Review: Widower's Aura by A.J. Renee

Book info:

Title:  Widower's Aura  
Author:  A.J. Renee 
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  August 18th, 2016
Source:  E-book for review from author

First, thanks to the author, A.J. Renee for reaching out to me about this book.  I accepted a copy for review, as the synopsis sounded like one of the types of books I've been reading lately as e-books.  I really was not disappointed.

There are two main characters really, Sofia and Noah.  Sofia has just moved away from the city of New Orleans to a smaller town nearby, St. Fleur. She was a juvenile probationary officer there, and she just got to the point where she needed to get away.  And so she is opening a photography business in the small town.  A couple years after she's been there, and has an established business, there is a new guy in town that attracts Sofia's attention from the first time she sees him.

Noah has just moved to town also, he recently lost his wife to a violent crime while he was away in the military.  He is now with his daughter, and takes on different construction and other types of handy-man jobs.  The first time he sees Sofia, he also is immediately affected by her.

The two of them are brought together when Noah's daughter Lexi is caught spray painting an orchid on the side of Sofia's building.  Now Sofia has a bit of an odd ability, she can see the auras of the people around her, and she can tell from Lexi's aura that she didn't do it maliciously, that she needs some attention and maybe some guidance.  And therefore Sofia offers to forgive Lexi's crime if Lexi comes and does volunteer work for her with her photography business.  Sofia and Noah continue to be thrown together through dealing with Lexi, as well as the fact that Noah is the next door neighbor of Sofia's best friend Lindsey.  The two will find many connections as they become more and more attracted to each other, and both will have to work through their own issues to become a real couple and give in to the love they seem to have for each other.

The book started out a little weak, but because I could see the possibility I kept on reading, and it was totally worth it. By the end of the book I was having a lot of trouble putting it down because I needed to know how things were going to turn out.  While I feel that the aura business at times was a little bit extra that didn't necessarily need to be part of the story, some of it did work out to add interesting details to certain situations.  The sexy scenes were pretty good, and I loved all the best friend characters.  In fact, the little excerpt at the end of this book for the next one featuring Lindsey only served to make me very impatient for that book to come out, which isn't until 2017.

I definitely will be recommending this as a quick, fun read, with suspense, romance, and definitely steamy scenes in parts.  I also enjoyed the New Orleans setting, as I am getting ready to visit the city myself in about a month for the second time. 

Oh yeah, and if this sounds good, there is a giveaway going on to win an Amazon gift card and you could buy your own copy of it!  Go check out my post with the giveaway on it HERE.

5th Annual September is for Sequels Challenge Sign-Up Post

It's back!  My sequel challenge that I do every year because I seem to start series, and then new books and new series seem to get in the way of me reading on in those original series.  Am I the only one who does that?  When I love a book, I get to where I MUST buy the sequel as soon as it comes out. And then so many times, it sits on my shelf, waiting for me to fit it in.  About 5 years ago now, I got the idea to start my own challenge.  I kind of got it from another blogger, who I can't seem to find her blog anymore, so I can't really give her credit.  But I've kept up with it every year since then.  Now, some years I've done better than others.  Last year I got the most participants, 15 people!  Hoping to get that many again this year.  Anyone doing the Series Enders Challenge hosted by Words Fueled by Love and Somewhere Only We Know, you could join into this as well!  It can also fit in with the TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Bookish Lifestyle.  So really, it doesn't have to be anything extra to do.  You can still join in and keep doing as you've planned, but now you also have a chance to win a sequel of your choice!  In the past I've also done a Giveaway Hop with it, but we'll see if I do that this year.  Need to find a co-host for it!

Objective:
To read and review a minimum of 4 sequels between the dates of September 1st and 30th, 2016. My goal is to read 8 books, that's only 2 a week, which is the same goal for last year.  I'm hoping to get through more this year since I've been requesting less egalleys than before. But who knows, the last few months have been so crazy!  Part of the issue is that there are books I've read that I still need to review, so being behind on reviews may mess up my plan to review the "new" sequels I read this month.  My reviews may be a little weird this year for this month.  Anyway, here is my plan, even though it may change as the month goes by:

1.  Redeeming Trust by Michelle Sodaro
2. Torn (A Wicked Saga #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3. Endless Night (The Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole
4. The Giant (Quarantine #4) by Lex Thomas
5. Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
6. Like a River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy #2) by Rae Carson
7. Swan Riders (Prisoners of Peace #2) by Erin Bow
8. Ice-Out (sequel to Frozen) by Mary Casanova

