Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Release Launch Promo: Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle

WHERE SEA MEETS SKY
KARINA HALLE
A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author.


Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.


It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go—even when you know you have to say goodbye.



BUY NOW!
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UK LINKS:
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AUS/NZ LINKS:
iBookstore  |  Amazon  |  Bookworld

EXCERPT

“Gemma,” I whisper softly. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m raising her palm to my lips and kissing along her scar. She smells so good, feels even better.
She lets me do it for a moment then she awkwardly clears her throat.
Don’t make me let go, I think. Please don’t make me let go.
The rustle in the bushes is back again. Gemma jerks her hand away, as if we’re about to be caught by Nick the Peeping Tom, as if we’re doing something wrong.
Are we doing something wrong?
Suddenly the air around us fills with squeals, and the rustling increases. The nearest bush to us at the base of the yard, near the fence, starts to move back and forth.
I stand up out of my chair to get a better look and see what looks to be little creatures waddling out of the bushes and heading for the side of the house. Once they hit a patch of light coming from the house, I can see what they are.
Little blue penguins.
“What the fuck?” I say softly, feeling like my mind has just imploded. “What the hell are those?”
“Little blue penguins,” she says proudly.
I turn to her in disbelief. “Are you serious?” I thought I was making that up. In my head.
She nods. “Yup. Little blue penguins.” 
And she’s right. They’re about a foot high, miniature versions of the ones I’ve seen on TV, and they’re entirely blue in color. I thought it was just the darkness playing tricks on me but no, once they hit the light, you can see the color on their oily feathers.
“I don’t get it,” I say, watching as the last of their group quickly scampers out of sight. That might have been the cutest and weirdest thing I have ever seen.
“You never head of them?” she asks. “They probably have a burrow under the house. It’s actually quite common for beach houses.”
“Look, I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t do a whole lot of research about the country.”
“I can see that,” she says. “Well, how about that, then.”
“How about that,” I say, sitting back down. The penguins’ magical appearance has somehow taken Gemma’s heartbreaking story to another place, and she’s quick to jump on the transition. She tells me all about the interesting birdlife in New Zealand, from yellow-eyed penguins on the Otago Peninsula down south, to the Kea—cheeky green parrots that live in the snow-covered Alps. She’s animated as she tells me all she knows, and I absorb it like a sponge. 
I drink my beer and she goes back to drinking hers, and before Nick, Amber, and the Irish show up all sloshed, she’s painted a beautiful picture of what’s to come. I can only hope I’ll continue to be part of the picture.

Don’t miss Karina’s next book, RACING THE SUN, on sale July 28th!



With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiancĂ© and rescue pup.

LINKS: 
  FACEBOOK   |  TWITTER  |  GOODREADS  |  AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Monday, March 30, 2015

Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge - Team Update

It's time for our Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge Update!
Several of us at Waves of Fiction started this reading challenge at the beginning of the year. To learn more about it, you can go HERE for the details. 

Sounds like it was another good month for the team here at Waves of Fiction. So, let's see how we all did!
I was able to complete NINE books towards my challenge this month! I've finished entire two categories on my board (Title and Rec'ed) and I hope to finish all of my challenges by next month with only a few categories to go! 

So let me share with you what I completed this month:
A book with time travel - Outlander
A book with a one word title - Changeling
A book with a number in the title - The Rise of Nine
A book set in another country - The Prize
A book you shouldn't read in public - Can You Keep a Secret?
A book made into a movie - Insurgent & The Longest Ride
A book most of your GR flist has read - Landline
A book with a place in the title - On Dublin Street


As you can see, I finally finished Outlander, which was probably my biggest accomplishment for this challenge. Very excited to mark that book off of my TBR. In addition, it was fun jumping into TWO books that were made into movies because I planned to see them both. 

Next month, I'd like to finish my board and see where I can start to double up. This challenge really helped me dive into books I've been meaning to read for a while and dapple with genres I have tried for some time. 

It's exciting to see my roomies make amazing progress on their boards too!

A book that has won an award - Bayou Moon by Illona Andrews 
A book recommended by a friend - After I Do by Taylor Reed Jenkins 
A book set in another country - Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
 A book you shouldn’t read in public - After Hours by Cara McKenna
 A book with more than 300 pages - Soaring by Kristen Ashley
 A book with a military theme - It’s Always Been You by Jessica Scott
 A book by an Australian author - Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I completed seven books this last month and I loved most of them.  This challenge has been forcing me to pick up books I probably wouldn't have read otherwise even though they've been in my TBR for a while.  I hope to get to My Highland Lover by Maeve Grayson for my "time travel book" and Scream For Me by Cynthia Eden for my "third book in a series book".  I don't have anything else planned beyond that, but a book set in a college should be easy with all the New Adult books out there.

