Blog Tour Author Interview with Giveaway: Two Thousand Lines by Michelle Jester

Book info:
Title:  Two Thousand Lines
Author:  Michelle Jester
Publication date: November 21st 2019
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Olivia Brooks has been able to keep her life in Sugar Mill, Louisiana held perfectly together, far away from the small town where she grew up. Even though her past still haunts her, she has found a perfect process of surviving, until a string of events brings Luke Plaisance to Sugar Mill and turns her organized life upside down.

While Olivia fights to hold on to the life she’s created, unraveling it may be exactly what it takes for her to truly survive. She must accept her past in order to live, or let it threaten the only future she’s ever wanted. Because some secrets can’t stay buried… and shouldn’t.

An inspiring and heartbreaking tale of abandonment, survival, and purpose. A harrowing journey of self-discovery and perseverance.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Interview:

1.  Do you always know how the story will end when you start?

Definitely! The ending is the most important starting point for me.

2.  Where is your ideal place to write?  Do you have an office, or do you like to go sit in a coffee shop/library, etc.?

I write in different locations, whatever inspires me; however I do a lot of writing at my desk, outside, and at our breakfast table.

3.  What are your favorite romantic movies, books, tv shows?  Do you have an all-time favorite romantic couple?

Here’s the short list in no particular order: (some don’t fall into the “romantic” category, but nevertheless are about love)

Barefoot

The Tourist

Ever After

Love Actually

The Abyss

Only You

Enchanted

Two Weeks’ Notice

The Ugly Truth

Heart and Souls

Beyond the Lights

About Time

Favorite couple: Beauty and the Beast

4.  Some fun questions

Favorites:  

Books/authors/genres:

Wow, I have a few: Karin Slaughter, Julie James, Harlan Coben, Sarah Maclean, Lisa Jackson, Charles Martin, Mia Sheridan, Francine Rivers, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Brenda Jackson, Susan Wiggs, Nancy Bush, and Linda Howard are a few tops. 

Movies/TV Shows

I’m more of a music kind of person because I don’t have a lot of time to sit and watch, however I am open for suggestions. 

Music

Most all kinds, depending on mood!

Food/writing snack

Crackers, cheese, and chocolate 

Social Media Site

All - for different reasons. Facebook and FBMessenger seem to be the most interactive with my readers (especially those in the United Kingdom.)

Instagram is a visual favorite! I love how people pump up their games on photos!

Twitter is a favorite because of the writing community and the interaction I get there professionally!

 
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Author Bio:

Michelle Jester lives in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana with her husband, high school sweetheart and retired Master Sergeant. Together they have a son and daughter. She is a hopeless romantic and has been writing poems and stories for as long as she can remember.

One of her prize possessions is a bracelet with only a yellow, Rubber Duckie charm on it; which she wears every day to remind her to enjoy the fun and happy things of life!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Lisa's Looking Forward To #40 - December 3rd, 2019

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Only two books this week to share.

From my ARC list for December 3rd, 2019:

This sounds like it could be a fun one!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 
 

Love the cover, and it sounds good!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In this charming, feel-good debut novel, a cynical assistant at a screenwriting agency must reenact the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedy movies in order to help her #1 client get his scriptwriting mojo back--but can a real-life meet-cute be in store for someone who doesn't believe in happily ever after?

After seven years as an assistant, 29-year-old Evie Summers is ready to finally get the promotion she deserves. But now the TV and film agency she's been running behind the scenes is in trouble, and Evie will lose her job unless she can convince the agency's biggest and most arrogant client, Ezra Chester, to finish writing the script for a Hollywood romantic comedy.

The catch? Ezra is suffering from writer's block--and he'll only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. With the future of the agency in jeopardy, Evie embarks on a mission to meet a man the way Sally met Harry or Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts.

But in the course of testing out the meet-cute scenes from classic romantic comedies IRL, not only will Evie encounter one humiliating situation after another, but she'll have to confront the romantic past that soured her on love. In a novel as hilarious as it is heartwarming, debut author Rachel Winters proves that sometimes real life is better than the movies--and that the best kind of meet-cutes happen when you least expect them.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

With the new version of the Little Women movie coming out, this looks like it might be the perfect time for this!

 Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The timeless classic Little Women inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.

One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:
Back this week after none to share last week.  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 US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight, there are even some 2019 ARCs that can be one of your two choices. 

ARC Review: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Book info:

Title:  The Beautiful
Author:  Renee Ahdieh
Genre:  YA paranormal romance
Release Date:  October 8th, 2019
Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR
Source:  ARC won from Bookish First which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.


My Review:
I was immediately drawn into this story with its vivid descriptions of a New Orleans from yesterday.  Even with the paranormal aspect to the story, having been to New Orleans several times over the past year and having wandered around the city on my own, I could feel as if I was right in the story with the characters.  The glamor and beauty of the upper society as well as the sinfulness of the underworld that Celine found herself in was so beautifully described, I wish I could have actually seen it with my eyes in pictures.  I was kept guessing throughout as to who the killer was, my guess never really landed on who it turned out to be, and I do love when there are hints and clues but you still are surprised.  Especially when the surprise is still feasible and makes sense.  I'm also pleased that while it had an ending that could satisfy if there were no more books to follow, it is supposed to have a sequel, and the cover is just as beautiful, but in a different way.  While we are pretty sure of vampires with this story when you begin and from the synopsis, there are other creatures, and that makes it so much more intriguing of a story.

A few issues I had, one point, somewhat early on in the relationship or scenes between Celine and Sebastien, there are a few lines about it was the first time she'd heard him laugh like that, or the first time he'd smiled like that.  That bugged me, because she had just met him, so yeah, it would be the first time she'd have heard or seen those things, and so, really?  Now I had to put it down to read some other books I had to review for blog tours, and there were a couple weeks I went without reading at all.  When I picked it back up, I had to reread a bit before to remember what had happened with specific people, but all of it really was woven in together well so that in the end it all came together and I got just as wrapped up in at as I had been at the beginning.  If I'd had more time, I would definitely have been able, and been happy, to read this over 400 page story in just a day or two.  I also loved the first book in this author's first series, and I can only hope that what happened with that one, I didn't get the second one as an e-galley or ARC, doesn't happen this time and slow me down!  

Top Ten Tuesday: Thankful Freebie

So, twice in one year I'm joining back into the Top Ten Tuesday, which is now sponsored by That Artsy Reader Girl.   This week the topic was a freebie about things we are thankful for.  I'm choosing to do things in the bookish or blogging world that I am thankful for.


1.  Fellow book bloggers, I am thankful for you!  I love that you are out there for me to talk to about the books I love and learn about new books and events from you.  While I do have people in my life who read, no one reads or loves books and reading as much as you guys do!

2.  This might sound kind of strange, but I am thankful for social media.  If it wasn't for Twitter, I might never have had the chance to meet many authors.  One of them met up with me in NYC the first time I visited my sister when she moved there.  Another time a local librarian saw a post I made about an author and tweeted me to let me know that author was going to be at their library and I could go meet them.  Facebook is awesome for getting to talk to authors and also learning about different types of book conventions like NOLA Storycon, Apollycon, and Book Bonanza.

3.  Following off that last one, I am thankful for book conventions like NOLA Storycon, Apollycon, and Book Bonanza.  Not to mention Book Expo and ALA.  If it wasn't for wanting to meet Jennifer L. Armentrout I might not have gone to NOLA Storycon, and if I hadn't went to that, I wouldn't have ended up reading a lot of who are now some of my favorite authors that I only started because I wanted to read authors attending that event like Jay Crownover and Samantha Young to name a few.

4.  I am thankful to finally have a library job.  I love books and reading and I have always loved sharing my love of books and reading with my students.  But finally being in a library where that is my specific job is heaven.

5.  I am thankful that my dad decided to start me reading when I was three years old.  And I'm also thankful for that sale at the JCPenney Outlet when I was a kid on a bunch of Nancy Drew books that my mom bought them and got me really hooked on reading.

6.  I am thankful for my years of working at the bookstore.  As much as I hate having to have a second job, the bookstore is really a great place for me.  I love seeing all the new books.  And I got my very first ARC from the bookstore where I work many years ago.

7.  Speaking of the last one with ARCs, I am thankful for e-books and all the opportunities for even more advanced copies I've gotten to read because of that.

8.  I am going to say that I am thankful for the Twilight series because those books brought me and my sister closer together because of our love of the books.  It is part of the reason I visited NYC two more times than I might have otherwise, because we had to carry on our tradition of going to see the movies on their opening weekend.

9.  I am thankful to the people who made the Harry Potter series into movies for doing such a good job and bringing our favorites to life, as well as Universal Studios for creating that amazing amusement park!

10.  And finally I am thankful to the bloggers who sponsor fun weekly posts like Top Ten Tuesday, Can't Wait Wednesday, etc.  You give us a place to all come together and share our thoughts and fun book ideas!


To all my fellow American bloggers, hope you have a great Thanksgiving this week!  I'm enjoying a full week off from school this year!  Great for writing and reading!

