Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Teaser Blitz - KING OF HEARTS by L.H. Cosway


Title: King of Hearts
Author: L.H. Cosway
Expected Publication Date: 7/16/2015

Synopsis:
Welcome to the City, London’s most prestigious square mile, where finance reigns and Oliver King is a rising prince. 

I used to rule the world.

There might be wolves on Wall Street, but there were crocodiles in Canary Wharf. Some of us craved money. Some of us craved power.

I liked money, and power had its advantages, but what I really wanted was to excel, to surpass the men who came before me. I never cared much for love and romance until I met Alexis.

I could feel it the very moment she walked into the interview, with her outspoken charm and vivacious personality. She cast all the others in shadow, made me laugh when life held no humour. Our friendship should have remained professional, but it wasn’t long before the lines started to blur.

You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Well, I never foresaw where my plans would lead, and only in my darkest hour did I finally see the light…

You can have all the money and prestige in the world and still be the poorest man alive. And love, well, I hate to use a tired old cliché, but love can be the thing that truly sets you free.

L.H. Cosway’s next standalone romance, King of Hearts will be released in the summer of 2015.
 

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LHCosway

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LHCosway

Mailing List: http://www.lhcoswayauthor.com/p/maili...

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lhcosway13/

Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com


Something Good Can Work - Lori's Review of JESSE'S GIRL by Miranda Kenneally


Title: Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks)
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: 7/7/2015
Source: ARC from the publisher through Netgalley

Synopsis:
Practice Makes Perfect.

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?




Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.


    


***This review may be considered spoiler-ish, so please be warned if you wish to continue reading the review.***

First of all I have to say that I am a Miranda Kenneally fan. I have loved every book in this series. While you may think that makes me a little biased, I promise I will give you my honest opinion about this book.

The second thing that I'd like you to know is that I understand that this is not an original idea or premise for a story. You have your average young woman who meets the superstar musician and they fall in love. This one, however, is done in such a way as to make you believe that is ACTUALLY COULD happen.

Maya Henry is chosen to shadow teen idol, Jesse Scott, as part of a school project. Jesse is a mega star, but also happens to be related to the principal of Maya's school. While Maya has always dreamed of being a making it big as a musician, she never really planned on doing it alone. Maya had plans for her band and her boyfriend joining her rise to stardom, but life is what happens while you are busy making plans. Life chose another path for Maya, one that led her right to Jesse Scott's front door.

Jesse and Maya do not hit is off right away. Jesse accuses Maya of being a stalker fangirl and attempts to get her thrown out of his dressing room. Maya's first impression of Jesse is less than stellar. She is convinced that he is little more than an arrogant jerk with a good voice.

Jesse  and Maya end up spending an incredible day together that for some reason brought to mind Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Yes, their time together was approved by the school, but Jesse had his own ideas for how their time together should be spent. I think he may have been a little clueless in some ways, but he was really sweet and worked hard to show Maya how things really were in the music industry. Jesse also pushed Maya to reach her full potential.

We got a peek at some of our favorite characters from the series. Maya is Sam Henry's little sister, and it is great to see him come back and play the protective older brother with Jordan taming him and keeping him grounded.

Maya and Jesse's relationship is one that just should not work, but it does. I have high hopes for their future, both as musicians and as a couple.

4 out of 5 stars


Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

Monday, June 29, 2015

Crack the Shutters - Lori's Review of TRULY by Ruthie Knox


Title: Truly
Author: Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept
Publication Date: (First published September 1, 2013)
Source: My Shelves


Synopsis:
RITA finalist and USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox kicks off a steamy new series set in the city that never sleeps—alone, at least.

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?

Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.





USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox writes contemporary romance that’s sexy, witty, and angsty—sometimes all three at once. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, is probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story. She followed it up with About Last Night, a London-set romance whose hero has the unlikely name of Neville, and then Room at the Inn, a Christmas novella—both of which were finalists for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award. Her four-book series about the Clark family of Camelot, Ohio, has won accolades for its fresh, funny portrayal of small-town Midwestern life. Ruthie also writes New Adult romance as RobinYork. She moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop her a line. 


Every once in awhile, a book comes along and completely knocks me off my feet. TRULY is one of these books. I was expecting a story similar to many I have read in the past. As I have read Ruthie Knox before, I was expecting to enjoy the story, but I was not expecting it to rock my world and to linger still a month after reading and cause sharp feelings deep in my chest simply by reading the title of the story.

May is having an extremely bad day and makes it worse by attempting to strike up a conversation with a man in a dive bar in New York City. Ben Hausman, a grumpy divorcee. He isn't looking to make friends, hook up, or even be pleasant to the down-on-her-luck damsel in distress, but somehow he ends up offering her a place to stay for the weekend and becomes her tour guide around the city.
"She'd never intended to run from Dan and end up with this divorced farming beekeeper ex-chef, with his surly attitude and his crooked smile."
Beyond the amazing sexual tension building in this story, there was the incredible romance of New York City. As Ben leads May around showing off his favorite parts of the city, I felt like I was visiting them myself. The author did such an great job describing these charming slices of NYC and made me fall in love with a place I have never seen.

While there was really nothing new or original about the story itself, it was told in such a way as to create something amazing within me. The characters are fallible, imperfect, crafted with impeccable skill. I normally would never fall for someone like Ben. He was rude to May when he first met her and usually that would send me running for the hills, but Knox created Ben in such a way that I fell head over heels in love with him.
"I have to learn to be that person he sees. I have to decide whether I'm going to be her all the time, or whether I'm going to settle for less, even knowing I could have had more."
I recommend this book to lovers of Romance, New Adult, and Contemporary. I loved it from beginning to end.

5 out of 5 stars




Snow Patrol - Crack the Shutters

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Books Releasing This Week


This is not a list of all books releasing this week, but rather a list of books
 releasing this week that I am excited about getting in my hands.
“Edgy and honest, Faking Perfect is the real thing.” –Huntley Fitzpatrick

When Lexi Shaw seduced Oakfield High's resident bad boy Tyler Flynn at the beginning of senior year, he seemed perfectly okay with her rules:

1. Avoid her at school.
2. Keep his mouth shut about what they do together.
3. Never tease her about her friend (and unrequited crush) Ben.

Because with his integrity and values and golden boy looks, Ben can never find out about what she’s been doing behind closed doors with Tyler. Or that her mom’s too busy drinking and chasing losers to pay the bills. Or that Lexi’s dad hasn’t been a part of her life for the last thirteen years. But with Tyler suddenly breaking the rules, Ben asking her out, and her dad back in the picture, how long will she be able to go on faking perfect?


A luminous young adult novel that evokes Judy Blume’s Forever for a new generation.

Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.


The ride of her life . . . Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . . 
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever.




Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.


Beckett Murda hates to dwell on the past. But his investigation into the ambush that killed half his Special Forces team and ended his Army career gives him little choice. Just when his team learns how powerful their enemies are, hard-ass Beckett encounters the biggest complication yet—seductive, feisty Katherine Rixey.

A tough, stubborn prosecutor, Kat visits her brothers’ Hard Ink Tattoo following a bad break-up—and finds herself staring down the barrel of a stranger’s gun. Beckett is hard-bodied and sexy as hell, but he’s also the most infuriating man ever. Worse, Kat’s brothers are at war with criminals her office is investigating. When Kat joins the fight, she lands straight in Beckett’s sights—and his arms. Not to mention their enemies’ crosshairs.

Now Beckett and Kat must set aside their differences to work together, because the only thing sweeter than justice is finding love and never letting go.

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Probst sparks a blissful mind-body connection as her “sexy, satisfying” (Kirkus Reviews) new series continues!

She’s an expert in helping others de-stress, but Arilyn Meadows is running on fumes. Along with her job counseling singles seeking soul mates at the Kinnections agency in Verily, New York, she’s a yoga teacher, animal shelter volunteer, anger management therapist, and helping hand to her beloved grandfather. No time to find Mr. Right—but after discovering her yogi boyfriend in a compromising asana, Arilyn would rather dog-sit for her honeymooning friend Kate than risk her heart on another downward dog. And when police officer Stone Petty—radiating masculinity and bad-boy attitude—is sent to her for mandatory lessons in cooling off when the job gets too hot, Arilyn vows to ignore his seductive glances and sexy grin. But there’s no halting their sizzling flirtation—a red-hot, high-speed chase that’s breaking all the limits.


RESCUE MECedar Ridge, Colorado, is famous for crisp mountain air, clear blue skies, and pine-scented breezes. And it's the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there's an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid-firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile . . .

The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy-a second chance .


Josh Chester loves being a Hollywood bad boy, coasting on his good looks, his parties, his parents' wealth, and the occasional modeling gig. But his laid-back lifestyle is about to change. To help out his best friend, Liam, he joins his hit teen TV show, Daylight Falls...opposite Vanessa Park, the one actor immune to his charms. (Not that he's trying to charm her, of course.) Meanwhile, his drama-queen mother blackmails him into a new family reality TV show, with Josh in the starring role. Now that he's in the spotlight—on everyone's terms but his own—Josh has to decide whether a life as a superstar is the one he really wants.

Vanessa Park has always been certain about her path as an actor, despite her parents' disapproval. But with all her relationships currently in upheaval, she's painfully uncertain about everything else. When she meets her new career handler, Brianna, Van is relieved to have found someone she can rely on, now that her BFF, Ally, is at college across the country. But as feelings unexpectedly evolve beyond friendship, Van's life reaches a whole new level of confusing. And she'll have to choose between the one thing she's always loved...and the person she never imagined she could.





From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the next new adult novel in her beloved Rosemary Beach series, which continues the story of Mase and Reese from When I’m Gone.

The future is bright for Reese Ellis. She has Mase Colt-Manning, the man of her dreams, and a family she didn’t know existed until her long-lost father arrived on her doorstep in Rosemary Beach. After growing up with a cruel mother and abusive stepfather, Reese is eager to get to know the caring and charming man who wants to be a part of her life. Everything is finally falling into place.

While Reese is visiting her new family in Chicago, Mase spends time with his “cousin,” Aida, who has worshipped him since childhood. Though they’re unrelated by blood, Mase and Aida have been raised to think of each other as family. But when Reese returns, she can tell something isn’t quite right with Aida, who clearly resents Reese and excels at manipulative little games. And though Mase is unsuspecting, Reese knows Aida doesn’t love him like a cousin should.




After almost a year in Japan, Katie Greene has finally unearthed the terrible secret behind her boyfriend Tomohiro's deadly ability to bring drawings to life—not only is he descended from Kami, the ancient Japanese gods, but he is the heir to a tragedy that occurred long ago, a tragedy that is about to repeat. 

=Even as the blood of a vengeful god rages inside Tomo, Katie is determined to put his dark powers to sleep. In order to do so, she and Tomo must journey to find the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. Gifts from the goddess Amaterasu herself, these treasures could unlock all of the secrets about Tomo's volatile ancestry and quell the ink's lust for destruction. But in order to complete their quest, Tomo and Katie must confront out-of-control Kami and former friend Jun, who has begun his own quest of revenge against those he believes have wronged him. To save the world, and themselves, Katie and Tomo will be up against one of the darkest Kami creations they've ever encountered—and they may not make it out alive.


July Pre-Orders
Every Last Breath Jennifer L. Armentrout 7/28/2015