Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday - Sept. 16

A new-to-me meme to participate in is Top Ten Tuesday.  I have always enjoyed seeing this one on other blogs I read so I decided it was time for me to participate. 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  So go there to check out more info, link up and see the future topics.  There are a bunch I am looking forward to.

This week's topic is: 

Top Authors I've Only Read One Book From But NEED to Read More (links go to author's Goodreads page)

  1. Larissa Ione - yes somehow I have missed out on this great author. I read the first one in her new Moonbound Clan series, Bound By Night which was amazing, so now it's time to check out book #2, Chained by Night and then her Demonica series.
  2. Marata Eros - I loved The Darkest Joy so I can't wait to check out the next book in the series and some of her other series as well.
  3. Jen Frederick - I read Unraveled which was actually the third in The Woodlands series, so I am anxious to go back to the beginning of this series and I have to say she is on my must read list for anything new and anything I missed.
  4. Melissa Bourbon - I love A Killing Notion so I will be checking out more of her A Magical Dressmaking series.
  5. Kendra Elliot - I read the first in her new Mason Callahan series and will read all new books in it and plan to go back and read her Bone Secrets series as well.
  6. Melissa West - I really enjoyed Pieces of Olivia. I have Gravity already on my TBR pile and I can't wait for more in the Charleston Haven series.
  7. Lia Riley - She may just be my favorite, I loved, loved, loved Upside Down and I am getting ready to read Sideswiped.  This Off the Map series is amazing!
  8. Megan Hart - Yes it has taken me this long to read something by this incredible author but Flying has me wanting to read more!
  9. Catherine McKenzie - Another author that has been around for awhile and I just got a chance to read.  I've already requested another of her books from the library, I loved Arranged that much!
  10. Sarah Castille - Can you say hot?  Not only was In Your Corner my first book by Sarah Castille but it was also the first I have read that features MMA.  And I can't wait for more MMA and more of Sarah's books. Against the Ropes is currently on my wishlist!

Any other authors you would suggest?  Would love to hear some of your favorites that you have just read one and are dying to read more.  Tell me in the comments and/or link up in The Broke and the Bookish's linky.



Forgive Me by Eliza Freed Excerpt Spotlight and Giveaway

FORGIVE ME by Eliza Freed 
(November 4, 2014; Forever Yours E-Book)
 
When two lost souls find each other are they still lost?
At twenty years old, Charlotte O'Brien is suddenly lost and can't seem to find her way home. In the wake of her parents' tragic death she replaces a healthy mourning period with an emotionally and sexually intense relationship with Jason Leer, a fellow lost soul and an unlikely lover. She's a student of diversity, a lover of Manhattan, and about to be a junior at Rutgers University. He's a steer wrestler, an Oklahoma State cowboy, and the hottest thing Charlotte has ever laid eyes on.

Charlotte buries herself in Jason. When they're together it's everything, but when they're apart it's utterly frustrating. Can love survive when distance is measured in more than just miles?





Pre-Order Now!

About the author:
After graduating from Rutgers University and returning to her hometown in rural South Jersey, Eliza Freed discovered her creativity and gift for story telling as a corporate trainer and spent years perfecting her presentation skills and studying diversity. It was during this time she became an avid observer of the characters we meet and the heartaches we endure. Her years of study have taught her laughter is the key to survival, even when it’s completely inappropriate. She currently lives in New Jersey with her family and a misbehaving beagle named Odin. An avid swimmer, if Eliza is not with her family and friends, she’d rather be underwater. While she enjoys many genres, she has always been a sucker for a love story…the more screwed up the better.

Social Media Links:

Excerpt:
“To exist in silence as I lay my soul bare”

And so it goes. The days are blurs of Sean, Jenn, and Margo helping me with the administration
of my life. There’s a will, a house, cars, belongings. Too much to comprehend. And my nights are Jason Leer.

He comes when the others leave; always here within minutes of loneliness setting in. He
saves me from my thoughts and my memories. Two days ago I showed him the key under the
turtle rock and now he no longer knocks. Knocking would imply asking permission to come in and he’s already here.

Something’s different about tonight, though. Sean and Michelle brought dinner over and
drove Dad’s tractor back to their house. They left an hour ago, later than expected, and he’s still
not here. I haven’t slept without him since the funeral and now that he’s absent, the depth to which I need him scares me.

I look in the mirror as I brush my teeth and my face is distraught. I refuse to let myself
consider why. Too afraid it has more to do with Jason’s absence than with my parents. That’s
impossible, though. Did he say he had something to do tonight? Did he say anything? Do we ever say anything? I thought I understood. Until tonight. Now that he’s not here the last week no longer makes sense.

I button the last button on my favorite nightshirt and climb into bed. It’s enormous and
cold without him. The silent darkness allows the memories to seep in. The moonlight invades my
room and everything is gray and sad. Why?

Why did you die?
 

Why aren’t you here?

Where the hell is Jason Leer?


Tears fill my eyes, and I roll onto my stomach and bury my face in my pillow. I can’t be
without them. They have to come back. I hear the truck tires on the gravel of my driveway and
hurry out of bed. His truck door moans as he closes it and I go to the back door to meet him. I open it just as he’s fitting the key into the lock.

His smile fades as the look on my face registers. He steps to me and wipes the tears from
my face, which makes me cry a little more.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he whispers, so as to not disturb the quiet that’s descended on the
house. He smells of cigarettes and dirt. Actual dirt. And I’m so thankful he’s here.

“Worried I wasn’t coming?” Jason moves closer to me and I lose my breath as he pins me
up against the wall. I nod my head slowly, my eyes never leaving his.

“I came as soon as the rodeo ended.”

“Did you forget the rodeo?”

“No. I know the rodeo is on Saturday.” Jason’s face turns to confusion. “I didn’t know today is Saturday,” I say, and my complete disconnection from the living makes me start to cry
again. If my parents were alive, I would know what fucking day it is.

Jason pulls me close to him and kisses the side of my head as he runs his fingers through my hair.

“I need a shower,” he says, but I can’t be concerned with what he needs.

I lay my soul bare; Jason’s to do with me what he wants because I can’t seem to care about it anymore. He forces me back to the wall and presses his body against mine until I can feel him. Until I can feel something.


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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Teaser Tuesday #1


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from What I Love About You by Rachel Gibson (and okay it's more than two sentences, but I thought it was a good look at the humor in the book):




"Then Michael let all that high finance go to his head." She frowned. "The big city just corrupted him."
"New York?" He tossed the razors in his cart.
"Boise."
Boise? He chucked and coughed in his fist. Boise was a nice-size town, but could never be mistaken for the big city.


What are you reading this week and what lines stand out to you?


Have you read this one yet? What did you think? I am loving it so far.  My review will be up later this week at Ramblings from This Chick.


Monday, August 18, 2014

What Are You Reading Monday #5

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Few Weeks:
  • Four: The Son by Veronica Roth (mine)
  • Four: The Traitor by Veronica Roth (mine)
  • Flying by Megan Hart (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • August issue of Vogue

Reading Now: 
  • The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Amazon Unlimited)
  • Summer Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Arranged by Catherine McKenzie (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (just because)
  • Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (working on my health too) 
Next:
  • The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer (have to finish the series)
  • Heroes are My Weakness (to finish the whole Susan Elizabeth Phillips promo off)
  • The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost (for review here)
  • Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau (from Amazon Vine)
Summary -
Not my best reading week, but I enjoyed finishing off the stories about Four from the Divergent series.  I also really enjoyed the audiobook of Flying.  I finished my steroids this week and felt a jump in energy and threw that energy back into working out, thus less reading time than when I was in my flare up.  A migraine on Thursday night led to reading Vogue (just needed something mindless yet enjoyable, but I learned Vogue is not mindless, but actually a really amazing magazine).  Hope to balance everything out this coming week with more reading, but the sewing bug is biting and also with at least two nights of practice to take Jacob to and I want to go to at least one night of Logan's, I see my reading continuing on a slow pace.  Oh well, at least I love  football and can use practice time to crochet, it's easier to look up and watch while crocheting (finishing up a pattern so it's a lot of repeat rows) than it is to read and look up.

My Amazon Unlimited expired over the weekend, and though I really liked it, I am already subscribed to Scribd and Next Issue so that's enough money spent on reading books and magazines each  month so I let that go. I think Scribd is a better service so I'm keeping it and I love to read magazines and Next Issue lets me read a variety and it suits my moods well.

Have you subscribed to any book/magazine services?  If so which are your favorites?  I'm always open to new things :)

Monday, August 11, 2014

What Are You Reading Monday #4

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Few Weeks:
  • Marathon Man by Bill Rodgers (from library)
  • Before You by Amber Hart (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Mean Streak by Sandra Brown (from netgalley)
  • Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (from publisher for a promo tour review before Heroes are My Weakness Comes Out)
  • Upside Down by Lia Riley (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Bound By Night by Larissa Ione  (from netgalley, for review in prep for second book coming out)
  • Then Came You by Jill Shalvis (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Power Play by Mallery Malone (from netgalley)
  • Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (using a free month of Amazon Unlimited)
  • The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer (using a free month of Amazon Unlimited)
  • Sweet Talk Me by Kieran Kramer (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Tell Me Something Good by Jamie Wesley (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Call Me Irresistable by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (from publisher for a promo tour review before Heroes are My Weakness Comes Out)
  • Four: The Initiate by Veronica Roth (mine)

Reading Now: 
  • The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Amazon Unlimited)
  • Summer Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Flying by Megan Hart (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (just because)
  • Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (working on my health too) 
Next:
  • The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer (have to finish the series)
  • A Pinch of Ooh La La by Renee Swindle (for review here) 
  • Heroes are My Weakness (to finish the whole Susan Elizabeth Phillips promo off)
  • The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost (for review here)
  • Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau (from Amazon Vine)
Summary -
It's been a few weeks, but hey it's summer, my husband turned 40 and I am in the middle of one of my wonderful flare-ups.  Which is made even more fun by how great I was feeling about a week ago.  I could do anything anytime, and now I am just barely making it to work and home each day.  The boys were gone on vacation again last week so that helped.  Our youngest stayed with my Aunt and Uncle while our oldest went with my parents to see the Pittsburgh Pirates play the Miami Marlins.  This was extremely exciting for him because they are his favorite team and it was his first MLB game.  Don't worry, the youngest was invited too but he chose to stay behind and be spoiled by my aunt and uncle.  I know one day they played golf, went to the dollar tree, bought candy, shot pool in the basement and also went out to supper for french fries and a milkshake.  I want to be 9 again (they spoiled me the same way!)  

How was your week?
Have you tried Amazon Unlimited Yet?  I already use Scribd so I don't think I'll keep it after the 30-day trial, but there are some great crafting books available and some interesting indie books as well as well-known ones, so I see the benefit.
What are your thoughts on subscription book services?

Friday, August 8, 2014

Book Review: Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Natural Born Charmer (Chicago Stars #7)
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 400
Format: Mass Market Paperback & ebook

ISBN: 978-0060734589










My Review:
Why oh, why have I let my reading of every new book and her old ones I missed slip lately.  There was a time I would read each new release, but then blogging took over.  So when I was approached by Megan, the publicist at Harper Collins, I had to jump at the chance to be part of this amazing blog tour.  I get to review two of Susan’s previous titles (watch for Ain’t She Sweet in two weeks) and then I get to read her new one, Heroes are my Weakness.  Three SEP’s in one summer, heck  yes!!

And her books are just like I remember them, full of great characters, lots of humor and banter and a wonderful love story.  Natural Born Charmer did not disappoint.  What was even better, this was my book I enjoyed on the houseboat we rented to celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday.  There was no better place to enjoy this book! 

Is there a better place to relax with a book (note the Atlantic Ocean is just on the other side of those dunes and Cape Lookout was my other view, happiness!)

So Natural Born Charmer starts off with a bang.  A hot guy in a hot car picking up a literally hot headless beaver on the side of the road.  I mean it seems absurd but I could see it happening.  Said beaver has quite a bit of spunk, a jerk of an ex and no money so she embarks on a trip with hot hunky football player to get where she needs to go, not knowing at the time that where she needs to be is with said football-player.

Dean and Blue are amazing characters.  Dean is a natural born charmer which is one of the things that makes Blue hold off from him for awhile.  Blue is a flighty but smart woman who has grown up in several homes so she’s a little scared of commitment.  Dean is not all in from the beginning of the book either, he’s just intrigued by how different Blue is, but he is just as afraid as her that they can’t make it work because of their differences and because of his own issues in his life.

As they finally make it to Nashville where he is having a house redone as a second home (his first is in Chicago where he’s a Chicago Star football player).  But he wants a more permanent home and he loves the one in Nashville.  He comes home to a surprise or two that make the book interesting. I like how the book focuses on several other characters.  At times I almost felt Blue and Dean’s romance was secondary, but it was okay, it really worked in the framework of the book and once the storylines started coming together, I could hardly put the book down.  I was even reading it on the boat ride home and I never do that, I usually just enjoy the scenery, but it was that hard to put down.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips fails to disappoint as usual.  You get romance, you get drama, you get laughs.  I’m pretty sure I laughed and cried in this one.  I loved every minute even when I was about ready to kill the main characters becasue of their usual stupidity at not facing love.  But that just added to the story as well.  This is number 7 in the Chicago Stars series, but reads great as a stand-alone.  However it reminds me I want to go back and fill in the books I have missed and with a lighter review schedule I should be able to do that.  Thank you Susan Elizabeth Phillips for providing me with a wonderful beach read and I look forward to continuing my summer of SEP soon!

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


Summary
It wasn't every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of a road, not even in Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard's larger-than-life world. He slammed on the brakes of his brand-new Aston Martin Vanquish and pulled over in front of her.
The beaver marched right past, her big, flat tail bouncing in the gravel, and her small, sharp nose stuck up in the air. Way up. The beaver looked highly pissed . . .
She was definitely a girl beaver because her beaver head was missing, revealing sweaty, dark hair pulled into a scraggly ponytail. He'd been praying for a little distraction from his own depressing company, so he threw open the door and stepped out onto the shoulder of the Colorado road . . .
Funny, sexy, and touching, Natural Born Charmer is the unforgettable love story of a golden boy who might be losing his luster and a spirited woman who's learned never to depend on anyone but herself.

Buy Links















Author Biography (from Goodreads)
The Huffington Post says the books of Susan Elizabeth Phillips provide a “gateway drug to the whole [romance] genre,” which she assumes is a good thing. Bookpage magazine calls her “the crown jewel of romantic comedy writers,” which is definitely a good thing. Since she wrote her first novel on a typewriter in her kitchen, her books have been published in over 30 languages and appear on bestseller lists all over the world.
In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother of two adorable little ones.


Social Networking Links
Website
Facebook
Twitter


***I received this book from the publicist at Harper Collins for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Monday, July 14, 2014

What Are You Reading Monday #3

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in! 

Books Completed Last Two Weeks 
Sorry I didn't post last week!  It was a crazy weekend, we had Hurricane Arthur, no power and then family functions and visits to the Cape!

  • The Treatment by Suzanne Young (The Program #2) on audio for review
  • Vanished by Kendra Elliot (from netgalley) for review
  • Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi (mine)
  • Pieces of Olivia by Melissa West (for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Enemies on Tap by Avery Flynn (for Ramblings From This Chick)

Reading Now: 
  • Then Came You by Jill Shalvis (audio for Ramblings From This Chick)
  • Cop Town by Karin Slaughter (from netgalley, for review)
  • Bound By Night by Larissa Ione  (from netgalley, for review in prep for second book coming out)
  • Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (working on my health too) 
Next:
  • Unlucky 13 by James Patterson (from the library)
  • Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau (from Amazon Vine)
  • Take Me If You Dare by Nina Crespo (for this blog)
  • Two Week Seduction by Kathy Lyons (for this blog)
Summary -

Lots of great books read during these two weeks.  Thankfully Arthur's main problem was loss of power over 24 hours, but we are blessed by family that loaned us a generator to power our fridge & freezer and also family that allowed us to stay at their house when our power wasn't back on Friday evening.  There was a bit of yard clean-up but with the four of us working first thing Friday when it was cool and breezy it was quick.

Craziest thing about the hurricane, being in the eye. It's not the first time for us, but night hurricanes are nerve-wracking and the wind was crazy so when it was so calm it was great.  But I would have loved peace and quiet especially since it was 11:30pm, but nope, people were running the roads, driving around.  Seriously, can't you just stay home??  Oh well.  I went to sleep shortly after the eye passed and I felt the risk of tornadoes was lower (they are always the worst on the backside of the storm).  I am thankful this storm is not as bad as it could have been!

How was your week?