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Sunday, March 31, 2019

Books I Didn't Finish - March Edition

Three Blind Dates:  I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to finish this one.  The premise was cute, but by the end of the first date I just didn't care any more.  Noley was just too over the top awkward.  I had a hard time picturing her as a morning talk show host.  After the scene where she gives herself a home perm, I gave up.  No one does that any more, especially someone who has to be on TV every day.  It was a bit too far-fetched to be believable.

Duchess by Design:  I tried to get into this one, but I gave up fairly early on.    It was almost a bit too insta-lovely for me. I wasn't into the potential angst. I didn't care about either of the characters. I also didn't like the setting. I might have liked it more had it taken place in England.

The Kiss Quotient:  This book is being hyped all over the place.  I'm not sure why.  I barely made it past the first 15% of the audiobook.  I thought this would be a cute romance, but it was't  I found myself very uncomfortable with the premise of the main character hiring a man to teach her about sex.  I understand she has aspergers, but it just wasn't realistic.  I also wasn't a fan of the hero feeling he had to do this type of work to make money.  I'm sure the reason shows up later in the book.  I just didn't care to wait it out.

The Suspect: I really enjoyed the first two book in this series.  I was sad when I decided to DNF this one.  I got about 20% of the way in and I was so bored.  I just didn't care about the characters. There were too many perspectives,  I found myself re-reading passages.  It wasn't as tidy and well put together as the others. 

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Spotlight: The Goodbye Cafe by Mariah Stewart


Author: Mariah Stewart
Publisher: Gallery Books
On sale March 26, 2019
Trade Paperback • Price: $16.00 • ISBN: 9781501145124
eBook • Price: $7.99 • ISBN: 9781501145162

California girl Allie Hudson Monroe can’t wait for the day when the renovations on the Sugarhouse Theater are complete so she can finally collect the inheritance from her father and leave Pennsylvania. After all, her life and her fourteen-year-old daughter are in Los Angeles.

But Allie’s divorce left her tottering on the edge of bankruptcy, so to keep up on payments for her house and her daughter’s private school tuition, Allie packed up and flew out east. But fate has a curve-ball or two to toss in Allie’s direction—she just doesn’t know it yet.

She hadn’t anticipated how her life would change after reuniting with her estranged sister, Des, or meeting her previously unknown half-sister, Cara. And she’d certainly never expected to find small-town living charming. But the biggest surprise was that her long-forgotten artistry would save the day when the theater’s renovation fund dried up.

With opening day upon the sisters, Allie’s free to go. But for the first time in her life, she feels like the woman she was always meant to be. Will she return to the West Coast and resume her previous life, or will the love of “this amazing, endearing family of women” (Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author) be enough to draw her back to the place where the Hudson roots grow so deep?

About the author

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of numerous novels and several novellas and short stories. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and two rambunctious rescue dogs amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she savors country life and tends her gardens while she works on her next novel. Visit her website at MariahStewart.com, like her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuthorMariahStewart, and follow her on Instagram @Mariah_Stewart_Books.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Review: Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Author: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Date of publication: June 2015

A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target. 


Book Scavenger was a really fun middle grade mystery.    It involves Emily, who is a book worm who also loves puzzles. She loves to play the Books Scavenger online game.  The game involves people leaving books out in the wild and posting clues to the app.  When her family moves to San Francisco, she gets involved in the biggest hunt of her life.

I thought this was a really cute story. It reminded me of The Westing Game and Harriet the Spy, both of which I loved when I was younger. I enjoyed following Emily and her friend James as they solved the clues. I'm not going to talk plot because I don't want to give anything away.  I will say that I I enjoyed the references to Edgar Allen Poe as he is one of my favorite authors.  I also liked the use of ciphers.

