Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Book #Spotlight & #Excerpt : After The End by Natasha Preston .@InkSlingerPR .@NatashaVPreston


Book Title: After The End
Author:  Natasha Preston |WebsiteTwitterFacebookInstagram
Publisher: Natasha Preston
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook
Cost: $3.99
Pages: 
How I got it: Blog Tour
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
Publication Date: Sept 25th 2018
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
One fatal mistake changes Tilly and Linc’s lives forever.

After the tragedy, Linc and his family fled a town they were no longer welcome in.

Still grieving the death of her brother, Tilly’s world is rocked again when, three years later, Lincoln Reid has to come home.

Linc tries to stay away from Tilly, but once he sees her fighting feelings for him, he can’t stay in the shadows.

Excerpt

“Tilly,” I groan as she leans flush against my chest.

The alcohol has given her permission to let go of the reservations she has over us being something.

The beach has now cleared completely, everyone has gone, and I’m supposed to take Tilly to Hanna and Jack’s, but she’s making it very difficult.

I want to take her back to mine.

She looks up at me, and her amber eyes lose focus. “It’s you, isn’t it?” Her voice is barely a whisper, but I feel the fear in each word.

“What’s me, Tilly? You really should have stopped drinking about an hour ago.”

“I couldn’t stop.”

“Drinking? Why not?”

“Because I know this is the only way that I won’t feel immediately guilty for being this close to you.” Her eyes flit closed. “I want so badly to be this close to you.”

My breath catches. I want to pull away because her words are gutting me, but my body needs to be closer to her, too. My fingers dig further into her flesh, holding her closer, tighter, never wanting to let go.
“Tilly, there is no need for you to feel guilty. Robbie would have been okay with this.”

“I know. It’s not him I’m worried about.” She leans forward and lays her head against my chest. “My parents are having a hard time with you being here.”

I rest my chin on her head. She’s tucked so closely into me. “Have they told you that?”

“They don’t need to.” Her arms wrap around my back like she’s scared I’ll walk away after hearing this. There is nothing she could ever say to scare me off. I love her unconditionally.

“I don’t want to hurt them, but I don’t want to hurt you either. It’s such a mess, Linc. I wish we were just two normal people without a past.”

“Everyone has a past.”

“Not everyone’s past is all mixed together,” she replies. Her voice is a little slurred, but our conversation seems to be sobering her quickly. “Ours is messy.”

“Yeah, it’s messy.”

But she is admitting she wants me!

With raw emotion clogging her throat, she breathes, “I don’t want our families to fight.”

I bend my head and whisper in her ear, “I’m not giving up on us. It’s worth the fight, Tilly.”

“Then, fight hard, Linc, because I don’t know how to stay.”
These are some quick thoughts I'll do a full gushing review later.

A slow burn romance about friends finding their way back to each other after a tragedy strikes their families. It's told from dual perspectives, of Tilly who is stuck in the same place trying not to hurt her remaining family but beginning to feel stifled and Linc who thought he had gained enough distance that he wasn't going to hurt as much as he was.  Coming back to town may bring the change they both need in their lives.  

Filled with great friends who want to stand with and for them, grieving family learning to stand as a unit again, survivor's guilt and the desire to live for the person who is gone as well as for oneself. I enjoyed the read.  I loved that therapy was discussed the use of medication to aide in getting through the grieving process the discussion on how grief doesn't really go away. I loved that it was discussed so richly and even normalized. Showing how the process works differently for everyone.  While at the same time that grief was both a burden and an excuse. For Tilly and her family they couldn't navigate the after, the what happens next phase even with the therapy; much of the steps that needed to be taken weren't done because Tilly was afraid to hurt those that were left.   I loved that Linc was a catalyst for change, much like he was apart of the problem before.  

I did have a few issues with some of the characters like her friend Greg, I wanted to slap him so bad like boy get off your high horse and come live down here with the rest of us mortals struggling with doing what's right.   I loved the other friends who were great for her and wanted better for her especially Hanna, even when Tilly wasn't ready to hear it.  

A great romance and I loved the way it ended. I must confess when I first saw the preview I was expecting some great mystery to pop up because I had read several of her previous works and know her that way. It took a second to realize nope this is just an emotional rollercoaster and wasn't about some crazy psycho kidnapping people, still a good read though.  

Happy Reading



Tuesday, September 25, 2018

ARC Book #Review: Cross Breed (Breed 32) by Lora Leigh .@LoraLeigh_1

Book Title: Crossbreed ( Breed 32)
Author:  Lora Leigh |WebsiteTwitterFacebook|
Publisher: Berkeley Publishing
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal, Science Fiction
Series/Standalone: Series 32
Format:  Hardcover
Cost: $26.00
Pages: 384
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date September 25, 2018
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Fans of #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh's scorching Breed series first met Cassie as a little girl in Elizabeth's Wolf. Now Cassie has finally come into her own as a young woman, and she's about to discover the one she is destined for--but it is unclear whether her fate is to be mated for life, or marked for death...

The Breeds are humans altered before conception with the DNA of the predators of the earth. But although they all carry the genetic material of beasts within them, Cassandra Sinclair stands apart. A unique mix of wolf, coyote and human, she is revered by many--but preyed upon by others. She is fiercely protected by her community...but no one manages to stop her when she slips away one day to offer her body in exchange for her sister's safety.

The man she succumbs to surprises her by unleashing her inner animal in ways she never dreamed possible--and provokes her deep, furious rage. To Cassie's shock, he is the mate she has long awaited. She may never be able to forgive his deception. Still, as dangerous enemies track her, and as the threat of all-out war between Breeds and the humans who despise them hovers in the air, they must join forces and hold fast to each other.

But the passionate union between them holds a potential that could change the world--and some will do anything to stop it...
This has been a long time coming. Elizabeth's Wolf was the first book I read in this series and I fell in love with the sweetness that was Cassie. Due to what I read I knew I had to read the entire series and this launched my reading challenge for last year. I accomplished my goal and have been highly anticipating this story with each of the other stories I read.  As the series has grown and the Breed world has expanded more about her has been uncovered.  This has lead the world of the Breeds into a new direction from the beginning. Who Cassie is and what she can possibly do has been one of the biggest mysteries of this series.

Cassie has always been my favorite character and finding out who her mate is happens to be what I've been dying to know. I know I'm not the only one, we began getting hints several books ago and there have been fan theories flying all over the place and I have to say I have been very satisfied in finding out who her mate was and watching their story unfold.

Picking back up right where Wake A Sleeping Tiger left off, we are back in the world of the Breeds on the brink of war because Cassie is missing. She has always been the Breeds biggest weakness and their strongest advocate, for her to go missing and for more secrets about her abilities and existence to be unveiled has sent many of the packs reeling.

For the first time in a long time, we get Cassie's perspective on everything unfolding, as she makes a devil's bargain to gain something for another who needs he, she also sees this as a way to gain something for herself after always putting the health and happiness of the Breeds before herself; her greatest fears are unveiled and we realize the weight that has been set on her shoulders.  Cassie is Dane's daughter to the bone and despite her mix of genetics and the fact that she's a natural born Hybrid and one who was never in the labs makes her a hot commodity for many.  I could sit here and wax on about who and what Cassie is, but she tells that story the best herself.

I can't even go into detail without ruining the surprise on who her mate is so I'm not going to. I am going to say that this one lives up to the good writing of some of the older books, where the case and the intrigue is balanced out by the mating bond and the effects on their lives.  Despite the fact that Cassie has given so much and is friends with and works with Jonas there are those amongst the Breeds who see her as an enemy, and when they beleive she's vulnerable strike at her.  It's sad to see the disadvantages to mating with someone no one trusts.  Jonas once again has his hands in so many different pies and so many lives depend on his decisions, that it's interesting to see him so flustered throughout the story as Cassie tries to navigate being this Breed's mate and the woman everyone else expects her to be.

I absolutely loved that her mate just wanted her, not the Breed lawyer, not Dane's daughter, not Jonas' friend but Cassie herself. He saw her better than she saw herself and having realized for years that she is his mate gave her the space to come into her own. When he realized he needed her just as much as she needed him he began a campaign to win her and introduce some fun into her life.  I loved that they developed a working relationship before this and that Cassie used him as her one little rebellion.  It was the one secret she has and it was something only her mate could give her.

I really loved the reappearance of Graeme and his twin Cullen and their mates. It gave me such a thrill to realize we were going to get a few more stories out of the Breeds yet and I can't wait to dive back into the world.  With Cassie's mating, some Breeds who have been hidden and out in the cold have come in and been introduced tot he Breed world. An even greater enemy of the Breeds had been introduced and a chance to learn the names of the twelve Chairmen of the Council has been presented.

I loved how balanced between learning more about Cassie and learning more about her mate and how this impacted both their lives.   I can't wait to see where this world leads and how the stories unfold. I'm looking forward to the Breed couple we see coming up because it's going to be one heck of a story.
 ★★★★
RECOMMENDATIONS
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  • The Psy Changeling Novels by Nalini Singh
I was hooked and couldn't stop reading until the book was done and even then I wanted more. I highly recommend my loves, get yourself a copy. and as always Happy Reading my loves, 

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Stacking The Shelves (27) Finishing Up the Series Haul

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page! Stacking The Shelves now has a new host and check out that new image!!

I snagged a few ARCs because I was looking forward to reading them.  I also grabbed the following books because as I shared last week I had a few of these but I was missing quite a few. I had traded and gotten 31 new credits so I decided I needed to grab the others.  

ARCS/Ebooks
After the End Natasha Preston 
One fatal mistake changes Tilly and Linc’s lives forever.

After the tragedy, Linc and his family fled a town they were no longer welcome in.

Still grieving the death of her brother, Tilly’s world is rocked again when, three years later, Lincoln Reid has to come home.

Linc tries to stay away from Tilly, but once he sees her fighting feelings for him, he can’t stay in the shadows.
 


The XY by Virginia Bergin 
She's been taught to fear him.
He's been taught to fear her.
What if they're both wrong?

In River's world, XYs are a relic of the past, along with things like war and violence. Thanks to the Global Agreements, River's life is simple, safe, and peaceful...until she comes across a body in the road one day. A body that is definitely male, definitely still alive.

River isn't prepared for this. There's nothing in the Agreements about how to deal with an XY. Yet one lies before her, sick, suffering, and at her mercy.

River can kill him, or she can save him. Either way, nothing will ever be the same.
 

Forever Theirs and Theirs For The Night by Katee Robert which I have already read and reviewed. Which you can click on read the reviews.  


Paperbackswap


Colorado  Stormwalker Dalla Schulze 


Georgia Way of The Willow Linda Shaw

Hawaii Tangles Lies Anne Stuart


Idaho Rogue's Valley Kathleen Creighton


Illinois Love by Proxy Diana Palmer


Indiana Possibles Lass Small


Iowa Kiss Yesterday Goodbye Leigh Michaels


Kansas A Time To Keep Curtiss Ann Matlock 


Kentucky One Pale, Fawn Glove Linda Shaw


Maine Rocky Road Anne Stuart


Maryland The Love Thing Dixie Browning


Massachusetts Pros & Cons Bethany Campbell

Michigan To Tame A Wolf Anne McAllister

Minnesota Winter Lady Janet Joyce

Mississippi After The Storm Rebecca Flanders

Missouri Choices Annette Broadrick

Montana Part of the Bargain Linda Lael Miller

Nebraska Secrets of Tyrone Regan Forest 

Nevada Nobody's Baby Barbara Bretton

New Hampshire Natural Attraction Marisa Carroll

New Jersey Moments Harsh, Moments Gentle Joan Hohl

New Mexico Within Reach Marilyn Pappano

New York In Good Faith Judith Williams

North Carolina The Security Man Dixie Browning 

Ohio Too Near the Fire Lindsay McKenna

Oklahoma A Time and a Season Curtiss Ann Matlock

Oregon Uneasy Alliance Jayne Ann Krentz

Pennsylvania The Wrong Man Ann Major

South Carolina The Last Frontier Rebecca Flanders

Tennessee To Love a Dreamer Ruth Langan

Utah To Tame The Hunter Stephanie James

Washington The Waiting Game Jayne Ann Krentz

Wisconsin Starstruck Anne McAllister 

Also from Paperbackswap, but not apart of the Men Made In America in series are the following books which are parts of other series that I have going (oh gawd I'm never going to finish reading) 

Broomstick Cowboy by Kathleen Eagle


Mysterious Mountain Man (Man of the Month)  Annette Broadrick


Possessed by Passion (Steele Family Saga) Brenda Jackson

I've also begun to put together my HOliday Reading List (running from November 1 to January 6th) so I snagged a few copies to add on.  This week two books came in from Paperbackswap:


Home For Christmas by Alice Wootson

Winter Nights by Francis Ray, Shirley Hailstock & Donna Hill 

And that's it. I have managed to be good and not order anything else for the month. I do have like 6 more books to come in from paperbackswap. I can't wait to get them. What'd you get in your haul this week?? Share in the comments down below and I'll see you next week.

Happy Reading & Haulin' my loves