Showing posts with label 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Book #Review: Call of the Forgotten:The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa .@Jkagawa

Book Title: The Lost Prince (Call if the Forgotten)
Author: Julie Kagaea |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone:  Iron Fey : Call of the Forgotten
Format: ebook, Trade Paperback
Cost: $9.99
Pages: 377
How I got it: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
Don’t look at Them.
Never let Them know
you can see Them.
That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
My name is Ethan Chase.
And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.
Hello my loves, I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this story.  Julie writes in such a way that once you start reading you don't want to put it down.  I really enjoy this series I hadn't gone into the series because I didn't have the other books on my shelves, except the second one. I wanted to be able to move through all three books very quickly.

Having read this one, I can't tell you how glad I was to have all three.  Julie took us back into Iron Fey world where we got to see Meghan the Iron Queen again, and OMG her world has changed and poor Ethan is once again pulled back into the world of the Fey and nothing, absolutely nothing is going the way he needs it to.

From the get go this story moved really quickly each and every single scene bringing something new and wild and fun.  Poor Ethan found himself running back and forth between in the worlds.  As the story unfolds I found myself remembering snippets from the other books and falling back in the love with the characters.  I didn't put this book down at all, it was amazingly good and I quickly finished it so I could jump into the second one.

When I say the action unfolds quickly I mean really quickly and as much as I would like to say it, this books isn't for someone who hasn't read the series and knows the kind of background facts you would need to make this a rich and encompassing tale.  While Julie does summarize a little bit and give glimpse of the past, as much as Ethan thinks he knows he doesn't know everything and his shadowed and one sided perspective makes him miss the true importance of certain actions, conversations and people.  It doesn't take away from the story but this is definitely a must read in series order book.  I loved seeing old characters, catching up with Ethan, meeting new characters and reading as the prophecy began to unfold.  I found myself quickly reading so I could know what happens and  I loved reading so I could react to the different scenes.

There are moments within the story that make me want to yell at certain characters, I wanted to ask some of them if they had brains, I side-eyed the hell out of others, and I called B.S on more than one occasion.  Ethan had issues with the Fey and I get why he's so angry but man he's beyond short sighted and extremely prejudiced.  I kept having to remind myself that he's a kid who has living through a tragedy that changed his life and his family forever and he gets to be angry.  However his anger at time was so silly, especially when it meant he missed out on getting help he really needed.

I highly recommend the series and the ones before this including The Iron Fey: The Iron Queen, The Iron King, The Iron Daughter  and the Iron Knight. Oh man so much unfolds due to the events from The Iron Knight and that's pretty much where this sub series kicks off.  If you love the Fey, witty characters, fun and adventures and of course our favorite mischievous character, then this series is for you.
 ★★★★☆
 I hope you love this as much as I do, It was a fun and adventurous read.  Happy Reading


Friday, August 11, 2017

Book #Review:Elizabeth's Wolf (Breed 3, Wolf 1)

Book Title: Elizabeth's Wolf (Breed 3, Wolf 1)
Author: Lora Leigh |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Ellorascave
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: Trade Paperback
Cost: $1.00
Pages: 304
How I got it: Library Booksale
Purchase: Out Of Print  Second Hand Shop is Recommended
Publication Date: June 2005
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
She brought him back from death and made him live again. Dash thought himself alone, a soldier, a fighting machine and no more. Elizabeth made him realize he was a man. Danger surrounds the woman his soul marked as his mate, death and blood and a treachery that goes beyond even his worst nightmares. But he will protect her and what she claims as her own. He was created to kill, trained to do it efficiently, and only a man bound to her, heart and soul, will have the strength to save Elizabeth and her prized possession. He is a lone wolf. A man alone. No pack, no family, no one to call his own until one single, innocent letter awoke Elizabeth's wolf.
This was one of my holiday reads in 2016 and I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this one.  I decided to read all the others on my shelves because of this one and I proceeded to order all the other books I didn't have because of how much I loved this one book.  Luckily it worked out that I loved most of them, otherwise that would have sucked.

This is a story I was high anticipating  and I wasn't disappointed.told first from the perspective of the child, then the adults around her it made me want to read as fast as possible to see how it all came together and how it all unfolded.  In this we go from mostly erotica with the background story unfolding slowly to seeing more of the story unfolding, the different worlds the different clans and prides and packs being revealed and the many different ways in which the Counsel went above an beyond to have their perfect soldier.

