Review & Giveaway: Betrayed (Rockfort Security #2) by Rebecca York

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There is a spy in S&D systems who is leaking top-secret information that could lead to extreme disaster. It's up to Shane Gallagher to uncover the mole and set things right.

Systems analyst Elena Reyes had no intention of stealing company secrets until her brother's life was threatened by the cruelest of mobsters. When Elena finally confesses her deeds to Shane, he's ready to do everything he can to keep her out of danger. But will Shane's help be enough to protect them, or will his good intentions leave them all for dead?

Usually I don't pick up a novel that is in the middle of a series if I haven't read it's predecessors. But I made an exception for this one and I'm glad that I did. And this is the first book that I've read by Rebecca York ... I'm now looking forward to more things from her. At least the next in this series. 

First, I was REALLY impressed with the beginning sequences. She used the word blood spatter. Spatter. Unlike most authors who use splatter or splash or whatever. Hey, don't shy away now, this is just a small part. Very small part and not the focus of the book but it was the use of the correct term that made me love the author in the first handful of pages. Don't look at the screen all weird, wondering why I'M weird. My dad was a criminalist (crime scene investigator) when I was growing up and I had a totally un-normal childhood because of it. For one of my science fairs, I did bullet identification and at another one, blood spatter. Yeah, it was creepy. My teachers probably thought that I was psychotic. But it's what I grew up with ... heading to Dad's lab to check stuff out. Anyway ... that's why I was so impressed with the correct words. It really had no influence on my rating, but I was tickled, so I wanted to mention it. 

Okay, let's see ... I really liked the characters. You really got to know where they came from and why they act like they do and all of that. There were some times that I thought their rationalization for some actions were a little shallow. I think that some scenes could have delved even further ... gotten grittier. But it didn't ruin the book. There were a few surprises, for the most part, I kind of picked pretty much everything out. If you can still enjoy a novel when you know what is going to happen, that says a lot. I really wish that we could have gotten to know some of the secondary characters a little more - I would have been okay if the novel had stretched out a little longer so that I had a bit more background. 

All in all, this novel got me interested in the series and I'm pretty interested in reading the next one and pretty much anything else that York comes out with. 

Elena had never thought about seducIng a man. She wasn’t even sure of her moves. But she knew that Shane wanted her, even if he wasn’t prepared to admit it. She also knew he felt protective of her, which was probably part of the conflict he must be feeling.

Before he could come up with another objection, she cupped the back of his head with her hands and brought his face down as she raised her own head toward him.

She hadn’t been sure what would happen. Or perhaps she’d been afraid that he’d wrench himself away from her. But the danger must have affected his emotions as well as her own. When their lips met, it was as though someone had tossed a match into a pile of gasoline- soaked kindling. Invisible flames rose as heat flared between them.

She heard him growl her name and felt him gather her closer as he kissed her with purpose, running his hands up and down her back.

The heat coming off him made her dizzy. She should be afraid, but she kept kissing him, letting him feel all the passion that she’d held inside herself for so long.

Opening her lips, she invited him to explore her mouth, then did the same with him, absorbing his taste and the way the mouth-to-mouth contact sent shock waves to every part of her body. 

“You know that you’re playing with fire?” he asked. 

“I know what I want.”

“Then take off your clothes.”

Again, a dose of reality. Was she ready to get undressed in front of him? Or was she going to back away—the way he hoped she would.

She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of scaring her off. Not because she was trying to score any points, but because what she wanted hadn’t changed, even if he was trying to make her take a step back.

She did step back, but only a few feet. She kept her gaze on him as she reached for the hem of the T-shirt and pulled it over her head, then let it drop on the floor so that she stood before him naked to the waist…

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York’s writing has been compared to that of Dick Francis, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Maggie Shayne. Her award-winning books have been translated into twenty-two languages and optioned for film. A recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, she lives in Maryland near Washington, DC, which is often the setting of her romantic suspense novels.

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Review: I Am the Weapon (The Unknown Assassin #1) by Allen Zadoff

Summary

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target.

When his own parents died of not-so-natural causes at the age of eleven, Boy Nobody found himself under the control of The Program, a shadowy government organization that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the boy he once was, the boy who wants normal things (like a real home, his parents back), a boy who wants out. And he just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's next mission.

Rating

Review

This is my first novel from Zadoff, so I came into this completely unaware and without expectations. There is one confusing thing ... sometimes the cover of this novel say Boy Nobody instead of I Am the Weapon and I don't know if it's because the novel has a different name in other countries (which has happened) or if they changed the name ... who knows, I didn't really investigate to see what was going on. But if you see the other title, it's this novel.