Rules:

• It would be good if you had a blog to post reviews, or you can be a Goodreads Member and post your reviews on the site.  I'll open it up to people who want to post reviews on Amazon or Barnes and Noble as well, or just let me know what site you'll be reviewing on!
• The book must be a sequel - it can be any # in the series, just not the first book.  Prequels can count if they were published AFTER the first one in the series.  You can do e-books, even ARCs or e-galleys, as well as good old fashioned books.  And, I'll even let you count the little 1.5 novellas that are often published as e-books only.  
• The deadline to sign up and participate is September 15th.  
• You must post on your blog an entry that has a list of the sequels you're planning to read, but it doesn't have to be complete, or you could even just post your goal, do you plan to read 4, or more?  You can always go back as the month proceeds and enter the books as you read and review them.  If you don't have a blog, then you can just post a comment on this post listing your goals.
• Make sure you grab the button and put it in your entry post, or on the sidebar of your blog.

In the sign up form below, you need to give me your name and blog name, Ex:  Lisa (Lisa Loves Lit) or just your blog name is okay, and then a link to your original post that set your goal or listed the books you were reading.  If you are not a blogger, and can't do that post, if you only review on Goodreads, then leave me a link to your profile page on Goodreads so that I can follow you to see your reviews.  If you only review on Amazon or Barnes and  Noble, you can leave me a link to one of your reviews on that site.  Everyone who signs up to participate will be entered once into an end of the month giveaway of a $20 Gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon if you prefer, and I may increase the amount of the gift card if I get very many people signed up to participate!  If the winner is International and can't use either of those gift cards, I will let them choose up to $20 worth of books from The Book Depository.  There will also be a way to post a link to each of your reviews in order to earn extra points into the giveaway, that will be with the Rafflecopter below the Sign Up form. 




 

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Audiobook Review: Echoes of Scotland Street (On Dublin Street #5) by Samantha Young

Book info:
Title:  Echoes of Scotland Street   
Author:  Samantha Young
Series:  On Dublin Street #5  
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published:  October 7th, 2014
Source:  Digital audiobook downloaded from public library   

Samantha Young, I don't even know how to start this.  I love her stories.  And I cannot believe that in just over one month I'm going to get to meet her and go all fangirl!!!  Sorry, but for the next month on my blog, I can't imagine I won't be throwing in little lines about how excited I am for NOLA Story Con.  Anyway, this book was just another wonderful story, with wonderful characters, and yeah.  Just so good!  

The main character is a woman named Shannon.  Shannon has had a hard life up to this point. She seems to have always picked the bad guy, and the last one, well he was the worst. And because her brother wanted to protect her and get back at this guy who hurt his little sister, her brother is now in prison.  What's even worse is that her family, her parents and sister, blame Shannon for what happened to her brother Logan, and tell her they don't want her anywhere near them or for her to visit Logan, that she's already ruined his life.  This is so hard for Shannon because her brother Logan was the only one in her family that she ever felt close to, and the guilt she has for him being in prison because of her own mistakes, well it makes her feel horrible.  

So she's moved away from her family to Edinburgh, and she is looking for a job and a place to live with no money really, and no one to help her.  Her first real try is at a tattoo parlor called INKarnate.  She has some experience in that she had worked at a tattoo parlor before.  She pretty much gets hired on the spot as they are desperate for a new administrative assistant.  Even though she is trying really hard to stay away from "bad boys", she takes the job.  Then she meets her new boss, Cole Walker.  Cole is the younger brother of Jo from the second book in this series, Down London Road.  He's all grown up now, and he's a tattooed hunk.  And he fits exactly the image that Shannon has for bad boys.  And she lets him know it right away.  So from the start their "relationship" is off to a bad start.  A horrible start, she really tells him off.  Now those of us reading know that Cole is nothing like she says, and so it was very hard to read that.  

Soon though, we learn what exactly happened to Shannon, and it's pretty bad.  But Shannon also soon finds out that Cole isn't what she thought, and they are able to give in to the attraction between them.  Things seem to be going great of course, but then something else does come up, and makes their relationship one they have to work for, and both have to decide just how much they are willing to give up or how hard they are willing to work for what could be true love.  

This book was just as addicting as all the other books I've listened to from Samantha Young.  And it had some really great sexy scenes in it.  Cole, I totally loved him, as I thought I would, at least until the last little twist at the end.  I was a little disappointed in him for that.  But it worked out, as all her books do, the HEA is an important part of them.  Again, I highly recommend this book, as well as the rest of the series.  

Discussion Post: I'm Yes Then I'm No, I'm In Then I'm Out - Or the Beloved Books That I Just Couldn't Seem to Love

As always I didn't get around to my discussion post till the end of the month.  Partly because of how busy it has been with school getting started back up. And partly because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to discuss.  Even now, my title isn't as good as I want it to be, but it was the best I could come up with at the moment, so hopefully it somewhat makes sense.  My discussion today is going to be about the books that either everyone seems to love and I tried, but just can't get into or don't quite get the fuss.   Of course I am going to throw in some GIFs because it is just so much fun to find them!

A reminder that the 2016 Discussion Challenge is hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight.  If you want to check out any of my earlier posts you can go to these links:

• Fiction is Fiction - Or Why I Believe Teens are Smarter Than We Give Them Credit For,   

• It's In the Stars - Or Why I Don't Give Ratings on My Blog,   

• This Review Should Come With a Warning - Or Is It Okay to Review New Adult, Adult, and Young Adult on the Same Blog,   

• Copy, Paste, Repeat - Or How Many Places Do You Post Your Reviews.

• To DNF or Not to DNF, That is the Question - Or How Do You Decide if You Should Give Up on a Book?

So, my title refers to the Katy Perry song, Hot n Cold, but of course my favorite use of the song is in the Twilight parody by the Hillywood Show, which was also my first introduction to the YouTube sensation.  But what I'm going for with this post is all the books that everyone else is so "hot" for, and they just left me "cold" or at least "lukewarm". 

 

The first one is a series, and I want to duck here, because I'm afraid a lot of you are going to be throwing things at me through the internets.  I am on the 2nd book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and I am just not feeling it.  

The first book, Cinder, was more interesting to me than this 2nd one, Scarlet, has been so far.  Even then, when I finished Cinder, I was still left a little bit unsure of what all the fuss was about.  It was okay, but nothing that I was now obsessed over.  But, I was able to get a copy of Scarlet for $4 at a Scholastic Warehouse book sale, and then I won the next three books in the series through a couple different giveaways.  I had heard from many people that book 2 was better than book 1, so I assumed by winning all those books that was a sign I was going to go on and be swept away once I started Scarlet.  Umm, no, it's not happening.  I started the book on August 6th, and since then I've read 4 other physical books, and that's not counting the ebooks I've read.  I usually keep a physical book up on my nightstand so that I will read that right before bed instead of staring at a screen, because I feel like it is probably better for my sleep.  But Scarlet has just not kept me reading.  I can't decide whether to push on through, or give up and then maybe just sell/trade all my copies of the books in the series as a big set.  

 

Next is the Heroes of Olympus series and The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.  Now see, I loved the Percy Jackson series. 

But I had so much trouble keeping the characters straight in The Red Pyramid as each chapter went back and forth between them.  Which sucked, because I love Egyptian mythology and was so excited for that series.  

And then, when I struggled through The Lost Hero, all I could think was how many more words were used than were needed.  I looked at the size of the book, and thought about how if they'd left all those extra things out, it would have been probably the same length as the books in the Percy Jackson series, and still just as good as those.  Because of that I have not made myself read on, dreading the amount of time and extra stuff to skip over as I try to get to the main story.  

 

The last books I'm going to talk about that didn't blow me away are the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. 

 I actually love the Mortal Instruments series.  And I love Magnus Bane!  But I tried picking up and reading the first one in the series, Clockwork Angel, and just couldn't get into it.  I think it was actually one of my very first ever Books for Trade deals too!  So I have the copy sitting at home.  I don't know that I want to give up though.  I feel like maybe now sometime I might go back and try it again.  Just don't know when.   

So, are any of these books one that you loved?  Do you have any books like this that you don't like but everyone else does?  I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please chime in below!

Get Back-to-School Ready with this YA Retellings Blog Blast and Giveaway!

Get Back-to-School Ready with this YA Retellings Blog Blast!

Recently, we asked several Entangled TEEN authors of YA Retellings the following question, "What book or story would you like to see updated for the young adult market?", and where possible, we've shared their responses below with you!

Gaby Triana's Wake the Hollow - YA Retelling of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow":

Forget the ghosts, Mica. It’s real, live people you should fear. Tragedy has brought Micaela Burgos back to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. It’s been six years since she chose to live with her father in Miami instead of her eccentric mother. And now her mother is dead. This town will suck you in and not let go. Sleepy Hollow may be famous for its fabled headless horseman, but the town is real. So are its prejudices and hatred, targeting Mica’s family as outsiders. But ghostly voices carry on the wind, whispering that her mother’s death was based on hate…not an accident at all. With the help of two very different guys—who pull at her heart in very different ways—Micaela must awaken the hidden secret of Sleepy Hollow…before she meets her mother’s fate. Find the answers. Unless, of course, the answers find you first. Gaby's Answer to What YA Retelling She'd Like to See in 100 Words or Less: As a huge fan of haunted house stories, I’d love to see a retelling of the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. First published in 1959, this was and still is, one of the finest examples of psychological terror ever known in the horror genre, and because I love stories that scare you with what’s not there rather than what is, I would love to see this interpreted for a teen audience. Are we caught up in Eleanor’s mind, or is a real poltergeist haunting her? “Whatever walked there, walked alone.” Yeah, definitely this one.

Buy Wake the Hollow:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Vivi Barnes, author of Olivia Twisted, which is a YA Retelling of Oliver Twist:

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite―break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv… Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted. Olivia Decoded: This isn’t my Jack, who once looked at me like I was his world. The guy who’s occupied the better part of my mind for eight months. This is Z, criminal hacker with a twisted agenda and an arsenal full of anger. I’ve spent the past year trying to get my life on track. New school. New friends. New attitude. But old flames die hard, and one look at Jack—the hacker who enlisted me into his life and his hacking ring, stole my heart, and then left me—and every memory, every moment, every feeling comes rushing back. But Jack’s not the only one who’s resurfaced in my life. And if I can’t break through Z’s defenses and reach the old Jack, someone will get hurt…or worse. Vivi's Answer to What YA Retelling She'd Like to See in 100 Words or Less: I first saw the movie To Kill A Mockingbird when I was a teenager, and I believe it played a large part in opening my eyes to the realities and consequences of racism. Considering the state of the world today, I would love to see the story retold as a young adult novel with a Muslim-American Tom Robinson. I think capturing the attention of young adults through literature is one of the most effective ways we can change the world for the better.

Buy Olivia Twisted (Olivia Twisted, #1):

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Pre-order Olivia Decoded (Olivia Twisted, #2):

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Cindi Madsen's All the Broken Pieces - YA Retelling of Frankenstein:

What if your life wasn’t your own? Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember. Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is? Cindi's Answer to What YA Retelling She'd Like to See in 100 Words or Less: Hmm. What retelling would I love to see? I’m a big fan of the classics, and twists on them. I’ll read just about any Pride & Prejudice retelling. Beauty and the Beast is also a favorite. But I’d love to see a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. I think that there could be a lot of possibilities and different ways to go, but I think one with a lot of tension and romance and kissing (my fave), would be amazing! And I just found out Entangled Teen recently acquired a Count of Monte Cristo retelling called STING, by Cindy Wilson! *makes grabby hands*

Buy All The Broken Pieces:

Amazon |  iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Jenny Trout's Such Sweet Sorrow - YA Retelling of Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet:

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo… But true love never dies. Though they’re parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he’ll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father’s crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure and the chance to avenge his father’s death. In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants, and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn’t surrender souls without a price…

Buy Such Sweet Sorrow:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

A.L. Davroe's Nexis - YA Retelling of "Cinderella":

In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner. Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again. A.L.'s Answer to What YA Retelling She'd Like to See in 100 Words or Less: I’m a huge fan of retellings of stories that are a little less well know. Even better? Gender swapped stories! That’s a field rich for the harvest and I don’t know why we’re not all jumping on that boat. Although, I hear Channing Tatum is going to be in a gender-swapped version of Splash. That’s gonna be something to see…

Buy Nexis (Tricksters, #1):

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Kendra C. Highley's Finding Perfect - YA Retelling of Pygmalion in reverse:

