It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (4)

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

What I Read Last Week:

   

Four Years Later by Monica Murphy

Meeting Miss Mystic by Katy Regnery

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
 

What I Finished Listening To:

Hunted by Kevin Hearne

 

My Reviews Last Week:

   

Legally Wed by N.M. Silber (5 Star Review)

Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire (3.75 Star Review)

Never Been Kissed by Molly O'Keefe (4.5 Star Review)

 

What I'm Currently Reading:

  

Poe by J. Lincoln Fenn

 

Stacking the Shelves (65)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Paperback Purchases:
 
Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson
Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover (my review)

eARCs for Review:
 
 
Between the Sheets by Molly O'Keefe
Indecent Proposal by Molly O'Keefe
Endre by S.T. Bende
Endangered Hearts by Amanda Lance

For My Kindle:
 
Legally Wed by N.M. Silber (my review)
Use by CD Reiss
 

Review: Never Been Kissed by Molly O'Keefe



Never Been Kissed by Molly O'Keefe
(Boys of Bishop #2)
July 1, 2014
Bantam publishing
384 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
(Contains: detailed sex, mature language)
Source: eARC from publisher for Honest review

Book Synopsis:

As the daughter of a wealthy politician, Ashley Montgomery has had enough of her parents’ expectations for her future and is going her own way, volunteering to work at a refugee camp in Africa. But her act of charity turns dangerous when she takes a boat trip and is abducted by Somali pirates. Enter Brody Baxter, who was a bodyguard for the Montgomery family ten years ago and doesn’t think twice about coming to Ashley’s rescue. Handsome and tough, Brody has always done what needed to be done. So he swoops in, saves Ashley, and brings her to a place where she can rest and recuperate without the glare of the press and her demanding family: Brody’s small hometown of Bishop, Arkansas. But Ashley soon realizes that she’s not the only one in need of healing.

Holed up with Ashley in a tiny apartment over his brother’s bar in Bishop, Brody is tempted and torn in ways he never anticipated. Beautiful Ashley, vibrant despite her ordeal, fearless enough to love him beyond his wall of self-punishment, is now determined to save him. But with a little faith and a lot of love, they just may find happiness in each others’ arms.

My Review:

This was one of those stories that continued to grow on me, causing me to enjoy it more and more as the pages progressed. This was my first read by Molly O'Keefe, but it won't be my last. While Never Been Kissed is second book of the Boys of Bishop series, each book can be read as a standalone.

I'm not going to rehash the synopsis or give away spoilers. Instead, I want to say that I really enjoyed all the character exploration that O'Keefe produced in this story. It was both engaging and satisfying to read about them, and I felt completely pulled into and invested in their lives. What could have been left at a superficial level was broadened and expanded, giving me a complete view and complexity of not only Brody and Ashley, but additional key characters like Sean, Cora, and Ed. I loved the build up of getting to know their ins and outs, the whys and whats of who they are. And I want to make special mention that I loved that they were interracial couples!

The pacing of it all was great and I never felt bored getting to know Brody and Ashley and their story. This is probably because this book wasn't solely focused on their romance. And I loved their romance. But additionally we get a secondary romance, which was just as special and made the reading all the sweeter. Plus, we get great family dynamic moments, particularly with brothers Brody and Sean, but also with their dad, Ed. Then throw in some interesting political twists and some creative small town happenings, and I was completely engaged and engrossed in this story from start to finish. 

Never Been Kissed is a wonderful, character-driven, engaging story, combining worldwide excitement with small town charm, playing on themes of forgiveness, redemption, and reinvention, and leaving you with a couple of sweet (and steamy) romances and familial hope and love. I look forward to more stories from this series.

 

4-1/2 STARS

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

Review Tour & Giveaway: Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire



Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire
(Maddox Brothers #1)
July 1, 2014
Atria Books
336 pages
Genre: New Adult/ Contemporary Romance
(Contains: explicit sex, sexual reference, mature language)
Source: eARC from publisher for Honest review

Book Synopsis:

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.

Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again

My Review:

Beautiful Oblivion is the first in a spin-off series from Beautiful Disaster, following the other Maddox brothers. Being a big BD fan, I was looking forward to what Jamie would do with the infamous Maddox siblings that we met in the previous series. While BO can certainly be read as a standalone, I will warn newcomers that by reading BO first, there will be numerous spoilers for BD, as the timeline to both stories runs concurrently.

Oh man, this one is hard for me to review. There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. It was really hard to put down, and Jamie McGuire is a solid writer. There are also some elements that left me wanting. I will not rehash the synopsis or drop a bunch of spoilers. You can find summaries on other reviews and hopefully no one is spoiling the surprises in here. What I will give you is a few of my feelings and thoughts.

Timeline: Essentially the same time period as BD. This plot-point left me with mixed feelings. For one thing, I enjoyed this aspect because it helped me keep pace with things. I loved seeing Travis pop in here and there and knowing where he was at in the his own story. But, this also worked against me because it took some of the spark of anticipation away from Trent's story. I was able to anticipate too many things and it left the reading flat and predictable in places where I'd hoped for the thrill of newness and surprise.

Trent: I loved him. He was a great character, a bit of a glutton for punishment, but sweet and endearing all the same. He has the familiar Maddox temper, though it's not as bad as Travis'. His interactions with Olive were adorable! His patience with Cami was commendable. Watching him develop his friendship with Cami was so sweet and patient and persistent, and I really enjoyed them together. Trenton is a great character all on his own, without the need to compare him to Travis.

Cami: I liked Cami, though I did not connect with her as much as I'd hoped. But she was a complex character and interesting to get to know. Even being in her POV I found her hard to get at times. Probably because she didn't completely get herself. But her independence, her work ethic, her honesty, her loyalty - all good qualities. Her family is a mess, with a drunk father, an abused mother, and a few brothers with their own issues, who just complicate her life more. Add in a lame boyfriend, and Cami is in desperate need of a Trent in her life.

Love triangle: This is not a spoiler since the publisher's synopsis already says Cami has a boyfriend. Unfortunately, I just didn't get Cami's relationship with her boyfriend. Like, not at all. To me Cami was a doormat and willing convenience to a man she hadn't been dating very long, not the independent woman she had been trying so hard to be. She mirrored her mother in many ways. Even though the boyfriend was referred to as nice and all, I never got a real sense about him and what he brought to their relationship, and what Cami loved so much about him. To me he was a selfish user. So when Trent comes along, I'm like, duh, this guy is way better all around. And I don't commend cheating. Like not even a little bit. But I fully support the breaking up of dating relationships when they clearly are not working. Isn't that what dating is for? And Trenton is so great! Even if I didn't always know what Trent saw in Cami.

Secondary storyline: I had a hard time with Cami's roommate Raegan and her love life in particular. She was a hot, emotional, sentimental, confused mess. And these boys. Well, one guy got all the good parts of the deal. And the other guy was totally whipped and I felt sorry for him. Then I wanted him to grow a pair and stop making excuses for her. Although her justification was explained, I still had a hard time connecting with her. The whole purpose for this being in the story made my head and my heart hurt.

Mystery: The mystery man plotline was really well-played. I didn't figure it out. Not even a little. So props to Ms. McGuire for writing a good mystery. Honestly, it was annoying after a while because I was like, who the heck is this guy? Is she ever going to tell us? But she'll let you know. Just hang in there. And don't let anyone spoil it for you!

Overall: Beautiful Oblivion was a very enjoyable read. I enjoyed getting to know Trent and Cami, watching their friendship grow, exploring what made them tick, what they were afraid of, what their hearts' desired, what risks they were willing to take, and where the depths of their hearts truly laid. Their relationship was hard fought for, and while predictable in some respects, very sweet all-around, with a zinger of a mystery still thrown in there to keep the excitement going until the very end. I think Beautiful Disaster fans will enjoy not only getting to know Trent and Cami, whom we were already so curious about, but also enjoy the little tidbits about Travis and Abby scattered within. I look forward to reading about the rest of the Maddox brothers.

 

3 1/2 STARS

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

 

CLICK BELOW FOR THE SIGNED LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER GIVEAWAY!