Anyway, gosh. I'm pretty torn on this one. I mean, it was good. It kept me interested but I think the reason it had me hooked was because I was trying to see if the writing style would change. It was just VERY detached. Don't get me wrong, I can see how that may have been intentional. This is a novel about a boy who has no past and essentially no future because of his profession. Of course he's detached. But it still made for a very creepy pov. It's hard reading about someone who essentially commits these horrible acts and does it without feeling or a second thought. Basically, this could have been totally intended. I don't think that I'll read the next in the series because of how this was written.

It was well written but the style in which it was delivered was just strange and almost foreign to me. Yeah, there were tons of twists and turns. Yeah, there were quite a few surprises and I'm still shocked that I was 73% into the novel before I found out the main characters name. Like I said, it was weird. I did like the ingenious ways that the Boy Nobody would communicate with his handlers. Some of these ideas were just mind blowing and it made me wonder how far from the truth some of these things actually are.

I know I said I probably wouldn't pick up the next novel in the series but there were a lot of questions left unanswered at the end of this first installment and I would kinda like to know what happens next. This is one that will hook you. You are drawn in by this intricate story of this lost teenager. It really makes you wonder. A good book for food-for-thought.

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Review: Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

Summary
Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She’s determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way—wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.

Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who’s feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart.



Rating

Review

Everyone has that handful of authors ... the ones that are a sure thing. You know if you pick up one of their novels that you're in for a great read and you don't give it a second thought. Karin Slaughter is one of those authors for me. My mom branched out one time and read one of her novels and then when she suggested it to me, I was hooked. I used to be one of those readers who stuck to the basics: James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, and Stephen King. These four authors were in my circle of trust and I NEVER read outside the circle. I was too afraid that if I picked up another author, I will have wasted my time on a bad book. I was foolish. All of those reading years, wasted on safe authors!! Well, Slaughter was really my first time betraying my circle. It was so worth it. Karin Slaughter is amazing. Her Grant County series is one of my all-time favorites. She has such a way with words and it completely draws you in. I have re-read that series alone probably ten times and I enjoyed what I've read of the Will Trent series also. 

Which makes what I'm about to say so much more difficult. I didn't like this one at all. I tried connecting with Cop Town and it just didn't happen. It was well written, don't get me wrong. But it failed to grab me like all of her other novels. Maybe it was because it was set in the 70's and that decade is just completely foreign to me. That sounds weird since I was born in 1980 but I've had similar issues with reading other novels from that time period. 

First of all, it wasn't a bad book. It was just as well written as her previous novels. It was just as well edited, thought out and researched. I found it kind entirely too easy to put down. Cop Town just didn't blow my skirt up. And I wanted to love this book. Who am I kidding, when I saw that Slaughter had a new novel out, it was like my unborn child ... I loved it before I had seen it. But the stork dropped this baby in an ugly tree before it reached its destination. 

Remember, this is just my take on it ... you'll probably love it like most of the people who have read it so far. It's highly rated and a ton of authors that I love have really enjoyed it. So I'm probably out of my mind and temporarily delusional ... so give it a shot and prove me wrong!

Find Cop Town here:

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Review: Take A Gamble by Rachael Brownell

Summary

One summer.
One chance meeting.
One devastating phone call.

MacKenna Trist is not happy about spending a month with her family in Myrtle Beach. She would rather be at home, hanging out with her friends, before starting her senior year of high school. That is, until she meets the guy staying in the beach house next door.

Roe Gamble is speechless when he first lays eyes on Mac. Normally, pretty girls are his specialty but not this girl. From this girl, he wants more. More of everything. More than she can give him. Most importantly, more time to show her how he feels about her.

But time is working against them in more ways than one.

How much time do you really need to fall in love?

What would you gamble to hold onto it?

Rating

Review

If there was ever a book that could be considered both New Adult and Young Adult, this is it. I don't think that it truly fits in just one of those categories. Okay ... Take A Gamble ... first of all, this is from an author that is new to me. I hadn't picked up anything by her before but I probably will now. Take A Gamble is basically a coming of age novel but there is nothing basic about it. There is love at first sight, there is lost love, there is new love ... with tons of other things but I don't want to spoil your first read through. 