This month was a little slower for me.  I crossed off three which wasn't bad, but I am hoping next month I'll pick up more.  Here's what I managed to read this month...
A book set in the summer-The Bargaining by Carly Anne West
A book set in a college-Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A book by an Australian author-Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron

Next month I really want to tackle the time traveling category and the highlands category.  Those two are the ones I am not sure if they will fit my reading taste so I want to dive in and see how it goes. 
Good job everybody!  You guys are killing it!! 





Sunday, March 29, 2015

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Series Promo and Book Review

Image captures from Yahoo Images
Outlander fans get ready! The Starz series continues on April 4th, 2015.

In the spirit of getting ready for the continuation of this series, I'm excited to share a bit about the book, my review, and the series trailer. Enjoy!
Published July 26th 2005 by Dell Publishing Company
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
My Thoughts
Outlander has been on my TBR for years! I’ve witnessed nothing but great reactions to this book and have meant to dive into it for some time. However, every time I picked up this 900-page novel, the task seemed a bit daunting. It wasn’t until I started watching the televised series that I knew I couldn’t hold off for much longer.

So my ultimate reaction? I wish I had read this sooner. I’m sure many avid readers say this a few times in their reading career and for me; this book had me asking myself, “Why did I wait so long?”

Simply put, Outlander is AMAZING! The story is filled with description narrative where Gabaldon does a masterful job of making sure the reader feels connected with the characters, time, and place. I could vividly image the Scottish Highlands and just about every encounter Jamie and Claire journeyed through together. The vividly detailed landscape made me feel like I was right there with the cast.

As for the characters, what an amazing cast! I absolutely fell in love with Jamie and Claire and I rooted them on from the beginning. There was one moment I struggled with, which was when Jamie gave Claire a thrashing, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to get over that part. I struggled, but I think I recovered enough for Jamie to gain my sympathy once again.


I’ve read very few time-travel books and in those few, I remember having to work at suspending my reality. Well, withOutlander, that element felt effortless. I believed the lore that supported this piece of the novel, but I worry about Claire traveling back to her time.

This story was filled with dangerous travels and constant conflict that I felt a bit spent upon finishing the story, but I’m hungry for more. I will definitely continue on with this journey to see where it takes Jamie and Claire. Wonderfully told novel that grabbed me from the beginning. Again… Absolutely amazing!
5 Suns

Series Tie-In Edition
Series Trailer
Let us know what you think!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Spotlight & Giveaway: Manwhore by Katy Evans


Manwhore (Manwhore #1) by Katy Evans
Publication Date: March 24 2015 by Gallery Books
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Is it possible to expose Chicago’s hottest player—without getting played?

This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention.

Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in.

Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career.

But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me.

What happens when the man they call Saint, makes you want to sin?




Connect with Katy Evans:



The lovely people at Sullivan & Partners have generously provided a Paperback Copy of Manwhore to one lucky Waves of Fiction follower.  The giveaway is open to US and CA residents only.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Published February 3rd 2015 by St. Martin's Press 
In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France...but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.


Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can...completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real--and deadly--consequences.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah takes her talented pen to the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Arlene's Thoughts
Wounds heals, love lasts, we remain…
The Nightingale is a beautiful yet painful story about war, love, loss, sacrifice and survival. This will most definitely remain in my top picks for 2015. Unforgettable in so many ways.

This is my first novel by Kristin Hannah, but it most surely won’t be my last. Days after finishing The Nightingale, I find myself still contemplating the journey I took with the characters of this book. This story is rich with history, a detailed backdrop, dynamic characters, and captivating narrative that creates for a long lasting experience I won’t soon forget.

The story takes place at the beginning of World War 1 when Germany invades France and takes over the quiet village of Carriveau where Vianne lives with her husband and daughter. Life begins to gradually change as the war progresses and her husband is carted off to war. The Nazis begin to deplete the resources and people of France and as time marches on, Vianne and her sister Isabelle find themselves involved and affected by the war.