Blog Tour Review with Giveaway: It's Not PMS, It's You by Rich Amooi

Book info:

Title:  It's Not PMS, It's You
Author:  Rich Amooi
Genre: Adult contemporary romance
Release Date:  October 31st, 2019

Source: E-galley from Rachel's Random Resources which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  5 stars

Goodreads link

Synopsis: 
“Romantic Comedy of the Year!”
“I loved every second of this book!”
“Warning: This author causes book hangovers.”
“Oh my. Be still my heart.”
“Laugh out loud of epic proportions.”
“Loved it. Still laughing.”

Ruth “Ruthless” Harper is on the verge of becoming managing partner at her all-male consulting firm and she won’t let anything stand in her way. That includes men, relationships, and that dreaded F word, FEELINGS—distractions she eliminated long ago.

After the worst day ever (a near-death experience and a public wedgie, for starters), Ruth realizes she doesn’t want to live and die alone. She puts together a business plan to find the perfect man and dives head first into the murky online dating pool. All she wants is a high-powered executive who understands how important her career is. If only it were that easy.

Problem is most men are intimidated by Ruth’s confidence and shocked by her bluntness. The exception being her landscape designer, Nick, whose cool demeanor and unsolicited dating advice are driving her nuts. He’s the antithesis of the business-oriented man Ruth envisions for herself, so why do all signs keep pointing back to him?

A romantic comedy novel for the ages. Order now. Don't delay. Operators are standing by.

Purchase Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQ7WZTJ

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YQ7WZTJ

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07YQ7WZTJ

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07YQ7WZTJ

My Review:
I've really become a fan of this author after the last two that I read and loved.  And let's just say I'm not getting any younger instead of talking about how I'm getting older, three years away from 50 as of this past October.  So the title and of course synopsis of this one called to me.  It still makes me feel old to have a character that is 45 years old with an adult daughter like Nick has, but I guess it's only true!  Now, while I may not be quite the workaholic that Ruth is, I definitely get where she's coming from.  I do work two jobs, and could probably quit one and just stop buying as much stuff as I do, but I am lonely and can't seem to meet anyone, so I think my stuff makes me happy, so I have to keep working in order to buy it.  It's a vicious circle.  

But about the book, Ruth was hilarious, and her dating misadventures even better!  I loved her friend Dee, and it was impossible not to fall in love with Nick.  While I wish we'd maybe had a few more chapters from his point of view towards the middle, we always got his chapters when we needed him.  Their whole relationship development was perfect, how it started as acquaintances with attractions to each other, to friends who were attracted to each other, to finally giving in and just accepting that everyone around them was right and they were meant for each other.  The big end obstacle to overcome came right when I expected it to, and almost at the exact moment I expected, but even though it started out as what I thought would do it, it quickly changed and I was definitely surprised and saddened.  I do like that the author was able to fix or wrap up the issue in a way that was quick and not over drawn out like they can be sometimes.  

Once again, I'll say that this author is going to be one I'll be checking out all his new stuff, and I need to find time to go back and ready his books I've missed out on.



About the Author:

Rich Amooi is a former radio personality and DJ who now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California. He is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.richamooi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichAmooi

Author Website: https://richamooi.com/

Giveaway:

• Giveaway to Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

20 Questions Book Tag

So I found this over on The Fox's Hideaway, don't know who actually started it, but I thought it looked fun, so I saved it, and decided to do it for one of my posts as I worked on my Blog Ahead Challenge back in October.  So some of the answers might be a little off since I actually wrote an posted this in October for things that are most recent answers.


1.  HOW MANY BOOKS ARE TOO MANY FOR A SERIES?

Honestly, I don't have a preference.  I feel like as long as the series has somewhere to go, and isn't just repeating the same storyline over and over, it's good to go.  I mean I always love getting back with my favorite characters, but reading the same plot over and over is a drag.


2.  HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CLIFFHANGERS?

Once again, I don't really mind them.  As crazy as they can make me at the end of a book though, it is what can get me to go buy the next one right away if it is available. But it can be frustrating if I have to wait a long time for the next one because it hasn't been published yet.


3.  HARDCOVER OR PAPERBACK?

So, yes, hardcovers are very nice, and often have beautiful covers, and look nice on a bookshelf. But when I'm actually reading, I really like to hold a paperback the most. They're usually so much easier to hold, not too heavy, the right size, etc.  (Except for ones like my ARC of The Burning Shadow by JLA).  Plus, lately a lot of the books I want to buy and own are romance, and so many of those are just only available in paperback.  Also my ARC collection, those are all paperback, so it's nice to have those matching as well.


4.  FAVORITE BOOK?

There's no ways to pick just one, there are so many books out there that I love!  If I name a few they would be It by Stephen King, Watchers by Dean Koontz, the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, the After series, just to name a few.


5.  LEAST FAVORITE BOOK?

I was not a fan of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night.


6.  LOVE TRIANGLES, YES OR NO?

Sure, why not?  Some of the best all time romance stories are love triangles, my usual favorite example is Gone with the Wind.


7.  THE MOST RECENT BOOK YOU COULDN'T FINISH?

This is a hard one because I pretty much DNF books pretty early in because I can't get into them and there are just too many other books I want to read to waste time on one I'm not enjoying. Most recent was Every Stolen Breath by Kimberly Gabriel, and it wasn't that it wasn't good, I just went into it thinking it was something different than what it really was, and that made me not be able to get into it.


8.  A BOOK YOU'RE CURRENTLY READING?

I'm currently reading It's Not PMS, It's You by Rich Amooi, and listening to Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid


9.  LAST BOOK YOU RECOMMENDED TO SOMEONE?

As I mentioned above, I was posting this in October, so I'm guessing most likely I've recently recommended anything from the SmartyPants Romance series.


10.  OLDEST BOOK YOU'VE READ BY PUBLICATION DATE?

This one is hard to figure out, but I'm going to guess Romeo and Juliet.

11.  NEWEST BOOK YOU'VE READ BY PUBLICATION DATE?

Blindsided by Amy Daws

12.  FAVORITE AUTHOR?

Like with the favorite book, impossible to pick just one!  A few current favorites are Emma Hart, Helena Hunting, Amy Daws, and Penny Reid.

13.  BUYING BOOKS OR BORROWING BOOKS?

So, I love to own books.  I love my bookshelves.  I am poor though, and so I do tend to borrow audiobooks and love to get ARCs or egalleys.  But I will often end up buying those audiobooks or ebooks as physical books if I want to own them for my shelves.

14.  A BOOK YOU DISLIKE THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO LOVE?

I was just discussing this with a student.  I am not the hugest fan of the Cinder series. The first book was okay, nothing that spectacular in my opinion, and I wasn't a fan of the second one.

15.  BOOKMARKS OR DOG EARS?

So, another reason I like paperback is because I will dog-ear those pages as I read it. Only if it is my own book though!  I love bookmarks, and keep buying cute ones, but then I never seem to use them.

16.  A BOOK YOU CAN ALWAYS RE-READ?

I rarely have time to re-read these days, even though I used to re-read books like It and the whole Flowers in the Attic series over and over.  But I know that I do tend to relisten to the audiobook of the first two books in the After series once in a while.  Also Play by Kylie Scott, or Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young are ones I read over and over because I love my boys!

17.  CAN YOU READ WHILE LISTENING TO MUSIC?

Sure.  I actually do a lot of reading in front of the tv at night, in bed or during commercials when I'm sitting on the couch.

18.  ONE POV OR MULTIPLE?

I actually like my romance books to have both points of view whenever possible.  And I don't mind the multiple POV stories if I can tell who they are without getting confused because they are different enough sounding in their chapter.

19.  DO YOU READ A BOOK IN ONE SITTING OR OVER MULTIPLE DAYS?

I wish!  I don't have the time to do that thanks to working two jobs, and a dog that makes me take him out every hour or two when I'm home.  Plus, other things that happen in life.  But I've done it before, and I totally can, and like to when I can.  Not to mention with how overbooked I am with review books right now, I've been having to read some in less than 48 hours in order to write reviews.

20.  WHO DO YOU TAG?

Anyone who wants to do this, please join in!  But I'd love it if you came back and left me a link so I can check out your answers too.  

Release Blitz Review with Excerpt and Giveaway: Blindsided by Amy Daws

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Book info:

Title:  Blindsided
Author:  Amy Daws
Genre: Adult contemporary sports romance
Release Date:   November 21st, 2019
Cover Designer:  Amy Daws

Source:  E-galley from author which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  5 stars

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Synopsis:

What happens when an almost thirty-year-old virgin agrees to let her Scottish footballer best friend give her some lessons in seduction? 

Lots of banter, awkwardness, jealousy, and heat. 

Midfielder Maclay “Mac” Logan is a loud-mouthed, tattooed ginger content with focusing on football. But when an adorably-freckled seamstress comes barreling into his life, he finds Netflix-And-Bickering with her to be his new favorite pastime. 

Freya Cook is used to being the invisible woman with a needle and thread, offering cheeky punchlines as she helps dress London’s finest. She’s plus-sized in body and spirit, and other than her friendship with Mac, talking to the opposite sex is one skill she never mastered. 

However, after one innocent game of Never Have I Ever, Mac offers to play Love Coach for Freya. 

What neither of them see coming are the feelings that develop when the clothes come off. 

Now they’re both about to learn the biggest lesson of all: Don't fall in love with your best friend.

 

 

My Review:

Starting a new book by Amy Daws is like putting on your comfy flannel pj pants and curling up under a soft, warm blanket in your favorite cozy reading spot.  I know I'm going to laugh, and laugh I did throughout this entire book, the sexy scenes will leave me hot, and there's a very good chance I will be in tears at some point in the story, which I was full blown tears streaming down my face, sniffling too.

The funnies began with Freya and Mac's relationship and when they would be "in a fight".  And then it went on to Freya's fumbled conversation with the barista that she was kind of interested in.  Oh my gosh, and then the Never Have I Ever game, and learning what a dirty Sanchez is, and that's just eww, no, what is the point of that even?

Of course since I love the soccer players that this author writes, and all the family and friends, getting to spend so much time with the Harris clan and friends is part of what makes this like cuddling up with a good book, or going back to that bar where everyone knows your name.    Mac, I adored him!  And then there is all the similarities to Freya that I felt.  The way she felt that after her month with Mac, she'd probably never get to experience that again.  I'm in a stage of my life where I feel the same.  That I had a fun time when I was younger, and now it's all over and doesn't ever seem like it will change.  So when Mac pushed her away at the end because of things changing, even though he knew he loved her, that's when my tears started.  

But the way he went about winning her back at the end was perfect, I just think I'd love a relationship like that, with the arguing and being "in a fight" all the time.  

There was definitely a little bit that reminded me of one of my all time favorite books with one of my top book boyfriends, Nate Sawyer from Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young.  So I loved that.  I usually adore all the ways that this author fits in the different jargon and unique phrases used by the characters based on where they're from. But in this case, the bleddy bit didn't make a ton of sense, it bugged me too much.  And then there was some "ag" thing at the end that I also didn't really get.  None of that matters though, because I love, love, loved the book, the story, and also, I think we need Mac's sister's story next! 

  I wake the next morning to a rough tongue touching my nipple. A smile spreads across my face as I open my eyes and expect to find Freya. My face falls when I see it’s her fucking demon of a cat laving at my pec like it’s going to produce milk at any moment. 

 “Fuck off, you wee bastard!” I bellow and shove the animal off my chest. 

Hercules takes off down the hallway, and a snort echoes in the room. I turn my gaze to find Freya perched on a chair in the corner of her bedroom. She’s dressed in a long nightshirt, her red hair a wild mess of curls, and her makeup smudged like she was properly fucked last night. And she looks positively entertained. 

 “Did you just sit there and watch your cat violate me?” I croak, sitting up and rubbing my tender nipple. 

She giggles and steadies herself so as not to spill the two cups of coffee in her hands. “I came in to bring you a coffee, but Hercules looked like he was warming up to you, so I just sat down here to not interrupt. I had no idea he was going to lick your tit.” She bursts out laughing all over again. 

“You and I are in a fight then,” I reply gruffly, propping myself up on the headboard of her bed. “That was disturbing.” 

She nods, her face still tormented with poorly concealed laughter. “For us all.” 

Check out Amy's Facebook page for an awesome paperback giveaway!

 

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Amy Daws is an Amazon Top 25 bestselling author of sexy, contemporary romance novels. She enjoys writing love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond in England. When Amy is not writing in a tire shop waiting room, she's watching Gilmore Girls, or singing karaoke in the living room with her daughter while Daddy smiles awkwardly from a distance. For more of Amy's work, visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com 

 

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Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) - Down the TBR Hole #48

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

So, while I'm making a teensy bit of progress, I think I want to try to push that number each week up to 20 instead of just 10.  Let's see how that goes!


1.  Just One Day by Gayle Forman:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there's an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
 
My thoughts:
A popular author that I enjoyed the books I have read.  But I don't think I need to keep this one on my list even though I might still read it at some point.

Verdict:  Toss


2.  Elegy by Tara Hudson:

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.

Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back.

My thoughts: 
I liked the first book in the series, but still haven't read the second one, so I'll take the third one off till I know if I like the second one and want to read on.

Verdict: Toss 


3.  The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White:

Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she's only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.
 

My thoughts:  
Um, it's Kiersten White, who I currently believe can write no wrong.  So, yeah, I'll be keeping, although I think maybe I actually have a copy of this, so I need to check on that and maybe switch it over to my TBR-owned list.

Verdict:  Keep


4.  Conjured by Sara Beth Durst:

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

My thoughts:  
It sounds good, but I don't know if I'll ever get to it.

Verdict: Toss

5.   What Once We Feared by Carrie Ryan:

When the zombie apocalypse hits and the dead begin to rise, Jonah and his friends are on a class field trip downtown.  Panicked, they make a split-second decision to seek shelter in the Overlook, an apartment complex built like a fortress on the edge of town.  But as they begin to face the realities of what it will take to survive, they realize that while making the decision of where to run was easy, living out the consequences of that decision may be impossible.  From Carrie Ryan, the New York Times bestselling author of the Forest of Hands and Teeth books, What Once We Feared is an original digital short story about facing a world that is forever changed and in which survival means more than merely escaping the undead.


My thoughts:
I love this series, so I need to read anything that goes with it!

Verdict: Keep


6.  My Beloved Brontosaurus by Brian Switek:

Dinosaurs, with their awe-inspiring size, terrifying claws and teeth, and otherworldly abilities, occupy a sacred place in our childhoods. They loom over museum halls, thunder through movies, and are a fundamental part of our collective imagination. In My Beloved Brontosaurus, the dinosaur fanatic Brian Switek enriches the childlike sense of wonder these amazing creatures instill in us. Investigating the latest discoveries in paleontology, he breathes new life into old bones.

Switek reunites us with these mysterious creatures as he visits desolate excavation sites and hallowed museum vaults, exploring everything from the sex life of Apatosaurus and T. rex’s feather-laden body to just why dinosaurs vanished. (And of course, on his journey, he celebrates the book’s titular hero, “Brontosaurus”—who suffered a second extinction when we learned he never existed at all—as a symbol of scientific progress.)

With infectious enthusiasm, Switek questions what we’ve long held to be true about these beasts, weaving in stories from his obsession with dinosaurs, which started when he was just knee-high to a Stegosaurus. Endearing, surprising, and essential to our understanding of our own evolution and our place on Earth, My Beloved Brontosaurus is a book that dinosaur fans and anyone interested in scientific progress will cherish for years to come.

My thoughts:
This is a hard one.  Because the science and what we know about dinosaurs has changed so much even since this book was published 6 years ago, but all the other stories and such in the book sound like something I'd still enjoy.

Verdict:  Keep


7.  Kingdom Come by Michelle Smith:

The world is coming to an end, and "Crazy Kerrigan" has a front-row seat.

Centuries ago, scrolls calling forth the four horsemen of the apocalypse were discovered, sealed until their rightful heirs were born. Now, those scrolls are being opened.

When her small town crumbles during her stay in an institution for troubled teens, eighteen-year-old Kerrigan Monroe is one of the few left standing. She and a handful of other survivors take cover as everything they've ever known is reduced to rubble. When the smooth voice behind a cryptic radio broadcast beckons her to a safe house, she and the others abandon their temporary haven, and embark on a cross-country journey toward refuge.

Upon discovering the identity of the man behind the voice, Kerrigan is smacked with the revelation that he's not the only heir to these scrolls. Now, she must make a choice: join this dark stranger and lead the New World by his side, or fight for what's left of humanity.

Either decision will bring power. Either decision will bring death.

My thoughts:  
Doesn't sound like anything that new and different.

Verdict:  Toss


 8.  Hideous Love: The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein by Stephanie Hemphill:

From award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill comes the fascinating story of Mary Shelley, a brilliant teenager who wrote one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time: Frankenstein.

An all-consuming love affair.

A family torn apart by scandal.

A young author on the brink of greatness.

Hideous Love is the fascinating story of Gothic novelist Mary Shelley, who as a teen girl fled her restrictive home only to find herself in the shadow of a brilliant but moody boyfriend, famed poet Percy Shelley. It is the story of the mastermind behind one of the most iconic figures in all of literature: a monster constructed out of dead bodies and brought to life by the tragic Dr. Frankenstein.

Mary wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen, but inspiration for the monster came from her life-the atmospheric European settings she visited, the dramas swirling around her, and the stimulating philosophical discussions with the greatest minds of the period, like her close friend, Lord Byron.

This luminous verse novel from award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill reveals how Mary Shelley became one of the most celebrated authors in history.
 
My thoughts:
This one still sounds good to me.

Verdict:  Keep


9.  Obsessed: America's Food Addiction - And My Own by Mika Brzezinski and Diane Smith:

Mika Brzezinski is at war against obesity. "On Morning Joe, "she is often so adamant about improving America's eating habits that some people have dubbed her "the food Nazi." What they don't know is that Mika wages a personal fight against unhealthy eating habits every day, and in this book she describes her history of food obsession and distorted body image, and her lifelong struggle to be thin. She believes it's time we all learned to stop blaming ourselves, and each other, and look at the real culprits--the food we eat and our addiction to it. Mika feels the only way to do this is to break through the walls of silence and shame we've built around obesity and food obsessions. She believes we need to talk openly about how our country became overweight, and what we can do to turn the corner and step firmly onto the path of health. So Mika made a deal with her very close friend Diane: they would work together on this book and on their personal goals, to help Diane drop 75 pounds and to break Mika's obsession with staying superthin. As she did in her bestseller "Knowing Your""Value, "Mika has packed each chapter with insights from notable people in medicine, health, business, the arts, and politics. Singer Jennifer Hudson, the late writer and director Nora Ephron, TV host Gayle King, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and many others open up to Mika about their own challenges and what works for them when it comes to food and diet. It's time we stopped whispering the F-word ("fat") the way we used to shun the C-word ("cancer"). This book--with its trademark Brzezinski smarts, honesty, and courage--launches us into a no-holds-barred conversation with family and friends, in schools and kitchens, in Congress and the food industry, to help us all find ways to tackle one of the biggest problems standing between us and a healthier America.
 
My thoughts:
Probably not something I'd get to.

Verdict: Toss


10.  Feedback by Robison Wells:

Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs.

Or so he thought.

But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.

They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

My thoughts:
I liked book one, so I need to read this one too.

Verdict:  Keep

 
11.  The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie by Leanna Renee Hieber:

I'm coming for you.

The whispers haunt her dreams and fill her waking hours with dread. Something odd is happening. Something...unnatural.

Possession of the living. Resurrection of the dead. And Natalie Stewart is caught right in the middle. Jonathon, the one person she thought she could trust, has become a double agent for the dark side. But he plays the part so well, Natalie has to wonder just how much he's really acting.

She can't even see what it is she's fighting. But the cost of losing her heart, her sanity...her soul.

My thoughts:
I read the first and liked it, so I need to read this one too!

Verdict: Keep


12.  So What Do They Really Know by Cris Tovani:

In So What Do They Really Know? Cris Tovani explores the complex issue of monitoring, assessing, and grading students' thinking and performance with fairness and fidelity. Like all teachers, Cris struggles to balance her student-centered instruction with school system mandates. Her recommendations are realistic and practical; she understands that what isn't manageable isn't sustainable.

Cris describes the systems and structure she uses in her own classroom and shows teachers how to use assessments to monitor student growth and provide targeted feedback that enables students to master content goals. She also shares ways to bring students into the assessment cycle so they can monitor their own learning, maximizing motivation and engagement.

So What Do They Really Know? includes a wealth of information:


Lessons from Cris's classroom
Templates showing how teachers can use the workshop model to assess and differentiate instruction
Student work, including samples from linguistically diverse learners, struggling readers, and college-bound seniors
Anchor charts of student thinking
Ideas on how to give feedback
Guidelines that explain how conferring is different from monitoring
Suggestions for assessing learning and differentiating instruction during conferences
Advice for managing ongoing assessment
Cris's willingness to share her own struggles continues to be a hallmark of her work. Teachers will recognize their own students and the challenges they face as they join Cris on the journey to figure out how to raise student achievement.

My thoughts:
Since I'm not in the classroom anymore, probably don't need to, and won't have time to read this.

Verdict:  Toss


13.  This Wicked Game by Michelle Zink:

Claire Kincaid’s family has been in business for over fifty years.

The voodoo business.

Part of the International Guild of High Priests and Priestesses, a secret society that have practiced voodoo for generations, the Kincaids run an underground supply house for authentic voodoo supplies. Claire plays along, filling orders for powders, oils and other bizarre ingredients in the family store, but she has a secret.

She doesn’t believe.

Struggling to reconcile her modern sensibilities with a completely unscientific craft based on suspicion, Claire can’t wait to escape New Orleans – and voodoo – when she goes to college, a desire that creates almost constant conflict in her secret affair with Xander Toussaint, son of the Guild’s powerful founding family.

But when a mysterious customer places an order for a deadly ingredient, Claire begins to realize that there’s more to voodoo – and the families that make up the Guild – than meets the eye.

Including her own.

As she bands together with the other firstborns of the Guild, she comes face to face with a deadly enemy – and the disbelief that may very well kill her.

My thoughts:
I don't know, it still sounds good. But it has a pretty low rating on Goodreads.  But I want more books on voodoo, and I do love the cover!

Verdict: Keep - for now


14.  Becoming by Raine Thomas:

**Optioned for movie rights by multiple-award winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions.**

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.