The teenage characters were fairly easy to relate to but at the same time, I didn't really connect with them either. It's hard to explain. These teenagers went through a few things that I didn't have to go through when I was their age but they went through a lot of things that I did. It was fairly predictable in the middle of the novel. Things just seemed laid out a bit too neatly sometimes. I like a bit of mystery even in romance novels. I like not really knowing what is going to happen yet and I didn't get that completely with this one. Now the ending really threw me for a loop. I was genuinely surprised ... I wish that there were a few more of those moments within the heart of the novel. I think that it could have added a bit. There were a few obstacles that Mac & Roe went through and it felt a little too easy sometimes ... like there should have been a bit more struggle to come out on top. A bit more grittiness would have been great. Make those characters really struggle!! I want to read about how they were dumped into a big crater of a problem and they clawed their way out!! 

All in all, it was a good book - it kept my attention and I enjoyed reading it (even if there weren't enough struggles). Oh ... wait ... there was one thing. And this drove me CRAZY during the entire novel. The main character is Mac. Her love interest is Roe. Mac. Roe. Mac and Roe. MacAndRoe. McEnroe. The tennis player. John McEnroe. That's whose face I saw every time I read the names Mac and Roe. Every. Single. Time. I don't think I would be so irritated by it if John McEnroe looked like Channing Tatum but McEnroe is NO Channing Tatum. No. Just, no.

Well written novel, fast paced and heart-warming. I'll definitely read another novel by Brownell. As long as it isn't about Mac and Roe. I just can't go through that name thing again. 

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Lifer by Beck Nicholas

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Lifer by Beck Nicholas

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Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents' crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.

Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.

On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. But sometimes the past is better left buried.

As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to. Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.

Title: LIFER
Publication date: December 16, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Beck Nicholas

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Review: Deadly Fantasies (Detective Kate Springer Mysteries #2) by Kelly Miller

Summary

A ringing phone at 1:17 am is never a good thing, but Homicide Detective Kate Springer doesn't have the luxury of ignoring the call. On the other end of the line, a confessor admits to murdering her husband. Dr. Nina Grace needs help, and Kate knows it's time to repay a debt. No matter the consequences, Kate must fight to keep the investigation from solely focusing on her friend.

Jonathan Grace controls the people in his life like he does his business-with a chokehold. His insatiable appetite for living life on the edge leads him to a club where he's encouraged to act out his darkest desires. But what happens when one man's fantasy becomes another's nightmare?

Did Dr. Nina Grace kill her husband or did Jonathan's secret life lead to his death? Detective Springer knows that no matter what her friend admitted, she couldn't be capable of the horrific torture and murder of her husband. But will Kate's blind loyalty be her downfall?

Rating

 

Review

I've never had such an easy time rating a book. I knew that this was going to be a 5-star rating from just the first page. Immediately, Deadly Fantasies grabs you by the seat of the pants and takes you on a wild journey. Well, maybe not grabs you by the seat of the pants. That sounds a bit weird ... especially coupled with my saying it takes you on a wild journey. Okay ... starting over ... I don't know ... it's a thrill ride. You are completely sucked into this novel from the first page. I have read tons of mysteries. Tons. Truckloads. My favorite thriller authors are Erica Spindler and Karin Slaughter. I adore these two ladies and everything that they create. I have some other authors that I like a lot but nothing like those two. In my mind, no one can tell a story like they do. Well ... until now.

I don't think that I'm one of those readers that is easily impressed. I'm pretty hard on anything that I read. I pick it apart, page by page. I'm sure I am more harsh than other reviewers but it's because my love of books is pretty serious to me. Reviewing a book is nothing that I take lightly. I'm sharing my thoughts and recommending these books (or not recommending) to everyone that I know and I don't want to push someone to read something that was just ... meh. I'm not going to endorse something I don't like.

Anyhow ... at one point, I honestly wondered if maybe Kelly Miller was just a new pen name. For this to only be her second book ... it's really quite amazing. This lady has talent. She is definitely going to be a name that you hear about more and more in the coming years. 

Okay ... maybe I should get to the review. Well ... I really don't have one. I tried to find a flaw in the characters, the plot, the descriptions, the research, the conversations and I couldn't find one thing. Well, that's a lie. There was one spelling error but that was literally it. The characters were well thought out and they read like they were actual people, the plot was twisty-turny (yes, it's totally a word) and filled with multiple (VERY unexpected) surprises, the descriptions were the perfect combination of descriptive but not too over the top and boring, the research ... dude ... I think I might be able to run my own police investigations after this and finally the conversations ... they were so realistic - I didn't find them weird or stilted or unnatural at all. There weren't any lags in the plot, things ran very smoothly. I didn't find myself skimming just to get to the good stuff because EVERYTHING was the good stuff. I did find myself trying to speed read because I just had to know what was going on. I had to force myself to take breaks from reading so that I didn't just devour this whole novel in one day. You only get that First-Read-Magic once ... you know what I'm talking about - the first time you read a really amazing novel and all of the surprises make you gasp ... anyway, you only get that first read once and I really didn't want to waste it because I was being a gluttonous reader. And my gosh, the ending. Holy crap, it really came out of no where. No. Where. I wish I could read it again and get that shocker at the end.

