Review: Misunderstandings by Tiffany King

Misunderstandings (Woodfall Girls #2) by Tiffany King

Publication Date: May 6th 2014 by Berkley Trade

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Just when she thought things were going up…

Two years after a devastating breakup, Brittni Mitchell has moved on from Justin Avery—or so she tells herself. But when she returns to Seattle for her best friend’s engagement party, Brittni finds herself the victim of a disastrously timed elevator breakdown. She’s trapped with the last person she wants to face, and forced to recount the past she desperately wants to forget.

She’s going to have to look back…

When Brittni left her podunk hometown for a big city college experience at the University of Washington, hooking up with a guy like Justin Avery was not part of her plan. Between Justin’s attention-grabbing tattoos, cigarette smoking, and bad boy attitude Brittni quickly chalked him up as Mr. Wrong.” But his charm was unrelenting, and Brittni’s decision to give Justin a chance quickly turned into the worst choice she ever made.

So that she might be able to move forward.

Now she’s stuck with Justin—literally—and the complicated web of misunderstandings that tied up the truth for two years is about to unravel.

My Thoughts:

Misunderstandings was a second chance romance that pulled my emotions all over the place.  I felt so bad for Brittni and Justin for the pain they endured.  But reconnecting, sorting things out, and falling all over again was so much sweeter after surviving such heartache.

Brittni is back in Seattle for her best friend’s engagement party after leaving two years prior with her heart shattered.  Snagging an elevator her worst nightmare comes true when she gets stuck with the source of her heartbreak, Justin. He was her first and only love until it all went to hell.  Now stuck in the elevator for hours these two have no choice but to confront the events of the past and finally get sorted what really happened. 

This story was told in alternating chapters from the past back to the present so we gradually get Brittni and Justin’s history.  How they feel in love to the events that led to the implosion of their relationship.  Brittni was more guarded and reluctant with her feelings.  She was afraid of falling for someone like Justin who was open, affectionate and flirtatious.  He had no shortage of female attention which played into Brittni’s insecurities, but thankfully she got over that eventually. 

As the past was revealed, at first I felt kind of sorry for Justin seeing as he was so determined to be with Brittni and it seemed like she was always so hesitant.  But things switched and then I felt really sorry for Brittni. Justin behaved like an ass, but I can’t say I completely blame him with what he thought happened.  Brittni didn’t correct his assumptions, and I can sort of see why she didn’t at first because (highlight for spoiler)she didn’t want Justin changing his decision out of feelings of obligation. (end of spoiler)  She couldn’t see beyond her pain to realize Justin was just as insecure at that point leading him to say hurtful things.  Really this was a series of misunderstandings that were avoidable, but when you looked at both sides you could fully understand both Brittni and Justin’s reasoning. 

Being trapped on an elevator was the best thing that could’ve happened to these two, in spite of the pain it dredged up.  I may or may not have shed a tear (or two) when all was revealed…Some of it really hurt. I have to say I couldn’t help but be really pissed at Justin even though, logically I could understand.  Getting everything out in the open put them on the road to healing their wounds, and led them back to each other.  I was thrilled with how it all worked out!

I loved Misunderstandings even more than No Attachments. Tiffany King brilliantly captured the heartache and loss felt when love ends badly and then replaced it with the high of finding that love again!  I can’t wait for bad girl Tressa’s story with geeky Trent next in Contradictions!

4 Suns

Connect with Tiffany King:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Published July 29th 2014 by Putnam Adult

Check out the #1 New York Times bestseller Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, called “a surefire hit” by Entertainment Weekly.
Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .
A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what?
Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

My Thoughts

She wanted to tell him that she knew all the perfect little lies he'd told himself for all those years, because she'd told herself the same lies. She wanted to enfold his trembling hands between her own and say, "I understand."

Intricate, consuming, explicitly truthful and damningly surreal

I have a bit of history with Liane Moriarty and I trust her as the pilot to my fictional journeys. In her latest novel Big Little Lies, she spares no expense on weaving a masterful tale of three women that lead completely different lives, yet find a way to embrace the difficulties of every day existence.