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains swoony situations, adult language, and a perfectly imperfect hero with an eye for calculus and a heart of gold. How far will you go for perfection? For “Perfect Paige” Westfeld, today is “D” Day. As in, she just got one on her calculus test. With her dreams of Stanford, her reputation, and her parents’ expectations at stake, Paige needs to find a way to save face before everything she’s worked for goes up in flames. Ben Franklin (yes, he’s related) is from the wrong side of town, with the wrong clothes and the wrong kind of life. He also knows an opportunity when he sees one, and he’ll be happy to tutor Paige—if she makes him into the kind of guy her best friend, the hottest girl in school, will date. It’s the perfect arrangement. And Paige is determined not even the inconvenient—and utterly imperfect—attraction simmering between her and Ben will ruin it… Kendra's Answer to What YA Retelling She'd Like to See in 100 Words or Less: I’d love the see Samson and Delilah told as an epic love story between two enemies, in a dystopian where magic is real (think An Ember in the Ashes). Samson, an eighteen-year- old with unusual strength has been helping his country’s army fight off an invasion by Delilah’s countrymen. Delilah, a renowned beauty, is blackmailed into starting a relationship with Samson to spy for her country in exchange from saving her sister from slavers. Against all odds, they fall in love, but Delilah still has to betray Samson. The twist would be that she frees him from his captors in the end, and they escape together.

Buy Finding Perfect (Finding Perfect, #1):

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Alyxandra Harvey's Red - YA Retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood":

Bad girls burn hot… Red is the color of Kia Alcott’s hair. It’s her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble. And it’s the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them. When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It’s an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood. Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries. But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn’t stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…

Buy Red:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Emily McKay's How Willa Got Her Groove Back - YA Retelling of Pride & Prejudice:

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains an unbelievably hot bad boy, an unbelievably famous actress, and all the drama that comes with adding both to your family. Oh, and a forbidden flirtation with a soon-to-be stepbrother When your life feels like a bad movie, rewrite the script. When Willa Schofer’s father comes home from a business trip with an über-famous new fiancée, Willa’s senior year blows up in paparazzi-fueled flames. Overnight, she has a new house, a new car, and a new soon-to-be stepbrother—the unbelievably hot, unbelievably arrogant, Finn McCain. Thank god he’s constantly pushing her buttons, or she might do something irresponsible. Like fall for the jerk. Just when Willa’s decided to avoid him for, oh, ever, Finn lands in the center of her senior project team. Seriously—how hard is it to shake a guy? At least her work on the project snagged the attention of the (second) hottest guy in school. He might only be into her because of her famous stepmom, and he’s not quite as exciting as a certain annoying housemate, but at least she’s allowed to crush on the guy. Because crushing on your annoying stepbrother? So not cool. Willa and Finn Book 2 coming November 14, 2016

Buy How Willa Got Her Groove Back (Creative HeArts, #2; Willa and Finn, #1):

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

Enter for a Chance to Win the Entangled YA Retellings Giveaway:

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Now It's Your Turn!

What YA Retelling are you dying to read, but - as far as you know - hasn't been written yet? Let us know in the comments section!

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Widower's Aura by AJ Renee

 
 

Book info:
Title: Widower's Aura

Author: A.J Renee

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 18, 2016

Synopsis

Living in a world full of colors, Sofia Brazier escapes a career gone south as a juvenile probationary officer in New Orleans. After moving to the small town of St. Fleur, Sofia opens a photography business in hopes of ridding her life of all the dark auras surrounding the damaged souls she once tried helping. Her comfortable new life is upended when widower, and ex-security-forces-turned-handyman hunk, Noah Tyler enters the local pub. Noah attempts to avoid the voluptuous beauty who has captivated his every thought. That is, until his daughter vandalizes Sofia’s building and effectively seals their fate. After cutting his daughter a break, Sofia begins tearing down the walls he built after his wife’s death. Just when life finally seems worth living for Noah, Sofia finds herself the victim of a string of crimes. Can he protect Sofia when he failed to protect his own wife?

Order your copy today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK| Barnes and Noble | IBooks | KOBO | Smashwords | Paperback

Excerpt

His eyes locked onto Sofia’s. Noah tried swallowing but failed. His mouth, which had been fine a moment ago, now lacked even a drop of saliva. The woman was phenomenal. Her hair swept away from her made-up face in a twist, left her long neck exposed. The dress hugged her body and made his hands itch to run up and down those glorious curves. Oh man, her breasts… those breasts were magnificent. If the woman looked this good in clothes, he could only imagine what she looked like out of them. Not that he hadn’t imagined that a hundred times by now. Thankfully the jeans and T-shirt were enough to cover up the proof of his growing desire. He forced his eyes to Lindsey, who also looked beautiful and happened to be giving him a laughing smile. Noah cleared his throat. “Ladies, you look wonderful.” “Thank you,” they told Noah in echo. “Okay, picture time!” Sofia said. Sofia accepted the camera from his hands. Their fingers briefly touched, shooting a bolt of pleasure down to his groin. His eyes shot to hers as she took a deep breath. Taking a step back, she lifted the camera to her face. Noah watched her relax, all distractions disappearing on the other side of the lens. He’d never seen her work and witnessing it was a gift as she captured Lexi’s special day.

 

About The Author:

AJ Renee loves to travel and see family and friends whenever she gets a chance. She has a love of music, movies, and anything that can make her laugh. AJ believes in reading books with humor and mystery that end in a happily ever after to help ease our minds and hearts of life’s daily struggles. She currently resides in Nevada and spends her time with her air force husband, three young daughters, dog, and cat.
 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:
 

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Waiting on Wednesday: Glitter by Aprilynne Pike

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  My pick this week is by an author that I've only read one book by so far, but this one sounds like a very unique one!  Here, check out the blurb from Goodreads:  

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.

What do you think, sound interesting?  I've never watched Breaking Bad, and I have no desire to, but the idea in this story sounds fun!  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?  

And while you're here, make sure you go check out my 7th Blogoversary Giveaway HERE.
 

Audiobook Review: Built (Saints of Denver #1) by Jay Crownover

Book info:
Title:  Built  
Author:  Jay Crownover
Series:  Saints of Denver #1  
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance
Published:  January 5th, 2016
Source:  Digital audiobook downloaded from public library

So, last week I shared the book that was supposed to kind of bridge the Marked Men series with this new Saints of Denver series.  At first I was unsure if I would like this series.  I mean, the main character of this book, the guy on the cover, Zeb, was totally not my type of guy from a quick glance at the cover.  I mean, I've gotten more into guys with facial hair, but his beard, man, it's like a mountain man, and not the kind that I've ever found attractive.  To me, that kind of beard makes me think of a couple guys from some older movies/tv shows.  Like on Little House on the Prairie, the family friend, Mr. Edwards.  The other one was in the movie Adventures in Babysitting, the tow truck guy with the one hand that was a hook.  (I know, I'm probably a little weird).  Of course his character totally took care of that for me.  And then, as I looked at his picture more, it was his eyes that totally grabbed me, and made me look past the beard.   

So, as you probably guessed, Zeb is one of the main characters.  We met him back in the Marked Men series, maybe in Nash's book first?  He was hired to build the new tattoo shop, which is called Saints of Denver, hence the title of the series.  The other main character is Sayer, who we met in Rowdy's story, since she is his half-sister.  While Zeb is a big strong, work with his hands, manly man, Sayer is a very put together, high class, lawyer.  The two don't seem like they would mesh at all.  But Zeb is interested in Sayer the first time he sees her sitting at Rome's bar with Rowdy.  And Sayer definitely finds him attractive, she has sex dreams about him. But she doesn't think she would be right for him, as she's always been told that she is frigid, or at least her last boyfriend did.  

Of course both of them have their own issues, Zeb wondering if he's good enough for a woman like Sayer, and if she'd even consider him.  And then there is a huge change that shows up in Zeb's life.  A woman shows up and tells him that he has a son.  A son whose mother just died, and may have to live in foster care if his father can't step in and give him a home.  Of course there are all kinds of issues with this.  The first is Zeb's prison time.  Now, what he did was hurt the man who had been hurting his sister, but this meant he had anger problems. Plus, what he did to the man, it happened in front of his niece, who was very young at the time.  Since then though, his niece is no longer afraid of him, and loves him to death.  Zeb asks Sayer to help him deal with the issue of his son, to help him make sure it is truly his son, and if so, then to help him gain custody.  

I'm sure from that you can get a gist of where the story will go.  And it goes in a good way, some bits maybe predictable, but the rest pretty good.  My main issues had mostly to do with the audio part, the narrators read way too slow for most of the book, although the narrator for Zeb had the perfect voice for what I pictured him having.  But, they said Asa wrong again!!!!  It's not that hard, I don't understand why they keep getting it wrong!  I'm sure the author gets tired of me tweeting her about my frustration, which she says she shares, every time one of the audiobooks does this.   I also hate the reason that Sayer pushed Zeb away. But little Hyde, Zeb's son, totally stole the whole book.  I was surprised that the family issue of Hyde came about so early in the story. From the way the synopsis had been, I figured it would be later on. But because it was so early in the story, I don't feel like it's a big spoiler for me to talk about it in my review.