Now, it is the second in a series but I haven't had the privilege of reading the first one yet and I think that this could actually stand alone if you want to pick this one up first (which I totally recommend). Basically, get this novel. Go get it right now.

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Review: The Wanderers by Jessica Miller

Summary

What do you do when you learn your family is the one who's holding all the secrets? Secrets that could get you killed...

Ella is looking forward to starting college in the fall with her best friend Josie. She’s looking for a place where she can get away from her overbearing parents and two older annoying brothers. Unfortunately Ella realizes that sometimes the past comes back to haunt you.

Ella soon learns that the man who terrorizes her dreams is in fact real and coming after her.

When one of her classmates is murdered, Ella slowly recognizes this is not some strange coincidence. Ella fears that the boy she’s falling in love with is the one who stalks her dreams and no longer knows who she can trust.

When she finally learns the truth of her family's deepest secret, Ella has to face her demons by taking out one of the people she thought she could trust…before they kill her.

Rating

Review

I was truly surprised with The Wanderers. The author really keeps all of the secrets off of the blurb on the back of the book. You pick up this book thinking it's about one thing and BOOM! It's not. Now don't take that the wrong way. It's nice to be honestly surprised sometimes when reading. All too often, the blurb will give away too many surprises ... which is why I only read the summary of a book only once - just to see if it's interesting and then I'll put the book down until I forget what it's about. I know, weird. Anyway ... in the beginning, I was really entertained with The Wanderers. The author seems to have channeled what it is like to be a teenager and in that awkward phase of your life, with all of the pressures and influences that you're surrounded with. The plot is really mysterious and you just can't put a finger on what exactly is going on. Good stuff. 

I found the main character, Ella, to be endearing and sweet but then she would have the bursts of petulant immaturity which were a bit annoying but I'm assuming that it was put in to make her seem like a teenager? I don't know. It felt like it was almost on the verge of being a full blown temper tantrum and if that had happened, I would have just put the book down. I'm not really interested in reading about spoiled kids who throw tantrums. It didn't come to that, thank goodness. A bit into the book, Ella became self-righteous and she started scolding people ... I don't know. Is it that big of a deal? No. But it bothered me enough during the story to make me write a note about it so I figured it was worth mentioning. For the most part, the characters were really well written. I enjoyed the interactions between them and actually looked forward to the next scenes just to see what they would say to each other.

While the mystery surrounding the plot was intriguing during the beginning, about halfway through, I found it really tiresome. I just wanted to throw my own tantrum because I wanted it to get to the point. Dragging out the mystery is great ... until it's too long. Hell, I'm not an author. I can't imagine all of the hard work that goes into writing a novel but I am a reader and I know what I like. I like mystery but not too much because it becomes boring and I'll put the novel down. Which is what happened this time. I needed a breather to see if maybe I was just impatient and not wanting to fully invest ... which I didn't think was the case because I really like the story. I like the meat of The Wanderers and even after the few issues that I had, I still enjoyed it and I'll probably pick up the next installment. 

Probably. But I'm a little torn. There were just some grammar issues that made me want to scream and I hope that the your/you're and then/than issues are resolved in the next novel. Basically, pick it up. It's a good paranormal novel and it will keep you entertained and wishing for more when you get to the end. I'm pretty curious as to how this plays out next ...

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous
Girl by Leigh Statham

presented by Month9Books!

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Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: Money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except, she suspects her heart may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family's steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. Only the trip proves to be more harrowing than she anticipated. Love, adventure and restitution await her, if she can survive the voyage.

Title: THE PERILOUS JOURNEY OF
THE NOT-SO-INNOCUOUS GIRL
Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Leigh Statham

Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked as a waitress, maid, artist, math teacher, nurse, web designer, art director, thirty-foot inflatable pig and mule wrangler before she settled down in the semi-quiet role of wife, mother and writer. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens and two suspected serial killer cats. If the air is cool and the sun is just coming up over the horizon, you can find her running the streets of her small town, plotting her next novel with the sort of intensity that will one day get her hit by a car.

