Review: The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

SYNOPSIS:

A heartfelt, funny, and all-together human novel about the best mistakes a person can make.

   Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised.
 But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.
It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers.
It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live.

MY THOUGHTS:

3 out of 5 stars

This book perplexes me.  Part of me enjoyed it, part of me didn't.  There were elements that really brought it to life for me -- the humor, the "realness" of the situation, the fact that the family was most definitely dysfunctional and yet I spent a good part of the time trying to figure out what the point was.  

Maybe that was the point?  I don't know.

I loathed Johnathan, I have a love-hate relationship with Rosie...I absolutely adored Tony which I was not expecting to happen.  Soapie was a gem until she wasn't.  The ending...I was holding my breath until the very end hoping that it would turn out the way that I wanted.  

I'm not at all exaggerating when I say that I have no idea what to write for this review.  I read the book, I laughed at parts, I'm not sorry I read it...but yeah.  It didn't leave me with anything to talk about.  But I can't say that I didn't dislike the book, so there's that. **shrugs**

In fact, I know I have friends that will enjoy it and I probably should waited until they read the book and then let them write this review.

All in all, I guess I'd say if this book is already on your to-read list it is worth a try.  If your bookish likes and dislikes tend to align with mine,  I'm curious to hear what you think after you read it.  

Thank you to Blogging for Books for sending me a copy of The Opposite of Maybe in exchange for an honest review 

 

Review: Break the Sky by Nina Lane

SYNOPSIS:

A sizzling hot, new SPIRAL OF BLISS spin-off novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane

“Do you ever let go, storm girl?” he asked. “Ever lose control? Ever surrender?”
“Never,” I whispered. “I never surrender.”
A smile of both promise and warning curved his beautiful mouth.
“You will.”

Atmospheric scientist Kelsey March is under siege. Her tornado research project is on the skids and she’s fighting conflict in her university department. So when irresistible bad boy Archer West suggests a hot, wild fling while he’s in town, Kelsey is unable to resist his sexy offer.

Kelsey and Archer embark on a intense, exhilarating affair. But soon their differences and private battles encroach on their desire, and Kelsey discovers that Archer is a storm she can’t control.

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

I've been on a bit of a Contemporary Romance kick here lately, so when I got an email about reading this one, I jumped at the chance to try a new-to-me author. 

The Spiral of Bliss series by Nina Lane has been on my to-read list for a while and I figured this was the perfect excuse to spend some of the last few days of my summer vacation binge reading.  I consumed all 3 books in that series in 2 days.  I couldn't put them down. 

Which then made me a little bit wary about reading a spin-off.

Like I've mentioned before, when I get attached to characters in a story, I don't like to say goodbye.  While I clamor to get my hands on a completed series, sometimes I will leave the final book(s) unread because I don't like to let go.  The same goes with a spin-off...if I am perfectly happy with the original characters, maybe I don't WANT to learn more about what happened to "other people".  I was perfectly happy with Hot Professor Dean and Liv.

But since I'm not one to back away from a commitment, I started reading Break the Sky...and I absolutely loved it.

Kelsey March is one tough cookie, so when paired up with Archer...um, yum.  The chemistry between the two of them was intense from the very first moment.  You just knew that there wasn't going to be a slow burn, there was going to be an explosion.  GAH!

That being said, there was a solid well-told story line written within the "fan-yourself moments".  I love a strong female character and it was great to see Archer find his place in the world when he has felt alone for so long.  Yes, Dean (and Liv) played an integral part in the story, but I didn't feel like they were toooooo present or that their moments overshadowed Kelsey and Archer -- yes, this is a spin-off, but it didn't feel like a spin-off.  So yay!

Now...here is the hard part for me.  I've read it and I want more.  Not because I feel like there story was lacking, but because I have developed an attachment to these characters in this world Nina Lane created.  My emotional reader cup runneth over. 

What a problem to have, right?   

   

Release Information: All for This (Here and Now #3) by Lexi Ryan

This one is at the very top of my "I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW" list!

Released August 4, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance

1) LOST IN ME is FREE through the ALL FOR THIS tour!

2) ALL FOR THIS will be $2.99 on release day and $3.99 thereafter.

**ALL FOR THIS is book three in the Here and Now series. It is not a stand-alone and it’s intended to be read after LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU.**

 

What if you would never remember the day you made the most important decision of your life?

That’s what they’re telling me about the day of my accident—the day I put on Max’s ring and chose him over Nate. I’m counting on the wisdom behind a decision I don’t remember making.

Max is amazing—sexy, sweet, and kind. I was starting to believe happily-ever-after might be in my future after all. Then the unthinkable happened and my world imploded. If I’m going to make this work with Max, I need my missing memories, or at least answers from about those five days before my accident.

But what does my future hold if those answers aren’t anything like I imagined? 

Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00MDWI3X4

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-</ wbr>This-Here-Now-Book-ebook/dp/B00MDWI3X4

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all- for-this-lexi-ryan/1118893146

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/all-for-this-2

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-for- this/id836873885?mt=11&uo=4

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lexi_Ryan_All_for_This? id=fMMzBAAAQBAJ&hl=en

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

Website |  Facebook | Twitter

Review: A Triple Knot by Emma Campion

SYNOPSIS:

The critically acclaimed author of The King's Mistress brings another fascinating woman from history to life in an enthralling story of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and illicit love.

Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.

But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.

In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.

 MY THOUGHTS: 

4 out of 5 stars

Let me go ahead and put this out there right now...this book did one important thing. It made me realize that I need to read more historical fiction.  I didn't realize I missed it until I started reading this book and all my love for the genre came roaring back.  I'm not sure why I stopped reading it, but I know now that I need more of it in my life. 

I sat on my rating for a little while, not really sure how I felt about it because it was not the easiest read.  My main issue with the book being that EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME NAME.  Well, not really, but yes really.  Multiple Edwards, an Edmund, more than one Joan...but since it is based on history, that really isn't anything that can be changed, so....  Thank goodness there was a small family tree/chart in the beginning of the book that I could go back and refer to when I started to get confused.

Because in the beginning, I was really confused.  Until I wasn't anymore.  Once the story of Joan and Thomas developed, I couldn't put this book down.  I was totally immersed in their struggle to love each other and I could not get over just how much I felt for the two of them together. 

And I am not exaggerating when I say struggle.  I realize that the world we live in now is dramatically different than 14th century Europe, but there were parts of this book that made me want to throw things.  People were mean.  So so so mean.  And cruel and corrupt and the amount of deceit in their world, it made the good moments seem that much better. 

Which brings me back to the good moments...yes, there were good moments.  Joan and Thomas together made my heart happy.  So much of this book is the story of them coming together, that when they do finally overcome all the obstacles standing in their way, I wanted more.  They deserved more.  Or maybe it is just that the obstacles in their new life are less obvious...if not just as cruel.  There was a tear or two while I was reading, I admit it.

I am so happy that I read this book.  I feel like doors have been reopened for me and I can't wait to read more by Emma Campion.

Thank you to Blogging for Book for a copy of A Triple Knot in exchange for an honest review

 

Cover Reveal: Twelve by T.M. Franklin

PRESENTS. . .

A Cover Reveal

for

Twelve

by T.M. Franklin

Release Date: October 9, 2014

Published by The Writers Coffee Shop

It’s only been a few months since Ava Michaels discovered she has ties to an ancient people living in the shadows of the human world, despite their superior gifts and abilities. A select few don’t like hiding, however, and think it’s time to take control.

Now Ava’s caught up in a conspiracy in the works before she was even born. In fact, her birth was an integral part of the plan. She’s one of the Twelve, the most powerful Race ever created, and they were created for a purpose.

Ava, however, doesn’t like being told what to do.

All she wants is to start a new life with Caleb Foster, the Protector who once put his own life at risk to save hers. Before they can even think about that, however, they need to figure out exactly what the Twelve and their power-hungry leader are up to—and find a way to stop them.

Along the way, they’ll have to forge alliances with former enemies, seek out powerful new friends, and infiltrate the heavily fortified enemy stronghold in an attempt to get some answers. In the end, Ava must decide if her destiny lies in her DNA or in her conscience. If she can turn her back on what she was born to do and do what is right. If she will save the ones she loves or save the world.

Or if her ties to the Twelve mean she has no choice at all. 

 

She sat up suddenly and grabbed Caleb’s hand. “Do you feel that?”

“What?” He instinctively checked the mirrors, but there was nobody behind them.

“Someone . . .” Ava’s eyes glazed over. “Someone’s coming. Fast.”

Caleb stepped on the gas, searching the horizon. “Who? Anyone familiar?”

“What’s happening?” Sophie asked.

Ava shook her head. “I can’t tell. Not yet anyway. You think it’s Protectors?”

Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Or Rogues.”

“You think they know?” Ava glanced at Sophie.

“We don’t know. Not for sure.”

“Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Sophie shouted from the backseat.

The temperature in the car dipped as frost formed along the edges of the windows.

“You’ve got to calm her down,” Caleb muttered, taking a turn too fast and swerving to correct.

“Now.”

Ava didn’t argue, instead scrambling over the seat to take the girl’s hand. “Sophie, listen to me. You need to stay calm, okay? Try to breathe with me.”

“But—”

“I’ll explain everything, but first you need to calm down. You see what’s happening?”

Through the mirror, Caleb saw her glance up at the roof of the car as snowflakes began to drift through the interior.

“I . . . I don’t understand,” Sophie murmured. “What’s—why is it snowing?”

“It’s you,” Ava said quietly. “You’re upset, and your gift is reacting.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” Sophie choked on a sob, and Caleb felt the telltale prickle of another Race signature along the edges of his consciousness.

“I feel them now,” he said, sitting taller in the seat and leaning forward as if willing the car to go faster.

Ava didn’t respond but remained focused on Sophie.

Caleb felt Ava’s gift and knew she was letting it flow into the girl a little, helping calm her.
 
“We’ll help you.” Ava sounded so calm and soothing. “We’ll help you learn to control it, but for right now, you need to calm down. Breathe with me, okay?”

Sophie nodded and swallowed tears as she tried to match Ava’s inhale and exhale.

The snow stopped.

“That’s good.” Ava nodded encouragingly. “Keep breathing. I need you to stay calm. Someone’s coming, and I’m guessing they’re after you.”

Sophie’s breath caught, and the ice gathering on the dashboard cracked.

“It’s okay,” Ava hurried to say. “Keep breathing. Stay calm. We’re going to keep you safe.”

Sophie gripped Ava’s hand, but she kept breathing slowly in and out. “How?”

Ava smiled. “You asked what I could do? Well, I’m about to show you.”

Goodreads * Add to Want To Read List

T.M. Franklin started out her career writing nonfiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a BA in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. Her first published novel, MORE, was born out of a challenge to write a novel in thirty days issued during National Novel Writing month. MORE was well received, selected as a finalist in the 2013 Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book Awards, and won the Suspense/Thriller division of the Blogger Book Fair Reader’s Choice Awards.   In addition to MORE and its sequels, The Guardians and TWELVE, Franklin has penned the Amazon best-selling short stories, Window and A Piece of Cake. Her new YA romance How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You is Franklin’s first love story without traditionally recognized paranormal or fantasy elements. Although . . . T. M. is the first to argue that love is the best kind of magic.
  

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Cover Reveal: The Duality Principle by Rebecca Grace Allen

SYNOPSIS:

Sometimes A + B = O. Yes. Oh, yes. Just like that.

Gabriella Evans’s life exists in terms of logic and definitions. She’s holed up in Portland, Maine, for the summer to work on her PhD thesis, but something is screwing up her concentration: the rumble of a motorcycle every time the embodiment of her rough-and-tumble fantasies rides down her street.

When her best friend talks her into a blind date, she finds herself out with the opposite of her fantasy. He’s polite and well-mannered, yet something behind his crisply tailored shirt doesn’t add up—a rebellious gleam in his eye that piques her curiosity.

Orphaned at fifteen, Connor Starks has finally put the years of failing grades, breaking laws and breaking hearts behind him. The only holdover? His penchant for getting down and dirty in public places. But Gabriella makes him want to prove he’s become a better man.

Nothing intrigues Gabriella more than a problem she can’t solve. But the more Connor tries to bury his past, the more determined she is to uncover it. And what she finds makes all her trusty logic begin to fail her...

Warning: This book contains a summer romance, dirty talk, dockside kissing, motorcycles and tattoos. Features a rebellious nerdy girl with an appetite for outdoor sex and light spanking, and a bad boy who’s turned good...or at least he’s trying.

I can not WAIT to get my hands on this one!!!!!!

PURCHASE LINKS:

Pre-order on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Duality-Principle-Rebecca-Grace-Allen-ebook/dp/B00M3XTPU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406656342&sr=8-1&keywords=rebecca+grace+allen

Pre-order oniTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-duality-principle/id903314215?mt=11
Pre-order on Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-duality-principle
Pre-order on B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-duality-principle-rebecca-grace-allen/1120006613?ean=9781619223707

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR:

Website: www.RebeccaGraceAllen.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomRebeccaGraceAllen

Twitter https://twitter.com/RGraceAllen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccagraceallen