HAPPY MONDAY EARLY BIRDS!! I’m still working on today’s list (yep! I been lazy and taking my time this morning). And I have my awesome Cinnamon Twist coffee & thinking holy moly February is going fast.
<— IN CASE YOU MISSED IT YESTERDAY!!! 😮 L.J. Shen’s LATEST – Angry God – IS LIVE!!!!
Diana: OMG about time, sooooo excited
Courtney: So excited for this! ❤️
As well as all of THESE Monday Earlybirds!!! But first:
1.) I’m about to post a review for In an Instant (it was really good!), and then I’m going to start reading Tessa Bailey’s Reborn Yesterday (he wakes up on her embalming table!!! The vampire and the human woman… and this sounds right up my original paranormal romance alley!!) I’m totally in the mood again.
2.) I watched two movies over my wonderful Valentines Day weekend (and none of ’em were romance). Go figure. 😉 The first one. Who has seen “Parasite“? I love asian horror & thrillers & I knew this wasn’t going to be horror (despite the title… and fitting), but it kept me on the edge of my seat anyway. I was holding my breath so many times.
Also, quite a few messages to take away with this one. I wasn’t sure who I’d recommend it to. Goes in all sorts of directions & it’s a bit over-the-top. I had to “suspend belief” at times, and yet, the ending… *ooooomph* It sure did go crazy… Did I love it to the level of Best Picture of the Year that it won? Hrmmm… maybe no? But was it riveting and did it keep me guessing as where it was going, and am I still thinking about it, and will I never forget it? YES!!!!
Val: I loved it. It was just so different and fascinating to me. Definitely a lot of “wait, what?” moments but they just added to it for me. It also had a few messages that made me think a lot.
Maryse: Right there with you!!!! The comment on the basement smell… painful.
Val: Yes. I had a hard time with that. I am still bothered by it and think about it a lot. But it’s very effective and a good way to use film to make us realize some things.
Cindy: I watched it last week. I went into it blind (like I do with books 😁) It was intriguing! I never lost interest which is a testament to the tight direction. A lot of subtle things thrown in to tell the story and connect the characters. 5 stars!
Jessica: I loved it. I watch a ton of Korean dramas and I was so pleased that it won so many awards. It’s well deserved.
3.) I also watched Stephen Kings “Doctor Sleep“ (sequel to The Shining) and I was pretty impressed with it. It’s a long movie (over 2.5hrs I think?) but very detailed about Danny’s life (and abilities) as an adult. And he’s a freaking mess. But what I loved is while – yes… it’s horror – a few signature Stephen King scary scenes – It had a very “fantasy” feel to it when Danny meets a young girl that has powers like he does. But HOLY MOLY is she powerful. And then… there are the villains that are powerful too. Almost like soul-vampires (that’s how they feed themselves)… sucking a soul right out. But they only choose special victims. SO GOOD!!!
LOOK WHAT JUST WENT LIVE !!!
- Angry God by L.J. Shen <— HE’S HER BULLY… and now they’re stuck living together!!! “...His parents rule this town, its police, every citizen and boutique on Main Street. All I own is a nice, juicy grudge against him for that time he almost killed me. Between hooking up with a different girl every weekend, breaking hearts, noses and rules, Vaughn also finds the time to bully little ole’ me. I fight back, tooth and nail, never expecting him to chase me across the ocean after we graduate high school. But here he is, living with me in a dark, looming castle on the outskirts of London. A fellow intern...”
Diana: Fav Author hands down
- Altered by Lead (Undercover Sinners Book 2) by Tate James & C.M. Stunich <— DARK MAFIA ROMANCE ALERT!! **ALTERED BY LEAD is Book Two in the UNDERCOVER SINNERS trilogy. This is a romantic suspense with unapologetic anti-heroes and is fully intended for a mature audience.**
- Rock Bottom: (A Dawson Family Novel) by Emily Goodwin
- The Ruthless Knight by Jeana E. Mann
- Monster Inside Me: Volume II (A Dark Mafia Romance Book 2) by Faye Byrd
- Stone Cold Kiwi (New Zealand Ever After Book 2) by Rosalind James <— HER MARRIAGE IS FAILING & SHE’S FALLING FOR HER DELIVERY DOCTOR!!! “…My marriage? Living with a failing marriage is like living with a toothache. It’s not going to get any better, and eventually, it’s going to get heaps worse, but who wants a root canal. Beginning to fall for the much-too-charming, not-quite-available, stone-cold-beautiful Dr. Matiu Te Mana, on the day he delivered the third of those children on the grass outside Dunedin Hospital, a few short minutes before my marriage began its spectacular and very public final implosion? Possibly tricky…”
- Sinners & Gin (Top Shelf Book 6) by Alta Hensley
- Bad Boy’s Baby (South Side Boys) by Alexis Winter
- Edged (The Invincibles Book 2) by Heather Slade
- Red Thorns: A College Bully Romance (Red Thorns Crew Book 1) by Rebel Hart <— BULLY BOOK ALERT!! GOOD GIRL & THE BIKER ALERT! “…Dani’s goal of keeping her nose in her textbooks and getting impeccable grades has served her well. Made her parents proud. Kept her on a path toward the white-picket fence and clean-cut husband she always dreamt she wanted. The life her parents wanted for her more than anything. Until she sees Max pull up to campus on his bike. Max is the president of the Red Thorns, the toughest motorcycle crew in Ann Arbor...”
- BeWitch Her (Descended from a Witch Book 1) by Atlas Rose
- Siren Condemned: Paranormal Prison Series by C.R. Jane and Mila Young
- Chief: A BBW Instalove Romance (Lighting The Alpha’s Fire Book 2) by Kate Hunt
- Trouble by Colet Abedi <— DARK ROMANCE ALERT!! HE’S OBSESSED WITH HER… “…You were a means to an end, a way to pay your father back. To avenge my sister. Her death. Her life. But it turned into something else. An obsession. An addiction. Dangerous. Unwanted. But, maybe, inevitable. And so here we are. I’m sorry, Kerri… I didn’t want this…”
- Heard by Suzanne Jefferies
- The Demigod Complex (Brimstone INC Book 1) by Abigail Owen
- The Weight of Living (Cherrywood Grove Book 3) by M.A. Hinkle
- Once in a Blue Moon (Belles of St. Clair Book 2) by Amanda Ashby
- Hate Struck: (Maddison High School Book 1) by Nikki Ashton <— HE HATES HER!! “…Sarah Danes was the new girl at Maddison High School and was was running from her past. The scars she carried constantly reminded her of what she’d suffered, but she was determined to move on. If only the boy who ruled the school corridors didn’t hate her so much…”
- Darklight 5: Darktide by Bella Forrest
- The Billionaire’s Secret Regret: A Second Chance, Secret Baby Romance. by Tara Brent
- The Dare by Mia Ford
PREORDERS (going live soon!!! 😀 )
- Tempting Taste (Tempt Me Book 2) by Sara Whitney – February 18th 2020
- Real Life: A Novel by Brandon Taylor – February 18th 2020
- Chasing Cassandra: The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas – February 18th 2020
- The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James – February 18th 2020
- Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon – February 18th 2020
- Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin – February 18th 2020
- The Other Mrs.: A Novel by Mary Kubica – February 18th 2020
- Wild at Heart: A Novel (The Simple Wild Book 2) by K.A. Tucker – February 18th 2020
- Creeping Beautiful by J.A. Huss – February 19th 2020
- A Glimmer of Ghosts (The Hell Gate Series) by Hunter J. Skye – February 19th 2020
- Rebel Priest (Love and Other Drugs Duet Book 1) by Adriane Leigh – February 20th 2020
- Face the Music (Love, Hate, Rock-n-Roll Book 3) by JB Salsbury – February 20th 2020
- The Laws of Entanglement: A True Love Story by Maya Preisler – February 22nd 2020
- Just One Year by Penelope Ward – February 24th 2020
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Omg, Sun Down releases tomorrow?! Ya’ll HAVE to read that book! I’m also super excited for Betwixt by Darynda Jones to release tomorrow. I’m actually a little confused about how it works. I know there are 10? other authors and they’re individual books (per fb) but I’m wondering if they’re all smooshed into one book, like a bunch of short stories or what. Either way, I will definitely be reading them. She’s one of my favorites and I’ve read Robyn Peterman and she’s hilarious as well.
I finished In an Instant over the weekend and am just about finished with Would Like To Meet *wiggles*. If you remember, last year I had a major finishing problem and I feel really good this year so far, completing them. And not cuz they were bad! Just overwhelmed and distracted, I think.
So jealous of the Tessa Bailey paranormal! It sounds awesome and I can’t wait to hear what you think. ☺️
How’d you like In An Instant? I lost a bit of my momentum about halfway through but I love the introspection in regards to how we handle ourselves in dangerous times.
Did you read her notes about what inspired the story? Almost a little bit of a true story…
I have to use spoilers on how I felt about it, to get the bigger picture, I’ll send it over fb. But, as a whole I really enjoyed it. I felt that it was a book that it was easy to read if you had the time in a single sitting, hard to put down. I like reading survival stories and I liked how this one particularly focused on the aftermath of tragedy. I only wish it wasn’t tied up so neat and tidy in the end. Also, could’ve used more rawness? I’m not sure how I want to word that. I needed edgier, a little darker in particular situations that I thought would’ve been more believable. But, that’s just my perspective. And I really enjoyed the author’s note at the end. Definitely rang true with what Finn was pointing out in humanity.
And yes… Sun Down sounds like all SORTS of my kind of read!!!! 😀
1. I leave for Europe in 8 days and I can’t focus on anything but Belgium beer and chocolate.
2. That said, I need to be writing!
3. I had a mini Buffy marathon from the hot tub last night watched the musical for the gazillionth time. And I still cried. 😭
R, that is amazing. Happy for you and jealous.
Eat lots of waffles and french fries with mayonnaise.
I hope it is wonderful.
Oh, the mayo!! That too!
Finished The Life That Mattered, by Jewel E Ann, late last night. 5 stars!! Thank god the follow up releases this week. I love everything she writes. I am in love with Ronin Alexander. I have a dozen ideas where this might go, and I’m sure I’m wrong on all counts! This is probably a good time to throw some peanuts… Maryse…. read Jack and Jill series. You will NOT be disappointed.
LOL!!!!!!!
But but… I wanna read THIS one. You just 5-starred it right in my face!!!!
But Jack & Jill is complete!!! Both are phenomenal. This girl can write. It’s exactly what I love. The voices of the characters, their mannerisms, quirks. The story. The intrigue. The secrets. You’re just reading along, everything is peachy, then WHAM, out of nowhere she throws in another plot twist. Like the Vancouver incident. You’ll see….
OH…
*raises an eyebrow*
You just said something very intriguing…
I finally started Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw. It’s been sitting in my que for so long waiting for book 3 to come out, which did last week! It is so good you guys. The H and h have been friends since childhood then married. They divorced over something the h never knew about the H. He was hiding it. He’s a successful author and she is this extreme sports junkie/ promoter. She is loved by his family, like another daughter. She decides to embark on a journey to figure out what went wrong with her marriage and uncovers a lot of things that were hidden from her. She’s still madly in love w the H as he with her. I just love the writing, the flow and ease. I love all the references to the extreme sports in the beginning of the chapters. Like Hydraulic Level Five has to do with whitewater rafting, SkyGods has to do with parachutists and I think Fourteeners is mountain climbing. Those are the titles of the books. Sorry I’ve gone on forever, but these books are so good I had to share.
Yes, I’m waiting for The Life You Stole by Jewel E Ann on Thursday! I’ve read all her books and have loved every single one!
Maryse, did you see Good Girls season 3 premiered last night? I had it marked on my calendar. It’s on Hulu for me today to watch. 😄
WAIT WHATTTTTT?
OMG I’m gonna watch it right now. How I love day-off Mondays!!!! 😀
Ok, I’ve finished Would Like to Meet as well. I recommend this one if you want a light, pick me up, feel good kind of read. It had me laughing from the start and smiling throughout. It is totally a rom com and I’ve not read one in a very long time, but I love how Evie, our h, plays out all these meet cutes to get her client to write a script for a production agency. It had so many references to all of my beloved rom com movies from years past, yet I could see this becoming one of those movies on its own! I loved her friendships, her back and forth with her “enemy”, and the potential relationships with prospects. And of course, all the mishaps along the way. *chuckles*