Review: Grace and Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Grace and Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC via Edelweiss+, all opinions expressed are my own.

It is always bittersweet coming to the end of a beloved series. I honestly had no idea how this was going to play out. When Rage and Ruin ended I had no idea how Jen was going to get us back on track after that cliffhanger. I honestly loved this series. The Dark Elements is still my favorites series of Jen's and this was an amazing way to expand that world and give some of my favorite characters more page time. I'm so glad that she decided to expand the series and give Zayne the story he deserved!

This particular book, walks the line of new adult and young adult when it comes to the intimate scenes between Trinity and Zayne. It isn't overly graphic, but there are quite a few bedrooms scenes and they are fairly steamy even for YA. I think this would be OK for mature YA readers, but it is something to be aware of. If you are looking for something a little more steamy the romance department, I think you will find this one a bit lacking. This does however deliver in the humor and banter department, which is one of my favorite things about Jen's books.

This book was the conclusion the series needed and deserved. I loved Zayne in The Dark Elements, but I didn't love him with Layla. I am 100% Team Roth there! I loved Zayne in The Harbinger series as he got to be the hero and I loved him with Trinity. I really love them together and their development together. I really felt that the storyline wrapped up nicely, with the ability for Jen to revisit other character arcs if she ever wanted to, but if she doesn't that is OK. This was full of action and despite this book pushing just over 500 pages you will not want to put it down. It is hard to review the plot without spoiling anything, but know that everything will be OK, just keep reading. Jen never let's us down in the end, she just likes to leave us with nasty cliffhangers in the middle, but she always comes through with a good ending. She even throws in some surprises that you didn't see coming. I very much enjoyed this last installment and the series. If you are a fan of Jen's YA works I highly recommend this one!
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Review: Kiss Me First by Anna B. Doe

Kiss Me First by Anna B. Doe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This comes out on March 12, 2021.

I really enjoyed this. It is a prequel to the other Blairwood University books and features Emmet and Kate who are a side couple in Kiss To Conquer and Kiss To Forget. They are the established couple mentioned in the friend group from the other books. This is the story of how they met and fell in love. This takes place during their junior year in high school and it is fairly tame when it comes to adult content. There are some mature themes, and there are a few sex scenes but it isn't overly graphic. I would still consider it New Adult/Adult as far as the intended audience.

I really loved the character development in this. Kate is the overprotective big sister, who has not had a good example set for her when it comes to relationships in general. Having moved around alot for her mom's career and selfish whims, Kate was never really able to develop lasting friendships. Her mother never had a stable relationship so Kate and her younger sister Penny never had a male role model to show them what a healthy relationship looks like between a man and a woman, so when Kate meets Emmett on her first day of school after moving in with her Aunt Mabel, she isn't sure what to do with him. Kate doesn't want friends or a boyfriend, she just wants to start fresh and take care of Penny. Fortunately for Kate, Emmett and Becky know what is best for her and immediately take her in and befriend her. I loved that Emmett was willing to wait for Kate to be ready for a relationship and just be friends Kate and Penny have been through a lot and seeing them come through all of that into lovely young women, it definitely made me choke up a few times.

I really loved this! I read most of it in one sitting and just couldn't put it down. It was such a wonderful experience watching Kate and Emmett's relationship develop. If you like more mature high school romances, sports romances (there is a little football in here), and friends to lovers this is the story for you.
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Blog Tour: The Revenge Pact by Ila Madden-Mills

 

What happens when the king of football meets the queen of nothing?
Find out in The Revenge Pact, an all-new emotional and swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers standalone romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills!

River Tate is a god on campus.
The king of football.
A tattooed bad boy with gunmetal eyes that see right through you.
The only chink in his armor is her, the girl he pretends doesn’t exist, the forbidden one with the shy smile and lavender hair.

Anastasia Bailey is a nobody.
The queen of nothing.
An outsider with the face of an angel and a body made for sin.
The only chink in her armor is him, her boyfriend’s frat brother, the football player who hates her.

But when Anastasia’s life crashes down, River’s the one who sweeps in and picks up the pieces. Torn between loyalty, lies, and secrets, he battles the temptation to take everything from her when they make their revenge pact.

He can’t tell her no.
Because revenge (or love) is sweet, and once you get a taste, the craving never ends.

