Reviews

Books I’ve read and reviewed

Cephalopod Coffeehouse May 2014–SEX. LOVE. REPEAT.

 

0ed81-coffeehouseHi there! Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

This has been a totally wild year for me at V’s Reads. Today is my 1 year “blog-iversary” and I think I’ve done well. I went from “the million-ish” ranking as a reviewer at Amazon to #7000-something. I have gained a good batch of friends at Goodreads. I have made almost 260 posts, reviewed something close to 200 books–which I have actually read–and most of all I have proved to myself that I could do it.

See, I am a scientist–by trade. This year was meant to be an “experiment” in “can Veronica squeeze time.” I already read a ton–but blogging? That was a whole different beast. What I have learned in all the reads and posts and reviews has helped me as a writer and a critique partner in my writing group.  Anywho, thanks for following me or checking out my reviews. Hope I’ve offered up something with which you have connected.

To that end, I got my summer reads on early–in preparation for my June blog tour schedule. Still, I’ve had a chance to read some that I picked out just for the heck of it. And that’s how I stumbled across Alessandra Torre’s SEX LOVE REPEAT, a scorching, unconventional romance.

You need a spicy summer read? One to chase away the winter doldrums and put that spark back in your eye? Well, this book may just be for you! (Disclaimer: Hella lotta sex. You don’t like erotica? You don’t crack open this book. Period.)

Sex Love RepeatMy Review:

I would STRONGLY recommend this to any fan of erotica. It is not BDSM. It is vanilla. A whole bunch of vanilla…

Here’s why:

Madison has two lovers. Stewart is wealthy and wants her as a beck-and-call girl. Paul is her live-in boyfriend. They each know there is another man. They each know that Madison loves them both. They each love her.

It never becomes a ménage. This is good, because Paul and Stewart have a lot of history that is almost completely unbelievable, but thoroughly intriguing. I’m not saying more. You need to read the book if you want the juicy details. And, there are plenty of juicy details to be had.

A lot of reviews complain about the epilogue. Meh. There is room in the heart to love more than one person. If you think a character needs to be oblivious in order to be likeable, well, I’m gonna disagree. I think it would be naive to assume Madison couldn’t figure out the connection between Paul and Stewart in two years of dating both of them. And Madison is not naive. Nor is she stupid.

In fact, Madison admits that we, the reader, will likely hate her. She’s probably right. (Too damn lucky, that girl!)

Okay–usually I put a lot more detail in the review, but divulging more will ruin the tension. I loved all the beach/surfing references. The language is beautiful, and I adored Madison. Probably because I was totally channeling her. She has the best of everything. And, she’s surprisingly unaffected by the LA lifestyle. She is a candid narrator, and I respected her feelings for both Stewart and Paul. The smexytimes are graphic and copious–making this a perfect beach read, IMHO.

If you’re interested, you can pick this one up at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and probably your library.

Thanks for popping in! Don’t forget to check out the other blogs featuring their fave reads for May. And, as always, keep reading my friends! 🙂

1. The Armchair Squid 2. The Bird’s Nest
3. Stephanie Faris, Author 4. Trisha @ WORD STUFF
5. I Think; Therefore, I Yam 6. Subliminal Coffee
7. Katie @ Read, Write, Repeat 8. Nicki Elson’s Not-so-deep Thoughts
9. M.J. Fifield 10. StrangePegs — Old Man’s War
11. A Creatve Exercise 12. Romance Under Fire
13. mainewords 14. Kim Karras
15. StrangePegs — A Wrinkle in Time 16. Words Incorporated
17. The Writing Sisterhood 18. StrangePegs — A Wind in the Door
19. My Creatively Random Life 20. V’s Reads

Checking Out All The DANGEROUS CREATURES–A Review

I’m a bit late to the lovefest for Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl–I’ve read some of their separate works, but not the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series they co-wrote. One day I hope to go back and read forward, but, for now, I’m cool with starting their new DANGEROUS CREATURES spin-off.

If you haven’t read the previous collaborations, well, it’s a YA paranormal adventure/romance. All sorts magical supernatural creatures converge in (mainly) rural Georgia. There’s Leah, she’s a Caster–pretty much a witch. Her cousin, Ridley, is a Siren. In these stories there are two sides to magic, Light and Dark. Leah is Light. Ridley was claimed by the Dark side at age sixteen–which caused her parents to  shut her out, literally, from the family.

Since then, Ridley has struggled with her self-esteem. Oh, she’s got tons of bravado, and her body thrums with the Power of Persuasion, but it’s hard to accept if she’s truly loved by anyone–including her “boyfriend” Link, or if it’s simply her powers that draw him near.

And that’s where this spinoff begins.

Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures, #1)About the Book:

Some loves are cursed…others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she’s a bad girl. She’s Dark. She’s a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she’s around. Lucky for her, Wesley “Link” Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley.

When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn’t hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

My Review:

Ridley, Leah, Link and the Gatlin Gang of partial mortals have finished high school and prepare to leave their small-town world behind. Ridley and Link head north to NYC so Link can find himself a band and get busy getting famous. Ridley, well, she’s in a bit of hot water with a wager-gone-wrong. She has to provide a drummer for a Caster band in New York, or face the wrath of nightclub owner and Dark Caster Lennox Gates.

They arrive in NYC and meet up with the remnants of Devil’s Hangmen, Sampson, Necro and Floyd. And, to Ridley’s great chagrin, Link fits into the band too well. Floyd, who happens to be an adorable Illusionist, is not shy about sharing her attraction to Link…expect the usual salty exchanges and claw sharpening.

Bringing Link, a partial Incubus, to Lennox’s Dark Caster club gets Ridley all tweaked out. She knows the danger he faces among full-blooded supernaturals and fears for his safety. It also doesn’t help that Lennox is happy to insinuate himself between herself and her Shrinky Dink. (Yeah, these kids have a lotta ‘pet names’ for each other. I ain’t going into Link’s food-based song lyrics, but they help ground the story firmly in the YA category…)

Seems Lennox has a problem, a powerful adversary that is demanding to be avenged, and Lennox must collect the two people who ticked off his tormenter: Ridley and Link. He will, of course, except that he knows Ridley’s fate. Part of his gift is Sight, and he has seen how Sirens are treated in Caster society. His mother was one, after all. Meanwhile, Lennox is drawn to Ridley–and hopes he can save her from his tormentor’s captivity if only she’d drop Link. After all, that dude is a Dead Man Walking in the Caster realm.

The story is fast-paced with the usual juvenile misunderstandings and new adult wanderings for a life long-dreamed-for, but little-planned. I must say, I enjoyed Ridley. She is completely self-aware of her shallowness, insofar as she finds herself totally unlovable and isolates herself to protect her heart. She loves Link, but she can’t bring herself to acknowledge this and risk further vulnerability. Link, on the other hand, is ecstatic over his new band–and their success–he’s sure Ridley is just being mean when she tells him his adoring audience was being Charmed. Still, he loves her. He just can’t deal with her fears–she’s sure they are in great danger–and her manipulations–she totally lied about how he got hooked up with the band. Lennox is wealthy and sophisticated and everything Link is not, but will he win Ridley away in time to save her? Also, Link’s execution is all but planned–and from the last Caster either Ridley or Link could have suspected. In fact, Lennox risks his own life in order to tip them off.

While the book has a resolution, the story is clearly unfinished. Without question Lennox will be made to pay for his (well-meant) treachery and Link and Ridley can’t seem to get far enough out of the line of fire to prevent attack. I enjoyed the ride, and am sure that fans of earlier books will laud the “Link and Ridley” story for which they clamored. Considering all the romantic tension and simmering desire, the book is wholly innocent with only a few kisses to propel the love stories…so it’s safe for all YA readers.

Having not read the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES books, I was still able to get into this spinoff series. All the main players are quickly introduced and all backstory details highlighted without bogging down the book.

Interested? You can find DANGEROUS CREATURES on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and probably retail outlets like Target and Walmart among other booksellers and libraries. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review.

Dangerous Dream by Kami GarciaThere is a (short) linker story DANGEROUS DREAM available which describes Ridley’s brief escape from Gatlin that brought her to the infamous card game in Lennox’s club–the club which cost Ridley some of her powers and locked her into providing Devil’s Hangmen with a new drummer–after she Charmed their current drummer out of his gift. Yeah. Well, the recap was a nice transition piece for me, as I had not read the previous BEAUTIFUL CREATURES novels. My review is here.

You can find DANGEROUS DREAM on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Kami GarciaAbout the Authors:
Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal & international bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures Novels (Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos & Beautiful Redemption). Beautiful Creatures has been published in 50 countries and translated in 39 languages. The Beautiful Creatures movie released in theaters in February 2013.

Kami is also the author of Unbreakable, the first book her paranormal solo series, THE LEGION. See my review here.

Margaret StohlMargaret Stohl is the author of ICONS, the first book in the Icons Series.

A longtime veteran of the videogame industry, Margaret’s work includes – to name a few – SPIDERMAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, DUNE 2000, THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE LEGEND OF JACK SPARROW, DEFENDER, THE SOPRANOS, SLAVE ZERO, APOCALYPSE, ZORK NEMESIS, ZORK GRAND INQUISITOR, SPYCRAFT, COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT RETALIATION, and COMMAND & CONQUER: TIBERIAN SUN.

After working with Activision (now Activision/Blizzard) and Westwood Studios (now EA), Margaret became a co-founder of 7 Studios with her husband, Lewis Peterson. She has previously been nominated for “Most Innovative Game Design” at the Game Developers Conference.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

 

She’s Trapped With BROKEN GLAMOUR–Review and Giveaway

Broken-Glamour-Tour-Banner copyHi there and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for BROKEN GLAMOUR hosted by AToMR Book Tours. For other stops on the tour, click here. This New Adult romance is the second in the Glamour series by Maggie Marr.

Broken Glamour CoverBROKEN GLAMOUR (Glamour Book #2)

Now Available!

About the book:

Losing it all…is a new beginning
Amanda Legend grew up rich and privileged. Anything was hers for the asking, thanks to her superstar father. That is until Amanda’s honesty about bad behavior from her soon-to-be-new Step Mom, a former school chum, lands Amanda on the outs with her beloved father. No Trust fund. No rarified world. Even if Amanda never wanted the LA lifestyle, she now must survive on her own.

A come-back takes heart….
Ryan Sinclair was nearing the pinnacle of his movie career when he drove his Porsche off Malibu Canyon Road. Lucky to be alive, post rehab he’s ready to start the long climb back to the top. But to prove to Hollywood that he won’t relapse, he’s required to get a sober companion.

A job she never wanted with the man who helped destroy her life…
Amanda Legend may loathe the entertainment world, but she understands the rules. She also knows Ryan Sinclair, understands alcoholics (she grew up around a few) and now, after being banished from her posh lifestyle, needs a paycheck to get to New York. Amanda accepts the job as sober companion to Ryan Sinclair for his first film post rehab. But Amanda must learn to ignore her attraction to Ryan, because falling for a guy like him would pull her back into a world she desperately wants to escape.

Each title in the Glamour series may be read as a standalone.

My Review:

Amanda’s newest stepmother is a real piece of work. Even though Kiley was her best childhood friend, she’s a two-timing piece of nastiness. Oh, and she’s marrying Amanda’s uber-famous action movie star father:  Steve Legend. On the eve of the wedding, Amanda walks in and finds Kiley with a boytoy–drunk/drugged out Ryan Sinclair–and makes the hard decision to tell her father the truth.

Next thing she knows, Amanda’s trust fund has been cut off and she’s locked out of every home her father owns. Seems Daddy is on location in a remote patch of the Amazon jungle and Kiley is managing all joint assets–and boy is she vindictive. Penniless and denied jobs from anyone who knows Kiley, Amanda can’t escape LA to take the New York internship she had lined up. She reaches out to her bestie, Lane, for the support she needs.

Ryan can’t really remember the past year–his scandalous shenanigans are trapped in a haze of booze and drugs–but he knows he walked away from a horrific car crash the night of Steve and Kiley Legend’s wedding. Now out of rehab, Ryan struggles to rebuild his life and career–stone cold sober. His pal, Dillon, takes him in and helps him maintain a clean life.

With a job on the line, Ryan needs to find a sobriety companion–someone who can shuttle him to his many AA/NA/therapy appointments as well as his daily drug tests. He hires Amanda–a woman he’s sharing quarters with in Lane and Dillon’s home as well as someone he’s attracted to–and can’t figure out why she’s so pissed at him. Oh Ryan! You drunken scamp!

The attraction, is, as it turns out, mutual–against Amanda’s better judgment. Earning the money she needs to escape the LA Industry-scene is all she wants to think about, but Ryan is pretty efficient at distracting her. He’s staying sober, and seriously jeopardizing his recovery by pursuing Amanda. It looks as if she may cave, at least until tragedy strikes in the Amazon…

The book is chock full of tension–Ryan and Amanda aren’t a natural couple. He’s the bad boy, she’s the good girl, but the slowly building relationship works. They are together daily for weeks prior to initiating something as seeming small as a kiss–for Ryan, experiencing ANY physical relationship sober is completely foreign. For Amanda, experiencing a PHYSICAL relationship is foreign. Oh, and Kiley keeps digging the knife into Amanda whenever she can.  I know she gets hers, but I would have liked a little more mention of the fallout when Steve returned to eject his philandering wife from his home.

I liked Amanda–she was strong, smart and coped well with the many curve balls thrown at her. Ryan is a believable addict. He isn’t perfect, and he stumbles mightily, but he learns to pick himself up and stand on his own. It’s a solid romance, using a format many readers will find comfortable. Smexytimes are limited, but well-written and steamy.

Interested? You can find BROKEN GLAMOUR on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

hard glam-coverDon’t forget to check out the first book in the series: HARD GLAMOUR.

Lane Channing shows up in LA for an (unpaid) internship with virtually no money–and no way back home to Kansas. She lucks into a job as reader for rising action star, and serious Hollywood bad boy, Dillon MacAvoy. But, as Dillon’s “people” seek to keep Dillon single and “seemingly available” to promote his career, both he and Lane stumble into the Real Deal:  Love. You can find my review here. The book stands alone, but shares characters with BROKEN GLAMOUR allowing the reader peeks at a couple who has survived the meet-cute.

HARD GLAMOUR is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

About the Author

Maggie Marr grew up in the Midwest and made the move to Los Angeles to work in the movie business. She was a motion picture literary agent for ICM before becoming a full time writer. She’s written for film and TV and ghostwritten for celebrities. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

***GIVEAWAY***
Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win one of
10 ebook copies of BROKEN GLAMOUR (International)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and keep reading my friends!

AToMRTours_mdm

Saving the SON OF SET–Review and GIVEAWAY

Son-of-Set bannerHi there and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for SON OF SET brought to you by YA Bound book tours. For other stops on the tour click here. This Upper YA adventure romance is the second book from Kelsey Ketch.

a5725-sonset_cvr_xsmlSon of Set (Descendants of Isis #2)

by Kelsey Ketch

Now Available!

Summary from Goodreads:

“. . . the Sons would never just let him go—alive.”

Seth O’Keefe has broken the laws of his god. He never thought he would sacrifice his own future to protect a Daughter of Isis. But when the Sons of Set discovered Natti is the Secret Keeper, he had no choice. Now, Seth and Natti are on the run from his father, who wants nothing more than to see Seth dead. With no allies, Seth turns to the Daughters of Isis for help, hoping they would protect Natti. But when they meet the Daughters, he discovers a secret that puts both their lives in more danger. Low on options, Seth sees only one possibility for survival. He must help Natti solve an ancient puzzle and find the secret name of Ra.

Natara “Natti” Stone is having a hard time swallowing the truth. She can’t believe what she has learned in the past twenty-four hours: Seth is a Son of Set blessed with charm; she is a Daughter of Isis blessed with a sliver of Ma ‘at; the locket her grandmother gave her holds an ancient Egyptian secret linking to Osiris and Isis. That along with being tortured and brutalized by the Sons of Set, she can hardly hold herself together. Thank God for Seth’s touch! That warm, tingling sensation that drowns it all out. Yet her heart struggles to stay focused. She must quickly embrace her destiny before the secret name of Ra falls into the wrong hands.

*Note: Content for Upper YA*

My Review:
Wow! This escape tale is quite the fast-paced adventure, with a heaping helping of romance on the side. Natti is nearly killed by the Sons of Set, whose leader is none other than Seth’s father Sean. Seth brings Natti back from the brink–with no small help from healing powers he’s always had and never understood.

Natti struggles with the nightmares of her captivity–but also with the overwhelming influence of Seth’s Charm–see, as a Son of Set he has a gift to Charm any and all in his eyesight or grasp. He can make them do whatever her wants, even rewrite all their memories or lead them to their deaths.

Only, with Natti, his power isn’t complete–he can compel her, to a point. And he’d like to compel her into bed, once she’s healed. Still, the more time he spends on the run with Natti, the more he knows he can’t corrupt her with his dark soul. Doesn’t mean they don’t struggle with keeping celibate, however.

He decides that getting her into the protection of the Daughters of Isis society is the best course of action, but Natti’s resistant. She wants to find the secret name of Ra and use it to keep the Sons fo Set from raising Set…

Seth’s plans would be perfect, if only Sean wasn’t dogging their trail with the full force of law and disorder on his side. No, Seth and Natti are under constant pursuit, narrowly escaping capture time and again. Good thing Seth’s got that super healing power!

So, the book is fast-paced, the sexual tension is constant, and the girl saves her own day–for the most part. What’s not to like? If you ever had an Ancient Egypt fetish, or you liked The Mummy movies, this book will intrigue. Seth is a whole lot more likable in this book, than DAUGHTER OF ISIS. The book ends with a resolution, but not completion. So much more is at stake in the next episode–clearly we have mortals doing battle for the gods of Egypt and it’s gonna be one heck of a showdown.

Interested? You can find SON OF SET on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.

144d6-daughterofisisIf you haven’t yet read the first book in this series, you can pick up DAUGHTER OF ISIS on sale this week for &.99. This action pack adventure/romance will have you turning pages late into the night. It’s a bit of all right, matter of fact. You can read my review here. Let’s just say, that it’s safe for mature YA readers, K? K. 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords

d4281-kelseyketchAbout the Author

During her high school years, Kelsey Ketch could always be found tucked away in a little corner of the hall or classroom, writing her fantasy worlds and creating illustrations and maps. Today is no different, except now she’s writing in the break room at her office building or at the tables of the Barnes and Noble Café in Cary, North Carolina. She is also an avid reader, a part-time book blogger at Ketch’s Book Nook, and lives with her two orange tabbies and awesome and humorous flat-mate. Son of Set is the sequel to Daughter of Isis, her debut novel.

You can find Kelsey on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.

***GIVEAWAY***

Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win:

a SON OF SET prize pack including:

a was scepter pendant (created specially by SilverspotStudio),

a hieroglyphic tote bag,

and a Son of Set journal (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and keep reading my friends!

ef137-yabounktourbutton

Cheap Thrills–ETERNALLY YOURS and VANILLA ON TOP

Hi there! Just to spice things up I thought I’d share a couple of titles I picked up on the cheap and found amusing. One is a box-set of three paranormal ménage books, the other is a spicy contemporary romance. Both are $.99 at the time of this posting…

PS: I don’t make any money off my recommendations–I just devour books so I jump at the chance to get them cheap or free…and I like to pass on my ‘finds’ to you!

Eternally Yours Vampire Menage Collection (3 Books)About ETERNALLY YOURS:

Three vampire ménage novels by Tracey H. Kitts, combined for the very first time into one smoking hot collection. That is what you’re getting with the Eternally Yours Vampire Ménage Collection.

The Eternally Yours Vampire Ménage Collection includes:

1. Bitten
2. Necromancer
3. Diary of An Incubus

BITTEN
Sandra Ashton is a witch who suddenly finds herself dating three vampires. So, what do you do when you’ve got three immortal beings professing their undying or is that undead love for you? You agree to what they like to call, “joint custody.”

NECROMANCER
Jane Masters has no idea she’s a necromancer. Luis and Henri are the vampires responsible for the power mingled in her blood. Though her love life improves dramatically after meeting them, Jane faces a more urgent situation than dating a vampire or two. As Luis and Henri reveal the details of her past life and the source of her power, they learn there’s a killer on the loose and Jane is next on the list. As for her newly discovered past with the vampires, her heart remembers them. But will she survive to love them this time?

DIARY OF AN INCUBUS
Jewel Mathers needed a good story for her next novel. She turned to the ancient journals in desperation. But fame and fortune comes with a price … and a couple of hot vampires.

My Review:

This three book set features three separate ménage vampire romances. Yes, ménage and vampire. It’s a two-fer of guilty pleasures. Each features a completely different set of heroines and lovers. It is all M/F/M with a heavy emphasis on the female being the center of all action and desire.

If you’ve never read ménage, this might be a fun way to test the waters. The romances are slower to develop than traditional ménage and the multiple scenes happen at the end of each, following a clearly solid primary romance. Also, they aren’t sloppy and the language is less potty-mouth than many I’ve read.

Interested? You can find ETERNALLY YOURS on Goodreads and Amazon. Current pricing is $.99, but may go up.

Vanilla on Top (Walk on the Wild Side, #1; Heather and Tony, #1)It’s wild that there are so many BRAZEN imprint books on sale through the end of May. Now’s your chance to snap up so really fun romances just in time for summer…

About VANILLA ON TOP:

Discover your inner bad girl, and set her free…

Heather Pierce is done being a wallflower, both personally and professionally. Desperate to live a different life for one night, she attends a speed dating event. Maybe here, anonymous unless she chooses otherwise, she can become someone new. When a man way out of her league sits across from her, Heather gathers her courage and takes charge of what she wants, secretly fearing he won’t desire the real person she’s desperate to hide.

Top acquisitions officer and international playboy Tony Carmine is about to close the biggest deal of his career. But then he meets Heather at a speed dating event…and discovers losing control may be exactly what he needs. Her blossoming sensuality occupies his every thought, consuming him with the need to possess the most intriguing lover he’s ever encountered—until he walks into the boardroom and sees Heather on the other side of the negotiating table.

My Review:
Who doesn’t love a woman-empowerment romance? Heather has had enough of being taken advantage and decides she’s going to get the upper hand on her next partner. Tony shows up at a speed dating event on a lark as a friend’s wingman and is undone by the dominating gal he meets. There’s a word for a woman who gets a guy she just met to submit to her command for oral pleasure. I believe it’s “Bravo.”

Tony and Heather hit it, hard, and get caught up in something neither of them expected. Tony had never anticipated how erotic submission could be, and Heather charges forward in a “fake it ’till you make it” gambit to keep herself emotionally safe and sexually satisfied. This is NOT a BDSM book, it’s simply some super hot sexyplay that any couple could enjoy. There is a commitment to mutual pleasure–even when it is temporarily withheld.

But soon this liaison gets real. Tony turns up as a buyer for Heather’s company–and Heather fights to keep the business from being gobbled up. Being at odds in the board room might stifle a lesser couple’s sex drive, but not here. Table tennis, anyone?

I love the alternating viewpoint–mostly because I adore getting to know each character. Heather is so insecure, yet she acts to strong. Tony’s strong, but vulnerable with Heather. The role reversal really worked for me–and I’m gonna snap up the sequel just to see how these two move forward together.

Interested? You can find VANILLA ON TOP on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The sequel, VANILLA TWIST is also on sale for $.99 through the end of May, so click it while you can…

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends! 🙂

arbitrate = great (A review)

Hi there! A few weeks back I lost an entire weekend to Megan Thomason’s YA dystopian series daynight. Now I’m here to catch you all up. Just in case you needed a tense, state-sponsored love-triangled, YA romance to pass the time this Memorial Day.

daynight centers it’s activity on Thera, a parallel planet where the land exists as a mirror image of Earth’s and it’s so incredibly hot that all activity occurs in the cooler nighttime hours. Kira is pulled into the Second Chance Institute, thinking it will land her a college scholarship. Instead she ends up on an otherworldly adventure with supremely deadly consequences.

The second book in the series, arbitrate, is about a clean as a book can be–for having a love-square with a married couple…and whoo-boy is the tension crackling. (FYI–not a stand-alone, per se. I mean, you could read it that way, but it’ll be kinda confusing at first.)

Clean Slate Complex (Daynight, #1.5)In order to set the mood, you can download the free companion story, Clean Slate Complex, which is a standalone but has some overlapping characters in arbitrate. My review is here. In it we learn of some shady dealings on Earth that are bringing a whole lotta Second Chancers to Thera.

Particularly we learn a lot about Alexa, a former homeless girl who is now the spokesperson for the Clean Slate Complex, a division of the Second Chance Institute. It all sounds so benign, but it is a giant leap in the other direction. Also, we get some insight into Joshua Black. He’s a Theran daynighter whose parents run the CSC. He’s a cousin to both Ethan and Blake, and they are (potential) suitors to Kira.

In daynight we thought Kira was going to be okay. She was cleaved to her new mate, and going to protect those she loved most….well, maybe not so much.

Arbitrate (Daynight, #2)About the book:

It’s one year later. Everything has changed.

Remember The Second Chance Institute (SCI). Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. They’ve stepped up their game on Earth and on Thera—infiltrating political parties, preying on the downtrodden, and planning offensive maneuvers. And they’re handing out more “second chances” than ever before. The SCI’s abuse of their charter leads to Arbiter oversight and bitter consequences.

Remember Kira Donovan. Broken, burdened, and evading those who wish her harm, Kira enlists the Arbiters’ help when forced to return to the clutches of the SCI and her angry, estranged love.

Remember Blake Sundry. Exiled, determined, and packing an agenda, Blake seeks assistance on Earth and Thera to use his newfound knowledge to bring down the SCI.

Remember Ethan Darcton. Overworked, emotional, and holding a grudge, Ethan hunts down his stolen property, but finds himself in awkward territory, stuck between the Arbiters and the SCI.

Full of action, competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, arbitrate is book #2 in the award-winning, bestselling daynight series.

My Review:

The second I finished daynight I one-clicked both Clean Slate Complex and arbitrate. Then I tucked in for a long weekend of neglected household duties and insomnia. I had thought Ethan and Kira would be a strong couple, facing down Ethan’s formidable mother and building a life together–particularly after Kira’s forced impregnation. Not happening.

No, a year later the babies are born, Kira’s in hiding after having survived something like 17 assassination attempts. Meanwhile, Ethan’s the lapdog of the daynighters. His half-brother, Blake, is on a mission to rescue one of Kira’s babies from a kidnapper. Oh, and Blake’s leading the new resistance on Thera to secure legal status and housing for exiled Therans and Second Chancers.

Ethan’s shattered when he hears that Kira died in childbirth–she hadn’t thanks to Jax, Ethan’s other half-brother–but Ethan seeks solace from Alexa, an Earthling daynighter who works for his uncle’s Clean Slate Complex. To Kira, Ethan seeking any companionship is a huge betrayal–even if Ethan thought Kira had died.

So, yeah. Theran politics is a total mess. And, they aren’t content to screw up their own planet. No, Ethan’s other uncle is a US Senator, campaigning for the presidency.

Jax, an arbiter, has a lot of powerful abilities, skills that half-arbiter Ethan is trying to hone. It was Jax’s teleportation that saved Kira time and again, and his blood transfusion that brought her back from the brink of death. In seclusion, Kira bonds with her babies, surviving tormenting daymares of her many close calls. Ethan learns that she’s still alive and wishes to “claim” her, but Kira won’t have him. In fact she arranges, with the help of the arbiters, to command the first ever Theran divorce.

Free of any suitors, Kira is able to focus on motherhood and her recovery–all the while Ethan, Jax and Blake drift in and out of her life.

The machinations run ultra deep in this book. The Genitors, those who create life on both Thera and Earth, are not happy with the manner in which Second Chancers are being “harvested” for Thera, nor are they best pleased with the new militaristic changes on Thera. They give Ethan the chance to fix things–before they step in, and wow, do they make a huge impression.

Joshua Black and Blake become conspirators to bring down the Theran power structure, but in completely different ways. Truly, I can’t even sum up 75% of the book in a single blog post, but I will tell you I adored the book. Kira does find a happily ever after–discovering the power within herself to protect her beloved children, and accepts a cleave (husband) who loves her absolutely and unconditionally. Blake has some serious issue that he works through, and I’m glad we’ll see more of him.

Ethan started out the story with such a bright path and ended up in pretty dire straights–but we can tell he’s going to bounce back in the third book.  Plot twists and turns will keep you turning pages well into the night. For all the “Love Square” this is a completely clean book–barely kissing, folks–so it’s safe for upper YA readers.

Interested? You can find arbitrate on Goodreads and Amazon.

Megan ThomasonAbout the author:

Bestselling, award-winning author Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn’t typing away on her laptop, she’s reading books on her phone–over 600 in the last year–or attending to the needs of her family. Megan’s fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac.

You can find her on her website, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in! And, keep reading my friends! 🙂

 

Thrilled by THE BODY IN THE WOODS–A Review

Hi There! Today’s book is a YA Mystery/Adventure from April Henry. I was raised on Nancy Drew mysteries, way back when, so I have a soft-spot for teen sleuths. THE BODY IS THE WOODS is the beginning of a new series–one I plan to follow.

The Body in the Woods (Point Last Seen, #1)About the book:

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.

My Review:
Wow! This book kept me engaged start to finish.

Three (somewhat) misfit teens enter the Portland Search and Rescue for very different reasons. Alexis needs something stellar for her college applications so she can hope for a scholarship. Nick wants to be a hero, just like his dad who died in Iraq. And Ruby? She’s a CSI wanna-be who has a detective’s insight.

All of them have issues which is fun for me because their backstories are super interesting. The viewpoint alternates between the three main characters, at first, but we also get some short stretches in the mind of the killer and his victims.

Here’s what happens–Alexis, Nick and Ruby are called out to search for an autistic man lost in a wooded area around Portland. Along their search they encounter a few men–none who can aid them. Nick is frustrated that they, being so new, are sent to search an area less likely to hold the missing man. We can really see his desire for the accolades of heroism–notably respect and attention from girls–but he’s so eager he misses what the careful Alexis discovers: a body.

Now, Ruby, Alexis and Nick are the first on the crime scene. Ruby’s memory and attention to the details of the scene are valuable, but we can already see she will become a nuisance to the detective on the case. Nick demonstrates a lot of bravado, always covering up his fears with a shrug and bluster. Alexis, well, she’s shaken. She accepts some counseling from a teen intervention partner, Bran, who becomes a confidant later.

Search and Rescue is called out the next day to scour the crime scene for clues–and Ruby’s conservative parents forbid her from going. Not that a F5 tornado could prevent Ruby from stepping into the investigator role. She goes, and is photographed for the paper. This is bad for two reasons: now her parents will see she disobeyed them, and secondly, the killer gets her name. See, he rather likes girls, and Ruby just lights up all his senses.

Over the course of a week, we learn that the dead girl was somewhat homeless, and there was another female victim of strangulation found in a nearby park not long ago. She was homeless, too. Ruby is fixated on the case and notices a third strangled homeless girl pop up in the news. This sets Alexis on edge because her mom suffers bipolar disorder and is off her meds. When she flees in a bout of paranoia, Alexis is sure she’s living on the streets–at risk from what Ruby suspects is a serial killer.

The police aren’t convinced there’s a serial killer at work; the strangled girls were all from different races and homeless murder victims aren’t uncommon in Portland. The trio bands together, even when Ruby’s parents remove her from Search and Rescue for disobeying them. And, as we watch through the killer’s eyes, this is not the worst calamity to befall Ruby.

I won’t say anymore about the plot except this: the tension was fantastic! We don’t know if the killer will find Alexis’ mom, or Ruby. We know he’s tracking many victims and it’s so hard to wait and see who’ll fall next. Also, there are three plausible suspects and, even with the bird’s eye view, we can’t tell who the killer is until pretty late in the book.

Alexis, Ruby and Nick are interesting, well-developed characters. They have real families with specific and relatable teenager problems. And, they work to solve their own problems. They are “normal” kids, ones you could encounter in any metro area in the US–not uber wealthy, or spoiled rotten, or super hackers, or broken. They just struggle along the way we all do, working within the system to achieve their goals, and that was refreshing. I really loved how Alexis reached out to Bran for some comfort when her mom went missing–but man was I scared when she went out on the hunt! Ruby’s obsession with true crime and detective stories was really cool. And, poor Nick, that kid needs a hug. Maybe lots.

The book is thoroughly innocent of romance, but has scenes of violence associated with murder. The prose is specific and clean, and the story snaps along at a brisk pace with no info dumps clogging up the case, and well-handled misdirections. It’s easy to see how these misfits grow into a unit, one that will spark friendships and comaraderie into future stories. Definitely would recommend for teens (and above) who enjoy murder mysteries and buddy tales.

Interested? You can find THE BODY IN THE WOODS on Goodreads, Powell’s Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble anytime aftoer June 17th. For now: Preorders, people! Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy to review….

April HenryAbout the author:

April Henry knows how to kill you in two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. There was one detour on April’s path to destruction:  when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children’s author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children’s magazine. By the time she was in her 30s, April had started writing about hit men, kidnappers, and drug dealers. She has published more than a dozen mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults, with five more under contract.

You can find her on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook. Probably other places, too.

Thanks for stopping by, and keep reading my friends!

She’s Earned the THIRD DEGREE–A Review

Being smart doesn’t mean you know it all…

Hi there! Today’s book is a contemporary New Adult romance from best-selling author Julie Cross. THIRD DEGREE follows the tumultuous world of 18-ish y/o Isabel Jenkins, MD. It’s got blood, guts an most of all:  heart.

Third DegreeAbout the book:

I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

My Review:

Wabac machine photo of Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Dougie Howser nipped from http://www.fanpop.com

Back in the day there was this TV show I loved about a child doctor. While my kids will forever know Neil Patrick Harris as the snarky, sex-hound Barney Stinson, I lost my teenaged heart to a soulful Dougie Howser, MD. Which is why I wanted to read this book.

Isabel Jenkins has always been brilliant. And difficult. Her adoptive parents have loved her the best they could, but raising a freaking mega-genius hasn’t been easy. She read novels at age 4. She spent one week in Kindergarten and was then homeschooled–couldn’t cope with the kids, apparently. She “entered” college at 12, and finished med school when she was 17. And, at nearly nineteen she’s poised to enter a surgical residency at Johns Hopkins.

Then she’s given a re-boot. The psych exam she was required to take wasn’t too favorable. Seems Isabel is unable to ‘connect with others’ due to a ‘lack of life experience’. This blacklists her from residency programs across the country. She can sit for the psych exam again in 6 months, and has no desire to do research, so she embarks on a ‘personal journey’: college–for real this time. No private tutors, no learning in isolation. She has a dorm room and a cheerleader roommate named Kelsey. And a delectable RA, Marshall, who, as it turns out, had Isabel’s mother as a biology teacher in high school. Marshall’s the only one who knows Isabel’s a doctor–and she’d like to keep that info on the down low. Blend with the natives, and all that.

Unfortunately, Izzy, as she calls herself on campus, is NOT managing. She tries–really–but she almost can’t help being the socially awkward kid she is. Having always been the “prodigy” all her eccentricities were absorbed by the adults around her and she has no boundaries–because none were ever set. It’s no surprise that she blurts out random medical facts when in conversation, and oversteps continually, in the most exasperating ways. Like she NEEDED to swab the flaccid member of Kelsey’s overnight guest because she thought she saw a sore? *shakes head* #EpicFail #NotNormalIzzy

Marshall does heroic work to save Izzy from becoming a social pariah, and, in the process they become study-buddies; she helps him pass Anatomy, and he helps her learn to be a regular person, perhaps even develop friendships.

As Izzy’s RA, Marshall isn’t supposed to develop a crush on Izzy–but don’t let a few rules get in the way there, Marsh! Actually, there’s a lot of sexual tension with a slow build toward consummation. In fact, it is Izzy in her medical element that wears down the last grooves in their mutual resistance. Turns out Marsh is sick–and Izzy’s the one to find and help him in his days of need.

Just as Izzy gains the sense of empathy she had been missing, she recognizes the problems she had caused by her proficient, yet callous, bedside manner. Overwhelmed with feelings she had never really experienced: love, regret, shame, guilt. She steps away from Marsh–running back to the sterility of medicine and the comfort of knowledge.

Only, this time medicine isn’t the home she used to know, and reconciling with Marsh may become the most important choice she makes.

As a book, it was a well-paced, interesting story. Izzy has clear emotional issues, she’s antisocial to an almost pathological degree. Her brilliance may grant her access to the medicine party, but what’s the point if you never get a chance to dance, right? I really enjoyed the slow build between Izzy and Marsh, how his chronic disease was handled and the baby steps Izzy took toward building lasting friendships. Her growth emotionally was refreshing–seeing her admit that her knowledge wasn’t helpful in actually connecting with the people around her was such an Aha! experience.

Couple things that troubled me: the whole way the surgical intern/residency issue was described was factually…off. Medical residents in the US don’t apply for one then the other, not anymore. Not for, like, 25 years now. Those sort of arrangements are made when a student is graduating med school, so I had to take it as a “special case for Isabel” sort of caveat. And, this psych eval, while critical to the story, is also an Izzy-ism. There aren’t many prodigies who enter medicine in the US, but they are almost all shunted into research programs to allow them maturity time. This is for everyone’s benefit. Close people to me have entered residencies at age 26–rather standard–and they were not taken seriously by their patients–due to their youthful appearance. As much as I admired Dougie, I really wouldn’t have wanted a pimply-faced teen (no matter how brilliant, talented or self-righteous *V gives Lorde the stink eye*) lecturing me about my life and/or my passionate love affair with peanut buster parfaits. And neither do most adult patients. Further, I’ll take Izzy’s negative view of research as another instance of her naïveté, because ain’t one physician alive who doesn’t value scientific medical research. I know, ’cause I been doing it for twenty years now.

Still, for fiction this felt good to read. We can always use another representation of responsible teens doing responsible things in fiction. The New Adult tag aside, smexytimes here are tame enough that upper YA readers won’t giggle too much. Izzy is to be lauded for her courage, in determining who she is, and who she wishes to be–and then making a responsible plan to achieve her goals. That is NOT to say she makes good choices throughout–’cause she doesn’t–but she does enough of the right things at the right times to make me like her. A lot.

Interested? You can find THIRD DEGREE on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Julie CrossAbout the Author:

I’m the International Bestselling author of the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment, Timestorm. I’m also the author of the Letters to Nowhere series, a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Entangled, Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, Random House, and St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books

I live in Central Illinois with my husband and three children. I’m a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. I’m a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of my reading and writing credibility, I’m a committed–but not talented–long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict.

You can find Julie online via her website, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in today! I’d like to highlight a recently reviewed book that is currently FREE for download: CHALLENGING DESTINY by Cherie Colyer. Hit here to get your own copy!

Hope you find a great book today, and keep reading my friends!

He’s Just KEEPING THE PEACE–Review and Giveaway

Hi there and welcome to my stop on the KEEPING THE PEACE blog tour brought to you by Omnific Publishing. Today’s book is a contemporary romance from Linda Cunningham–the third book in her Small Town Girl series–and it’s killer. Well, erm, it has a killer in it, anyway…

Keeping the Peace (Small Town Girl, #3)About the book:

John and Melanie Giamo think of themselves as an average family, married with three teenage children. Childhood sweethearts, they’ve lived all their lives in the quiet Vermont village of Clark’s Corner, where John is chief of police and Melanie publishes a small local newspaper. Their lives seem routine enough, even mundane.

Then rock star Gabriel Strand drives into town, knocking everything off balance with his celebrity swagger. John is mildly annoyed until an attempt on Strand’s life leaves an innocent man dead and the young musician feeling vulnerable and alone…and turning to Melanie for comfort. Their mutual attraction could destroy the marriage she always assumed was impervious to any outside threat.

The closer Gabriel gets to Melanie, the greater the danger she and her family face. John must use every resource available, as well as his gut intuition, to protect the singer and the people of his town from a murderer, while he also fights to save his marriage.

My Review:
This multiple POV murder mystery/romance kept me reading WAY into the night.

John Giamo has always loved his wife, Melanie, since, like, childhood. And, while nothing is wrong in their marriage, they’ve hit a bit of a rut. They’ve been married 20+ years and there’s a comfort there, raising their three children in their tiny Vermont town and working day-by-day, that keeps them together even when the passion is somewhat faded.

John has always noticed the way men look at Melanie. And he can’t help overhearing the gossip–but he’s sure nothing of it is real. At least, until the svelte singer Gabriel Strand broadsides Melanie’s car in the midst of a blizzard. Mia, their teenage daughter is injured, and Gabriel takes it upon himself to visit the Giamo home to apologize. Then the power goes out and he’s an overnight guest.

Life for John and Melanie would likely go straight back to normal if someone didn’t murder a man in Gabe’s empty hotel room that night. So, is Gabe a suspect, or a victim? Now under John’s direct protection, the singer isn’t forthcoming about his stalkers–but he doesn’t mind sharing his attraction for a very married Melanie, at least with her.

Good thing this small-town chief of police has some seriously cool kids. Mia and her brothers seek out all sorts of patterns on the online chat rooms and various email accounts leading to two suspects: an estranged lover of Gabe’s mother, and a mentally unstable fangirl.

While John’s out trying to save Gabe’s neck, Melanie’s struggling to rein in her unexpected attraction to the charismatic, young, talented Gabe. And, when the climax comes, it’s a Giamo family effort to rescue Gabe–and Melanie–from the barrel of a gun.

This romance is unique, to me, because we’re dealing with temptation in a happy, healthy marriage. John and Melanie eloped against her family’s expressed wishes. They have built a stable life, and a loving family, together. Sure, there’s small-town talk, but it’s only ever been talk. Melanie never felt any attraction to the many men who have paid her too close attention–then Gabe walks in. He’s flashy and funny and soulful, and lonely. He’s 27 and she’s 45 and he looks at her as if she’s the gold medal at the end of the race. His compliments, coming from such a successful and youthful man, carry more weight. And, they turn her on. John senses this. It strains his sense of duty toward protecting the wolf in his own home.

For his part, Gabe isn’t the soul of evil. He’s a likeable and interesting man, devoted to caring for his mother and sister in LA. He is quite aware of his attraction to Melanie and regrets the complication. He finally meets a woman who captivates him and she’s freaking happily married? Sheesh! Of course, he catches Melanie’s interest and is willing to make plain his desire. He’d take her far away from the mundane life she lives–if she’d let him.

Throughout, I didn’t dislike anyone in the story. I naturally wanted John and Melanie to fix the problems between them, but I couldn’t hate Gabriel. I couldn’t even hate his shameless pursuit of Melanie–because that stuff happens in a marriage. John’s sense of duty–in both his marriage and his career–get shaken up, and help him to realign his priorities. This dynamic occurs in many marriages: a outsider threatening to swoop in can kickstart the passion. (I’ve seen it myself–a man compliments me in my husband’s presence and suddenly I’m in an octopus grip and his next kiss is more firm than the previous ten combined….)

John and Melanie have the choice to let Gabe’s interference separate them–or strengthen their relationship. The realistic way this unfolded was just brilliant. These people could have been my family–no doubt–even if we are Chicagoans, not Yankees.

The book is well-paced with some backstory vignettes describing the interconnectedness of small-town life and the long-held prejudices that can taint the community. The hustle-bustle of dealing with a blizzard on top of a murder really highlights the symbiotic nature of life in a community where the locals know each other’s history going back four and five generations. I enjoyed this peek into Americana, and the richness it brought to the story.

How about a little taste?
Melanie said nothing, but a sudden flush burned her cheeks.

Gabriel raised his ungloved hand and cupped the back of her neck, under her thick scarf.

She was suddenly powerless to move. She felt confused and struggled to collect her thoughts. She couldn’t seem to move any part of her body.

He bent his head down closer to hers and spoke softly. “I want you to know how I feel about you. I’ve never met any woman like you. You’ve captured me. I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to…to…” There was an almost imperceptible motion, and before she was quite sure what had happened, his lips were on hers. For a split second, all her senses flared, fueled to a blaze by the fascination with him she had tried to keep hidden. She was acutely aware of the softness of his lips, of their gradual, increasing pressure on her own.

Before she’d processed the feeling, before she was ready, he drew back from her. “I’m sorry,” he said, but she knew he wasn’t.

Wow! That Gabriel Strand is one bold dude!

Interested? You can find KEEPING THE PEACE at Goodreads, and Amazon.

Also, I’m giving away an eBook to a RANDOM COMMENTER!

So, leave me a comment telling me what you’d do if a celebrity wanted to whisk you away from your family….hypothetically speaking, of course!


Linda CunninghamAbout the Author:

Linda has written steadily throughout the years, but usually other people’s papers, speeches, or articles for agricultural trade magazines. Her only published work of fiction was a children’s book, “The Copper Angel of Piper’s Mill”, written in 1988 when her children were still small. Now that the kids are out of the house, Linda is writing fiction again, and this time it’s personal! She writes full time and it’s Romance! Her contemporary romances, Small Town Girl and Corporate Affair are currently available.

Linda lives in a romantic stone house in the green mountains of Vermont surrounded by her gardens and her animals who include horses, sheep, cats, dogs, chickens, a parakeet and various wildlife visitors who wander in and out at will. When time permits, she also enjoys sketching and painting.

You can find Linda on her blog, Goodreads and twitter.

Thanks for popping in, and don’t forget to comment below for your chance to win an eBook of KEEPING THE PEACE courtesy of Omnific Publishing.

And, as always, keep reading my friends!

Can We Get a LAST SECOND CHANCE? A Review

Hi there! Way back when (last summer) I fell for a country-singer romance from an indie author, Caisey Quinn. GIRL WITH GUITAR really hit a lot of high notes for me and I’d recommend it. I also enjoyed KEEP ME STILL back around Thanksgiving. So, I was excited to come across LAST SECOND CHANCE, her most recent New Adult romance, on sale–and it’s a keeper.

Last Second Chance (Second Chance, #1)About the book:

When Stella Jo Chandler gets an offer to work at the Second Chance Ranch celebrity rehab facility right after graduating from Texas A&M, she’s tempted to turn it down. She wants to help real people with real problems, not spoiled celebrities going on vacation for publicity. But growing up on her family’s ranch left her with a love of horses that draws her to the opportunity. How bad can babysitting a bunch of strung out celebrities be?

What she didn’t count on was being roped into a tangled mess with infamous rocker and three-time rehab drop out Van Ransom on her first day. And she sure didn’t expect to feel the overwhelming attraction that pulls her to the man who has more issues than she can count on both hands. Like the hotel rooms and tour buses he’s famous for trashing, the havoc he could wreak on Stella’s heart would be irreparable.

Van isn’t at Second Chance for publicity or because he’s suffering from “exhaustion”. He’s on the brink of destruction, and he needs the kind of help Stella isn’t sure she can give. But without her, he’ll lose everything. Because he’s on his last second chance.

My Review:
Stella Jo used to compete as a show jumper. Growing up on her family ranch, her mother pushed Stella to be perfect–and Stella pushed herself, too, hoping to gain some acknowledgment from her father, a taciturn man. In fact, the only love Stella felt growing up was the love she experienced with her horse. Then, Stella fell while competing and broke her leg badly. Her beloved horse was too injured, and put down. Stella’s heart was broken, and she hadn’t returned to her family’s ranch since–she spent four years at college and just landed a job at a drug rehab facility in Dallas, a few hours from home.

On her first day there she meets “Mr. Walker” a celebrity client of the facility–one all the female staff are swooning for. Stella swoons, too, she’s just not capable of processing her attraction–too many years of shutting down her emotions.

Lead singer Van Ransom is plagued by the demons of his childhood: his drug addict mother and too-young death of his older sister, Valerie. He’s been in and out of rehab before, with no effect. But this time his record contract is on the line: he must shape up, or the band goes on. Without him.

He’s prepared to say all the right things to get through, but meeting the aloof Stella Jo turns his head. Van’s used to the attention of women–and some of the nurses at Second Chance Ranch aren’t averse to a little “private therapy”–but the enigmatic care coordinator seems impervious to Van’s charms. Or, is she….

This “rock romance” is unique in that, there is no rock–and the romance is rocky. I really enjoyed seeing Stella come to life. It seemed she was completely emotionally shut down–too busy looking for the next curve in her path to see the lush scenery in her view. She’s scarred from too little love, and isn’t sure she can even accept love from anyone. Yet, being around Van startles her into sensing her own passion.

Unfortunately she can’t act on it. Being intimate with a patient is grounds for immediate termination–which would send Stella back to her family home. And that’s a place she won’t even visit, let alone move back to live.

Van is, however, relentless in his pursuit. He volunteers to work in the horse stables so he can spend time with Stella–who continually brushes him off. His mind is driven to distraction, so much so, he actually connects with his therapist and begins confessing his long-secret horrors of growing up in an addict’s care, or lack thereof. While none of Van’s friends or band mates believe Van will get clean and sober, Van goes the extra distance to entice Stella.

For this broken rocker and emotionally-vacant woman, a superficial connection is all one would expect, but the attraction develops into a mutual compassion, a desire to fill the others’ needs. For the first time Van can remember, he acts unselfishly–both emotionally and as a lover. He doesn’t want a quick hit from Stella–he wants…more.

Add the complications of surveillance by Stella’s superiors and co-workers, a stalker ex-fiancé, and Van’s buddies popping in with drugs (just in case) and it seems both Stella’s job and Van’s contract are set to implode. Good thing Stella’s well-practiced at hiding her emotions and Van’s self-control can tolerate this rarely-exercised application.

Here’s what I loved about the book: it wasn’t glossy. Stella and Van don’t fall into bed the first day, or the first week. They stumble. They overreact. They blame and judge and make decisions ‘for the good’ of someone else.

Truly, I had a little trouble with the depth of their attraction following one chance encounter, but the romance was slow to develop, and the sexual tension was excruciating. Just when it looked like they were going to get it on, somebody would interrupt and complicate everything.

The writing is solid, and the romance steams. The progression of their relationship is well-paced and the smexytimes are stimulating, not sloppy. Van has a very filthy mouth, which makes for some fun dialogue. I really liked how Stella reconciled with her parents. Her newfound strength–acquired from beating off Van’s advances–was interesting. At times I thought the superficiality of Stella’s earlier relationships felt a bit exaggerated, but it was clear that she was making choices to connect with Van and new friends, Miranda and Jesse, in a way she never attempted before. The ‘horse therapy’ was a nice twist on the usual rehab tale.

Interested? You can find LAST SECOND CHANCE on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes &Noble. It is currently priced at $.99, but that’s gonna increase 5/13.

imageAbout the author:

Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels featuring southern girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at her website, GoodReads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks for popping by, and keep reading my friends!