This book makes me want to take inventory of my friendships to make sure I'm watching out for my girls.

Madeline is probably the character I resonated with the most. She sharp-witted and unabashedly honest and forward. She commands a crowd with her presence and opinion. However, the difficulties of raising a teenage daughter with an ex-husband that abandoned her really pulled at my emotions. I loved her current husband Ed and how he handled this spit-fire of a women. Together they were a mighty force! Loved her!

Jane I had to handle with kid-gloves. I knew her past held a dark secret that was responsible for the slightly damaged present day young mother, but I loved her determination to get up every day and just try.

Celeste was absolutely consuming in her own way. Her perfect little lies that hid her reality were heartbreaking, and I hoped from the moment that I discovered them that someone would see through her veil of protection.

The way Moriarty weaved time and place with three distinctly different stories was absolute perfection. I was consumed from beginning to end. Next story, please...

4 Suns

Review: Caught Running by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

Caught Running by Madeleine Urban, Abigail Roux (Goodreads Author)

Published December 1st 2007 by Dreamspinner Press

Ten years after graduation, Jake "the jock" Campbell and Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett are teaching at their old high school and still living in separate worlds. When Brandon is thrown into a coaching job on Jake's baseball team, they find themselves learning more about each other than they'd ever expected.

High school is all about image - even for the teachers. Brandon and Jake have to get past their preconceived notions to find the friendship needed to work together. And somewhere along the way, they discover that perceptions can always change for the better. Read a full chapter excerpt at www.dreamspinnerpress.com(less)

My Thoughts

Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux are a powerhouse duo when it comes to owning this genre. Together they just fire up the pages with their characters that are filled with off-the-charts chemistry, entertaining dialog and never over the top drama. Aside from Ella Frank, I have to say when it comes to MM these two authors top the charts in my book. Love their novels!!

In Caught Running, Urban and Roux knock this story out of the ballpark! I loved the Coach and Science teacher combination they created with Jake and Brandon. Despite the slow burn, at the beginning of the book, once Jake and Brandon take a chance at romance, there’s a clear and present chemistry between these two. I loved the sincere moments and the day to day happenings they encounter during baseball season. The secondary characters, Troy and Jonathan, were a perfect blend in this novel as well. What I enjoyed most was that Caught Running never felt overly dramatic. It was more of a constant steady that took us alongside these two very likeable characters. The only thing I felt that was missing was the fact that Jake’s injuries where never really addressed. I would have liked to see Brandon use this knowledge in medicine and physiology to help Jake in one way or another. But other than that, love.lovel.love.

A complete homerun in my score book, and I can’t wait to pick up more stories they have out there. Awesome!

4 Suns

Release Day Launch & Giveaway: I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

I'm excited to be part of Ann Aguirre's Release Day Launch of the first in her New Adult Series: I Want It That Way. I have and excerpt and giveaway as part of my post so be sure to scroll down for a chance to win! 

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N | BAM | Indiebound | Vroman’s | Book Depository | Powell’s| iTunes

About the book:

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

"A tender, sweet, and sexy story about how life—and falling in love—can never be planned."

—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You

I WANT IT THAT WAY on Goodreads

Read the first chapter HERE!

EXCERPT:

“Where are you from?”

Ah, an actual question. That means I can ask one back.

“Nebraska, toward the South Dakota and Wyoming side, if that helps.”

“I’ve never met anyone from there.”

Michigan was a long way from home. “I usually get ‘not in Nebraska anymore’ jokes, and then I have to decide if I’m going to remind them that’s Kansas or play along.”

“What do you usually do?”

“Play along.”

“You don’t like conflict, huh?” He sounded normal tonight, as if talking to me wasn’t an unpleasant chore anymore.

That was a relief since I’d come to look forward to these moments with him so much. More, maybe, than I’d like to admit.Right. Friends. I distracted myself by considering his question. “Not if it can be avoided. I’m not what you’d call pugnacious, no. But I like to think I don’t back off important issues. What about you?”

“No.” His voice was bleak and quiet. “I don’t. Even when I should.”

Wow, that took a dark turn.

If I could’ve jumped onto his patio without breaking an ankle or waking Sam, I’d have been down there like a shot. The distance between us seemed intolerable, and from the knot in my throat, I didn’t see how I could live another second without touching him, finding out if his hair was as soft as it looked or what he smelled like. I wanted him in a way I never had before.

In high school, I had a boyfriend who played basketball, and we broke up when I left the state. It was a rational decision, and I didn’t miss him that much once I was gone. My freshman year, I went out with a lot of different guys, one date here, two dates there, but I never clicked with anyone enough to focus on them. Sometimes there were hookups with no strings, no expectations. Classes, friends and work seemed a lot more important. The intensity of this attraction was foreign and frightening, if exhilarating. I might already be backing off if I had the faintest sense that Ty was jerking me around on purpose.

Wish he didn’t make me feel this way. It’d be so much simpler if I could friend-zone him.

I realized I still hadn’t touched his verbal grenade. “We all have things we’d do differently in hindsight.”

“What is it about you?” he asked in a wondering tone.

“Huh?”

“You make me…better. Calmer.”

“Like a sedative?” I snickered. It was the least sexy thing a guy had ever said to me, including a junior high squeeze who said my face wasn’t actually that bad.

He laughed, too, a sheepish sound. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just…I’m worried pretty much all the time that I’m dropping the ball somewhere, about to face-plant, but when I come out here and hear your voice, everything backs off like ten steps. I can breathe again.”

About Ann Aguirre:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

Links:

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Release Day Launch Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost!

Title: The Beautiful Ashes

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Expected Publication: August 26th, 2014

  About The Beautiful Ashes</ strong> In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate. Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her. Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate...no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between...

Buy Links Amazon | BN

 About Jeaniene Frost:  

Jeaniene Frost is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, and the upcoming Broken Destiny series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her. For information on Jeaniene's books, reading the first 20% of each book free, book trailers, deleted scenes, creature mythology, and more, please visit: www.jeanienefrost.com

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Excerpt:  

“What is that?” Adrian’s voice startled me. For a second, I was disoriented, the dream clinging to me as it always did. Yes, I was in a car, but I wasn’t the unknown woman driving away from her baby. That wasn’t real. The glare Adrian leveled at my chest was, though. “Is that a mirror?” He sounded horrified. I looked down. My locket was open, the mirrored side facing me. At some point while I was sleeping, I must’ve opened it. Adrian’s hand shot out, but this time, I was too fast for him. “Don’t you dare,” I snapped, holding it out of his reach. “It’s the only picture I have of my sister after you left everything I own back at that hotel in Bennington!” He lunged again, actually letting go of the steering wheel to reach the side of the car where I held it. With a sharp yank, he wrested the locket from my hands. I tried to snatch it back, but he shoved me into my seat with one hand, finally grabbing the steering wheel with the other. “Are you crazy?” I shrieked. “You could’ve gotten us killed!” If this hadn’t been a lonely stretch of desert road, our careening into the next lane might’ve had permanent consequences. “You’re going to get yourself killed,” was his chilling response. Then, still pinning me to my chair with that single hand, he held my locket up. I gasped. Something dark poked out of the small mirror, like a snake made of blackest smoke. It disappeared when Adrian smashed the mirror against the steering wheel, but an eerie wind whistled through the car, ruffling my hair and stinging my nostrils with its acrid scent. Adrian muttered a word in that unknown language, and I didn’t need a translator to tell me it was a curse. “What was that?” My voice was hoarse. He threw me a pitying glance, which frightened me even more. If he wasn’t angry, we must really be screwed. His next words proved that. “Brace yourself, Ivy. You’re about to meet a demon.”     a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day Blitz: The Write Stuff by Tiffany King

