Thursday, August 30, 2018

Review: Crew by Tijan






Crew Crew by Tijan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.  My review is a few days late, life has been kicking my behind lately.  This released on Monday August 27th, so it is out now on your favorite vendor of choice. 





Paperback: preorder will be up soon! 


Crew is a YA novel with mature themes, as the description states. While the characters are in high school and behave as teenagers do, the content borders on New Adult as far as mature situations and language.  This is the first book in a new series by Tijan.

Crew centers around Bren Monroe, the only girl in the Wolf crew and one of the only girls to have ever been allowed to be in a crew. Bren is a fighter as are most members of any crew, and she's got alot of things in her past that drive her to be dark and dangerous. Bren's crew is fairly small consisting of only 4 people, her best friend Cross, and her two other friends Jordan and Zellman. Now you might think a crew is kind of like a gang, and it kind of is but it kind of isn't at the same time. Crew's protect their members, they are a family of sorts, they have rules and if you break their rules you are in for some pain. Bren's crew may be small but they aren't to be trifled with. There is quite a bit of fighting and violence between crews, so if that's not your thing you might want to skip this one.

I enjoyed this unique storyline. I haven't read anything like this before. Like with other Tijan books, she really knows how to write chemistry between characters. The romance that eventually develops was slow to develop and I wasn't even sure if it was going to go in the direction it did. She also really takes care with the side characters. While Bren is the main character, we get to know many of the side characters along the way. I don't want to spoil the story too much so I won't say much more. If you are a fan of Tijan, you'll enjoy this one.


Tijan's Reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TijansFanPage/



View all my reviews

Friday, August 24, 2018

Blog Tour: 1001 Dark Nights The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Review and Exerpt



From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, comes THE PRINCE, a new novella in her Wicked Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!



From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon Canada

Download the Free Kindle App





Review:

The Prince is a novella in the universe of the Wicked series.  It does not follow Ren and Ivy, however they as many of our other favorite characters from the original series are present.  This is meant to be an introduction to the world and can be read as a standalone or as a companion to the original series.  The story takes place after the Wicked Trilogy so fans of the series get more, and new readers get enough of the world and characters to know if they want to read the series from the beginning.  I really loved it. 

This follows Brighton, who is one of the side characters in the original series who we don't really get to know very well.  Brighton was always taking care of her mother, so she wasn't in the thick of things.  She belongs to a secret organization called The Order, they are tasked with taking out faeries who prey on unsuspecting humans.  We learned in the original series that there are good fae and bad fae.  The Summer Fae are the good guys, they don't feed or prey on humans, the Winter fae on the other hand are evil incarnate.  Merle, Brighton's mother was attacked by Winter Fae some time ago and it has left her mind in a fragile state.  Brighton has been taking care of her since she was 12, so her training to be a warrior was put on hold.  Merle has one of her episodes and is found walking around the streets one evening leaving her and Brighton unprepared for the fae attack that comes for them.  Tragedy strikes and leaves Brighton thirsty for revenge.  She spends her days working for The Order in the office and her nights trolling fae clubs in various costumes looking for the fae who attacked her.  Unbeknownst to Brighton someone else is looking for those fae as well.

Here we meet The Prince or Caden as we later come to know him.  He was held captive by the Winter fae and made to do horrible things.  He is trying to redeem himself and protect the fae of his court as well as their human allies.  The Prince is a gorgeous, broody sort who keeps to himself.  No one is able to get close to him except his brother, the other faerie Prince.  He runs into Brighton as she is on one of her undercover missions to track down her attackers, but he doesn't out her as an Order member.  He sees her a few days later when she is asked to let The Order know that some of the fae younglings have turned up missing.  There is a delicate balance with the Summer Court and The Order, and Brighton is trying to keep the peace.  She and The Prince have and instant chemistry, yet they both hold back.  As the mystery unfolds surrounding the attackers and the missing young ones, the two of them continue to grow closer.

I was completely taken by surprise that this didn't exactly continue the original story.  I really liked the character pairing, especially because it was unexpected.  I liked that it wasn't a direct continuation but it does take place after the original and we get enough information to feed the story along.  This kind of leaves off on a cliffhanger, and I desperately hope there is more!  I loved the development of Caden and Brighton's relationship, they never quite develop a full on romance.  I do wish we'd have gotten a little more information on the whole Aric plotline, but this particular story is a bit more character driven.  Rumor has it that there will be another installment and I hope that answers our questions about Aric, the Queen, and the King. 

Overall, this is a great addition to the Wicked Series.  I think there is enough backstory to be read as a standalone and read this installment without having read the other three books.  I'd only recommend them because they are also good, and I recommend the series as well.  If you are a fan of the original series I highly recommend this.



Excerpt:

I opened my eyes, but I didn’t see the sun. I saw a form… a shape of a man. The features blurred, but I knew the man. It was him.

The Prince….

But that also didn’t make sense. None of this made sense. Confusion crept into the fuzz crowding my thoughts. Something was off. I tried to lift my hand, but my arm felt like it was weighted down. Something was wrong, very badly wrong, and I needed to remember—

Sleep.

The desire to slip away hit me hard and fast, obliterating the confusion and consciousness, and I slept. I slept for what felt like years and then I heard a steady beeping. It intruded on wherever I was, becoming so loud, so obnoxious to me, that I had to pay attention to it. A part of my consciousness zeroed in on the sound, clung to it, and I followed it back, tethering myself to the rhythm. With each passing second, my surroundings became clearer. Footsteps. I heard footsteps. Whispers. There was the sound of hushed voices. I dragged in a deep breath, and a shock hit my system. The breath hurt. Like my chest and ribs were too tight and a simple deep breath was too much to take—

Mom.

I saw her in my mind, as clear as day.

I saw her lying on her back in the darkness, her eyes wide and fixed on mine. There was nothing behind those eyes. No life. Nothing.

The beeping sound sped up.

The horrifying image of my mom faded like smoke, replaced by luminous skin and bloody smiles and taunts and…

Pools of blood. Actual pools of it. The ruby-red liquid spilled across stone, forming rivulets that ran between the spacing in the pavers. Why had there been so much blood? A vague feeling of wet warmth bubbling up my throat and choking me swept through me.

“Bri? Are you awake? Brighton?”



Jennifer L. Armentrout’s THE PRINCE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
August 15th
Besties, Books & Sunshine – Review & Excerpt
TheReadingRealtor – Review & Excerpt
Crazy Love 4 Books – Review & Excerpt
Garden of REden – Review
JordansBookReviews – Excerpt
Literaria – Review
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
Stuck In Books – Review & Excerpt
What's Your Story Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Cover Contessa – Excerpt
August 16th
ClaryNathanWill – Review & Excerpt
East Coast Book Chicks – Review & Excerpt
I Smell Sheep – Excerpt
Krystal Loves Books – Review & Excerpt
Perpetual Fangirl – Review & Excerpt
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt
Zili In The Sky – Review
August 17th
Ali’s Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt
Books are My Life – Review & Excerpt
K-Books – Review
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
Words are Life – Excerpt
Cocktails and Books – Review & Excerpt
August 18th
a GREAT read – Review & Excerpt
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Greyland Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Lisa Loves Literature – Review & Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
Simply Crystal – Excerpt
The Fancy Nerds – Review & Excerpt
August 19th
Alphas Do It Better Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Becky on Books – Review & Excerpt
Declarations of a Fangirl – Review & Excerpt
Kiss and Tell Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Literary Misfit – Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Saga Lux Spain – Review & Excerpt
Vera is Reading – Excerpt
August 20th
A Chick, Her A Dog and A Blog – Review & Excerpt
Books 2 Blog – Review & Excerpt
FOUR CHICKS FLIPPING PAGES – Review & Excerpt
Ginreads – Review
Incidental Inspiration – Review & Excerpt
JOJO THE BOOKAHOLIC – Review & Excerpt
The Blonde Book Lover – Review & Excerpt
Wicked Reads – Review & Excerpt
YA FANTASY WORLDS – Review & Excerpt
August 21st
A Fortress of Books – Review & Excerpt
Book Bite Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Kalli's Book Nook – Review & Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Excerpt
Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt
Onceupon_a_bookdream – Review & Excerpt
Ruby's Books – Excerpt
August 22nd
All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
The Bo0ki3 – Excerpt
The Heathers' Blog – Review & Excerpt
Travels N Reads – Excerpt
What's Beyond Forks? – Review & Excerpt
August 23rd
Book Crook Reviews – Excerpt
Book Enticer – Review & Excerpt
Dark Faerie Tales – Review & Excerpt
Literary Dust – Review & Excerpt
Mama Reads Blog – Review & Excerpt
Pages to Explore – Excerpt
The Book Dutchesses – Review & Excerpt
August 24th
Book Mania – Review & Excerpt
Buttercup’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Cupcakesandbookshelves – Review & Excerpt
Fictionally Sam – Review & Excerpt
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
SA Clayton – Excerpt
The Lux Fangirl – Review & Excerpt



About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout 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. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


Website | Facebook | Twitter






Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Tag Tuesday: World’s Worst Book Tag


This originated over at Peter Like Books, but I saw that Milliebot Reads had done it and she got it from Pages and Pens so here we go.

WHAT BOOK OR SERIES WOULD YOU FORCE YOUR ENEMY TO READ?

Probably Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.  I hated that book when I was in school.  Then again, I hated most of the books we read for English class because we were reading them for their literary genius, and I like to read for fun and to escape.  It has its merit, I just didn't like it.

WHAT BOOK HAVE YOU TRIED TO READ SEVERAL TIMES BUT HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO FINISH?

It by Stephen King.  I'm a huge King fan, but I just can't get into this one.  My copy is so battered from me taking it with me and trying to read it in high school.  I eventually gave up.  I might try it on audio but I may never finish it.

WHAT BOOK HAS A CLOSE FRIEND RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ENDED UP LOVING?

Alot of my friends don't read and if they do it is for professional development.  They tend to opt for television instead of reading saying they don't have time to read.  Well I don't have time for TV because I read, and attend youth sporting events.  Anyway...I'm going to go with a recommendation that many of my favorite booktubers (we are friends in my head), have made that I ended up loving.  I didn't think I would end up loving Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng or the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  Both of these are not things I would have normally picked up on my own, but I really ended up loving both of them.  Highly recommend the audiobook for both.

WHAT BOOK IN THE LAST YEAR TOOK YOU THE LONGEST TO READ (CUZ YOU’RE LAZY!)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  That book is long, and I borrowed it from the library several times before I finally finished it.  I prefer faster paced fantasy books, and this one just takes its sweet time getting there.  Not a bad thing and I really liked it but I kept getting distracted.  I'm hoping I can get the next book on audio, that usually helps me get through slower paced books without losing interest even though I really do like the book.

WHAT IS THE FASTEST BOOK YOU’VE READ IN THE LAST 5 YEARS BECAUSE IT WAS SO DAMN GOOD!

Not counting novellas that only take a few hours to read, there were so many but let's go with Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  I bought a copy after borrowing it from my library so my son can read it when he's older because I loved it so much.  Honorable mention to the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore, I devoured this series over the last few years and need to give it a re-read.

CLEAR YOUR MIND…WHAT ARE THE FIRST THREE BOOKS THAT IMMEDIATELY COME INTO YOUR MIND?

Gunslinger by Stephen King, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, and Dracula by Bram Stoker.  Doesn't get more random than that but I've read all of these at some point in my life and they all had an impact.  I do own copies of each of these and writing up my answers to these prompts brought them to mind.

LAST BOOK YOU WILL ADMIT TO SKIMMING? (CHEATER!)

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.  I read this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge of 2017 for a book with a day of the week in the title.  I really didn't like this book at all.  I ended up skimming it to finish it.

WHAT AUTHOR, IF THEY SECRETLY DROPPED A BRAND NEW BOOK TOMORROW, WOULD YOU IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO BUY AND BEGIN TO READ ASAP!

There are a few, Samantha Young, Penny Reid, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sherrilyn Kenyon are my go to authors that I read right away.  I love alot of authors, but these ladies are on my preorder list no matter what they write.

FAVORITE BOOK/TYPE OF BOOK TO READ IN BED AND BY THE POOL?

I don't discriminate.  I don't really read by the season, I read what I want when I feel like it.  I read whatever is on my kindle or whatever book I'm reading at the time in bed daily.  My kindle sucks for reading outside, so I read whatever paperback or hardback is next on my list.  Lately I've really been into thrillers.  I forgot how much I love them.

WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR BEST FRIEND AND FORCE THEM TO READ BECAUSE IT’S SO GOOD?!

I think everyone should read Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.  I really liked A Man Called Ove too.

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Review: These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch

These Rebel Waves These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This came out on August 7th, and I am horribly late with getting my review up.  To be fair I just finished it today, I got really behind at the beginning of the month with my reading.

This took me a while to get into, the story is slower paced than Raasch's previous series but I eventually got engaged in the storyline and there were quite a few plot twists towards the end that I really didn't see coming. I tend to have a hard time with books that follow more than one perspective and this was no different. This is a 3 person narrative, which is not my favorite. This also wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting a super action packed pirate story, filled with magical abilities. There are some pirates but they aren't doing pirate stuff. Most of the story takes place on land. The magic system is based on plants and when ingested they give the person abilities for a time. The plot is full of political intrigue and mainly focused on the the characters trying to keep the peace between the warring factions. Overall, I liked the story, enough to continue the series. It ends on a pretty major cliffhanger and I'd like to know what happens to the characters and where the plotline ends up.

The story follows Lu, she is a politician, and a former soldier and spy of the Grace Loray revolution. Her parents were revolutionaries and turned her into a tool for their war. Now they sit on the council of Grace Loray, an island once ruled by a harsh religion, but is now a port full of magic, trade, and commerce where people of all nationalities are free to come and go as they please. Well atleast that is what the council tells themselves. Today Grace Loray is overrun with factions of pirates who helped the rebels win the war against Argrid. The council made the pirates promises that they feel aren't being kept and the pirates aren't happy. Lu doesn't want to see the island come to war again, but the council is working on a treaty with Argrid to mend their former differences and it is causing unrest with the pirates and within the council.

Vex, aka Devereux Bell, is a stream raider kind of like a pirate but where most raiders have allied themselves with a faction or syndicate based on their nationality, Vex is allied to no one but himself and his crew. Vex like many other raiders deals in the magical plants that can be found in an around Grace Loray. Vex finds himself a pawn in several different schemes and he must finally choose a side.

Benat is the prince of Argrid, where magic is evil and life is dictated by their religion. The religion is centered around the Pious God, and the King who dictates the Pious God's desires on the human plane. Benat watched his beloved uncle and cousin burned for the use of magic as a child, and when his father asks him to use magic to cure the sick, he feels like a heretic. Basically every misstep is punished in Argrid, and the wrong-doer must be cleansed to gain favor of the Pious God. As Benat works on a cure for the sickness, he realized there is a much more sinister plot afoot and he's not sure who's side he wants to be on any longer.

There isn't much to the magic system, it comes from the plants which are harvested from the waterways of the island.  The abilities of the plants are fairly well explained.  The world building was decent, and the characters atleast in the case of Lu and Vex were well developed.  I thought Benat could have been a bit more developed, his perspective eventually tied in nicely but it felt unnecessary in the beginning.  I did want a bit more on some of the side characters and the religion of Argrid.


View all my reviews

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Release Day Launch: 1001 Dark Nights The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout




From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, comes THE PRINCE, a new novella in her Wicked Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!




From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….


Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon Canada

Download the Free Kindle App







EXCERPT:

Did it make you a bad friend if you were completely, a hundred percent envious of that friend? Yes? No? Kind of?

I figured it was somewhere in between.

That’s what I was mulling over as I watched Ivy Morgan brush thick, red curls over her shoulder, laughing at something her boyfriend Ren Owens had said to her.

At least I wasn’t envious of that—their love. Okay, well, that wasn’t entirely true. Pretty sure anyone who was as single as me would be envious of all that warm and fuzzy that was passed back and forth with each long look or casual brush of skin. The two could barely tear their gazes away from one another to eat the dinner we’d grabbed at the cute little diner inside the shopping center on Prytania Street.

I honest to God couldn’t be happier for them. They’d been through so much—way more than two people should ever have to go through to be together, and here they were, stronger and more in love than ever, and they deserved that happiness.

But their epic love story wasn’t the source of a current case of the green-eye monster that was sitting on my shoulder.

Ivy was just such a… badass.

Even right now, relaxed in the chair, surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights with her hand in Ren’s and her belly full of a cheeseburger deluxe and crinkle fries and half of my tater tots, she could kick ass and take names along with addresses, telephone numbers, and social security numbers.

If the proverbial poo hit the fan, you called Ivy or Ren.

If you needed to know what streets Royal intersected with, you called… me. Or if you needed coffee or fresh beignets but were currently busy, you know, saving the world, you’d call me.

The three of us were all members of the Order, a widespread organization that was literally the only thing that stood between mankind and complete, utter enslavement and destruction by the fae. And not the super cute fae found in Disney movies or some crap like that. Humans thought they were on top of the food chain. They were wrong. The fae were.

The only thing pop culture got right about the fae was their slightly pointy ears. That was it. The fae were more than just beings from another world—the Otherworld—they were capable of glamouring their appearance to blend in with humans. But all Order members, even me, were warded at birth against the glamour. We saw through the human façade to the creature that lurked beneath.









About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout 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. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


Website | Facebook | Twitter







Monday, August 13, 2018

Blog Tour: As Dust Dances by Samantha Young with Review and Exerpt




The New York Times Bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series and PLAY ON returns to the world of the arts in this intense and emotional standalone romance about love, sacrifice, and surviving both. AS DUSTDANCES is now available on all retailers! Grab your copy today!

About AS DUST DANCES:

Once upon a time Skylar Finch was the lead singer of a hugely successful American pop-rock band. But fame made her miserable. When years of living a lie suddenly ended in tragedy, Skylar fell off the map.

Eighteen months later she’s sleeping in a tent in a cemetery in Glasgow, making just enough money to eat by busking on the streets. She manages to avoid recognition, but not the attention of one of Glasgow’s ambitious A&R executives.

Killian O’Dea works at Skyscraper Records, Scotland’s most successful record label. Raised by his uncle and owner of the label, Killian’s upbringing would have been devoid of affection entirely if it wasn’t for his loving sister. Killian is unflinchingly determined to bring the label more success than ever, and the young homeless woman who busks on Buchanan Street is going to help him do that. Her music speaks to him in a way he refuses to over-analyze. All he knows is that if it can touch his dark soul, it’ll set everyone else’s alight.

Skylar makes it clear that she doesn’t want to sign with him. But when she experiences the dangerous reality of a woman sleeping rough, Skylar has no one else but Killian to turn to. An undeniable connection forms between them. But Skylar doesn’t want the career Killian is trying to forge for her, and when her past comes back to haunt her Killian will be faced with a decision that could ruin him. He must either free Skylar from his selfish machinations and destroy everything he’s ever worked for, or lose a woman who has come to mean more to him than he ever thought possible…


Review:

As Dust Dances was another awesome contemporary romance by Samantha Young! This continues in spirit as Play On does dealing with the music industry in Scotland. This is completely a standalone and there is no crossover from one book to the other. It follows down on her luck musician Skylar Finch who is barely surviving by playing guitar in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland. What the good people of Glasgow don't know is that Skylar was a successful teen rockstar and she's runaway from it all and chosen to be homeless. As we get to know Skylar, we learn what she was running from and why she chose the streets of Scotland to hide. She has some things she needs to work through, and through her music she makes peace with her demons. Skylar’s songs are present in the books and they are beautiful. This is a different side of Samantha’s writing that we haven’t seen before and it is really quite wonderful.

Killian O'Dea is a gorgeous record exec who comes to watch Skylar sing, he immediately recognizes her but doesn't blow her "cover". He eventually approaches her with the offer of getting her off the streets and back into t he studio. He offers Skylar a record deal, but she isn’t interested. She has no interest in going back to her old life of fame and fortune. Killian’s offer comes at a time when Skylar really needs to get off the streets. He kind of blackmails her into recording a record with him in exchange for a roof over her head. To be fair, she could have reached out at any moment and reentered her life of luxury, but she didn’t. Skylar never really needed Killian, she chose his deal over facing her guilt and problems. They throw themselves into making a record which unleashes not only a great record, but unearths all kinds of emotional baggage for both of them

Killian and Skylar were meant for each other. They both have painful pasts and something to prove. While they don’t hit it off at first, they find something special in each other through the music they write together. Skylar’s music is the kind that makes you feel something, it has deep meaning, and that is what drew Killian to her. He is normally cold and business focused, always trying to get to the top of the record label and impress his jerk of an uncle. Side note, I loved Killian’s sister, Autumn. She is Killian’s opposite and a great friend to Skylar, she is a wonderful side character. Autumn sets Killian and Skylar up on a date, and they finally give into their feelings for one another. Their relationship is full of push and pull, and there are times that make you think they aren’t going to make it. They make plenty of mistakes, but that is what this book was about, overcoming things that didn’t go your way so the future can be better. I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to see what Samantha has in store for us next.


Exerpt:

My wrist protested as I pulled my sweater over my head. I was just reaching for Killian’s tee when his office door opened. “Are you read—”

We both froze.

Me in my bra and jeans.

His lips parted, not even hiding that he was taking in every inch of me. I flushed all over.

Killian cursed under his breath and then slammed his office door shut so no one would see me from the hall while finally turning his back to me. He sounded hoarse when he spoke. “Sorry. I thought you’d be dressed by now.”

“My wrist was hurting,” I lied. “I needed a minute.”

That was all it took to make him move. Suddenly he was in front of me, grabbing the tee out of my hands. “What are you doing?” I tried to cover myself.

Killian gave me an impatient look. “It’s not anything I haven’t seen before. Lift your arms.”

“I can put the tee on myself.”

“The longer you argue, the longer I see you half-naked. I’m a man who appreciates the female form, so I don’t mind. I can do this all day.”

Grunting, I lifted my arms, my annoyance with him lessening as he carefully pulled it down over my head and then gently placed my arms through the short sleeves. He shrugged it down slowly, as if savoring those moments of naked skin.

My breath caught as his fingers brushed the sides of my breasts and my eyes flew to his as he pulled the T-shirt down excruciatingly slowly, caressing my skin with it. Those dark eyes smoldered.

Then somehow, we were standing closer, our bodies almost touching. Excitement tingled between my legs and I felt my nipples peak against the fabric of my bra.

A flush crested Killian’s cheeks and his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

I forgot everything.

Where I was.

Who I was.

Who he was.

All I could think about was the way my skin prickled to electrified life under his touch. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to push me up against his desk, rip my jeans off, and thrust into me.

My breath shuddered at the thought and Killian’s eyes blazed even hotter, as if he’d been able to read my mind.

“Sir, Mr. Byrne would like to speak with you!” Eve’s voice called through the door and shattered the moment.

Killian stumbled back. His hands dropped from my waist, allowing the T-shirt to fall.

I tried to catch my breath as he whirled away from me. “Just … Just a second,” he called back.

“Killian …”

He glanced over his shoulder at me, his expression unreadable. “I’m Killian again?”

Confused, I blinked. “What?”

Exhaling heavily, he shook his head. “Nothing.” Then his nostrils flared as he stared at me. I glanced down at myself. His T-shirt drowned me. It also smelled of him, which was very bad because I really needed to stop thinking of Killian and sex in the same sentence, and wearing his scent was not helping. “I look ridiculous.” But I didn’t think Killian thought I looked ridiculous at all.


Samantha Young’s AS DUST DANCES – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:


August 8th

A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Catty Jane Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
iScream Books Blog – Review & Excerpt
Livelyreads – Review & Excerpt
Shelf_Life – Review
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt

August 9th

Avid Reads – Review
BJ's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Daffodilsbooks – Review & Excerpt
K&M Sultry Reads – Review & Excerpt
Little Red Reading Hood – Review & Excerpt
Naturally Nerdy Books – Review & Excerpt
Simply Crystal – Review & Excerpt
Three chicks and their books – Review & Excerpt
White Hot Reads – Review & Excerpt

August 10th

Aaly and The Books – Review & Excerpt
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Garden of REden – Review
Novel Addiction – Review
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
The Review Loft – Review

August 11th

A Fortress of Books – Review & Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Excerpt
Greyland Reviews – Review & Excerpt
My Book Filled Life – Review & Excerpt
Nose Stuck in a Book – Review & Excerpt
SJ's Book Blog – Excerpt
The Bookish Sisters – Review & Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
We stole your book boyfriend – Review & Excerpt

August 12th

Bookishly Yours – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Ginreads – Review
KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt
Mustreadbooksordie – Review
Roxy's Reviews – Review
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Words are Life – Excerpt

August 13th

4TLOReading – Review
Buttercup's Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Kindle Friends Forever – Review & Excerpt
Literati Literature Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt
Two Books in a Shelf – Review & Excerpt

August 14th

BibliotekaMoniko – Review & Excerpt
Jax's Book Magic –Review & Excerpt
Marta Likes to Read – Review & Excerpt
Onceupon_a_bookdream – Review & Excerpt
The Curvy Savante – Review
TSK TSK What to Read – Review & Excerpt

August 15th

Ali’s Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt
Between The Lines – Review & Excerpt
Book Flame – Excerpt
Margie's Must Reads – Review & Excerpt
Novel Grounds – Review
Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt
Total Book Geek – Review & Excerpt

August 16th

Always Falling for Book Guys – Review & Excerpt
Badass Bloggettes – Review & Excerpt
Bookaholic Confessions – Review & Excerpt
Dirty Girl Romance – Review & Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
Romance Schmomance – Review & Excerpt
Stuck In Books – Excerpt

August 17th

Angie and Jessica's Dreamy Reads – Review & Excerpt
Books 4 Girls – Review & Excerpt
GataLeitora – Review & Excerpt
Librarian Laura Great Reads – Review & Excerpt
Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt
Reading and funny – Review
Smokin' Hot Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
True Story Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Wrapped Up In Reading – Review & Excerpt

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 will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook& hardback June 2017

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 Hero. On 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.

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Review: Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid with Exerpt




Dr. Strange Beard Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchanged for an honest review.

Another excellent addition to the Winston Brother's series. It is chock full of humor and romance. This one is a little different than the others. We got alot more subplot information in this installment than we normally do. We see alot of our favorite characters from the previous books, which is not unexpected because the Winston's are a tight knit clan. We get to know more about the Iron Wraiths, Isaac, Darrell, and where all of the Winston couples have landed as this takes place a few years after the last book. While most of the books read as a standalones, this has alot of plot points that would have left me confused had I not read the rest of the series first. It is the only book of the series that has read like this. As someone that has read the entire series and a huge fan of Penny's books, I loved it. If you haven't read the prior books, I'd recommend reading the previous 4 books 1) because they are awesome and 2) there are some pearls of Winston wisdom you will want to be armed with while reading Roscoe and Simone's story.

Roscoe and Simone were best friends until something happened when they were 16. The story of that night is eventually revealed and we come to find that it left both of them hurt. It isn't terrible its just heartbreaking for poor Roscoe, and he's held that heartbreak for far too long. Roscoe is the youngest Winston, so he didn't suffer as much as the rest of his siblings as they deflected alot of the abuse their father threw at them but he wasn't left unscathed. Roscoe has an eidetic memory and remembers pretty much every situation and conversation he's every had or heard. He used that memory to get through vet school and become a successful veterinarian and a d terrible flirt. He however has never had a steady girlfriend and never been able to get past Simone.

Simone misses her best friend, she never understood why Roscoe quit coming around when they were 16. She also has commitment issues because of some drama her sister created when she was a kid. She is now a successful FBI agent working in forensics, only right now she's working a case in her hometown as an undercover agent working in her mom's diner serving coffee and donuts. Simone is trying to solve a murder and no one can know she works for the FBI. Reunited with Roscoe at her mother's diner, Simone must rekindle their friendship in order to get close to the patriarch of the Winston clan. Unfortunately, Roscoe has no desire to get anywhere near his father, he does however have plenty of desire to be close to Simone. Simone uses her mission to get closer to Roscoe, but the lines between business and pleasure get seriously blurred as Simone realizes she really does have more than friendly feelings for Roscoe.

Can I just say I loved Roscoe and Billy's interaction in this book!. Billy is the 2nd oldest of the siblings and was the most responsible. He was basically Roscoe's dad growing up, and when Roscoe told him to go get some happiness for himself, that made me so happy. I can't wait for Billy's book, and it is about time Billy goes and gets some happiness because he's done enough looking out for his siblings. That part of the book was probably my favorite! The interaction between all of the siblings is always so great, but that one just pulls on the heartstrings.



View all my reviews

Blog Tour: Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid

BT_BANNER.jpg

Dr. Strange Beard, an all-new standalone in the bestselling, romantic comedy Winston Brothers Series by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Penny Reid, is available NOW!

DRSB_LARGE.jpg
Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak
Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe Winston remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.
Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .
Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.
But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .
Dr. Strange Beard is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a stand-alone, and is the fifth book in the USA TODAY bestselling Winston Brothers series.
LIVE01.jpg
Download your copy today!
Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2KvoGwA


Excerpt:
“Simone, this is not one of our adventures from when we were kids. This is not finding Blithe Tanner’s cat. These men are murderers, drug dealers, thieves.”

“I know.” Boy oh boy, did I know. I didn’t want to be here anymore than he did. I was frightened. Yet allowing Roscoe to be taken on his own hadn’t been an option. “I can handle myself, and I can provide backup for you, if you need it.”

Roscoe gripped my shoulders. “Nothing can happen to you, do you understand?” His words were emphatic, his gaze disoriented, desolate, frantic. “If anything happens to you, I’ll . . .” He swallowed, apparently unable to finish the sentence.

My heart twisted to see him like this. I wished there were some way to show him what I could do, what I was capable of, so he would stop seeing me as a liability.

Well, why can’t you?

“Huh.”

Now there was a thought.

Stepping out of his grip, I walked backward to the other side of the room and took a deep breath. “Okay. Come at me.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I want you to come at me.”

“Simone,” he seethed.

“Come at me, bro.” I did that little movement with my fingers, my palm turned upwards. “Come at me or I’ll start singing again.”

“I’m not doing this.”

“Fine.”Frustrating. “I’ll come at you.”

He stood there, features set, looking raw.

Moving quickly forward, staying light on my feet, I faked right and then went left, hooking him behind the back of his leg, catching his arm to twist behind his back, and sending him to the ground—face-first—with a thud.

I winced as he grunted, my knee at the base of his spine, his arm restrained behind his back. “Sorry! But you wouldn’t listen to me.” Leaning forward, I whispered in his ear, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Roscoe’s back and shoulders rose and fell with an expansive breath, like he was about to respond, but in the next moment he’d spun his legs to the right, leveraged my knee on his back to throw me off-balance, and slipped his wrist from my hold.

In my defense, my grip had been lax as I was purposefully trying not to injure him.

The next thing I knew, Roscoe had me pinned to the ground, air knocked out of me, him hovering above, and my gun digging into my ribs beneath my shirt. He’d been careful to subdue my legs, likely so he wouldn’t end up with a bruised ballsack.

His stare more probing than angry—which I took as a good sign—he said, “I didn’t teach you that. Where’d you learn that?”

Even though I was still coughing, I smiled and rasped, “Since college, take judo.”

He nodded faintly, his eyes moving between mine, looking concerned. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Endeavoring to catch my breath, I said, “I took it easy on you because I didn’t want to hurt you either, but I’m an asset, not a liability.”

“You’re definitely an asset.” Roscoe frowned, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “And a distraction,” he said, his voice rough.

“I’m a distraction?” I asked, my words still breathy.

I bucked, but he held me fast.

“Yes. . .” His stare turned inward. “You are most definitely a distraction.”

Even though I’d had plenty of time to recover and we’d been holding still for close to a minute, I was still breathing hard. This might have been because of my lingering irritation. Or, maybe it was because the length of Roscoe’s lean body was lying on mine. He held my hands on either side of my head, our faces even, his mouth just inches away.

Was it insane that I hoped he kissed me?

Yes?

No?

Let’s go with no.

He gave me his eyes again and I saw something there, a battle. He looked undecided, at war with himself, straining against something I couldn’t see.

“Roscoe?” I whispered.

Roscoe closed his eyes, and I thought he was going to let me go, but in the next second his lips descended, capturing my mouth in a tender kiss.

I moaned.

I kissed him back.

That’s what one does when Roscoe Winston kisses one. Moan and kiss. Repeat. Because not doing so would be a travesty.

His hold on my hands slacked, his fingers seeking and threading with mine. He settled his hips between my legs, his form relaxing. The weight of him was different now, warmer somehow. At least I felt warm. I also felt cherished as his tongue sought mine, again tenderly, stroking, causing my abdomen to twist and tighten into delicious knots.

He broke the kiss and a protest died on my lips as his mouth trailed down my jaw to the sensitive skin of my neck, sucking, licking, savoring me. What had felt warm and cherishing heated, and my hips tilted reflexively as he nibbled on my ear, cradling his rapidly growing erection.

We both gasped as his hips rocked in an answering yet inelegant movement. It felt perfect and essential in the moment.

“Oh God.” His hot breath spilled against my jaw, a ragged sigh. “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know, but don’t stop.”
Enter the Giveaway!
BlogTour_Giveaway.jpg
Meet Penny Reid:
Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Headshot

Connect with Penny:
Twitter: @ReidRomance