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Thursday, November 30, 2017

Spotlight: Under Twilight by Debbie Cassidy




Author:Debbie Cassidy
Series
Fearless Destiny #3

Publisher: Independent
Publication Date:  November 30, 2017

Nothing ever truly dies…
With the throne finally in her power, Kenna Carter should be able to relax. But with the threat of a Twilight invasion looming and the fate of her people, both djinn and human, at stake, there are several tough decisions to be made. It doesn’t help that her Fearless instincts contradict her monarch duties at every turn, throwing her into the path of danger again and again. When the threat they’re facing turns out to be much bigger than they could ever have imagined, Kenna is faced with her biggest challenge yet. A challenge that may end up being her last.

An urban fantasy saturated with adrenaline pumping action, core melting romance, and all the feels.

  

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The Fearless Destiny Series
    

About Debbie Cassidy

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction. Debbie also writes dark, diverse Urban Fantasy fiction, under the pen name Amos Cassidy, with her best friend Richard Amos.

Debbie’s Links

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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Books We Didn't Finish - November Edition


The Last Mrs. Parrish:   I got about 30% in and gave up.  I didn't like the main character at all. I wasn't interested in finding out what happened to the characters.

Strange Weather: This compilation was a complete fail for me.  The first story was so boring and really had nothing to offer. I didn't get the point of it. It was the second one that made me give up on the stories.  I really don't want a lecture on gun control when I am reading for pleasure.  I couldn't bring myself to finish the last two stories.

Children of Eden:  I really think the author of this book should stick to YouTube.  This book was  in serious need of an editor.  It had a good premise, but the writing was terrible.  Also, if you are going to pick a narrator for your audio-book, then choose one that can make the characters distinguishable through different voices.  Everyone sounded the same in the audio.

Dancing at Midnight: I wanted to read this for a Throwback Thursday post.  However, I gave up about 30% in.  I jsut couldn't get into the story.  I didn't like either main character.  The dialogue was stilted and forced.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Between You and Me by Jennifer Gracen



Author: Jennifer Gracen
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Publisher: Kensington Publishing/Penguin Random House

As the only daughter of the wealthy Harrison clan, Tess Harrison has everything—except the baby she longs for. With no husband in sight, she escapes to her family’s retreat in Aspen, Colorado, visions of sperm donors dancing in her head. Instead, she finds Logan Carter. When the ruggedly handsome manager of the Harrison ski house offers to be her baby daddy in exchange for her playing his girlfriend, Tess is breathless to begin the charade. After all, the brokenhearted heiress knows better than to fall in love . . .

She would be Logan’s dream girl, if his dark past had left him with any dreams. Now the brooding bachelor’s only hope is to satisfy his mother’s dying wish to see him happily paired off—and give lovely Tess the baby she longs for. But when he and Tess opt to make a baby the old- fashioned way, he’s fighting hard against the longing to hold on to the elusive Harrison beauty forever . . .

Available at:  Amazon Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

My thoughts:

Between You and Me is the fourth book in the Harrison Family series.  It's the first one I have read.  This is Tess's story.  For the most part, it held up well as a stand alone.  The story mainly involves Tess and Logan, so I didn't really feel lost on the family dynamics.  The author did a good job of cluing me into who was who and why they did or didn't get along.  In the story, Tess is fast approaching forty and has decided to have a baby on her own.  She retreats to her family home in Aspen to prepare.  All she needs is a suitable sperm donor.

I had a little bit of trouble loving this one in the beginning. It did initially drag a bit for me. I wasn't sold on the attraction between Logan and Tess at first.  It felt a bit forced.  I also had issues with Tess asking Logan to agree to be her baby daddy and then getting upset when he is shocked and reacts badly.  I personally thought his reaction was spot on.  What did she expect?  As the story kept going, I grew to really love this couple and their friendship. So much that I really bought their HEA in the end.

I am intrigued enough by Tess's brothers to go back and check out their stories.  If you haven't' read any of the series, Between You and Me is a good one to start.




An excerpt from BETWEEN YOU AND ME
Copyright © Jennifer Gracen 2017

By the time Logan pulled up in front of Tess’s house, she was warm, full, tired, and happy. “I had a great time today.”

