Review: Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller

Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audible code for this book via the author, all opinions are my own.  I had previously purchased a kindle version of this book, but had not read it yet.  I've been a fan of the author's contemporary and fantasy novels for quite some time and this was a great romcom to read over the snowy, freezing cold weekend we are having here this weekend.  

I thought the two narrators were excellent.  They really brought  Gia and Mark to life.  This book really lent itself well to the dual narrated format alternating between Gia and Mark.

This was a hilarious romcom following an amateur private investigator Gia, who also helps out at her family's bridal shop.  Gia was inspired to start a secret business to uncover unfaithful partners, after she herself was cheated on by someone she thought was "the one".  She is pretty jaded about love and relationships, but she loves her family and aspired to be a real PI one day.  While on a job she runs in to Mark, a maintenance man at a local resort.  She escapes unscathed, but she and Mark will meet again sooner than she expects.  Unbeknownst to her Mark's sister has ordered a custom wedding gown that her sister is making, and they keep running into each other after that.

Gia keeps showing up in unexpected places that Mark just happens to be at with convenient excuses.  Turns out she is spying on Gia's fiancé, Guy, and Mark is at all of the prewedding festivities.  As he gets pulled in deeper and deeper to Gia's antics, Gia feels worse and worse about lying to him about why she is always around.  Gia is constantly finding herself in awkward situations in order to take pictures of her target, and Mark is always interrupting aka distracting her while she is on the job.  These situations make for very comedic and sweet interactions between them as Gia tries to come up with a feasible explanation for why she is there in the first place and she tries to ignore her growing attraction to Mark.  She is terrified to be hurt in another relationship, but Mark may just be the right guy to let in.  His willingness to be patient with her and help her was endearing and their banter was excellent.  This gets pretty steamy in parts so be prepared for that.

I enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect as Gia tries to determine if there is a scandal going on with the upcoming wedding or if everything is on the up and up.  Her antics are pretty laugh out loud.

If you are looking for a cozy read this winter or a fun beach read this summer, I highly recommend picking this up in whatever format you prefer, it is available on Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post as well as paperback, audiobook, and ebook.

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Review: Hidden Ember by J.M. Miller

Hidden Ember by J.M. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is the final installment of the Fallen Flame Trilogy. I fell in love with Fallen Flame a few years ago, and I really love this series. If you love fantasy and mythology this is a good one to check out.

The pace of this one is a bit slow as most of the book is setting up for the final battle and Vala has to deal with her potential loss of humanity she defeats Verdandi. It definitely picks up as the battle nears and the action scenes intensify. If you haven't read the previous books, you really do need to as this is not a standalone. Verdandi and Vala are goddesses made human, one is trying to save the world while the other is trying to destroy it. The team Vala and Xavyn have assembled are racing across the lands to gain allies to stop Verdandi from ending the world. Vala fears that she will become the goddess she was before when she reconnects with her final feather or pith and while she will save the world she will lose herself and those she has come to love. We get alot of good character development in this with not only Vala but the other characters as well. There are quite a few returning characters from books 1 and 2. I like when I get closure on character arcs, especially side characters I've come to love.

The author really pulls on our heartstrings in this installment, and she certainly doesn't pull any punches as she takes us on this final journey. There were quite a few "that didn't just happen moments" before it was all over. I think this is the perfect conclusion to this series!

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RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller

Senior Year Bucket List

Genre – New Adult Rom-Com

Cover Photo – Artist Regina Wamba

Cover Design - Qdesign Amy Queau

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Caleb Samuels.

Smug. Irritating. Pain in the …

After high school, I was content with the idea of never seeing him again.

But as his sister Merilyn’s best friend, it was bound to happen eventually. I just didn’t expect it to be at her wake, where, following a foolish, naive, and completely ridiculous incident, I’m prepared to return to my completely routine life and wash my hands of him forever. Again.

Unfortunately, Merilyn had other plans.

Even though she traveled the world, her final request is for Caleb and me to recreate our senior year bucket list and take her ashes along for one last adventure.

All the foolish, naive, and, you guessed it, completely ridiculous memories return in an instant.

He tormented me, teased me, kissed me like no one ever had, made me fall for him, and broke me like no one else ever would.