Reading the beginning and meeting Dash and seeing who he was before we got to meet Cassie and Elizabeth, just made this so much sweeter.  Then seeing how strong Elizabeth has had to be because her 'perfect' ex husband was such a loser and bat shyt crazy, I'm so glad she followed her instincts because this story would have gone a whole other way if they hadn't.

For me this was the launching pad into the Breed world and then i went back and read the other stories in order to really get the way the world was setup.  It was good to see so many people come out for Dash, including Simone and his band of assassins.  This story flowed well, was action packed and kept me turning the pages because I just needed to know so much about the world they lived in.  Cassie was my favorite part of this story, her reactions to the man she had picked as her new dad, her interactions with the other breeds, her embracing and yet fearing her power. Seeing all the other pride members including the men from Meri's family come out to protect the first of their kind, as just awesome.

Still a strong romance story, not so much on the heavy erotica aspect anymore; but the overall story came forward more and we say beyond the couple into how this affected so many more and who else these scientist would go after.  This one definitely expanded the world of the Breeds and I can't wait to see what else is going on.
 ★★★★★
Happy Reading my loves, 



Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Book #Review: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter @Aimee_Carter

Book Title: The Goddess Legacy (The Goddess Test 2.5) 

Author:  Aimee Carter|Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Paranormal , Mythology Retelling
Series/Standalone: Series Novellas
Format: ebook, Paperback
Cost: $ 9.99
Pages: 395
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 2012
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows. Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness.... Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal.... Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another.... James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others - but never knew true loss before.... Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope.... Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages. Contents: The Goddess Queen The Lovestruck Goddess Goddess of the Underworld God of Thieves God of Darkness

I have been wanting to read this for a while. i marathoned the series a few years ago and told myself I didn't need the novellas, and nope I really need the novellas for my own peace of mind, so I finally treated myself with a copy recently.  I'm always happy with this series so I'm excited to share my thoughts on each of the novellas enclosed.

There are several stories, each of them building the world that Kate falls into and giving us the back story of each of the characters.  Had I read this while reading the series, I might have felt differently about certain events.  I still don't accept the villain's reasons for doing what was done, in fact when you read this and see how long they have been doing damage to others you realize the villain is just as trash as the person who turned them so.

By time these stories ended Henry/ Hades was one of the few Gods left who hadn't done anything worth me hating them for.  Each of the Gods were just a petty, childish, churlish and dumb as their origin stories make them out to be.  I get that they are just as fallible as we humans are but y'all are supposed to be better, they really made me angry as I read them especially Zeus, I was never a fan of this God and this origin story here doesn't paint him any better, he's just a terrible and trashy as his father.

I vented at this book, demanding that certain characters talk, just communicate however I saw what others weren't willing to see and what they hadn't seen well before they did.  There is a moment in the later stories where Henry almost catches on but he refuses to see it as well.  And when we see how hard everyone starts to work just to get Henry to hang on. I'm so annoyed at the villain for doing to him what they had done.

I loved the story that told us why they gained modern names and why they had to change, I mean I got that well before they did and I was not at all surprised but it did make me sad the way it ended.   I did love the little story and how something so small could make a difference in the perspective of even a God.  It's got to suck watching the world pass by and you never change.  That way leads to madness if you ask me.

I'm still hoping that Aimee does a series based on the ending from the final book and we get to visit these characters all again.  Hopefully they grew somewhat.  having read this I re-read the final book and it just made so much more sense now, and I'm still mad a the depth of the betrayal. You can't hurt me this deeply then call it love.  I know I'm being vague on each of the stories but that's because each of the them builds the world and their actions here help to lay the foundation for the other books in the series, discussing too much might spoil something.
\
 ★★★★☆
Let me know what you thought of the series over all and of course 
Happy Reading

Saturday, December 31, 2016

2016 Yule Reading Update December


Hey My loves, this is me checking in. I've been doing great actually with this plan and I'm loving it. Here is the list with the books I have read crossed out. I plan to have reviews up soon.  How are ya'll doing on your monthly reading goals??

Books From the Stockpile
  • Carolyn Brown's Cowboy Boots For Christmas (Cowboy not Included)
  • Jingle Bell Rock by Jannel Dennison and Friends December
  • The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh and Friends November
  • Holiday Fantasy by Donna Hill and Friends
  • Naughty or Nice by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Friends
  • A SEAL Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear
  • A Bride For Christmas by Heather Graham and Friends
  • This Christmas by Jane Green and Friends
  • Under The Mistletoe by Linda Howard and Stephanie Bond
  • The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus by Carly Alexander
  • Christmas on Mimosa Lane by Anna DeStefano
  • Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
  • Three Days on Mimosa Lane Anna DeStefano
  • An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne and Friends November
  • @Home For The Holidays by Meredith Efken
ARCs That I Need To Read:
  • The Keepers Christmas In Salem Heather Graham 
  • Christmas Brides by Suzanne Enoch and Friends
  • A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson
  • A Christmas To Remember by Jill Shalvis and Friends
Not on the Book List But Read: 

November:
Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh

December :

  • One Winter's Night by Brenda Jackson (Westmoreland #24)
  • Honky Tonk Christmas (Honky Tonk 4) Carolyn Brown
  • Cowboys Fro Christmas by Jan Springer (new purchase) *Book Club read
  • Their Wishlist (Soulmastes Book 1) (new purchse) *Book Club Read

Well that's it, I didn't read all the Yule/ Christmas books from my shelves, which means I will be doing this again next year. However,  I'm quite proud of the ones I did get read.  What are you reading this season?? Share in the comments down below.

Thanks so much for stopping by my loves and I'll see you tomorrow. 

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Yule 2016 Update: November Reads


Hey My loves, this is me checking in. I've been doing great actually with this plan and 'm loving it.  Here is the list with the books I have read crossed out. I plan to have reviews up soon.  How are ya'll doing on your monthly reading goals??

Books From the Stockpile
  • Carolyn Brown's Cowboy Boots For Christmas (Cowboy not Included)
  • Jingle Bell Rock by Jannel Dennison and Friends
  • The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh and Friends
  • Holiday Fantasy by Donna Hill and Friends
  • Naughty or Nice by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Friends
  • A SEAL Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear
  • A Bride For Christmas by Heather Graham and Friends
  • This Christmas by Jane Green and Friends
  • Under The Mistletoe by Linda Howard and Stephanie Bond
  • The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus by Carly Alexander
  • Christmas on Mimosa Lane by Anna DeStefano
  • Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
  • Three Days on Mimosa Lane Anna DeStefano
  • An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne and Friends
  • @Home For The Holidays by Meredith Efken
ARCs That I Need To Read:
  • The Keepers Christmas In Salem Heather Graham 
  • Christmas Brides by Suzanne Enoch and Friends
  • A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson
  • A Christmas To Remember by Jill Shalvis and Friends
Even though it wasn't on the list I picked up Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh and knocked that out in less than two days. I really think I'm going to love doing that challenge in the new year.  I can't wait.

What are you reading this season?? Share in the comments down below.

Thanks so much my loves




Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Vlogidays Day 6: November 2016


Vlogidays Day 6:

Good Morning my loves I'm here to share with you the books I got in this week for the frst part of the birthday haul.  I got my books from paperbackswap, and Thriftbooks.  


The first book I got in Brenda Jackson In Bed with Her Boss.  Part of my goal for 2017 is to read her entire backlog, which includes all the books I have on my shelves and the ones I'm going to be getting to accomplish that.  Challenge Post Link


KI got for free the Texas Bodyuards Proposal by Karen Rose Smith, the woman I traded with for Brenda's book sent me this as well.

Next I got Zadie Smith The Autograph Man, I'm trying to collect all of Zadie's work, and this is one of the highly acclaimed ones so I made sure to snag it.

These are from Thriftbooks:
The first one which I'm definitely telling them I don't want is Second Chance Boyfriend, by Monica Murphy. I absolutely loved this book when I first read it and have since re-read it a few times and still love it.  However this copy is not acceptable, so Nope won't be keeping this one.  My Review


Shipwrecked by Katherine Applegate  One of my favorite series when I was a teen the Ocean City seres was one I read mostly from the library.  I only ever purchased them when they were at the library book sale, I have so many fond memories of reading Katherine's writing I love both of her series I have read and I need them on my shelves for nostalgia as well as for my own children to read one day.

And finally I picked up a copy of One Week Girlfriend to have not just in ebook form.  This is the first book to the Monica Murphy series and I can't even begin to explain how much I absolutely love these books.  My Review

And that's it for now. I know for sure there will be plenty more as my fingers did a whole lot of clicking over the past few days, but hey it's my birthday present to myself.

What have you gotten in this month??  Share in the comments and I will see you tomorrow.

Happy Reading


Tuesday, November 1, 2016

2016 Yule Reading List: November 1st- December 31st,


Yeah soooo I don't celebrate Thanksgiving. After Samhain/Halloween I move right into Yule mode, I have my tree up (ok 1 of my trees up by November 15th) and then I go full Holiday mode after the 22nd which is my birthday. All of that is to explain why this list is going up so early.  And like the rest  of the world that doesn't celebrate a Thanksgiving I'm getting in the Holiday spirit by reading some new books and some faves.

Books From the Stockpile
  • Carolyn Brown's Cowboy Boots For Christmas (Cowboy not Included)
  • Jingle Bell Rock by Jannel Dennison and Friends
  • The Magical Christmas Cat by Lora Leigh and Friends
  • Holiday Fantasy by Donna Hill and Friends
  • Naughty or Nice by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Friends
  • A SEAL Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear
  • A Bride For Christmas by Heather Graham and Friends
  • This Christmas by Jane Green and Friends
  • Under The Mistletoe by Linda Howard and Stephanie Bond
  • The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus by Carly Alexander
  • Christmas on Mimosa Lane by Anna DeStefano
  • Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
  • Three Days on Mimosa Lane Anna DeStefano
  • An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne and Friends
  • @Home For The Holidays by Meredith Efken
ARCs That I Need To Read:
  • The Keepers Christmas In Salem Heather Graham 
  • Christmas Brides by Suzanne Enoch and Friends
  • A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson
  • A Christmas To Remember by Jill Shalvis and Friends
Well those are what I plan to read this Yule Season as well as watch all the fun movies and indulge in all the Yule time activities. I can't wait/ Can you?? What are you reading this season?? Share in the comments down below.

Thanks so much my loves

Saturday, October 29, 2016

VEDO 2016: Day 29: Stacking The Shelves Edition.


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!

Hi again my loves it's another day in this challenge, and we are almost to the end.  Today I'm sharing a few more books I have picked up this month (this week).  I shopped from a few places these last few weeks including the Goodwill, books a Million, and online with Amazon, and trading for books as well. And even a few surprises found at the local Dollar Tree.

From Goodwill:



Come The Morning by Heather Graham, she wrote these historical romances under another name many years ago and I remember loving them. I saw it again and decided to get it back.


The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, another in this awesome series and I can't wait until the show catches up to this book.

From Books-a-Million:

The Iron Warriorby Julie Kagawa. Ohh gawds, it's the final book in this series and I don't know what I'm going to do when it's all done, but I must read it. I'm in the mood for some Fae.

In The Flesh by Sylva Day  this one will be a first time read for me.  I have most of Sylvia's books but haven't read any of the ones she's written under her pseudonym

Straddling the Line Jaci Burton.  This is book eight in the series about hot hunky athletes and the women who fall in love with them. I absolutely love it so far and I'm happy to have this one as well.

From Dollar Tree

A Beautiful Wedding I might have to re-read this one then continue to the last one.

Treachery In Death , Concealed In Death and Delusions In Death

Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan. I have already read this in ebook form. I wanted it for my shelves because this is Skyler's book.

And that's it.  These are all the books I found this month that I'm excited to have hauled. What'd you get this week?? Share in the comments down below and I'll swing on over.

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading


Saturday, February 27, 2016

Stacking The Shelves (9) 2016


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!



Hi my loves,

Oh my gosh I haven't been on here in a while but believe me I have been hauling and filming, but haven't really taken the time to edit and upload.  I have to share these however because I have finally begun to read again and I'm so happy to be doing so.  

Here are the books I have hauled recently in an effort to get back into the groove, (yeah I know I have tons of books on my shelves, but I don't have anything to read LOLOLOLOL).


