Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Blog Tour: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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Is Jack my real Romeo…or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

Not My Romeo, the all-new swoon-worthy contemporary sports romance with heart and heat from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now!

My review is posted here

Madden-Mills - Not My Romeo - 29324 -CV-FT-V

We start off with a lie on Valentine’s Day.

My blind date isn’t the studious guy I expected: he’s a drop-dead gorgeous player with sinful amber eyes. Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.

The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.

But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?

Is Jack my real Romeo…or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

NMR - AN

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

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ztiNzh Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/notmyromeo

Add NOT MY ROMEO to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2zmDX1O

Excerpt:

I pull my white cat-eye glasses out of my purse and slide them on for a better look. My heart flip-flops as butterflies take flight in my stomach. Oh heck no. That can’t be him. He’s . . . he’s . . . freaking gorgeous, and I don’t mean regular handsome but like a movie star: dark hair swept off his face, the strands wavy and unruly with copper highlights, soft and silky brushing against his cheeks, and too long for a newscaster, in my opinion—but what do I know? I don’t own a television.

He lifts his arm to shove his hair back, and my eyes pop at the tightly roped muscles of his forearm and biceps straining through the fabric, the impossibly broad shoulders.

Well, would you look at that.

And this has to be him, right?

I’m in the right restaurant. He’s alone. He’s wearing a blue shirt. He has dark hair. Odds point to yes. Usually the most simple explanation is exactly what it appears. Therefore, he must be my date.

The man in question turns to look out the window, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently, and I take in his profile. Long straight nose, full dark arching eyebrows, and a sharp, bladed jawline. Sensuous lips, the lower one decadently full. Almost wicked. He’s the kind of hot that draws your eyes over and over just to make sure it’s not a mirage. I knew guys like him at NYU—sexy, athletic gym types who played a sport. And those types never gave me a second look. I’d watch them work out while I fumbled my way around one of those god-awful butterfly machines, while beautiful, tall, svelte girls who weren’t sweating fawned over them, bringing them towels, water bottles, and sexy promises.

He takes a sip of an amber liquid, long tanned fingers grasping the fragile container as his eyes rove across the room. They prowl around the restaurant, as if he’s assessing every person in sight, and I feel the sizzle of him even from twenty feet away. Prickles of awareness skate down my spine. I’m the alpha, his body language yells. Come and challenge me.

His gaze drifts right over me without stopping.

Not surprised.

I duck back into the shadows.

Dang it. My hands clench. I wanted nice and nerdy, not this . . . sexy beast!

And judging by the scowl on his face, he’s grumpy. Life’s too short to be dour, Mister. And what is he annoyed about? I am here!

And he did see a picture of me. Topher said so.

Yeah, maybe he doesn’t really want to meet you.

Maybe he’s hoping you won’t show up.

I tap my foot. I should leave. Really.

The smells of Milano’s waft around me, spicy and tantalizing, and my stomach lets out an angry howl. I move from one foot to the next. Every place to eat between here and Daisy is going to be packed. I could always hit a drive-through on the way back home—but how pathetic is a Big Mac and fries on Valentine’s Day? Plus, I’ll have my entire nosy family to answer to tomorrow. They’ve built up this blind date so much: Oooooh, Elena has a date with a weatherman. Ask him if that’s a barometer in his pocket or if he’s just glad to see you.

I give myself a mental pep talk.

Grow some balls, Elena.

Sometimes you have to go out and take what you want.

So what if he’s hot enough to suck the dew off a rose.

You are hungry. Do it for the pasta.

He is your date. Go get ’em, girl.

I gather my resolve, point my little black pumps in his direction, and start marching.

About Ilsa Madden-Mills IlsaMadden-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

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

RELEASE BLITZ: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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“Rife with uproarious moments and banter that sings, this scorching contemporary will captivate Madden-Mills’s fans.” —Publishers Weekly

Not My Romeo, the all-new sexy and unforgettable contemporary sports romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now!

Madden-Mills - Not My Romeo - 29324 -CV-FT-V

We start off with a lie on Valentine’s Day.

My blind date isn’t the studious guy I expected: he’s a drop-dead gorgeous player with sinful amber eyes. Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.

The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.

But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?

Is Jack my real Romeo…or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

NMR - AN

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

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ztiNzh Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/notmyromeo

Add NOT MY ROMEO to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2zmDX1O

About Ilsa Madden-Mills

IlsaMadden-Mills.jpg

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

RELEASE BLITZ: The Truest Thing by Samantha Young

 

She made him believe in the legend…

The Truest Thing, Book Four in the USA Today bestselling Hart's Boardwalk Series by Samantha Young, is live!

Nine years ago, Emery Saunders moved to Hartwell to start her life over as a bookstore owner. Her inability to trust people made it hard for her to find a place in the small community until Jessica Lawson moved to town and befriended the shy beauty.

But there was one person in Hartwell who tried to befriend Emery long before Jessica arrived…

Jack Devlin has his secrets. One of them is that he fell hard for Emery the moment she appeared in Hartwell. Another is that his father blackmailed him into covering up a dark family tragedy. It forced Jack to sever his relationships to protect the people he cared about. Yet, staying away from Emery has not been easy throughout the years and he hasn’t always succeeded. When Jack’s mixed signals hurt Emery once again, she puts him out of her heart for good. 

Until the Devlin family secret is finally revealed, freeing Jack from his father’s machinations. What Jack wants more than anything is to repair his relationships, starting with Emery. 

However, Emery isn’t ready to forgive and Jack’s not ready to give up.

And when the town’s latest scandal ties Jack and Emery together, Jack is not above using their new reality to prove to Emery once and for all that their love is worthy of the legend of Hart’s Boardwalk.

Download Today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3etFUZF

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

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3gzWsRB

Nook: https://bit.ly/2ZNXnI8

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Boms2e

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2QDyclr

Meet Samantha


Samantha Young is a New York Times and #1 International bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. On Dublin Street was Samantha's first adult contemporary romance series and has sold in thirty countries. She has since published over thirteen romance titles including the New York Times Bestsellers Into the Deep, Hero, and her most recent contemporary romance Fight or Flight. When writing Adult Paranormal romance she writes under the pen name S. Young. 


Connect with Samantha

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSamanthaYoung/

Website – http://authorsamanthayoung.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/authorsamanthayoung/

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/samyoungauthor/

Amazon - http://amzn.to/2H47kEP

Goodreads - http://bit.ly/2FWgYdn

Bookbub - http://bit.ly/2D241eO

Monday, August 17, 2020

Review: Unearthed by Marc Mulero

Unearthed Unearthed by Marc Mulero
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

I really liked the premise of this book. The plot was enough to keep me interested until the end, but I had a really hard time with this book from the beginning.

The book starts in the middle of a conflict with little to no backstory to what is happening and why. It wasn't until about the 15% mark that I had a clue what was going on, but I don't think I had a good grasp on what was going on or why for most of the book. The author reveals tiny snippets of information and leaves you with more questions than answers, then there will be some crazy twist. The fight scenes are very detailed, which left me wondering why the details of the plot, world, and characters weren't flushed out? There are far too many characters in this, which is something I personally don't like in books and while this isn't told in alternating perspectives, it switches frequently from character to character. I would have liked to see shorter chapters for those transitions versus paragraph to paragraph switching to tell the story. It really slows down the pace and made it hard for me to stay engaged in the story. I would have also liked more backstory on each of the characters and factions they came from. It made it really hard to connect with them because after reading a 300+ page book I still feel like I know nothing about any of the main characters and know nothing about the factions that keep being mentioned. The factions are fairly important as the Sins and the Heizers are two of the main factions but other than a vague caste system being in place there wasn't much more mentioned. I also want to know more about the Ayelan. It's a substance mined from the earth but the science fiction aspect isn't very well described on the page. I like my sci-fi to be well explained even if the science is made up. The premise of using this substance for scientific experiments is really cool, I just wanted better explanations and descriptions.

This book/series has tons of potential. The action scenes are pretty well done, albeit sometimes gruesome. I think the idea of this book is really interesting, but it lacked in execution. The characters are all really interesting, but I think had this book focused on one or two instead of the 10 I can name off the top of my head (there might be more) that we focus on throughout, I would have enjoyed this alot more.

The next book is out soon, and hopefully more information about the things I'm looking for are revealed. It felt like more was to be revealed in the next book.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Review: The Truest Thing by Samantha Young

The Truest Thing The Truest Thing by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review.   This will be out on August 18, 2020.

This is the books fans of the series have been waiting on for years! I think anyone who has read any of the previous book in the series are going to be 100% satisfied with this love story. It has everything you want from a romance novel and you won't want to put it down.

Emery and Jack have been Hart's Boardwalk's long time enigma of a couple. Everyone knows they are attracted to each other, but everything in life keeps them apart. This book starts well before the timeline of the other books, to when Emery and Jack first meet, before Jack betrays Coop, before Jack starts working for his father. As the story unfolds we really get to know Emery, about her past, why she is so painfully shy, and watch her develop into someone who can stand up for herself. She has secrets, Jack knows some of them, but as she slowly starts to acclimate she finds her own place in the world and builds her own life and family that she can trust. Jack on the other hand has been led down a path he was trying to avoid. When we meet him, he's not a bad guy, but as the book progresses we come to learn that he's been made to work for his father who has questionable morals and tactics when it comes to business and getting what he wants. Eventually Jack is in the position to be out from under his father's control, and he has to make amends with all of the people he has hurt over the years, especially Emery.

The Truest Thing answers a lot of questions that we've had about Jack and his family, why he did the things he did in the previous books, and what the heck is going on with him and Emery. Their relationship is extremely slow burn as something always happens to keep them apart. There is so much heartbreak and emotion in this book. If you want passion, angst, and heartache this book is for you. I could not put it down, and it is a decent length. I read it in about 12 hours because it was that good.

If you are a fan of the previous books in the series, this is a must read. I'm having a hard time putting into words what I feel about this book because the emotions were so raw and intense. I don't know how Samantha Young does it but she has this magical ability to suck you in and you don't want to let go of her characters. I'm so invested in the people she writes and what happens to them. I'm so happy that Emery and Jack have finally gotten their story and it is amazing!


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Review: The Shadows by Alex North

The Shadows The Shadows by Alex North
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided a copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I enjoyed both of the narrators.  It helped to keep track of which perspective and plot line we were following.  They both did a good job building the suspense and adding emotion when necessary and distinguishing between the characters.

The premise of this is really cool, Paul and the group of boys he is hanging out with start dabbling with lucid dreaming.  Charlie, the leader of the dream investigations, truly believes he can manifest things while dreaming and convinces the other boys of the same.  Paul leaves the group to their own devices, but eventually their town is rocked to its core when two of the boys commit murder and Charlie disappears never to be heard from again.  The case becomes somewhat of an urban legend until we fast forward 25 years and an eerily similar murder occurs.  Paul happens to be back in town visiting his ailing mother and during a few moments of clarity she makes some strange remarks that lead him to start digging around his childhood home.

This is told from alternating timelines of past and present from main character Paul's perspective and we also get the perspective of Detective Amanda Beck who you may remember from [book:The Whisper Man|41940236].  Both books are 100% standalone, but there she returns as a detective and some place names are mentioned.  You do not need to read either book to read the other, but I do recommend The Whisper Man, it was one of my favorite thrillers of 2019.  This has the same creepy feel as North's previous work, which only builds as the mystery unfolds.  I did feel that the ending felt a bit rushed as everything came together in a hurry.  Everything is sort of revealed all at once and it is alot to absorb.  I will say this is the rare case where I had no idea what was happening until I was told.

Overall, I enjoyed this and flew through the audiobook in about 3 days.  I'm looking forward to whatever creepy ominous thriller Alex North comes up with next!

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Sunday, August 2, 2020

Review: Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Jane Anonymous Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I received a surprise ARC of this in the mail back in January, so I opted to listen to the audiobook so I could finally read and review it.  This was published in January 2020, and should be available everywhere.

I really enjoyed this. The audio narration is well done and I felt the narrator did a great job expressing Jane's feelings and adding emotion to various situations that may or may not have jumped off the page. I highly recommend the audio.

This is the story of Jane Then and Jane Now as she tries to recover and cope with being held in captivity for 7 months and escaping. She is having a hard time re-establishing herself in her old life, so she starts writing about her experience "then" and what happened to her from the day she was taken and all that she experienced while she was held by the man she calls "the monster". You are reading her journal entries, so this is told in a somewhat epistolary format as she writes entries about her experiences in the present with her friends and family as they try to reconnect with Jane in the here and now, and in the past or what she calls then as she tries to remember everything that happened to her in an attempt to heal from her experience and find herself.

I found this captivating and I didn't want to put it down. I kept opting to put my headphones back in to listen to the story instead of read my other book or do other things because I wanted to know what was going on with Jane. As the story unfolds and we learn more about Jane and her captivity and struggles to cope after she's returned home, I found parts of the plot to be predictable I won't spoil anything, but people who read lots of thrillers like I do will know what I mean. However, I found myself so invested in Jane's story that I wanted to know if I was right or if I was completely off base and there was going to be some other twist. I appreciate that the cast of characters was small and that the pacing of the story was really well done. There is a focus on mental health issues here, which may be triggering for some, and while I thought parts of it were handled unrealistically, who knows what is realistic for a situation like Jane's until it happens to you (which I hope it never does), other parts were handled really well. I particularly liked the parts with Jack and how he supported her without pushing an agenda or trying to figure out how she felt.

I highly recommend this psychological thriller for anyone looking for a fast paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I very much enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author!


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