 



New Release! Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid

Happy official Release Day! I'm head over heels for this sequel to Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid. If you haven't read this and love smart, funny, unique, Awesome romantic comedy, that I highly recommend you dive into Penny's books. I confess I've already read Neanderthal Marries Human and it is simply amazing. One of my favorite reads of the year! My review will be posted during the blog tour, but just trust me. It's awesome!

Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid

Book #1.5 - Knitting in the City series

June 24, 2014

Synopsis:

There are three things you should know about Quinn Sullivan: 1) He is madly in love with Janie Morris, 2) He’s not above playing dirty to get what (or who) he wants, and 3) He doesn’t know how to knit.

After just five months of dating Janie, Quinn—former Wendell and unapologetic autocrat—is ready to propose marriage. In fact, he’s more than ready. If it were up to Quinn, he would efficiently propose, marry, and beget Janie with child all in the same day—thereby avoiding the drama and angst that accompanies the four stages of pre-matrimony: engagement, meeting the parents, bachelor/bachelorette party, and overblown, superfluous wedding day traditions. But Janie, much to Quinn’s dismay, tosses a wrench in his efficacious endeavors and challenges him to prove his devotion by going through the matrimonial motions, no matter how minute and mundane.

Will Quinn last until the wedding day? Or will he yield to his tyrant impulses?

Regardless, one thing is for certain, Quinn Sullivan will have to learn to expect the Spanish Inquisition (i.e. the unexpected) if he plans to have and keep Janie Morris as his wife.

This book is not a standalone. It is the sequel to ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human,’ it is book #1.5 in the ‘Knitting in the City’ series, and it is a full length, 100k word novel.

Again, you must read ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human’ first before reading this book.

This book is written in first person, alternating POV (Janie Morris AND Quinn Sullivan; but more Janie than Quinn).

Book Links:

GOODREADS  *  AMAZON  *  B&N

APPLE  *  SMASHWORDS  *  KOBO

 

Knitting in the City Series:

  

 

Teaser Tuesday (42): I Am The Mission

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just share two "teaser" sentences from your current read (please, no spoilers).

 

I Am The Mission

The Unknown Assassin #2

By Allan Zadoff

June 17, 2014

 

This is a fantastic series. I like the second book even more than the first!

 

 

Teaser from 15% of eARC:

 

"Maybe I am," I say. "I'm not sure what happiness is."

 

"I'll give you a hint," he says. "If you have to think about it that long, it's not happiness."

 

(*Quote comes from my eARC copy, therefore it and its location are not final.)

 

 

Book Synopsis:

He was the perfect assassin. No name. No past. No remorse. Perfect, that is, until he began to ask questions and challenge his orders. Now The Program is worried that their valuable soldier has become a liability.

And so Boy Nobody is given a new mission. A test of sorts. A chance to prove his loyalty.

His objective: Take out Eugene Moore, the owner of an extremist military training camp for teenagers. It sounds like a simple task, but a previous operative couldn't do it. He lost the mission and is presumed dead. Now Boy Nobody is confident he can finish the job. Quickly.

But when things go awry, Boy Nobody finds himself lost in a mission where nothing is as it seems: not The Program, his allegiances, nor the truth.

The riveting second book in Allen Zadoff's Boy Nobody series delivers heart-pounding action and a shocking new twist that makes Boy Nobody question everything he has believed. 

 

 

Book 1:

I Am The Weapon

Book Links:

My Review  *   Goodreads  *  Amazon

 

Cover Reveal & Excerpt: Undeniably Chosen by Shelly Crane

I'M SO EXCITED!!! The cover reveal of UNDENIABLY CHOSEN just means we're that much closer to the book coming out which means I'm that much closer to getting to read it. YAY!!! I absolutely love this series. If you haven't had a chance to read the SIGNIFICANCE series by Shelly Crane, I highly recommend it! And check out this beautiful cover!

 

 



Undeniably Chosen by Shelly Crane
(Significance #5)
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Publication Date: Fall 2014
Event Organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.



Synopsis

Ava has watched her parents, Caleb and Maggie, live the perfect fairy tale, the perfect love story, played out in front of her eyes her entire life. Her family is love, life, and happiness. The Jacobsons are everything a family should be and Ava is loved and well taken care of. But the one thing that’s missing from her life is the one thing she’s waited for every day, the one thing her kind knows will make them complete, the one thing they thought was gone and lost forever. Her significant.

Seth has lived with the Watsons his entire life. They’re the only family he knows, but he also knows that there are things they keep from him. He knows that they lie and they do unspeakable evil, things from when he was a child that he can barely remember that cling to the edges of his memory. He barely remembers his real mother and all he knows is what he’s told. He doesn’t know what to trust. He wants to believe that the Watsons love and care for him, have his best interest at heart, but isn’t so sure of that anymore when he finally after a lifetime of waiting for her—meets his soul mate, and the Watson’s first act is to try to take her away from him.

The Virtuoso worlds collide, hearts are exposed, humans are endangered, and the lives of Seth and Ava are changed forever. They’ll have to love without judgment or reservation, they’ll have to be wise and accepting beyond their years, they’ll have to forgive for things before they’ve even happened, they’ll have to trust without seeing, have faith without knowing, and they’ll have to light their own way in the dark when everyone else is blind to show them the way. And more than anything else… they’ll have to fight like hell to keep each other.  
 

Excerpt

“I don’t know if I can even sleep tonight,” I muttered and rubbed at my arms. They were restless. “I can already feel myself twitching.”
 
“Tomorrow…” Dad began, but stopped. He sighed forcefully and tightened his fists. “I’ll go find him and make him come here if he doesn’t come on his own.”
 
“Dad, you didn’t see him. He was…” I bit into my lip hard. Just talking about him was making me ache all over. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.
 
I heard Mom say, “Baby, I think we need to stop talking about this. It’s just making things worse for her.”
 
“I know, but…maybe I should go over there. Maybe I should try to find him and—you know what? No.” I looked up to find him looking down at me. “I’m not going to do that. It has to be his choice until it’s not. I’ll give him until tomorrow to be the good guy. If he doesn’t, then I’ll go get him and make him. I can tell by looking at you that you want to have faith in him.”
 
“You didn’t see him, Dad,” I reiterated. “He wanted this. He was worried about me. He’ll come. He’ll find me.” I hoped.
 
“If what you said is true, then he didn’t choose any of what happened. He’s not a Watson.”
 
“But he’s lived with them his whole life,” Mom reasoned. “We have no idea the things they’ve done to him, the things they’ve made him do. We have to be cautious. You have to cautious.”

She went into the kitchen and I heard a pill bottle shake before she came back. “Here. Take these. They’ll help you sleep tonight. They were Grans,” she said softly.

I ached as the pills went down. I heard Rodney coming in the back door loudly. Dad went right to him and put his hand on his chest to stop him. They whispered back and forth and Rodney looked at me over Dad’s shoulder. Dad wasn’t going to be able to stop him. He didn’t know that, but I did.

“Come on, Dad,” Rodney said gruffly and looked at him right in his face. “Move.” He pushed his Champion gently in the shoulder and I watched Dad’s stunned face as he watched Rodney come and sweep we up in his big brotherly arms on the couch.

He said low in my ear, but I knew that they still could hear, “Tell me who I have to hurt. Who is this guy and why isn’t he here with you right now?”

I looked at Dad and he looked so amused and bemused all at once. He waved me on and leaned his hip against the counter, pulling Mom into the ‘v’ of his legs so he could wrap his arms around her from behind. I heard her so sigh loud and hated that I was causing them so much distress.

“Seth,” I explained. “Seth Watson,” I said with as much gumption as I could muster. His eyes rounded. I told him everything and he tightened his arms on me as he listened.

“Okay,” he said and kicked his shoes off the end of the couch. Mom was two seconds from scolding him when he asked, “So where is he? He should be here.”

Like fate usually worked, there was a knock on the front door. An insistent knock. Dad shot me a look before taking a loaded breath. I started to shake and stood from the couch quickly. It was him; I knew it like I knew my own name.

“Ava, wait,” he told me.

“Dad.”