New Adult Romance & Romance Books
Season Vining 's:

Josie Banks is a girl without a past.  After being found unconscious with no memory, she was shuffled in and out of foster homes where she suffered years of abuse. An experience that left her broken, damaged, and clinging to drugs and meaningless hook-ups to numb her pain.

When Josie disappeared years ago, she took a piece of Tristan with her.  She’s the girl he thought he lost forever—the one he’s never been able to forget.  Now a twist of fate has brought them back together, and he never wants to let her out of his inked arms again.  But Tristan is haunted by a dark past of his own.  On the run from ruthless criminals that shattered Josie’s world years ago, reentering her life puts them both in danger.

As Josie and Tristan’s lives become tangled once again, they find themselves unwilling and unable to escape the relentless pull that draws them together.  But in Season Vining's Beautiful Addictions, will the past leave their love in ruins—or bind them together for a lifetime?

Accused of a horrible crime and on the run, Kat has been rejected by everyone she loves. She’s a fugitive from her past, flitting from town to town with nothing but the clothes on her back. Until she meets a man who literally stops her in her tracks.

This notorious bounty hunter, with his stunning good looks and powerful instincts, never fails to capture his prey. But there’s something about his newest mark that gets under his skin–and it’s not just the naked innocence he sees in her eyes. Behind his ice cold demeanor, he has his own secrets... and now his lively, vulnerable captive is about to crack him wide open.

As they drive across the country together, neither of them can deny the spark of attraction between them. Will their journey force these two passionate opposites together…or will their dangerous secrets be too much to bear?

Slow Burn by Brenda Jackson

Everything in attorney Skye Barclay’s life is fitting smoothly into place until she makes the startling discovery that she was adopted. Not only does she learn that her birth mother has died, but now Skye finds out that she has a biological brother: Vincent. Skye wants to track him down, and her parents support her. But her fiancé, Clark, refuses to accept her decision…and abruptly ends their engagement.

Skye’s search for Vincent leads her to his adoptive parents, Dr. Justin and Lorren Madaris, and, lo and behold, Slade Madaris—Vincent’s tall, dark, and sexy cousin. Slade is by far the most compelling man Skye has ever met, but she isn’t ready to get involved so soon after Clark’s rejection…not even when Slade offers her a job so she can stay in town and get to know her brother better.
Slade is a shrewd businessman, but hiring Skye is one of the riskiest moves he’s ever made. Soon their mutual attraction explodes into a steamy summer affair. When Clark shows up in town, determined to win Skye back, Slade sets out to prove that he and Skye are meant to be together. Because a Madaris man never walks away from a challenge—especially when true love is on the line…

New To Me Authors:

Nalo Hopkinson


Sixteen-year-old Scotch struggles to fit in—at home she’s the perfect daughter, at school she’s provocatively sassy, and thanks to her mixed heritage, she doesn’t feel she belongs with the Caribbeans, whites, or blacks. And even more troubling, lately her skin is becoming covered in a sticky black substance that can’t be removed. While trying to cope with this creepiness, she goes out with her brother—and he disappears. A mysterious bubble of light just swallows him up, and Scotch has no idea how to find him. Soon, the Chaos that has claimed her brother affects the city at large, until it seems like everyone is turning into crazy creatures. Scotch needs to get to the bottom of this supernatural situation ASAP before the Chaos consumes everything she’s ever known—and she knows that the black shadowy entity that’s begun trailing her every move is probably not going to help.

A blend of fantasy and Caribbean folklore, at its heart this tale is about identity and self acceptance—because only by acknowledging her imperfections can Scotch hope to save her brother.
 


Nalo Hopkinson--winner of the John W. Campbell Award, the Sunburst Award, and the World Fantasy award (among others), and lauded as one of our "most inventive and brilliant writers" (New York Post)--returns with a new work. With her singular voice and characteristic sharp insight, she explores the relationship between two sisters in this richly textured and deeply moving novel . . . 

SISTER MINE

We'd had to be cut free of our mother's womb. She'd never have been able to push the two-headed sport that was me and Abby out the usual way. Abby and I were fused, you see. Conjoined twins. Abby's head, torso, and left arm protruded from my chest. But here's the real kicker; Abby had the magic, I didn't. Far as the Family was concerned, Abby was one of them, though cursed, as I was, with the tragic flaw of mortality.