The

Write

Stuff

TIFFANY KING

Available August 25, 2014

Twenty-two-year-old historical romance writer Nicole Blake, or N.S. Blake to her readers, hasn't taken an official poll, mind you, but she is convinced she may be the only romance author on the planet who is still a card-carrying member of the virgin club.
Not that she hasn't tried to end her membership. Life just keeps finding pesky ways to interfere. With no prospects on the horizon, Nicole begins to feel like the closest she will ever get to experiencing a man is within her own stories.
Opportunity presents itself in the form of hot-as-sin-on-a-lollipop-stick bartender/premed student Alec Petropoulos, who agrees to be the cover model for her upcoming book. Sparks fly instantly between them, and Nicole begins to entertain the possibility that she's finally found the right guy to hand over her tattered V-card. Alec has all the makings for a perfect one-night-stand candidate except, much to Nicole's surprise, he seems to be the only man in existence not interested in bagging a virgin.
Stuck between a rock and a stubborn male, what's a virgin to do? Seduce him, of course. How hard could it be? If it works for the characters in her stories, why wouldn't it work for her?
After all, what happens under the cover…stays under the cover.

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About Tiffany King
USA Today Bestselling author Tiffany King is a lifelong reading fanatic who is now living her dream as a writer, weaving Young Adult and New Adult romance tales for others to enjoy. She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iPhone and iPad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, zombies and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.
For information on any of Author Tiffany's titles, visit her blog at www.authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

Where to connect with Author Tiffany

Twitter- @AuthorTiffany

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Blog- authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

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Email- authortiffany@yahoo.com

"Dreams do come true...Dream big."

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Silent Whisper by Andrea Smith

I 've enjoyed Andrea Smith's past novels so I'm excited to be part of the Release Blitz for her newest novel, Silent Whisper!

Silent Whisper (Limbo Series #1) by Andrea Smith

Publication Date: August 24th 2014

About the book:

For twenty-seven years I’ve flitted through life clueless to abilities I’ve had dormant inside of me. In the blink of an eye everything changed. She changed it. Now I know that nothing is as it seems and I will never be the same…but this isn’t my story. It’s hers. I’m just being forced to live it, resolve it, and ultimately try to move on after learning that our lives are tangled far more than I would’ve ever imagined. My name is Parrish Locke and I can see the dead.

Excerpt: 

I was still distracted as I walked up the concrete sidewalk to my back door, fumbling inside my handbag for my keys. I hadn't noticed that someone had circled around to the back of the condo, and was a mere six feet away before addressing me.

"Karlie Masterson?" the female voice said, causing me to practically jump out of my skin. "I think you might want to listen to what I have to say."

I turned abruptly, clutching my handbag by the straps as if it were a weapon or could be used as one if necessary.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Anna Maria Castellano, Nick's wife. Can we talk?"

About the author:

USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author Andrea Smith has a wicked sense of humor. No matter the genre she is able to infuse laughter throughout. She is an open book to her friends and family. She celebrates her successes and reflects on her failures with those she holds dear.

Andrea is an Ohio native, currently residing in southern Ohio. She is the mother of two grown sons and grandmother of four. Having previously been employed as an executive for a global corporation, she decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her life-long dream of writing fiction.

Andrea Smith is the author of Past Tense Present Perfect (formerly the Baby series), The G-Man series, These Man (Novella that was part of an 8 author Erotica Consortium compilation entitled Bend) and is due to publish her first Paranormal novel, Silent Whisper, August 2014.