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Review & Giveaway: Shadow Fire by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

 

Shadow Fire 
(Light Chronicles Book 1)
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Pub Date: February 24, 2014
Pages: 310
Genre: YA / Fantasy / Romance






BLURB
Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.

All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

*Each installment of the Light Chronicles is a standalone story.

Rating

Review

First of all, fantasy is NOT my favorite genre. A long time ago, I read The Dresden Files because one of my friends said he refused to talk to me until I gave it a try. While not talking to him was a bit tempting, I figured that I would still go ahead and give The Dresden Files a try and I fell in love with them. I thought that nothing would ever measure up to that series. But I was pleasantly surprised with Shadow Fire. More than, actually.

Right off the bat, you're thrown into Ashlyn's survival-of-the-fittest world. This amazing lady is carrying a leopard back home from her hunting trip. She had taken this beast out when it threatened her life! Can you imagine tangling with a leopard? "So what did I do today? Oh, I just took out a freaking leopard and then dragged it home. YOLO!"

As messed up as this will sound ... in that first chapter, you meet a broken Ashlyn and ... I LOVE IT! She's poor and worn down and tired and victimized ... truly broken. Until she is thrown together with Zane, at least. Zane seems to complete her and the way that he was written, I can totally see it. This isn't a far-fetched tale. Sure, there's magic and weird creatures but the meat of the story, the foundation, is based on this amazing relationship that Wheaton has created for her readers. The rapport between Zane and Ashlyn really speaks volumes and I think that it is something a lot of readers will be able to connect with.

Let me take a moment to clear something up. Yes, this is a series. Yes, this novel can stand alone. Now, is it truly a stand alone? Man, when I finished this, it really seemed as if everything was buttoned up pretty neatly and unless the next novel branches off to be about a secondary character (which would be totally awesome ... especially if it is' about a certain pirate ... hint hint ...). I suggest not even worrying about whether it is stand alone or not and just give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

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PRAISE

"This book contains monsters, magic, majestic creatures, and a evil guy that wants to destroy the world. If you love hot guys.....Zane is all that plus a few tricks up his sleeve. Just read it!" Venture ~Amazon Reviewer

"Adventure, magical creatures, fun characters, and romance make this book a perfect read for all ages." James ~Amazon Reviewer

"I thought the writing was strong; it had me turning the pages quickly to see what would happen next. The characters were engaging and the dialogue well-written." Lisa Temple ~ Goodreads

"Oh, I truly loved this one! Shadow Fire, by Kimber Leigh Wheaton, is a snappy, sassy, sweet, all-that-kind-of-awesome-and-then-some YA read. I couldn't put it down." ~Sasha Hibbs ~ Amazon Reviewer

AUTHOR BIO

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance.

She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals.

Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!)

She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Three Thorns (The Brotherhood and The Shield #1)
by Michael Gibney

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Three brothers born to a once powerful King were abandoned at birth and cast out into the old world as orphans - alone and unaware of the other's existence or their royal heritage.

In the new world, by order of the false King, three of the most lethal assassins are sent to kill the children before they come of age and avenge their father’s throne.
But when the brothers find one another, Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian must resist the temptation of magic and power if they are to defeat the unspeakable evil that has threatened them since birth.

The Three Thorns is book one in an exciting children’s fantasy series called The Brotherhood and the Shield from debut author Michael Gibney.

Title: THE THREE THORNS
(THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE SHIELD #1)
Publication date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michael Gibney

Michael Gibney began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen and assumed his first sous chef position at twenty-two. He ascended to executive sous chef at Tavern on the Green, where he managed an eighty-person staff. He has worked in the kitchens of Morgans Hotel Group, 10 Downing in Manhattan, and Governor in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, among many others. Over the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to work alongside cooks and chefs from many of the nation’s best restaurants, including Alinea, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Bouley, Ducasse, Corton, wd~50, and Momofuku.

In addition to his experience in the food service industry, Gibney also holds a BFA in painting from Pratt Institute and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Review: Cinderella's Dress by Shonna Slayton

Summary

Being seventeen during World War II is tough. Finding out you’re the next keeper of the real Cinderella’s dresses is even tougher.

Kate simply wants to create window displays at the department store where she's working, trying to help out with the war effort. But when long-lost relatives from Poland arrive with a steamer trunk they claim holds the Cinderella’s dresses, life gets complicated.
 

Now, with a father missing in action, her new sweetheart, Johnny, stuck in the middle of battle, and her great aunt losing her wits, Kate has to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.