More than the plot, I really liked the characters. Emily is a girl after my own heart.  She loves books and loves to spread her love of books.  She also loves puzzles.  I loved her friendship with James. Moving school frequently has caused her to have issues making and trusting friends.  So their friendship was special. I also thought her relationship with her older brother was wonderful.  One of the best parts of this book, from a parental point of view, was the 12YO kids did not run around San Francisco alone.  There was actual parental involvement.  They made sure that the kids were accompanied by Emily's older brother when they went on their book hunt adventures.  I feel like there isn't enough of that in middle grade books.

I definitely recommend this one, especially to middle grade readers..  It's a series, so I'll be seeking out the next book, The Unbreakable Code very soon.

Spotlight: General Meade: A Novel of the Civil War by Robert Kofman

Author: Robert Kofman
Publisher:  Lion Valley Publishing
Date of publication: March 2019


As the civil war raged on, President Lincoln desperately sought a commander to defeat the seemingly invincible Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, whose army had invaded Pennsylvania. Lincoln turned to the Old Snapping Turtle, General George Meade—a courageous man with remarkable integrity and a fiery temper—to save the Union during its greatest time of need.
Just three short days after taking command, General Meade confronts Lee’s army at Gettysburg, resulting in the bloodiest and most dramatic battle of the war. Delivering a glorious victory, at first heralded as a hero who turned the tide of the war, General Meade falls victim to a nefarious smear campaign that threatens to ruin his reputation and his career. The general is forced to muster all of his strength to persevere against an onslaught of political and newspaper attacks, all while leading the Army of the Potomac and serving his superiors: General Ulysses S. Grant and President Lincoln.

In General Meade, readers will be struck with how contemporary the themes are, a country so divided by a contentious social issue – slavery – that it fights a civil war. There are polarized political parties, partisan newspaper attacks, false news stories, war heroes and villains, a controversial President leading the country through a crisis, leaked Congressional testimony and an unscrupulous Congressional Committee out to destroy the careers of generals who don’t share its political ideology.


Buy Link:

About the author:

Robert Kofman is a retired labor and employment law attorney who grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. After obtaining degrees in history and political science from Penn State University, he graduated from Duke University Law School.
During forty years of practicing law, Robert first worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, and then entered private practice in Miami, Florida. Prior to his retirement, Robert was rated among the best lawyers in his legal specialty—labor and employment law—by a number of legal publications including The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA.
A dedicated runner of thirty-eight years, Robert ran six marathons before injury forced him to the sidelines. Happily married, Robert and his wife Rosa live together in Miami, Florida, where they enjoy spending time with their four daughters and four grandchildren.
Fascinated with the Civil War ever since his parents took him to the Gettysburg Battlefield at the age of nine, Robert’s first novel, General Meade: A Novel of the Civil War, focuses on the subject.

Connect with the author

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Spotlight: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

Author: Kelly Rimmer
Publisher: Graydon House
Publication Date: March 2019

In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.

Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents’ farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.


About the auhor:


Kelly Rimmer is the USA Today best selling author of contemporary fiction novels including Me Without You, The Secret Daughter, When I Lost You, A Mother’s Confession and her most recent release, Before I Let You Go. She lives in rural Australia with her family.
For further information about Kelly’s books, and to subscribe to her mailing list, visit www.kellyrimmer.com.

Connect with Kelly
.
Kelly Rimmer’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, March 11th: Where the Reader Grows and @wherethereadergrows
Tuesday, March 12th: Book by Book
Wednesday, March 13th: Bookish Bliss and Beauty
Friday, March 15th: Chick Lit Central
Monday, March 18th: @booktimistic and Booktimistic
Wednesday, March 20th: Novel Gossip and @novelgossip
Monday, March 25th: @readingbetweenthe_wines
Thursday, March 28th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, March 28th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, April 1st: Books and Bindings
Thursday, April 4th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks
Friday, April 5th: The Lit Bitch
TBD: Tuesday, March 19th: @booksandpolkadots


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Blog Tour: Review of The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick


Author: Phaedra Patrick
Publisher: Park Row; Original edition 
Publication Date: March 26, 2019

A librarian’s discovery of a mysterious book sparks the journey of a lifetime in the delightful new novel from the international bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people—though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.
All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend—her grandmother Zelda—who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.

The Library of Lost and Found didn't end up being what I was expecting.  The book involves Martha, who is middle aged and kind of at a loss for what to do with her life.  She is a people please and can't say the word "no", ever.  One day, she is given a book that has an inscription in it written to her from her dead grandmother.  This sets her off on a journey  to find out the truth about her grandmother's death.

I'll admit that I had a hard time initially getting into this book.  I didn't care for Martha.  She was kind of a doormat that everyone in town walked all over.  She came across as way older than she actually was supposed to be.  She definitely grew on me as the book progressed.  The book end up being an OK read for me.  The overall story was kind of predictable and ended up where I thought it would end up.  The family secret was no surprise and I wasn't shocked when it was revealed.   The story is well written and I especially enjoyed the little fairy tales scattered throughout the book.  I just didn't love it as much as I was hoping I would.


Purchase Links


About Phaedra Patrick

Phaedra Patrick studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. She is a prize winning short story writer and now writes full time.
She lives in the UK with her husband and son. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is her debut novel.

Connect with Phaedra
Instagram tour:
Monday, March 25th: @simoneandherbooks
Tuesday, March 26th: @ladyofthelibrary
Wednesday, March 27th: @wherethereadergrows
Wednesday, March 27th: @stephaniehowell
Thursday, March 28th: @hotcocoareads
Friday, March 29th: @readingbringsjoy
Saturday, March 30th: @whatmeganreads
Sunday, March 31st: @oddandbookish
Monday, April 1st: @prose_and_palate
 

Review tour:
Monday, March 25th: Reading Reality
Tuesday, March 26th: A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall
Wednesday, March 27th: A Bookish Way of Life
Wednesday, March 27th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, March 28th: The Sketchy Reader
Friday, March 29th: Tar Heel Reader and @tarheelreader
Monday, April 1st: @bookstackedblonde
Monday, April 1st: Into the Hall of Books
Tuesday, April 2nd: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Wednesday, April 3rd: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, April 4th: The Hungry Bookworm
Thursday, April 4th: @worldswithinpages
Friday, April 5th: What is That Book About
Monday, April 8th: @thegraduatedbookworm
Monday, April 8th: Amy’s Book-et List
Tuesday, April 9th: Novel Gossip and @novelgossip
Wednesday, April 10th: Read Eat Repeat
Thursday, April 11th: Girl Who Reads
Friday, April 12th: Kahakai Kitchen
Monday, April 15th: Jessicamap Reviews and @jessicamap
Tuesday, April 16th: Books & Bindings
Thursday, April 18th: A Splendid Messy Life
Friday, April 19th: @jackiereadsbooks
Monday, April 22nd: Jathan & Heather
Tuesday, April 23rd: @novelmombooks
Wednesday, April 24th: Bookchickdi
Thursday, April 25th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, April 26th: Thoughts on This ‘n That


Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Spotlight: Excerpt of Forever Wolf by Maria Vale


Author: Maria Vale
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: 3/26/2019

Born with one blue eye and one green, Eyulf was abandoned as an infant and has never understood why, or what he is...Varya is fiercely loyal to the Great North Pack, which took her in when she was a teenager. While out on patrol, Varya finds Eyulf wounded and starving and saves his life, at great risk to her own.

Legend says his eyes portend the end of the world...or perhaps, the beginning...

With old and new enemies threatening the Great North, Varya knows as soon as she sees his eyes that she must keep Eyulf hidden away from the superstitious wolves who would doom them both. Until the day they must fight to the death for the Pack's survival, side by side and heart to heart...

