Purchased
Friday, June 19, 2015
Stacking the Shelves (73)
Purchased
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Flashback Friday - REASON TO BREATHE by Rebecca Donovan
Flashback Friday is a meme hosted by our friends at Fiction Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast. The Objective - Pick a book... any book that meets the following criteria:
1. Must have been published at least 2 years ago or
2. Preferably is still in print or available to read
Title: Reason to Breathe
Author: Rebecca Donovan
Publisher: Skyscape
Publication Date: 5/10/2011
Synopsis:
"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"
In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises - not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.
Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.
In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection while pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises - not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.
Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.
Optimism seeps from every pore of my body. I truly believe that what's supposed to happen... will! In that regard, I don't know how to give up; it's not part of my biological make up.
I'm a passionate (and some would say, overly enthusiastic) person. I learn by doing (and have been burned more times that I'd like to admit), but I will always throw my entire self into whatever I do - fail or succeed.
I think this is evident when I write, leaving nothing behind and spilling it all out on the pages. I give it all to my readers - love it or hate it.
The path I'm on is very often my own, veering off the beaten path at the sight of something more interesting or captivating, getting caught in the vines and thorns in order to experience the beauty and intrigue others often pass by. And I always meet the most interesting people along the way.
I'm a passionate (and some would say, overly enthusiastic) person. I learn by doing (and have been burned more times that I'd like to admit), but I will always throw my entire self into whatever I do - fail or succeed.
I think this is evident when I write, leaving nothing behind and spilling it all out on the pages. I give it all to my readers - love it or hate it.
The path I'm on is very often my own, veering off the beaten path at the sight of something more interesting or captivating, getting caught in the vines and thorns in order to experience the beauty and intrigue others often pass by. And I always meet the most interesting people along the way.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Come Around - SECOND CHANCE SUMMER by Jill Shalvis
Title: Second Chance Summer
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: 6/30/2015
Source: ARC from publisher through Netgalley
Cedar 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 .
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.
Look for Jill's latest, ONE IN A MILLION, on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.
Visit Jill's website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
Connect with Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/JillShalvis
Connect with Jill on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jillshalvis
Connect with Jill on Tumblr: http://jillshalvis.tumblr.com
I was so very excited to start a new series from Jill Shalvis. Throw in some mountains in Colorado, broody hot brothers, and firefighters and this whole thing has my name written all over it. Once again Jill Shalvis has created the setting for a long-lasting, much loved series.
We start this series out with Lily Danville returning to her home town of Cedar Ridge that she had left behind years ago. After a workplace scandal in California, Lily returns home, relying on her friends to help her with a job and a place to live. Lily only hopes to be able to avoid Aidan Kincaid and the memories of the events that lead her to flee the mountains for the sandy shores of California.
Seeing Lily back in town stirs up old feelings for Aidan Kincaid, feelings he would rather had stayed buried. With Lily living at the resort his family owns, it becomes rather hard for him to avoid her and even harder to ignore the way his heart is suddenly coming back to life.
While this story took a little longer to get moving than what I have come to expect from Jill Shalvis, I have to give allowances for the wonderful world she was building as well as the strong cast of characters she has gathered. This was a very entertaining read and I look forward to seeing what Shalvis has planned for the Kincaids and the resort in Cedar Ridge.
4.25 Stars out of 5
Rosi Golan - Come Around
Chapter Reveal - HEART-SHAPED HACK by Tracey Garvis Graves
When Kate
Watts abandoned her law career to open a food pantry in Northeast Minneapolis,
she never dreamed it would be this difficult. Facing the heartbreaking prospect
of turning hungry people away, she is grateful for the anonymous donations that
begin appearing at the end of each month. Determined to identify and thank her
secret benefactor, she launches a plan and catches Ian —a charismatic hacker
with a Robin Hood complex—in the act.
Ian
intrigues Kate in a way no man ever has. But after learning he’s snooped around
on her personal computer, she demands retribution. Impressed with her tolerance
and captivated by her spirit, he complies and begins to slowly charm his way
past her defenses. Time spent with Ian is never boring, and Kate soon finds
herself falling for the mysterious hacker.
But Ian
has enemies and they’re growing restless. In the hacking world, exploiting a
target’s weakness is paramount, and no price is too high to stop an attack. And
when Kate learns exactly how much Ian has paid, she’ll discover just how strong
her love is for the man who has hacked his way into her heart.
© 2015 Tracey Garvis Graves
Heart-Shaped Hack
CHAPTER ONE
“The
babies are going to starve,” Helena said.
“Don’t be
so dramatic,” Kate replied. “No one is going to starve, least of all the
babies.” But her pinched expression and the way she was jabbing at the keyboard
as she refreshed the donations page on their website said otherwise. For the
first time in the sixteen months since Kate had left her position as a
corporate attorney to open the food pantry, she faced the heartbreaking
prospect of turning hungry people away. She couldn’t stand the thought of
letting down her regulars, especially the young mother of three who relied on
the pantry to feed them.
The
problem was that Kate’s nonprofit organization was not the only one in
Minneapolis that needed help. Tomorrow was the first of September, and everyone
was trying to stockpile whatever resources they could before they headed into
the colder months.
“Let’s
see,” Helena said. “We could rob a bank. We could pawn our valuables. You could
sell your body on a street corner.”
Despite
their dire circumstances, Kate cracked a smile. Helena had walked through the front
door of the food pantry shortly after Kate opened and said, “I’m sixty-five,
and they’re forcing me to retire from my job at the insurance company. My
husband retired two years ago, and now he’s home all day. That’s too much
togetherness for us. I have to find something to do outside the house, and you
wouldn’t have to pay me much.” Kate hired her on the spot and had never
regretted it.
She
swiveled her chair toward Helena. “Why am I always the one who has to sell her
body? Why can’t you sell yours?”
“Who do
you think is going to bring in more money? A gray-haired grandmother of seven,
or a willowy twenty-nine-year-old beauty? It’s a no-brainer.”
It was
hard to argue with logic like that.
Kate had
been so determined not to let down their clients that she’d resorted to begging
her ex-boyfriend Stuart—who worked as the executive producer on an hour-long
talk show on the local ABC station—to let her appeal to the public during the
afternoon broadcast.
“Do you
know how hard it is for me to be around you, Kate?” Stuart said when he
received her call. “Do you ever think of that?”
“Of course
I do. But this is really important to me.”
“I used to
be really important to you.”
Kate
remained silent. They’d been through this before.
He sighed
in defeat. “Come in tomorrow. I’ll squeeze you in after the cooking segment.”
“Thanks,
Stuart.”
The skirt
had been Helena’s idea. “We need to do whatever we can to grab viewers’
attention.”
“You mean I need to do whatever I can.”
“Of course
I mean you. You have great legs.”
On the day
of the broadcast when Helena arrived at the food pantry, Kate said, “I don’t
remember this skirt being quite so short. I’m actually a little worried about
the type of viewer I might attract with it.” She tugged on the hem, pulled out
her desk chair, sat down, and crossed her legs. “Can you see anything?”
“You’ll be fine unless you decide to recross
your legs in the middle of the segment like Sharon Stone did in that one
movie.”
“I can
assure you I will not be doing that. The skirt is as far as I’m willing to go.
I draw the line at flashing people, not even for the babies.”
Kate had
paired the black-and-white houndstooth skirt with a black short-sleeve top and
her favorite black heels. When she arrived at the TV studio, she ducked into
the bathroom to check her teeth for wandering lipstick. Before she left the
food pantry she’d applied a raspberry lip stain that Helena claimed looked
stunning on her. That morning she’d curled her long dark hair and then brushed
through the curls with her fingers so they draped across her shoulders and down
her back in loose waves. She’d used plenty of mascara to play up her brown
eyes. The extra primping made her feel a little like she was standing on a street corner, but she banished those thoughts.
At this point, they needed all the help they could get.
After
Stuart snaked the mic up the back of her top, his hands lingering on her skin
in a way that made Kate feel sad, he positioned her on a stool and told her to
wait for his signal. She kept her legs tightly crossed, and when the light on
the camera turned red, he pointed at her and she began to speak.
“Good
afternoon. My name is Kate Watts, and I’m the executive director of the Main
Street Food Pantry. As we head into the winter months, our needs—and those of
all local food pantries—will be greater than ever.” Kate stared into the camera, imagining she
was speaking directly to anyone who might have the means to help them.
“No child
should ever have to go hungry, and many of our local residents depend on the
food pantry to feed their families. I’m here today to personally appeal to you
should you have the ability to help us in any way. The families we assist, and
especially the children, depend on your generosity more than you could ever
imagine. Thank you.” She ended the short segment with the food pantry’s
telephone number and street address, and when Stuart gave her the all clear,
she reached under her shirt for the microphone and handed it back to him.
“Thanks,
Stuart,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “I really appreciate this.”
“Sure,” he
said, looking over her shoulder as if there was something very interesting
across the room. “Take care, Kate.”
That was
yesterday, and so far only a few additional donations had trickled in. She and
Helena spent the rest of the afternoon making calls to local churches and
schools to set up additional food drives while continuing to monitor the
donations page. Finally, at a little before three, Kate went into the back room
to recount their inventory. It was the end of the month and they were down to
their last cases of infant formula and baby food. Almost all of the canned
vegetables had been depleted, and they were completely out of peanut butter and
soup. If it was this bad now, Kate didn’t want to think about what might happen
when budgets were stretched even thinner by holiday spending. Dejected, she was
sitting on the floor, clipboard in hand, when Helena burst into the back room.
“I ran
after him,” she said, gasping for breath. “But he was too fast. Boy am I out of
shape.”
“Who did
you run after?”
Helena
tossed a brown paper bag to Kate and leaned over, resting her hands on her
knees as she took in giant gulps of air.
“The man
who dropped off the money. Seriously, I may need supplemental oxygen over
here.”
Money?
Kate
looked into the bag and blinked several times. “Did you lock the front door?”
“Yes.”
She turned
the bag upside down and watched in disbelief as hundred-dollar bills rained
down on the concrete floor. She counted it quickly. “There’s a thousand dollars
here.”
Their
website listed four levels for donations with amounts ranging from ten to one
hundred dollars. There were higher amounts for corporations, but this was the
largest donation they’d ever received from one person, and it was more than
enough to replenish their shelves. Kate was already picturing herself pushing a
giant cart through Costco. “Did he leave his name?”
“No. He
walked up to my desk and said, “Give this to Katie. He must have seen you on TV
yesterday.”
“Young?
Old?” Rich?
“Young.
Early thirties, maybe? Tall. Blondish-brown hair. He was in a real hurry to
leave. I chased him out the door, but he jumped into the driver’s seat of an
old blue car.”
“An old
car? Are you sure?”
“I think
it was old. It didn’t look like any car I’ve ever seen. It had stripes on the
hood. And then he burned rubber.”
“Why would someone who drives an old car drop
off a bag full of money?”
“I have no
idea. But whatever the reason, he just saved us.”
Tracey Garvis Graves is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, and Cherish.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Waiting on Wednesday - PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken
Title: Passenger
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney - Hyperion
Publication Date: 1/5/16
Synopsis:
Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn't even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time.
Etta wakes, confused and terrified, in 1776, in the midst a fierce sea battle. Nicholas Carter, the handsome young prize master of a privateering ship, has been hired to retrieve Etta and deliver her unharmed to the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the Colonies--the very same one that orchestrated her jump back, and one Nicholas himself has ties to. But discovering she can time travel is nothing compared to the shock of discovering the true reason the Ironwoods have ensnared her in their web.
Another traveler has stolen an object of untold value from them, and, if Etta can find it, they will return her to her own time. Out of options, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the mysterious traveler. But as they draw closer to each other and the end of their search, the true nature of the object, and the dangerous game the Ironwoods are playing, comes to light -- threatening to separate her not only from Nicholas, but her path home... forever.
Etta wakes, confused and terrified, in 1776, in the midst a fierce sea battle. Nicholas Carter, the handsome young prize master of a privateering ship, has been hired to retrieve Etta and deliver her unharmed to the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the Colonies--the very same one that orchestrated her jump back, and one Nicholas himself has ties to. But discovering she can time travel is nothing compared to the shock of discovering the true reason the Ironwoods have ensnared her in their web.
Another traveler has stolen an object of untold value from them, and, if Etta can find it, they will return her to her own time. Out of options, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the mysterious traveler. But as they draw closer to each other and the end of their search, the true nature of the object, and the dangerous game the Ironwoods are playing, comes to light -- threatening to separate her not only from Nicholas, but her path home... forever.
I’m Alex. I write about telekinetic teens and floppy-haired wizards. I love Star Wars, classic rock, and 18th century gentlemen. When I’m not up at 4 AM writing, you can find me running around New York City, where I now live and write full time.
What books are you excited for this week?
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine - make sure you head over and see what other people are waiting for!
Release Day Blitz - DAISY AND THE FRONT MAN by Rebekah L. Purdy
Daisy and the Front Man (Backstage Pass #3)
Release Date: 06/16/15
Entangled Publishing: Crush
Summary from Goodreads:
Hell hath no fury like a fangirl scorned…
When Daisy Morris finds out she’s spending the summer with her dad, bodyguard for Seconds to Juliet—the hottest boy band around—she knows it couldn't be more perfect. But not because she’s a fan. Oh, no. Because ever since front man Trevin Jacobs completely humiliated her by standing her up for homecoming, Daisy is out for a little revenge. Yup, Trevin Jacobs is goin' down...
When one of his bandmates bets Trevin he can't make Daisy—the gorgeous but surprisingly ice-cold daughter of their bodyguard—fall in love with him, it’s a bet he can’t resist. Sure, Daisy won’t give him the time of day for reasons he can't understand, and her dad’s hell-bent against his little girl spending time with a superstar. But the terms are set, and Trevin is determined to make Daisy fall…hard.
But every front man should know never to trust a girl with a pretty face…
This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, sexual situations, and seriously hot boys. It may cause swoony daydreams involving a certain super-cute front man.
When Daisy Morris finds out she’s spending the summer with her dad, bodyguard for Seconds to Juliet—the hottest boy band around—she knows it couldn't be more perfect. But not because she’s a fan. Oh, no. Because ever since front man Trevin Jacobs completely humiliated her by standing her up for homecoming, Daisy is out for a little revenge. Yup, Trevin Jacobs is goin' down...
When one of his bandmates bets Trevin he can't make Daisy—the gorgeous but surprisingly ice-cold daughter of their bodyguard—fall in love with him, it’s a bet he can’t resist. Sure, Daisy won’t give him the time of day for reasons he can't understand, and her dad’s hell-bent against his little girl spending time with a superstar. But the terms are set, and Trevin is determined to make Daisy fall…hard.
But every front man should know never to trust a girl with a pretty face…
This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, sexual situations, and seriously hot boys. It may cause swoony daydreams involving a certain super-cute front man.
Buy Links:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble
“Come with me for a minute—I have something I want you to hear.” Trevin ushered her to the
deck that wrapped around the back of the house. “Have a seat.” He pointed to a lounge chair.
“What’s going on?”
“Just give me a sec, okay?” He took his acoustic guitar from its case, which was leaned against
one of the built-in wooden benches, and tuned it. When he finished, he cleared his throat. “I’ve
been kind of playing around with your grandpa’s
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s got this really great melody. And the lyrics are beautiful. I don’t know how someone
hasn’t tried to remake it yet.” Trevin strummed the chords then started to sing. He watched Daisy’s eyes light up and his chest warmed. At first, he thought this might be a great gesture to win her over for the bet, but seeing how it was affecting her now, he realized he was doing it for her. Not just to beat Ryder. “Haven’t you heard, I’m stuck on you, my heart beats only for you…” When he finished, she just stared at him. Like she didn’t recognize him.
“I-I didn’t realize how well you played.”
“Did you like it?” He set his guitar back in its case.
She nodded, her eyes welling.
He moved closer to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you
“No, it’s not you. I just miss him, you know.”
Trevin touched her cheek, wiping away the stray tears that trickled down. His finger pushed
strands of hair from her face as he pulled her against his chest. Her body trembled against his as
she cried, and all he could do was hold her. “Shh…it’s okay,” he whispered softly.
She clung tighter to him, and he let her. She felt good in his arms. Soft. Warm. Perfect. His
palms stroked her back, her bare leg pressed against his. His lips brushed against the top of her
head, so lightly, he didn’t think she felt it. But she tilted her large brown eyes up, until they met
his. And in that moment, he saw a lot more than he wanted to. Her pain. Her hope. Her trust. And
it nearly destroyed him.
About the Author
Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
Book Blitz Organized by:
Teaser Blitz - THE GIRL I WAS BEFORE by Ginger Scott
NA Contemporary Romance
Scheduled to release: June 23, 2015
I’m the selfish one. I suppose that’s the nicest thing people say about me. I’ve heard the other things, too. “Paige Owens is a pretty girl with nothing else to offer. She’s just a good time at a party. She’s stupid, heartless, cold and useless. All she cares about is getting a guy to look at her. Why would anyone want to be her friend?”
Some of those things are true. Others were true. They’re all hurtful.
None of it matters.
I’m ready to make the hard choices. I’m ready to face the consequences. I’m ready to be the girl I was before, and I’m done being the one who lost her way.
I’m ready to become the girl Houston Orr sees when he looks at me.
Houston isn’t a star athlete. He doesn’t play in a band. He’s never going to be president, and his life is so far away from simple and easy it isn’t even funny. He wasn’t part of my plan. But I’m starting to think plans are overrated, and maybe our stories are what we make them. And mine depends entirely on me, and the choices I make…starting now.
Houston is my fairytale. He’s perfectly imperfect. He’s poetry and life. He’s truth and heartbreak, all rolled up in a tall body with dark hair, broad shoulders and green eyes that lull me into submission. He’s nothing I ever thought I wanted, but the very thing I need. He’s the only guy I’ve ever really loved, and he thinks I’m a princess. I fell into him, and now I’m holding on.
But sometimes life takes away our ability to choose. Sometimes…things aren’t in your control. Sometimes, it hurts to be selfless. My only hope is that when it comes time to choose, I get it right.
Welcome to my once upon a time and wish for happily ever after.
About the Author:
Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.
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 newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. 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.
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).
Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.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 newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. 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.
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).
Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.
Goodreads: https://www.
Website: http://www.
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