“I did too,” he said with a smile. “Thanks again for inviting me.”

“Any chance you’d like to do it again sometime soon?”she asked. “You’re a worthy ski partner, and I had fun with you.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he said. “But next time, I pay for my lift ticket.”

“Deal. Sometime next week?”

“Sure. Give me a call, we’ll work out a time.”

“Well, you have a job with a real schedule. Right now, I don’t. I’m free as a bird. So you give me a call.”

His eyes held hers as he said, “Okay. I’ll do that. You’re on. Got yourself a ski buddy.”

God, she wanted to kiss him. Sitting so close in the warmth of his truck, he smelled good and his eyes were intense and his mouth was inviting and she wanted to kiss him so bad. But this new friendship—all the things they’d revealed to each other that day—she didn’t want to cross any lines or mess it up. For now, she’d hold back.

But still couldn’t resist flirting a little bit. “So,” she said boldly. “Are you coming in to soak in my tub or what? The offer stands.”

His gaze turned hot, a full-out smolder that made her belly do a wobbly flip. “The offer is more tempting than you know.” His voice had dropped low and dead sexy, making her shiver. “But I think I’d better head home for tonight.”

They stared at each other for a moment, pure electricity crackling between them. She could feel her blood in her veins, racing now, hot and needing, as his eyes lowered to her mouth for a few seconds before lifting to meet her gaze again. “You sure?” she asked. Her heart thumped in heavy beats.

“Only so much temptation a man can take,” he murmured. “And you’re testing my limits as it is, Tess. You have to know that.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well . . .”

She leaned in, her face so close to his that she could feel his hot breath feather against her lips.

“Tess.” He whispered it as a protest, but his eyes gave him away. He wanted her too, she could see it all over his face.

She closed the distance between them, pressing her mouth to his. It was a brush of her lips against his, just the slightest touch. But his hand lifted to cup the back of her neck and hold her there. He took control of the kiss, gently but surely, slanting his mouth over hers to take more of what he wanted. Her mouth opened with a little sigh as their tongues met and swirled slowly. As they leaned into each other, his fingers threaded through her hair and his other hand came up, cradling her head in his hands as his mouth consumed hers.

Her senses reeled. His full beard tickled her face, surprisingly soft against her skin. The feel of his mouth on hers, his hands in her hair, his big, warm body so close . . .her head swam with it all. He deepened the kiss and groaned softly into her mouth, and she was lost. She surrendered willingly, kissing him back with the same slow, sensual pace he’d set, her fingers clutched in his ski jacket. She could have kissed him for days.

He broke away slowly, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes still closed. “Jesus,” he whispered. When his eyes opened to focus on her, they were heavy lidded with lust. “You . . . you better go inside now.”

Still catching her breath, she touched his cheek. “You sure you don’t want to come in?”

“I do want to,” he said, his voice thick. “Too much. So I’m not going to.”

She pulled back, trying to hide her disappointment. “Okay.”

“Tess . . .” He stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as he fought with what he wanted to say. “You’re an amazing woman. I like that we’re . . . kind of friends now. Let’s try to stick with that for now, okay?”

The disappointment sharpened in her gut, but she pasted on a smile. “Fine.”

“Ah crap. No, no, don’t say fine,” Logan demanded gently. “When a woman says fine, it’s never fine. Even a loner lumberjack like me knows that.”

She couldn’t help but giggle.


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About Jennifer Gracen


Jennifer Gracen hails from Long Island, New York, where she lives with her two sons. After spending her youth writing in private and singing in public, she now only sings in her car and is immersed in her passion for writing. She loves to write contemporary romance for readers who look for authentic characters and satisfying endings. When she isn’t with her kids, doing freelance proofreading, or chatting on Twitter and Facebook, Jennifer writes. She’s already hard at work on her next book.