Buy Links:



Enjoy this excerpt:


I focus on the still-pink circlet of scars around his leg, pulling the scar tissue gently apart with two fingers to see how elastic it is. Then I push down, softly at first, and gradually harder. If it starts to swell or bruise, the change will tear apart the underlying network of blood vessels.
He jerks.
“That’s a bad sign.” “What?”
“Well, it shouldn’t hurt that much.” “Doesn’t,” he says.
“This is not the time to hide what you’re feeling. If you change before you’re fully healed, you will tear yourself open again. I know what I’m doing.”
He leans forward, his arms draped between his legs. “I’m not sure you do.”
Ah. The towel that was barely adequate before is simply laughable now that it is also responsible for covering a thickly engorged cock.
I look up, up, up to his eyes. They’ve changed, darkened. They are no longer the pale blue of old ice and bright variegated green of forest depths, but the deep blue of late evening and the dark green of rain- drenched fir. His white hair loops forward and then falls over his shoulder. A sharp, green muskiness like rubbed coriander bothers my nose with something warm and dangerous.
I jump away, like a skittish fawn.
“I don’t think it’ll open up. Remember, your trigger is here.” I point without touching toward the place I’d found before. “It’s inside, not outside, so you need to tighten those muscles. But take your shirt off first.”
“Okay,” he says, pulling off his shirt. “Why?” “Because if by some miracle you get it right, I’ll have to cut you out of it, and we don’t have that many changes of clothes.”
Turning away, I smooth the T-shirt still warm from his body against my chest. Philadelphia Frostbite Regatta, it says. When I glance back, his eyes are closed and a tremor roils through the cut muscles. Parts of him around his pelvis that don’t look like they could tighten any more ripple.
Sitting down on a dry trunk, I stare at the lower slopes of Norþdæl, blanketed with wine and gray and dark gold, dotted with dark-green evergreens and occasional skeletal fingers of white birch.
“How are you doing over there?”
“Working on it.” He coughs a handful of fake coughs, trying, I suppose, to reproduce whatever caused that earlier change.
“Hey?” he says.
“Yes?”
“I’m going to be able to change back, right?”
“Of course. Once you learn what your trigger is, you’ll never forget it.”
“Like riding a bike.”
I scratch my ear. “It’s nothing like riding a bike. You’re changing into a wolf. Wolves don’t ride bikes.”
“It’s a… That’s not what I… Never mind.”
A squirrel squats on his hind legs, eyeing me from a distance. At this moment, from this angle, the daylight moon forms a curved crown above his head. “Except… you do know not to change before the Iron Moon, right?”
“Why?”
The squirrel’s whiskered nose twitches, worriedly. “Because the Iron Moon takes us as she finds us and makes us wilder. If she finds us in skin, she makes us wild. But if she finds us wild, she makes us æcewulfs. Real wolves. Forever wolves.”
“And you don’t change back?”
“That’s why they’re called forever wolves.”
He stares down at his feet, clenching and stretching his toes, as though confirming that for now at least, he still looks human. “Is it like when you’re a wolf, but you still know who you are? You still remember everything?”
“Nobody knows what they remember or don’t, but they’re definitely not the same. They’re not Pack any- more.” Over my shoulder, I see the panic on his face, his hand clinging to the little towel, like the last vestiges of his humanity.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen to you,” I say. His eyes consider mine for a moment. I nod at him, and he starts again, pressing harder, moving, clenching, roiling, undulating.
The squirrel takes advantage of my distraction and bolts up a nearby tree. High up, he hangs, head down, legs splayed, and chitters at me for invading his territory.
Varya!
I leap at Eyulf’s strangled cry, just managing to catch him as he pitches forward, his feet narrowing, arch elongating, calf muscle tightening.
How did I forget to tell him to lie down?
I stagger to the ground, his body writhing in my arms. His green eye searches blindly, his grotesque mouth mangles a groan before going silent. The towel drops away from his narrowing hips and his clutching fingers. My hair falls forward over him.
Astille, wulf. Þu eart gesund mid me.
Hush, wolf, you are safe with me.
My hands run over his skin, like water.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:


Maria Vale is a journalist who has worked for Publishers Weekly, Glamour magazine, Redbook, the Philadelphia Inquirer. She is a logophile and a bibliovore and a worrier about the world. Trained as a medievalist, she tries to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don't really need it. She lives in New York with her husband, two sons and a long line of dead plants. No one will let her have a pet. Visit her at mariavale.com.