Download your copy or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited today!
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Excerpt

River

“Why is the elevator so slow?” she mutters.

“Tell me three things you’re grateful for,” I say.  

She does a double take. “Is this where I’m like your…pet project? Don’t feel sorry for me.”

Rainbow, sorry is the last thing I feel for you. 

I want you under me. 

Deep and hard.

“How are things with Donovan?” I ask.

Her throat bobs. “I-I can’t talk to you about him. I mean, yeah, um, it…doesn’t feel right, you know, to him.” 

Right. He’s her boyfriend and my frat brother.

The door opens and she slips out, her arm brushing against my chest. I follow, sucking down the electricity between us. 

She blows out a breath. “I know what this is, why you’re being nice to me—”

“Yeah? Tell me, because I can’t figure it out,” I snap, annoyed she won’t open up while the other side is pissed at myself for asking. “Trust me, I wish I didn’t…” I stop, my jaw clenching.

She stops at the door to class and faces me. “Your paper. I’m sorry I can’t help you, I really am. I love helping others, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us…” She bites her lip, her gaze avoiding mine. “There’s something about you and me—” She halts and looks down at her feet. “Anyway, I know a few students who tutor athletes. Let me give you their names—”

“No one but you, Anastasia.” 

“What? Why?”

Instinct takes over and I back her against the wall, towering over her. I tilt her chin up, and she doesn’t speak or move, just breathing fast, as my hand slides around to her nape. A hum of heat goes through my body as my hands tangle in her hair. 

“River…what…” Pink rises on her cheeks as her lashes flutter.

Every time, I’m pushing a little more, the dark side of me winning. Monday. Her apartment. Now.

I could kiss her right now, but it’s wrong, immensely, and I’m being bad, so bad…

She gazes up at me, her eyes flaring, the gold around her pupils darkening. She swallows as goose bumps appear on her neck.

A primal sound builds in my throat. 

Anger. 

Frustration. 

Loyalty.

Dammit. I shouldn’t be this close, shouldn’t touch her—

“I’ll wait.” I grind my teeth and step back.

Her lips part, a small puff of air coming out. She looks at my mouth. “For what?”

The lethal side of me, the one itching to play this game no matter the consequences, tries to take over and speak the truth. I shove it down. 

You, I say in my head.

Leaving her there, I sweep past her and go to my seat. 

Five fucking rows back.

About Ilsa Madden-Mills
Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT
Instagram: http://bit.ly/35xfNfo
Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2ZWaTYh
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn
Book+Main: http://bit.ly/2s4j9ci
Website: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com

Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: http://bit.ly/37B6Nay
Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000

CHECK OUT THE OTHER STANDALONES IN THE SERIES!

Best-selling authors Ilsa Madden-Mills, Meghan Quinn and Adriana Locke,deliver three stand-alone romances about college football players finding true love while on the verge of losing everything.

THE ROMANTIC PACT by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: December 10th

Synopsis:
I haven't seen her in three years.

I haven't talked to her since the kiss.

So why am I on a plane, flying across the world to spend a week with her in Germany?

One word: Pops.

My life’s a mess.
My possible football career is hanging on by a thread.
I'm driving the roads of Germany in honor of Pops with the one girl I can never have.
And I’m sharing a bed with her, the girl I've measured everyone else up to, while desperately trying to not to touch her.

We made a pact growing up, never to get romantic with each other - never fall in love.

And I'm about to break that pact. For good.

PREORDER NOW:
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THE RELATIONSHIP PACT by Adriana Locke
Release Date: December 17th

Synopsis
How hard can it be?

That was the question rolling around Larissa Mason’s mind just before she asked Hollis Hudson to be her fake boyfriend.

It was only supposed to be for five minutes, after all.

Granted, that was also before she felt his hand on the small of her back as he charmed the heck out of her family.

She hadn’t heard his laugh yet either.

And it was definitely before she saw the football god shirtless. Otherwise, she would’ve had an idea of just how hard some things could be.

It turns out that pretending to be in love with a crazily handsome, somewhat enigmatic, and absolutely unforgettable tight end (that has an amazing tight end) is easy.

Reminding herself that just because opposites attract doesn’t mean they’re forever is much harder.

What they have isn’t love—it’s a relationship pact. Right?

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Review: I Promise You by Ilsa Madden-Mills

I Promise You by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review.  This book is out today October 12, 2020.

Check out the release blitz post for and excerpt and all of the purchase links

I you like sports romances, especially those involving football you need to read this one. I really loved Dillon and Serena. They are real people with real problems, and while their romance is swoon-worthy, they also get nervous around each other and say things that might scare off a potential suitor. I really enjoyed watching them banter and as they got to know each other.

Dillon first met Serena at a bonfire when he was a freshman at Waylon University. Legend has it that the first girl you kiss as a freshman at that bonfire will be unforgettable. Well, that has held true for Dillon. He's looked for Serena for the past 4 years after kissing her and being shot down. He's a senior now, has his sights set on the NFL, and he's finally positioned to be the starting quarterback and lead his team to victory. No pressure! When he randomly runs into Serena at the local grocery store, with an entourage in tow viewing for his attention, their interaction does not go as he would have liked. Serena assumes he's a womanizing, player and does her best to give him nothing but a hard time.

Serena is a writer, so when her internship at the local paper gives her an assignment to write a piece on the football team, focusing on none other than Dillon she is forced to get to know him. Turns out he isn't all bad, and Serena is forced to rethink some of her assumptions. Dillon has been waiting years for his chance to get to know her, but Serena has had her heart broken and has pretty thick walls up. She realizes he isn't a bad guy, but she isn't sure she's willing to take a chance on love again. Dillon has a lot of stress his senior year, but he's not willing to give up on the things that matter most.

As I mentioned I loved getting to know Dillon and Serena. I felt like they had great character development and we really got to know them. I also loved the side characters. I'm a sucker for a good grandma character, and Serena's grandma Nancy is awesome! I really liked that Serena, despite having been through some serious stuff in her life had a good family to support her. The same goes for Dillon, he may not have had a good family situation, but he found and made a family. I thought the pacing was good, and the author did a great job with conflict resolution. Ilsa knows how to pull on those heart-strings! That scene with Dillon and his data toward the end...really got me!

I really enjoyed this and hope we maybe get to see more of the Waylon crew in the future.

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Release Blitz: I Promise You by Ilsa Madden-Mills

 

"Another touchdown for Ilsa Madden-Mills! It's glittery sports romance perfection."
—Tia Louise, USA TODAY Bestselling Author

I Promise You, an all-new sweet and sexy, new adult, sports romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now!

You can read my full review here

Dillon McQueen: Babe. I promise. You want me.
Serena Jensen: Um, who are you?

There’s a legend at Waylon University: the first girl you kiss freshman year at the bonfire party is the one you’ll never forget. She’ll crawl under your skin and never leave. She’ll spark a passion so fierce you’ll burn the world down to possess her.

You might even put a ring on it.

As in all things with fate, timing is everything. That kiss can go horribly wrong. She might run in the opposite direction. And boy, did Serena run.

Dillon is Waylon’s hotshot quarterback with something to prove. All he wants is to graduate and make it to the NFL. What he doesn’t need is to finally meet the mystery girl he kissed at the bonfire freshman year. Isn’t it enough that she’s haunted his dreams for more than a thousand nights?

Fate laughs in his face when he runs into the quirky girl at the Piggly Wiggly. Surrounded by his entourage, he’s got all the Oreos in his cart; she gets revenge by buying every six-pack of his favorite beer.

Obviously, that legend is a curse. She’s not his type and hates him. Worst of all, how can she not remember him when she left a Serena-shaped hole in his heart for the past three years?

So why can’t he stop trying to win her?

Will this quarterback score the girl or make the biggest fumble of his life?

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/33Cwo3H
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ipromiseyou
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2GKFfI6

Add I PROMISE YOU to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3hRezT9

About Ilsa Madden-Mills

Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT
Instagram: http://bit.ly/35xfNfo
Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2ZWaTYh
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn
Book+Main: http://bit.ly/2s4j9ci
Website: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com
Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: http://bit.ly/37B6Nay
Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000

Blog Tour: Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

"Dear Ava is heartwarming and angsty and don't get me started on Knox. Read this book! You will love Ava's fight and Knox's alpha."

--Tijan, New York Times bestselling author

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a gripping enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, high school romance with Dear Ava, available now!

If you want to know what I thought of Dear Ava, you can check out my review here.

Synopsis

The rich and popular Sharks rule at prestigious, ivy-covered Camden Prep. Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world--until they destroyed me.

The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them.

Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer?

Knox, the scarred quarterback.

Dane, his twin brother.

Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . .

Dear Ava,

Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea.

Wait. That's stupid.

What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL.

It's been ten months since you were here, but I can't forget you.

I've missed seeing you walk down the hall.

I've missed you cheering at my football games.

I've missed the smell of your hair.

And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.

Don't hate me because I'm a Shark.

I just want to make you mine.

Still.

Download your copy today or read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37T4EYl

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DearAva

Add DEAR AVA to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2Z2jwQx

Excerpt

“What do you want?” Knox says with as sneer as I ease in the football locker room. Cold eyes flick over my cheer skirt then move up and land on the hollow of my throat. It’s not cool enough at night for our sweater uniform so tonight my top is the red and white V-cut vest with CP embroidered on my chest.

“Where’s Chance?”

He whips off his sweat-covered jersey along with the pads underneath. “I don’t keep tabs on my best friend for you. Get out—before I scare you.”

He’s scaring me already.

But I can’t stop looking at him.

His shoulders are broad and wide, his chest lightly dusted with sparse golden hair, tan from the sun, rippling with powerful muscles, leading down to a tapered and trim waist. He has a visible six-pack, and my gaze lingers briefly on a small tattoo on his hip, but I can’t tell what it is. He isn’t brawny or beefy-looking like one might expect from a guy blessed with his athletic prowess, but sculpted and molded and—

Dropping my gaze, I stare at the floor. I shouldn’t be ogling him. Chance is my maybe-boyfriend.

I hear male laughter from one of the rooms that branch off from the locker room, maybe the showers, and I deflate, guessing that’s where Chance is.

Glancing up, I intend to ask him to tell Chance I came by to congratulate him on his two touchdowns, but my voice is frozen. Knox has unlaced his grass-stained pants and is shucking them off. His legs are heavily muscled and taut, unlike the leaner build of Chance. His underwear are white and tight, cupping his hard ass, the outline of his crotch—

“Like what you see, charity case? You can look, but you can’t touch.”

Anger soars, replacing my embarrassment. I know I'm just the scholarship girl at Camden, but why does he have to constantly remind me?

“Don't worry about me touching anything. I don’t like ugly.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. I meant his superior attitude, not his face, but I see the moment when he freezes and takes it the wrong way.

He touches his face, tracing his scar while his jaw pops. “Get the hell out. Only players allowed in here.”

I pivot and go for the door, forcing myself not to run. “Asshole,” I mutter.

His laughter follows me.

About Ilsa Madden-Mills

Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa

Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: http://bit.ly/37B6Nay

Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT

Instagram: http://bit.ly/35xfNfo

Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2ZWaTYh

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn

Book+Main: http://bit.ly/2s4j9ci

Website: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com

Excerpt: Crew Princess by Tijan

EXCERPT

You would think one might outgrow violence.

At some age—after inflicting so much pain, seeing too much blood, hearing so many cries of agony—a person would be able to walk away, turn her back, and the need wouldn’t be there anymore.

Right?

It never worked that way for me.

The urge just grew and grew until it was too much to handle.

There may not be a wish to die inside me anymore, that might’ve gone away, but a different desire rose up. I wanted to cake the streets in red. I wanted to put terror in the Normals’ hearts, inflict them with some of the quaking we woke with. I wanted them to feel what it was like to have the power against them.

But I couldn’t do any of that.

Or at least, it wasn’t time.

“Bren.”

The sounds around me permeated my mind, and I turned toward the voice amid the yells, laughter, shrieks, splashing, and glasses being tapped together.

Right. I was at a pool party.

No wonder I was feeling all murderous.

Who wouldn’t be?

“Bren!”

A lot had changed in the ten weeks since a friend was assaulted, and particularly in the last month. A lot. One of those changes was heading toward me. Tabatha Sweets. One of the most popular girls in our school, one that used to fear me, and here she was. Coming up to me. Calling my name. Acting like we were buddy-buddy, which we actually had become. Hence the not-fearing me part.

She still should have.

She came to stand right in front of me. She wasn’t blocking my sun because I’d been holed up in the corner of the backyard, lying down behind the grill, because let’s face it, I wasn’t the socialite here. I was here for very specific reasons: this pool party was at the Shaws’ house.

Cross Shaw was my boyfriend.

Taz Shaw was my friend. She was also Cross’ sister.

And the other two guys in our crew wanted to hang out. Zellman and Jordan.

So we were here.

I was here.

Unwillingly.

And daydreaming about violence.

Go figure.

I sat up, looped my arms over my knees, and sighed. “What’s up, Tabatha?”

“What are you doing back here?”

Her voice was a little snippy with frustration, but also confusion.

Tentative was the best way to describe our relationship—and I’m being extremely loose with those words to describe whatever I had with Tabatha and her minions. You can blame all the hours I had to serve on their charity committee, which was renamed their ‘event’ committee as part of my community service. Stabbing our old principal had ended with me sort of having other girlfriends besides Taz.

I wasn’t sure how that had worked out.

A couple had been after Cross, and I knew a couple still held a torch. As for Tabatha, she and Jordan were now a couple couple.

Yeah. I was surprised at how fast that happened too.

They went from one official date to being a couple, and now they were almost the lovey-dovey type of coupledom.

Anyway, right now, my crewmate’s girlfriend who was also somewhat a friend of mine (depending on the day and my mood, to be honest) stood over me. She was staring me down, hands on her hips.

I couldn’t lie, though. The urge to pull my knife out, just to hold it and know it would make Tabatha uneasy, was strong. But I didn’t. I’d grown over the last year. See? Counseling and community service could rehabilitate us lower criminal beings.

“Where are the guys?” I ignored her question. Did she not know me by now?

Pushing up to my feet, I didn’t wait for her to respond.

I took stock myself.

Zellman was on a back lounger, his on/off woman (Sunday) on his lap. Monica (one of the girls still holding a torch for my guy) was next to them, sitting on some other guy’s lap (I think a baseball player).

Jordan was just coming out of the house.

He saw me staring at him and paused, beer in hand. He raised his eyebrows in question, but I shook my head.

I didn’t need him for anything.

He kept moving, going to sit in another lounger by Z. And I knew where the fourth member of our crew was.

Jordan. Zellman. Cross. Me.

We were Wolf Crew, the smallest crew in the Roussou crew system, but also the most dangerous one.

There were other crews. Larger ones like the Ryerson Crew, or the Frisco Crew, which had popped up over the last semester. They were our neighboring town, and their high school had burned down. The town was too small to get enough funds to build a new one in time for their winter semester, so they were being bused to us. Well, half of them were. A few went to Fallen Crest Academy, and a good third went to Fallen Crest Public School, but the rest came to us. Frisco, Fallen Crest, and Roussou formed a weird triangle a bit inland in California, so those were the options.

We’d heard the Frisco students who went to the Academy shit their pants at how rich and fancy everything was. Most people in Frisco were poor like us. The Academy was for the rich. There were exceptions, but it’s what it was.

A few of their girls had tried to follow Tabatha around. She only took in two of them, literally flicking the others away with her hand.

I guess that’s what popular girls did? I didn’t know.

All this is just to say: I’m not like them.

I’m not like Frisco. I’m not like a Fallen Crusty, and I’m not even like a Normal (our term for those who aren’t in crews at Roussou). The ones I’m like? My crew. Zellman. Jordan. Cross. That’s it.

And seeing Jordan laughing so easily with that sporty guy, I felt a twitch in my chest.

I didn’t know what it was—jealousy, anger, or maybe I was just hungry. But the fact that I’d felt that twitch was enough for me. If I did emotions, it was never a good result, so I was gonna bounce.

“Oh, no, no, no.”

I began to move around Tabatha, but she blocked me.

Her eyes flashed in determination, and she pressed her lips together. “I recognize that look on your face. You’re going to ditch.” She shook her head. “You can’t ditch.”

“I don’t care.” I started off again.

She blocked me again, flipping her hair as she did. The movement was enough to draw attention, and conversations around us started to wane.

I gritted my teeth.

Tabatha was in my face, and I hated when anyone was in my face, and I was two seconds away from—

“Sweets.” The door opened again. Taz stepped out, a hand on her bikini-clad hip, dressed just the way Tabatha was. “Back away from Bren.”

Tabatha started to turn, laughing.

Taz wasn’t joking. She nodded at me. “She’s two seconds from putting hands on you.” She scanned the backyard. “Not a great situation to be in right now, if you get my drift.”

There were phones out. Things didn’t stay secret anymore, not since the Friscians came to town. And there was another development rumored as well, one that had most people seeing stars and Hollywood signs, but I can’t even get into that now. I’d been given a heads-up and knew it was going to be a pain in my ass.

“You’re close to losing it?” Tabatha asked quietly, easing back a step.

This was her redeeming quality. Sometimes she was clueless, but other times, she had learned to give me space. She backed down now, an apology flashing in her eyes.

I could move my jaw again. It wasn’t encased in cement. “I don’t like being cornered.”

Review: Crew Princess by Tijan

Crew Princess by Tijan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This picks up shortly where Crew left off. This is not a standalone, and I'd highly recommend reading Crew first before diving in to this one. The dynamics of how crews operate and the social structure of the entire town won't make sense.

This mainly focuses on Bren, much like Crew did. Again she is surrounded by The Wolf Crew, Jordan, Zellman, and Cross who is now her boyfriend. Bren is again working through some of her demons, though this time they aren't all buried in the past, some of them are forcing her to face the future as graduation is approaching. As Wolf Crew has to decide what to do about college and what to do after high school, they also have to deal with some very ugly "crew business" brewing in the background that seems centered on getting Bren to violate her probation. Bren has been trying to behave, no fighting or pulling knives on people, going to counseling, and doing her community service after what happened in Crew (go read it). She is finding it very hard not to end up back in jail with all of the shenanigans happening around her that either point to her or require her crew to take action.

When the three local towns are forced to come together when a local school is burned down things get messy. Crews are pitted against each other, and things get ugly. Wolf Crew does what they do best and retaliate because crew protects their own and they are loyal to their town of Roussou. As things unfold, Bren discovers that there is a deeper motive than just crew vs. crew rivalry going on. At the same time the school has brought in a camera crew to film a documentary on their town and the local celebrity athletes that came from the town. Turns out they want to spin it to know more about the crew system, which everyone knows you don't talk about.

This book took me a while to get into. It was all over the place at first, but I think that was because you were supposed to feel like you were in Bren's head and her thoughts were kind of all over the place. Bren is a bit of a mess emotionally throughout the book, and I had a hard time keeping up with her. I kind of think that was the point though, you go through her emotional journey with her as she figures herself out. Bren isn't the only one going through some stuff in this book, several of the characters go through some messy emotional situations. There is alot going on in this book, sometimes I felt like I wasn't sure how it all fit together. Tijan didn't fail me and brought it all together in the end and while it ended a bit on a cliffhanger, can't say I'm surprised by the ending. I'm looking forward to the next book and to see where Wolf Crew is headed in the next installment. If you liked Crew you'll enjoy this.

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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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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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Review: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
Narrated by Fiona Hardingham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt like this was a good sequel. I listened to the audiobook, but I was also provided with an ARC via Edelweiss for review. The narrator was amazing and she brought life to all of the characters in such a spectacular way. I highly recommend the audio because this book is long and much like with Furyborn the pacing was off in places. I find that audiobooks tend to help with pacing issues, especially with very large books.

This picks up where Furyborn left off, but we still haven’t gotten back to the opening bit in Furyborn where Rielle falls. I still have lots of unanswered questions, in fact after Kingsbane I think I have more unanswered questions. I hope that those will get answered in the next installment as I feel like we are getting there slowly. Much like in Furyborn we are still following the back and forth perspectives of Rielle and Eliana as they navigate their power and their place in the war and politics of their respective times. There are also some other perspectives randomly thrown in throughout the book. Some of them are valuable, while I felt others didn’t really lend much to the story.

A downfall of this series is that the books are much too long. Legrand's writing is getting better and better as she continues to hone her craft, but I feel like there were far too many verbose scenes that while written well didn't really add to the plot advancement. I think that is just the author's style, she is very descriptive and sections of the book are repetitive. That being said, there is a lot going on in this book but I’m still not clear where it is heading. I’d like a bit more on the magic system, I’m still not clear on castings and why some people need them and some don’t. We did get an explanation on the angels and the saints and that whole situation. I appreciated that. I’m still not really clear on the political motivations of any particular character anymore and I’m not sure if that is by design or if that is because I missed something. At the end of this book I kind of just felt overwhelmed and confused, I think that is because the ending felt rushed and after a 500+ page book that should not be the case. I’m looking forward to the next book and I’m hoping all will become clear in the final installment of this trilogy. I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out for our two leading ladies as things have shifted for both of them. We have started to see Rielle’s fall from grace and Eliana has begun to embrace her power but things are not going according to the original plan. I’m also really interested in seeing what part Corien plays in each of their stories as this all plays out.

I also have a big problem with this series being marketed as a YA, it is not. It is an adult fantasy series. A huge pet peeve of mine is when characters are teenagers and a series is labeled YA, I don’t care what their age is it is their actions and the content that should be considered when marketing a book to specific age groups not the age of the characters alone. I think there is a line that should be maintained when it comes to sex and violence in YA vs. adult fantasy and this is clearly adult. There are some questionable scenes in this book that while I can roll my eyes at them and say it’s just a book or that’s not OK in real life, young readers may not be ready for that content or may not want to read those scenes just yet. Again that’s just my opinion.


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Blog Tour: Teardrop Shot by Tijan

Review: Teardrop Shot by Tijan

Teardrop Shot by Tijan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advanced copy of this via the author in exchange for an honest review.  This released today June 24, 2019.  I sat down yesterday and read all but the last few chapters in 1 sitting.  This book is fairly long, but I just couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed this. It had just the right amount of humor, heartbreak, emotional baggage, romance, steam, and serious content to balance it all out. In the beginning I wasn't sure I was going to like it. As the description mentions, Charlie is a bit out there with her ridiculous questions to hide from the reality of life. At first I thought it was a bit much, she's kind of over the top at times, but really give Charlie a chance. You come to realize that behind some of the crazy stuff she says internally and outloud, she really is a great character. She develops slowly and I really came to love her by the end. I quickly came to appreciate Charlie and what she's been through. It takes a good portion of the book to find out what she's hiding from and why she's hiding it from all of her friends. Give her story time to unfold and you won't be sorry. Then there is Reese, I won't say he was perfect, but he was a decent guy. He has his moments, but he's got his own baggage to deal with and he's quick to take the blame when he makes a mistake.

Charlie finds herself fired from her current job and heading back to the summer camp she used to work at in her teens. She is also heading back to the friend group she abandoned due to undisclosed reasons that she isn't ready to tell them yet. Charlie has been hiding from some fairly tragic and traumatic events that have occured in her life and she's only just beginning to try to get over them. With no job, she heads back to the friends that are more like family to try and mend fences and see if she can rebuild the friendships she once had. Fortunately her friend group is awesome and they welcome Charlie back with open arms as if she never left. They give her all the time she needs to tell them what happened and are there for her when she needs them as her story unfolds. What Charlie doesn't know is that the "campers" are just any regular campers, the camp has been rented out by her favorite NBA basketball team and her favorite player is also going to be there. Once Charlie stops fangirling enough to function, she and Reese strike up a friendship after she asks him a series of very odd questions. They fall into a fast and easy friendship finding comfort in each other as they both have some pretty unfortunate things happening in their lives. They quickly move from just friends to something more, and that something more progresses to meaning something. This was a bit of a slow burn romance but I really enjoyed how their relationship progressed.

I think Tijan really handled the very heavy issues discussed in this book with great care and respect.

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Cover Reveal: Senior Year Bucket List by J.M. Miller

Cover Reveal!

SENIOR YEAR BUCKET LIST by JM MILLER A New Adult RomCom coming July 29th to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!

Cover Photo - Regina Wamba

Cover Design - Qdesign, Amy Queau

➡️Add to TBR - http://smarturl.it/SYBLgr

➡️Vote on GR - https://smarturl.it/orh0vy

➡️GR giveaway (open June 28) - https://smarturl.it/SYBLgrGiveaway

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.

AUTHOR BIO

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.

Follow JM Miller Online:

Facebook | Website | The Muses | Instagram | Bookbub | Amazon | Newsletter