Vianne Mauriac is twenty-eight years old when the story commences. She is married and has a small child named Sophia. Vianne is given to fear and anxiety after losing her mother at a young age and later marrying the love of her life, only to be plagued by several miscarriages. Prior to the war, she was consumed with creating a safe and stable life for herself and her family and unfortunately that involved pushing her younger sister Isabelle away. When her husband is carted off to war, Vianne is left to keep her family and home together. She is forced to provide lodging to a German soldier, which creates hardships for her in many ways. After years of suffering and seeing those she cares for affected by the war, she finds a way to help those around her. By the end of the war, she was responsible for providing 19 Jewish children safe haven from concentration camps.

Isabelle is eighteen years old at the beginning of this novel. Pushed aside and disregarded by her father and sister after her mother died, it’s no surprise she becomes the bold and reckless sister. When offered a chance to be a part of the war by Gaetan she immediately rises to the occasion, only to be abandoned by him at first light. Isabelle is accustomed to people leaving her and setting her aside, however as this war becomes a part of life in France, she’s determined to find a way to be involved and have an impact. As a result, she becomes part of the rebellion for a free Paris, and is later coined The Nightingale where she works with those resisting the Nazis by creating a route to save downed airman. When the war is over, she was accounted for leading 117 airman to safe passage.

This story is about so many things, but most of all it’s about two sisters that are completely different yet find themselves impacted by a war that has consumed their lives. One sister is a rule follower and one is rebel. However, as the war becomes a part of life they each have an impact in doing something for their country, which leaves their mark and touches many families decades later.

I know I can’t do this book justice in any way, shape or form, so if I can translate one reaction I had to The Nightingale that would have to be AMAZING ! Kristin Hannah is a master story-teller that knows how to weave time, people, places and events in a way that creates an adventure that is hard to let go and forget. I have no doubt that The Nightingale will remain one of my top picks for this year. Absolute perfection!
5 Suns


Brandie's Thoughts
I like a good cry once in awhile. What I wasn’t expecting was the sob fest I would get while reading this incredible book. It has been a long time since a book has brought me to so many tears, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Just that this book was heartbreaking and at times very difficult to read because of the subject matter. Most of all it was a complete eye opener for me.

I have never been a fan of historical fiction. But having read almost all of Hannah’s books, including Winter Garden, which was historical and I loved it, I decided to give this book a try.

History was my least favorite subject in school, and I retained very little information about the Holocaust and the Nazi’s, other than obviously how completely awful it was. Clearly Hannah did a lot of research for this novel because, even though it’s a work of fiction, it felt so true to life and it completely devastated me. The horror people went through during those times is unfathomable to me. And I lived it through the eyes of these two sisters. It broke my heart over and over again. So much that I can’t stop thinking about the book still today.

The book starts in 1995 from the POV of an older woman who’s son is about to put her in an assisted living facility, then it takes you to France in the 1940’s. As this woman is reminiscing about her life during WWII, you don’t know who she is until the very end of the book, and that was brilliant on Hannah’s part.

Although the flashbacks to France and the war are incredibly difficult to read, I couldn’t put the book down because I had to know who the woman was at the end. And I needed to know what happened to these two sisters in the story, more than I needed sleep last night. Seeing the war through their eyes was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Hannah’s prose is beautiful, her writing flawless. I have always loved her novels and have rarely read one without crying, but this book was by far the most emotional novel I’ve ever read. Beautiful and tragic at the same time, this book will stay with me for a very long time.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a must read. If you haven’t read Kristin Hannah, I recommend you add her to your list immediately! Just make sure you have a box of tissues close by. And trust me, every single book of hers is worth all the tears!

5 Suns




Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Cover Reveal: Text Appeal by Lexi Ryan


NEW Cover for TEXT APPEAL
By New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Lexi Ryan

Note from Lexi:
Almost three years ago, I was working full time as an English professor and learning how much a one- and five-year-old could keep me on my toes. I knew my life was full and that I was a lucky duck who had all she ever needed (and most of what she wanted), but I just couldn’t let go of this dream of “making it” as a writer. I had a couple books published with a small press but my low sales numbers were never going to help me to become a full-time writer, and that was my dream.

Despite my insane to-do list and already full plate, I decided to dive into self-publishing. Text Appeal was my first self-published novel and it was originally released in June of 2012. It was the first big step in a journey that truly changed my life.


Although I loved the original hot guy cover, it was time to give the book a fresh look that better matches my brand. I love this cover so much and the book even more. Who can resist a bad boy poker player who’s determined to get his girl?