Monday, March 25, 2019

Blog Tour: Review of Slay Me by Louise Cypress

Series: The Puritan Coven Series, Book 3
Release date:  Feb. 19, 2019

Kyle Logan has been a 16-year-old bad boy for three years, ever since he became a vampire. After a stint at the rehab center run by the Brothers of Temperance, Kyle has finally kicked his blood addiction. Now, he's back in high school with one goal in mind: stay clean so he can grow up and become an animal-rights activist.

Cassandra Xander wants two things in 10th grade: a car and the chance to attend a traditional high school. She loved being homeschooled growing up, especially since her family moved every six months for Helsing Incorporated, but now that her mother is founding a slayer training academy in La Jolla, California, Cassandra is excited by the opportunity to attend La Jolla Cove High.

When Kyle witnesses Cassandra give a verbal reckoning to a dog owner who leaves her beagle locked in a sweltering car, Kyle makes his move. He loves that Cassandra is smart, intense, and willing to break rules. But Cassandra has zero experience dating and isn't sure a relationship with a hot-tempered vampire is a good place to start - especially when she discovers Kyle's secret ability.

Kyle works hard to master his emotions and make all of Cassandra's high school dreams come true. Just when their romance brightens both of their lives, Kyle's past draws him back into darkness. The only way forward for these high school sweethearts is to slay or pay.

Buy Links for Audiobook #3
Buy on Audible

Slay Me is the third and final book in the Puritan Coven series.  This one is Cassie's story.  It picks up pretty much right after the events of the second book, Hunt Me.  Cassie is a home schooled sophomore trying to navigate her way through public school for the first time.  Kyle is a vegan vampire just trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

For the most part, I enjoyed this  one, but it wasn't my favorite of the series.  It had great humor and the same fun characters as the other books. I did love Cassie's awkwardness when it came to dating.  What I didn't love was Kyle.  I thought his vegan, environmental, PETA like attitude was a bit over the top.  That part, i could have done without.  Despite that, this was a good wrap up to the series.  The narrators once again did a great job of narrating the story.  I definitely recommend this series.




About the Author: Louise Cypress


Louise Cypress believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. She has never met a vampire or a mermaid, but she has been to a Love Sucks concert on Valentine's Day. She can often be found curled up with a romance novel on Saturday night, diet soda in hand, secretly wishing bustles were back in fashion. Louise is from San Diego, California, where the beach is crowded and summer is immortal.

About the Narrator: Reba Buhr

Reba Buhr grew up in the Pacific Northwest and now lives in Los Angeles, working in theater, film, and television. She has degrees from Occidental College in theater and classical voice. Reba began recording audiobooks in 2012 and has turned her love for performance into a passion for narrating characters that jump off the page. Reba is an accomplished voice actor and has lent her voice to many commercials, video games, and animated projects, including Popples and Knights of Sidonia for Netflix, Toonami's Hunter x Hunter, and Zagtoon's Zak Storm.

About the Narrator: Alexander Cendese

Alexander Cendese is a New York–based actor/narrator whose credits include roles on and Off-Broadway, in films, and on popular television shows, including Law & Order: SVU and All My Children. He holds a BFA from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

March Mini Musings

 


Werewolf in Manhattan- This was a random audio pick from my library.  I was in the mood for a cheesy supernatural romance.  Boy, did this deliver.  It was a cheesy, cute, and fast paced love story involving a writer and a rich, excuse me, "wealthy" werewolf. The characters were fun and engaging.  Even though it wasn't the best written story I've ever read, I was still entertained.  I enjoyed it enough to try out the next in the series.

