COVER REVEAL: More Than I Could by Adriana Locke

  

MORE THAN I COULD by Adriana Locke 

Release Date: September 26th 

Cover Designer: Kari March Photographer: J. Ashley Converse Photography 

Cover Models: Dane Peterson and Maddi Hansen   

Genre/Tropes: Single Dad/Blue Collar/Nanny/Close Proximity/Grumpy-Sunshine/Small Town Romance   

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31686622-more-than-i-could    

    

  Blurb: 

This grumpy hero makes things hard for the nanny. You know what? I’m over him. His moods. The verbal sparring. Those biceps that look like they were cut from marble. Okay, maybe I’m not over him being shirtless. Chase Marshall is a single dad with a daughter to love, so fighting with me shouldn’t be a priority. But he can’t seem to stay away. The lingering looks when he thinks I’m not watching. The seemingly innocent touches while making breakfast. The smirks gracing his lips after I’m irritated by his antics. He’s ridiculously sweet to his daughter. I even catch glimpses of how charming he could be to me—if he wanted to. But that’s the problem. He acts like he doesn’t want to. That he doesn’t want me. He does. It’s in the innuendos, the way he places his hand in the small of my back—the almost kisses while we’re putting away groceries. The way he comes running when I see a spider and checks on me before he goes to bed. Even if he does grumble about it. I might not be totally over my boss, but I’m going to make him think I am. Let’s see how frustrated Mr. Marshall gets now.   From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a grumpy/sunshine, blue-collar single dad, nanny romance. This small-town romance is a standalone novel with tons heat and even more heart.   More Than I Could is a standalone in the Coming Home series where one author a month will be delivering a brand-new story about coming home.  

    

  About the Author: 

USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.   She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket.

 

  Connect w/Adriana: 

Website: https://adrianalocke.com 

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/booksbyadrianalocke 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoralocke 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ivy7xd 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-locke 

Newsletter Signup: http://bit.ly/NewsletterAddy  

Release Blitz: The Revenge by Tijan

 

There’s no turning back. 

THE REVENGE, the sizzling and thrilling conclusion to the Insiders trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is now available!

The Revenge is the taut, edgy, sexy, explosive conclusion to The Insiders trilogy by New York Times and USA Today bestseller Tijan!

Bailey and Kash were used to living in the shadows. Now they are thrust into the public eye. Together, they can do anything, but undeniable danger and seemingly insurmountable challenges threaten the love and passion that binds them.

1. Bailey is reeling from the greatest loss she has ever suffered.

2. Enemies are closing in.

3. Even bigger secrets and twists are coming to light.

Win or lose, for Bailey and Kash, everything is on the line.

Finish the page-turning adventure today!

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Audible: https://adbl.co/3Kw4MQD

Website: https://bit.ly/3d5oMhN

Add THE REVENGE to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3vMk7bq

Start the series now for only $1.99 through September 18th!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ddgG2e

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

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/34Xbz2H

Nook: https://bit.ly/33Ix9s5

Apple Books: https://apple.co/30Ugtfw

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3dkxBzV

Add THE INSIDERS to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2GJn59t

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 series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

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

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

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2Vx4DpD

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

Reader Group: http://bit.ly/38bz8nQ
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Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EcGBqB

Review: Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story

Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received and ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a creepy book set during Christmas time, this is the one for you.  This novella is atmospheric in just over 100 pages.  It tells the story of Ro and the the ghosts of her Christmases past and present with a group of acquaintances.  The group decides to tell ghost stories at dinner and things get weird.  

This did a great job giving the creepy vibe you want from a horror book.  THe author did a great job with the setting and the setup for the reveal.  It isn't overly graphic and I didn't find it to be scary, but it does deliver on atmosphere and creep factor.  I don't want to give anything away, so if you are looking for something spooky set around the holidays check this one out.

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Review: Wildbound by Elayne Audrey Becker

Wildbound by Elayne Audrey Becker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the Forestborn duology, and I would highly recommend reading Forestborn first. This is a follow on to the first book, and really wouldn't make sense if you read it as a standalone. This book follows Rora and Helos directly after the events of the first book as they both take different paths to save the kingdom and the people they love. Rora has a plan to awaken magic througout the land and hopefully save those afflicted by a lethal magical illness called the throes. Humans are being infected with magic because magic has no where to go in a world where magic is being irraticated, so it latches on to humans who aren't compatible. Rora find out in the first book that bringing the magic back to the land may just be the cure to the illness that is plaguing the humans and one of her best friends. Helos chooses to join the fight as a healer. He isn't a fighter and action taker like Rora, but he still has some big decisions ahead of him.

I thought the character development was great in this book. The world building was a big part of the first book, where as this installment focuses more on Helos' development as I expected it would. Rora's character does still see development and we do get to know Wes and Fin a bit better, but Helos is really the star of the show here. Again there is a bit of romance, but it isn't the main focus of the plot.

I do feel like parts of this book were repetitive especially as we switch between points of view between the two siblings. Often times things that are happening in Rora's chapters are recapped in the next chapter with Helos and vice versa. I often found myself thinking "Didn't I just read that" and I would go back a few pages to make sure I hadn't lost my place and it turns out it was the same thing from the other sibling's POV. The additional perspective and detail was good in some situations, but it felt repetitive in others.

This duology has some great and inventive elements, that I really enjoyed. I thought the plot was interesting and I enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. If you are looking for a creative YA fantasy, check this duology out.

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Review: The Shadow House

The Shadow House by Anna Downes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Alex is a single mom who tries her best to take care of her two kids. She's got a teenager and a baby, so trying to tend to both of their needs is hard. She grew up in an abusive household, so when she was old enough to get away, she did and never went back. As an adult, she's found herself escaping her own abusive relationship to protect herself and her kids. Alex moves her family to an eco-village in an attempt to hide out until she can figure out what to do next and hopefully start over. The residents of the village are mostly all friendly and the location seems like a great place to make a fresh start for Alex and the kids. Shortly after they move in, weird stuff starts to happen in their new home that seems to be tied to a local legend involving the old abandoned farmhouse on the land the village sits on and a witch. Alex's son Ollie seems to be a target of the threats, and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of who is sending strange packages and weird notes to her and her son. She isn't sure who to trust

This story alternates between Alex's POV and Renee's POV and eventually their stories come together. Renee's chapters take place several years before Alex's arrival in eco-village and they tell a similar story to Alex's trials with her own teenage son. He is obsessed with technology, gaming, and the internet. His story is very similar to what Alex is experiencing with her own son especially when it comes down to receiving weird and creepy packages. Renee's story unfortunately ends with her son going missing leaving and eventually forming the legend of the witch taking children. I did appreciate the twists and the reveals that occured in learning what was really going on. I had part of the story figured out but other parts I did not, and I really appreciated the way the author crafted this thriller so you didn't know what was coming next. You weren't sure if there was a witch or what was happening until the very end.

Overall I enjoyed this. I didn't particularly care for Alex's character until the very end. You don't really get to know and understand her until late in the book. Early on she is always running away from her problems and making emotional decisions in the moment. As you get to understand her character you understand why. I also could have done without the romance sub-plot. Other than that I thought Renee and Alex's storylines came together nicely in the end and the author did a good job mirroring Gabe and Ollie's experiences.

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Review: Monsters Born and Made

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book started off slow for me, but once I settled in I really enjoyed it. If you liked The Scorpio Races and The Hunger Games, I think this is a good book for you. It mashes up the race aspect and the mythical creature aspect of The Scorpio Races with the brutality and politics of The Hunger Games. There is a large focus on the caste system that is in place, and our main character Koral and her family are victims of that system. They are permitted to hunt and breed maristags and sell them to the upper class. This allows them to have barely enough to survive, but because they interact with the upper echelon of society, they are outcast by the lower class as sellouts. What is a maristag you ask? It is a fantastical and violent creature of the water, that can also walk on land. They are enormous, scaled, and have antlers. I have a hard time envisioning exactly what they look like but hope as this book gains popularity we see some fanart of the maristags and the creatures mentioned in the book. The author did a good job describing them on the page, but I know there are some extremely talented artists out there to life. The world building was great, the author does a great job describing the creatures and the setting. Koral's family are "hunters" and they capture maristags and raise them for the rich to compete in teh Glory Race every 10 years. The race is extremely violent and competitive. The winner gains riches and fame, while the rest of the population celebrates and gambles on who will win.

While I thought the world building and the concept of the plot was really interesting and I loved the action, I do think that the character development suffered a bit. Koral panics in every situation and that carries on throughout the book, despite the fact that she does many brave things to save herself, her family, and the people around her. It is very clear that she has been put down at home but by by the caste system, and that oppression has shaped her as a person. She doesn't believe in herself, and often doesn't think through her decisions. This unfortunately leads to Koral getting herself tangled up in some pretty rough political situations that she is not equipped to deal with. I hope there is more to this tale as I would really like to see Koral develop, as she only just started to come into herself at the very end of the book and I would love to see her continue to shine.

This book has an open ending so I expect that there is a book 2. I've got lots of unanswered questions, but if this truly is the end it did leave me fairly satisfied. I have enough information that I can imagine my own ending for Koral and Stormgold, but I would much prefer a concrete conclusion and hope that the author gets to keep telling this story.

Overall, I really loved this! It was unique and action packed. This leans on the darker and more violent side of things, so be sure to check out trigger warnings.

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Review: Three Kisses, One Midnight: A Novel

Three Kisses, One Midnight: A Novel by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a delightful YA romance following three friends as they discover love on Halloween night.  Each of the friends are as different as their feelings about magic and true love, but they complement each other so well.  Each of the friends gets their own interconnected novella that follows them throughout the night of the big Halloween party held at Onny's home.  Throughout the day and night the each have to come to terms with their feelings on love and magic.  

Onny is the romantic of the group.  She belives in all things mystical and magical.  She is into astrology, tarot, and believes in all of the lore and legend surrounding their town.  True on the other hand is a woman of science.  If she can't see it or prove it, it doesn't belong in her world.  Ash is the third member of their group, and he is artistic and a bit shy.  The three of them form "The Coven", which really has nothing ot do with witches or magic, unless you count Onny's love potion.  Onny is convinced that the three of them will find true love at her family's annual Halloween party, especially with the help of her grandmother's love potion.  Each of the friends has a unique and fun journey to find their person and face their feelings.

I thought this was a quick and fun read.  I love Halloween and thought this was  perfect cozy read as we begin to enter into fall.  It was really cute and the characters were really fun.  I loved the Mayor and the Teacher that act as almost guides for each of them on their journey to find love.  The grumpy sunshine duo were a nice addition to the story.  

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