Connect to Andrea

Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

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Review: Seducing Lauren by Kristen Proby

Seducing Lauren (Under the Big Sky #2) by Kristen Proby

Publication Date: August 19th 2014 by Pocket Books

Purchase Links: Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks

About the book:

SEDUCING LAUREN Synopsis: In the second book in the Love Under the Big Sky series from this NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of the With Me in Seattle series, life in Montana gets spicy when a woman and her divorce lawyer sign off the papers—and sign on to love. Now that his best friend, Josh, has happily settled down with his true love on a Montana ranch, small-town lawyer Ty Sullivan starts thinking that maybe single life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when Lauren Cunningham’s no-good ex-husband comes after her for an unexpected trust fund, Ty steps in to protect her. But soon he can’t help but think of her as more than a client. Lauren’s in no mood to jump into another relationship, so how can Ty convince her that her mistake wasn’t getting married, but marrying the wrong guy?

My Thoughts:

I’ve been looking forward to Seducing Lauren since I read the teaser at the end of Loving Cara, and it did not disappoint. 

Lauren is having troubles from her crappy ex-husband. She thought he married her for love and then found out it was always about the money. Her generous divorce settlement isn’t enough and he’s now after her trust fund. His demands become ugly when he shows up and threatens Lauren, and this is where Ty comes in.  Ty Sullivan is one of the attorneys at the firm that represents Lauren and when he catches wind of the trouble Lauren is facing, he steps in to help and protect her.  Ty’s had his eye on Lauren for a while, but he wanted to give her time and space to get over her marriage first. 

Ty was a great hero, stepping in when Lauren needed support and protection.  He was such a thoughtful man and sensitive to Lauren’s plight because he grew up seeing his mother and sister mistreated by his father.  Seeing her bullied brings out all his protective instincts. 

During the time they were separated Lauren wrote a wildly famous romance trilogy, à la Fifty Shades that are being made into movies, but she did so under a pen name to keep it secret from her ex-husband knowing he’d be after that money as well.  As a reader, I knew it was a matter of when not if he found out so I was anxious over the looming threat this discovery presented.  Lauren’s ex was a complete jerk, and a dangerous one.

The romance was hot and steamy, maybe a little fast, but they did know each other for years.  I loved how devoted and protective Ty was to Lauren. Lauren was a sweet and strong woman who didn’t back down and cower when her ex tried to mess with her.  She totally deserved having Ty after her disaster of a marriage. 

I enjoyed Seducing Lauren even more so than Loving Cara, and I look forward to the next in the series. 

3.5 Suns

Release Day Blitz: Stay with Me by Sharla Lovelace

Stay With Me

Sharla Lovelace

Release Date: August 22, 2014

Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis

From national bestselling author Sharla Lovelace, comes another romantic and heartwarming novel set in the heart of Texas.

Ian was the wild boy every girl dreams of, a renegade who thrived on breaking the law and setting Savi’s body on fire. It was all fun and games and hot excitement, no strings attached, until the one day he got serious—and then disappeared without a trace.

Savi has spent the ten years since committing herself to her work, her daughter, and to not thinking about Ian—or love. Just when it’s possible she might have found the one man who can change her mind, Ian pulls into town, bringing with him all of the lust, danger, and excitement Savi remembers.

As Ian stirs up old feelings and draws Savi back into memories and passion she’s too weak to fight, he’s also digging up dirt on the man Savi is falling for, doing everything he can to prove that Duncan is not who he seems to be. And Savi, unsure whether she can trust either man, will be forced to decide between rekindling a love that never really burned out and building a new one that looks ready to catch fire.

Excerpt

“I’m not perfect and I will never claim to be,” I said. “I’m screwed up. I have baggage that has baggage, I have issues with girly things, and have done some not-so-smart things in my past. I have jacked up hair and I talk when I’m nervous. You once called me a mess, and it’s true. I’m—”

“A beautiful mess,” he said, stepping closer again. My breathing quickened and I had to think about exhaling. That look. That damn look. “I said you were a beautiful mess.”

The burn that had started low was up in my throat then, threatening to choke me. “Yeah, well,” I managed, the words clipped and quivery. “You were high on steak then.”

A sound escaped his throat that almost sounded like a chuckle, and his hands came up again. They stopped just short of touching me, as if he had to think about it one more time, and then they were on either side of my face, pulling me to him. I sucked in a breath and let my hands move slowly around his waist.