Connect with Jennifer: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google+

Monday, November 27, 2017

November Mini Musings



Dirty: I liked this and I didn't.  I really wasn't sold on the quick way the love was declared after the span of a week.  That was WAY too fast for me.  However, I found a lot of the story funny and amusing

Twist: I liked this one a bit more than the first one, but not by much  Even with the misunderstanding, I felt like the two main characters at least got to know one another through e-mail.  However, the rest of the story was kind of boring.  Alex ended up being a pathetic doormat. Joe was an jerk  The arrival and controversy with the ex-girlfriend was kind of unnecessary. I was also disappointed in what happened to one of the characters after the accident.  It felt like a cop-out to get away from controversy in the next book.

Save a Truck, Ride a Cowboy:  This was a cute novella.  Fairly clean in its heat level.  The frustrating thing about it was the lack of "on page" time that the two main characters had together. I would have bought their second chance HFN ending a bit more.   The rest of the characters were hilarious though.  This one really sets the scene for a new series by the author.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Deal Breaker by Tara Leigh

Author: Tara Leigh
Publisher: Swerve
Date of publication: November 2017

Nixie Rowland is having a bad day. Rushing home to drown her sorrows in ice cream and reality television, she decides to take a shortcut to the subway where things take a turn for the worst. But Nixie’s bad luck doesn’t end there—the white knight who comes to her rescue is none other than the Dark Knight of Wall Street, a cocky Manhattan mogul whose ego barely fits inside his penthouse. To her horror, Nixie discovers the sizzling attraction between them is off the charts, and rising fast. Spending the night in his bed does nothing to lower the heat… And everything to set her heart on fire.

Nash Knight doesn’t have room in his life, or his heart, for anything beyond one-night stands or casual flings. And he certainly doesn’t make a habit of rescuing damsels in distress. Except that this particular damsel slips beneath his armor, the vulnerability she covers with a false show of bravado hitting him somewhere deep. Nixie is everything he never wanted… And exactly what he needs.

With Nixie on the run from a controlling ex, and Nash trying to salvage a business deal at risk because his conquests in the bedroom are overshadowing his wins in the boardroom, there’s one simple solution for them both: a marriage in name only. But when lust becomes love, will their untamed emotions be a deal breaker?


Deal Breaker is the second book in the Billionaire Bosses series.  It definitely can be read as a stand alone.  Characters from the first book make an appearance, but they aren't integral to the story.  This is Nash and Nixie's story.  Nash saves Nixie from being mugged in a dark alley one night. Neither life is ever the same after.

I liked the story well enough.  The HEA was sweet and there was definitely chemistry between the couple.  I liked Nash and his hard exterior with a soft caring gooey inside.  It was fun watching him fall for Nixie.  I wasn't too sold on Nixie throughout most of the story.  I thought she made some incredibly dumb choices.  While I get that she had a bad experience with a controlling ex, her reluctance to let Nash really help her was frustrating.  Once her ex finds her, she had a surprising lack of a sense of danger.  I found this odd.  Did she not think he would keep stalking her?  Finally, I found it frustrating that she would be so upset when she figured out Nash's reasons for their marriage of convenience.  I'm mean, did it really matter?  She had her own selfish reasons.  

Despite this gripes, the story is still a pleasant romance.  I look forward to seeing what comes next.


Saturday, November 25, 2017

Spotlight: Poppies for Christmas by Stacy Renee Keywell


Author: Stacy Renee Keywell
Sate of publication: November 2016


A celebration of love without labels. It’s easy to be brave with you by my side!

Popular DJ Dexx finds himself positively smitten by the precociously pristine Poppy Paris. Too bad she’s already taken by an older boy, Declan Davies, a beautiful model with a thriving career, and a perfect family. By a dreamful stroke of chance, Dexx finds himself invited to spend Christmas at the Davies home by a gorgeous girl, granting him the opportunity to pursue the precious Poppy. But in his quest to win her over, he unlocks a world of imperfection and insecurity, where people are picked on for their disabilities, speech, appearance, and eccentricities. For Poppy and her friends, love trumps labels, and everyone deserves a brave friend to stand by their side. What gifts will Dexx discover this Christmas? Will he ultimately find true love, or will he discover something even greater?

You are invited to read a powerful story about living with autism, but not letting it define you, about being bullied, but carrying on with determination and grit, and about having dreams, but not giving up in the face of adversity. Come celebrate something beautiful with Poppies for Christmas.


