Following my heart, one book at a time...
“Sweet Thing” (one of my favorite books from 2013) has a follow-up novella! Renee Carlino’s “Sweet Little Thing” will be live on March 4th 2013, and I couldn’t think of a better title. I can’t wait to read it!
“…things don’t always go according to the plan. Sometimes happily-ever-after is one giant leap of faith away”
So… do you wanna see the cover? And what about the blurb on the back? 😀 Yah you do!! Simply… gorgeous!
<— Well. *grins* I’m thinking ummm… this. Yep. That’ll be my next read, especially after reading that synopsis. *phew* looks like I’m in for some alpha-male biker bossiness and yet, I’m already crushing (you now… ’cause of what made him decide to be so bossy). Awwww. 😉
Then I’m thinking of going back to my “Seventeen books on my TBR List” and choosing another sure-fire winner from the bunch. And since I just purchased the first 4 books in Tiffany Snow’s “Kathleen Turner” series (they were yesterday’s “Kindle Daily Deal”), I’m thinking of moving on to those next. I hear the the love triangle continues to burn bright, and our fellow readers are in love and on opposite teams!
And of course, there’s the latest “Cat and Bones” (Night Huntress Series) book that’s calling me. Plus it’s the last and I’ve been following this series since the start. *sigh* I’m going to be sad to say goodbye…
Okay so here are the latest book releases (I noted a few that look good and/or gave me a bit of a synopsis “jolt”) & some bargain finds, too!
P.S. Let me know if I’m missing any or if you loved any (from this list or elsewhere).
BARGAINS (NOTE: bargain priced when I added them, but prices can change on Amazon, so make sure to check before you finalize your order).
Bullet to the Heart (No Mercy) by Lea Griffith <— WHOA!! BOOK ALERT!! —> *squeeeee* Aimee found us a SERIOUS book deal!! I’ve had this one on my TBR list for a couple of months now, ’cause I hear it’s so good. WOW. Yah. That was a must-buy. I just one-clicked! Oh and!! Jeannie just weighed in saying: “I finished Bullet to the Heart and it was amazing. Definitely 5 stars! Just a warning though, it was very dark, and had some elements that might disturb some people. If it might be you, read the synopsis and decide. The prologue actually kept me awake at night. Not gory, just….very disturbing. Some scenes were very heartbreaking. All in all, so well written, I highly recommend.“
PARANORMAL
Up From the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel by Jeaniene Frost <— the last Cat and Bones!!!! I LOVE this series like crazy! (here is the Night Huntress Series Reading Order)
CONTEMPORARY
All the Pretty Poses (The Pretty Series) by M. Leighton <– book #2 but can be read as a standalone!Bobbie: Omg is anyone else reading Archer’s Voice? I am about ***** through and am at the part where he is in **** with **** and I am screaming in my head “DON’T DO IT!” over and over in my head … Damn damn damn damn damn… not a spoiler, promise And even if you think you know, you don’t THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!!!!Sarah: It was amazing, Archer was such a different H but you so fall in love with him!!!! Favorite book so far this year!!!!
Beautiful Addictions by Season Vining <— “When Josie disappeared years ago, she took a piece of Tristan with her. She’s the girl he thought he lost forever—the one he’s never been able to forget. Now a twist of fate has brought them back together, and he never wants to let her out of his inked arms again. But Tristan is haunted by a dark past of his own. On the run from ruthless criminals that shattered Josie’s world years ago, reentering her life puts them both in danger.“
Deeper: A Novel (Caroline & West) by Robin York <— I love when characters hang out all the time together… that nice slow burn. “When Caroline Piasecki’s ex-boyfriend posts their sex pictures on the Internet, it destroys her reputation as a nice college girl. Suddenly her once-promising future doesn’t look so bright. Caroline tries to make the pictures disappear, hoping time will bury her shame. Then a guy she barely knows rises to her defense and punches her ex to the ground. West Leavitt is the last person Caroline needs in her life. Everyone knows he’s shady. Still, Caroline is drawn to his confidence and swagger—even after promising her dad she’ll keep her distance. On late, sleepless nights, Caroline starts wandering into the bakery where West works…“
Tainted (Torn Series) by K.A. Robinson <— ROCK STAR ALERT!! “After his band is picked up by a recording studio in Los Angeles, things go from bad to worse. What happens to a man who has lost everything he ever truly cared about?”
Blind Love (Sulfur Heights Series) by M. Brannon <— okay… this looks good. She’s been groomed to be the perfect socialite and wife… and he’s… “Surviving on his ability to expertly hustle, fight and womanize, Jake could do it all; lived it all. Raised in a rundown city, filled with crime and drugs, he had survived the death of an abusive mother and a life with an absent father while only having his brothers to depend on. His lifestyle became fast and Jake had lived it the only way he knew how, until the day he met Delilah.” <— they become best friends…
Mine to Lose (Mine to Love)
Here’s another pick from my one of my latest posts “Seventeen books on my TBR List”. It was actually a new release that caught my eye with that synopsis, so it hasn’t been on my TBR list for long, but I couldn’t help but jump in ASAP. I loved the premise. It had an obvious “romantic-angst” factor right from the start, and while I haven’t read that many like it (yet), I’ve been there before with another one of my past favorites.
Maryse’s Book Blog: Okay… I chose one, but a totally different one and I’m into it! It’s off of my “Top 17 books that I want to read from my TBR list.” It kind of has a bit of that Thoughtless feel in terms of… she moves to another state to be with her fiancé, settles in and his job promotion sends him to yet another state. But her career is picking up where she’s at, and she loves it… so she doesn’t follow him. It was angsty from the start (the countdown to goodbye) and now… well. I’m thinking it’s gonna hurt.
Erin: Sounds like a good dose of angst!! I like 🙂 adding it.
Rachel: I’ll be watching for your review! I was really into this one for the first half, but the second half felt rushed to me. Can’t wait to read your thoughts!
Maryse’s Book Blog: Noooo oh no!! Rushed is no fun… and the first half is what I’m in (40% right now and it’s really great). Okay, I’ll continue though… it’s just too good right now.
Toski: Omg. You had me at thoughtless
Lisa: This book was amazing. A touch of angst but the characters,situations and reactions are very believable. Loved it.
Valerie: Just one clicked thanks!!!
Emily: Ohhh this sounds good!
Claire: Loved this book so much!
Catherine: I loved this book.
What’s it about?
It’s about discovering if love really is enough, when it comes to young ambition and having to make sacrifices. Having to Adjust. Adapt. Acquiesce.
Fresh out of college and embarking on their lives together, Emogen left her family and friends to follow the love of her life “Ryan” to another state for his new job.
And while it was difficult at first, they are so in love, their future together so full of promise, that they are having the time of their lives. Making friends, both working jobs that will further them in their careers. But all of that comes to a halt when Ryan gets a “job promotion” but one that forces him to move to another state. He accepts the opportunity on the spot, which throws their stable, committed relationship into a whirlwind. Because she is not willing to leave. Leaving her life (and a job that she loves) to follow him yet again has her feeling as if they are not on equal footing. She’s done it once, already and the fact that he hasn’t even discussed this with her has her livid.
When I look at my fiancé, floored at the words that come out of his mouth, the disappointment that I feel in this moment is crushing. Of course, we rely on his income to make ends meet, but to say that he needs to leave for work makes me feel as if I don’t matter. I can’t believe we’re in the middle of planning a wedding, and we are already having a huge crisis in our relationship. What does this mean for our marriage. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but it feels like he’s bailing on me.
And therein starts the angst! She loves him more than anything, had no doubts about their future, but now everything is at stake. Her whole vision of “them” thrown for a loop. And believe me… it really is. From the arguments about the unfairness of the situation, to trying to prove a point,
The silence is palpable as we stand, staring each other down. I’m not sure which of us just won this argument, but I’m pretty sure it was neither.
to neither giving in to the other,
It would be easy for me to give in to him, but if I give in now, I’ll be giving in for the rest of my life. I’m too stubborn to stand and stop him or to even say goodbye.
to the countdown to goodbye…
I’m stopped in my tracks when I see an envelope sitting on the counter. I creep to the letter and eye it as if out has the ability to attack me. ‘Emogen,‘ is written on it, in Ryan’s handwriting, and I find it hard to bring myself to open it.
Oh yes. I was feeling the pain and excited for more!! 😉
That was just the start of it, too. A nice lead in, well-explored, with plenty of emotion, plus a mature feel to it as a whole (even if she gets pretty bratty at times). And she does. But I got where she was coming from, and I don’t know that I wouldn’t have acted out in the same way.
So I’ll leave you there, in the “countdown to goodbye” portion, ’cause the rest is yours to discover if you so choose to. I really enjoyed it.
I felt pain,
I feel like I’m fighting for us, and he’s fighting for his career. I can’t do the fighting for both of us. This realization cuts deep inside of me, and I feel my heart physically ache.
and temptation,
I’m looking for trouble. <— side note. Ruh roh! 😉
insecurity…
“Then it’s just going to be hard for awhile. But we can do it, right?” I hear doubt when he voices the question and it rattles me. He’s my rock, and his doubt is pounding in my ears.