Adult Contemporary Romance
Originally published June 2012
Charlie 'The Devil' Singleton is the face of professional poker. Notorious for playing cards and women, Charlie's ready to change his ways, and the surprisingly sexy texts he's getting from Riley are making him bet everything...on her.

Riley Carter is nothing like the hotel heiresses who make the news. A girl who's determined to run her father's hotel empire can't share many traits with women who fill the gossip rags. But 'The Devil' has a way of tempting even the best behaved girls.

When Riley discovers the naughty messages on her cell have been coming from Charlie, not her would-be fiancé, she falls into a hot affair with the last man she expected. But consorting with the notorious bad boy puts her hard-won reputation on the line. Is Charlie worth more to her than a little TEXT APPEAL?
Excerpt:

They were in the elevator. And it was moving. They were in a small, moving elevator. They were in a very small, moving elevator and she didn’t know how long they’d been here and how much longer it would take. Had they stalled?

Charlie cleared his throat and loosened her grip on his jacket. “Not that I’m complaining about having you this close to me,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “In fact, I could get used to it.”

She was glued to him, she realized vaguely, but she couldn’t contemplate moving. Not until those doors opened.

“It’s just, Riley, baby, if you’re going to have your body this close to mine, I want you to be looking desperately at me, not a pair of elevator doors. Do you have any idea what that does to a guy’s ego?”

She frowned. “I’m not worried about your ego,” she muttered.

“Hey.” He was stroking her back, soft circles between her shoulder blades. “You’re shaking.”

“I prefer the stairs,” she whispered.

“Close your eyes.”

She shook her head, staring at the doors. Like Charlie had promised, the elevator was glass, and that relieved a little of her claustrophobia. If they got stuck, people would be able to see they were inside. They’d be okay. Someone would come help them.

The elevator’s second ding signaled their arrival, and the doors slid open to the famous bustling kitchen of the French restaurant she’d always been curious about but never visited.

The maĂ®tre d’ smiled. “Reservations?”

“Singleton,” Charlie said. And just like that, they were being led out of that death trap of an elevator and to their table.

When the concierge pulled out a chair for her, Riley gasped at the view. Their seats were right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the eleven-story-high view of the fountains at the Bellagio.

“Will the heights bother you?” Charlie asked in a whisper.

She shook her head and slid into her chair, angling it strategically so she wouldn’t miss a second of the vision outside the window. “It’s beautiful.”

The concierge placed a leather-bound menu before her. She opened it and gaped. Quick mental calculations told her a basic meal here could more than pay for her next shopping spree at Fredrick’s. When she looked up, Charlie was studying her.

“You’re doing it again,” she said, feeling her cheeks warm.

“Doing what?” Charlie asked, eyeing her over his menu.

Flames of heat licked higher in her cheeks. She wished she was one of those women with a cute flush, but hers pinkened her whole face. She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You’re looking at me like I’m the sprinkles on a brownie sundae.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth, then the little of her body not hidden behind the table. Though she was covered by a black, high-necked number she’d chosen for modesty, the heat in his eyes made her feel exposed. His focus shifted back to her mouth before he said, “Sweetheart, you’re the whole damn sundae, and I am more than ready for dessert.”

Reviews:

From Barnes & Noble’s LOVE ROCKS Indie Review column: “Text Appeal is smart, sexy, filled with great writing and memorable dialogue, and features characters you won't easily forget.”

From InD’Tale Magazine: “Readers will find themselves cheering for Riley and Charlie both. Lexi Ryan writes her dialogue with wit, humor, a bit of sarcasm, and throws in some wonderful chemistry!”

Designated “A True Gem” by Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews. “With some elevator rides that will make you blush, and a kink for lingerie that will have you running for the closest corset, “Text Appeal” will have you smiling and blushing from beginning to end.”

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author Lexi Ryan’s novels have been described as intense, emotional, and wickedly sexy. A former college professor, she now writes full-time from her home in Indiana, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a neurotic dog. Find her on Facebook or Twitter to chat about books, TV, and her children’s latest antics.
 photo AToMRPRomotionslogo_zps7a14e565.png


Monday, March 23, 2015

Review: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell Published July 8th 2014 by St. Martin's Press
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
My Thoughts
I first stumbled upon Rainbow Rowell when I read her young adult novel, Eleanor & Park. I loved the story and flash back moments, so I had no hesitation jumping into her new adult novel Fangirl. As with the first, my second experience with Rowell was just as bliss. Most recently, I’ve moved on to her adult novel Landline, and I have to admit… Rainbow Rowell is not only quickly making her way to the top of my favorite authors list, but she’s immediately proven that she can pen a wonderful story for any age genre.

