April 2019 Wrap-Up Post and Looking Ahead to May

This month has been better for keeping up on blogging, but my writing is so far behind.  In fact, I don't know that I've actually done any writing or editing for myself at all in April. 

Let's start with the reading stats again for April.

Once, again, according to Goodreads, I've read 78 of the 215 books I've set as my goal for the year, April made up 18 of those.  I am 8 books ahead of schedule, but still debating whether to up my goal or not.

Here is a list of books I read in April, and I'll link to my review if I've finished it:

1.  The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie
   
2. Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton
3. First Down by Michelle Sodaro
4. Tinfoil Heart by Daisy Prescott
5. The Stars in Her Eyes by C.M. Albert
6. Two for Holding by Kay Gordon
   
7. All Broke Down by Cora Carmack
8. The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey
9. Sweet Southern Secrets by Colbie Kay and Chianti Summers
10. Baby Mine by Kennedy Fox
11. We Were Beautiful by Heather Hepler
12. Lord Have Mercy by Lani Lynn Vale
13. The Perfect First by Maya Hughes
14. Romanov by Nadine Brandes
15. Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
16. Intercepted by Alexa Martin
17. Boyfriend Maintenance by Lauren Helms
18. Birthday Suit by Lauren Blakely
19. I also did a movie review for After based on the book by Anna Todd
    
 

Any that aren't reviewed are either part of upcoming blog tours, or I just haven't had time yet to review.

Books that I read in March but didn't get reviewed until April are:

1. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang  (Rabbit and Robot by Andrew Smith is on this same post, but that book was read in February!)
2.  Riot by Jamie Shaw
3. Misadventures of a City Girl by Meredith Wild and Chelle Bliss
4. Drunk Dial by Penelope Ward
5. Forever Mine by Kennedy Fox
6. #Poser by Cambria Hebert

Only 44 posts for April, I did well with trying to cut back, I think.    Eleven of those 44 were reviews, and a couple of those posts had multiple reviews within them.  I've been good with my weekly posts I want to keep up with too!  My rating was a little down for the books I read in April, down to 4.2 stars.

Okay, on with my challenges.

1.  As I mentioned above, still working on my Looking Forward To posts once a week, have moved them to Wednesdays to coincide with everyone else's Waiting on  Wednesday or Can't Wait Wednesday posts, unless I had a ton of otherwise scheduled posts for my blog that Wednesday or maybe there was only one book that week on my list to share.
April 3rd
April 10th  - April 16th and April 23rd combined post
April 28th - April 30th and May 7th combined post

April was another bad month for getting out and commenting on blogs.  I did some of my regular blogs, as well as participating in the Wednesday posts when I could.  But I wasn't always good about keeping track of it in my planner like I had been.  I need to get back on that this month.

Been doing well on cleaning up my Goodreads TBR with my weekly post and giveaway, as well as even my physical TBR a little.  I still only have one person joining in, but feel free to join in as well.  Here are the posts for that:
April 6th
April 13th
April 20th
April 27th - And this giveaway is still up for the next week!

2.  My Reading Goals are coming along with the Goodreads challenge.  I did read another book that a friend recommended, Intercepted by Alexa Martin.  I really enjoyed it.  Stay tuned for that review some time this month!

3. Once again my writing goals were nonexistent this  month.  I did do a lot of reading for my new critique partner, and I really kind of feel like she is an already established author because what she's having me read is so good!  If not yet, she will be soon!

So, while I didn't do any from my proposed list, I would say I read two that were on my TBR pile from last year:  Tinfoil Heart and Sweet Southern Secret - both reviews can be found HERE.

No new discussions this month really, unless you count my review of the movie After. 


Also, still need some kind of button for the First in the Series Challenge, although once again, didn't do any from my list!  I could count First Down by Michelle Sodaro if I decide to go on and read the rest of that series. 



My biggest excitement of April has to do with me looking to find a new house.  One with a fenced yard for my two little dogs.  I found a few I liked.  One I put an offer on, but they took another offer instead, even though they'd at first told me they'd accepted mine.  Another decided to take another offer right before I put mine in. And then last week, I put an offer on a house and they accepted it!  Here's a picture of the front of my new house.