(wow, ↑ ↑ ↑ so poignantly worded).
… and moments of fury (albeit milder than my past furious reading-states, but still fun while it lasted ;)).
And it did keep me guessing as to what the outcome would be. I don’t know if it was “angsty” enough for me to 5-star it, as I didn’t cry, or feel the need to run to you guys and freak-out publicly or anything. You know if I do that, I’m loving it. But it was darn close! And the writing and pacing was good. Maybe a bit rushed at a certain point (which took some of the edge off of the potential angst/fury factor).
A few many missed opportunities that could have allowed us to live the details in full “technicolor” vs. finding out about them, via the heroine’s thought processes, later. More detail, more drawn-out situations, and more heated intimacy (er… *lips sealed*) would have raised the eeeeep-factor and scorched me bad (which would have been SO goooood). Ah well. I enjoyed it plenty, anyway!
Let’s just say this was a much more even-keeled (less traumatic) variant on the “Thoughtless/Arsen” variety. You know the type. The “potential break-up/temptation/true-love that just might not be enough” kind of reads that I LOVE so much. My kind of love story. 😉 Or anti-love story. LOL! But let’s just say, that a few days later (even though they haven’t been obsessing me), I can still remember pretty much, every bit of it, so I’m going to give it:
4 stars! (and 3.5 stars for the more “rushed” portions of the story).
P.S. Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy!
Come to Me Quietly: The Closer to You Series
I decided to dig back into my “Seventeen books on TBR List” and read this recent release, since this one comes highly recommended. Actually, anything from this author does, and going by this book, I can see why!
Deanna: Come To Me Quietly. When u ask what books puts u in a fog and u dream of for days later. That is this book for me. I downloaded “stay” by Rhianna because that song works so well for this book. You’ll see. 5++++++ stars. Obsessed. Cant wait until July. So good.
Mertxe: “Come to me quietly” is breathtaking, Jared will break your heart and you will love him. 5 ++ stars
Megan: I am almost done with Come to Me Quietly….WOW, it will break your heart and put it back together. 🙂
I loved it!
Wow. A.L. Jackson is an eloquent writer, and the detail in her characters, their lives and their interactions just… did it for me. New adult maybe, but with a mature feel. Told from both POV’s, it’s impeccable in it’s narration. Just enough to be able to visualize them as if they were real, but better yet, enough emotion and introspection to actually be able to feel them… as if they were us.
So what’s it about?
Aly has crushed on her brother’s best friend (Jared) since they were little. She used to follow them around everywhere, and he loved her as if she were his own little sister. Kept a vigilant eye on her when she was with them, made sure she didn’t get hurt, and if she did, he was the first one there to take care of her.
They adored each other… and as they became teens, her hero-worship developed into so much more. Except that something… separated him from their lives forever. Or at least what seemed like forever.
Until the day she comes home from work one evening (years later), and notices a fully tattooed (and pained looking) Jared sleeping on her couch.
My attention was drawn to his hands, where the designs dripped down over his wrists and leaked onto his fingers. The knuckles on one hand had numbers that read 1990. The knuckles on the other were marked 2006.
Sickness coiled in my stomach as I realized the significance of the statement he made.
This boy was painted in his pain.
Whoa… “painted in his pain“. Beautifully said. Deep and heartbreaking.
Living with her and her brother until he gets situated now that he’s back in their hometown. While he adamantly (even aggressively) tries to keep his distance from Aly (as per her brother’s demands and his own self-imposed punishment),
… he hissed in my face, “I don’t need your sh!t, and I promise you, you don’t need mine.”
He released a bitter grunt as he leaned back, then stalked away.
… the pull between the two is undeniable. Tormenting them both, as he struggles against their emotional current.
Motherf$%king trigger.
She’d triggered memories, ones I didn’t want to remember. Memories of when I was happy and free. Memories that taunted me with what i could no longer have.
It had me emotionally connected and swooning over Jared with a big gushy heart. And the things he’d say to her…
His gaze captured mine before his fingertips traced down my cheek, swept along my jaw, and barely glanced over my lips. “You grew up on me, Aly,” he murmured, the words rough, almost in awe.
*gulp*. His jealous reactions when he’d see her with another guy? My heart would dip and the stomach-butterflies would be in full force! He couldn’t do anything about it and it was believable. But still… he’d react and I’d thrill. Exactly what I’d expect a tormented “bad-boy” with a huge chip on his shoulder (and for good reason), would do. One who keeps denying himself, and yet can’t resist. Takes… but then punishes himself (in turn punishing her in the process), driving the angst portion of this love story.
“Hanging out with you like this has absolutely been the most selfish thing I’ve done in a long time.” A short breath filtered from his nose. “I can’t do this with you anymore…. this whole friend thing. I can feel it coming, Aly, that something bad is gonna happen and I’m going to hurt you, and I refuse to do it.”
“You’d never hurt me,” I said. This time I couldn’t keep myself from refuting his words.
Dry laughter filled my room. “You’re right… because I won’t ever let it get that far.”
And that’s what made this book different from the many “tattooed and tortured” heroes that are flooding the romance genre today. Mind you, I’m not balking at it. 😉 I love a tortured “bad-boy” hero (they’re what attracted me to the genre in the first place), and having this many to choose has been a lot of fun! But lately, my issue is that I’m looking for an authentic one. I don’t want them to simply display the “bad boy features”, but to actually live, breathe and maybe even die by them. And if they’re tortured too? I want to believe the reason behind the constant self-deprecation, shame and guilt. Instead of becoming exasperated with their constant turmoil (in turn, making me lose interest and simply disconnect), I want to understand the reasoning behind their emotional resistance and personal disconnect.
This one handled that perfectly.
Oh you bet I was curious as to why he was constantly punishing himself. And for awhile (as it kept me guessing) I worried that it was going to be more melodrama than the actual reveal was worth.
But I was wrong. Oh yes. Once the reason came to be, and I got to experience it in detail… whoa. He had every right to his own personal agony. I’m not going to say whether he deserved that kind of self-punishing exile, or not (that would be a slight spoiler), but I will say… I got him. And I don’t know that I would have been any different.
I knew inside that pure heart of hers she believed the two of us were just the same.
Maybe her soul burned so bright she couldn’t see the blackness in mine.
Ohhhhh WOW. I loved that!! Perfect.
Fantastic angsty potential love story, that had just enough of everything to keep me guessing, torturing me just right. You know I love it when it hurts, and this one stung real nice! I can’t wait for the next installment! Cliffhanger? No. But definitely more to come for these characters, and I’m thrilled!
4.5 stars
For those of you that are into the MMA fighter romance books (like me!!), here one that’s already 3 books in (book #3 was just released a week or so ago)! I read #1 and enjoyed it (here’s my review), and I hear #2 is really good as well. These have been touted as great “in between” reads, because while there is romance and steam and a touch of angst, none of it goes too overboard.
Kristina: Seducing Cinderella by Gina Maxwell… yummy quick read. MMA fighter makes a deal with best friend’s younger sister to help her become a seductress & win the heart of a Dr. she’s been pining for at work if she helps him recover in time for his major fight.. hmmmm.. yeah I’ll leave it at that.. *droool* lol.. Nothing too heavy & great inbetween read =)
Shan: I loved it!!! It is exactly what you said, a great in between read to take the edge off (after reading Thoughtless and Effortless, I needed that *sigh*)…that was until approximately chapter 9…when they turned on the heat and they really turned on the heat 😉 oh but the ending! Just perfect… :love:
Sabrina: Yes I enjoyed this one too!!
Ashley: My favorite book boyfriend is Reid Andrews from Gina Maxwell’s “Seducing Cinderella”. He gives me butterflies in my tummy!
Sara: Gina L Maxwell has a second book out in the Fighting for Love Series. This one is titled Rules of Entanglement. This story is about Lucie’s brother, Jax and her best friend Vanessa. This is such a good story, if you enjoyed the first you will definitely like the second.
Pansy: You are going to love Rules of Entanglement. It was a pleasant surprise. 4 stars!
Jenn: right now I am crushing hard on Jackson Maris-“Rules of Entanglement”
Jill: I just finished Rules of Entanglement and it is absolutely fabulous! Jax is SO a new book boyfriend, for real!!
About book #1:
Mixed martial arts fighter Reid Andrews’s chance to reclaim his title as light heavyweight champ is shattered when he’s injured only months before the rematch. To make sure he’s healed in time, his trainer sends him to recuperate under a professional’s care–Reid’s best friend’s little sister, all grown up.
Disorganized and bookish Lucie Miller needs some professional help of her own. She’d do anything to catch the eye of a doctor she’s crushed on for years, so when Reid offers seduction lessons in exchange for 24/7 conditioning for the biggest fight of his career, Lucie jumps at the chance.
Soon Reid finds himself in the fight of his life…winning Lucie’s heart before she gives it to someone else.