“And what’s my excuse now?” he breathed, restrained emotion making his voice gravelly.

“Lack of sleep?” I whispered, my heart doing bottle rocket launches against my ribs. “It does tend to make you—”

“Shut up,” he said, covering my mouth with his.

About the Author
  

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of sexy small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a tricked-out golf cart, and a mutt puppy with ADHD. She is the author of The Reason Is You, Beforeand Ever Since, Just One Day, Don’t Let Go, and Stay with Me.

For more about Sharla’s books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com, and keep up with all her new book releases easily by subscribing to her newsletter at http://sharlalovelace.com/my-newsletter.

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Review: Where the Horses Run by Kaki Warner

Where the Horses Run (Heroes of Heartbreak Creek #2) by Kaki Warner

Publication Date: July 1st 2014 by Berkley

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

“A truly original new voice” (New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas), award-winning author Kaki Warner returns to the characters of Heartbreak Creek, Colorado, as a troubled cowboy and a desperate Englishwoman come together to mend their mistakes from the past and create an exciting new future…

Wounded in body and spirit after a shootout, Rayford Jessup leaves his career as a lawman and uses his gift with damaged horses to bring meaning to his solitary life. Hired by a Scotsman in Heartbreak Creek to purchase thoroughbreds, he travels to England, unaware that a traumatized horse and a beautiful Englishwoman will change his life forever.

Josephine Cathcart loves two things: her illegitimate son and her injured stallion. Faced with her father’s looming bankruptcy, she must choose between a loveless marriage to the man who ruined her, or risk her horse and her future on a handsome, taciturn Texan and a high-stakes horse race. But as vengeful forces conspire against them, will Rafe’s love and healing touch be enough to save her horse and protect her and her son?

My Thoughts:

Where the Horses Run was a sweeping historical romance that felt like an old western, even with the majority of the story set in England.

Twenty-six year old Josephine Cathcart’s choices are dwindling when her father’s poor money management has them on the brink of financial ruin.  Josephine seems to be one of his last valuable “assets” he has to rescue them, and so she’s pressured to take an unsavory offer of marriage to get them out of debt.  Narrowing her options further is her beloved son, Jaime, the result of a naïve tryst with a baron who seduced and made promises and then left her to suffer a reputation of ruin and debauchery.  When Josephine refuses to play along, her father has no choice but to sell off their prize horses and this is how she meets Rafe, an American horse wrangler. 

Rafe is working for a Scottish earl buying horses for his stables.  When the earl hears of Mr. Cathcart’s plans to sell his horses they make arrangements to visit and check out their stock.  After having been burned romantically in the past, Rafe had no designs to settle down, until he laid eyes on Josephine. She’s sweet, strong, intelligent and beautiful.  He could care less about her reputation, but he’s in no position to care for a wife and son.  However, seeing how Josephine’s father treats her, as a commodity to sell off to the highest bidder enrages him.  Soon he’s trying to figure out a way to win Josephine’s heart and make their situation work. 

This was a beautiful, sweeping love story. With so many obstacles, and differences in situations I wondered how things could possibly work.  Rafe was such an honorable man and I fell a little more for him every time he defended Jaime or Josephine.  I adored Josephine and the fact she held her head high even when others looked down on her for having an illegitimate son.  Her love and care of Jaime was her priority even at the expense of her own happiness, so I truly felt she deserved a happy ending.

I hated how Josphine’s father treated her! I don’t think I would’ve survived back in the 1800’s because I would’ve run my mouth without thought of the consequences.  Josephine was wise enough to bide her time, appease, and then do what she wanted anyhow. She was a strong and shrewd woman. 

I was sort of reminded of the western movie, Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner, while reading Where the Horses Run. This worked perfectly because I loved that movie! 

The little town of Heartbreak Creek sounds like a place I’d love to visit so I’ll keep my eye out for the next in this series which will feature Thomas, the Cheyenne Indian and his troubled romance with Prudence Lincoln. 

4 Suns

Connect with Kaki Warner:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Upcoming Release & Giveaway: Taking Control by Jen Fredrick

Taking Control by Jen Frederick
Release Date: September 8, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance

The hotly anticipated sequel to Losing Control.

I thought I needed only one thing in my life–the money and power to crush one man. But the moment I laid eyes on Victoria Corielli, my thirst for revenge was replaced by my craving for her.

No rule would keep me away; no obstacle too large to overcome. Not her will, not our differing social positions, not my infamous past. When she lost everything, I helped her pick up the pieces. When she trusted me with everything, she sealed her fate.

I’ve convinced Victoria she can put her heart in my hands. Now I have to protect it–from her shady stepfather and my business rivals, from enemies known and hidden. I’ll do anything to keep her. And I might have to prove it, because now Victoria's risking more than her heart to be with me; she’s risking her life.

Excerpt
I want us to get married. Soon. Do you want a big wedding?”

“Married? I mean, I guess I thought you were serious but I figured…I don’t know.” Her voice trails off.

“That my proposal of marriage was somehow insincere? I’ve never wanted anything more. I just didn’t want to pressure you because of all the emotional upheaval you’re experiencing now.” Rolling over so she can see me and judge the sincerity for herself, I declare, “I want you to be my wife. The mother of any children we have. My partner in life. I want that to happen now so that I can introduce you as Mrs. Ian Kerr.”

Her eyes close for a moment and beneath the lids, silent tears leak out. Her words, though, are classic. “Maybe you should take my name. You can be Ian Corielli and I’ll introduce you as Mr. Victoria Corielli.”

“As long as it means you’re mine in the eyes of the world, I’ll be Mr. John Smith.”

She wraps her arms around my neck and clings to me. This time the shudders I’m soothing are from maybe, possibly, hopefully joy for our future. “I’m okay with Victoria Kerr,” she chokes out. “You better give me a big rock and lots of flowers since you’re proposing to me while we’re naked.”

“I proposed to you when I first took you to the house on the Long Island Sound.”

“You didn’t propose. You said that you wanted me to be your wife and fill your big house with lots of little people.”

“That’s a proposal.”

“It was a demand.”

“It was a request couched as a demand.”

Her body is shaking with laughter. “You’ve been in charge for too long. That was no request.”

Pushing to my knees, I reach into the nightstand and retrieve the box I bought before Sophie died. Her eyes grow huge and her hands come up to the cover her mouth. I flip the box lid open, pluck the ring out and toss it aside.

Lifting her shaking hand in mine, I slide the ring down her finger.

“When I was fifteen I made a hundred different stupid vows. I’d avenge my mother. I’d rise to the top of Wall Street and smite everyone down. I’d crush Richard Howe beneath the sole of my boot. I’d win at everything. But I never wished for happiness because I didn’t know what it was until you came into my life. How could I want something I didn’t know was missing? Now, everything I’ve achieved pales in comparison to having you love me. When I say that you’re my heart, my everything, those aren’t just words. They are the only truth in my world. I’d give up money, revenge, success, as long as I could lie down next to you at night and wake up with your face beside mine.

There is no greater achievement in my life than having you fall in love with me and I recognize on some mysterious level that is pure luck. I need you to marry me and be my wife. I need you to be the mother of my children. I need you because without you I am nothing. I am a pile of bones and flesh filled with misery. You bring me to life. Love me, marry me, be with me in this life and into all the ones we live from this point ever after.”

“Well, since you put it like that, I guess I must.” She rises and kisses me. Our mouths sealing the promises we’ve made to another one another.

I make love to her again then, slowly. We barely move. I just slide in and we rock together and allow the strength of our emotions to carry us into the heaven.

Author Biography
Bestselling author Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line atjensfrederick@gmail.com.

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Be sure to enter the publisher giveaway for a Tiffany & Co. gemstone ring. This giveaway starts August 19th and runs through September 15th.

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