Sunday, October 13, 2019

Excerpt for The Feud Series: The Wallace Girl & The Sinclair Heir by Eliot Scott


~EXCERPT~

Alex hasn’t run away. Not yet. His brow crinkles and his gaze lowers away from my face when I stop only inches away from him. “We’re Wallaces...Sinclairs...oil and water. Enemies. You can’t love me, Jojo. It’s impossible. After what I’ve done, you can’t.”

“We aren’t enemies, Alex. We never were, and I don’t care what you’ve done.”

My hand reaches slowly toward his heart. I press my fingers against him until my palm is flat on his white t-shirt, and my breath hitches with hope when he doesn’t pull away.

“That ring you gave me had a promise attached to it. The lure you gave me says forever.” I peer up at him, his height always so much more than mine, and my tongue dashes out to lick my bottom lip. “I’m here for that.”

His eyes are locked on my lips. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, my mouth curving a hint of a smile as I shake my head, adding, “You once swore you loved me more than the sun. I know you still do. And I know it has to mean a lot to you that I never, ever stopped loving you.”

I place both hands against his chest, and I feel his thundering heart. Alex’s moan rumbles deep and near his heart before it escapes his lips along with my name.

“Jojo.”

Alex’s hands wrap around my wrists in an instant as though he means to tear my hands away from his heart, but instead, he just holds them, locking me to him. His eyes grow dark, and I can see the demons battling with the angels behind them.

“How you kissed me that night. How I kissed you back. Do you remember? Please, Alex. We’re both so tired, and my body hurts as much as yours does. Just kiss me, take me back to your bed, and let’s wash it all away. Please. ”

A steamy adult romance saga

By Eliot Scott
(Eliot Scott is the writing duo of bestselling authors Anne MacFarlane-Eliot and Ginger Scott)

A hate that spans generations.

A brutal fight over who owns the land, who controls the water, and who can destroy the most lives.

A love doomed from its very beginning.

When Alex Sinclair first spots JoJo Wallace on the shores of his favorite lake, he doesn’t know about his family’s sordid past and how it weaves in and out of the Wallace line. He doesn’t know that she’s the girl who will own his heart completely. And he can’t imagine the torture he’ll be forced to put her through and the poison he’ll unleash.

She’s a spitfire soul with wild auburn hair—a girl that will haunt his dreams and rule his future. He’ll do unspeakable things, and the consequences will have the power to end a century-long feud.

To end her.

But JoJo was born just a little different than the other Wallace men and women.

She was born to love big and see all that’s good—the good in Alex. And when she comes back to take what’s hers in the wake of Alex’s father’s death, she’s no longer the innocent, naïve girl the Sinclairs have long underestimated. She’s a fighter.

And she isn’t leaving until she ends it all—for good.

* The Feud Series is an adult/coming-of-age, enemies-to-lovers romance and contains mature themes not suitable for readers under 18*

~MEET GINGER SCOTT~
Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling, Goodreads Choice Award and Rita award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, This Is Falling, Wild Reckless, The Hard Count, Cry Baby and Bred.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for a hella long time. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

~CONNECT WITH GINGER~

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~MEET ANNE ELIOT~

Anne Eliot lives in the high mountains of Colorado and loves to shovel snow.

While growing up, Anne hid her own anxieties by hiding and reading book after book. She developed an addiction libraries, to first love, first kisses and her favorite: the happy-ever-after story. This is what she writes today. Now she's a mom of two, and happily married to her own first love.

Anne Eliot’s first YA book, Almost, became a top 100 best selling Kindle book, and was a Readers Choice, Top 12 of 2012 book for Amazon.com at #11, and her other books, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy, How I Fall/How I Fly, and now the Runaway Rockstar Series have all been teen, top 100 bestselling books. She loves to hear from readers. Please look for her on Facebook or tweet her @yaromance.

~CONNECT WITH ANNE~

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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

DNF Review for The Broken One by Ruth Cardello


THE BROKEN ONE
by RUTH CARDELLO

In New York Times bestselling author Ruth Cardello’s sexy and emotional romance, a billionaire dares to invest in the riskiest proposition of his life: a second chance at love.

Single mom Heather Ellis would do anything for her adopted daughter, Ava. Even post an online reward for anyone who found the girl’s lost stuffed animal. Who’d have guessed it’d be returned by a drop-dead-sexy man with such sadness in his eyes that she had to reach out to him? To Ava, he’s a hero. To Heather, he’s a fantasy that puts at risk the happy life she’s made for herself.