It's not much, but it's all I need.  I will miss a tiny bit having a basement. But since I'm now just going through stuff down there and deciding what I don't really need anyway, it's probably better to not have a place to just stick stuff that I never look at.  Of course if there are tornadoes, I might be sorry.  But for now, I'm just excited for the fenced back yard and no stairs!  I still don't have my male dog trained to quit hiking his leg on everything. And because I had to offer more on this house than what was being asked, and also to pay all the closing costs, etc., I will have to wait to try to pay and have one of those training sessions where they take him for a week or two to train.  So he'll be wearing a doggie belly band for awhile.  I'm hoping though, that having a fenced yard to go play in, and I can sit outside and read and just enjoy watching him and my other dog play, will get him to stop peeing inside the house so much because he won't be bored.  Fingers crossed on that!  But I don't get to actually close on the house until mid-June, so for now I'm just anxiously waiting for the day I can move, getting rid of things in my current house and starting to pack I guess.  Lots of books to pack!  One cool thing is that the front room, which was probably a living room before, will be my library/office/reading room.  I'll be sure to show pictures once I get moved in and get all my books shelved!



Looking forward to in May:
Okay, so here is my proposed TBR based on my blog tours and review requests for this month:

1. Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee - Reading the ARC of this one right now and really enjoying it!  Have an author interview to go along with my review, which I think I'll be posting on Sunday.
2. Time by Penny Reid - reading it right now. Did not get it early to read like the first two since it was published early.
3. Boyfriend Bargain by Ilsa Madden-Mills - review on the 7th.
4. How (Not) to Date a Prince by Zoe May - review on the 9th
5. Things We Never Said by Samantha Young - review on the 7th? I know I have it to read, but don't seem to have put it on my calendar for a specific review day
6. Dance With Me by Kristen Proby - review on the 10th
7. That Second Chance by Meghan Quinn - review on the 12th
8. Heartthrob by Robin Bielman - review on the 14th
9. Starfish by Lisa Becker - review on the 17th
10. Minx by Maggie Adams - review on the 19th
11. No Place Like Here by Christina June - I own the ARC, so plan to probably review on the 20th.
12. Two Like Me and You by Chad Alan Gibbs - review on the 21st
13. Baby Yours by Kennedy Fox - review on the 23rd
14. Fearless King by Maya Hughes - review on the 30th
15. The Game Changer by Jacqueline Snowe
16. Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen - currently reading

There will probably be another audiobook or two somewhere in there, just not sure what I'll listen to next.  Because things have been so crazy this month, one again I'm going to skip the Best of the Bunch challenge today and just go ahead and wrap this post up.    One last reminder, don't forget to enter the giveaway on my last Cleaning Up My TBR Post which I linked to up above, the prize is going to be 3 books this week instead of just 2!

Book Blitz with Giveaway: Fluffy by Julia Kent

Book info:
Title:  Fluffy
Author: Julia Kent
Publication date: April 30th, 2019
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Synopsis:

An all-new STANDALONE from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent

It all started with the wrong Help Wanted ad. Of course it did.

I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits.

Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait.

See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term.

Until it was too late.

The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day.

The perfect job!

Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch.

They arrange other soft, round-ish objects.

The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard.

Oh, man…

And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental.

By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed naked star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete.

My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined?

Having all my dreams come true.

Goodreads / Bookbub / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

“Do you use the proper terms for everything, Mallory?” He makes an inarticulate sound as I peel the gauze off the cut, wiping gently. “You call your pretty place a vulva, right? And you use the word vagina.”

“’Pretty place’?”

He shrugs.

“And yes, I do. Vulva and vagina. And then there’s the clitoris,” I say primly.

“What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“A clitoris. Never heard of it.”

I freeze and look down at him. Bright eyes meet mine. Is he serious?

“The clitoris is a nerve cluster above the opening to the vagina,” I begin, taking a breath to continue my impromptu human sexuality lecture, because when a man tells you they don’t know what a clitoris is, you educate them immediately.

For the sisterhood. All the women Will is going to sleep with from here on out will thank me later.
He starts to laugh. I’m so tempted to pour the small bottle of isopropyl alcohol directly on his wound, but I’m a kind, compassionate woman, so instead I dab it on with a swab.

“OW!” he bellows.

“Sorry.”

“You’re not sorry at all.”

“I’m sorry for your sex partners that you have no idea what a clitoris is, Will.”

“I know what it is. And my tongue knows how to find one. Blindfolded.”

“Why would you blindfold your tongue?”

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Blitz: Imperfect Match by Melanie Harlow and Corinne Michaels

Imperfect Match, a sexy friends to lovers standalone romance, from New York Times bestselling Corinne Michaels and USA Today bestselling Melanie Harlow, is available now!

 

Rule number one for a professional matchmaker?

Don’t fall in love with your client.

I screwed that up when I fell for my best friend, Reid Fortino. He’s gorgeous, successful, and sexy as hell. I figured it would be easy to find him a match—and save the family business at the same time.

