RELEASE BLITZ: Forrest for the Trees by Kilby Blades

Forrest for the Trees, an all new slow burn small town romance from Kilby Blades, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited! Kilby kicks off the brand new Green Valley Heroes series in the Smartypants Romance Universe with her enemies to lovers standalone!

Forrest Winters isn’t just a federal fire marshal; he’s a thorn in Ranger Sierra Betts’s side. The way he swings his big axe, fixes her with his chameleon gray eyes, and talks about his jurisdiction has a way of breaking her concentration. He has a way of showing up everywhere he doesn’t belong, including Greenbrier Ranger Station. And he really needs to quit stealing her bacon bites.

When a series of suspicious fires, an underhanded co-worker, and a cagey Parks Police Chief threaten her job and the park itself, Sierra grudgingly agrees to partner with Forrest. Their side investigation may be her best shot at preventing the framing of an innocent man. But can his firefighting expertise and her detective skills lead them to the real arsonist before Forrest breaks her with his charm?

'Forrest for the Trees' is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone and is book #1 in the Green Valley Heroes series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe

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About Kilby Blades

Kilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women's Fiction. Her debut novel, Snapdragon, was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for "easing feminism and equality into her novels" (IndieReader) and "writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal" (Publisher's Weekly).

During her career as a digital marketing executive, she moonlighted as a journalist, freelanced as a food, wine and travel writer and lived it up as an entertainment columnist. She has lived in five countries, visited more than twenty-five, and spends part of her year in her happy place in the Andes Mountains. Kilby is a feminist, an oenophile, a cinephile, a social-justice fighter, and above all else, a glutton for a good story. Follow her everywhere @kilbyblades.

Find Kilby Blades online

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kilbybladesauthor 

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RELEASE BLITZ: HOTSHOT AND HOSPITALITY by Nora Everly

Hotshot and Hospitality, an all new charming friends to lovers small town romance from Nora Everly, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited! 

Molly Cooper is through with men.

She means it this time.

Being stood up and humiliated was the last straw.

But after her all grown up and smokin’ hot childhood bestie kissed her to help her save face, she’s left wondering if it was the tequila or his lips that gave her all the feels.

Garrett Monroe had no intention of falling for his childhood best friend.

Unfortunately, one unplanned kiss in a bar was all it took for him to stumble. 

Now he’s stuck with a crush that won’t quit on the most stubborn woman he’s ever known.

Soon enough they’re overwhelmed by out-of-control feelings, one match making momma, and two tight knit families who think they’re dating when they’re not.

Or are they?

Nothing stays secret in Green Valley, Tennessee.

Can Molly and Garrett navigate the nosy waters and fall for each other in private?

Or will secrets sink their friendship instead? 

'Hotshot and Hospitality' is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #8 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Grab your copy TODAY!

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About Nora Everly

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay at home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

Find Nora Everly online

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Website: https://www.noraeverly.com/

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Review: Hotshot and Hospitality by Nora Everly

Hotshot and Hospitality by Nora Everly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions stated are my own.

This is the 8th book in the Green Valley Library series, however it does read as a standalone. The series title is misleading as it doesn't take place in the library, but it does involve many of the characters that have been involve din Everly's previous books that did involve the library. If you've read the previous books in the series by Nora Everly, you will remember the Monroe Brothers, as they were the male leads in her previous offerings. This features Garrett Monroe, who is positioned to take over the family construction business. Our female lead is the quirky Molly, who happens to have been Garrett's childhood best friend. They drifted apart in high school, but Garrett wants his friend back in his life especially now that his crew is renovating the kitchen at her family's inn.

I loved that despite their personalities being so different Molly and Garret fit so well together. He was the calm to her storm. She's easily excitable where he's patient and calm. He's patient with her where she's got all of the pent up feelings in the world. Much of this story centers around the fact that Molly doesn't know how to deal with her emotions. She bottles them up inside and doesn't deal with her emotions. She pushes everyone away so she doesn't have to have a real relationship with them and develop any real feelings about them. This doesn't really work with Garrett as he's known her his entire life and knows when she's running away from her feelings, and knows when she's lying about being "fine". She has very real issues with trusting people that stems from a traumatic event in her life that she's never fully dealt with. She lost someone close to her and she's afraid that she will lose anyone else she cares for. I really like that the secondary characters in the book give both Molly and Garrett advice about how to deal with Molly's emotional rollercoaster and how she deals or doesn't deal with her grief. I also like that no one forces her to face her emotions, they are all supportive of her and there for her when she is ready.

