Blogging Break!

Tuesday, May 24, 2016



 
Hello my dear friends yes unfortunately I will be going on a Blogging Break starting today. Let me start at the beginning why I am going to go on a little hiatus. In the end of January when there were a snow storm in NJ I was taking my pup out late at night to do her business unfortunately the front of my apt complex where I live at was not shovel. So I had to take my pup out in the deep snow but clumsy me slip on ice and than I twisted my rt knee and fell right on my back in front of my apt complex . Now I did had back pain for almost a week and than the pain went away but my knee pain started a couple of days after the fall. And I was in so much pain I couldn't walk on my rt knee mind you my rt knee is my bad knee which I had already had surgery on it a couple of years ago. I went to my orthopedic dr and he sent me to do physical therapy for two months in a row but nothing was working on my knee was still in bad shape. So now my orthopedic dr says it is unavoidable that I have too go through surgery once again on my bad rt knee. Which I am going to get my surgery this Wednesday. I will be going to my parents house today so I can recover at there house but my parents don't have no internet so I will not be online at all for almost a month. I am going to try too come back at the end of June if possible if not I will most definitely will be back the first week of July. I will absolutely miss you all when I am recovering for surgery at my parents house. But I will be very happy catching up on my reads I already have my bag packed with full of books that I am taking to my parents house. Please pray for me and wish me luck I would really appreciate it! I wish you all have a great, wonderful a blessed month. Take care now and God Bless until I come back again hopefully soon!
 
 
 

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Release Week Blitz & Giveaway: Charged (Saints of Denver #2) by Jay Crownover

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From New York Times bestselling author Jay Crownover comes CHARGED, the latest in her sexy The Saints of Denver Series, releasing May 24th! Known for her strong heroines and alpha males, you won’t know what hit you as you read Avett and Quaid’s story. Keep reading for more about the Leagle Eagle and Avett and order your copy today.

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About CHARGED:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes the second installment in the Saints of Denver series featuring a bad girl and a by the book attorney who could be her salvation…or her ruin.

Avett Walker and Quaid Jackson’s worlds have no reason to collide. Ever. Quaid is a high powered criminal attorney as slick as he is handsome. Avett is a pink-haired troublemaker with a bad attitude and a history of picking the wrong men.

When Avett lands in a sea of hot water because of one terrible mistake, the only person who can get her out of it is the insanely sexy lawyer. The last thing on earth she wants to do is rely on the no-nonsense attorney who thinks of her as nothing more than a nuisance. He literally has her fate in his hands. Yet there is something about him that makes her want to convince him to loosen his tie and have a little fun…with her.

Quaid never takes on clients like the impulsive young woman with a Technicolor dye job. She could stand to learn a hard lesson or two, but something about her guileless hazel eyes intrigues him. Still, he’s determined to keep their relationship strictly business. But doing so is becoming more impossible with each day he spends with her.

As they work side-by-side, they’ll have to figure out a way to get along and keep their hands off each other—because the chemistry between them is beyond charged.

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And don’t miss the first titles in The Saints of Denver Series!

 

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LEVELED

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BUILT

    Jay Crownover - author pic


About Jay Crownover: Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point,and the Saints of Denverseries. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.      

Website ** Blog ** Facebook ** Twitter

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Release Day Launch & Giveaway: Sea Dragon (Dragon Knights #9) by Bianca D'Arc

Today we have the release day launch for Bianca D’Arc’s Sea Dragon. This is a sexy new romantic fantasy and the latest in her standalone series, The Dragon Knights. Check out the excerpt she’s sharing and be sure to enter the giveaway!

