Review: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Author: Jenn Bennet
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publiocation Date:Arpil 2019

After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel. 

Serious Moonlight is the latest YA romance and the second one I have read from this author.  I really enjoyed Starry Eyes, so I was excited to read this one.  I ended up really enjoying this story. It's not just a romance.  It deals with grief, loss and figuring out where you fit in life.  

The main characters were wonderful. I appreciated Birdie's love of mysteries and how she would build a profile of the people she met.  I loved her relationship with her godmother. I also loved the relationship Daniel had with his family  The slow burn of the romance between Birdie and Daniel was greatly appreciated.  There was no insta-love. Despite their initial encounter, I liked that they became friends first.  I also appreciated the way the author handled the subject of sex in the story.  The characters actually talked about it maturely and responsibly.  That was refreshing.

I probably would keep this one to older YA readers.  Along with the sexual content, there is talk of suicide and depression. That could be a trigger for some readers, so keep that in mind.  Ms. Bennett has another hit on her hands.  I am looking forward to her next book.

Blog Tour: Review of Forgiven by Carrie Aarons

Today we are celebrating the release of a standalone title by Carrie Aarons. FORGIVEN is available for purchase now, and it is the second book in the Nash Brothers series! For a limited time, you can get the first book in the series, FLEETING, for 99 cents! You can follow Carrie for exclusive updates about the series.

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In a split-second, a car crash killed almost everything between them. Ten years later, can one accidental ride fix tattered spirits, uncertain futures, and broken hearts?

Lily Grantham has always done what she’s been told. The daughter of a senator, she grew up as the good girl of Fawn Hill, and carried that torch right on through to adulthood. Her only wild streak? Bowen Nash. She loved that boy since the day they laid eyes on each other, and it nearly ended them both. A decade later, and Lily still can’t move on. Even if Bowen has made it clear he doesn’t love her anymore. Bowen Nash never wanted the life he’s trapped in. Destined for baseball fame and the love of his high-school sweetheart, that existence vanished in the flip of an old pickup. Now, he’s stuck in the town that produced his worst nightmare. Pretending to hate Lily Grantham guts him day in and day out. But to protect her from the ultimate secret, it’s necessary to break his own heart each time they pass on the street. They’ve been fighting fate for as long as it’s been chasing them. And now, time is up.

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My thoughts:

Forgiven is the second book in the Nash brothers series. This is Bowen and Lily’s story.  I really enjoyed this one. Bowen and Lily’s story is heartbreaking. It was fun watching them reconnect and admit they still had feelings for each other.  I can’t imagine having to stay away from “my person” for ten years.  I did think the reason was a little anticlimactic and unnecessary, but to Bowen’s credit he was a young kid.   The epilogue was sweet and hinted at Penelope’s HEA. I hope we get her story soon!  I definitely recommend this one as well as the first book, Fleeting.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Author of romance novels such as Red Card and Privileged, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the stories she dreams up, and the yoga pant dress code, much better.

When she isn't writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, daughter and dog.

 

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Review & Excerpt of Fight For You by Nina Crespo

Author: Nina Crespo

Publisher: Pocket Star

Date of publicaiton: July 2018

In this second of the Kingman Brothers series, Aiden Kingman is reunited with the woman he mistakenly wronged seven years ago...and this time around, he’s determined to make things right.

Seven years ago, Aiden Kingman had to choose between betraying Delanie Clark and her father or staying loyal to his father’s company. He chose his father—losing Delanie in the process—and he’s regretted it ever since. Now as CEO and partner in Kingman Partners International, he needs to finalize buying a retreat property, but there’s one major hold up: Delanie is the contract negotiator for the owner, and she doesn’t trust him.

Delanie and her father lost everything when Aiden’s father lied about his intentions for buying her family’s mountain retreat. She swore that she would never have anything to do with Aiden Kingman again. But now she’s facing him across the negotiating table, and sparks that had previously been stamped out reignite between them. When tragedy places the deal on the line, will they put their history behind them? Or will the deal cost them both their second chance at love?

Fight for You is the second book in the Kingman Brothers series.  This is Aiden's story.  Aiden finds out he will be negotiating with Delanie on a business deal.  Delanie is the girl who got away.  Delanie is not happy to see Aiden.  She thinks he betrayed her years before and wants to deny that her feelings for him are still there.

For the most part, I enjoyed this one.  I didn't like it as much as the first book.  The main reason was Delanie.  I really never warmed up to her character.  I'm the type of person who likes to communicate, especially when I have an issue with someone who I think betrayed my trust.  Delanie was never really interested in listening to Aiden and I found that incredibly frustrating.  She even pulled it toward the end.  I can't imagine she is someone who would let go of that habit that quickly.  What saved the book for me was Aiden.  I really liked him and was rooting for him to get what he wanted in all aspects of his life.  His ending was very satisfying.  

This is a pretty quick read.  It works well as a stand alone, but the first one, Forget You, is worth trying out as well.

Read the an exclusive excerpt from FIGHT FOR YOU:

Delanie pulled the sheet over her head as she lay in bed. She’d take anything to get rid of Aiden—a surprise zit on her nose, the tequila hangover of death, eighteen bad hair days—it would all be worth it just to get some peace.

The medicine the doctor had prescribed made her sleepy, but every time she woke up, Aiden was there, giving her water, handing her more pills, or hovering just outside the bedroom, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom and get back into bed.

But even in a drugged haze, she couldn’t ignore the obvious about him. Yesterday, he’d brought her lunch after he’d gone for a run. The black running tights and matching long-sleeved workout shirt he’d worn had molded to his torso and legs. He’d smelled like sweat—the good kind that made her want to run her hands all over him and grab his solid-looking ass.

Delanie glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. He was usually in her room by eight thirty sharp, reminding her not to exert herself and stay in bed. It was almost nine. Was Aiden still working out? This was her chance to take an extra-long shower without him banging on the door, checking on her. Just as she swept back the covers, he walked in the bedroom, shirtless, carrying a breakfast tray.

“Good morning. Sorry, I overslept.” Heavy lids emphasized his hazel eyes. A morning beard framed the angles of his face. Black sweat pants rode low on his hips. As he leaned down to place the tray of food on her lap, warmth radiated from him, along with the faint scent of his spicy cologne.

No one wore just-woke-up sexy like he did. When they were together, snuggling had been her favorite thing to do with him in bed. Okay, maybe her second favorite.

He stood and rested a hand on his hip. From the shape of his cock, that bad boy was roaming free. “How are you feeling?”

Feverish and in need of an orgasm—stat.

“Better.”

“Good.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “If you need me, I’ll be in the shower in the spare bathroom.”

A memory she couldn’t stop roared in. Aiden in the shower at Clearmount. Head thrown back, with soap suds gliding down his shoulders, winding through the muscles of his torso and down his muscular legs as water sluiced over him.

“Delanie?”

Aiden calling her snapped Delanie partially back to the present. She had to blink several times to erase the conjured up image of him standing naked in the bedroom doorway. “Yes?”

He pointed to the bottle of pills on the nightstand. “Don’t forget to take your medicine.”

FIGHT FOR YOU by Nina Crespo releases on July 9, 2018
www.ninacrespo.com

Copyright © 2018 Nina Crespo. All rights reserved.

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 Author Bio:

Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions—the beach, kickboxing, a good glass of wine, and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Curiosity about people and places, including what’s beyond the stars, fuels her writer’s imagination. Indulge in her sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales to feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after.

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Blog Tour: Watching You by Shannon Greenland

Author: Shannon Greenland
Published by: Entangled Publishing
Publication date: July 2nd 2018
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

Goodreads

Viola’s always been that girl from thatfamily, so a scholarship to a prestigious private school in Florida was supposed to be her ticket out of poverty and into a brand-new life. But Viola’s secrets have followed her. Her relationship with the intelligent and gorgeous Riel should have been the salvation she needed—he understands her troubled past better than anyone. But then weird things start to happen.

Frightening messages.

Missing personal items.

The unsettling feeling that she’s being watched.

Viola’s never been one to give her trust easily, but she’ll need to trust in Riel if she’s going to survive her stalker. Because she’s not fighting for a new life anymore—she’s fighting to stay alive.

Watching You is a YA mystery/romance involving Viola.  She has won a scholarship to finish her senior year of high school at a prestigious academy in Florida.  The only problem is that she lied on her application to win the scholarship. She starts to fall for Riel, the boy she took the scholarship from.  At the same time, she begins to feel someone is watching her.  

I did enjoy this one.  It was a pretty quick read and one that kept me entertained.  I really enjoyed the romance between Viola and Riel.  That, to me, was the best part of the book. The build up was slow, but fun to watch. I also enjoyed Viola's relationship with Mar.  The weaker part of the book was the mystery.  While I didn't call it in the end, I would have liked more suspense leading up to the ending.  If you go into the book expecting more of a romance, you'll be fine. 

I would also probably keep this to the over 16 crowd as it does have some mature content in it.  I do recommend this one.  It's the first book I have read by this author.  I'll definitely be checking out some of her other stuff in the future.

Enjoy this excerpt:

I tip the driver what little money I have left, grab my duffel, and step from the rickety bus. I look up at the beautiful administrative building as the bus pulls away. This time tomorrow this place won’t look so welcoming.

I lug my stuff down the short walkway, then key in the access code to open the night door.

“Hello, Viola.”

With a gasp, I spin around.

A man dressed in all black with a hood steps toward me. “You’ve been out whoring around,” he says, his voice garbled and distorted. “I saw the video.”

Fear punches through me, but I don’t hesitate as I grip my duffel and swing out. He blocks it with his left arm, sending it bouncing across the sidewalk, and knocks me down with his right. My head hits the concrete, and I wince.

With a disoriented moan, I try to roll over. The man yanks my arm and drags me around the side of the academy and into the surrounding woods. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know I should be fighting, I know I should scream, but the dizziness unbalances me.

He releases me, and pain immediately registers in my head. With shallow, shaky breaths, I squint into the darkness and see the man standing above me, shadowed, and backlit by the moon.

As I regain my bearings, I narrow in on the academy through the trees, estimate the distance, and roll to my hands and knees.

The man pushes me back over with his shoe and presses it into my ribs.

I squirm and shove at it, gasping for air, the reality slamming into me. This is him. I wasn’t being paranoid. Someone has been following me, watching me.

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About the author:

Shannon Greenland is the award winning author of several novels including the teen spy series, THE SPECIALISTS, and the YA romances, THE SUMMER MY LIFE BEGAN and SHADOW OF A GIRL. She also writes thrillers under S. E. Green and lives off the coast of Florida with her very grouchy dog.

Author links:
https://shannongreenland.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7315430.S_E_Green
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