Reliving it all might end with a crash worse than the first.

Or maybe not.

Maybe the fall would never end.

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Amazon Universal – https://smarturl.it/SeniorYearBucketList

Goodreads - http://smarturl.it/SYBLgr

BookBub - https://smarturl.it/SYBLbb

Pinterest - https://smarturl.it/SYBLpinterest

Spotify Playlist - https://smarturl.it/SYBLplaylist

I blinked longer than necessary, knowing I should have looked away entirely. The memory of how her lips had felt on mine not even a week ago seemed to hold me hostage, though. A copious amount of whiskey may have been coursing through every part of me that day, blurring my very existence and creating a haze of chatter inside my head—spoken words of sympathy and mourning from others as well as thoughts of anger and agony from myself—but I remembered every f**king thing about her as if she were the rain within, clearing it all away.

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J.M. Miller currently resides in Florida's panhandle. When she isn't distracted by social media sites, she writes romance novels that vary in genre from contemporary to fantasy. Aside from spending time with her family, she loves to travel and will jump at the chance to go anywhere, whenever life allows.

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Review: Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller

Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an advanced copy via the author in exchange for an honest review. My honest review is that I couldn't put this down and I loved it!  This will be out July 29, 2019.

This follows Celia and Caleb in the wake of Merilyn's death. Mer was a thrill seeker from an early age and she turned her love of adventure and doing crazy things into a way of life. She had a YouTube channel and a huge following, and it all started with the Senior Year Bucket List she and Celia started their senior year of high school. Celia and Mer were best friends, Celia the more reserved quiet friend and as you can imagine Mer the one pushing her out of her comfort zone. They kept a notebook of all of the things they wanted to do before they graduated from the mundane to the adventurous. Mer's younger brother, Caleb also joined in on the bucket list, but he also tormented Celia every step of the way. He also broke her heart. When Caleb and Celia are reunited at Merilyn's wake, they aren't quite sure what to make of each other. Caleb approaches Celia about Mer's final wish in her will that they recreate and complete the remaining items on their bucket list spreading her ashes in all of the places they visit.

Caleb asks her to walk down memory lane and they agree that they can do this one last thing for Mer. They don't take long to make up for lost time rekindling what they lost. Unfortunately their second chance romance does not go perfectly. Caleb and Celia film their adventures reliving Celia and Mer's senior year, but someone is leaking the footage. Celia isn't completely sure she can trust Caleb after the last time he destroyed her, and Caleb isn't sure he can live with losing her a second time.

This was just the story I needed. I don't read a ton of romance but when I do it needs to grab my attention and not let go. This did just that and more! This hits all the right emotions at the right times. You get some romance, steamy scenes, humor, adventure, and a good message about following your heart in love and in life. I really loved getting to know Caleb and Celia both when they were in high school and in their 20s. This alternates between Caleb and Celia's perspectives both now when they are in their 20s, and then when they were 17 and 18 respectively. The alternating timeline and perspectives was done very well, and we get to know Merilyn as well as the opposing character through the other's eyes.

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Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Self-Published Books

This week is a freebie because there is an extra Wednesday this month.  I went with an old topic that I've never done before since I just started participating regularly.

January 30th: Favorite Self-Published Books
I used to read self-published books a lot when I first got my Kindle, because often times they are free or really cheap to get to sucked into a series.  I've found some of my favorite authors that way.  Some of these may not be self-published any longer, but they were at the time.  These are in no particular order because this was much harder than I thought it would be.  If you've read any of my posts before many of these authors should come as no surprise, they've been favorites of mine for a very long time.  

1.     Slumber by Samantha Young

a.       

b.     I know Samantha Young has gone on to have a very successful career in adult contemporary romance, but when I found her she was writing YA paranormal and self-publishing her books.   This is the first book of hers I ever read and it remains my favorite.  I recommend all of her YA stuff and all of her adult/NA stuff as well.  She is one of my favorites and one of the few romance authors I will read.  This one is about a handmaiden who has to save the princess and the kingdom by tracking down a mysterious flower to cure the princess' sleeping sickness.  It has adventure, romance, action, and I loved it.  

2.     Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

a.       

b.     This was self-published when I bought it, I checked.  I'm not sure what the status is today.  I have a bunch of Mia's books I need to get to, her books are heart wrenching but they are worth it.  This one is my favorite to date.  This involves a man who is mute and kind of a hermit and a woman who is running away from the bad things in her own life.  One moment of kindness on her part slowly begins to uncover the pain in his past shows how much we all need love and kindness in our lives.

3.     Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

a.       

b.     Jen is one of my favorite authors, and she self-published this series.  I remember her posting about figuring out how to self publish something on her blog or in her group about it ages ago when her publisher wasn't really interesting in the storyline.  The series is great, it involves fae, steamy romance, and a badass female lead.

4.     Fallen Flame by J.M. Miller

a.       

b.     I am pretty sure this was self-published, if not the sequel (Scattered Plume) was for sure.  I love a good fantasy with a unique twist, especially if it has its own mythology to go with it.  The main character is a royal guard, but she is no ordinary soldier.  She has skin that burns and turns to rock like lava.  As the story unfolds we find out more about her and the magic surrounding her, the political unrest at work, and much more.  

5.     Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid

a.       

b.     The whole series is awesome as is the spinoff The Winston Brothers, so go read all of them.  You're welcome!  Penny is my go to author when I’m down.  I love all of her female characters, and their male counterparts are equally excellent.  They all have some quirk about them and I love that she puts technical stuff and science stuff in her books.  They are all so well researched.  Contemporary romance isn’t my thing but if Penny wrote it I’m going to read it and I know I’m going to love it.  I do believe all of Penny’s works are self-published.

September Wrap Up

September got off to a rough start.  I've been kind of in a reading slump.  I've been really busy with work, back to school, and fall activities, so I haven't had much time to read.  When I finally get time to read I'm either too tired or just not focused.  Nothing I've read lately really gripped me.  I'm starting to get behind on reviews so that just stresses me out more and I don't want to read because then it feels like work and it's just not fun.  I started this blog because I love reading and I actaully enjoy reviewing books.  When it starts to feel like work, I just don't want to do it.  I think I'm coming out of it as we have started to get into a groove with fall sports and I've read some stuff I actually like.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• Review
•  I really loved Mask of Shadows but Ruin of Stars fell short for me.  There wasn't enough action and it was just too slow.  It wasn't terrible it just wasn't as good as the first one.
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• Review
• I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy.  It came out this month.  It was a pretty quick read and while it wasn't the most complex, I liked it and am looking forward to the next one. 
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• Review
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This came out on September 18th.  This was so unique and I really enjoyed it.  It takes place over the course of 8 days as our main character relives the same day in a different person to solve a murder.  He has to take what he learns each day before the murder happens to solve the crime.  It kept me on my toes.  I recommend it if you like mysteries and groundhog day types of books.
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• Review
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  This one is no different. I loved every minute of this book.  This comes out October 2nd.  
• Scattered Plume by J.M. Miller
• Review
• I loved the first book in this series, Fallen Flame.  It was really well done and I loved the mythology aspect of it, the 2nd book is no different.  This took me a while to get into because I had to remember what was going on, but once I got into the story I really enjoyed it.  This was released on September 27th.

Audiobooks

I think I had a pretty good audio month.  A few of these were pretty long, and most of them were really good.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I didn't really care for this one.  I liked 2 of the stories and didn't like the other 2.  For a short story collection I think that's not unreasonable.  I read this for a Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt for a book I saw a stranger reading.  I have a couple more Joe Hill books on my TBR.  
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I love this series.  I found a couple parts of this problematic, but it wasn't enough to deter me from the series.  I'm impatiently waiting for the next book.  I also love January Lavoy as a narrator, she is by far one of the most talentend audiobook narrators I have ever had the pleasure of listening to!
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love mythology and you don't often hear the story of Circe retold.  You always here the hero's tales told over and over again.  I really enjoyed this.  I read several negative reviews about this being long and boring and I think reading this in book format would have been a bit of a task but I recommend it on audio.
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• This is excellent.  It lives up to all of the hype.  The story is so unique.  I love all of the mythology and the magic.  I love the characters.  My only complaint was the unnecessary romance between Zelie and Inan.  Bahni Turpin is a wonderful narrator, she does an amazing job with this.
• Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
• I really enjoy this series, and the audio books are great.  I didn't love the ending of this installment, but overall the book was great.  It was dark, full of plotting, and you still have no idea what's going to happen with the sisters in the end.  I'm very much looking forward to the next book.

Release Blitz: Scattered Plume by J.M. Miller with Review

Title: Scattered Plume

Series: Fallen Flame #2

Author: J.M. Miller

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: September 27, 2018
Cover Photo and Design: Regina Wamba
Paperback Interior Design: Champagne Formats
Character Illustration: Gabriella Bujdoso

In the wake of death and betrayal, Vala flees the island of Garlin with Xavyn in search of the truth about her identity. 

To find the answers they seek, they must first cross The Divide—a mass of cloud and fog that has separated human lands from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. As they pass through what is meant to kill all others, a surge of magic emerges, bringing death to some and more power to others. In turn, The Divide is weakened, the fog dissolving enough to reveal what lies beyond, reigniting thoughts of war between sides.

But the imminent collapse of The Divide isn’t the only thing concerning Vala and Xavyn. They discover what Vala needs the most is also what the Islain queen had been searching for—a feather. Not only could it help prevent war, it could restore Vala’s immortality despite all she has forgotten. Though there are others also searching, waiting for magic to return, prepared to risk it all for the same immortal goal. 

I was provided an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this.  I loved the previous book Fallen Flame.  This is no different, though I could have used a reread of Fallen Flame prior to reading this.  It has been quite a while and while I remember the basics, I had forgotten a lot of the details.  I quickly caught up, and found myself back on track with Vala and Xavyn as they try to unravel the mystery that is Vala’s existence. 

I really like the mythology aspect of this story, though I would have liked to know a bit more about the magic system.  I’m hoping that as magic returns to the land we get to know more about it.  At this point the magic seems to be specific to the type of being.  There were lots of different types of characters, we have several different types of fae, mer, goddesses, humans, and I’m probably forgetting some.  I really enjoyed Miller’s creativity with the characters.  I also liked the character development we get in the book.  We meet lots of new characters in Scattered Plume, and they all have a part to play.  I adore Esenna, she is a wonderful addition to the cast and a great side character. 

The story follows Vala and Xavyn as they leave the island Vala has called home to find a lost feather.  The feather will hopefully restore Vala’s lost memories, restore magic in the lands, and prevent an impending war.  As they cross from the human lands into the land where magic once dwelled, Vala begins to remember her past and her lost feathers begins to call to her.  Vala soon learns that she lost 3 feathers and she must find all 3 to undo the things she did in her past.  On their journey they meet some new friends who help them on their way, and some who are looking to take the feather for themselves. 

The first half of the book moves at a slower pace as Vala and Xavyn try to figure out what the best plan of action is.  Vala is still fairly disoriented from what she learned at the end of the first book and from crossing the divide to the mainland.  They aren’t sure where to start looking for the feather and spend some time meeting people, figuring out their impact on the world, travelling, and working out who to trust and who not to trust.  Once they start going after the feathers things pick up and the pace picks up significantly.  There is a ton of action and some pretty awesome battle scenes.  I’m always onboard with any fight scene with a dragon.  The ending leaves you wanting more in a good and needing to know how this story ends.  If you like fantasy I recommend this series.

"This is an incredible universe that JM Miller has created - so many aspects and little details that many people wouldn't even think of. … Also, can I just say DRAGON. I'll just leave that right there, not gonna say anymore. You just need to go grab these two books and read them. RIGHT NOW. Enjoy, you won't be sorry." – A Page to Turn

"I really like that Xavyn is kinda to-die-for, while Vala is even more badass than she was - and there is one last book, I can't wait to see what else will happen!" – That Transylvanian Book Chick

"I knew after Fallen Flame, this was going to be an outstanding series, and I was definitely right about that!" – Stalking Shelves 

J.M. Miller currently consumes her coffee in Florida. When she isn't distracted by social media sites, she writes Young Adult and New Adult novels that vary in genre. 

Aside from spending time with her family, she loves to travel and will jump at the chance to go anywhere, whenever life allows.

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