Sea Dragon RDL Ban
About Sea Dragon:
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A blind dragon who just wants to be left alone… Sir Hrardorr was once the mightiest of fighters. Now he’s blind and useless. His knight is dead and he can’t even go into proper mourning because he needs help just to get around. Part sea dragon, he decides to go to the Southern Lair to rusticate by the coast. He can fly out over the open water and dive into the sea, where he still has at least some ability to hunt on his own. He doesn’t expect to meet a human woman out on the water, fishing in her small sailboat, but he does, and unexpectedly, they become friends. A young man who gave up the sword to help the Lair’s healer… Seth grew up in the Lair and has long had a crush on the most beautiful girl in the town, Livia. But she is the famous sea captain’s daughter, and far, far above him. It’d be one thing if he was a knight or at least a candidate to be one, but Seth gave up all dreams of knighthood when he chose to apprentice himself to the Lair’s elderly healer—the closest thing to a grandmother he’d ever had. His gentle heart has changed the course of his entire life and he’s not sure it’s for the better, but he sees no other option. A newly made knight who doesn’t know how to be one… Sir Gowan is a warrior. He was a teacher of fighting when he caught the dragoness’s eye and she chose him as her new knight. Genlitha is a stubborn female and though Gowan tried to refuse, he found he could not turn down the magnificent dragoness, even though he knows nothing about being a knight. They have come to the Southern Lair so Genlitha can teach young fliers how to best navigate the tricky winds off the ocean, and to gain time for Gowan to learn how to be her proper partner. Three humans. Two dragons. Attraction that cannot be denied… Both Seth and Gowan are drawn to the lovely Livia, and Genlitha finds the attraction she had for Hrardorr when they were still both dragonets has only grown stronger over the years, but there are obstacles. Hrardorr has sworn to never choose another knight. Seth has sworn to be a healer, even though it’s not his true calling. Gowan is just trying to figure out how to survive in this new world of knights and dragons. And then they are attacked from the sea by a mighty fleet with dragon-killing weapons, and the town and Lair find themselves totally unprepared to fight. It will be up to the five of them to save the town…if they can. It seems impossible, but they have to at least try. Get Your Copy! Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C6H82MW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01C6H82MW&linkCode=as2&tag=site216-20&linkId=UTS2UXZHYAFZHMJC B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-dragon-bianca-darc/1123395647? Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/sea-dragon iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/sea-dragon/id1083147868?mt=11 Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/614428   Exclusive Excerpt: Livia didn’t know why it was so, only that all the married knights were parts of trios. Happy trios, to be sure. She’d seen a few of the Lair women shopping in the square from time to time, and they all seemed happy enough. Nobody ever claimed the knights were bad husbands. Quite the contrary. But for some reason, not many of the men who lived alongside the dragons up on the cliffs were married. There were few Lair wives and, because of that, few children. Occasionally, a knight would form a liaison with a town woman, but nobody had become a Lair wife from the town in recent memory. The affairs seemed merely to be of convenience, not love everlasting. “Mates, their dragon partners, and eventually children,” Hrardorr seemed to answer her question. “Little dragonettes and tiny human babies, with two dragon parents and three human parents.” “All of them?” Livia asked, intrigued by the concept. “Of course,” Hrardorr said. “That is the family unit of the Lair. They all share in the parenting of any offspring, dragon and human alike. It is the way we have always done it, since the first fighting dragon partnered with the first knight.” “I had no idea. I mean, I’d heard things, but nothing like this. It sounds kind of…nice.” She marveled at the idea of a baby dragon being raised equally by humans and dragons, or a baby human calling a dragon papa. “Do you have children, Sir Hrardorr?” The dragon’s mouth tightened. “No. And now, I never will.” “Never is a very long time,” she said softly, wanting to offer comfort. “Don’t I know it.” His tone was bitter. “Being blind isn’t the end of the world,” she said, confronting his depression head on. His great head reared back as if she’d struck him. “You know I’m blind?” “I figured it out. A few of my father’s people do business at the Lair, and they bring back news of new arrivals. I assumed you’re the new dragon that has come here to recuperate. Am I wrong?” A sigh gusted out of Hrardorr’s mouth, filling her sails for a brief moment. She had to change tack to get back to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “No, milady. You’re not wrong. I’m the damaged dragon who can’t even fend for himself anymore.” “Seems to me you just bagged a menacing shark all by yourself and chomped him to little pieces without any help at all,” she mused. “You’re not helpless. Hopeless, maybe…and that can be changed.” “You’re a strange female,” Hrardorr said, making her bark a laugh she hadn’t expected. “You’re not the first person to tell me that,” she allowed, smiling. “I’m not a person. I’m a dragon.” He bared his pointy teeth, as if grinning at her. “Point taken, Sir Dragon.” She regarded him for a moment, searching for the right words, but she couldn’t find them. “I like fishing. I do it most days when my father is away. Maybe you’d like to meet me here again sometime? I mean, I need protection from the circling sharks, and I suppose you could make yourself useful in lowering their numbers before someone from the town ends up maimed or dead. The fishermen would be grateful, I’m sure, as would most of the townsfolk.” “You don’t say.” Hrardorr looked as if he was thinking over her words. “I like to swim. And I also like the taste of shark.” “Really? What does it taste like to you?” “Like victory.”   About Bianca D’Arc: Bianca D’Arc is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 romance novels. She has twice won EPPIE Awards for her work, along with the Australian Romance Readers Favorite Erotic Romance eBook of 2008 for her first werewolf romance, Lords of the Were. She is a native New Yorker who worked as an executive on Wall Street during the summer of 2001. She changed careers after the tragic attacks of 9/11 and started seriously pursuing publication in 2005. She has a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry, a Masters in Library Science, and a Juris Doctor, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She loves her garden and plays the piano, ukulele and guitar. Find Bianca Online: Website: www.biancadarc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiancaDArcAuthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/biancadarc
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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Hot & Nerdy 2 by Shannyn Schroeder