Molly and Garrett's relationship was a bit of a slow burn, but you always knew they were going to get together from their first scene together. They had great banter, and no matter how much of a mess Molly was at times, Garrett was always there for her to help her through. And when Garrett needed her, she was there for him. It may have taken her a long time to figure out what she wanted and why she was afraid, but in the end it was worth it. I would say this was a medium on the steam scale. There were a few steamy scenes, but they weren't overly graphic. They also don't dominate the book.

If you like friends to lovers romance with an emotional subplot, I'd recommend this one. I've really enjoyed all of the books in this series so far and I look forward to any books there may be in the future.

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Review: Breaking Badlands by Scott Reintgen

Breaking Badlands by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Loved it! If you love fairy tales you need to read this series! This entire series is a love letter to stories and the things that make readers love them. I love the references to popular series, many of which I've read myself. I also love that each element that makes up a story is either a character or an element in these books. The author was so creative in how he put this whole series together and I can't recommend it enough. This may be targeted towards middle grade readers but I recommend it to book lovers of all ages. A good story is a good story no matter how old you are!

This is the third and final installment of the Talespinners series, but I feel like each of the stories can be read as a standalone. I adored Saving Fable and Escaping Ordinary, so I highly recommend reading them, I think you could get away with starting anywhere in the series. I'm a bit of a traditionalist so I like to read things in order, but if you started with this one I think you'd be OK. The author does a great job giving you enough back story from the previous books so you don't feel confused. It has been quite some time since I've read either of them, and I was able to read on without breaking out my copies to refresh my memory.

This final installment takes Indira on a much different quest than we've seen in the past. She yet again has to save Fable and much like in the past she has her friends at her side to help her. This time she has to go into the unknown of Fester, where the antagonists live and train for parts in stories. While there Indira learns that not everything in Fable and Fester is as black and white as it has been made out to be, and with the help of an unlikely aide she learns that the key to saving Fable, her friends, and stories in general might be a little grey. I don't want to spoil anything.

I loved that we got to travel to Fester and see Indira play a bit of a different character in this book. We also got to see the villians in action. There were some great action scenes and some great characters in this. We also have appearances from our beloved characters from the previous books that India wouldn't have been able to be the hero she is today had it not been for them. They all play a critical part in this story and there are some pretty good twists that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for providing me an ARC. I'm honored I got to be a part of Indira's journey! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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RELEASE BLITZ: CODE OF ETHICS by April White and Smartypants Romance

"April White writes the kind of books I love to read: romantic but suspenseful, smart yet so consuming. And you’ll love this cast." - Amy Harmon, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author

Code of Ethics, an all new enemies to lovers romantic suspense standalone in the Cipher Security series from April White, is available now!

There are three things you need to know about Oliver Curran: 

1) He’s a privileged playboy who happens to be a code-writing genius 

2) For once in his life he’s trying to do the right thing

3) Someone wants him dead.

Dallas is a close protection specialist at Cipher Security whose bodyguard skills have already saved Oliver’s life once. But when the assassin gets too close to her uncooperative client, Dallas takes the party boy away from the city where he’s the social king, to the Yukon wilderness where she’s a master of survival.

If Dallas has to put her life on the line for a self-absorbed guy she doesn’t respect, then Oliver has to take orders from the too-serious woman he can’t charm. But living wild brings out their true natures, and suddenly funny is hot, capable is dangerous, and trust is the strongest survival skill of all.

'Code of Ethics' is a full-length enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Cipher Security series, Seduction in the City world, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Read Code of Ethics TODAY!

