Saturday, December 30, 2017

Teaser: Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout has a new contemporary romance series releasing in January 2018 and I can't wait.  I don't love contemporary romance, but I make an exception when it comes to JLA's writing.  I will always read her books expecially when she promises a contemporary with suspense and mystery, and more...
This sounds like something that will keep me interested, and I always end up loving her characters and the dialogue she writes between her hero and heroine.  They typically have excellent banter, and I can get behind that in any genre.
Meet the de Vincents… and leave your morals at the door.
1/30/2018
Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent . . . her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting.
Lucian’s grandmother claimed de Vincent men fall in love once—and hard. Apparently, it’s Lucian’s turn. Julia’s compassionate care of his twin makes Lucian want to lay himself bare. But some secrets are better for Julia not to know.
The recent “suicide” of Lucian’s father is the latest in a string of deaths on the estate. Someone is eliminating the de Vincents. And the best way to get to Lucian may be through Julia. . . .

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Review: If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If There's No Tomorrow If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If There's No Tomorrow caught me off guard, I kind of expected some kind of teen drama that makes main character Lena rethink her choices. She does rethink her choices, but the drama was not due to anything I initially expected. This was a good thing, because often YA follows the same kind of formula, and this gave it a bit of a unite plot which I appreciated. Lena does make a mistake, and she must deal with her choices and the guilt that comes in the aftermath of a life changing incident. I won't tell you what happens because that is a spoiler and a huge part of the story. The story is centered around Lena learning to deal and own the choices she made and how they have changed her and impacted her actions towards the people who are closest to her. Lena was closed off before the incident, never really telling people what she wants or how she feels. She bottles everything up, never wanting to be a bother or make a big deal out of anything. She also never feels she is good enough, pushing compliments off onto others. Lena is also in love with the boy next store Sebastian who is also her best friend. This part is very predictable, you know they have both been in love with each other forever, but neither told each other and you know in the end they are going to get together. You also can predict that Lena is going to eventually get over herself and fix her problems. In typical YA fashion, her character is flawed, but I found that she actually started to move into "I know I'm wrong and I need to do something about it" territory before she got to "I'm so whiny I'm annoying but you know you are going to keep reading to find out what happens" territory. This often happens with the flawed YA main character, they whine and take forever to own up to their mistakes, Lena owned up right away to her choices, but took the right amount of time to deal with her guilt and grief over what happened. I think this was done well.

I found the plot was fairly predictable. The romance took a back seat to the plot, but it was always there and you knew from the moment Lena mentions Sebastian how it was going to play out. I think Lena had a great support system in place and I like that her mom expressed her disappointment in her poor judgement, but she also told her she loved her and would be there for her every step of the way. Her friends never abandoned her, but they told her point blank when she was being a jerk and hurting them.

I think this is a great book for teens and college students to read, as the life altering thing that happens to Lena is a very real choice that people are faced with and often make the same choice she did. Like many of Lena's friends, they come out OK, but often they do not. As Lena's friends admit when she finally confides in them, they would all have probably made the same choice and had made that same choice before, but they had come out on the lucky side. I think people can relate to the story.

If you've read any of my reviews before, contemporary isn't really my favorite genre, but JLA is one of my favorite authors.  I'll read pretty much whatever she writes, and I found this to be pretty enjoyable.  I listened to the audio book in about a day and a half.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Review: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Wicked Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It has been a while since I read Wicked, so I grabbed a copy of the audio as a refresher. The narrator was great and I still loved it.  Book 3 (Brave) just came out yesterday and I'm so ready for it.  I haven't read Torn yet, but I plan to marathon Torn and Brave this week.  I forgot how much I liked Wicked.

The banter between Ivy and Ren was awesome. I love the snark, which is what Jennifer Armentrout does best. I love that Ivy isn't a damsel in distress, she's a self proclaimed ninja when needed and can handle herself, but she knows she has issues. She owns her insecurities and knows she is flawed. She has a hard time letting people get close to her and for good reason. She is a member of the secretive Order. By day she is a college student, and by night she hunts and dispatches the fae who roam New Orleans and prey on humans. Most of the people Ivy has gotten close to in her short 21 years ave been killed by the fae, so she naturally has issues with relationships. She has a few friends, one who knows who and what she is but their relationship is still superficial and one friend who she knows from school and knows nothing about the fae. Enter Ren, another member of The Order, he's new to the area and he an Ivy end up partnered together to hunt the fae. The romance between Ivy and Ren is pretty much instant and Ivy even calls out the insta-lust within the book, but its worth it. Ren is aggressive, blunt, but he's also respectful of Ivy and gives her space when she needs it. Then there is Tink, Tink is a Brownie who lives with Ivy. Ivy rescued Tink after he came through the gate from the fae world. She should have killed him but instinct and compassion stopped her. I'm glad it did because Tink is hilarious with his references to pop culture like Harry Potter and Twilight.

I really liked the plot where the fae are the bad guys. The fae are presented almost like vampires feeding on humans and the Order has to hunt them to protect mankind. I loved the setting of New Orleans and the description of the city and places. If you like JLA's New Adult books, and you like paranormal romances this series is for you. I'm glad that book 2 and 3 are both out now so I can finish the series.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Review: Everless by Sara Holland

Everless Everless by Sara Holland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This book releases January 2nd, 2018, and I highly recommend you pick it up when it does.

I really enjoyed the unique storyline Everless had. I loved the use of time as currency. As with many YA fantasy stories, there is an upper class and a lower class. In Everless, the lower class are forced to pay with blood, literally which is turned into time coins which they use to pay for things. People can consume the time that lives in the blood to keep themselves young. Our main character Jules, is poor, her father was once a successful blacksmith at Everless. Everless is an estate where the noble family, the Gerlings live. Forced to flee from Everless, Jules and her father have managed to get by, but now her father is sick from all of the blood letting. Jules returns to Everless in an attempt to save her father and make enough money for them to live on. Instead she finds that the boys she knew as a child have grown up and no one recognizes her. Jules learns that what she thought to be true about her life was a lie, and she vows to learn the truth. To do so she must get closer to the Queen and her daughter. This brings her closer to the Gerlings, the Queen, and the secrets they are all hiding. I'm hesitant to say more without spoiling it.

As I kept reading, I thought I knew what was going to happen, but there were some plot twists I didn't expect. Some were predictable, and some were not which kept the story fresh an engaging.
You will find some of the typical YA themes, but that's why we read YA isn't it? There is a hint at a love triangle, but there really isn't much romance in the book. It kind of takes a back seat, but I expect it to take a bigger role in the story in the future. I expected alot more romance but was pleasantly surprised when it did not end up the way I expected. I really enjoyed the unique plot and cannot wait for book 2. The ending was excellent and nicely wrapped up to set up the next book.

View all my reviews

Trailer Reveal: Brave by Jennifer L. Armentrout


SYNOPSIS:



Ivy Morgan hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.


It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine... and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens. 



Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart.
If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies. Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves--and, ultimately, to save herself. 


Because behind ever evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen



ADDITIONAL INFO:
Series: The Wicked Saga, Book # 3
RELEASE DATE: December 11th, 2017
Available Formats: Paperback (U.S./Canada) and E-book

RETAILER LINKS: 




TRAILER:


Talent: Justin Edwards (the cover model)




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:




GIVEAWAY INFO

·      PRIZE: SURPRISE SIGNED PRIZE PACK (containing multiple signed books & swag)
·      OPEN INTERNATIONAL
·      ENDS 12/22/17





Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Release Day Launch: Villain by Samantha Young

V I L L A I N

Cover Design by Samantha Young

The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal - a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.
An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.
After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…



OUT NOW in E-book edition!

BARNES & NOBLE - http://bit.ly/2leaShG





Connect with Samantha Young online:
Twitter: @AuthorSamYoung
Instagram: @AuthorSamanthaYoung

Monday, December 4, 2017

Book Tour: Villain by Samantha Young Review and Exerpt

Villain

Cover Design by Samantha Young

The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal – a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.

An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.

After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…

Out December 5th in digital edition.

REVIEW

I was provided a copy of this novella by the author in exchange for an honest review.  It is no secret that I'm a huge fan of Samantha Young's.  I jumped on the chance to review Villain.  This sweet little novella stands on it's own two feet.  It tells a complete story, there is a true beginning, middle, and end.  The story could have been a full length novel, but I also like it the way it is.  I highly recommend reading Hero, but you can read this and not feel like you missed something.  I read Villain in one sitting, and couldn't put it down.

First off, I loved the banter between Nadia and Henry.  I laughed at their interaction for almost the entire book.  The dialog was witty, sarcastic, and pretty realistic.  Henry was so full of himself, and Nadia didn't put up with his crap.  Both of them are stubborn, strong willed characters and watching them try to out snark each other was very entertaining.  I really enjoyed Nadia's character development.  I think she faced some very real life problems in this tale, and the way she dealt with them were also very realistic.  I think it is very realistic that she reacted to the harassment she faced the way that she did and that she ran away from her past the way that she did.  I do like the way Henry stood up for Nadia, but didn't swoop in like a knight in shining armor to fix all of her problems.  He let her come to him when she needed him and be her own woman.  I really liked the way their relationship developed.

Keep scrolling to the bottom for an excerpt.


Preorder Links:


AMAZON US - http://amzn.to/2giFLfF
AMAZON UK - http://amzn.to/2yxhpZz
KOBO US - http://bit.ly/2i1siJr
KOBO UK - http://bit.ly/2yQpdGp
iBOOKS UK & US, & GOOGLE PLAY Links Coming Soon!

Connect with Samantha Young online:
Twitter: @AuthorSamYoung
Instagram: @AuthorSamanthaYoung


About Samantha Young:



Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for HeroOn Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.
Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.
EXCERPT
Henry got in next to me and threw me the kind of excited grin a child might at Christmas. “Ready?”
“This is quite the car.”
“The words say impressed; your tone does not.” He observed as he pulled on his seatbelt. “Is it the top? Do you want it up so it doesn’t mess your hair?”
“I don’t care about that.” I frowned, annoyed that he’d think I’d be that concerned with my appearance. “I care about how weird this is.”
As we pulled into traffic, Henry slipped on a pair of aviator sunglasses. “What’s weird about two adults having lunch together?”
“Because forty-eight hours ago, we were enemies.”
“So melodramatic. We were merely mistaken about one another.”
You were mistaken about me. I think I have you pegged accurately.”
“And that’s why we’re going to lunch because you don’t.” He shot me that sexy smirk. “You don’t know the good stuff.”
“Has anyone ever said no to you in your life?”
“Yes, frequently.”
“Have you ever listened to them?”
Henry chuckled. “Rarely.”
His laughter and the sight of him driving this beautiful car with lazy confidence, his strong hands lightly resting on the wheel, those ridiculously hot sunglasses—it all affected me. Greatly. A sensuous ripple fluttered in my lower belly.
Dear God, I really wanted him.
The realization caused my breath to escape from me in a shudder, drawing his attention. Quite abruptly, I made a decision. “I’m just going to put it out there in case you’re planning to take me to a stupidly overpriced restaurant for lunch.”
Okay.” He drew out the word, sounding amused and wary at the same time.
“I don’t particularly like you. In fact, you have become one of the villains in my story so far. I don’t want to date you and I doubt very much that you are interested in dating me. However, I also doubt that you feel so guilty about your treatment of me that you merely want to turn around my opinion of you. No, sir. I’m here because you’re attracted to me. That’s okay because apparently, I’m attracted to you too. You’re hot and it’s obnoxious but I can’t deny it.”
Henry’s mouth twitched like he was trying to suppress a smile. “Okay.”
“We’re attracted to each other or you wouldn’t have asked me out and I wouldn’t have let myself be manipulated into saying yes. But let’s not pretend this is something that it’s not with chivalry and a date. You want to fuck me. And I’m amenable to the idea. So let’s cut all the bullshit and just do it.”
“Jesus.” Henry almost ran into the back of a car that had stopped at the light, slamming hard on his brakes. He looked at me and even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew his expression was incredulous. “You’re amenable to the idea of me fucking you? Did I hear that right?”
I flushed. “I’m sure you’re used to women with gentler manners but I’m a straight talker. I don’t believe in flowering up a situation so as not to offend delicate sensibilities.”
The traffic moved forward and Henry didn’t speak.
In fact, he stayed silent for a while.
So long that I began to feel my cheeks burn with humiliation.
I’d read him wrong. He really did only want to make amends.
I wasn’t his type.
Oh God.
This month had been really, really bad for me.
Finally, he pulled up outside a pizzeria on Tremont Street. Once he killed the engine he took off his sunglasses and turned toward me. His expression was surprisingly sober as he intently studied my face, as if he hoped to find answers there. “You’re right,” he said, his voice low, deep, “I want you. But I don’t consider anticipation bullshit. We’re going to have lunch. And you’re going to agree to have lunch with me on Thursday. And then you’re going to agree to be my date to the Delaney Charity Ball this Saturday. After which we’ll go back to your apartment and I will happily fuck you into satisfied exhaustion.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak because his last sentence turned me on, his words alone sparking delicious excitement deep in my belly.
What the hell would the rest of him do to me?
Of course, after a second or so of physical arousal, the rest of his words sunk in. “What?” I shook my head in confusion. “No. We don’t need to have lunch or go to a ball together.”
“No lunch dates, no date to the ball, no penis for you. And you don’t want miss out on my penis. It’s a good one.”

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Review: Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Marina Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was such a surprise. I didn't know much about it when I bought it, but I ended up loving it. I may end up giving it 5 stars. I ended up listening to the audiobook, which was fantastic. The narrator did an excellent job. I didn't know this was a horror book, so I was appropriately horrified and terrified as the creepy story unfolded. Then there we parts that were just heartbreaking and the writing is just amazing.  I absolutely loved it.  I highly recommend it if you like horror and tales that involve weird stuff.

The story follows 15 year old Oscar, a boarding school student in Barcelona. Oscar comes to befriend Marina and her father German, who live close to Oscar's school. German is an artist, and Marina is a mysterious girl who Oscar immediately becomes smitten with. Marina and Oscar find themselves quickly drawn into a strange investigation involving a madman who tried to cheat death, a strange woman who haunts the local graveyard, and many other weird things. As the pair learn more about the strange things they've found, they find themselves pulled deeper and deeper into a much darker story that they never could have imagined. There are twists and turns that I never could have imagined, and all the while, Oscar finds a family in Marina and German that he never knew he was looking for.  I've never been to Spain, but I felt like I had been transported to Barcelona with the descriptions.  This was set in 1980, but the timeline felt older even if it was more modern.

I don't want to say much else about the book because it would spoil the thriller part of the book.  I did end up bumping my review up from 4 to 5 stars as I was writing my review.  I just really enjoyed this so much.  Thanks to Bree Hill for recommending it on her channel.  I would have never discovered Marina if she hadn't mentioned it in one of her videos.  I'm so glad I picked it up on one of my many trips to Bradley's Book Outlet.