The Winter Duchess:  I didn't really care for this one.  While I loved the heroine int he story, I detested the hero.  Eric was so rude and nasty to Caroline for the entire book, except in the bedroom.  I'm not sure how she fell for him.  It must have been all of the orgasms.  I'm not sure Id recommend this one. It's a little longer than a novella so at least it's a quick read.

End Time:   I'm not usually into zombie books, but I ended up enjoying this one.  The book follows several perspectives, both hero and enemy.  What I liked most about this one is it starts from the beginning of the outbreak and highlights the chaos and disbelief of all involved.  None of the characters are perfect and they all make believable mistakes/.  It ends on a cliffhanger, so I'll probably pick up the next one.

The Wicked Wallflower:  I thought this was a cute historical romance.  The characters were fun.  I loved the idea of the inheritance games.  That was the best part of the book.  It allowed the main characters to really get to know each other better.  I was really rooting for this couple. The book has a lot of humor and just put me in a good mood at the end.

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Review: The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene

Author: Thomas Christopher Greene
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: January 2019

Susannah, a young widow and single mother, has remarried well: to Max, a charismatic artist and popular speaker whose career took her and her fifteen-year-old son out of New York City and to a quiet Vermont university town. Strong-willed and attractive, Susannah expects that her life is perfectly in place again. Then one quiet morning she finds a note on her door: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. 

Max dismisses the note as a prank. But days after a neighborhood couple comes to dinner, the husband mysteriously dies in a tragic accident while on a run with Max. Soon thereafter, a second note appears on their door: DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT?

Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other —secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built.


I'll say up front, I really didn't care for this book.  I probably should have DNF'd it early on, but I keep holding out hope that I will find a truly thrilling psychological thriller.  The Perfect Liar involves Susannah and her husband Max.  One day they receive an anonymous note that says "I know who you are".  Both Susannah and Max have secrets.  The question is who is the note meant for?

The book is told through both Susannah's and Max's perspective.  We learn fairly early on what secret Max is keeping.  That made the rest of the story very anti-climactic.  I called Susannah's secret and the identity of the note writer in first quarter of the book.  The ending was kind of a let down.  I think all of this wouldn't have been too bad if that characters were likable.  Unfortunately, all of them were terrible.  That includes Susannah's son who was a whiny, sullen teenager and the police detective who was a cheesy cliche. 

I wish I could say I recommend this one.  But I really don't.  But hey, I wasted my time so you don't have to!  I'm still holding out hope for a great thriller this year!

Friday, March 22, 2019

Blog Tour: Review of Just Swipe Right by Allie York.



Author: Allie York
Date of publication: March 2019


Eliza
My life is perfect. I have a luxurious apartment and my dream job. I also have a sister willing to sign me up for a dating app against my better judgment. I promise her one week before the app is deleted forever.

All it takes is one week before I’m matched with two amazing men and my perfect life becomes a perfect disaster.

Murphy
I needed a drastic change and I got it. My move from the middle of nowhere to the city lands me in a classy part of town with an upscale job. All I need is a personal life to match. So, I join the masses and download an app.

A match with the woman of my dreams has me considering a future. The only problem is that I’m not the only one wanting to make her mine.

After all, 425 Madison Avenue is the perfect place to fall in love.
*Each story is completely standalone.

Just Swipe Right is the third novella in the 425 Madison Avenue series.   This one is Eliza's story and involves her experiences with a dating app that her sister Piper convinces her to join.  For the most part I enjoyed the book.  I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, so I was a bit wary in the beginning. The story is told through Eliza's and Murphy's perspectives, so I had an inkling that she would end up with him.  I was team Murphy all the way.  I loved them together.  What I didn't care for was the scene with Stuart at the opera, especially after she had been with Murphy.  It just felt wrong to me.  At any rate, I do recommend this one. Overall this has been a cute set of short romances so far.