To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.

My thoughts:
Doesn't sound that unique, other than the exploding thing maybe.

Verdict:  Toss


15.  Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke:

DECEMBER 21, 2012 Will that fateful day destroy our world, or did the Mayans have something else in mind?

Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.

Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year-old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in.

But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t control.

In her struggle to figure out who she is, she learns that she is meant to fulfill an ancient Mayan Prophesy and bring forth a New Age on earth.

Will the spirit magic Maya wields be enough to defeat Toltec, an evil society bent on keeping her from her destiny?

Or will that destiny destroy her?

My thoughts:
It's hard to really read and get into the 2012 end of the world books now.

Verdict:  Toss


16.  The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert:

Aiden Nomura likes to open doors—especially using his skills as a hacker—to see what’s hidden inside. He just keeps pulling until one cracks open, exposing the flaws. The universe—or someone else—will fix things. It’s like a game...until it isn’t.

When a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic opens in Bern, Switzerland, near Aiden’s boarding school, he knows things are changing. Shortly after, bombs go off within quiet, safe Bern. Then Aiden learns that his cousin Winter, back in the States, has had a mental breakdown. He returns to the US immediately.

But when he arrives home in Hamilton, Winter’s mental state isn’t the only thing that’s different. The city is becoming even stricter, and an underground movement is growing.

With the help of Winter’s friend Velvet, Aiden slowly cracks open doors in this new world. But behind those doors are things Aiden doesn’t want to see—things about his society, his city, even his own family. And this time Aiden may be the only one who can fix things...before someone else gets hurt.

My thoughts:
Read the first one, so feel like I need to read this one as well.

Verdict:   Keep


17.  Tumble and Fall by Alexandra Coutts:

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world.

My thoughts:
I like the cover, but I'm just not that excited for this one.

Verdict:  Toss


18.  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella:

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose, but then his big question involves a trip abroad — not a trip down the aisle. Completely crushed, Lottie reconnects with an old flame, and they decide to take drastic action. No dates, no moving in together, they’ll just get married . . . right now. Her sister, Fliss, thinks Lottie is making a terrible mistake, and will do anything to stop her. But Lottie is determined to say “I do,” for better, or for worse.





My thoughts:
Well, Kinsella books are hit or miss for me. And she's a big enough author that I don't need to keep her books on my TBR to remember probably.

Verdict:  Toss


19.  The 'Geisters by David Nickle:

When Ann LeSage was a little girl, she had an invisible friend - a poltergeist, that spoke to her with flying knives and howling winds. She called it the Insect. And with a little professional help, she contained it. And the nightmare was over, at least for a time. But the nightmare never truly ended. As Ann grew from girl into young woman, the Insect grew with her. It became more than terrifying. It became a thing of murder. Now, as she embarks on a new life married to Michael Voors, a successful young lawyer, Ann believes that she finally has the Insect under control. But there are others vying to take that control away from her. They may not know exactly what they're dealing with, but they know they want it. They are the 'Geisters. And in pursuing their own perverse dream, they risk spawning the most terrible nightmare of all.

My thoughts:
This sounds interesting, but it's got a low rating on Goodreads.

Verdict:  Toss


20.  Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller:

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?In the Bermuda Triangle--a lot.Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her fathers death years ago, her mothers medical problems, and the loser who's practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser's suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying Happy Anniversary... and suddenly, she's full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these alternate realities could become permanent.She just has to ask herself one question--how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

My thoughts:
I honestly can't even tell for sure what this is going to be about.

Verdict:  Toss


Final Thoughts:
Keeping eight this week, getting too close to almost half!

I know that usually I will post how many are left this week compared to last week, but I honestly got this post done in October as part of my Blogging Ahead Challenge, so I don't have the numbers ready from last week's post, since it isn't done yet. 

Have you read any of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I'm tossing?  And if you're inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra entry into my giveaway at the bottom of this post.      
 

Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  You get to pick any two books from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  As I mentioned above, unpacking is finding a lot of books to get rid of, so you have even more to pick from this week!  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:

2016-2017 ARCs:

2015 ARCs:

2013-2014 ARCs (if you pick Zodiac, I kind of want to keep it with Wandering Star):

I'm continuing to add in my 2019 ARCs now.  You can pick one of your two choices from the picture below, the other book you pick needs to come from the pictures above.  

Once again I'm going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below.   Disclaimer:  Unfortunately, while I've only had it happen once, I'm going to have to make a statement like other giveaways I've seen on blogs that I am not responsible for lost mail.

a Rafflecopter giveaway