Thursday, May 30, 2019

Book #Review: A Lover's Vow by Brenda Jackson

Book Title: A Lover's Vow (Grangers 3)
Author:  Brenda JacksonWebsiteTwitterFacebook
Publisher: MIRA Harlequin
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: ebooks, Mass Markey
Cost: $7.99
Pages: 410
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: April 2015
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
She's all he's ever wanted. He's everything she'll ever need.

Business mogul Dalton Granger is as passionate as he is gorgeous, but private investigator Jules Bradshaw won't give him the time of day. She knows all about the youngest Granger brother—a charming bad boy whose only interest is playing the field.

But Dalton is more complicated than that, and he's determined to show Jules that behind all the bravado is the honest heart of a devoted son, brother…and a man whose own life is in peril.

Jules is the only person who can protect Dalton, and they embark on a mission to save his family and his legacy. But when their late nights in the office turn into early mornings in the bedroom, Jules and Dalton soon realize they have more at stake than they ever imagined.
This is what books two wished it could be. It was a fantastic story, a great wrap up of the overall start, it shared information about the previous two books without being an information dump and the characters were well developed and well formed.

Now we are here with Dalton and  Jules, the younger sister of the main character from book 1. She and Dalton are super attracted to each other but they just don't mesh because she thinks he's too arrogant and he thinks she needs to loosen up. They clash from book one to now due to their personality differences and they clash and go at each other through most of this as well. The tension between them is off the charts even when they attempt to pretend they aren't attracted

As the story builds and we have more concentrated attacks on the family as Jules and her team work to figure out the puzzle of who murdered Dalton's mother. We learn more about what the family truly knows, we see old flames coming back, family friends who should have stood by the children are now trying to make amends. Old hurts are being brought to the surface and Dalton and Jules have to decide if they prefer their lives as it is or do they want to learn to work together. I loved the story and how it flowed. I loved the blending in of the previous characters, getting to know the bodyguards and learning more about Carson and Sheppard. Seeing how much the years impacted him and how much he loved his kids made this story so sweet.

Cons of the overall stories, I wanted to talk about how none of the characters were ever described in any way beyond basics. While I liked this because I would picture who I want the characters to look like just adding in the details she gave us like eye color and height. Skin tone was never discussed. Now I know you want nonpeople of color to be able to pick up the books and read them without feeling like they can't connect to the characters but when I read other books by authors of color and even other books by Brenda herself she's always discussed their skin tones. "The way the light reflects off his ebony skin", what her hair looks like, descriptions that clearly make the characters black. Like I know as a black woman I'm not thinking about my skin color every time I go somewhere, but when I'm describing someone I know that this comes up.

Now looking at the cover it's clear they are supposed to be black but nothing in their description beyond the first book makes that clear. This was a bit of whitewashing I didn't expect and it was upsetting because when reading it's clear where those descriptions could have gone and would have enhanced the story. Like in describing an intimate scene where Dalton is thinking about how much he loved her nipples but never describes how they are darker than the rest of her breast. Like things looking in the mirror, any black woman can see. Or when the female character describes him to herself she never thinks wow when he's wet from the shower his brown skin glistens.  Let me know how the melanin is popping.

Hair textures aren't described either so you can't really build the women in your head fully ( Like does she have locs, is the long hair from braids?? Is a sis permed?? She got Halle Berry fade?? She bald like Okoye?? Can I get a clue??) and when you do a slight description later lets you know that now what you thought isn't correct. It's just glaring that these descriptions were left out and it made me a little uncomfortable.

Outside of those glaring issues, I loved the story. This was more cohesive than the previous book and allowed the story to flow while giving us the enemies to friends then perhaps lovers troupe I love so much  The overall mystery and the break-in of the villains plotting against the Grangers worked well and amping up the tension.

When we get to the end and everything is complete it felt good. It was a great way to solve part of why Sheppard went to jail. It was good to see the progress the brothers made as they grew in their relationships. I loved that secrets were revealed, hell some I did NOT see coming. I enjoyed the depth that was conveyed in showing just how far the criminals would go to make their plans work.
 ★★★★☆
Books In Series
Happy Reading my loves, 

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Can't Wait Wednesday (3) The Summoning by Heather Graham

Originally hosted by: Jill over at Breaking The Spines.  However, the Breaking The Spines blog is no longer hosting the prompt, there is a new one called Can't Wait Wednesdays hosted by Wishful Endings. Same premise of sharing books we can't wait to get our hands on. This is a weekly book lust prompt, asking for us to share our absolute can't wait to get our hands on a copy books. Swing on over to find out how to participate and to see what others are sharing. 

Adult Fiction/ Romance / Erotica
The Summoning by Heather Graham
A CALL FROM BEYOND…
When Kristi Stewart inherits a property in the old part of Savannah, she knows it comes with stories of hauntings. But she doesn’t believe in ghosts, even while she runs seances for the guests of McLane House Bed-and-Breakfast. Until the inexplicable midnight appearance of one of her infamous ancestors. Terrified, she flees into the night—and right into the arms of Dallas Wicker.

Dallas is trying to uncover the truth about a colleague who died under suspicious circumstances. As strange happenings continue to plague Kristi’s home, it is soon clear that there’s a very living threat in the neighborhood—several people have disappeared without a trace. Dallas can’t find any connection between the victims, but someone wanted them gone, and it might be linked to the history of McLane House. And that means Kristi should be very afraid.
Due Date: May 21 or 31
Print: Mass Market, ebook
Pages: 368
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Status:  Pre-ordered
Add To Goodreads
Why I'm Excited:
It's another of the Krewe of Hunters series. I love these paranormal stories that include police procedurals. Heather writes engaging stories so I always get sucked right in and don't stop until the story does.

Are you going to join me in reading this one?? What's on your book lust list?? Share in the comments down below!!
Happy Lusting

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

YA Book #Review: Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles .@SimoneElkeles .@fluxbooks

Book Title: Return To Paradise (Paradise 2)
Author:  Simone Elkeles |WebsiteTwitterFacebookInstagram
Publisher: Flux
Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Social Situations
Series/Standalone: Final Book
Format: ebook, Trade paperback
Cost: $8.99
Pages: 291
How I got it: Borrowed Ebook from Library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Thriftbooks
Publication Date: Sept 2010
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She's determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie's accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.
I read this one right after reading the first of the duet which is Leaving Paradise because that book left so much unanswered. I absolutely loved the conclusion to the story.

We picked back up a few months after the events of Leaving Paradise, seeing how life is going for both our characters and it's not all good. Once again Caleb is caught up when someone he trusts gets busted he makes his one phone call and it's a call that puts him on a different path than he'd seen for himself. As a way to avoid jail time, he must take a road trip and share with teens like himself how drinking had adversely affected his life. We know his secret from the first book as it had been the explosive ending that ripped him and Maggie apart.

Maggie is trying to move on, it's been eight months and no word from Caleb. She's decided to find a way to live with what happened that night and with the knowledge of the secret she holds. She's learning to forgive and decides that if Caleb couldn't trust her then perhaps he didn't love her as much as he claimed.   Then she gets to her summer trip and discovers that Caleb will be there as well. She can't be near him, but she can't be away from him as well.

As they travel and share their stories with the group Caleb is struggling with being there and eventually everything comes to an explosive head.  As the other characters on the trip begin to tell their story and share who they are with Caleb & Maggie we see the many different ways it impacts them. I wanted to cry when we learned why one of the kids ended up in the group and at the same time I wanted to rage, how and why do people never protect their kids??? As the story progresses we return to their home town and they have to learn to live with what happened on the trip and each other. Caleb is back to trying to rebuild his family and this time he's not pulling his punches or keeping what he's feeling inside.

Secrets are revealed, relationships are impacted and finally, the one who should have told the truth from the beginning found a way to share the truth.  I loved how everything unfolded, and how the truth coming out made several people look at themselves and how their actions and beliefs aided in the confusion. I loved how Maggie's mom was with her daughter, how she wanted to protect her and how she wanted to make it all better at the same time wanted her daughter to never fail. I loved the developing relationship her mother had and totally understood her dilemma of trying to decide if rebuilding was better than starting over.

Maggie and Caleb are still awesome characters to read, their journey and growth were beautiful to read and I loved that we didn't get a perfect ending but a more realistic one. I loved the duet and hope Simone checks in on them a few years into the future so we can know just how they are doing.
 ★★★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
I will definitely be getting a copy to go on my shelves, I highly recommend you read the books my loves. 
Happy Reading my loves, 

Monday, May 27, 2019

Monday Movie #Review: The Incredibles 2

Movie Title: The Incredibles 2
Released: 2018
Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring:: Holly Hunter, Craig T Nelson
Based on : 
Run Time: 1 Hr 58 mins
Premise: 
The Incredibles hero family takes on a new mission, which involves a change in family roles: Bob Parr (Mr Incredible) must manage the house while his wife Helen (Elastigirl) goes out to save the world. (From IMDb)

Trailer: 

With the three day weekend coming up I decided I wanted to just relax, read and binge anything I could think of. I hadn't watched the second of the Incredibles movies and so I decided when I needed a break from reading this was a good way to do so.  

This was a fantastic movie that both adults and children could love. There were so many great lessons that were shared from learning to have discernment about people, another is to know that just because someone can be a hero doesn't mean you can't take steps to help mitigate the issues that require their help.  

In this one, we are in a world were the supers are having to hide underground, they are no longer supported by the government, and also popular opinion has turned the tide against them and they are considered illegal.  An opportunity to share with the world why and how supers help to save them is presented and ElastiGirl needs to leave her family behind. Her husband Mr. Incredible (the strongman) is left to handle the three children on his own and he's not used to corraling the kids, he's also kind of resentful that his wife is the one out there saving the day.  I loved how he had to learn that all the tasks of everyday life aren't glamorous but they too can be rewarding. He also had to learn about leaning on those you love for help.

I loved the kids in the movie, it was awesome to see the kids grow and of course, Jack Jack was hilarious.  Of course, there are other gems within the story about learning to accept yourself and fighting for a place for your children to be able to have choices about who they are. This movie wouldn't be a great one without Edna Mode and her commentary. I love her. "No Capes!!" 

An awesome story and I highly recommend.  
Bring popcorn and enjoy my loves,

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Stacking The Shelves (2019) #9: Dollar Tree Finds

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 went shopping at the local Dollar Tree and while there I checked out the book section because of course, I did. While there I grabbed a few books for my shelves and also some great photos to share what you could possibly find in your local stores as well. I do a feature on my Bookstagram every Tuesday featuring these books.  I call it As Found In Dollar Tree. Check it out. I'm AishaOak13 on Insta. 
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. A Jamaican author and the premise sounds crazy and awesome at the same time. It's a fictionalized take of the night Bob Marley was shot and the people involved.  Can't wait to read it. 

Exquisite Captive Heather Demetrios.  This was hugely popular a few years ago on the blogs and booktube and I never snagged it. I'm curious to see what it's about now that the hype has died down a bit.
Their Eyes Were Watching God, I have like two other copies already but the cover on this one is to die for!! I never thought I would be one those people who collect books in different editions but these covers of the three I have are so beautiful and unique. 

72 Hour Hold Bebe More Campbell Not even sure what it's about, but I know it's a hugely popular author and I wanted to grab for the Blackout Bookshelves.

Dead Heat Patricia Briggs. I haven't read this series in years yet whenever I see copies of the works I compulsively pick them up to have for when I do get back into it. It's a habit, but since I only do that when the books are cheap I can't really complain. 

Funnily enough, most of these I picked up in April. I'm behind in sharing all that I've hauled in the past two months. If you want to grow your library the Dollar Tree is definitely a place to shop. I will also be sharing all my ebooks in a separate post.  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

Friday, May 24, 2019

YA Book #Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally .@Mirandakenealy .@SourcebooksFire

Book Title: Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks 1)
Author:  Miranda Kenneally |WebsiteTwitterFacebook
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Romance, Sports Romance, Young Adult Romance, Young Adult
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: Trade paperback, ebook
Cost: $8.99
Pages: 288
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: December 01, 2011
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?
I have been reading Miranda's Hundred Oaks series out of order for a while and have caught glimpses of Jordan throughout, she's especially mentioned in the final book Coming Up For Air, Having read and loved the finale I wanted to see what started it all. I grabbed Jordan's book and just loved diving in. Right from the start, we see the dedication Jordan has to her craft and her need to prove to not just herself but everyone that she takes the game seriously.

Jordan Woods is the starting QB for the Hundred Oaks team, she's the daughter of a famous football player and the sister of a top collegiate football player, football is in her DNA. She's best friends with Sam Henry who also is her go-to guy on the field. She's been playing and kicking butt for years and this is her senior year, she's taking the team to the state championships so she can prove to her favorite school Alabama that she's worth having on their team.

For a book that's only 288 pages, Miranda packs quite a punch taking on the inherent misogyny within sports and how athletes are viewed. Jordan is good at the game and while her teammates and her high school coach take her seriously no one else seems to be doing the same. She wants to go to Alabama because it's her dream school and while it appears they are interested, there is a chance the opportunity isn't all it appears to be.  Miranda writes great likable characters and even the ones who seem to be the worst are even more nuanced once Jordan starts to pay attention.

For her senior year, Jordan wants to concentrate on getting that perfect season and getting into Alabama.  Then one day at practice a new guy appears and makes her knees weak, for the first time ever Jordan is noticing a guy, and this one could be a threat to her perfectly ordered life. Tyler Green is beautiful and someone she's happy to look at and get to know, he makes her nervous, uncertain and remembers that she's a girl. Jordan knows that she wants to explore these feeling she's having for the first time and while she's confident on the field she's not so sure anywhere else.  I loved the exploration of what makes girls feminine. Jordan discounted a few of the characters who eventually because good friends and sounding boards for her because she considered them "silly girls" because they embraced being 'girly'.  She believed and worked with the idea that she couldn't be taken seriously if she embraced her feminine side and as the story progressed she had to learn to balance the two.  Jordan's decision to explore with Tyler opens up a whole new world for her, and at the same time becomes a source of great upheaval, it makes her question friendships, and what she believes about relationships.

As the story progressed with Jordan having so many lessons to learn, she's growing out of the idea that football is all she needs to be about, as she and her friends embrace the season and she explores her feelings she realizes that her friends are nuanced and have so many more facets to themselves than what they do on the field and that it's all acceptable. There are many lessons for Jordan, and for the people around her. I loved that she had so many different kinds of friends and friendships they were great friends and some were quite hilarious.  Her relationship with her brother is fantastic and I loved that even though her father didn't seem to care about her playing football, he still tried to reach her even if it was with things that she no longer liked. I loved the familial relationships because while her parents fundamentally didn't agree on football for Jordan they still had a great relationship, one where her mom wasn't afraid to call him out.

I loved the discussion of familial expectation and how it impacted each of the players on the team differently. What they wanted vs what their parents desired was a great source of stress for a few of the team and as Jordan realized it wasn't just her father's issues with her playing that she had to deal with as Captain.

I loved the overall lesson that what you once planned doesn't have to be the only way. Your dreams are allowed to change and sometimes embracing change can bring an even better outcome.  This was a fantastic start to this series and I can't wait to get to the others and share my thoughts with you.
 ★★★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
Happy Reading my loves, 

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Book #Review: A Man's Promise (Grangers 2) by Brenda Jackson

Book Title: A Man's Promise (Granger 2)
Author:  Brenda JacksonWebsiteTwitterFacebook
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Romance, African American Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone:  Book 2
Format: Mass Market, ebook
Cost: $6.99
Pages: 400
How I got it: Purchased/ ARC via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
A man's word is his bond. His family is his strength. His heart is his own.

Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment and family. Yet despite his fame and fortune, he knows the kind of respect and adoration he needs can only come from one person—the very woman who wants nothing to do with him.

Charity volunteer and owner of a wine boutique, Shiloh Timmons finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she's in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man who believes she left him standing at the altar.

If Caden can't have Shiloh by his side, all the success in the world will mean nothing. Now he has a chance to renew his promises…but is it too late?
I jumped right into this one after reading the first book in the series, because there was such a good cliffhanger I needed to know what happened next, where the mystery was going to take us. I'm going to say right off the bat that this one suffered severely from "second book syndrome'.  With the book attempting to share the story from before and carry the plot forward, I didn't feel like we got to know the main characters as well as we should have.

We're supposed to be learning the story of the second brother who is a successful musician who suffered a serious heartbreak several years ago when we realized why and who helped to perpetuate the lies it was horrible. I felt for the characters and the unnecessary pain they had felt. I didn't like how it felt that things were kind of glossed over.  Shiloh Timmons grew up with the Granger boys and has always loved Caden, when her father forbade her to talk to him or associate with his brothers she found ways to lend her support even if she couldn't do it publically.  When she is dealt a tragic blow and Caden fails to be there for her or to give her the support she needs later she takes her broken heart and finds ways to move on.  Time doesn't heal all wounds however long you give it. When she moves back home and discovers that Caden is now home she plans to avoid him at all costs. When they talk one night and it's met with a near tragedy they both find themselves re-evaluating what they thought was important.

As they begin to explore their renewed relationship enemies gather to find a way to stop them, those who should be in their corner start to protest and unlikely allies abound. The overall mystery of who is gunning for the Granger clan just gets deeper as the story progresses. Even though each book gives us a bit of mystery that is resolved by the end the overall mystery and the key players are being moved around the chess board with a very different game in mind, and reading you see some of the clues but not enough to completely guess what is going on.

Where the first book took it's time to lay the foundation of the entire series while giving us a good romance and served great mystery, this spent way too much time bouncing between too many POVs and rehashing what happened in book one. Now I know they need to write the stories in a way that shares enough so the reader doesn't feel disconnected, but my gawd this wasn't it.  There were several POVs much like the first one, but this one was seriously jumbled, while it served the overall story in sharing what was happening in all the other characters lives it didn't serve the main couple because they got lost in the story.

It's a second chance romance and while it relied on them rehashing what happened all those years ago and them trying to find their way back to each other, we didn't get the building of their romance like I would have liked. It was exceedingly fast-tracked so that the rest of the story could be told. I didn't feel the connection to the characters that I did the first story. We were more told than allowed to see who the main characters were and then when things happened to them you didn't feel the impact the way you should have because the connect wasn't there. I was way more invested in the secondary characters and what they had going on for them than the 'main couple'.

We get the progression of Shana's fathers romance with Mona which is sweet to read, but why is he getting as much screentime as Caden and Shiloh?? It just confused me at bits because the transitions from character to character wasn't always clear.  I loved the story that was being told and I really enjoyed the mystery, but I wished more of the romance we were getting was Caden's and Shiloh's instead of the other characters and their progression towards romance.  Overall the mystery kept me glued to the pages but I wanted a bit more of the romance. I am definitely diving into the third book so I can know what is happening because the Grangers seem to have enemies crawling out the woodwork.
 ★★★☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
Soundtrack Recommendations
  • What If I Never Get Over You by Lady Antebellum (General theme as they try to figure it all out)
  • Sandcastles by Beyonce' (For their history together)
  • All Night by Beyonce' (As they move on and build)
Happy Reading my loves, 

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Can't Wait Wednesdays (2)

Originally hosted by: Jill over at Breaking The Spines.  However, the Breaking The Spines blog is no longer hosting the prompt, there is a new one called Can't Wait Wednesdays hosted by Wishful Endings. Same premise of sharing books we can't wait to get our hands on. This is a weekly book lust prompt, asking for us to share our absolute can't wait to get our hands on a copy books. Swing on over to find out how to participate and to see what others are sharing. 



Adult Fiction/ Romance / Erotica

Enamoured (The Enslaved Duet 2) by Giana Darling 
It was the worst day of my life.
I know most people say that about something obviously horrific—a first heartbreak, the discovery of a fatal illness, or the funeral of a loved one—but my situation was a little different.
Not only was it my wedding day, but it was also the day I chose to die.
Two men.
The first, my Master, my captor, and my impossible love.
The other, his brother, a mafioso I was meant to ensnare and ruin.
If I had any hope of living a normal life reunited with my family, I had to make a choice.
End my old life as I knew it and start fresh, or take down the monsters that hunted me and haunted my Master.
In the end, the decision was never really mine to make. Because Alexander Davenport would come to claim me even in death.
Due Date:  May 31, 2019
Print: Paperback & ebook
Pages: 392
Pre-Order Links: Amazon
Status: Pre-ordered 
Publisher: Giana Darling
Add To Goodreads
Why I'm Excited:
I read the first of this duet really quickly and I was totally engrossed. The story isn't for the faint of heart and sweet Goddess does some stuff go down. I got the recommendation from a fave booktuber FallingOverBooks who recommended dark romance and this certainly meets the mark for that.  The book has not just a romance that is on the edge but a great mystery and some seriously messed up characters. I can't wait to see how they handle this.

Are you a fan of dark romances?? Got any recommendations?? What's on your book lust list?? Share in the comments down below!!
Happy Lusting

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Book #Review: A Brother's Honor (Grangers 1) by Brenda Jackson .@

Book Title: A Brother's Honor (Grangers 1)
Author:  Brenda JacksonWebsiteTwitterFacebook
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: Mass Market, ebook
Cost: $6.99
Pages: 392
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: May 15, 2013
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
The Granger brothers left behind their family's Virginia estate and the bad memories it holds 151 years ago. But their dying grandfather's request brings them home: to a failing business, a legacy of secrets and a deathbed promise to make things right.

As the eldest brother, attorney Jace Granger is determined to take responsibility for Granger Aeronautics, his family's failing business. But the years of mismanagement seem impossible to untangle. As CEO, he hires a consultant to turn the company around. Smart, sexy Shana Bradford is the right person for the job and the right woman to turn Jace's world upside down.

But the passion between them is jeopardized when old secrets begin to emerge. A woman from Jace's past suddenly reappears. And an explosive discovery changes everything Jace thinks he knows about his mother and his father, who was convicted of her murder.

Jace Granger tried to leave his family history behind once before. But this time he needs to face the past or risk losing his future.

Three brothers. One legacy. A lifetime of secrets.
This has been on my highly anticipated list since its release. I placed it on my Top 19 I'm looking forward to for this year as a way to motivate myself to read it, and I'm so glad I did. I LOVED this one.  I went into this one not really knowing much ( like I always do) and while it took a few chapters to get going once it was started?? The story just flowed.

Told in a few perspectives, we meet the Granger men who are living their lives as successful men Jace is a successful lawyer, Caden a Grammy award winning Saxophone player and the final brother Dalton is a ladies man with a gift for the stock market.  The brothers have come back together because their Grandfather has suffered from a life-threatening illness and they all come home.  Not long after they get there he extracts from them a promise that they will right his wrongs and from there we get one hell of a story.

The brothers are left to grapple with a company that should be more successful and now they have to figure out what and who is damaging its ability to succeed. While doing that they have to grapple with the history of being in this town and seeing so many of the people who turned their backs when they needed help as children whose lives had just been devastated.

Not only are they trying to work out how to save the company and still meet their own personal goals and life needs, Jace meets a woman he can't resist. Caden is haunted by his past and Dalton has so many secrets he's holding. But he's not the only one someone wants to make sure the brothers leave it all alone. No digging and no trying to save their dad. The mystery of who it is goes larger than the brothers realize.

Jace and Shana can't keep their hands off each other, they've tried valiantly to ignore the chemistry between them and eventually it implodes and they fall into each other's arms. I love that they are such strong characters and have such great chemistry together. They try to keep it professional at work and doing so allows them to advance their relationship both at work as partners who rely on each other and eventually as personal partners. However, keeping their relationship on the down low eventually saves lives as the villain is unaware of how interconnected the group is and just how much more advanced they are.

I love all the moving parts of the story and getting to know some of the side characters like her father and his love interest Mona. I kept getting anxious as I realized we were getting so many strings to follow and only had but so many pages. I kept freaking out like wait a minute she can't solve all of this in ten pages. What?? What??!! Luckily I was right she didn't try to solve it all in ten pages, some of those strings lead into several other stories and I can't wait to follow them. However, the major who done it for this novel was solved and I have to say it was someone I never even thought to suspect so there is that. However we get even more info to let us know this doesn't stop here, there is more going on and this is just the top layer of it all.
 ★★★★☆
Happy Reading my loves, 

Monday, May 20, 2019

Monday Movie #Review: The Equalizer 2

Movie Title: The Equalizer 2
Released: July 2018
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ashton Sanders, & Pedro Pascal
Based on: The Equalizer
Run Time: 121mins
Premise: 
Director Antoine Fuqua reunites with Denzel Washington in this sequel to 2014's The Equalizer. Washington resumes his role as Robert McCall: a retired CIA Black Ops operative who now works as a Lyft driver and moonlights as a vigilante. When his long-time friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) is murdered, he embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance. (From IMBD) 
(Movie poster from Wiki)

Trailer:

I've been a Denzel fan since I was little (because really who isn't, and if you're not SHUT UP you don't even go here).  While prepping for this week I happen upon a preview for the Equalizer 2 which was now on Starz on Amazon Prime.  The clip I saw was Mr. McCall returning to a party that didn't pay him properly because the credit card didn't work. So the guy hands him a black card and says condescendingly well now you've seen one. I said "oop" you done messed up now.

I immediately went onto Amazon to watch and see the whole scene and just... don't we all wish someone had come along and done that for us??? In our most vulnerable moments wouldn't have it been nice if a champion had come along and made those people pay?? I watched the whole movie rooting for Mr. McCall and freaking out when the young boy gets into trouble.

From the get-go we know that Mr. McCall is the good guy, he helps several people without letting them know he was doing so and checks in to make sure everything is still going great. All while reading great books and making his way through life. The main premise of the movie hinges on the loss of a close friend and his desire to find the people who did it. While working on the case we learn a bit more about Robert and who is he was before he became this man. While taking care of his little corner of the world he also attempts to mentor a young man who is struggling to keep his head above water while dealing with the local gangs.

It was fast paced, action packed and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I so badly wanted the bad guys to hurt, and all of this while Mr. McCall doesn't even break a sweat. I loved every second of the movie. I don't know what it is about these action movies, & the fight scenes, I get so hyped up and into them. I was glued to the seat until the movie was over. I talked junk to the screen and I hyped up Robert (although he didn't need it).

If you're an action fan, a fan of fast cars, shoot 'em up movies, then this is definitely for you.  I highly recommend. I'm a Bourne franchise fanatic because of the incredible fight scenes and this is right up there with the action, the great fight scenes and the betrayals. Just awesome!!
1/2
Bring popcorn and enjoy my loves,

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Stacking The Shelves (2019) #8: Library Book Sale

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 went back to the library bookstore and picked up a few new books to add back to the library. 

Brave the Wild Wind Johanna Lindsey, I used to love her books and I have a few on my shelves I like to re-read parts of when in a slump. So I figured I'd snag a new to me title from her historical romance catalog.

Stephanie Laurens:I once owned all the Stephanie Laurens books and when I first moved out I got rid of most of them, now I'm getting them back for my more permanent library. 
A Gentleman's Honor

A Lady of His Own

Susan Sizemore: I was a huge fan and once had all her books, I'm getting them back to add back to my collection.
Master of Darkness (Primes 4)
I Thirst for You (Primes 2)

Happy Holidays by Janet Dailey. I'm trying to grow my Holiday collection of books and Janet seems to be a big writer for the subgenre of romance. It's only after I snagged this title for 0.25 that I was reading an article about authors known for plagiarizing ( I believe it was about Nora Roberts suing an author for plagiarizing her works) that I saw something about her being a known plagiarizer (incidentally also from Nora Roberts)   I won't be buying anymore of her titles.

Christine Feehan. As you know I'm caught up on two of the seven series she writes. Now I'm trying to recollect the Drake sisters series and of course read my way through the other five series on my shelves, Whenever I see books I'm missing I grab them. I don't like the cover of the new Oceans, but until I can find an original cover this will have to do, plus for 0.25 can I really argue??

Fire Bound
Dollar Tree

Keeping Misery Company Michelle Larks. Y'all know I'm trying to read more African American romance, outside of my comfort authors so when I saw this I snagged it because it looked good. It's got a pretty good rating on good reads so here's hoping I've found another author to autobuy. 

And that's all folk!! Have you read any of these?? 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