It’s been five years since billionaire developer Sebastian Romano lost his wife and unborn child in a tragic accident. Now he’s all business. No room for emotion. Until he stumbles across that damn stuffed wolf and the beautiful single mother looking for it. Is he ready to give love a second chance?

But there’s more to Sebastian, his family, and his past than Heather knows. More than even Sebastian knows. Will the life they’re building together be challenged when the truth is finally revealed?


REVIEW: DNF AT 35%
"Brave doesn't mean never being afraid. Brave is being stronger than what scares you."

This one had all the makings of a great book. The synopsis was intriguing and the teasers pulled me in....it just had my eye. But for some reason, it didn't work out very well for me. It felt completely forced and disjointed, and that's not my favorite kind of read. I want smooth and entertaining, the kind that makes me think and want to turn the pages. This heroine was completely wishy-washy, but also pushing for scenarios and forcing contact when the Hero was a complete jerk. Was it cute? Yes, actually - it started out that way. Did I feel the magnetism....? No, not really. But something clearly kept pulling them together, and that was what I wanted to discover. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't make it far enough to make that discovery. <sigh>

This was a surface scratching kind of storytelling. The depth and emotion was written - unfortunately, I just didn't feel it. I could see that she was trying to give me that emotional impact, especially with Sebastian's (I love that name!!) history. That should have been a heart-tugging, emotionally powerful detail of the overall story arc, but I just didn't feel anything. I hate that I didn't feel it. I think, for me, the story was told to me instead of allowing me to experience it. It left me without a real draw towards the emotions that should have been weaved throughout this story.

By the time I got to 31%, I was already rolling my eyes about the seriously ridiculous way that Sebastian was acting towards Heather, and vice versa. His need to take care of her was awe-worthy, but the way it played out and the way it was told made me cringe. It just sounded so forced. Don't get me wrong, I'm allllll about the alpha that knows who his "one" is and in turn will move Heaven and Hell to get to and take care of her. Those kinds of stories are my kryptonite and I gravitate towards them - not gonna lie. I don't like a mushy man, but I do like a man in touch with his feelings. I love an alpha that will stop at nothing for his woman, but I don't like a ridiculous show of machoism without any basis. Is there a fine line between these sentences? I'm pretty positive there is, but I also like when an author can finesse that line and make me fall at the feet of their characters' love and undying devotion.

Overall, I felt the emotions were canned and the situations were one step beyond an eye roll. I know that sounds awful, but I started expecting the events before they happened, so it turned somewhat predictable, and not in a good way. Some of it was awkward at best, and it made it hard for me to get into the scenes, and other times I was like, ok. This is going somewhere. But that wasn't a consistent thought while I was reading this one. I still believe the actual storyline of this book can and is a really cute one, but I just don't think the execution of it worked for me. I am honestly sorry that this one wasn't going to get a recommend from me, but I couldn't even make it through to give it a starred rating. This is clearly a 'me' issue as many have loved this one.

~BEE


~MEET RUTH CARDELLO~
Ruth Cardello hit the NYTs and USA Today for the first time back in 2012. Millions of sales are evidence that her books are akin to potato chips, addictive from the first one. She has created a multi-series billionaire world with a combination of escapism and realism that has gained her a faithful following of readers

.~CONNECT WITH RUTH~

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Excerpt for Becoming Us by Rebecca Raine


~Excerpt~

“Law?” My smile widened as I turned to see Connor standing inside the room, the door mostly closed behind him. “How’s it going?” he asked, arms crossed, hands tucked high.

“I want to ask you something,” I said, motioning for him to come closer. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

He tensed as he padded across the carpet to join me. “What do you want to know?”

How did I even broach the subject? “I wondered if, maybe…” I hesitated, my entire body a bundle of raw nerves. “Are you bisexual?”

Connor sucked in a breath as he backed up.

“You don’t have to be scared.” I held my hands up in front of me. “I think maybe…” I paused, my heart in my throat. My next words had the potential to ruin everything or grant me all my deepest and most hidden desires. “I think if you are, that makes two of us. Are you?”

“He continued to watch me, wary and reluctant. “Maybe.”

The trembling of my limbs was reflected in his as we stood there, bracing ourselves for fight or flight. Only fighting was the last thing I wanted, and I was too far gone to run from this now.