Once again, I love this author, I  love this series.  I guess I'll need to go on and read all her books, even if I may think that they won't quite be my type, because she'll win me over to the people I'm sure. 

Maegan Abel's The Broken Series Box Set Release Day Celebration and Giveaway

Title: The Broken Series Box Set

Author: Maegan Abel

Publisher: Forever Red Publishing

Release Date: August 23, 2016

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 9781941853375

“Sometimes, when you take the broken pieces and combine them, you get something even more beautiful.”

Life will never be the same.

People always say things like that and you never really believe them, but it’s the truth. One day, you think you have your life all figured out and then a single event starts a chain reaction you can’t seem to stop…

Zane Tishler and Lili Cortez fit in perfectly with the party crowd of Sin City locals. They’ve spent two years honing a finely tuned system to bag and tag tourists with no strings attached. Sex is just sex, after all. But when dangerous shadows from the past start to reappear, things get complicated. Best friends and roommates, they never expected to find what they’d both been searching for in each other, but sometimes those who know us best forgive our sins the easiest.

Through shootings, fires, and a multitude of secrets and lies, can they both survive?

Even if they do, can their love?

Add to your TBR List:  Goodreads

 Join Forever Red Publishing and Barclay Publicity in celebrating the release of Maegan Abel’s THE BROKEN SERIES BOX SET today! This sizzling box set includes 3 full-length novels and one novella. Titles included are Perfectly Broken, Unforgivably Broken, Broken Holidays - A Broken Series Novella, and Silently Broken! Grab this wonderful set now for just $9.99!!

Available at:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes  

 Excerpt from Unforgivably Broken:

Prologue

Fire

 

 I don’t know how that tiny part of me knew that something was wrong before the text came through.
But I did.
And as I round the corner, the harsh reality hits me with the heat of the flames. I’m running, but I don’t even
remember stopping the car. There’s a crowd nearby, blocking my way. Probably the neighbors, but I don’t really see
them. I don’t even slow as I rush toward the house.
There’s yelling, someone pulling me, grabbing at my arm, but I wrench free, feeling so much heat I can’t
breathe. I cough, barely able to see through the thick, black smoke that surrounds me.
I’m so close.
“You can’t go in there!” a voice yells, sounding hollow through the mask he wears. His arms are across my
body, yanking me backward, away from the front door, away from the house.
“No!” I struggle, putting everything I have into breaking free of his grip, but another set of hands helps him.
“The whole frame is unstable. You can’t go in. It’s coming down any second.” As if on cue, a loud creak sounds,
followed by a shower of sparks and ash as the front section of the roof collapses. I cover my head automatically before
staring, my eyes scanning the front windows wildly. Or, what were once the front windows. Now, there’s nothing
more than gaping holes, every piece of the house burning red, orange, and yellow.
“No!” The word is strangled as I tear free from the numerous hands holding me, scrambling toward the flames.
They’re inside. I can feel it.
“Stop!” They tackle me, more of them this time, as they drag me back from the flames.
“My family is in there!” I thrash harder, running on full adrenaline as I watch the fire engulf my home.
“You need to calm down,” someone says as I realize the heat is getting less intense. They’re pulling me away
from the house. It’s then that I remember the crowd.
How did I not think of this before?
I turn, looking away from the fire, trying to see past the firefighters to the cluster of people. Maybe they got
out.
But the weight in my stomach tells me I’m wrong.

About Maegan Abel:

 

Maegan despises writing about herself in the third person. She also hates touting her accomplishments like she thinks she’s really done all this amazing stuff…

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’ll tell you what you need to know. I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I went to college in my late twenties and studied Stage Production Technology. I now work full-time in an alterations shop of a major department store and part-time backstage in the various theaters around the area. I’ve been an avid reader from a very young age and the top goal on my list of things to accomplish in my life was to write and publish a book. During the summer of 2013, while working backstage on The Lion King, I read eleven books in four weeks. It was during that time that the character of Lili was born and after the show left Tulsa, I sat down and began writing my first published book, Perfectly Broken.

Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Publisher’s Website

Giveaway:  

Forever Red Publishing is offering one (1) lucky grand prize winner a Kindle loaded with selected Forever Red Publishing Titles! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

 

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