Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Imperfect (Disappeared Book 1) by Bronwyn Kienapple


England, 1813. Lady Theodosia feels she has no choice but to marry a man she doesn't love. That is until she stumbles into a different universe — an astonishing, mystical forest inhabited by the Nextic, a peaceful people who live close to nature.

Ahuil is fiercely independent until he meets Theodosia. Cut off from his own people, he nurses a dark secret. But in Theodosia he sees someone he can trust ... and love.

As her visits to his universe become more frequent, Theodosia is convinced she's found paradise. But a great change is coming to Ahuil's world. Half-beings roam the ruins of an unknown civilization and a growing mist appears to be preparing to wipe out his people — forever.

Torn between her family and a profound love, Theodosia is haunted by a question she cannot shake — in the face of terrible danger, how much is she willing to risk for love?

Two imperfect worlds. One unlikely romance. An impossible choice.

Imperfect takes you on an incredible journey that spans Regency England and a fantasy world unlike any you've ever imagined. Embrace the power of love and the yearning to be known in this tale of an irresistible heroine and the man who loves her, despite everything.

 * GoodreadsAmazon *

This is a regency, time travel, fantasy romance.  All in one.  Crazy stuff, I'm telling you.  It was interesting to see how the author meshed all those genres together.

This book was on the shorter side, I thought.  It starts off a bit slow but it did pick up and it didn't take me long to read through it.  The end is a bit of a cliff hanger so it leaves you wanting more.  

I thought this was a good book, mostly surface for me as my emotions never got involved, but I appreciated the creativity as the author is obviously trying to create something different from most books out there.


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Light Unshaken (Unveiled #2) by Crystal Walton


It’s real. It has to be. Twenty-two-year-old college student Emma Matthews gained too much ground last year for it all to be a dream. She has an engagement ring on her finger to prove it. Not to mention an internship she’s made for.

After a summer of overcoming her fears, Emma can’t afford for the news she just received to shake her. Not when it might jeopardize her future with Riley. And not when the kids in downtown Portland are counting on her to keep the center’s doors open. With the added strain of a broken relationship and an unexpected friendship reminding her what’s at stake, what other choice does she have?

But as mounting danger compromises her safety, friction intensifies until the risk of keeping her promise threatens all she’s fought to believe. Caught in a moment when every light in her life goes out, Emma must find the courage to lead her heart no matter what it costs her.

Falling in love is as easy as falling asleep. Holding on to that love is like trying to hold on to a dream. Even when it feels more real than life. Join Emma in this inspiring story about real love, costly choices, and the courage to fight for what you believe in.

 * GoodreadsAmazon *

Not long ago I reviewed the first book in this series, Eyes Unveiled.  (You can read my review HERE.)  Light Unshaken is the second book in this series and I would really recommend reading Eyes Unveiled before starting this book.  The emotional back history is something you need to understand.

What I love about this series is the emotional pull it has.  I am drawn into Emma's world and I see and feel things with her.  Emma is a character people can relate to- her emotions, her desire to make a difference, her vulnerability, and even her mistakes.  

Emma and Riley are engaged in this book and fully in love but then Riley is made an offer he cannot refuse and suddenly they are worlds apart and fighting for the love they thought was so strong.  Emma feels far away and left out of Riley's busy world.  She fights loneliness and doubt.  Emma keeps herself busy though and tries not to wallow.  She has a goal, a place and people that need her.  She wants to make a difference but it is hard work and the danger that surrounds her seems to be escalating.  The emotions are high in this book for sure.

Falling in love is easy to do.  Staying in love and fighting for that love when things get hard is something else entirely.  I enjoyed this book and I read through it quickly.  It has a fantastic forward momentum with that emotional pull that I love when reading.  This book left off in a place that surely cannot be the end so I am assuming that means another book is to come.  I hope.  :)

Content:  Clean


Monday, July 13, 2015

Counting On a Cowboy by Debra Clopton


After losing everything dear to her, Abby never wants to love again. But a certain cowboy spurs her to wonder if maybe love is worth the risk. Running from a past that haunts her, Abby Knightly is drawn to the homey town of Wishing Springs, Texas, after her favorite advice columnist found love and a home there. Maybe this small town could offer hope and healing and a future for Abby too . . . if she's brave enough to reach out and take it. Bo Monahan isn't interested in the new romantic destination his little town has become--or the women who might be looking at him like he's their next Mr. Right. Between taking care of his Pops and his growing stirrup business, he isn't looking for serious romantic commitments. But unexpectedly the young child he never knew about appears on his doorstep and Bo's world is turned upside down. This confirmed bachelor might not need a wife, but he sure needs a woman . . . and newcomer Abby Knightly is definitely a woman. When she comes to his rescue to help him navigate fatherhood, he slowly uncovers her own history. And suddenly Bo's thinking maybe, just maybe, together they can help each other work through the problems of the past to create a future of their own.

 * GoodreadsAmazon *

I was so excited to get my hands on this book.  I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it.  There is just something about cowboys...

This is the second book in this Four of Hearts Ranch series.  I don't think this book is dependent on the first book but I think you will enjoy it more if you read 
Betting on Hope (A Four of Hearts Ranch Romance Book 1) first.

Bo is a good man.  He's made a few mistakes but he is trying to be better, to do better and to be honorable.  He works hard and he is loyal to his family.  Those are attractive traits in any man.  I love when Bo decides he wants Abby and is determined to have her.  His all in attitude drives the book.

Abby is broken and trying to find herself.  She is forcing herself to be brave and live again.  I really enjoyed Abby's determination to take steps forward, even when sometimes she also took steps back.  She was a character I was rooting for from the very beginning.  

I just loved this book and I love this series!  It's one of my favorites.  The setting, the characters, the emotion- spot on.  Love!


Saturday, July 11, 2015

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Annette Lyon Collection

The ANNETTE LYON COLLECTION contains brand new contemporary romance novella OUR SONG, as well as five hand-picked readers’ and reviewers’ favorites of Annette’s popular Timeless Romance Anthology novellas. Readers will love this selection of three contemporary and three historical romance novellas.

In OUR SONG, a charming romance novella, Cassie and Matt have been dating in the Yellowstone area for two years, and things are, well, average. When Cassie meets up with two college friends who are visiting, their love lives like sound like fairy tales: rose petals, chocolates, candles on the beach… Cassie goes home feeling like she’s missing out. After all, repeatedly watching Old Faithful erupt and walking through sulfur-smelling gases at Fountain Paint Pot don’t exactly say “romance.” Maybe things with Matt aren’t going anywhere, and it’s time to move on. Then she discovers that perception and reality are completely different things. Now she can only hope it isn’t too late to show Matt how much she really cares.

In the sweet novella GOLDEN SUNRISE, Natalie takes time out of her crazy schedule to fly to Vegas for her best friend’s wedding. Sierra and Jason, high-school sweethearts, are finally getting married. Fortunately for Natalie, her old high-school flame, Adam, has a work commitment and can’t be there as best man. But when she arrives at the wedding rehearsal—late and ragged—Adam is there. When Adam makes a wild suggestion, Natalie just may take him up on it, even though she knows he’s moved on. A single choice may mean Natalie is taking a shot at reclaiming the past—or that she's putting her heart in harm’s way a second time.

FIRSTS AND LASTS, an enchanting novella, begins with Dani’s last week in New York. She’s failed in her dreams to catch a break as an actress and is now ready to return home and dust herself off. As she visits the places on her final to-see list, she meets Mark, another New York City transplant with big dreams. Except Mark hasn’t given up on his. As they spend the day together, Dani realizes that even though she hasn’t hit the “big time” she might be living her dream after all. Only problem: she has a one-way ticket back home.

In the compelling novella WAR OF HEARTS, Anna, a journalist, is desperate to escape the magazine where Pete, her now-former boyfriend, also works. Heartbroken and still in love with him, Anna snags an assignment to cover the Winter War in Finland. She arrives at a snowy Finnish battlefront only to discover that Pete is already there—as her photographer. She’s determined to be professional about the situation until a battle breaks out in camp, putting her and Pete in harm’s way and putting their love to the test.

The captivating novella BETWEEN THE LINES follows Jane Martin, who is intelligent but extremely shy, especially around men. When the Aid and Cultural Society proposes a letter-writing program, Jane signs up, hoping she can find true friendship. The program doesn’t run as smoothly as expected, and unknown to Jane, one of the men in her city becomes her writing friend. Thomas Allred has always known shy and quiet Jane, but reading her letters written to his secret persona, opens his eyes to what an amazing woman she is. The only trouble is, Jane doesn’t know that the man who she is falling in love with through letters is also Thomas, the man who is falling in love with her in person.

In the charming novella A TASTE OF HOME, we meet Claire Jennings, who’s on her way to spend Christmas with her family. As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew up across the street, memories of Christmases past flood her mind. He may be twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school years. At the rail station, Claire discovers that her home is under quarantine because her little brother has measles. She's stuck in town, away from her family, on her favorite holiday. William stays behind with her, and as Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.

 * Goodreads Amazon *

If you have been reading the Timeless Romance Series, you will be familiar with Annette Lyon.  She has contributed to many collections and her novellas are always fantastic.  In this book all her novellas are compiled into one place, which is awesome!  

There is a new novella, "Our Song" in addition to those novellas found in previous collections.  I actually hadn't read Golden Sunrise either so that one was new to me.  All the other novellas are ones I have read before (and really liked).

Our Song was such a good story.  Cassie wonders if her relationship with Matt is stagnant and boring when compared to her friend's flashy romances.  I love how she realizes that love is many different things.  Comfortable and dependable are two very important parts of love.  It was such a sweet story.  I really loved it.

Golden Sunrise is about a second chance at first love.  The relationship moved quickly but they had a history to draw from and I really enjoyed it.  I loved how Adam pursues Natalie, reminding her of all the good parts of their young love.  It was romantic and fun.

You really can't go wrong reading all these novellas.  They each have a different flavor- a few contemporary, a few historical but all clean and sweet.  You will end each one feeling good.



Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Friendship Tour by Tara Taylor Quinn- Review and Giveaways!


On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Check out all of Tara's events HERE.

The Friendship PactThe Friendship Pact
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Adult Romance, Women's Fiction
Paperback & ebook, 245 pages
June 1st 2014 by MIRA

This is a story for every woman who has a best friend...

Bailey Watters and Koralynn Mitchell consider themselves "sisters of the soul." Their circumstances growing up couldn't have been more different; Kora came from a wealthy, privileged family, while Bailey's home life was hard. They'd do anything for each other. "I'd give you a kidney," they always say. There are no secrets between them--until there's one secret Bailey can't share.

This is a story for every woman who's been in love.

Danny Brown is the only man Kora's ever wanted, ever loved, and her marriage seems as flawless as everything else in her life. Bailey, however, doesn't want a husband. She does want a baby--but only by IVF. And the perfect donor, the perfect biological father, would be a man like...Danny.

What happens when love and friendship collide?

Kora might be willing to give Bailey a kidney. But what about a baby?

Once Upon a Friendship
(The Historic Arapahoe #1)
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Adult Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
July 1st 2015 by Harlequin Heartwarming

They’re a team...not a couple!

Falling for Liam was unthinkable. He and Gabi had been best friends since college, nothing more. And crucially, now Liam was her client and needed her to be focused on his case. Gabi could never risk their friendship — or Liam’s freedom — over these feelings. They could never be a couple, anyway. He was Liam Connelly, the handsome and privileged son of a billionaire. She was Gabrielle Miller, the girl who’d fought her way out of poverty and put herself through law school. They were unlikely friends to begin with. Anything more was impossible. Unless...he felt it, too.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Harlequin

For this tour I read Once Upon a Friendship.  I did not read The Friendship Pact so my review will only be for Once Upon a Friendship.

Once Upon a Friendship is part of the Harlequin Heartwarming line which means it is sweet and clean.  This book is more about friendship and family than romance though.  The romance is barely there and when it does show up, it is mostly suppressed until the very end.  

Gabi and Liam have been friends for a very long time and consequently, know each other very well.  Neither one of them want to ruin the best friendship they've ever had by acting on the feelings of attraction that have suddenly bloomed after more than a decade of friendship.  But Gabi is helping Liam fight a legal case and they are spending a lot of time together.  It gets harder and harder for them to fight the attraction they feel.

I did enjoy the cast of characters here.  It was easy to feel their camaraderie and loyalty to each other.  Friendship is the best base for a romantic relationship, I think.  Well, friendship and attraction.  :)  This was an easy going book.  It was gentle in nature and never really got my heart pounding but it was solid and had a good flow to it.


The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. She is known for delivering deeply emotional and psychologically astute novels of suspense and romance. Tara is a recipient of the Reader’s Choice Award, a five time finalist for the RWA Rita Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the Bookseller’s Best Award and appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists. Tara is the past-president of Romance Writers of America and served eight years on that board of directors. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning and is a frequent guest speaker. In her spare time Tara likes to travel, climb Arizona mountains, and inline skate.

Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233. 


Just as the social sharing contest Tara is running through all her tour events this summer (details here) she's also hosting a giveaway for those who share quotes from her about friendship. There are three different choices all provided below to share. Share one or all just once or every day this week!

QUOTE #1

QUOTE #2

QUOTE #3 

Prizes include:
US PRIZE: Girlfriend note cards, mini-book full of quotes, "friends" picture frame, friends wall plaque, and ebooks of The Friendship Pact and Once Upon a Friendship.
INT PRIZE: Two (2) winners will receive ebook copies of The Friendship Pact and Once Upon a Friendship.

*Share must be public to be eligible. Can share once each day. Ends July 17th. Enter via the Rafflecopter link below.


ENTER HERE

Follow the Tour 

$10 VISA Gift Card & ebooks of The Friendship Pact and Once Upon a Friendship (INT)
Print copy of Once Upon a Friendship & a Spend the Summer with TTQ T-shirt (US only)
ebooks of The Friendship Pact and Once Upon a Friendship  (INT)
Ends July 17th

(All to one winner - US only.)
$10 VISA Gift Card
Copies of all five books on Tara's Summer Tour
Spend the Summer with TTQ T-Shirt
Ends July 16th

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Veils and Vengeance (Wedding Planner Mysteries Book 2) by Rachelle J. Christensen


When wedding planner, Adrielle Pyper, goes to Hawaii to orchestrate a destination wedding, she isn't prepared for what she finds.

After the trauma of her previous event, the beautiful isle of Kauai is the perfect place for Adri to unwind and do what she does best – plan. She even lets herself indulge in the attention of the groom’s handsome brother. But just when everything seems to be perfect, an afternoon snorkeling trip turns to murder when Adri discovers the body of a young woman.

Shaken, but unable to let it go, Adri’s sleuthing leads her into more danger than she could imagine. When a number of “accidents” threaten her own life, it soon becomes apparent that someone will do anything to keep Adri from interfering with their vengeance.

 * GoodreadsAmazon *

This is the second book in the Wedding Planner Mystery series by Rachelle Christensen and it releases today!  If you haven't read the first book, Diamond Rings are Deadly Things, you might want to before picking up this book.  While I believe this book could stand alone, you would really get a better feel for it if you have read the first book.  The backstory that is a huge part of understanding Adri, is explained in depth there.

This is a fun, cozy mystery set in Hawaii.  You just can't go wrong with a Hawaiian setting.  It made me long to be there.  And I will be soon.  I just hope my trip is nothing like Adri's.  I really don't want to find a body while snorkeling!!!!

Adri is a great balance of strong and vulnerable.  She is good at standing up for herself which I really like.  The romance in this book is light- slow growing and very spread out.  The focus is more on the mystery part of the book.

I really enjoyed this book.  It kept me interested and focused which is always a good thing.  This is a fun series and I'll be looking forward to the next installment.  Oh, and it's squeaky clean!  Yay!


Monday, July 6, 2015

The Kiss that Launched 1000 Gifs by Sheralyn Pratt


Each weekday from 2:00-4:00 p.m., Grace and Ashton cohost Battle of the Sexes, a radio program arguing the he-said/she-said issues of the day. Their fiery debates often have listeners wondering if there’s more to their relationship than just talk, even though Grace has been dating Phillip, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Perfect, since long before she ever met Ashton Miller.

Yet when news comes that Battle of the Sexes is on the bubble for cancellation, Grace and Ashton need to step up their efforts to engage their audience to keep the show alive. When a charity organization approaches them and proposes that the two of them kiss for a fund raiser, Grace and Ash agree to kiss for a good cause. A kiss is just a kiss, right?

 * GoodreadsAmazon *

I'm so excited I got to read this book!  There was a bit of pre-buzz surrounding it in my book circles so of course it was on my radar.  I was told when I signed up to review this book that I wouldn't have that long to review it.  A week, I think.  Ha.  I didn't even need a day!

This is the kind of book that just makes you keep reading.  There is no putting it down, there is no conceding to sleep or children or dinner making.  So, pick up this book when you have plenty of time to read it through or you will be unhappy.  Like me.  Because I made dinner and the whole while I was cursing the fact that we have to eat.  :)

There is build up and tension in this book.  There is banter and sass.  It's sparky (like sparklers) and I loved it all.  I just couldn't help myself.  Now I want more.  More I want now.  I think I have a problem.

As far as content goes, this book is a clean romance.  There are references to the MC's past sexual relationships with other people but nothing of detail.  There is some sexual innuendo.

And, lucky for you, today is release day so you don't have to wait to read it!  It's the perfect summer by the pool or the beach or enjoying your AC book.  Happy Reading!