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

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➡️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

Release Blitz: Teardrop Shot by Tijan

Teardrop Shot, an all-new sexy and angst filled sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!

I asked for his criteria for bed buddies–that's the PG version.

He swore at me and said he didn’t do groupies. And just like that, our friendship was off to a great start.

Reese Forster was the starting point guard for the Seattle Thunder.

Gorgeous. Cocky. Loved by the nation.

He’s also attending preseason basketball training camp where I used to work.

Correction: where I work again, because I was fired from my last job.

And dumped.

And I might have a tiny bit of baggage, but that’s normal. Right?

Reese and I shouldn’t have become friends. We shouldn’t have become roommates.

And we really shouldn’t have started sleeping together … (Except we did.)

I’m adorably psychotic. He’s in the NBA.

This is not a disaster waiting to happen, at all.

Teardrop Shot is a 107k standalone with brand new characters.

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2X39m4w

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/30yI6c2

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

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Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2Y0Swzz

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/30hnAN1

Enter the giveaway for a signed paperback and swag!

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About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tijansbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tijansbooks

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tijansbooks/

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TijansFanPage/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan

Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

Review: The Sorcery Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana

The Sorcery Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a really fun book, I can't wait to see what the rest of the series brings us. There is action, magic, creativity, and the characters are interesting. So far there is no romance, but there is the potential for something to happen in the future and I like that romance is not a driving factor in the plotline.

Jacq Cunninngham has landed herself a role as a gopher on an L.A. movie set in the hopes of one day becoming a stuntwoman. She is learning the ropes and hopefully will move her way up the ladder in Hollywood. When her boss finally lands his big show, Jacq finds herself running errands for all types of Fae and humans as they compete to be contestants on a new type of show, think American Ninja Warrior meets The Amazing Race, meets The Hunger Games but with all manner of Fae creature and with magic. Sounds good right? Jacq isn't interested in the Fae or magic as her sister disappeared after getting involved in a coven several years ago. Jacq is hoping to enter the Fae world in order to find her sister and bring her back, she is hopeful that The Fairy Race is her ticket in to that world and might provide some clue as to where her sister went. Unfortunately, Jacq isn't allowed to participate.

Jacq has a bit of a hero complex, she has to save everyone around her. She wants to save her sister, and when she is presented with an opportunity to save an injured contestant on the show, she finds herself a fan favorite and a contestant. Jacq no intention of using magic, and she doesn't care about winning fan favorite after her initial actions, she just wants to find her sister. She does well in all of the physical challenges, but when she is finally paired with Orin a surly fae who doesn't like anyone and only wants to win things start out rough as the race begins. Orin has his own motivations to win the race. He and Jacq eventually work out their issues and begin to work together.

Overall, this was fast paced and really enjoyable. I thought the characters could have used a bit more development and the world building could have been a bit more descriptive. Jacq is a bit all over the place and I hope we get more development from her in the next books. For a girl who wants to be a stuntwoman and win a game to save her sister, she is extremely irrational and impulsive when it comes to making decisions and she doesn't actually try to win said races. She is constantly stopping to help the other contestants to help them which I like about her, but I can't yet see how that helps her find her sister yet. I'm sure that will become clear as the series unfolds.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I'm very much looking forward to the remaining books in the series. I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review.  This will be out on July 1, 2019.

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Review: Nexus by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Nexus by Sasha Alsberg (Goodreads Author), Lindsay Cummings (Goodreads Author), 

Stephen Dexter (Narrator), Caitlin Davies (Narrator), Nicol Zanzarella (Narrator), 

Jordan Claire Mccraw (Narrator)

, My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an advanced copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I received the ARC approval the day before this was published, so I opted to listen to the audiobook. My review is of the final audio version.

This was much stronger than Zenith, and I'm glad I revisited Zenith prior to jumping into Nexus. As I mentioned earlier, the plot is much more focused in this book where the plot was all over the place in Zenith. Andi and Dex are focused on getting the crew of the Marauder back and defeating Nor and Valen. The girls have fallen victim to the Zenith virus and are under the compulsion of Valen as are most of the citizens of the galaxy. Andi and Dex decide to find and team up with the resistance to fight Nor and Valen, only to find several unexpected allies. I did really enjoy the kind of twist at the end; I like how the story took a turn in a different direction. I overall enjoyed how this closed up the storyline and wrapped up things for the characters.

This doesn't really go into the science behind how the virus works and how the Nexus satellite works. It doesn't really go deep into the science. As a fan of harder sci-fi, I appreciate some explanation of how the science works, but this is one case where you just need to accept that it just works. There are also some fantasy elements that either felt out of place for me or needed more explanation like the ice dragon and the powers given to the Yielded and the Exonians. I’m good with genre blending, but some of it just didn’t work for me. As far as character development goes, the characters stay pretty true to who they were in Zenith.

I do think that having so many perspectives telling the story was unnecessary. I felt that way with the first book as well. I find that multiple perspectives often fall short for me, and that was certainly the case here. Part of the problem was the audio narration; the narrators were often monotone and lackluster. I didn't feel the excitement and emotion that should have been there in the action and emotional scenes.


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Free Book Alert: Chemistry by Penny Reid

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Attraction, the first in the Elements of Chemistry Series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Penny Reid is FREE for a limited time only!

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He is everything she doesn’t want, so why does she want him so badly?

One week.

Private beach.

Invisible girl.

Jerk-faced bully.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.

Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.

When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

June TBR

June is shaping up to be a month of mystery and thrillers.  I used to read a ton of them, but I got away from them for a long time and recently rediscovered my love of them.  I have a ton of ARCs I'm hoping to knock out this month.  I just went through my to be reviewed pile it keeps getting longer.  I also just picked up a ton of books at the library sale.  I need to stop buying new books, but who am I kidding that is never going to happen.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland
• My son is never going to forgive me if I don't read this book.  He just started book 5 of the 2nd Percy Jackson series.  So he's read 10 books and I haven't read the one book he asked me to read in exchange for trying this series.  
• The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe
• This comes out June 25th.  This is a paranormal historical fiction from what I can tell.  The synopsis reminds me a bit of The Discovery of Witches and it has some ties to the Salem Witch trials which I find fascinating.  I'm looking forward to reading about this magical family.  
• Teardrop Shot by Tijan
• This is out June 24th and is a sports romance featuring basketball.  If you don't know much of my time is spent on the sidelines of a basketball court.  This is a new adult romance from Tijan and I'm looking forward to it.
• Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
• I've really enjoyed Sager's previous books, so when the opportunity to review this new release due out July 2nd.  I'm a fan of his thrillers and I can't wait to find out what twists and turns he has in store for us in this new book.
• Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
• I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of this.  This is already out, but I'm going to read it anyway because let's be real I want to know what happens next.  This one is pretty long so it will probably be the first book I tackle in June.
• Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger
• This one is due out July 2nd as well.  This is another thriller/mystery.  This one follows a father/daughter FBI team but things get interesting when the father becomes a suspect in a murder.  That's not a spoiler it's in the description of the book.  I'm looking forward to this one too.

Audiobooks

I have a bunch of books I hope to get to this month on audio, but I'm only going to list these 2.

• Nexus by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings
• I have the ARC of this, but I was able to get the audio from Hoopla.  I've already started it and so far so good.  It is much more focused than Zenith.
• A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis
• I received an ARC of this one too, but I'm next up for the audio so hopefully I can knock this one out.  This is the first book in a mystery/thriller series and I've been really loving those lately.  The synopsis reads like an episode of Criminal Minds which I love.  I'm excited to get to this one.