In Landline, we meet Georgie and Neal who met seventeen years prior in college and have been married now for fourteen. They have plans to visit Neal’s family for Christmas, but that all comes to a screeching halt when Georgie lands a possible opportunity for a television pilot. Neal decides to take their two children to Omaha and leave Georgie behind to work on her project. However, that decision proves to be the culminated pressure point that might break their marriage.

When Neal leaves, Georgie realizes that her marriage is in trouble. As the days pass, she and Neal don’t communicate and Georgie begins to stay at her mother’s house because she just can’t face her empty home during the holidays. Desperate to connect with her husband, she retreats to her childhood bedroom where she can talk to Neal from the past through an magic landline phone.

Yes… yes… I get that it sounds a bit odd, and I’ll admit I was somewhat confused when it all started. However in the end, I really liked this plot device Rowell used that forced me to consider if there was something Neal and Georgie did or said in the past that contributed to their failing marriage in the present. Is there a way to fix what you have and pull the pieces together?

Bottom-line, I really enjoyed this story. It was subtle in many ways, as well as easy to relate to. A story about a marriage that becomes consumed with work, responsibilities and children is very real. The pressures and hardships are not uncommon and to hear someone else’s version and realization creates a connection that I often long for in fiction.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell is a worth story with unforgettable characters. After three pleasant experiences with Rowell, I have no hesitation diving into other stories by this author.
4 Suns

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Book Event & Giveaway: Authors Under the Lights


Today (Saturday, March 21st) I (Rachel) had the privilege of attending a big author event: Authors Under the Lights in Universal City, California. There was a big turnout but nothing overwhelming, making the event fun for all. I met a Goodread friend who I regularly chat with on Goodreads, as well as a couple more Goodreads addicts who happened to be in line ahead of me.  I had fun chatting and laughing with these fellow booklovers.  No one gets the obsession and passion for stories more than a fellow booklover and so it’s so easy to click with them. 

As usual my ability for coherent speech leaves me when I go up for a signing and so I’m sure I come off as a total scatterbrain to the authors, lol! Here’s a few that I met and “dazzled” with my “expert” linguistic skills:


Jay Crownover:


I’m a big fan of Jay’s Marked Men series and now her Welcome to the Point series.  I asked Jay if she plans on doing a book for Booker and Karsen (Karsen is Brysen’s younger sister in Better When He’s Bold and Booker was basically their bodyguard) and she said she’s hoping to tell their story in the future. This will have to wait some because Karsen was under age at the time. I’d love a romance there, though!

Shay Savage:


I loved Surviving Rain, Transcendence, and the Evan Arden series! Shay knows how to write a jackass/hero you can’t help to love! We got to meet the male model for the cover of Transcendence too:  



Jessica Park:


Flat-Out Love, Flat-Out Matt and Left Drowning were amazing reads!

I brought some goodies to share. I have a SIGNED copy of each: Rule and Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover, Left Drowning by Jessica Park, and Transcendence by Shay Savage as well as the Event Tote filled with bookmarks to give away to one Waves of Fiction Follower. The giveaway is open to US Residents only.



Saturday, March 21, 2015

Review: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Wicked (A Wicked Saga, #1)

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published on December 8th, 2014
Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.
My Thoughts:
I had a hard time with this one.  When I first heard about this book I was so excited because I lately I am so over the typical NA formula.  Well Wicked threw in my favorite things fae and JLA so I thought this book would be a solid 5 star.  Unfortunately I had a lot of problems throughout the book and I am left really thinking that NA just might not be for me.

I know a lot of people who have loved this so don't just take my review and throw this book out the window.  My problems with it are all most likely just my own, but I'll explain why this didn't quite work for me...

First Ren.  A few years ago I would have been swooning and squeeing with the masses over him, but this time and day yeah not so much.  He was too perfect.  I don't need damaged beyond belief characters to fall in love with, but I don't need say all the right things, beyond gorgeous where every woman within a 100 mile radius tells you he's gorgeous, and in general too perfect either. I wanted Ren to be more.  Yes he was there for Ivy in every sense of the word and in every way possible and yes he did have a nice way of throwing her against a wall in the rain, but it all felt too perfect.  He always said the right things and he was just the all around nice guy.  I can see you are thinking I'm nuts and I should be head over heels, but I don't want too perfect.  I guess I just wanted Ren to be a little more edgy.

Ivy I liked.  She was a little too naive with Ren especially for someone who had experience, but I could live with that.  She was protective over her friends and took her job seriously.  I honestly liked her for the most part.  Ivy was my light at in the darkness for this book.  I liked looking through her eyes except for when she was looking at Ren.  I have to give her credit though she did stand her ground with him for awhile and give him a run for his money which was nice to see. All in all I was happy with her.

My biggest problem with this story though was the story itself.  I really liked the fae world that JLA has created, but there were so many holes and well the twist I saw coming a mile away and was really let down by it.  I think too much time was spent saying no no no and thrown in the readers face that it made the obvious too obvious.  I don't like where things ended and I can see a big angsty tug and pull arc in the next one.  I would have personally preferred the story to stay centered around what happened with the fae and the Order rebuilding.  I knew I would get a little angst since this is NA, but I did not expect to be fully thrown into another NA formula with just an added paranormal spin.  I don't mean to sound better because I actually really did enjoy the fae world, but it's hard to focus on that world with so many holes and angst hiding in the corner.

You might like this a lot of people did.  It's not bad by any means just not for me.  I wanted a tighter story and I feel like there were so many threads lose with this story and its characters.  I don't know if I will read the sequel because I don't want to read the fall out between Ivy and Ren.  It honestly took me 3 days to finish the last 3 chapters because I knew what was coming and I didn't want to read it.  I'm so sad that this one didn't work for me.

2.5 suns



Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge
-A book set in a college



Friday, March 20, 2015

Review: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Published December 27th 2005 by Dell Publishing Company
Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her… 

My Thoughts

Absolutely hilarious and entertaining! 

Can You Keep a Secret is the type of novel you pick up to relax your imagination and enjoy the ride. I laughed throughout this entire book as Emma Corrigan stumbled through life tripping on mishap after mishap! She was an absolute delightful disaster!

In this novel, Emma Corrigan has high hopes for herself. She’s given an opportunity to represent her corporation in an important client campaign meeting. When the meeting falls apart, that’s only the beginning of her troubles. Now that she sees her chances of a promotion slipping away, she can’t stop the downward spiral. She takes a flight back home and the airplane hits turbulence causing the passengers and herself to panic. In sheer terror of a possible crash, Emma turns to the handsome stranger sitting next to her and spills her secrets in a mindless ramble. When she lands safely and returns to work the next day, she realizes the stranger that sat next to her and heard her dramatic soliloquy is the corporate owner of her company! Well, it goes without saying things just keep getting more and more complicated, but in the truest form of hilarious entertainment.

I absolutely adored Emma Corrigan’s narration. Everything she confessed, all of her wild musings, her irrational decisions were pure delight. Jack Harper was a nice compliment to this story, and I was absolutely impressed that he remembered all of her confessions. There were times that I appreciated his protective manner to right some of the wrongs Emma had shared, but there was one moment when Jack crossed the line. I’m happy with how he handled his indiscretion, and I believed he was remorseful, so that all worked out well.

Overall, Can You Keep a Secret was filled with laugh out loud moments, cringing, guffawing and all sorts of reactions that shouldn’t be displayed in public. Yes, this is definitely a story you should read in a secluded corner!
4 Suns
- A book you shouldn't read in public.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Review: The Prize by Julie Garwood

The Prize by Julie Garwood
Published July 5th 2011 by Dutton Adult
In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Nicholaa was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart. Resourceful, rebellious and utterly naive, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will, despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her. Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride.

In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa revelled in their precious new love...a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin and country!
My Thoughts
Romantic story that's filled with lots of tender moment. Royce and Nicholaa were a lovely couple. Entertaining, endearing and passionate.

In The Prize, Nicholaa’s home is invaded by the Normans and she’s captured as a prize to be delivered to King William. Royce is the king’s loyal subject that is tasked with bringing this headstrong Saxon to the king, which proves to be a series of small battles the entire journey. When Nicholaa gains favor with the king for a courageous act, he allows her to pick who she’d like to marry rather than the original plan of her being awarded to a worthy knight. No surprise, she picks Royce. Check mate…

I loved Royce and Nicholaa’s story! They were a beautiful couple that had many tender moments, fun dialog and a few small battle of wills that kept things fun and interesting. Royce’s lectures and patient ways were absolutely endearing. Nicholaa’s stuborn and gentle responses were perfect every time.

Great historical romance that had the right ingredients for a heartfelt adventure. Love…
4 Suns
- A book set in another country.