by Karina Halle Release Date: January 9th, 2018 Genre: Contemporary Romance Cover Design: Hang Le
Hot Shot AMAZON
Delilah Gordon has a secret.
She’s been in love with her best friend and the boy next door, Fox Nelson, since she was six years old.
And while most of her friends and family know about her unrequited crush, the one person who remains oblivious is Fox himself. To Delilah, it’s better this way. She’d rather pretend that they’re just friends, even though her feelings for the moody rugged mountain man are anything but tame.
Fox Nelson has a secret too.
As a wildland firefighter or “hot shot,” Fox parachutes into danger every day he’s on the job, risking all to fight wildfires that threaten ranches, forests and thousands of lives. But while Fox’s job is only for the brave, inside he feels anything but. The more he grapples with his raging demons, the more he realizes Delilah is the only one who can put out the flames.
As the two friends grow closer – and more intimate – than ever before, the more complicated their relationship becomes.
And Delilah has one more secret to reveal.
A secret that will change both their lives…forever.
HotShot-AN
Start this series of sexy standalone, today!
blog tour
Excerpt:
It’s dark now and quiet except for the crickets. In the distance, the town of North Ridge glows, the lights giving way to the dark mountain ranges behind it and beyond that, a clear, starry sky. I immediately feel better but it’s not enough. I need to walk, to get my head on straight, to get my heart to stop caving in. I head down the slope to the barn. It’s second nature to want to come here during hard times. Growing up, if anyone in the house was fighting—and it was usually Shane and Fox—this was where you’d find them afterwards, licking their wounds. Right now the barn is empty, all the horses are either in their paddocks or the pastures. I glance up at the hayloft and contemplate going up there when I hear footsteps behind me. I immediately stiffen. It’s funny how you can feel someone’s specific presence without seeing them. “What’s wrong with you?” Fox asks gruffly from behind me. Typical. Even if he’s concerned, sometimes he comes across like it annoys him to be concerned. I take in a deep breath and turn around. “I don’t know,” I say, my voice measured. “Just felt a bit nauseous.” He studies my face intently, so intently that I look away, my eyes drifting over the empty stalls. “I thought maybe I’d pissed you off somehow,” he says. Is he baiting me? I meet his eyes. “Why would you think that?” “You could barely look at me during dinner,” he says, taking a step toward me until he’s a foot away. “Was it something I did? Is this about Conan?” He’s so damn earnest in that last question that I have to laugh. I fold my arms across my chest. “No, Fox. This isn’t about your squirrel. It’s not about anything. I’m just…tired.” I can tell he doesn’t believe me and the intensity has changed in his eyes. They’ve become more focused on me, like he’s seeing me for the first time and nothing else around us matters. “I like this,” he says, his voice sounding thick. He takes a strand of my hair between his fingers and runs them down. “Your hair is so long. You should wear it down more often.” I roll my eyes and hope I’m not blushing. “You guys are all the same. A girl wears her hair down and puts on some makeup and suddenly you realize that she’s actually hot. It’s like She’s All That come to life.” Oh shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that last bit out loud since it’s a whole bunch of assumptions and I’m not one to flatter myself like that. But he just grins. One of those cheeky, warm smiles that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners, the dimples appear in his scruff. He doesn’t smile like that very often and every time he does for me, it makes me feel…invincible. “Del, I’ve always thought you were hot,” he says, still smiling. No awkwardness or hesitation. He just comes out and says it. And now I am blushing. “Yeah right.” “What?” he asks, tucking my hair behind my ear and—hell—his touch causes warm shivers to wash down my back. “It’s true. I mean, look at you.” Don’t read into it. Don’t read into it. “Do you remember that birthday party where we played spin the bottle?” I ask him, my voice sounding broken. He nods. “Kind of.” But he doesn’t remove his hand, keeps playing with my hair. I don’t know why I’m feeling brave all of a sudden but I am. “Well you spun the bottle and it stopped right at me. No mistake about it. And you got up and said it was stupid and left. Fox, we were good friends and you acted like kissing me was the worst thing on earth.” His dark brows knit together but his eyes stay warm. “You remember that?” “Fox. I’m a woman. I’m always going to remember when a boy rejects me, especially my best friend and especially at a young age.” “But we were young. And I was pretty stupid back then.” “You thought I was gross.” He lets out a soft laugh. “I can promise you I did not think you were gross.” His hand then leaves my hair and trails down my arm to my hand. Sometimes Fox holds it and I know I shouldn’t think anything of it but every time he does I wonder if he realizes what it does to me. Then again, I’m starting to think he’s oblivious to absolutely everything. “I didn’t kiss you,” he goes on, “not because I didn’t want to. I did.” He swallows, shrugs. “I just didn’t want our first kiss to be from spin the bottle.” Hold up…what? “What do you mean? Our first kiss?” I repeat, my pulse quickening. “I don’t know, Del. Back then, I kind of assumed that we would end up together at some point. You know all through high school I had just been waiting to make my move and ask you out. At least figure out if you liked me or not. But then you started going out with that guy with the big ears, what was his name, Ryan McGee? And that’s when I realized that it was probably all in my head. You were just a friend. A sister, even. And I was just a brother to you.” Holy. Fucking. Shit. This is way too much to process. Fox thought we’d end up together. He actually liked me back in high school! “You look shocked,” he says, raising a brow. “I thought it was pretty obvious.” “Obvious?” I blurt out. “No. No it wasn’t.” He lets go of my hand and shrugs with one shoulder. “It’s funny how life goes, isn’t it? It was probably for the best anyway. Could you have imagined us dating? Being a couple.” Yes, fucking yes.
My Review
I feel like Karina put everything she had in this book. Fox and Delilah's story about broke me. It was nothing I was expecting. But in a good way. It was a story that needed telling. 

Del has been in love with Fox for as long as she could remember. But he's her best friend, and he's oblivious to the feelings she has for him. Everyone else around them is aware, even if Delilah hasn't told anyone. But something is changing and Del isn't sure she can hide the way she feels anymore, or at least not hide her attraction. 

Fox is a hero. He goes out and risks his life for those affected by the wildfires. But Fox has so many demons and these wildfires just keep adding to them. His demons are trying to surface and he finds solace in Delilah's company. 

Things heat up between these two quickly, but nothing about this friends to lovers is what I expected. Fox's demons fight for control and these two have to overcome obstacles they never expected. 

I stayed up all night reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Their story was like a wildfire, all consuming, hot, and at times devastating. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. I fell in love with Fox and Delilah and their love story. It was imperfect and flawed, but it was the perfect story for them and one I didn't want to end. 

4.5 stars!!!

***ARC received in exchange for my HONEST review. Thank you!***



Meet Karina: 
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Connect with Karina: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarinahalle/ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vo9pq4 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhalle/ Join her Reader Group: https://goo.gl/wpCBSS Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/Ve4eCh http://authorkarinahalle.com

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Release Day Blast: Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn



We're celebrating the release of THREE BLIND DATES by Meghan Quinn! ONE-CLICK your copy TODAY!


PURCHASE HERE-->

Add it to your TBR--> http://bit.ly/2zY0Zuf

"Good Morning Malibu, it’s another beautiful day on the west coast! I'm Noely Clark, your host: and I'm in the market for love…”

When the publicity team of the new local restaurant, Going in Blind, began their search for a hot, local celebrity to promote the wildly popular eatery, they couldn’t have found a better person than me.

Outgoing? Check.
Single? Check.
Open to finding love? Check.

I signed up immediately.

A hopeless romantic with an exceedingly demanding schedule, I've found it impossible to find the man of my dreams—so Going in Blind seems too good to be true! That’s until they start setting me up on dates—three very different, very attractive, very distinct blind dates—and only one thing is for certain . . .

I’m in big trouble.

Good Morning Malibu,
I'm Noely Clark, and I have a choice to make.
The question is who will I choose; the suit, the rebel, or the jock.

EXCERPT:

NOELY

“Just state my name?”

“Yeah. Gives us a quick rundown on who you are, what you do, your interests, and what you’re looking for in a man.”

I nod and clear my throat. Sitting tall, my hands resting in my lap, I speak directly into the camera . . .

“Hi, I’m Noely Clark, and I’m one of your Good Morning, Malibu hosts. As you know, I’m single and in the market for love. As a twenty-seven-year-old woman who has had her fair share of rotten relationships, hookups, and dates, I want to try something new. I want to be thrust into a program where my celebrity status isn’t the first thing someone knows about me, where I can be known for who I am as a person rather than how I’m represented on TV.”

“And who is the person you want to be known for?”

Tilting my head to the side, I purse my lips, thinking of my answer. “Just a regular girl who loves Tom Hanks, would do just about anything adventurous, and would rather be seen eating nachos at a hockey game than enjoying a chardonnay during a classic night at the opera.”

“And what are you looking for in a man?”

Taking a deep breath, I look straight into the camera. “Someone who will cuddle on my couch and watch a classic romcom with me. Someone who will challenge me. Someone who is respectful and courteous to others but also has no qualms about shouting at an official while pounding on the glass at a hockey game. We don’t have to be a perfect match, because when is that really the case? But I want our match to be close with a little bit of wiggle room for some give and take, because what’s love without a little bit of compromise, without being able to adapt to your partner and love what they love? It’s the people in our life who mold us, and I’m far from being molded completely.”




My Review
Meghan Quinn has quickly became one of my instant read authors. So when I read the synopsis for Three Blind Dates and was offered a chance to sign up to review, I JUMPED on it! 

I loved everyone in this book, except for Kevin, but he isn't important. Anyways, Noely is a young, attractive, and single morning talk show host and she's looking for love. But she hasn't had the best luck finding anyone worth sticking around due to her morning show celebrity status. So when the new app and restaurant Going In Blind appears on her radar she thinks why not give it a try. After all, these blind dates are supposed to be specific to you and your personality. But what Noely doesn't expect, the three men she's matched with. Each of them checking at least one of her boxes of her perfect match. 

I have to say I really like all three of these men, but I was pulling for a specific one for the majority of the book. Not because he was better than the others, they all had their flaws but they were all good men, but because I felt more of a full connection between him and Noely.

This book had everything you would expect from Meghan; tons of laughs, chemistry and steam. Similar to You Got Mail, this is not a book you want to miss! 

The Suit, The Rebel, and The Jock- go in blind and see for yourself who she chooses!

***ARC provided in exchange of my HONEST review. Thank you!***

4 stars!!!

About the Author:

Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Will dance for laughs, won’t eat anything spicy because you asked, but will squeeze boobs in replace of a hug. Grew up in Southern California (Temecula, anyone? Anyone?) lived in New York (the armpit of NY, not the city) and now resides in Colorado with my wife, son, two dogs, three cats, and my multiple book boyfriends. Loves love, anything romantic, and will die if I ever meet Tom Hanks. Yay, books!


Find me on Goodreads:

Visit my website: http://authormeghanquinn.com/