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Start the Cipher Security Series of Standalones TODAY!

https://smartypantsromance.com/worlds/seduction-in-the-city/cipher-security/

About April White

** Vivian Award Nominee, 2021 **

APRIL WHITE has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.

Her first novel, Marking Time is the 2016 winner of the Library Journal Indie E-Book Award for YA Literature, and all five books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy. Code of Conduct was an RWA Vivian Award finalist for romantic suspense, a Next Generation Award finalist for romance, and RONE Award finalist for suspense. And Death’s Door is a Grand Prize winner of the Next Generation Award, and a Foreword Reviews Award finalist. More information and her blog can be found at www.aprilwhitebooks.com.

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Review: Code of Ethics by April White

Code of Ethics by April White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.

 

Can I say how much I loved Dallas!  She is strong and strong willed.  She is great at so many things, and while she is awesome, she's also flawed.  She grew up learning how to hunt, fish, and track with her grandfather, aka Grandpop.  She spent time guiding hunting expeditions in the Yukon, but when she realized that the outfitter was using her for her Indigenous status.  She left Canada to get away from the betrayal and the loss she experienced in and began a career in close protection services (aka she's a bodyguard) with Cipher.  If you've been keeping up with the series or have read the Knitting in the City books you'll know that Cipher is Quinn Sullivan's security company.  She's all business and very good at her job.  She is also a nomad, never staying in one place for too long and living out of her suitcase.  I really loved getting to know Dallas and thought her character was very well developed.  I also really enjoyed her family.

 

By pure chance, Dallas ends up helping Oliver out of a life or death situation and he ends up working with Cipher for protection and security.  Oliver is a bit of a genius when it comes to computer coding, and his current project is worth millions and some pretty unsavory folks do no want him to release it to the highest bidder.  Oliver decides to accompany Dallas to the Yukon to get away from it all while she tends to some family business, which means he has to live a bit off the grid.  Oliver is a pretty interesting character and he offsets Dallas nicely.  He has lived a completely different life than she has, but he is not without his own emotional baggage and once he gets to know her he isn't afraid to show it.  He compliments her seriousness with his playfulness.  They had great banter and good dialogue.  I'm a sucker for good banter and conversation between characters!

 

I really enjoyed the romance and the suspense.  This also has some comedic moments.  Dallas' cousin Reed is hilarious.  I really liked the dark web, security thriller aspects.  If you aren't really into thrillers, don't worry this isn't super scary or overly psychological.  Romance is still the main theme, but it does have a cool thriller aspect and some good action scenes.  Also, this is 100% a standalone.  While I recommend the other books in the series, you can read this without having read them first.  They are what I'd consider companion novels, where the characters are inter-related, but the stories are not connected.  I do love this series and highly recommend it!

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Release Blitz: The Lie by Karla Sorensen

Release Date: September 15

Rule number 1 for the team owner’s daughter? Don’t date the players.

Especially not hotheaded tight ends with tattoos and impulse control problems. 

That's why Dominic Walker is completely off my radar. Sort of.

Babysitting the team troublemaker when he's forced to volunteer for the foundation where I work means I can't exactly avoid him.

I wish I had though. Because once I get to know Dominic, it's almost impossible to ignore the feelings he brings out in me. 

Pretty soon, I'm breaking all my rules. I just have to hope he doesn't break my heart in the process.  

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Free in KU 

Meet Karla Sorensen

Well, let’s see ... I’m a wife and a mother. If the things that I write bring a smile to someone's face, then I've done my job.  

I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means some people will never consider me a literary snob. 

If I could meet one historical figure, it would be Jane Austen. I received my Bachelors in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. 

I hate Twitter. I do it, but I hate it. Also, if you want to get on my good side, bring me wine and I'll love you forever. 

Connect with Karla Sorensen

Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | BookBub | Reader Group

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Review: Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is marketed as a thriller but it kind of fails in that regard.  While there is an investigation it lacks the suspense aspect I want from a thriller.  It is much more procedural than thriller, and deals with the bigger issue of misogyny and male chauvanism in the workplace, sexual harrassment, and inequity when it comes to men and women doing the same job.  I think this book would have been more powerful had the murder investigation been left out.  It didn't really add much to the storyline, and it really wasn't "thrilling".  When it came to the reveal you it was no big surprise who-dun-it.  It was one of two people, and frankly the reveal was lacking any sort of excitement.