Excerpt
Copyright @ 2019 Allie York

“When you signing up? Women love a chef.” My best friend Derek is the back manager of Amore and got me the interview as head chef. Tonight, he gets to be both managers since the front manager called in sick. Sick is code for his new girlfriend is visiting from upstate. Mike gets sick every third Saturday, almost religiously.
            Derek nudges me, and I remember that he asked a question, “Sign up?”
            “Match Me. It’s where I met Callie. I also met Claire on there,” Derek tips his head at our staff, “Clint is talking to some woman on there too. You need to get out there. Enjoy the finer things the big apple has to offer.” I only roll my eyes. I didn’t come to New York to date. I came to work in a new environment and get some better kitchen experience. One of the female servers watches Derek and I talk, trying to be discreet, but it’s no secret that she’s hot for Derek. Even my player best friend knows better than to mix business and pleasure. Although that may be his only rule when it comes to women. Sharing a bedroom wall with him proves that point.
            “I’m not signing up for a dating app.” I watch the crew start to ease toward the door, mentally preparing for our shift.
            “Look at it like a hookup app. None of these women want to get married, if they did, they wouldn’t waste time with this shit.” Derek waves his black phone in front of my face, “Since when are you against getting laid?”
            “You know I’m not against it, it’s just not my goal in life.” I shrug. Call me old fashioned but I can’t stand our culture sometimes. I’m a commitment guy, not around for hookups.
            “You could still make it a priority, or just an option.” Derek leans back against the wall, looking smug with his argument. He has a point. I make enough money to take a girl out and having someone to talk to besides Derek’s dog would be nice. When he’s home, he has a date over, so I have taken over all of Dozer’s care, but that doesn’t mean I want to be the guy who sits at home with the dog. Although, Dozer is a great listener.
            “Well…” I begin.
            “You are so easy,” Derek shakes his head and taps my phone in my pocket, “Match Me is the app. Put your profession on there as often as possible. Women love a chef. You cook, they reward you for it, I promise.” Derek bumps my shoulder and I start the app download. 





About the author:

Allie is a mom and dog groomer by day. At night she is posted at her laptop writing or reading in a cozy corner. She has a soft spot for gooey romance, over-creamed coffee, and anything cute and furry.


Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorallieyork/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15726793.Allie_York
Amazon:   https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01N947A6I
BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allie-york



 Welcome to 425 Madison Ave the perfect place to fall in love. Nine delicious romances set in fast-paced & sexy NYC just waiting for you to read.


The series features stories from some of your favorite romance authors: Leigh Lennon, MK Moore, Allie York, Aubree Valentine, Kay Gordon, Lauren Helms, Sylvia Kane, Katy Ames, and C. Lesbirel.

Join these authors as they come together, each with a standalone romance for you to enjoy.

Featuring some of readers' favorite tropes: second-chance romance, best friends sibling romance to a good ol' enemies to lovers romance. We've got you covered with a sports romance, a fake relationship and even an ugly duckling or two. Don't forget a brother's best friend and falling for your soul mate. Maybe a little love triangle as well. Each tale offers you something new, something different. After all, 425

For more information, visit the series website ➝ www.425madisonseries.com

Follow the series on Facebook ➝ https://www.facebook.com/425MadisonSeries

Did you miss MUST LOVE COFFEE and LET ME LOVE YOU? You can read them here: https://rebrand.ly/MLC_425Madison and https://rebrand.ly/LMLY_425Madison

Books four and five in the series are coming soon! Add them to your Goodreads shelf today!

Two for Holding by Kay Gordon, Book #4
A Sports Romance
Goodreads ➝
https://rebrand.ly/TFH_425Madison
Boyfriend Maintenance by Lauren Helms, Book #5
A Fake Relationship Romance
This release event is brought to you by Forever Write PR - Forever your source for all your writing needs. https://www.facebook.com/ForeverWritePR/