“You’re in love with Gabi.” I didn’t bother to phrase it as a question. I already knew the answer. Perhaps it would have been better if I didn’t sound quite so excited about it though.

“We’re friends,” Connor insisted.

“But you wish you were more, don’t you?”

His eyes flared, as if he saw my words as a threat. He had no idea of the thoughts running rampant through my brain, egging me on, daring me to try.

“What if I do?” Straightening, he lifted his chin. “Are you going to beat me up now, too? Tell me to stay away from your girl?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not going to do that.”

After a brief moment of confusion, he seemed to deflate before me. “Of course not, what would be the point?” he murmured. “I’m literally the boy next door. She doesn’t think of me that way.”

“She could.” She had, but that wasn’t my secret to share. “Sometimes, what starts as friendship grows, becomes more. Sometimes it takes you by surprise, because you never expected to have those feelings.” I took a chance, stepped closer to him. “Do you know what I mean, Connor?”

He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at me. “Why are you saying this? She’s your girlfriend.”

“Because I get it. How someone could fall for you, without meaning to.”

Jaw clenched tight, he swallowed before speaking again. “I don’t understand.”

“I think you do.” I was so close now, he had to feel my breath on his cheek. Still, he didn’t move away. “You want to know, don’t you? What her kiss tastes like.” His gaze snapped to mine, but otherwise he remained frozen. “Tell me you want it.”

The tip of his tongue appeared, swiping across his lips in an unconscious sign of arousal. “I-I want it.”

“I’ll give it to you.” His eyes closed for a second and his breathing picked up. Parting my lips, I tilted my head to one side. I was going too far, too fast. I knew it, but I couldn’t seem to stop. “Drink her kiss from my lips, Connor.” The urgency of my whisper rushed between us. “I want to share it with you.”



BECOMING US
by REBECCA RAINE

She’s the woman I’ve always loved. He’s the man I’ve never stopped wanting. Who says I can’t have everything?

Lawrence

Falling in love with Gabi at eighteen was easy. Falling for Connor at the same time? That’s where things got complicated. When I discovered their latent feelings for each other, it seemed like all the pieces of us were falling into place. Until the night I offered Connor a taste of Gabi’s kiss – from my lips – and everything fell apart.

Six years have passed, but I’m still the same selfish bastard who wants more than his fair share of love. If I ever get a second chance, I’ll do anything to make them mine.

Gabi

The night I found my boyfriend cheating on me with my oldest crush, my heart broke. I managed to rebuild my friendship with Connor, even after he left town. But Lawrence is nothing more to me than my brother’s best friend – and the best man at his upcoming wedding.

Connor’s recent return has rekindled the attraction that’s always lingered beneath the surface of our friendship. A romantic weekend of wedding celebrations seems like the perfect opportunity to explore the possibilities between us. If Lawrence is forced to watch from the sidelines, so be it.

Connor

As a male super-model, I’ve been voted World’s Sexiest Man – twice. But Gabi has only ever treated me as a friend. When she asks me to be her date for the wedding, I know this is my chance to win her heart – even if I have to do it under Lawrence’s watchful gaze.

But Lawrence has never been good at keeping his distance, and the kiss we shared all those years ago started something that has yet to be resolved. How do I keep him from coming between me and Gabi, when that’s exactly where I want him?




 ~MEET REBECCA RAINE~

Rebecca is a long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or real-life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two adorable children and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books, her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio, organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.

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Monday, September 30, 2019

Book Review and Giveaway for Perfectly Adequate by Jewel E. Ann


PERFECTLY ADEQUATE
by JEWEL E ANN

Dr. Elijah Hawkins needs … something.

After his wife jumps headfirst into a midlife crisis, he’s left with his young son, Roman, and a lot of unanswered questions.

That something turns out to be a someone—Dorothy Mayhem, nursing student, patient transporter, reckless driver, and emu owner.

Dorothy studies humans, the neurotypical kind, through books and television. Then she emulates their behavioral patterns to fit in with her peers.

But nothing can prepare her for Dr. Elijah Hawkins.

Single dad.
Brilliant pediatric oncologist.
And the sexiest doctor at the hospital.

When his failed attempts at asking her out turn into a string of playdates with his son, Dorothy finds herself unexpectedly enamored with the boy and his father.

And that’s a problem, a huge one, because Elijah’s ex-wife is a famous plastic surgeon—and Dorothy’s idol.

Perfectly Adequate is a beautiful, hilarious, and heart-felt journey along the “human” spectrum.


REVIEW: 4+ STARS
"Your happiness is a reflection of you and only you."

Purity. This is the kind of book you have to go into with an open mind and an understanding of the love that's playing out. It won't be simple-minded or single-layered, and it won't be normal - and I'm not saying that in any way, shape, or form being disrespectful. This was hilarious, but pure. The heroine was definitely not the normal subject of a romance book and Jewel handled that with reality, and she never disappoints. She can undoubtedly write a quirky heroine with so much depth and reality to her, and she seems to do it with ease. Add to that, she forever writes a perfect Hero and I love that they aren't ever the same guy. She does an amazing job not only giving me a unique storyline, but she gives me original and not recycled. She gives me real and honest, not fabricated. She gives me love with different voices, and she gave me Dorothy and Eli.

"I don't mind being me. No one else can do it better."

Dorothy, her world, her life, is matter of fact - that's her world and that's how it is if you want to live in it. No apologies accepted, because she won't apologize for who she is or how she views the world, but knowing that's her truth - that's the best part. I loved how her ‘personality’ didn’t affect Eli's thoughts, but I liked more that he embraced it all with a smile more than anything else. If people miss the deeper cues of *who* Dorothy is, they’re going to miss the perfection that is this love.

"I want to discover her, not study her."

With Dorothy, I knew there was a more personal infusion of knowledge. Jewel's words portrayed an intimate knowledge and understanding of the nuances of a young lady like Dorothy, and I feel like she brought out the emotions allowing slow growth with feelings inspiring her characters beyond the 'moment.' I love the way she tells me a story. Sure, you can ‘technically’ tell a story, but I want to feel the words emotionally, and if they aren’t delivered passionately, the emotion doesn’t come through. Jewel bleeds passion. She bleeds emotion. She creates magic.

"The spectrum is human. It's not autism."

I've only read two stories with a main character with Asperger's, and both times I have been able to relate and smile and understand. I was able to see my son in some of the actions, so I think that's why this book was so relatable for me. I asked where her inspiration came from and she said it was a real friend, so I liked that she had some truth to her character and reality to back it up. I feel like we get the best parts of JEA with her books because they are full of heart. Every book has a hook. It’s organic. It’s fluid and it moves, regardless of any preconceived notions, and she will always set you straight OR change your mind. Perspective - it's amazing the way she delivers it.

"You weren't supposed to be a choice. Not you."

Learning a new lover and how they work/do things can be difficult sometimes, but when the realities are so different - it adds a new element of discovery and I really enjoyed that part. Even though the truth is ugly sometimes, this book - the way Jewel told their story, it was from the heart with so much depth and understanding. I’m worried that this will be misunderstood by some readers trying to ‘find’ Jewel because they won’t read her words but they’ll just read the story without the emotion that I know Jewel E Ann saturates every book with. Not because of the writing. Not because of the angst or pain we all know she can bring. But for the simple fact that it’s not ordinary and some people may not truly connect and may leave before the story is complete. I’m begging you, as I do every time I read one of her stories, to please stick with it. Understand that love is realized in many different ways. Love is expressed and felt and grown and nurtured in so many different ways. This story, I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dorothy’s world and Elijah’s truth. I couldn’t stop giggling at their relationship and how it actually worked because of the charm and love, even given a circumstance that didn't feel navigable. I don’t have the in-depth personal experiences that Elijah does, but I will tell you that he has to be an amazing man. Admirable is the wrong word, because that insinuates he’s doing something out of the kindness of his heart and not from the depths of his soul.

I already know that I have to go into every single JEA book with an open mind, trust in her storytelling abilities, and listen with an open heart. She’s never once not made me think about the deeper story within. I love that she tackles subjects that aren’t talked about often. I also love that she puts her twist and spin on them while making the story a reality and the outcome fathomable. This story was less angsty and more emotional for me, which was a nice change of pace with her books. Every time I read a JEA book, I feel like I become a more firm believer in the heart doing what the heart wants. I love where her mind goes in her stories - where she takes them, how she tells them. Because she twists me up every time; she makes me think about things from a different perspective and I absolutely love it. She marries edge with emotion, producing a remarkable read. It was.....perfectly adequate.

"And it's amazing how a single breath can take a life, give a life, and sometimes...save a life. She is my breath of life."
~BEE




~MEET JEWEL E ANN~
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

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Friday, September 27, 2019

Book Review and Giveaway for Serenading Heartbreak by Ella Fields


SERENADING HEARTBREAK
by ELLA FIELDS

My first love was my brother’s best friend.
A lead singer in their band.
A picture of rugged perfection.
And a drunk soul mate who couldn’t commit.

My second love was an arrogant baseball player.
A player in every sense of the word.
A smooth-talking, reliable best friend.
And a chance at something beautiful and true.

The problem with having a first and second love?
That would be loving them at the same time.
My story isn’t some sexy triangle.
It’s exquisite agony.
Fate gave me two men to love,
but none of us knew which one I could keep.


REVIEW: 5 WTF STARS
"We were never supposed to make something out of moments."

I'm writing this review with a slightly broken heart. I sat for a few minutes with my head in my hands, pondering....thinking....mulling over what I just read, wondering why the heart is a warrior the mind chooses to battle. I went in knowing this was a triangle, and if you've followed me for any amount of time, I've made no secret that this is my favorite kind of story/trope because the pull between two lovers gets me every time. There was nothing different about this book in that aspect. Ella Fields sits very comfortably in my Top 5 Favorite Authors and this book is the exact reason why. No matter if I was #TeamRocker or #TeamBaller, the turmoil and heartache Stevie went through to get her HEA astounded me. I feel like she was the strongest woman mentally - but emotionally, she was beaten down and thrown around. I definitely can admire her tenacity, but I can also say I understand her. One hundred percent understand her. I'd be Weak too, girlfriend. Weak with a capital W.

Fields is brilliant with her emotional manipulation, as well as her storytelling abilities. I don’t know how she makes it to where she can tell a full story when I’m only a quarter of the way through, but knowing there is more to come is what scared me the entire ride. I was so immersed in this book, in the emotions, in the pain. The desire and need her characters ached for was tumultuous at best. It was poetic. It was, quite literally....heartbreaking.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're kind of really fucking beautiful."

In one breath, I'm smiling.....a few pages later, my heart is breaking. I just couldn't reconcile my heart with my mind. This was truly a mess for my mind and heart from the first page until the very end of the book. I was clinging to hope until I turned the very last page. That is what Ella did to me. That is why I love Ella's words so much. It's because it's not always easy and it's not always clean, but it's always meant to be.

"He was a drug, and I'd constantly relapse whenever he was made available to me."

If you aren't a fan of a messy kind of love, you know the kind: the drop down, drag out, break your heart kind of love, then this might not be your cuppa. Ella writes the BEST messiest love. The best. She can give us dirrrrrty like no other. Not dirty as in hot, sexy dirty - although she most definitely can do that. I simply mean, it wasn't a clean read for the heart. My heart got muddled, and if I was having a hard time with some of the actions and reactions going on in this book, I can only imagine Stevie being emotionally connected to both men and being lost in her world. I feel like I lost a piece of my heart in this story. I don't think I've ever walked away from a triangle wishing she chose the other. Does that mean I am mad at the outcome or the book? Hell no. Quite the opposite. That just means Ella took me to hell and back, and that road was a long and bumpy one. But this is also why I love triangles.

"We don't choose who and what we fall in love with, even when it's a hazard to one's self."

Ella's depth in her books amazes me. She gets to the nitty-gritty, deep underbelly of emotion and just dissects it until my heart is just putty, malleable with her words. She nails the depth every time. I never go into one of her books and walk away having not felt it. This one, I felt it on every level and it will sit with me for a very long time. I love when an author can manipulate my emotions with their words - in book form only, obviously. And Ella does that extremely well.

"You didn't forsake the soul to save an organ. Hearts had an expiration date; the soul was immortal."

Here I was, completely excited things were going the way I was hoping, but then she threw in twist after twist until my heart inevitably broke and waited for reparation. I am still sitting in somewhat of a fog, heartbroken. Absolutely heartbroken. The title of this book is so aptly named, it's truth on every level. Turmoil, anguish - I'm feeling it all. I need someone to take all this pain, all this heartache, and dispose of it for me. Kthxbye.

"Forgiveness was a desperate heart's mistake."
~BEE


I'll probably gift way too many copies.....you  know, so you can suffer with me.



~MEET ELLA FIELDS~
Ella Fields is a mother and wife who lives in the land Down Under. While her kids are in school, you might find her talking about her characters and books to her two cats. She's a notorious chocolate and notebook hoarder who enjoys creating hard-won happily ever afters.

~CONNECT WITH ELLA~

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