This is actually a subject I'm very passionate about.  Like many women in a male dominated career field I've experienced harassment first hand.  I think the author did a good job addressing the issues that many women face in their day to day lives and careers.  Often women don't speak up when they are being harassed or assaulted out of embarrassment and fear.  I think she captured that accurately.  Unfortunately despite her capturing all of the issues, I didn't like any of the characters in this.  All of the main characters seemed pretentious and whiney, despite the fact that they had valid claims of sexual harrasment or assualt against their boss.  In a story like this you want to cheer for the women who are finally standing up for themselves and speaking out.  While I'm happy they took action, I did not enjoy them.

I also felt the narraction of the book was a bit lacking.  The audio narrator did try to give each of the characters a different voice, but I had a hard time distinguishing the characters.  That is something I look for in an audiobook when there are alot of characters, and they all sounded too similar for my liking.  That paired with this not really being a thriller and having unlikable characters, this book was a miss for me.  I really expected to enjoy this book because it covers such an important and personal topic.  Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me copy of the audiobook.  All opinions are my own.

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Review: Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands by Lauren Gibaldi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an audio ARC via Netgalley, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really great complation of stories. I really enjoyed some of them and while all of them are well written, I don't think I am the target audience for this particular set of stories. Sometimes I had a hard time connecting with the characters and I think that is because my high school days are long past. I do wish I had books like this 20+ years ago, and I know this will be a smash hit with today's young readers.

I highly recommend this for young readers (older middle grade, teens, and young adults), especially those who are still figuring out who they are. As a music lover myself, I really loved how the battle of the bands connected all of the stories together in some way and some of them had overlapping characters. I also appreciated that this had a really diverse cast of characters, which is why I think this is really suited for a younger audience.

Each story is written by a different author and narrated by a different narrator. I liked that after each story there was a rock jingle to signal the start of the next story in the collection. Each narrator did a wonderful job narrating the stories and giving them life. I really enjoyed this compilation and highly recommend it!

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Review: The Lie by Karla Sorensen

The Lie by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own.

Bad boy Dominic Walked has just signed with the Washington Wolves. He's got a reputation for being a bit of an angry and aggressive football player, but Dominic has a softer side that he doesn't let out much. He wants to be a good man and a great player, but he has put up alot of walls. He also doesn't want to screw up his shot playing for Washinton, it has been his dream since he was a little boy. When owner Allie offers him a chance to right his wrongs and start out on the right foot with the team, he begrudgingly takes it and goes through the motions. Enter Faith, Allie's step-daughter who also runs the charitiable organization for the family. Faith, while brought up in a life of priviledge, spends her days trying to help the less fortunate as director of a non-profit. She is genunely kind and always willing to lend a hand. When Dominic is assigned work with her, neither of them is thrilled about it.

As they get to know each other they begin to drop their walls and get over their preconceived notions about each other. They also realize that they are insanely attracted to each other and the chemistry between them was perfect! There was great banter between them and just the right amount of drama and angst. You are going to want to have some tissues nearby, I started tearing up around chapter 28 and the next few chapters are pretty emotional. Dominic has to deal with some heavy burdens that he's been carrying and hte mistakes he's made because of them, and he has to do the hard work himself for her, his team, his parents, and himself. I felt like his transformation was raw and honest. He went from the grumpy, angry, closed off, bad guy, to the thoughtful, romantic, and sometimes emotional, yet still agressive football player, who keeps those he cares about close and love them fiercly. This was such a heartwarming story about two really wonderful characters that found each other in such a unique way.

You can read this completely as a standalone. I have not read The Bombshell Effect yet, which is Luke and Allie's story. I have it and I'll be moving it up on my TBR before The Bet comes out. This takes place quite a while after Forbidden, if you have been keeping up with The Ward Sisters and the other connected books, but you don't need to read any of them to read this book and their backstories aren't relevant to Faith and Dominic. I highly recommend Karla's backlist as I haven't read one of her books that I haven't loved yet.

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Review: Fault Lines by Emily Itami

Fault Lines by Emily Itami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the publishers. All opinions are my own. I saw this as an early read opportunity in The Book Club Girls group on Facebook and thought it sounded really interesting and relatable. It isn't the type of book I normally go for, but the synopsis sounded a bit like my life and where I"m at so I thought I would give it a try.

Much like the blurb promises, this is completely relatable to mom's out there who are getting through it day in and day out and lose a bit of the carefree spirits we all had in our teens and twenties. I can totally relate to some of Mizuki's midlife crisis struggles as a mom and wife and not necessarily getting to live out the career she thought she had. I still don't think I know what I want to be when I grow up. While there are alot of cultural differences between us, being a working mom is thankless most days and your kids always need something and when they are little they are always having a tantrum and people are always judging you about how you did this or that with your kids. Or atleast you feel like they are.

I enjoyed learning about the Japanese culture and roaming around Tokyo with Mizuki. The writing was straightforward and honest with bits of humor throughout. I struggle with the choices she made and the ending. Overall, I did enjoy the book.

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Review: Relentless by Adriana Locke

Relentless by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author, all opinions are my own.  This was published on September 3, 2021 and is available for purchase now.  

Oliver and Shaye were the most frustrating couple at times, but it was so worth it.  If you have been following the Mason family for a while now, you know that Oliver is one of the oldest of the brother's and co-CEO of Mason Limited, the family business.  As his brother's seem to be settling down around him with girlfriends and wives, he hasn't been so lucky to find the contentment of family.  He'd like to, but he's been burned by too many people in his life to trust anyone enough to settle down.  When Shaye comes literally crashing into his life with her car, he never expected to find a woman would could turn his life upside down and start to tear down the walls he put up.  

Shaye is Oliver's exact opposite.  She is chaos walking.  She doesn't come from a warm loving family like the Masons.  She is up to her ears in debt that isn't hers, and no matter what she does she can't seem to keep her head above water.  She is kind, capable, and when it comes to her job she is amazingly organized.  When it comes to her personal life she is a hot mess.  Like Oliver, she has a hard time trusting people, because people in her life betrayed and abused her trust.  She second guesses kind gestures as ways to control her because she doesn't know how real relationships are supposed to work.  When happenstance puts her in the position to work as Oliver's Executive Assistant, a job she rocks at, she isn't sure she should take it.  She needs the job desperately, but she isn't sure working for a guy she's super attracted to is going to work out well.  

As Oliver and Shaye get to know each other, their relationship blossoms.  They both have alot of baggage to work through before they can really move past their problems and trust issues.  Both characters are wonderful and they go through alot of emotional turmoil before the end.  Oliver has alot to deal with, he's got stress from work, his relationship with Shaye, and Adriana throws another twist into the story with issues with his dad who starts acting out of character which just adds to the list of reasons he doesn't trust people and things he needs to fix.  We get a healthy dose of Mason family in this book as they are trying to figure out what is going on with their parents, and as always we have Mama Siggy being graceful as always.  She tackles everything with wisdom and grace, while being a strong matriarch.  Shaye has an awesome support system in the few friends she does have in her found famliy of Nate and Lisbeth, they love her for who she is and support her no matter what she chooses.  They give her advice and suggestions, but they are always on Team Shaye.

I loved this!  I had a hard time putting it down, but that has been true of all of the books I've read about the Masons!  This has some decently steamy scenes. You can read this as a standalone, but I don't know why you wouldn't want to read all of the books because they are awesome and I highly recommend them!  I cannot wait for Wade's book!  

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Release Day Launch: Relentless by Adriana Locke

TITLE: Relentless 
AUTHOR: Adriana Locke
RELEASE DAY: September 3rd, 2021
BUY LINK: https://geni.us/6IwidQC (feel free to substitute yours here)

BLURB:
“I had to sneeze.” 

I should’ve taken her insurance information and driven off like any reasonable CEO with places to be would. 
She crashed into my car, for heaven’s sake. Because she had to sneeze. 

What did I do? I didn’t get in my car and drive away if that’s what you’re thinking. 

Nope. I stuck around. I could suggest I stayed because she needed help, but the truth? She was really, really hot.

We became fast friends. Then friends with benefits. Before I knew it, we were involved in an illicit office romance that had me fumbling through a drawerful of panties to get a Post-It. 

It was supposed to be easy—a fling, if you will. A dashing millionaire hero (*adjusts tie*) and a beautiful (stubborn, frustratingly independent, hell-on-wheels) damsel in distress. (Don’t tell her I said that.) 


It wasn’t supposed to be forever, but we did want a happy ending. (Pun intended.) We could’ve made it work, too. 

But one of us overcomplicated things with the L-word. And the other? They omitted a truth that changed everything.


Author's Note: Relentless, a full-length, standalone novel in the Mason Family Series, delivers a dose of heat and heart. Enjoy!

Excerpt:


He fiddles with his tie. “Otherwise, I’ll be back upstairs in a few hours, and we can head up to legal. You’ll be communicating with them a lot, and I want to make the introductions.”

“Okay,” I say, following his lead and standing.

He comes around the corner of his desk and stops a few feet in front of me.

Our eyes lock, his irises shifting colors again—deepening—as he takes me in. If we were in another place—any other place—at another time—besides the office in which we both work—I’d raise on my tiptoes and kiss him.

At least, I think that’s what I would do. It’s been so long. But the version of me that lives in my head and plays out fictional romantic interludes believes that’s what would happen.

My mouth goes dry, and my lips are downright parched. But as the reel of the make-believe kiss we’d share finishes in my head, I scamper back to reality and the fact that he’s my boss. And no matter how kissable he is or what I wouldn’t give to lean in to this feeling—the one that feels pretty and desired—I don’t.

I can’t.

Because life is about priorities and having a roof over your head is a big one. So, too, is ensuring that you don’t give people the ability to screw up your life.

Kissing my boss would surely put me at risk for the first one. It would definitely be wading into the waters of the second.

“Let me know if you need anything from me today,” I say, my voice a little raspier than I would like.

His eyes darken, but all he does is nod.

I lift my chin and give him my best-practiced smile. Then I turn on my heel and escape into my office.

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Review: My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was so great! If you love 80’s slasher movies you need to read this! You can really feel the author's love and knowledge come through in this book. I have to admit I'm not a big horror movie buff, I prefer my horror on the page. I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies, but I got to read horror growing up which is probably why. I have seen enough of them to know that this is a wonderful love letter to the slasher genre and I loved all of the references.

This is so much more than just a horror book! There is much more to Jade being the outcast in town that loves slasher movies. The author has an almost poetic style of writing that gives Jade somewhat of an unrealistic narrator feel, which for me added to the suspense of the book. You really didn't know what was happening until it happened. You aren't really sure if Jade is stuck in a horrible nightmare and she's going to wake up, if there really is a slasher on the loose, or if there is something even weirder happening. Jones weaves this amazing horror story into a plotline around a broken girl and the things she's had to endure to get to the present.

I loved Jade. She is such a complex character, and nothing she does is without reason. There are moments when you don't like her, moments where you want to hug her, and moments you cheer her on. She loves slashers, so naturally she is thrilled when she thinks one is in her town. She also does everything she can with her knowledge of what is to come to educate who she thinks the final girl is to prevent it and stop the slasher in the end. There are also some good side characters that try to help her, but they don't believe her about the slasher.

Parts of this are a little slow moving and I can see some readers will feel parts are repetive. I kind of loved all of the movie references, and while parts of it were a bit slow moving it made it all worth it when you go to the end. This was a book to be savored, not rushed through. Jade uses horror movies, slashers specifically as a handbook to guide her through the events of this book and what she thinks is happening in her town. They all sort of follow a certain outline of events, and Jade is an expert in slasher films. She knows them all by heart, and mentions them frequently. As the story progresses she is certain that she is living in a slasher and is waiting for events to unfold as they would in her favorite genre. Things don't go exactly as they would in a slasher, but the way they did play out was pretty awesome.

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