But the more time I spend attempting to find the perfect girl, the more I realize how much I want him for my own. What’s the harm if we give in for just one night?

I should have known that would never be enough.

Now I’m on the verge of losing my job and my heart. 

We were an imperfect match from the start, but I don’t know how to let him go.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GQ3aTQ  

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/imperfectmatch  

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2GNlA7m

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2Onh0io

About the authors:

 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Corinne Michaels is the author of nine romance novels. She’s an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife.

After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. She enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak and finding a way to heal them through their struggles. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love.

 Connect with Corinne: 

 Facebook:https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y  

Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jcp29z  

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2L1Vzo6  

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb  

Amazon:http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv  

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m7MkEL  

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yc6rss

Stay up to date with Corinne and sign up for her mailing list:  

To sign up for monthly text alerts: Text CMBOOKS TO 77948 

 *US only due to carrier restrictions*

 

USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

 Melanie is the author of the AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

 Connect with Melanie: 

Facebook: https://bit.ly/1RiTP7z  

Amazon:http://amzn.to/1NPkYKs  

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yfljWR  

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m60beu  

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2ubxh19  

Website: http://www.melanieharlow.com

Stay up to date with Melanie, sign up for her Mailing List: http://www.melanieharlow.com/subscribe/

Lisa's Looking Forward To #13 - April 30th and May 7th

Back to a Sunday post this week since I have several posts already scheduled for this Wednesday and didn't do one last Wednesday.  So it will be two weeks' worth of new books. 

From my ARC list for April 30th:

Love the cover, love the story idea.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

* She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
* Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
* Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.
* And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Normally I don't pay a lot of attention to the romances on Edelweiss, but this one just sounded really good. I think I might still be able to download it.  Or maybe I'll just wait to buy it at the store!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT

Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Sounds like a great #ownvoices type of story.  Didn't get time to get to it, but probably will some day!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.



From my ARC list for May 7th:

There's a ton this week!

I loved the first book by this author, Fawkes, and was so intrigued with the idea behind this one when I heard of it.  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy to read and my review will be posted a week from today, and I'll just say right now that I was NOT disappointed!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

So I love the cover of course, and I also love a good girl pirate story.  I just wish I'd had time to get to this one!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series.

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences.

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world.

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

So, I used to have a contact at Disney who got me a lot of great books. And while at one time this wouldn't have been one I'd have picked, after my contact had me read Little White Lies, now I'd be interested in this one. Alas, my Disney contact is now at Simon Teen, and while that has helped me a bit on that publisher front, it has taken away my in with Disney.  :-(  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Kira Bennett’s earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs found her perfectly. Adopted into the Bennett family, Kira still struggles with human interaction years later, but she excels at the family business: search-and-rescue. Along with Cady’s son, Jude, and their neighbor, Free, Kira works alongside Cady to train the world’s most elite search-and-rescue dogs. Someday, all three teenagers hope to put their skills to use, finding the lost and bringing them home.

But when Cady’s estranged father, the enigmatic Bales Bennett, tracks his daughter down and asks for her help in locating a missing child—one of several visitors who has disappeared in the Sierra Glades National Park in the past twelve months—the teens find themselves on the frontlines sooner than they could have ever expected. As the search through 750,000 acres of unbridled wilderness intensifies, Kira becomes obsessed with finding the missing child. She knows all too well what it’s like to be lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival, alone.

But this case isn’t simple. There is more afoot than a single, missing girl, and Kira’s memories threaten to overwhelm her at every turn. As the danger mounts and long-held family secrets come to light, Kira is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her adopted family, her true nature, and her past.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I haven't read the other book by this author, but really want to, and this one sounds just as good!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award longlist title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright.

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another great #ownvoices story that I wish I'd received a copy of!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She's got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection...and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can't be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won't be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.

Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

I enjoy a good story that is told from a little bit different point of view or aspect, and this one sounds exactly like that.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Fifteen-year-old Eleanor Fromme just chopped off all of her hair. How else should she cope after hearing that her bully, James, has taken his own life? When Eleanor’s English teacher suggests students write a letter to a person who would never read it to get their feelings out, Eleanor chooses James.

With each letter she writes, Eleanor discovers more about herself, even while trying to make sense of his death. And, with the help of a unique cast of characters, Eleanor not only learns what it means to be inside a body that does not quite match what she feels on the inside, but also comes to terms with her own mother’s mental illness.

Set against a 1993-era backdrop of grunge rock and riot grrrl bands, EVERYTHING GROWS depicts Eleanor’s extraordinary journey to solve the mystery within her and feel complete. Along the way, she loses and gains friends, rebuilds relationships with her family, and develops a system of support to help figure out the language of her queer identity.

Through author Aimee Herman's exceptional storytelling, EVERYTHING GROWS reveals the value of finding community or creating it when it falls apart, while exploring the importance of forgiveness, acceptance, and learning how to survive on your own terms.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

 I still need to read one of this author's books, and this one sounds good!  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
The New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things and What to Say Next delivers a poignant and hopeful novel about resilience and reinvention, first love and lifelong friendship, the legacies of loss, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.

Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.

Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She's psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.

Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it's a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers? 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This is one that I only recently heard about, and I was lucky enough to get a copy to read.  My review of this will probably be a week from today as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
“Edgy and smart with a sweet and sexy core.” —Rachel Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Eyes on Me

I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.

And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?

Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.

Ask me anything…except how to make things right. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.


Final Thoughts:
 So, only two that I actually have copies of, although I'm considering going to Edelweiss to download the Hot for the Scot book now that I remember about it.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The giveaway is open till next Saturday.

Price Drop with Giveaway: Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman

Summer on the Italian Lakes

Bestselling Brianna Middleton has won the hearts of millions of readers with her sweeping - and steamy - love stories. But the girl behind the typewriter is struggling... Not only does she have writer's block, but she's a world-famous romance author with zero romance in her own life.

So the opportunity to spend the summer teaching at a writer's retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda - owned by superstar author Arran Jamieson - could this be just the thing to fire up Brie's writing - and romantic - mojo?

Brie's sun-drenched Italian summer could be the beginning of this writer's very own happy-ever-after...

Escape the January blues with this sun-drenched, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove.

Purchase Links:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Italian-Lakes-bestselling-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07HPD2KNV

US - https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Italian-Lakes-bestselling-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07HPD2KNV

Price drop: only 99p - grab your copy now!

The fun part about being an author is that you get to spend your days in some wonderful locations, even if it’s virtually! But the only way to be able to sit down and really share with the readers what the experience is like, is to visit in person.

Lake Garda is a place I have visited several times over the years, and it will always be one of my all-time favourite holiday destinations. Whether you fly direct or are planning a grand European tour by road – it is a dream destination.

The villa featured in Summer on the Italian Lakes is fictitious but based on a composite of two properties in which I have stayed. But the descriptions of being up in the hills and the trips taken are real-life experiences.

Italy is an overload of stimuli – everywhere you look, every breath you take in, and everything you touch, fills your heart with love for the vibrancy and warmth of this beautiful country. It’s full of passionate people – for love and life. Fiery temperaments, fabulous food and wonderful wines; flavours that literally grab you with their freshness and taste. Wonderful music and art; scenery that will make your jaw drop; beautiful architecture around which to saunter and so many hidden gems to discover.

But up in the hills where it’s quieter, it’s the perfect place to reconnect with the inner you. For me a holiday has to combine everything – lots of exciting things to experience, but also some time to relax and chill.

So, it was the perfect setting for this book and the only sadness for me, was that I didn’t get to do a research trip! I didn’t need to as all of those memories are locked inside my head, and my heart – but, oh, Italy is calling me loud and clear! If you haven’t been, please do add it to your list of must-sees and Lake Garda is the perfect place to begin.

Do you love a competition?

Hello lovely readers and bloggers!

To celebrate the price drop to 99p I will be running a competition on Twitter for one lucky person to win some goodies -  an Aria tote bag, two beautiful hand-made Italian soaps and a limited edition mug!

No purchase is necessary to join in – just RT one of my lovely blogger’s Tweets for the 99p promo including @LucyColemanAuth and #SummerOnTheItalianLakes, to take part.

If you have already read/reviewed Summer on the Italian Lakes and take a photo of it on your reading device and/or send a link to your review in your Tweet - IF YOUR NAME is the ONE drawn by the third party, I will add two signed paperbacks from my backlist to the prize!

Don’t forget to include @LucyColemanAuth and #SummerOnTheItalianLakes so we can include your Tweet in the competition. Thank you so much for dropping by and good luck!

Terms: Competition closes noon GMT 29 April 2019; international; anyone can enter; prize to be provided by the author; prize winner will be announced on Twitter by @LucyColemanAuth and on Lucy and Linn’s website (competition page) at noon on 30 April 2019 after being selected at random by a third party.

Author Bio –

From interior designer to author, Linn B. Halton - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’

Linn is the bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and is excited to be writing for both Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus) and Harper Impulse (Harper Collins); she’s represented by Sara Keane of the Keane Kataria Literary Agency.

When she’s not writing, or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.

Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.

Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.

Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.

Social Media Links –

Website: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinnBHaltonAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucyColemanAuth

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