Hot & Nerdy 2
Shannyn Schroeder
Published by: Lyrical Press
Publication date: May 24th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary
Adam, Hunter, and Free have a lot in common, like geeky passions and not exactly great track records when it comes to dating. But a New Year’s Eve bash will bring everything they’ve ever wanted–and so much more . . .
His Work Of Art
Adam Hayes has never met a girl like Reese. She’s sassy, smart, and loves talking comics, although he can’t see why she’d choose DC over Marvel. He’s thrilled to finally put his artistic chops to use in their upcoming comic project. But when the two combine forces, they churn out magic in more ways than they had planned . . .
His New Jam
There’s something unusual about the sarcastic percussionist Hunter Reed hired for his band. For one thing, she’s impervious to his advances. But when Hunter sees how passionate Sydney is behind the drums, he orchestrates a plan to find out if she kisses like she plays. What he doesn’t anticipate is falling so hard . . .
His Dream Role
Free Mitchell loves the theater. When he’s masquerading as Dr. Who or Sherlock Holmes, he feels he can escape his shy, dorky persona. But nothing’s prepared him to play boyfriend to a gorgeous girl like Samantha Wolf. The more time they spend together, the more they seem to be going off the script, and the hotter everything gets . . .
EXCERPT:
Hunter walked into his bedroom and bounced on the bed, waking Sydney.
She grunted at him. “It’s Saturday. And we played a gig last night. I should get to sleep in.”
“You did sleep in. It’s almost noon.”
She rolled over. “I hate morning people.”
Hunter laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed his way up her spine. “I have to go to Comic Con. I promised Adam I’d help out today.”
“So go.”
“Don’t you want to come, too? Free and Sam will be here soon. We’re all driving together.”
She rolled over and opened one eye to look at him. “Comic Con?”
“Adam and Reese are selling their book. It’ll be fun.”
She sat up and opened both eyes. “What the hell are you wearing?”
He stood and straightened his jacket. He picked up the hat he’d left on the dresser and posed. “I’m Indiana Jones.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Comic Con. Dressing up is half the fun.”
“I thought dressing up was Free’s thing.” She reached for the coffee he’d set on the nightstand for her.
“It is. Except for today. I think I look good.”
“Yeah, except you’re wearing a leather jacket. In August.”
“The convention center will be air-conditioned.”
The doorbell rang. Hunter pointed at her. “You coming?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He ran to let Free and Sam in. Free was wearing his god-awful Riddler costume. Of all the things Free owned, this was the one Hunter hated. “Really? You had to wear that?”
Sam stepped from behind Free. “What would go better with Batgirl?”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “You’re such nerds.”
“We’re nerds? You’re dressed up, too,” she said.
“First, I borrowed this costume from your boyfriend and his nerd closet. Second, Indiana Jones is cool.”
Free pointed at him. “He’s a college professor and an archaeologist. I think by definition, that’s nerdy.”
“Whatever.” Hunter turned and yelled toward the bedroom, “Are you ready, Syd?”
Sydney came around the corner a minute later, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “What the hell?” She waved her pointer finger at them. “I am not dressing like that.”
Hunter shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
He drove to the convention center since his minivan was more comfortable for them all to fit. This weekend was a nice break and end to summer. School was starting for teachers in a week and he couldn’t wait. Free had started working for his dad as expected right after graduation. Adam was the only one still in the same place.
Hunter really hoped the convention would give Adam the kick start he needed for his career. One of Adam’s biggest problems was that he was too cautious. He overthought everything. Hunter had really thought that adding Reese to his life would make Adam a little more easygoing.
Once they got into the convention center, Free said, “Adam and Reese are in Artist Alley. I’ll come by in a while. We have a couple of panels we want to get in on.”
With a nod to Hunter and Sydney, he grabbed Samantha’s hand and pulled her through the crowd. When he was gone, Sydney said, “He really gets into this, doesn’t he?”
Hunter nodded. “It’s easy for him to pretend to be someone else.”
“I haven’t seen him in costumes much lately.”
Hunter pointed them in the direction of Adam and Reese. “That’s because Cary doesn’t need the distraction at the health club anymore. And Free has Samantha, so he doesn’t need to impress anyone else.”
When they walked down an aisle of Artist Alley, Hunter saw Adam and Reese sitting behind a table. He sighed. Holding Sydney’s hand, he said, “They really need our help.”
“What?”
“Nobody’s paying attention to them.”
Syd smiled. “Maybe they should’ve worn a costume.”
Hunter stopped in front of the table. “How do you expect to sell anything sitting there like that? Where are your book things?”
“Dude, we tried talking to people. You have any idea how exhausting it is to try to grab someone’s attention?”
“Yeah, yeah. Gimme some books.”
Adam came around the table with an armful of the sample booklets they’d printed and stapled. “I’ll come with you. Sydney will stay with Reese, right?”
Syd rolled her eyes but nodded. She and Reese weren’t exactly friends, but they got along. As he and Adam stepped away from the table, Hunter heard Syd telling Reese about Free and Sam and the costumes. The girls’ laughter followed them down the aisle.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“I told you I would be.”
“I know you’re busy getting ready for the school year. It’s cool that you made time for this. And convinced Sydney to come.” Adam blew out a breath.
Hunter took a moment to smile at a couple of women dressed as aliens and offer them a booklet. They each took one.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Adam continued. “Reese and I split up yesterday to sit in on some workshops and I did pitch sessions.”
“Any luck?”
“Yeah, but that’s part of the problem. I think Reese and I went into this with different expectations. Or at least we have different ones now.”
“How do you mean?” Hunter paused again beside a group of women. “Excuse me. My artist friend here and his girlfriend wrote a really kick-ass comic. Here’s a sample.”
At first they looked startled that Hunter had interrupted them, but then they relaxed and each took a book. When he resumed walking beside Adam, he said, “And that, son, is how it’s done.”


Author Bio:
Shannyn Schroeder is the author of the O’Leary series, contemporary romances centered around a large Irish-American family in Chicago and the Hot & Nerdy series about 3 nerdy friends finding love. Her new series (For Your Love) will release this summer with the first title Under Your Skin. When she’s not wrangling her three kids or writing, she watches a ton of TV and loves to bake cookies.

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Shining Sea by Mimi Cross


Shining Sea
Mimi Cross
Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
Seventeen-year-old Arion Rush has always played the obedient sidekick to her older sister’s flashy femme fatale—until a mysterious boating accident leaves Lilah a silent, traumatized stranger. As her sister awaits medical treatment with their mother, Arion and their father head to his hometown in Maine to prepare a new life for them all. Surrounded by the vast Atlantic, songwriting is Arion’s only solace, her solid ground.
Unexpectedly, Arion blossoms in the tiny coastal town. Friends flock to her, and Logan Delaine, a volatile heartthrob, seems downright smitten. But it’s Bo Summers—a solitary surfer, as alluring as he is aloof—that Arion can’t shake. Meanwhile, Lilah’s worsening condition, a string of local fatalities, and Arion’s own recent brushes with death seem ominously linked…to Bo’s otherworldly family. As Arion’s feelings for Bo intensify and his affections turn possessive, she must make a choice. How will Arion learn to listen to her own voice when Bo’s siren song won’t stop ringing in her ears?
EXCERPT:
GOODBYE
Tuneless humming is coming from the bedroom next to mine. I’ve always been the better singer, no secret. Even before I could talk, I sang. To me, singing feels like . . . flying.
As a little kid I sang in the church choir, later on in the choruses at school, and about six months ago I started writing songs—not that I’d call myself a songwriter yet. My first gig was last week, down in the Mission District. Standing on the spotlit stage of the black box performance space, I played one long set—twelve tunes total—while hipsters watched with crossed arms.
Performing in front of an audience is a good way to tell if your songs are finished.
Or not.
The song I’m trying to capture now definitely falls into the not category.
I give the guitar a soft strum—a ghost of a chord slips out. Playing the haunting notes a little louder, I listen for the melody. It’ll come, eventually, but we’re leaving any minute.
Not just leaving . . . moving.
“Do you know,” I whisper sing, “where lost things go?”
In the next room Lilah falls silent. The lyrics tangle in my throat.
My fingers fumble, then jerk—playing a rhythmic pattern atop a single minor chord: one and two, one and two. Words tumble out of me. “Saint Anthony, can you come around? There’s something lost, and it can’t be found.”
Saint Anthony—is he the one?
A quick Google search on the laptop perched at the end of my bed tells me he is. Saint Anthony is invoked as the finder of lost things. Pulling my guitar closer, I play the line over and over.
“Arion? You up there?”
Dad. After shoving the laptop into my backpack, I shut the guitar in its case and head into the hall. Hands full, I stand in my sister’s doorway.
She doesn’t see me.
Even as thin as she is, even with the ever-present dark shadows beneath her eyes, Lilah is beautiful. Her features are regular and in proportion. Mine . . . are slightly exaggerated. Nose longer, lips fuller. Now, without music to distract me, the tears I’d vowed not to cry fill my eyes. Brown eyes. On a good day, they’re hazel. Maybe.
There’s no mistaking the color of my sister’s eyes. Bright blue. Her hair is black and shiny, cut straight across her forehead and blunt at her shoulders in a way that has always made me think of Cleopatra, but especially since the accident, when she became a mystery to me. Lilah no longer tells me her every thought. She can’t.
My sister blinks her bellflower eyes now, and for a split second— seems to focus on me.
But the illusion vanishes just as quickly. I swallow around the lump in my throat, wondering for the millionth time if she has any idea what’s going on.
Her bed is up against the window. In the distance—over a nearly invisible San Francisco Bay—the Golden Gate Bridge hovers in fog. Sitting down beside her on the bed, I lay a hand on one of her legs—feel bones, atrophied muscles. A raw feeling spreads through me, like a dull blade is scraping the underside of my skin.
“So . . . guess it’s time for goodbye.” I take a deep breath in, let it out slowly—which doesn’t help at all. “I’ll see you in Rock Hook Harbor. Dad’s one-horse hometown . . . Sounds happening, huh?” My attempt at lightheartedness fails completely. The words drop like bricks.
Leaning in, I kiss her cheek.
She turns away, as if looking toward the ghostly water. Or, is she looking at the water? Or just staring blankly?
I so want it to be the former. The doctors say it’s the latter.
In my chest, a hairline fissure I’ve fused together with lyrics and chords pops open.
“I love you,” I choke out.
She doesn’t answer. Of course she doesn’t.
Biting down hard on my lip, I stand up, trying not to feel like I’m leaving my best friend stranded. But I am. She is. Stranded. She’s been stranded, for a year.
Swiping at my eyes, I take a few steps down the hall—then turn suddenly into my parents’ room, which is mostly Mom’s room now. Dad spends the nights he’s here on the living room couch, where, after dinner—usually something complicated he’s cooked up involving lots of pots and pans—he falls asleep with the TV on. Blue screen to white noise; maybe the sound helps him. Music works better for me. Or, it used to. I used to lie in bed at night and sing. Lately, all I want to do is sleep.
Like the rest of the house, my parents’ bedroom is crowded with canvases. Filled with slashes of color and geometric shapes, each paint- ing has the name “Cici” scrawled in large letters down in the right-hand corner. Mom’s pictures pulse with unfamiliar energy, and my nostrils flare at the scent of paint fumes as I move a half-finished piece—an abstract portrait of a girl, I think—that’s leaning up against the glass door. Slipping out onto the balcony, I clutch the cold railing and eye a moldering stack of Psychology Today magazines. Therapy is Mom’s religion.
A pair of paint-splattered jeans hangs off a chair. A handful of paintbrushes soak in a bucket. There’s no sign of Dad.
My parents are like a couple of unmoored boats. Drifting. One of the few things they agreed on this past year? The accident was Dad’s fault. A pretty stupid conclusion, really, considering he hadn’t even been on the boat. But he’s a ship’s captain. Lilah and I inherited our love of the water from him.
Water. I hate it now. Because of the water, I’m on this balcony almost every day, drawn out here as if for a long-standing appointment, some prearranged meeting between me and my broken heart. I cry here; sometimes I yell. Sometimes I write, and one day, I nearly threw my guitar over the railing.
Splintered wood, snapped strings, I’m interested in broken things. The circling song lyrics fade at the sound of Mom’s strained voice. “Arion, have you finished saying goodbye to Delilah? Your dad’s ready to go.”
I stay another second, then scoop up a stray guitar pick from the terracotta tiles and head inside, not paying any attention to the paint- ings now, just intent on leaving before I get any more upset.
But then I’m passing Lilah’s room—and I see it.
The slim black notebook I’ve searched for probably a hundred times over the past year.
Oh, I’ve seen the palm-size Moleskine with its curled cover, seen it clutched in Lilah’s fist, watched as she whisked the small black book beneath her quilt, or shoved it between her sheets. I just haven’t been able to get my hands on it, and I’ve wanted to, desperately.
So many times I’ve seen her slip the notebook between the over- size pages of the art books that Mom insists on bringing home from the library. She’ll hug the book close then—her treasure safe inside— but she’ll never actually look at the glossy pages. Not like she looks at that notebook. She looks at that black book like it’s the only thing she recognizes.
It’s definitely some kind of diary. Not that I ever see her writing in it, not since before. But she’s always got it on her.
Only, she doesn’t have it on her now.
Now, there it is, on the floor next to her bed. And Lilah, there she is, still looking but not looking out the window. Transfixed, it would seem, by the gray bay. As I watch, she lifts one hand, bringing her fingertips to the glass—as if there’s something out there she wants to touch.
It’s kind of amazing how I do it, how I steal her most precious pos- session without breaking my stride. How I silently sweep into the room and, bending low, snatch it up—then keep on walking like nothing’s happened. Like I’m ten-year-old Lilah herself, that time at the rock and gem shop down near the beach, trying on one sterling silver ring, then another. I’ll never forget it, how she smiled at the shopkeeper—maybe even said thank you—then practically skipped out the door, still wear- ing at least one of the rings. Once outside, she tossed a half-dozen more rings onto the pebbles that served as the shop’s front yard, so that she could retrieve them that night when the gem shop was closed, so that we could retrieve them.
Eight-year-old me, I’d held the flashlight for her. She’d given me one of the rings as my reward, but only one.
I feel bad taking the book; if I could read it and leave it, I would. But there’s no time. Through the hall window I can see Dad standing down in the driveway by the old green Jeep Cherokee, the car that will be mine once we get to Maine.
So I slide the notebook into the pocket of my backpack where it burns a hole so big I think it will surely fall out—pages fluttering like fiery wings—and slap the floor with a sound so sharp, Lilah will shud- der to life. She’ll spring up and shout at me, her old self at last.
But nothing like this happens.
Leaving Lilah. Taking the notebook. My skin ripples with guilt. But we have to go on ahead. School’s starting in a few weeks, plus Dad’s new job—they won’t hold it any longer.
And really, I have to take the book. I need to know what happened.
Out in the driveway, I crane my neck, trying to see if Lilah’s still at the window.
“Hold on,” Mom shouts from the house, “I almost forgot!”
Time seems suspended as Dad and I wait by the car, the limbo of the long ride already upon us . . .
Mom reappears holding a square box wrapped in gold paper and a purple ribbon. Balanced on top is a fat cupcake with pink frosting.
“Happy birthday, Arion.” Her flinty blue eyes soften. She hands me the awkward duo and gives me an equally awkward hug. “From both of us.”
Dad smiles, shakes his head. “Seventeen.” He’s always been a man of few words.
“Thanks, Mom. Dad.” Swallowing hard, I climb into the car with the gifts on my lap. Mom pecks Dad on the cheek, and he gets behind the wheel. As we pull away, she blows me a kiss.
Twisting in my seat, I wave—then look up at the second story. No Lilah.
My chest hurts so much—I actually glance down. But there’s nothing except a smear of pink icing on my shirt, where I’d leaned into the cupcake.
We’ll fly back close to Thanksgiving, when Lilah is scheduled for the operation that my parents have finally decided is her best bet: a surgical procedure to implant a device in her brain.
It’s not as sci-fi as it sounds. The battery-operated device is kind of like a pacemaker, only for your brain instead of your heart. This kind of surgery is used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms, although I think whoever came up with DBS—deep brain stimulation—was thinking of people with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, not, well, whatever’s wrong with Lilah. Her case is—entirely different. I’m not going to pretend: I’m scared. But the plan is, we’ll all be together in Maine by Christmas, so that’s what I’m trying to focus on. I’ll miss Lilah. Mom too. But I’m glad to be leaving San Francisco.
My life here . . . is on hold—except for my music. The rest is a waiting game.
We’ve all been waiting for Lilah to find what she lost. As if she can look for it.


Author Bio:
Mimi Cross was born in Toronto, Canada. She received a master's degree from New York University and a bachelor's degree in music from Ithaca College. She has been a performer, a music educator, and a yoga instructor. During the course of her musical career, she's shared the bill with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Sting. She resides in New Jersey.

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Release Blitz: Easy For Keeps (Boudreaux #4.5) by Kristen Proby

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New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby brings readers a glimpse back into her sexy as sin The Boudreaux Series. EASY FOR KEEPS is a Contemporary Erotic Romance novella in The Boudreaux Series, brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

    Easy For Keeps - cover  

Amazon ** Paperback

ABOUT EASY FOR KEEPS:

Adam Spencer loves women. All women. Every shape and size, regardless of hair or eye color, religion or race, he simply enjoys them all. Meeting more than his fair share as the manager and head bartender of The Odyssey, a hot spot in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, Adam’s comfortable with his lifestyle, and sees no reason to change it. A wife and kids, plus the white picket fence are not in the cards for this confirmed bachelor. Until a beautiful woman, and her sweet princess, literally knock him on his ass.

Sarah Cox has just moved to New Orleans, having accepted a position as a social worker specializing in at-risk women and children. It’s a demanding, sometimes dangerous job, but Sarah is no shy wallflower. She can handle just about anything that comes at her, even the attentions of one sexy Adam Spencer. Just because he’s charmed her daughter, making her think of magical kingdoms with happily ever after, doesn’t mean that Sarah believes in fairy tales. But the more time she spends with the enchanting man, the more he begins to sway her into believing in forever.
Even so, when Sarah’s job becomes more dangerous than any of them bargained for, will she be ripped from Adam’s life forever?

  cute teddy bear isolated on white background    

Excerpt-

I love this place. I’ve worked at The Odyssey most of my life. First, for Callie’s dad, and then for her after he passed last year. And now that we’re planning to expand the space, Callie asked me to be her partner. The paperwork was finalized last week, and the expansion is moving forward.

It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. I don’t just work here, I’m part owner and able to leave at a moment’s notice if the notion struck me.

Not that I ever have, or would, do that. But it was an option.

Now strings are attached, and I’ve never been a strings kind of guy. In fact, at the first mention of commitment, I’m a run-in-the-other-direction kind of guy.

And I make no apologies for it. The women I’m with know the score. I keep my life simple.

This is work, I remind myself. I’ve had a soft spot for The Odyssey for a long time, so attaching myself permanently is a good move.

It’s not a woman.

“You didn’t go home with her,” Callie says as she comes out of her office, surprising me.

“I thought you went home,” I reply instead of answering her question. “Didn’t I see Declan earlier?”

Declan is a popular New Orleans musician and Callie’s husband.

“You did,” she replies with a soft smile. “But I had some work to do here, and sometimes I just like to stay until closing.”

“We’re bar people,” I reply with a smile and walk behind the bar to pull out a bottle of water.

“So, why didn’t you give that pretty thing a ride on your desk?” Callie asks in the nonjudgmental way that only she can. She’s my best friend for a reason.

“Wasn’t feeling it,” I reply with a shrug, then grin. “Literally.”

“Harhar,” she replies, but her smile is bright. “I haven’t heard many women stories lately.”

“You enjoy my conquest stories?” I ask, not believing her. “You always cover your ears and tell me to shut it.”

“Well, some of them are just gross. Like the time you had sex in the back of a cab. That’s just not sanitary, Adam.”

“Sex isn’t supposed to be sanitary, Cal. If you’re worried about sanitation, you aren’t doing it right.”

 
    Close-up portrait of a beautiful sexual couple in love. Passion.  

And don’t forget to grab the first three books in the Boudreaux Series!

Easy Love - cover

EASY LOVE

Easy Charm - cover

EASY CHARM

Easy Melody - cover

EASY MELODY

Preorder the 4th full-length novel in the Boudreaux Series here!

Easy Kisses - cover

EASY KISSES

Author Pic - Kristen Proby

ABOUT KRISTEN PROBY: New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.    

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Book Requests

Monday, May 23, 2016

Welcome To All Publishers


I am not accepting any new book review request at this time because I've been having some health issues at the moment I really and truly apologize for the inconvenience.

I will only read all fiction books by publishers. There will be a list at the bottom. I review Mobi, PDF, Epub and I also accept print books. If you want me to review your book please contact me at. When you request your review please write Book For Review in the subject line. The Title Of The Book, The Genre, The Description and if it is possible the cover of the book. If the book is part of a series please only submit the first book. I would really appreciate it thank you.  I review on Goodreads, Amazon and on the Blog I will always give you my honest opinion and spread the word of your book. 


FTC Disclosure

In accordance with new FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review on my site are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. I am in no way compensated for any reviews on my site.

Types Of Genres I Read


1. Contemporary Romance

2. Chick-Lit

3. Paranormal Romance

4. Urban Fantasy

5. Middle Grade

6. Young Adult

7. New Adult 

8. Adult

9. Fantasy

10. Sci-Fi

11. Dystopian

12. Post Apocalyptic

13. Mystery/Thriller

14. Mystery/Suspense

15. Murder Mystery

16. Steam-Punk

17. Graphic Novel

18. Crime

19. Historical Romance

20. LGBTQIA+

21: Horror

22. Rom-Com

23. Cozy Murder Mystery

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Review: Miriam (Treasures of the Nile #2) by Mesu Andrews

 
Title: Miriam
 
Series: Treasures of the Nile #2
 
Author: Mesu Andrews
 
Genre: Biblical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion
 
Published Date: March 15th 2016 by WaterBrook  
 
Format: Arc
 
Source: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.
 
Rating: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Hebrews call me prophetess, the Egyptians a seer.
But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel
and the messenger of El Shaddai.

When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing.

At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.

 Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of the Pharaoh?

Enter an exotic land where a cruel Pharaoh reigns, pagan priests wield black arts, and the Israelites cry out to a God they only think they know.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is my very first book that I read by Mesu Andrews and I really quite love and enjoyed Miriam! First I will tell you all the truth that I don't read a lot of Christian fiction not because I don't like Christian fiction books, but sometimes I disagree with some of the books. But I really wanted too give Miriam a try because I have always been curious about Miriam and I absolutely wanted too learn a little bit more about her. And I am very glad and happy that I did give it a chance! I had no idea that Miriam was the second book of a series when I requested it too read and review, but it is totally alright too read it because it can be read as a stand-alone. But Now after reading Miriam I really want too read the first book The Pharaoh's Daughter as well. I absolutely love everything about Miriam. You can tell the author really studied and learn about Miriam and her family too add it in the time line of this fiction story. The plot was about a quest and making sacrifices to follow the true and only God in heaven and have complete faith in him, which I absolutely love the concept in this book. I was also rooted for the Hebrews too be free from there masters in Egypt because the have suffer enough in the hands of the pharaoh and his son's. The writing style was very flawless and persuasive that I agree and understand ever pov's of all the characters that I read, which I tell you that never ever happens when I totally understand and agree with every characters pov's in a book especially in a Christian fiction book. That I tell you I couldn't get enough of this book that I had too keep reading one more chapter until way late in the night. All the characters were very diverse and complex in there own ways and I absolutely love each and every one of them and yes I even love the villains in Miriam as well. All the characters were very well develop and rounded especially the villains who were the pharaoh and his son's who were very crazy, cold hearted and really vicious too there slaves. That I was quite petrified about them I can totally understand the fear that the slaves had with the pharaoh and his son's and I really understand them when the slaves didn't want too listen to Moses and his brother Arron at first. But I absolutely love when Moses and Arron showed God's powers too the pharaoh and his son's and strike fear in there hearts if they did not let the slave go. Now I am going to leave it off here because I don't want too go into anymore details because of spoiler. But all and all I really love and enjoy Miriam that I most definitely want too continue too read more books by Mesu Andrews because I absolutely love and enjoy her flawless writing style! I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mesu Andrews is an author and speaker who has devoted herself to passionate study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep love for God’s Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her audiences.

Mesu and her husband, Roy, have two grown children and (Praise God!) a growing number of grandkids. They live in Washington, where Roy serves as the academic dean at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. They have a Staffordshire Terrier named Zeke who keeps Mesu company while she writes.

Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (the story of Job), won the 2012 ECPA debut Book of the Year. She has since published biblical novels touching on the lives of King Solomon, Hosea and Gomer, Queen Athaliah, Pharaoh's Daughter, and Miriam. You can find out more about Mesu and all her books at
www.mesuandrews.com.
  
 
 
          
 
 
 

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Review: A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

Saturday, May 21, 2016

 
 
Title: A Fierce and Subtle Poison
 
Series: Stand-Alone
 
Author: Samantha Mabry
 
Genre: Young Adult, Retelling & Magical Realism
 
Published Date: April 12th 2016 by Algonquin Young Readers
 
Format: e-arc
 
Source: Netgalley
 
Rating
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the seƱoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*** I received A Fierce and Subtle Poison On Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review. Thank you so much too Algonquin Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review A Fierce and Subtle Poison! ***


I am really surprise on how much I really like and enjoy A Fierce and Subtle Poison overall I didn't love it as much that I would of liked. But it was very nostalgic book for me because of the many great memories of the island that I had when I was a kid when I visited the Island of Puerto Rico with my family. Now I never read the book Rappaccini’s Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne but now I am really intrigued to check it out because A Fierce and Subtle Poison is a re-imagining of that specific story. The plot line and twist is unique and different in its own ways that I had too find out what was really going to happen next in the story! The writing styles was very expressive and descriptive. That I felt every feelings the characters were feeling and it also felt very nostalgic reading the places that Lucas & Isabel went on the island because I went too the same places when I was a kid. The characters were all amazing and well rounded and very dynamic in every way. That my favorite part of A Fierce and Subtle Poison was the diversity in the book. I absolutely love and enjoyed reading the diversity in A Fierce and Subtle Poison even though its not my first book I read with diversity in it. But there is not a lot of books that I read with diversity in them so it is always a great changed for me to read an diverse books. All and All A Fierce and Subtle Poison was a great and enjoyable book for me that I really want too check out other books by Samantha Mabry because I really did love and enjoy her writing style and story telling!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Samantha was born four days before the death of John Lennon. she grew up in Dallas, playing bass guitar along to vinyl records in her bedroom after school, writing fan letters to rock stars, doodling song lyrics into notebooks, and reading big, big books.

she spends as much time as possible in the west Texas desert.

A FIERCE AND SUBTLE POISON (Algonquin Young Readers, spring 2016) is her first novel.
 
 
 
 








 
 
 
 

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