After all, the descendants of the wicked stepsisters will stop at nothing to get what they think they deserve.

Rating

 

Review

I was super intrigued by Cinderella's Dress when I was approached to give it a read. I mean, come on. I may be in my (very)(okay, maybe closer to mid) 30's but I remember hoping for my own Prince Charming and wishing that I could have a fairy godmother when I was a little girl. And now, Cinderella's dress might be real?!? I had to try this novel out. We all want that little piece of magic and that is what I hoped was within these pages. 

You know, it was a pretty good book. A little slow ... that's why I gave it 3 stars. The story was completely enchanting, even if it was a bit confusing at times with all of the Polish. But the story itself was something that really swept me up. The whole premise was something new and one that I think would appeal to a lot of readers. If it weren't so slow it would have been amazing ... oh and sometimes it would skip ahead MONTHS and not give any indication that that had happened. I really thought I had received an incomplete copy a couple of times. If there had been a "A few months later ... " heading or something. Anything would have worked. Those jumps in time with no warning or immediate explanation made the book start and stop and it just impeded the flow of the whole novel. 

You'll fall in love with Johnny and his interactions with the main character, Kate. She's a spunky one that kept Johnny on his toes - their conversations were fun to read. This is definitely a book to give a go. Maybe my expectations of pace is faster than yours. Cinderella's dress would be good to read if you're looking for a sweet, carefree, pool read.

Find Cinderella's Dress here:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

New Release & Review: Rules of Survival by Jus Accardo

Today is release day for two amazing Entangled Embrace titles and I am excited to share one of them with you!

All digital books are on sale for just $.99 for a limited time so be sure to pick up your copy today before they go back to full price!

 About the Book

Title: Rules of Survival

Author: Jus Accardo

Publisher: Entangled Embrace

Pub. Date: June 2, 2014

 

 Summary

Mikayla Morgan is wanted for her mother's murder. She's been on the run for almost a year now, avoiding not only the police but the real killer. Tired of running and desperate to clear her name, she breaks one of the most sacred rules: never return to the scene of the crime.

Every bounty hunter on the Eastern Seaboard is after the Morgan girl—but Shaun Denver and his partner snagged her. She's a piece of work, and Shaun can't decide if he wants to kiss her or kill her. When things take a sharp turn south, Shaun does the only thing he can think of to keep her close—he handcuffs them together.

As the danger mounts and the killer closes in, the chemistry between them threatens to explode. Shaun and Kayla will need to break all the rules if they hope to get out of this alive.



Rating

 

Review

I was lucky enough to receive this book before it came out and I only have one thing to say after reading Rules of Survival: YES!!!! Yes, yes, yes and HELL YES!! Dude, if I didn't think that I would hurt myself or someone else if I attempted to dance ... I would totally dance an awesome jig and burn up the dance floor right now. 

Man, I didn't realize how much of a book slump I had been in lately. This novel gave me a nice smack in the face. I know that sounds crazy but I guess I was just comfortable reading "okay" books lately. Nothing had really knocked my socks off in months ... until this. Gosh, I don't even know where to start. 

That's a lie. I totally know where to start. It's where everyone will want to start. With Shaun. Dear, sweet, way-too-young-for-me-but-utterly-irresistable, tortured, Shaun. I'll just tell you this much, Jus Accardo can write a great character. Just the back and forth between Shaun and Mikayla was awesome. They totally fed off of each other (conversation wise) and it was almost as if I was watching an interaction between a couple of my friends. I loved watching Shaun and Mikayla's relationship grow and morph into something that neither of them had expected.

Heck, Accardo can write a great anything for that matter. I was sucked into the story from the moment I cracked the spine on this one. Well, I didn't actually crack the spine because I read this on my Kindle. Fine. I was sucked into the story from the moment I swiped my finger across the screen. See? Not quite as moving. Speaking of moving ... I have a bit more to talk about once I'm done with this little derailment ... okay. I've never had the opportunity to live a life on the run, so I don't know exactly what it's like to not have a permanent place to stay, a steady income and food readily available. But with the way things are laid out in this novel, it was almost as if I had experienced everything on these pages. The author has a way of just totally engaging the reader and it's nothing that I've experienced in quite a while. 

I will definitely be reading something else from this author in the near future and this is one of those books that my friends have to read if they want to stay in my circle of trust. 

MUST. READ. Pick up this heart-pounding thrill ride today!!

 

Find Rules of Survival here:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Contact the author, Jus Accardo, here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads