Release Blitz: Nate by Tijan

Nate, an all-new enemies-to-lovers standalone from the Fallen Crest universe from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is coming February 9th, 2021, and we have the smoking hot cover!

Full synopsis to come!

Pre-order your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jO0yXh Apple Books: https://apple.co/31O7rRU Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/nate Nook: https://bit.ly/2Gooj9O Kobo: https://bit.ly/3jERrYO Barnes and Nobles Paperback: https://bit.ly/2F0BLzN Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2ERDc3E

Add NATE to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/32Pp82L

Celebrate the reveal with this MEGA Swag Pack Giveaway → https://bit.ly/3jHaH85

Don’t miss out! Always Crew is OUT NOW! Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3if3T1q Apple Books: https://apple.co/2BN6H5h Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/alwayscrew Nook: https://bit.ly/2ZAggNd Kobo: https://bit.ly/2YKEC7K Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2BOv7Lx

Add ALWAYS CREW to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2BkteWY

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: http://bit.ly/2vreAub Facebook Reader Page: https://bit.ly/32hsdsq Twitter: http://bit.ly/2Vx4DpD Instagram: http://bit.ly/2PyLhwy Reader Group: http://bit.ly/38bz8nQ Audiomen Group: https://bit.ly/3bFFKgB

Release Blitz: Steal My Magnolia by Karla Sorensen

“Steal My Magnolia is more than a love story. It's a beautifully crafted journey of life full of obstacles but a journey worth the travel with the right person.” --Author Andrea Johnston

Steal My Magnolia, an all-new heartwarming small-town romance from Karla Sorensen, is now available in Kindle Unlimited! 

Life lesson from Grady Buchanan: If you’re going to fall in love with the untouchable girl in town, don’t hire her as your only employee.

Even after he bungled the interview with Magnolia MacIntyre, he knew better than to hire her. The list of why it’s a bad idea is a long one.

Her father could ruin his fledgling business.

She is completely overqualified.

And he’s attracted to her.

What does Grady do? He offers her the job.

Magnolia knew better than to take it. Normally, she’d make the safe choice, and working for Grady is anything but.

He’s new in town–and entirely too charming.

Her dad will be furious.

She hates the outdoors and working for an outdoor adventure company is not exactly the right fit.

What does she do? She says yes on the spot.

Grady and Magnolia will have to prove to everyone in their life that they’re not crazy. And prove to each other that the list of why it’s a bad idea should be tossed out the window.

For these two opposites, sometimes doing the wrong thing is exactly right.

‘Steal My Magnolia’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Love At First Sight series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Download your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3jvE6l3

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3kzJYec

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3oouvjH

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3owyhrl

Audiobook: http://bit.ly/3ctYseC

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/34sBlMZ

Start the Love at First Sight series of standalones!

Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Baking Me Crazy

http://bit.ly/39GQBZn

Batter of Wits

http://bit.ly/3j8n3qG

About Karla Sorensen

Karla Sorensen has been an avid reader her entire life, preferring stories with a happily-ever-after over just about any other kind. And considering she has an entire line item in her budget for books, she realized it might just be cheaper to write her own stories. It doesn’t take much to keep her happy…a book, a really big glass of wine, and at least thirty minutes of complete silence every day. She still keeps her toes in the world of health care marketing, where she made her living pre-babies. Now she stays home, writing and mommy-ing full time (this translates to almost every day being a ‘pajama day’ at the Sorensen household…don’t judge). She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two exceptionally adorable sons and big, shaggy rescue dog.

Find Karla Sorensen online

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2lU6xAS

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2khRSPL

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2k0Yp0T

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2lBNuez

Website: http://www.karlasorensen.com/

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Review: 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

You can tell the author put alot of time and effort into her research of Captain Lee, however this was not the book I expected.  The title indicates that it is about the invention of forensics, and it gets to that, but much of it focuses on Lee's life as a wealthy socialite and other people and topics that are sidebars that made have had an impact on her and her life, but they didn't feel relevant to the science and forensics.  If this had solely been about Lee then perhaps those chapters may have made a bit more sense but to package this as a book about the invention of modern forensics, some of the content didn't interest me.  I feel like in an attempt to honor Frances Glessner Lee, the author put in all of the information he had on her, and in turn the book feels a bit disjointed and overburdened by information.  Some will love all of the detailed information about her life as well as the science she devoted her life to.  It breaks up the more cold and clinical details of the forensics.  Personally I would have liked it to be a bit more focused on the science aspect.

The science and establishment of the Legal Medicine program at Harvard was very technical and detailed.  I had no idea that some of the issues that Lee was fighting then still exists today.  What we see on TV on popular crime shows isn't what really goes on.  I learned quite a bit about the establishment of forensics and what a medical examiner must do.  Captain Lee was a force to be reckoned with, she knew how to use her wealth and influence to get things done, and she accomplished so much in this field.  

Overall I do feel Goldfarb did what he set out to do, pay homage and honor Frances Glessner Lee by telling her story and letting the world know what she did for modern forensics.  It was well researched and well written.  I do wish it had been a bit more focused content-wise, but I did learn quite a bit.

I was provided a copy of this book through Sourcebooks Early Reads program in exchange for an honest review.   I did opt to listen to the final version of the published audiobook.

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Review: Eye Candy by Jiffy Kate

Eye Candy by Jiffy Kate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This will be published on February 16th and is part of the Smartypants Romance Universe.

This is book 3 in The Fighting for Love series.  The previous books were marketed under The Donner Bakery series and recently got a cover makeover.  Each book is a standalone, but you will gain a better understanding of the other couples mentioned in this book if you read the previous books in the series.  I feel you can read them all as standalones though and pick them all up individually.

This follows Maggie, a shy, sheltered member of the Green Valley community.  At 24 she still lives at home and works for her parents at the family's feed store in town.  Her parents were fairly protective of her growing up and Maggie doesn't have much social or life experience.  Vali is the middle child of the Erikson clan.  His older brother, Cage has moved to town and opened a gym to teach mixed martial arts.  Cage is training their other brother Gunnar for an MMA title, so Vali has come to visit and escape their home town of Dallas to get away from some drama.  Maggie is doing research at the gym for her secret gossip column for the local paper, so when she runs into Vali at the gym she can't help but be attracted to him.  He is intrigued by this shy girl, but he isn't interested in anything permanent.  Maggie and Vali's paths keep crossing and they decide to spend time together getting to know each other, no labels, no strings attached.  The more time they spend together the harder it is for them to stay away from each other.

I really appreciated that Vali and Maggie took things slow.  While there was an instant attraction, they took their time getting to know one another and actually fall in love.  Their relationship progressed fairly realistically, and I felt like they were pretty honest with each other.  I always appreciate when couples communicate with each other like grown ups in books.  This was well written.  I really enjoyed it and I loved that we got to see the couples of the previous books.  I really enjoyed watching Maggie step out of her comfort zone and grow into her own person.  Vali got over his baggage and wasn't put off by Maggie's lack of experience and inexperience with life and other things.  He was willing to wait for her to be ready to experience everything with him at her pace.  This was yet another great addition to the series and the Smartypants Romance Universe!

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Review: Dewey Belong Together by Ann Whynot

Dewey Belong Together by Ann Whynot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This book releases on February 16th, and is part of the Smartypants Romance Universe.  This particular book is part of the Green Valley Library series.

This is book 7 of the Green Valley Library series, however they area all standalones.  You do not need to read the previous books in the series to read this one.  It will introduce you to some of the characters mentioned in the book, but their stories aren't relevant to the plot.  I highly recommend them because they are great reads!  I'm a huge fan of them all!

This was really fun and I really liked the premise.  The author did a great job with both of the characters by giving them both complex backstories.  They each have struggles and baggage to deal with and they've both found solace in the gaming community.  Maxine, aka Max,  is the quiet librarian who works in the basement and wears frumpy clothing and doesn't really talk to anyone during the day.  At night she is a a well known and well respected gamer, but no one knows her true identity.  She goes by the gamer tag Maximus_Damage and her arch nemesis is a character named Wrath.  She and Wrath have known each other through the gaming community for 10 years, and she hates him.  Wrath's real name is Jonathan, who had kind of been a jerk to Max over the years, but he feels very different about Maximus.  Max invites a bunch of players from their game to Green Valley for a team building weekend, but Wrath is the only one who shows.  Neither of them are who the other expected and they have to work through their preconceived notions, past actions, and feelings to make the best of the weekend.  As they let down their guard, they realize that they could actually be friends and might even like each other if they are able to get past some of the things that have happened in their past.

After a fun weekend together, real life takes back over and Max and Jonathan have to go their separate ways.  Max has decided that she isn't going to hide from her past and from life anymore.  As she begins to come out of her shell and start living again, she isn't spending as much time in the game, and therefore isn't spending as much time with Jonathan.  Not having put labels on their relationship and living several states apart, Jonathan is having a hard time managing his own life as a gamer, business owner, and dealing with his own family and mental health issues.  

If you aren't a gamer or interested in gaming, the book does not heavily focus on gaming.  In fact much of the gaming that happens is off page.  I would have liked to see a little of the gaming on the page, as much of the interaction between Max and Wrath is discussed prior to them meeting in person and I would have like to see that dynamic in action both before and after they meet in person.  

I believe you could classify this as an #ownvoices novel.  Based on the author's note at the end, the author talks about her own mental health journey and how she wrote it into the pages of this book.  I think we need to see more books with characters, especially written by authors with genuine experience, that struggle with mental health issues like anxiety and bipolar disorder.  Everyone's experience with these types of mental health issues is different but when it is written by someone who lives with it, it helps demystify and normalize it for readers.  

Overall I thought this was really fun and I enjoyed watching these two characters figure out how to navigate each other and the world around them.  

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Review: A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This comes out Febraury 2, 2021.

I really enjoyed this. It blends two of my favorite genres in a fairly complex storyline. If you have read Neuvel's work before you will notice a similar feel with the mixed media style of writing and his own brand of humor. There is that same type of format here, where there will be traditional paragraphs of writing then it will break in to dialogue between characters. I actually really enjoyed that, but that format is not something everyone likes and is worth noting.

This follows Sarah and Mia, a mother-daughter pair, who come from a long line of mother-daughter pairs not of this earth. They are the Kibsu, women who live by simple rules but who are always at the forefront of technology and discovery. Sarah has positioned Mia to be part of the space race, and with her brilliant mind and ability to convince other scientists to do her bidding Mia is able to get the smartest men from Germany and Russia to build rockets for her. Meanwhile, Sarah and Mia always have to be on the lookout for the Tracker, an unknown entity that is constantly hunting them.

We slowly learn about the Kibsu, who they are and what they are doing on Earth. There are plenty of unanswered questions, but Sarah and Mia carry out their mission though they aren't always sure why. For generations the women of the Kibsu have done as their mother's have bid them, but Mia is trying to break that mold a bit and wants answers to questions math, science, and her mother can't give her. She doesn't want to continue running and hiding from an unknown enemy. She does however want to see her ideas and rocketry designs make it to space. The character development is complicated in this book, as we have Mia who wants to break the mold, but there is only so much she can do to get away from who she is at a base level. Sarah has similar feelings, but at the end of the day she must follow the rules all Kibsu women have for generations. While we don't see much from the perspective of the Tracker, he also has a bit of a struggle with mission over personal choice. This is all set in the real world, during real events beginning in the 40s, so the world building is done very well.

I highly recommend reading the "Further Reading" chapter, as it is basically an author's note and summary about all of the research he did to write this book. As many of the events in the book are historically accurate, I really appreciate the care he took with the history while also weaving a really wonderful science fiction take around them. I'm a huge fan of this era of history as well as science fiction and I feel that that Neuvel did a great job blending the two. That being said this book is not going to be for everyone. I absolutely loved it, however sci-fi fans who are not big on historical fiction may not and historical fiction fans may find the science and math a bit too technical.

I'm hoping this is a series, as Goodreads now has this labeled as if it is one. I went into reading it as though it were a standalone. It ends as if it could go either way. No major cliffhanger, but definitely room for more. I'd especially like to know more about the Kibsu, I felt like we only learned part of their story and there is so much more to it. If there is more to this story I'd gladly read more.

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Review: Rise of the Red Hand by Olivia Chada

Rise of the Red Hand by Olivia Chadha
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this.  It has all of the elements of a book that I like, dystopian setting, cool tech, believable science, and interesting characters.  

The pace was a bit slow for my liking.  Given the fact that this contains all of the elements I like in a sci-fi/YA dystopian book, there wasn't a ton of action.  There is a lot of set up to get to the action parts which takes most of the book.  There is alot of information to process, but not alot of action to accompany it and when it finally does happen it sort of happens all at once and doesn't stop.  This also has an unnecessary romance which the story didn't need.  It is a bit of an insta-love situation and barely on page to begin with, so I really don't feel it added much to the storyline.

Onto the plot...We follow a few different characters trough the book Ashiva, Riz-Ali aka Kid Synch, and Taru.  Ashiva a smuggler for the Red Hand, the rebel group in the South Asian province where the population is split in to two distinct population sets.  Those deemed genetically worthy by the AI that runs everything live in luxury while those deemed unworthy scrape by however they can.  The Red Hand works to protect the weak and the poor and is working to overthrow the government.  Riz or Riza as he is mainly known throughout the book is the son of a prestigious political figure, but he hasn't taken well to the genetic implants that the wealthy all have.  He is also a hacker and finds himself allied with the Red Hand while trying to uncover information about his late uncle.  Taru is Ashiva's adopted sister, and while she has been protected for much of her life inside the Red Hand, she wants to do more to help.  The three of them each play a vital role as a fever begins to spread in the province, and the government begins targeting the poor population.  They aren't sure who they can't trust to save the innocent, but they have to work together to find a way to stop the government from annihilating the people they care about.

I believe this is part of a series, but I thought that this installment closed nicely.  While there may be more to the story, it didn't end on a cliffhanger.  If there are more books in this series, I look forward to reading them.  

I appreciated the glossary of terms at the end of the book as it really helped me to understand some of the terms and world used by the characters throughout the book.  It was at the end of the ARC copy, but I hope it is mentioned in the table of contents or is moved the the beginning of the final version as I wish I had seen it beforehand.  

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