Perfectly Broken by Prescott Lane -- Review and Giveaway

Perfectly Broken by Prescott Lane
Publication date: March 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

SYNOPSIS:

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken.  She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans.  But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up.  While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them.

With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own — a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured.  But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

MY THOUGHTS:

4 out of 5 stars.

This book was not at all what I was expecting.  I mean, how many times can you read a book about a broken girl and a hot boy with a reputation without getting bored.  I figured I read it, like it well enough, blog about it and move on to the next book, right?

Y'all...I really really really enjoyed this book.

Sure, at its core, this book is about a broken girl and a broken boy who find each other and things all work out, but there was so much more to this story that once I started reading, I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day.  

There was just something about the way Prescott Lane developed these characters that made me really click with them.  I believed Peyton's insecurities, I swooned when Reed made his moves, I absolutely loved Peyton's therapist and wanted to high five Quinn for being such a devoted friend.  Plus there was pie and HGTV and Al Green and it took place in New Orleans so I was familiar with the setting, and did I mention there was pie?  So many things to love!

Yes, I'm totally gushing but I enjoyed Perfectly Broken that much and it definitely will be on my summer reread list.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

GIVEAWAY:

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A Year Full of Flutters and Flails

One year ago today, I posted the first review on Flutters and Flails.  A whole year.  365 days.  12 months.  I can't believe I made it!

When I first started thinking about running a blog, I had no idea what it entailed.  I only knew that: 1) I read a lot of books and 2) I was already posting reviews on Goodreads and 3) I was constantly wanting somebody to talk about books with me.  Obviously, a book review blog sounded like a perfect fit.  And I'd say all in all, this year has been pretty awesome.

I've read some amazing books, I've read some not so amazing books.  I was able to meet some of my favorite bookish people and authors at YALLFest.  I've written reviews a week before my posting deadline, the morning OF my deadline and there was one unfortunate moment when I got my posting date confused and missed it completely.  But only once!  I've participated in blog hops and book tours and the occasional meme.  I've honed and perfected my procrastination skills.  My to-read list has almost doubled.  I've even fangirled. 

The most important thing I've learned over the course of the year, is that I am perfectly happy with my fun little blog.  I'm not the biggest or the flashiest or the one with the most giveaways.  I live in an area with very very few local bookish events and I get turned down for ARCs - though I don't cry as much as I used to.  I get way too excited when I get bookish mail and maybe a little jealous when I don't -- okay, a lot jealous but I'm working on it.  And, not gonna lie, there were more than a few moments where hurdles made me want to tear up all my reviews, stomp on them and throw myself a gigantic pity party.

But then I would remember a comment from a reader.  And the time another blogger offered to loan me an ARC that I really really wanted to read.  And the incredible day when I was able to participate in the cover reveal for a book written by a childhood friend.  And every swoony moment a bookish friend tweeted me a picture of Jon Snow just because she knows me that well.  And the fact that my 11 year old son and I started reading the same book this week and that he says he wants to help me write the review.  I mean...

 So yeah, I'm pretty much a ball of emotion today.  Much more than I thought I would be when I realized this blogiversary was coming up.  I set out last April with a heart full of "what-ifs and why-nots" and here I am today, still talking about the books I love.  To all my wonderful, amazing, stupendous, magnificent, fabulous readers: thank you for sticking with me while I continue to learn the ropes and I can't wait to see what this year brings.

 XOXO,

~Risbee

Lost in Me by Lexi Ryan - Review and Giveaway

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

SYNOPSIS:

LOST IN ME is the first book in the Here and Now series, a spin-off of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Hope series. This sexy amnesia love triangle is intended for mature readers.

The last thing I remember is having drinks at Brady’s and trying to avoid eye-contact with my life-long crush—the gorgeous, unattainable Maximilian Hallowell. They tell me that was a year ago, but I have no memories of anything since then. What I do have is this ring on my finger that Max says he gave me, and this much-thinner body I’ve dreamed of most of my life. Aside from a case of retrograde amnesia, everything seems almost…perfect.

But the deeper I immerse myself into this new world of mine—planning a wedding to a man I don’t remember dating, attempting to run a business I don’t remember starting—the clearer it becomes that nothing is as it seems. Do I have the life I’ve always wanted or is it a facade propped up by secrets I don’t even know I have?

I need answers before I marry Max, and the only person who seems to have them is the angry, tatted, sexy-as-sin rocker Nate Crane. And Nate wants me for himself.

LOST IN ME is not a standalone novel, as the story continues in Here and Now book two, FALL TO YOU, releasing in June.

MY THOUGHTS:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Two weekends ago, my son had a Odyssey of the Mind tournament that would last all of Saturday.  I took Lost in Me with me thinking that I would have a lot of down time to sit and read between his obligations and the awards ceremony that afternoon.  I fully intended on getting a jump on my reading and maybe even write this review ahead of time.

(Please note that I am writing this the day before my scheduled posting date -- but that is purely due to my epic procrastination skills.  For real, they are epic.)

Anyway, after my son fell asleep in the hotel room on Friday night, I started reading - again, thinking that I'd just read a few chapters and then have all day the next day to finish it.  Yeah...I finished the book that night.  

Lost in Me is a story of the past and the present.  We open up as Hannah and her friends are enjoying a girls night out.  There are beverages and boys and all the ingredients for what could be a fun night.  

But that's all we know because the next chapter opens with Hannah in the hospital after having an accident.  While she knows who she is and recognizes her family and friends, she has lost the last eleven months of her life.  Gone.  Poof.  Nope.  

While losing any memory is tragic enough, there had been some pretty important changes in Hannah's life over those eleven months.   She'd lost weight, she'd opened her own business, and she was apparently engaged to Max, the man of her dreams.

So why was there another man crawling into her bed?  

And now I need to just take a moment to remember all the things about Nate Crane, because... 

Needless to say, there are questions that need to be answered.  And through flashbacks and conversations with her friends and family, Hannah starts to put things together...all the while struggling with the fear that maybe remembering will change what she thinks is her perfect life.

Now can you understand why I stayed up way past my bedtime reading until I finished?

(All that being said, it would be cruel of me to not mention the GIGANTIC CLIFFHANGER at the end of the book -- thankfully the remaining books in the series are due out this summer, so at least we won't have to wait too long)

So anyway, this story was exactly what I was looking for.  And while I was reading it, I started to remember the other book that I'd read by this author -- in a separate, yet still related series -- and I remembered how much I loved that one. Dude...Lexi Ryan knows what I like to read.  That's the only way I know how to put it.

There is something about the way she tells a story that clicks with me.  And she has solidified her spot as one of my "go-to authors".  Basically, if she writes it, I'm gonna need to read it.  

 

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

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Cover Reveal: Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Love and Other Unknown Variables
by Shannon Lee Alexander
Release Date:  10/07/14
Entangled Teen

SUMMARY:

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he'll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover the solutions to the universe's greatest unanswerable problems. He's that smart.

The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she's counting on the present. She would rather sketch with charcoal pencils, sing in her pitch-perfect voice, or read her favorite book than fill out a college application.

Charlie's future blurs the moment he meets Charlotte. She's not impressed by the strange boy until she learns he's a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job. At Charlotte's request, Charlie orchestrates the biggest prank campaign in Brighton history. But by the time Charlie learns Charlotte is ill and that the pranks were a way to distract her sister from Charlotte's illness, Charlotte's gravitational pull on him is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he's always relied on or the girl he's falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second). 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife, mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter).  She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research.  Math makes her break out in a sweat.  Love and Other Unknown Variables is her debut novel.  She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.  You can follow her at www.wanderthewords.blogspot.com or on Twitter @shanlalexander.

EXTRA FLAILS

Here is the moment when I get a little sappy.  Shannon is one of my oldest friends - we have known each other since we were 11 years old, so I can't even begin to describe how happy I am for her and how honored I am to be a part of her journey.  I've seen what this amazing woman can do and trust me, you are going to want to read this book!  Congratulations, Shannon - you deserve all the exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cover Reveal organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Declaration by Rachael Wade - Book Tour

Preservation Series by Rachael Wade
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance



Synopsis book 1: Preservation

Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.

Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.

When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.

But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.

Synopsis book 2: Reservation

A sequel to the Amazon bestselling romance, Preservation, told from Ryan’s point of view.

Old Habits Die Hard.

Ryan Campbell is not only leaving his title of Professor behind to move on to bigger and better things at Simon and Warden Publishing, he’s also become Seattle’s rising literary star. Sitting on the overwhelming cusp of newfound fame, he learns soon enough that being popular has its downside.

Attracted to the buzz surrounding his new career, former lovers begin to creep back into his life, and potential ones emerge with enticing advances. While he works to juggle reserved, yet stressful, wedding plans with Kate and his new public image, he has enough to manage without worrying about Carter and Dean—Kate’s loveable albeit eccentric friends—and their latest shenanigans.

Surrounded by a lifestyle that includes temptation at every turn, Ryan finds himself immersed in a world full of scandal and lies, where his oldest weaknesses thrive and his ghosts return to haunt him. Questioning whether his life with Kate is his best path, he must discover if he’s still capable of being the man he aspired to be when she first became his, or if happily ever after is only an illusion.

Synopsis book 3: Declaration

Featuring characters from Love and Relativity.

Carter Montgomery spent most of his life blending in, and he liked it that way. It was always better to be seen, not heard. And while a theatric streak and friendly demeanor might have fooled most people, he knew the truth—he was the shy one. The quiet kid most people forgot about. Some might have considered that a bad thing, but those people all wanted to be in the spotlight.

The only place Carter didn’t mind attention was on stage, with The Hellions. Once content in his comfort zone in Seattle, Washington, he only knew three things: confrontation was to be avoided, keeping the peace was priority, and the moment he lost Kate Parker to Professor Ryan Campbell, he had no clue what to do with his life. Playing gigs, working at Pike Place Market, and watching BBC after the love of his life sailed off into the sunset just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Desperate to escape his rut, he takes a cue from Kate and chooses a random place to relocate—a small island across the country, where no one knows his name and memories of unrequited love aren’t found at every turn. Just when he thinks he’s found the perfect place to unwind and sink back into the shadows, in bursts Whitney Sinclair, a saucy firecracker who loves life and refuses to settle for second best. Full of contagious energy, she dares him to be brave, convincing him that it might finally be time to tell the world what he wants.

It might be time to make a declaration.

 

EXCERPT:

The kiss wasn’t just any kiss. No, it was a tricky little bastard, because it started out soft and gentle, but shifted gears in a matter of seconds. The moment her response went from surprise to surrender, the kiss turned hard and hungry, launching us into a frenzy of movement. Her arms were around my neck, my hands were moving all over her body, and somehow, in a span of about five seconds, she climbed up me like a tree, her legs wrapped tightly around my waist.

We spun and bumped into the counter. I reached behind my back with one hand to tighten the cross of her ankles. And then I had her sitting on the edge of the stovetop, my hands exploring the tops of her thighs. I pushed the ruffled skirt hem up and clasped on to her bare, silky skin. Her tongue dove to the back of my throat, sliding over mine like wet, slick velvet.

Holy mother fuck, I couldn’t breathe. I was drowning in this girl. She lifted her ass from the stovetop and bucked into me, meeting my dick with the apex of her thighs. My fingers grazed the dampness, and my erection throbbed at the thought of making her come right through her panties. Judging by how soaking wet she was, she was that ready.  

 

“I’m burning up,” she moaned against my mouth, ripping at the buttons of my shirt.

“Oh, baby, me too.” I seated her ass back onto the counter and sent her a slow, precise rock of my hips.

“It’s so hot, God it’s hot.”

“I know. Let me help.” I made quick work of her shirt, gliding down the lace ruffles to get to the buttons. “This uniform drives me crazy.”

She giggled into my mouth. “You like?”

“Mmmmmm it’s so damn sexy.”

I dragged her shirt sleeves down to her wrists, wishing I could memorize the image—her leaning back on the counter like that, shirt wide open and tits thrust in my face—but something else glared at me from behind her, distracting me from the view. “You’re burning up!” I shouted.  “Whitney!”

She laughed and leaned in, biting my lip hard. “It’s all your fault, Montgomery.”

“No, shit! I mean your shirt, it’s literally burning up!”

“What?” she shrieked, her head snapping to look back over her shoulder, where her shirt was still attached to her wrists. Flames had started to dance across the material and she let out a scream, pushing herself off the worktop and scampering to her feet.

I’d turned on the stove to start cooking the chicken and had forgotten about it.

 

Frantically sliding her shirt over her hands and flinging it to the floor, she jumped and started stomping on it while I flicked the stove off and raced for a pot of water to douse the shi

rt with. A loud sizzle pooled at our feet, steam and smoke rising around our knees.

“Oh my God!” she coughed, her choke mixed with laughter. “Were you trying to kill me, Montgomery?”

“No!” I laughed with her, my shaky hands and racing heartbeat slowing just enough to register that I needed to check her for burns. “Come here, let me see you.” I pulled her around the smoky puddle and toward me, grabbing her hands and arms to assess the damage. I turned her around under the light and gently ran my fingers over her arms, back and chest, brushing over her hot, clammy skin and the white satin of her bra. Her heaving chest rose as she took a deep breath in, then fell as she worked to calm herself.

“I’m fine. It just caught my shirt sleeve.”

“Way to give me a heart attack, woman.”

“Me, give you a heart attack?”

“Well, yeah,” I shrugged in exasperation, “first you attack me like that and make me crazed with lust, and then you go and set yourself on fire!”

“What?” she screeched.

“You heard me!”

“You’re the one who kissed me and sat me on the damn stove!”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t thinking properly. God, I’m bloody knackered, now. I need to sit down. Come here.” Our panting laughter began to simmer down as we took a seat on the sofa.

She slipped comfortably into my lap and I radiated satisfaction, realizing that if I had a mirror right now, I’d probably find a big, cheesy grin plastered across my face.

“You, Carter Montgomery, are a menace.” She smiled down at me, slowly wrapping her hand around the nape of my neck, giving a light tug.

“I think I owe you a meal. Take out?”

 

 

 

 

Purchase Links:

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=preservation%20Rachael%20Wade

--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/preservation-Rachael-Wade?store=allproducts&keyword=preservation+Rachael+Wade

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachael Wade writes edgy New Adult and Adult romance and science fiction. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling PRESERVATION SERIES, THE REPLACEMENT, and LOVE AND RELATIVITY, as well as the paranormal romance series THE RESISTANCE TRILOGY. When she's not writing, she's busy going to concerts, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. She's an avid Brandi Carlile fan and loves all things Tim Burton. Visit her at RachaelWade.com and LightsOnLove.com, and come chat with her on Twitter @RachaelWade.