The Science of Baking

I read somewhere once that cooking is an art. It takes imagination and flare. But baking? Baking is a science. It takes exactitude and precision. It requires patience. It requires dedication. It requires love. A whole lot of love. And well…that’s what I’ve got…love…love for a girl, a special one, one who deserves dedication. So what do I choose to prove my love? I choose baking.

Chapter One

Lenn

Deep inside my tote, my hand grazed against my faithful sketchbook before I removed it. The metal spirals comforted my fingers as I dragged them across the row of sharp-edged rings. Firmly gripping the book, I flipped it open to a blank page near the middle. I smoothed out the slightly texturized, eggshell white page. I bent down and buried my nose in the crease, inhaling the faint lead pencil scent. It calmed me, readying me to add another chapter to my visual saga.

Spreading my tools around me, hard and soft pencils, a ruler, several firm erasers, and a small metal sharpener, I steadied my hand and cleared my mind, inviting in only the most blissful images of my fantasy. With a soft lead pencil, I constructed an oval blank for the face. Art classes definitely assisted in perfecting the technique, but dedication and talent trumped instruction.

I used the ruler to estimate the proper dimensions. I added eyes, a nose, some crazy-hot lips, all his beautiful features. I gave him expressive brows. I sketched his glossy dark brown hair, shaggy bangs flopping over to the side, covering his ear, exposing that sarcastic, twisted grin on his lips, the same way he looked when he joked around with his friends in the corner of the library during study hall.

A trusty eraser mopped up all of the stray, miscellaneous marks. I blew away a couple gummy shreds before I shaded in his taut jawline. I wiped up the last scattered pieces left behind on the page before I started on adding myself to the portrait. Duplicating the process, I gave myself a hipper, manga-esque look, allowing for a more whimsical likeness of myself.

Poppy and Kit sat at the same long, wooden table, on the opposite side of me. Kit swiped through the pages on her tablet, desperately trying to find the right page number, since she had neglected to tap the bookmark before closing out her chapter the previous night. Nervous oohs and aahs escaped her lips. Poppy, sitting with her legs crossed, jiggled her feet beneath her chair, shaking the table, creating a rattling earthquake under my artwork.

I shot a glare in her direction. “Would you please stop? The both of you! You are driving me crazy, and ruining my picture.”

Poppy and Kit stopped suddenly. They looked at each other, wide-eyed and innocent, two does in the midst of a meadow. Unaware! Clueless! Oblivious!

“I can’t think when you moan that way,” I snapped, addressing Kit. She squirmed underneath her oversized flannel shirt and baggy jeans.

“And, you,” I turned to Poppy. “You are going to smudge my drawing with all of that wild motion going on underneath the table. Can it!”

Their jaws dropped. They both stared at me, wordless.

“Please.” I hugged my journal protectively. Softening my voice, I turned to Poppy and asked her again. “Please?”

“Sorry,” they announced in simulcast, sighing, shrugging their shoulders, lost together in the great woods of their minds.

They looked back down at their own musings. I continued to draw.

In this picture, the two of us relaxed together on a chaise lounge, him with his large, bulbous headphones, and me with my skull and crossbones ear buds. Our eyes drifted in the opposite direction, lids almost closed, in a sleepy trance. My arm draped across his chest until our fingers entwined, intimately. We zoned out to his simpatico beats.




Born with the passion for storytelling, Stacy Renée Keywell spends time stargazing, daydreaming, and creating adventures for her family to conquer. Being an educator for over twenty years, Stacy enjoys studying and sharing her knowledge of culture, philosophy, language, and the humanities. She loves the human spirit, appreciates profound humor, and dreams about the mysteries of the spiritual unknown. Besides following her whimsical dreams, Stacy’s hobbies include singing off tune, dancing oddly yet awesomely, reading as much as possible, and traveling around the globe with gusto. Stacy lives a life of fabulous clichés. Stacy works hard at telling bad joke, and making up amazing new words in hopes that they will one day find their way into the dictionary. She strives to love without labels with her nonprofit movement Project Love Without Labels, which tackles social stigmas and takes on bullying. She vows to bravely stand by the sides of those who need her, especially her two daughters. Stacy, her husband, and her children, live in Michigan in a quaint house in the woods.

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