Now adults, Makeda and Abby still share their childhood home. The surgery to separate the two girls gave Abby a permanent limp, but left Makeda with what feels like an even worse deformity: no mojo. The daughters of a celestial demigod and a human woman, Makeda and Abby were raised by their magical father, the god of growing things--a highly unusual childhood that made them extremely close. Ever since Abby's magical talent began to develop, though, in the form of an unearthly singing voice, the sisters have become increasingly distant.

Today, Makeda has decided it's high time to move out and make her own life among the other nonmagical, claypicken humans--after all, she's one of them. In Cheerful Rest, a run-down warehouse space, Makeda finds exactly what she's been looking for: an opportunity to live apart from Abby and begin building her own independent life. There's even a resident band, led by the charismatic (and attractive) building superintendent.

But when her father goes missing, Makeda will have to discover her own talent--and reconcile with Abby--if she's to have a hope of saving him . . .


Rachel Van Dyken
"I have a proposition for you." Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus's mouth. It's been years since Kacey's seen her childhood friend Jake, but the minute Jake mentions his ill grandmother, Kacey is ready to do anything for the sweet old woman. And if that means pretending they're engaged for her sake-so be it.

But Kacey wasn't counting on Jake's older brother Travis still being there. She calls him "Satan" for a reason: she's never forgotten the way he teased and taunted her. Yet when they meet again, Travis's gorgeous smile is a direct hit to her heart . . . and Kacey's more confused than ever. As the days pass, only one thing starts to become alarmingly clear-she never should have accepted Jake's deal . .
.



Lose a bet, lose your heart...

What is it about a junior-high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night-and worst morning-after-of her life. Now they've been thrown together in a wedding party. It's awkward, but survivable . . . until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she'd always hoped he could be.

If watching your brother marry your best friend is weird, being attracted to your best friend's other best friend is downright bizarre. Unfortunately for Jake, Char hasn't forgotten how he once tossed her aside. Worse still, Jake's already-nutty grandma is even crazier about Char. Cue meet-cute shenanigans and all manner of meddling, and somehow, Jake's falling. For Char. Now all he has to do is make her believe it . . 



A Traitorous Heart . . .

Cara Lee Henson knows no soldiercan be trusted to stay in one place—and thatincludes handsome Sergeant Chase Jeffersonof the Tenth Cavalry. Dallying withthe dashing man in blue could cost the pretty, independent Kansas schoolteacher herjob and her reputation. So Cara is determinedto repel Chase’s advances—even thoughher aloof facade barely masks hersmoldering desire.

A Blazing Passion . . .

Never before has Chase longed for a woman the way he ached for lovely Cara Lee.The strong-willed ebony beauty, however,will not surrender easily. But with tenderwords and soulful caresses, Chase intendsto conquer the reluctant schoolmarm’smisgivings—and teach her how to love fully,sensuously . . . and forever.
 

Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes
Although best known as a poet and pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance movement, Langston Hughes proves himself one of modern literature’s most revered and versatile African-American authors with Not Without Laughter, a powerful classic novel.

This is a moving portrait of African-American family life in 1930s Kansas, following young Sandy Rogers as he comes of age. Sandy’s mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a rich white family, while his father, traverses the country in search of work.

Not Without Laughter is a moving examination of growing up in a racially divided society. A rich and important work, Hughes deftly echoes the black American experience with this novel.

What happened to the girl you left behind?

In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life—in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most—whatever the cost
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Non- Fiction
Noted physician Thomas J. Moore, M.D., presents the ultimate guide to the revolutionary DASH diet.

Based on nearly twenty years of scientific research by doctors at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Duke, and more, the DASH diet has been proven to lead to sustainable weight loss—and to prevent and reduce high blood pressure; lower “bad” cholesterol; and reduce the risk of stroke, kidney disease, heart attack, and even colon cancer. Originally designed as a diet for reducing high blood pressure, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) will help you lose and keep weight off with the perfect meal plan to meet your dietary and caloric needs.

Rated the #1 diet by U.S. News & World Report in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, the DASH diet includes no gimmicky foods—instead, those on the diet eat low-salt meals including whole grains; eggs, fish, and chicken; nuts, fruits, and vegetables; lower-fat dairy products; and even desserts.

The book’s practical 28-day menu planner provides an easy-to-use roadmap on how to get started, with tasty recipes for a variety of dishes. (Try the Cobb salad, shrimp Scampi, or apples in caramel sauce.) The book also features stories from people who have lost weight on the DASH diet—and kept it off for years.

Tired of ineffective fad diets? The DASH Diet for Weight Loss can show you how to shed pounds and feel healthier by following a tried-and-true research-based approach. Features included extensive, easy-to-follow meal plans (for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike) as well as practical tools and advice that will help you:

* Calculate and meet calorie targets and learn what counts as a serving
* Add exercise to ramp up your fitness
* Keep a food log and plan a menu
* Adapt your favorite recipes for a healthier lifestyle
* Maintain your weight loss over time

Endorsed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA), this natural and affordable program is designed for long-lasting results. Start today to begin your lifetime of health.

The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence—a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life. When her marriage began to crumble, Vivian famously sent three-year-old Maya and her older brother away from their California home to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call “Lady,” revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them.

Delving into one of her life’s most rich, rewarding, and fraught relationships, Mom & Me & Mom explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Maya Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights.
 


I also got a few more coloring books and a kids books, but I'll share those at another time. Doesn't feel right tacking them on here.  Well... what'd y'all get?? What's the newest and greatest I should be looking out for??  

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading. Have a great reading week and I'll see you next week.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

#Review, #Giveaway & #Excerpt : BUILT by Jay Crownover .@JayCrownover .@InkSlingerPR

Book Title: Built (Saints of Denver Book 1)
Author:  Jay Crownover |Website| Twitter| Facebook| BUILT Goodreads | Jay Crownover Goodreads
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: New Adult Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook, and Trade Paperback
Cost: $14.99
Pages: 400
Purchase: Amazon US | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Publication Date: Jan 5, 2016
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes an electrifying new spin-off series, Saints of Denver, featuring all the characters fans have been dying to read about.
Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn’t be more different. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and sawdust. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk, he’s all denim and flannel. Zeb’s wanted the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her. It doesn't matter how many smooth moves he makes, the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest—either that or she doesn't return it. Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior. But just as things start to heat up, Zeb is blindsided by a life altering moment from his past. He needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. He can’t risk what’s at stake just because his attraction to Sayer feels all consuming. But as these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, battling together to save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide can no longer be ignored.
And don’t miss this sneak peek of BUILT! Check out the excerpt here! 
I dug my fingers into his wrists and scowled right back at him as his pulse kicked into my touch. “I don’t think you’re an asshole or a player at all, Zeb, but I also have no experience with men like you.”
                “Men like me? What does that mean? What kind of man am I?” He was getting angry and frustrated and I couldn’t blame him. It was hard for me to explain why he was everything I wanted but everything I could never have. We were on two different levels when it came to our personalities and I knew there was no way someone as passionate and expressive as he was would ever be interested in someone as reserved and closed off as I was. Where I was the frozen tundra when it came to emotional availability, he was the blazing heat of the desert. I could see the fire of his annoyance in his gaze as he waited for my shaky explanation.
                “You’re a man who is sure of himself and confidant. You’re a man who is used to having women fall at his feet. You’re a man who is exiting and interesting.” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’re a man who is tattooed and drives a cool vintage truck around, you’re a man who doesn’t mind getting dirty and can create things for a living. All of that is the total opposite of everything I’ve ever known, Zeb.”
                His eyebrows went from the deep frown over his nose to shooting up on his forehead and disappeared under the dark fall of hair that rested there. A grin that could only be described as wicked slashed through his beard and his hands tightened where they were still holding on to my face.
                “I thought you were going to say a man with a past. A man that has been to jail. I thought you were going to say a man with my history is the kind of man you have no experience with. You surprised me.”
                If I was a different type of woman, I might have smacked him for that kind of ignorance. “Where you have been doesn’t define who you are, Zeb. I told you when we first met that I understand that people make mistakes.”
                He grunted and moved his face closer to mine. “And here I am on your doorstep with another one. You want me to teach you about a man like me, Sayer? I’m pretty simple to figure out.”
                I didn’t believe that for a single second, so I opened my mouth to tell him. There was never anything simple about passion. I didn’t get a chance to utter a sound because before I got a word out I suddenly knew exactly what it felt like to be kissed by a guy with a beard because he dipped his head and devoured my mouth with his.
                It felt phenomenal.



If you can't tell I have kind of taken a bit of a hiatus, it wasn't expected and it certainly wasn't planned, my life kinda needed a little more attention than the books did the last few weeks, and let me tell you I missed both the books and sharing with y'all all about the books. Then this popped up in my mailbox and I couldn't not read it. I snuck time at work, I read when I was supposed to be working on projects for my family, I snuck reading when I was supposed to be sleeping, heck I certainly gave up on sleep so I could finish this, and then I regretted finishing it, because well, there is no more Jay books until like March. Ugh Jay write faster!!!

 Y'all know I'm a Crownover Fangirl already, I show her and all her boys so much love on the blog because she writes amazing characters that feel like people I know, people I like and people I want to get to know and I get so sucked into the story as it goes on that I'm most often not even aware that time is flying. This story is no different, we already knew the outcome was going to be Zeb & Sawyer getting together, but the journey is what I read the books for and man what a journey. It had great highlight and laughing moments, and moments that stopped your breath, I loved reading Zeb and Sawyer's journey reading as each learned to embrace the jagged edges of themselves, and learned how those pieces would fit together and make them a great couple.

Sawyer doesn't come from the most loving of backgrounds, although she is privileged in her upbringing compared to the rest of the crew, what they created as a family she lacked. Having taken her father's last will and testament and run with it, she's made the first moves to getting out from under his thumb what was meant to be his last "eff you" to her became her greatest triumphs because it gave her the family she has always wanted. Sawyer is a reserved woman because she doesn't know how to handle emotions and being a part of a family the way the others have learnt by being there for each other, but she is very much the kid with her face moshed against the glass looking out at the world and dying to be apart of it but scared she's not enough to really be included.  She has these ideas about herself that she's been feed since she was a child, and yet she doesn't notice that she has already embraced change and the drastic differences between the woman she thought she was and the woman she actually is.  I love that her home is a sanctuary not just for herself but also for Salem's sister, and it becomes a bit of a sanctuary later on for someone else as well and I loved those moments of her learning to stretch herself beyond what she thought she knew.  One of my favorite lines is the discussion of her love for color, and how she hides it on her toes and yet in her home she has this rare red wall in her kitchen.  I just love it.

Zeb is a man with a past, his temper put him a place that led to him serving time, and now that he's out, he's honest about his past and figures he'll let the chips fall how they want.  Having become good friends with Rowdy, he's even more fascinated by his sister, & jumps at the chance to help her create her dream home by renovating her Victorian. Zeb's the total opposite of Sawyer and yet, she's the piece of the puzzle that adds the most to his picture.  Coming from a loving family background, and not knowing all there is to know about Sawyer, Zeb does make some mistakes, but I absolutely loved that in this one he was the most sure about the relationship, about being the one who was determined to bring her out of her shell.  I loved the Zeb saw Sawyer way better than she did and he understood her quirks a bit better than she did at times and he was totally willing to work with whatever she was willing to share.

There are so many great moments between them, especially as Sawyer begins to come out of her shell, but my favorites are when they are interacting later in the book, when Sawyer is trying to find her footing not just as a friend, or as a sister, but as a woman who Zeb is interested in.  It's so much fun to watch her try to embrace all he's trying to give her while still trying to remain braced for the pain of failure.  And when Zeb gets a powerhouse in his corner it's so much fun to watch her embrace that while running from Zeb.  I loved their interactions, I loved the few times we get to see the Marked Men, especially when Rome goes all Daddy crazy over his daughter.

I absolutely loved reading this books and especially seeing the upcoming couple I can't wait to see how that unfolds.  Jay has once again captured the journey of love in a way that makes it fun, and sweet, and not too heartbreaking.  And now I want to go re-read it again.

★★★★1/2☆

Happy Reading my loves and just know that Zeb and Sawyer together are awesome, the journey to getting there?? Is so worth the read.

And now time for a giveaway  Goof Luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway