Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Branding Lily ~ Review

Branding Lily
Cartel Cowboys Duet Book 1
by Gracin Sawyer
Publication Date: December 16, 2019

She was mine, and I protect what is mine.

Lily ~ I escaped my prison only to fall into the arms of a man sworn to kill me. The way my body reacted when he was around was dangerous. His gentle touch sent me over the edge, needing more. Now I'm hoping he'll let me stay, but when he finds out who I am, I'm dead.

Jacob ~ My family name had a past, but I was far from the man my father was. I knew from the moment I saw her she would be mine. And I protected what was mine. Whoever had hurt her would pay, no one else would touch her again.

New author, new addiction!, December 16, 2019
There is so much going on in this book. A whole lot of drama, a few serious topics (but not too heavy of a read) some spicy scenes lightened it up, & feel good moments added to the love of these characters. Beware it is a bit too easy to get sucked into this Nevada desert, but very much worth it. I was glad to see Lily find herself & become a strong character even after all she has been though. Jacob is absolutely dreamy in every way. Flapjack, & Diesel won me over quickly. And Doc has a special place in my heart!

I read 74% of Branding Lily immediately!! I could not put it down until I just HAD to. At first I worried it might go a bit darker with topics mentioned, but this author did a phenomenal job lightening that mood for us. As soon as I could I grabbed it again...and NOW I am freaking out!!!! Dying! OMG I need to know what happens ASAP!!!! Such an intense read with a whirlwind of emotions. I did not expect this story to go the direction it did AT ALL. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I HAD to finish it! Final conclusion......I love this story!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will be first in line to get my hands on part 2!!

Click here to get your copy on Amazon!

Follow Gracin Sawyer on Facebook & Goodreads.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Branding Lily by Gracin Sawyer

Branding Lily
by Gracin Sawyer
Publication Date: December 16, 2019

She was mine, and I protect what is mine.

Lily ~ I escaped my prison only to fall into the arms of a man sworn to kill me. The way my body reacted when he was around was dangerous. His gentle touch sent me over the edge, needing more. Now I'm hoping he'll let me stay, but when he finds out who I am, I'm dead.

Jacob ~ My family name had a past, but I was far from the man my father was. I knew from the moment I saw her she would be mine. And I protected what was mine. Whoever had hurt her would pay, no one else would touch her again.


Click here to get your copy on Amazon!

Follow Gracin Sawyer on Facebook & Goodreads.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover ~ Review

Regretting You 
by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

Publisher: Montlake

ALL THE FEELS! I was aware of the main plot twist since I read the blurb beforehand. However, I was not prepared for the emotions this creation would rip out of me. Wow!!! This book shattered a whole world so fast, but the way they melded it back together was insanely beautiful.
There really is more like 3 stories in 1 here as we go back & forth a bit from the main characters younger years vs. present day & the mother daughter side of things. Ok, so honestly there are a few more than 3 if we really focus on each of the major pieces to this world Hoover has created, but the main players are mainly the big plot twists that grip you even though you already know they’re coming. You feel them, anticipate them, & yet they still hit you upon their reveal. Anyone who knows me KNOWS I tend to stay far away from the books that shatter your heart & soul to the very core, but their are a few authors who manage to do so in such a beautiful way you simply can not deny them access to do as they please. Colleen Hoover has proven she is one of them for me. I could not stop reading, did not want to put it down. This creation of hers literally took my breath away a few times as my mind attempted to catch up to my emotions. Again, I read the blurb. I was aware. BUT the execution of what was foretold still pounced as stealthy a predator in the wild. No matter how well we may believe we have dealt with our pasts & moves on these characters prove that sometimes we choose to believe things happened one way/for another reason yet when we reflect later realize we missed key facts or ignored them all together. Minor details that had huge impact on our futures. Love this book!!!! I will definitely be reading more books by this author. I also hope she might bring us a bit more of these characters at a later date. I would enjoy an update on their life happenings very much!

Click here to see all of my Amazon reviews.

Q&A with Author Colleen Hoover

You are ‘label-less’ in the fact that you write in several genres. Readers never know what to expect next. If someone asks, how do you label yourself?
When I self-published my first novel I had no idea what genre to put it in. I thought I had written a drama but it turns to that I had written a romance. I’ve learned a lot since then, but I still don’t put a lot of weight in genre when I write. When your best friend is begging you to read a book, it’s not going to matter what genre it is when someone you trust is passionate about the story.

To keep all of your stories and characters straight, you must be very organized.
I’m the most disorganized person you will ever meet! I have no schedule. I can’t wake up before nine in the morning. I probably don’t go to bed until like three in the morning. I usually work about 16 hours a day. 

What happens if you get blocked when you are writing? 
If I get stuck writing, I go for a drive and play music. Music really helps me plot. I love The Avett Brothers, X Ambassadors, Airborne Toxic Event...I could go on and on. 

What can you tell readers about your latest release Regretting You?
I would spoil it if I told you about it! Most of my books are like that. I can’t say what they are about or it spoils it. But I can say that Regretting You is told from a dual point-of-view centered on the inner lives of both a teen and adult protagonist.

Sounds like lots of different types of readers will be interested!
Absolutely. I wanted to write a book that bridged the gap between young adult and contemporary romance so that mothers can read with their daughters. I think it’s exciting to see people sharing reading experiences. 


Click below to read an excerpt from Regretting You


Colleen Hoover 
is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the bestselling women’s fiction novel It Ends with Us and the bestselling psychological thriller Verity. She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three years in a row—for Confess (2015), It Ends with Us (2016), and Without Merit (2017). Confess was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Hoover and her family founded the Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service that offers signed novels donated by authors. All profits go to various charities each month to help those in need. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Visit www.colleenhoover.com.

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Genes ~ Cover Reveal

Genes by Mary Ting
Book 3 in the ISAN series
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
ALLEGIANCES WILL BE TESTED.
IDENTITIES WILL BE REVEALED.
NO ONE IS SAFE.

While searching for the HelixB88 anti-serum on the black market, Ava uncovers valuable intel that may help the rebels in their fight to bring down ISAN—the location of a hidden facility. But first, the insurgents must find the female citizens unexpectedly displaying powers without use of the Helix serum before ISAN captures them.

As the rebels join forces with other sectors, ISAN plans their destruction by using someone they don’t suspect at the rebel home base. A traitor within.

Now, Ava must make a dangerous decision, one that could risk their capture—or worse.

Publisher: Vesuvian Media
Cover designer: MJCImageworks


ISAN Book Trailer

Mary Ting
Mary Ting is an international bestselling, award-winning author. She writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers around the world. Her books span a wide range of genres, and her storytelling talents have earned a devoted legion of fans, as well as garnered critical praise.

Becoming an author happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she had in high school. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, Mary retired from teaching after twenty years. She also had the privilege of touring with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book: No Bullies Allowed.

Mary resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two little dogs, Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Being a huge Twilight fan, Mary was inspired to make book-themed jewelry and occasionally gives it away as prizes to her fans.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You 
by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

Publisher: Montlake


Despite knowing I just pissed my mother off by being half an hour late for curfew, I still can’t stop smiling. That kiss with Miller was worth it. I bring my fingers to my lips. 
I’ve never been kissed like that. The guys I’ve kissed in the past all seemed like they were in a hurry, wanting to shove their tongue in my mouth before I changed my mind. 
Miller was the opposite. He was so patient, yet in a chaotic way. It was like he’d thought about kissing me so often that he wanted to savor every second of it. 
I don’t know that I’ll ever not smile when I think about that kiss. It kind of makes me nervous for school tomorrow. I’m not sure where that kiss leaves us, but it felt like it was a statement. I just don’t know what exactly that statement was. 
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I roll over and pull it out, then fall onto my back again. It’s a text from Miller. 
Miller: I don’t know about you, but sometimes when something significant happens, I get home and think of all the things I wish had gone differently. All the things I wish I would have said. 
Me: Is that happening now? 
Miller: Yes. I don’t feel like I was entirely forthcoming with you. 
I roll onto my stomach, hoping to ease the nausea that just passed through me. It was going so well… 
Me: What weren’t you honest about? 
Miller: I was honest. Just not entirely forthcoming, if there’s a difference. I left a lot out of our conversation that I want you to know. 
Me: Like what? 
Miller: Like why I’ve liked you for as long as I have. 
I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. I’m staring at my phone with so much intensity that I almost throw it when it rings unexpectedly. It’s Miller’s phone number. I hesitate before answering it, because I rarely ever talk on the phone. I much prefer texting. But he knows I have my phone in my hand, so I can’t very well send it to voice mail. I swipe my finger across the screen and then roll off the bed and head to my bathroom for more privacy. I sit on the edge of the tub. 
“Hello?” 
“Hey,” he says. 
“Sorry. It’s too much to text.” 
“You’re kind of freaking me out with all the innuendos.” 
“Oh. No, it’s all good. Don’t be nervous. I just should have said this to you in person.” Miller inhales a deep breath, and then on the exhale, he starts talking. “When I was fifteen, I watched you in a school play. You had the lead role, and at one point, you performed a monologue that went on for like two whole minutes. You were so convincing and you looked so heartbroken I was ready to walk onto the stage and hug you. When the play was finally over and the actors came back out onto the stage, you were smiling and laughing, and there wasn’t a trace of that character left in you. I was in awe, Clara. You have this charisma about you that I don’t think you’re aware of, but it’s captivating. I was a scrawny kid as a sophomore, and even though I’m a year older than you, I hadn’t quite filled out yet, and I had acne and felt inferior to you, so I never worked up the courage to approach you. Another year went by, and I continued to admire you from afar. Like that time you ran for school treasurer and tripped walking off the stage, but you jumped up and did this weird little kick and threw your arms up in the air and made the entire audience laugh. Or that time Mark Avery popped your bra strap in the hallway, and you were so sick of him doing it that you followed him to his classroom, reached inside your hoodie, and took off your bra and then threw it at him. I remember you yelling something like, ‘If you want to touch a bra so damn bad, just keep it, you perv!’ Then you stormed out. It was epic. Everything you do is epic, Clara. Which is why I never had the courage to approach you, because an epic girl needs an equally epic guy, and I guess I’ve just never felt epic enough for you. I’ve said epic so many times in the last fifteen seconds—I’m so sorry.” 
He’s out of breath when he finally stops talking.
I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache. I had no idea he felt this way. No idea. 
I wait a few seconds to make sure he’s done; then I finally respond. I’m pretty sure he can hear from my voice alone that I’m smiling. “First of all, it’s hard to believe you were ever insecure. And second, I think you’re pretty epic, too, Miller. Always have. Even when you were scrawny and had acne.” 
He laughs a little. “Yeah?” 
“Yeah.” 
I can hear him sigh. “Glad I got that off my chest, then. See you at school tomorrow?” 
“Good night.” 
We end the call, and I don’t know how long I sit and stare at my phone.

Colleen Hoover 
is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the bestselling women’s fiction novel It Ends with Us and the bestselling psychological thriller Verity. She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three years in a row—for Confess (2015), It Ends with Us (2016), and Without Merit (2017). Confess was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Hoover and her family founded the Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service that offers signed novels donated by authors. All profits go to various charities each month to help those in need. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Visit www.colleenhoover.com.

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