“You, sit,” he said in his Champion voice. “I’ll answer and let him in. What if the Watsons were planning something and knew you’d run to the door to answer it thinking it was him? We know nothing about him yet. Until we do, we go at this with caution.”

I sighed. I hated that I had to look at my significant with anything but reverence, but Daddy was right. I mean, I was the one that had run right out of the coffee shop this afternoon.

“I mean it, baby girl,” he said softly.

Rodney turned me to look at him and held my upper arms in his hands. “If he hurts you, I can’t be held account for what I do.”

“I love you, you know that?” I replied and kissed his cheek. I tried to smile, but think I failed epically when he put one arm around my shoulders and tugged me close, as if to shield me from whatever or whoever was coming.

Dad had to know I was anxious—he didn’t make me wait. He went to the door quickly. I could hear them in the other room with deep, urgent tones. My significant. And then there he was.  

   

Significance (A Significance Novel Book 1)

FREE

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Smashwords

About the Author:
Shelly is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in scorching North Florida. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, sight-see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read. Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, when her best ideas are born.    

Connect with the Author:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Facebook

   

(Adult) Novella Review: Legally Wed by N.M. Silber

Legally Wed by N.M. Silber
(Lawyers in Love Novella)
June 21, 2014
Mendelssohn Levy Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romantic Comedy 18+
(Contains: explicit sex, mature language)
Source: eARC from publisher for Honest review

Book Synopsis:

Once upon a time childhood enemies grew up and fell in love ... and got engaged? Uh oh, this should be interesting ...

Adam Roth and Lily Adler have survived nutty neighbors, cow pajamas, mobsters and "the diaper incident." They have learned to live, love, and work together in harmony. Most of the time. Now with the promise of marital bliss on the horizon, they will need to tackle even bigger challenges, like Lily's anxiety-fueled libido, Adam's increasing exhaustion, two Jewish mothers and an eccentric wedding planner named Mr. Jonathan. Will everyone make it to the wedding alive?

My Review:

First, you need to read Legal Briefs before Legally Wed, which is Adam and Lily's story prior to their engagement. I absolutely loved Legal Briefs (see my review). Adam and Lily are so fun and so sexy and so brilliant together, that I instantly fell in love with them. So if you haven't had a chance to meet Adam and Lily, grab Legal Briefs and then dive into Legally Wed.

Legally Wed picks up right where Legal Briefs left off - the storyline, the banter, the sexual shenanigans, the humor... all of it. Then add to that a big heaping dose of wedding planning craziness. I loved watching Adam and Lily fall in love before. And in the case of this novella, I loved watching their love be taken higher, taking it up another notch. There is this loveliness about their relationship, because although it is new in one respect, it is also familiar considering their history. So here we see the icing on the cake of how they are able to blend their love and attraction for each other with their history of childhood hurts and conflict. The result is a beautiful couple who is funny, sexy, considerate, feisty, lovable, and incredibly endearing, as well as mature enough to take their love and their trust in one another to a whole new level. And then there's the wedding! I loved it! Add to this N.M. Silber's writing of quick-witted humor and banter, awkward situations, family fiascos, and huge dose of sexual pizazz and reading more of Adam and Lily's story was a wonderful treat.

5 STARS

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

It's Monday! What Are You Reading (3)

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

What I Read Last Week:

  
 

Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover

Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire

I Am The Mission by Allan Zadoff
Never Been Kissed by Molly O'Keefe

 

What I'm Listening To:

Hunted by Kevin Hearne

 

Last Week's Reviews:

  

The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery (5 Star Review)

Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover (4 to 4-1/2 Star Review)

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (5 Star Review)

 

This Week's Tentative Reading Plan:

  

Four Years Later by Monica Murphy

Hope at Dawn by Stacy Henrie

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

 

Stacking the Shelves (64)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Signed Book Win!

A Reason to Breathe by C.P Smith

Book Purchase:

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

eARCs for Review:
 
I Am The Mission by Allen Zadoff
Meeting Miss Mystic by Katy Regnery

eBook Wins!
 
Enjoying The Chase by Kirsty Moseley
Nothing Left To Lose by Kirsty Moseley