Updates!

I've been MIA for about a week now, mostly becuase I think I've fit about a months worth of stuff in about a week! I wanted to post an update mostly because I'm super excited, but also because I have some tours coming up and I didn't want anyone to think I was backing out!
Well last Friday, after a very crazy and hectic and stressful work week, I came home to my boyfriend getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him.  After a few tears, I of course said yes and was furthur surprised with tickets to go see my whole family back out West. Needless to say I was beyond extatic.

The ring was my southern Great Great Grandma's :)

After a fun weekend at home, I flew home to the East Coast late Monday night and then early Tuesday morning flew to Miami on business. I just got back very, very, very early this morning and sitting at my desk I resemble a zombie.

But! I'm back to blogging starting on Monday with an excerpt from the much anticipated Addicted to You by my blogger buddies Krista and Becca Ritchie! Well it's off to Philly tomorrow!!

I owe some people a book or two and I need to pick winners from the giveaway earlier this month and I will be doing all of that next week. Make sure to stop by Monday to read the steamy excerpt and stay tuned for more consistant blogging next week :)

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Music of the Heart (Runaway Train, #1) by Katie Ashley

This is one of those books that I saw climbing its’ way up Amazon’s bestseller list and so I bought it on a whim. I have to say that I had pretty low expectations going in, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Abby has finally decided to take up her brother’s offer to join the band and go on the road. Their Christian rock bands is playing at Rock Nation, a music festival, and she decides to meet up with them there to test how she likes touring. Abby finds their tour bus, goes inside, only to find that she’s stumbled onto Runaway Train’s tour bus... not her brother’s. As she butts heads with the rock band’s womanizing lead singer, Jake Slayter, Abby makes a bet that she can last a full week on the bus with the band with a bad reputation. When the week is up, Abby has fallen for the rocker and as his personal life begins to implode, she may just be the one to save him.

As I said, I went into this book with low expectations. I sometimes do that with these new adult books that are self-published because you never know what you’re going to get. On the one hand, you could be jumping for joy because you just discovered Abbi Glines or Nicole Williams. On the other hand you could get a book that is so disjointed and has so many grammatical errors that you end up pulling all of your hair out. In the eBook world, it’s smart to be cautious.

I ended up enjoying Music of the Heart. Abby’s character was really fun to read. She was smart, sassy and put up with the hard rockers like a pro. She kept to her morals and was there for Jake in a way that no one else could be.

Jake was a heartthrob... I mean of course, he’s the lead singer of a rock band. I liked Jake because he had a very vulnerable side to him that made him a little more likeable. He made some major mistakes when it came to his and Abby’s relationship, but what boy doesn’t?

The pacing was great, the musical tie-ins were very well done and the book as a whole left a satisfyingly happy smile on my face. If you’re interested in reading a passionate romance straight from the heart, Music of the Heart should definitely be on your list!

7 out of 10

 

Happy Reading :)

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Review: Happenstance (A Second Chance, #1) by M.J. Abraham

 

I need to stop choosing books based on their cover. I’m a sucker for a good book cover and it will occasionally lead me down the path of disappointment. Happenstance was once such instance.

Victoria has to start all over. After getting married to Eric, her successful and rich husband, she thinks her life is all set. That is until he breaks his vows and she finds him with another woman. Divorced and back to square one with her career, she takes a teaching job and moves into an apartment on her own. In getting used to her independence, she doesn’t expect to meet the cute and funny vet named Jared who lives down the street. As their relationship progresses, Victoria learns to trust again and finds a love she didn’t think she could have again.

This book bored me. I hate to be super negative but it was an attempt at something that could have been... okay? For me, the story lacked pizzazz and interest. It was a boring story about a woman who was divorced and meets a cute, nerdy vet who treats her right and she falls for him. A story like this could have been made more interesting had the characters been more likable.

Victoria was a good leading lady, but she had no spark. She wasn’t sassy, she wasn’t quiet, and she wasn’t quirky. There was really nothing about Victoria that set her apart other than the fact that she was an attractive. I couldn’t connect to her as a character and it made it hard to dive deeper into the story.

Jared had more character than Victoria... but not much. He was cute, smart and treated the ladies right, but his biggest differentiator was the fact that he wore bad-quote t-shirts... really didn’t do it for me.

I’m not saying that every story has to be about a sassy girl with a mind of her own falling for the bad boy in town in need of an attitude adjustment, but at least those characters have a little depth. I’ve read plenty of contemporary romances that are about good normal people falling in love with other wholesome normal people and they’re fun, interesting and hard to put down. The difference is that the characters are easy to fall for and hard to forget.

The plot left much to be desired as well. Avoiding any spoilery, I will tell you that there is an instance of a guy taking advantage of Victoria and it just wasn’t fleshed out. It seemed like the bad night had by Victoria was going to be a defining moment for her and a part of the story as a whole. Instead, that plotline was somewhat forgotten and when it was mentioned later on, it wasn’t fleshed out enough. I didn’t believe it and it killed the book for me.

All in all, I was bored by Happenstance’slackluster cast of characters and I struggled to make it through this romance.

4 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Waiting on Wednesday (20): Forever Too Far (Too Far, #3) by Abbi Glines

I've been reading the romance genre pretty exclusively over the last few months. I've taken dips into contemporary adult romance, new adult and contemporary YA. One of the best outcomes of me reading this genre is that I discovered Abbi Glines. I have read her books faster than I've read any one other (besides Richelle Mead) and I love her books. That being said, her final book in the Too Far series comes out in June and I cannot wait!

Forever Too Far (Too Far, #3) by Abbi Glines

 

Rush promised her forever... but promises can be broken.

Torn between his love for his family and his love for Blaire, Rush has to find a way to save one without losing the other. In the end one has to be more important. Letting go isn’t easy.

Blaire believed in her fairytale... but no one can live in a fantasy.

Her love for Rush and desire to have a family keep her believing that they can find a way for this to work. Until she has to make the right decision for her and the baby. Even if it breaks her heart.

Can they find the forever that they both want or has it all just gone... too far?

Have you read anything by Abbi Glines? What are you waiting on?


 

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Review: Because of Low (Sea Breeze , #2) by Abbi Glines

 

And it’s time for another Abbi Glines review. Her quick, fun and flirty reads can’t be put out fast enough for me. I think I need to have a new weekly meme called Fridays with Glines for the amount of books that I have of hers to read and review.

Marcus Hardy got his heart broken last summer when Sadie chose Jax over him. To make matters worse, he’s had to leave college and come live in Sea Breeze because of a family crisis. Living with his friend Cage seems like it will be the perfect distraction for him as he has to be there for his mom and sister. That all changes with Marcus meets Low, Cage’s best friend and the girl he introduces as his future wife. Low’s troubled past and rocky family situation make it easy for her to lean on Cage for everything. When she meets Marcus, her world is turned upside down. The couple has to battle their own inner demons, their turbulent families and of course... Cage.

I really didn’t know what to expect from the second book in the Sea Breeze series. While I liked Breathe, I found some flaws with the characters and the writing style that made the book a “like”... not a “love”.

In Because of Low, we experience a new host of characters and Glines does a much better job in building her characters, their relationships and their backstories. There was a lot more character development and her characters made better and more realistic decisions, making it easier to fall into the story.

Marcus is an easy character to love. He’s the good little rich boy on the block who you can’t help but fall for. He’s cute, charming and a total gentleman.... quite the opposite of Cage. We don’t see too much of this bad boy but what we do see is a rough around the edges playboy who thinks he’s on top of the world. After peaking, I know that book 3 follows Cage and I can’t wait to see what Glines has in store for him!

Low is a sweetheart whose background gives her a whole lot of sass. All the boys want her and all the girls hate her (except for me, I think we’d be friends... she’s my kind of BFF) and she’s not afraid to show off her rough and tumble side. I liked reading her character because there was a lot of vulnerability in her that you don’t see in many female characters in the genre.

The strongest aspect of this story is the plot. It’s well paced and Marcus and Low’s lives start out worlds apart, but end up intertwining into a web of lies and deceit. I love romance series that don’t follow the same people, but travel from couple to couple. You still get to hear about your old favorites, but you get a delicious new romantic entanglement to read about. The Sea Breeze series is setting itself up to be one of my new favorites.

This is a book for those in the mood for a quick read with a lot of heart. I read it in one sitting and had a smile on my face the whole rest of the night.

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Review: Wait for You (Wait for You, #1) by J. Lynn

 

When I first saw this book, it was wildly popular and I was surprised that I’d never heard of J. Lynn. After not too much digging, I found that J. Lynn is actually Jennifer L. Armentrout, the author of the Lux series. I decided I needed to give her New Adult book a try since I've read her other series as well.

Avery changed her whole life after what happened at that Halloween party five years ago. She moved away from her hometown to a college far away. She’s trying to make friends and to live a normal college life. When she meets Cameron, the swoon-worthy boy across the hall, she can’t seem to shake him. He’s everywhere. As she starts to let Cameron in, she finally starts to believe that her life may end up being normal. That’s when she starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls. It’s clear someone doesn't want her to move on and they’ll make sure she doesn’t forget that night.

I’ve had a love hate relationship with Miss Armentrout. While I do like her stories, certain originality issues were brought to my attending and so I tend to read her books with a grain of salt.

Wait for You wasn’t my favorite of her books or my favorite romance out there. I know I’ve said it ten zillion times, but I’m getting somewhat tired of the “girl who was abused in the past is healed by the sexy boy in her pre-calc class” theme. That’s not to say that other readers don't’ enjoy them, but I’m getting bored.

Avery doesn’t stand out as a strong leading lady in my opinion and so that made it a little harder to connect with the book. I’m big into powerful, intelligent women being the leads in the books and Avery just didn’t strike me as having those characteristics. Maybe in the end she turned things around, but by that point, I was already falling off the wagon.

The plot moved along at a good pace and was slightly predictable but still enjoyable. I doubt I’ll be reading book two in the series, but maybe I’ll change my mind when it’s released.

 5 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Waiting on Wednesday (19): Chameleon (Supernaturals, #1) by Kelly Oram

It's that time again! Wednesday means I'm digging through all my lists of books I'm dying to read to chose just one to showcase... which is a difficult task! This weekly meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine.
This week I'm faturing Chameleon by Kelly Oram. It's the first in her Supernaturals series and it seems like it is right up my alley!

 

Chameleon (Supernaturals, #1) by Kelly Oram

For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.

As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.

Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.

The world is hidden with monsters? Paranormal romance? Mysterious stranger she's meant to fall in  love with? Sign me up please! Chameleon seems like a book that I will definitely love... too bad I have to wait until June!

What are you waiting on this week?

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Review: Unbroken (Cedar Cove, #1) by Melody Grace

I’ve had my eye on this NA book for a long time. I love the cover and the synopsis had me excited! While I will admit, I’ve been trying to read more YA books, sometimes you need some romance novel drama in your life!

Juliet left her turbulent past behind four years ago when she left Cedar Cove for the last time. Her family’s beach house in the small sandy town had once been a place of love and laughter. Now the old house built by her grandfather brings back memories of a hurricane romance and a painful family loss. When her father decides to sell the place, Juliet leaves her picture perfect boyfriend and life in the big city to go back and pack up her memories. She hopes to never see Emerson, the local bad boy in town, but does just that. Their wild and passionate relationship picks up where it left off, but will their past heartbreaks tear them apart?

Unbroken was interesting to read. As I’ve said before, I’m often turned away from some NA romance novels because they always tend to center around violent sexual behavior and/or past sexual abuse. This is a rant I’ve had before, but I’m tired of reading romances involving young women and their abusive past relationships. That’s not to say that those things don’t happen or that they’re bad books. I’m just at a point that if I’m reading a romance novel, I want it to be happy and passionate, not depressing and gross. It’s not my thing.

For some reason, I kept feeling like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop in Unbroken. I felt like any page could open up a past filled with abuse for Juliet. It could have been the mystery behind her aversion to the beach house or her familiar relationship with a brooding bad boy, but I was just waiting for my hopes of a happily ever after romance to be shattered.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Unbroken turned out to be my kind of love story. I promise no spoilery other than that I got my happy ending. I enjoyed reading both Emerson and Juliet’s characters and their struggles were relatable.

Emerson is the townie that just can’t seem to get out and Juliet is the girl with a messed up family life trying to find the right path. I really liked Juliet because she had real problems and she dealt with them. With an alcoholic father and a non-existent relationship with her sister, Juliet goes from having a screwed up family life with no future ahead of her, to swinging in the complete opposite direction. Dating the preppiest boy on her campus and giving up her dreams to be a photographer to be an accountant, it seems that Juliet’s only way of coming out on top to change who she is. By the end of the story, she comes to terms with the fact that she doesn’t need to change who she is to be happy or successful and that other people’s misfortune and unhappiness won't become her own.

She was also not your typical romance leading lady. Most girls in these NA stories get worked up over their guys dating other girls when they weren’t even together or freak out for no apparent reason. Juliet has a good head on her shoulders. She’s sensible and realistic and it was refreshing.

The story was well written and the pacing was great. Sometimes stories with flashbacks can become confusing, jumbled and annoying, but Grace does a great job in navigating Juliet and Emerson’s past with their future.

Overall, I read this in one sitting and I really enjoyed it once I got past my fear of having the story turn out to be a Fifty Shades of Grey copycat.

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Review: Tidal by Emily Snow

And it’s time for another New Adult book and this one promises the lures of the Hollywood lifestyle, rehab, Hawaii and a sexy Australian surfer boy.

Willow Avery has become Hollywood’s “It” girl that fell from good graces. After a second stint in rehab, Willow wants out of the treatment center and to stay clean this time. She needs some time to relax and adjust to being out of rehab, but her parents have other plans. Straight out of the hospital, Willow is signed up to do a remake of an old surf movie from the past and is whisked away to film in Hawaii. The Hawaiian breeze might be good for her, but she knows that her gorgeous surf instructor, Cooper, needs to play no role in her recovery. Of course, fate steps in and Cooper may just be the one to save her.

When I started reading Tidal, I hated Willow. She was selfish, annoying and had an attitude to match. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that she wasn’t really a big fan of herself right out of rehab. She was whiny, rude and constantly wondering when and if she was going to relapse. I actually started reading this one awhile back and I disliked Willow so much that I stopped reading it for a while.

I ended up really enjoying Tidal after giving it a second chance. I liked the twists and turns we were sent through and I especially liked Cooper, the surf instructor. He is cute, fun and of course has that surfer-boy-who-is-wise-beyond-his-years vibe that ends up being just what Willow needs.

Sexy Aussies aside, I think the best part of this book is seeing the transformation that Willow goes through. She comes out of rehab hating life and hating herself and the book ends with her starting a new beginning. It was a coming of age tale of the scandalous Hollywood variety.

Tidal is a quck and easy read for those who are fans of the New Adult genre. It's not the most original and it's not the steamiest, but if you have an afternoon where you just want to kick back and read something fun, this Hawaiian romance may be just what you need!

6 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Addicted to you by Becca and Kristie Richie

Today I'm extremely excited that I get to help reveal the cover for Addicted to You, a new New Adult book written by Krista and Becca Ritchie. In case those names sound familiar to you, they're the bloggers over at Nawanda Files. I'm a huge fan of NA books and this one sounds right up my alley!

Two addictions. One lie.

No one would suspect shy, Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But when they go on a family boat trip, surrounded by open seas and limited male bodies in sight, Lily’s confronted with a big fear. Only one guy onboard can fill her addiction, and she’s sworn off going there with Loren Hale ever again.

Now the only person who can truly help her, can barely help himself.

 

Add "Addicted to You" on Goodreads

 

I've always been a self professed cover judger and that's how I decide what I read. I'm not saying it's a fair assessment, but it's how I am. I'm completely head over heels for this cover. Hafsah over at Icey Designs did such a fantastic job and I would have picked this book because of the cover alone! I may be a little biased because my blogger friends wrote the book and the amazing Hafsah did my blog design, but we won't bring that up. What do you guys think?

Also, Krista and Becca are hosting a giveaway as well so don't forget to sign up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Great Exploitations (Mischief in Miami, #1) by Nicole Willaimis - Mini-Review

 

I’m a huge fan of Nicole Williams. I really liked her Crash series and her stand alone, Up In Flames, is all kinds of steamy. When I saw she came out with a new book, I didn’t even hesitate in snatching it up and devouring it.

Sienna Stevens is an expert in her field. She’s cool, calm, collected and above all, she doesn’t get personal. Sienna is an Eve. One of a group of women who specialize in covert operations... professional adultery. Rich wives around the world hire the Eve’s to help them out of their marriages while getting around the biggest hurdle of all... a prenup. By catching their husbands red handed with another woman, they are given a free pass out of their marriages with a big check. Sienna is one of the best Eve’s and she’s close to being able to retire. One more big client and she can retire to a life of freedom. But when the biggest client of all comes along, she must decide if this cost is too high to pay for her freedom.

I was surprised by Great Exploitations. Having very little knowledge of the book beforehand, I was surprised by the short length of the story and also of the lack of a love interest for Sienna. Of course we meet her mark, but he’s just that... a mark. After doing a little digging on Miss Williams, it seems that the Mischief in Miami series is going to be a short series with a book being released every month or so. It is to my estimation that the full series will read more like a full book in itself, rather than a series.

I really liked this kind of story. It was short, sweet and to the point. You learned about Sienna and her current client and also about her career as an Eve. This is such a unique and interesting plot! The women in the Eves are hard to forget, but you’ll never meet the same woman again. Sienna is constantly changing her appearance so as not to be recognized by her clients or her marks.

I won’t give much more away as there really isn’t too much to this installment of the series. Just know that this fast and saucy read is just the start of what I can only imagine will be a fun series by Williams.

6 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Waiting on Wednesday (17): Down London Road (On Dublin Street, #2) by Samantha Young

Is it really only Wednesday? It's that time again for Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Today I'm showcasing a book that I've been dying to get my hands on ever since I read the first book in the series.

Down London Road (On Dublin Street, #2) by Samantha Young

 

 

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

I absolutely loved On Dublin Street, the first book in the series. It was a surprisingly great read with characters you couldn't help but fall for. I'm interested to see where Young takes the second book as it's following different people in the story. If you're into NA romance, definitely read On Dublin Street before book two comes out on May 7th! Not too much longer to go!

What are you waiting on?

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