6 Star Review + 2015 Favorite: Five Stages of Falling In Love by Rachel Higginson

Posted on 02/01/2015 by shellbellereads

Five Stages of Falling In Love

By Rachel Higginson

About The Five Stages of Falling In Love:

Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.

Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady’s prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?

Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.

When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn’t just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she’s capable of ever giving again.

As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there’s more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there’s more to life than death.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Excerpt:

Abby took her Pop-Tart and plopped down on one of the loungers that were still stacked on top of two others and wrapped in plastic. She began munching on it happily, grinning at me like she’d just won the lottery.

She was in so much trouble.

I walked over to the stranger, eying him skeptically. He held out his remaining beach towel to me and after realizing I stood before him in just a soaking wet tank top and bikini briefs, I took it quickly and wrapped it around my body. I shivered violently, and my dark blonde hair dripped down my face and back. But I didn’t dare adjust the towel, afraid I’d give him more of a show than he’d paid for.

“Good morning,” he laughed at me.

“Good morning,” I replied slowly, carefully.

Up close, he wasn’t the giant I’d originally thought. Now that we were both ground level, I could see that while he was tall, at least six inches taller than me, he wasn’t freakishly tall- which relieved some of my concerns. He still wore his pajamas: blue cotton pants and a white t-shirt that had been stretched out from sleep. He had almost black hair that appeared still mussed and disheveled, but swept over to the side in what could be a trendy style if he brushed it. He seemed to be a few years older than me- if I had to guess thirty-five or thirty-six- and he had dark, intelligent eyes that crinkled in the corners with amusement. He was tanned, and muscular, and imposing. And I hated that he was laughing at me.

“Sorry about the gate,” he shrugged. “I didn’t realize there were kids around.”

“You moved into a neighborhood,” I pointed out dryly. “There’s bound to be kids around.”

His eyes narrowed at the insult but he swallowed his Pop-Tart and agreed, “Fair enough. I’ll keep the gate locked from now on.”

I wasn’t finished with berating him though. His pool caused all kinds of problems for me this morning and since I could only take out so much anger on my six-year-old, I had to vent the rest somewhere. “Who fills their pool the first week of September anyway? You’ve been to New England in the winter, haven’t you?”

He cleared his throat and the last laugh lines around his eyes disappeared. “My real estate agent,” he explained. “It was kind of like a ‘thank you’ present for buying the house. He thought he was doing something nice for me.”

I snorted at that, thinking how my little girl could have… No, I couldn’t go there; physically, I was not emotionally capable of thinking that thought through.

“I really am sorry,” he offered genuinely, his dark eyes flashing with true emotion. “I got in late last night, and passed out on the couch. I didn’t even know the pool was full or the gate was open until I heard you screaming out here.”

Guilt settled in my stomach like acid, and I regretted my harsh tone with him. This wasn’t his fault. I just wanted to blame someone else.

“Look, I’m sorry I was snappish about the pool. I just, I was just worried about Abby. I took it out on you,” I relented, but wouldn’t look him in the eye. I’d always been terrible at apologies. When Grady and I would fight, I could never bring myself to tell him I felt sorry. Eventually, he’d just look at me and say, “I forgive you, Lizzy. Now come here and make it up to me.” With anyone else my pride would have refused to let me give in; but with Grady, the way he smoothed over my stubbornness and let me get away with keeping my dignity, worked every single time.

“It’s alright, I can understand that,” my new neighbor agreed.

We stood there awkwardly for a few more moments, before I swooped down to pick up my plaid pants and discarded robe. “Alright, well I need to go get the kids ready for school. Thanks for convincing her to get out. Who knows how long we would have been stuck there playing Finding Nemo.”

He chuckled but his eyes were confused. “Is that like Marco Polo?”

I shot him a questioning glance, wondering if he was serious or not. “No kids?” I asked.

He laughed again. “Nope, life-long bachelor.” He waved the box of Pop-Tarts and realization dawned on me. He hadn’t really seemed like a father before now, but in my world- my four kids, soccer mom, neighborhood watch secretary, active member of the PTO world- it was almost unfathomable to me that someone his age could not have kids.

I cleared my throat, “It’s uh, a little kid movie. Disney,” I explained and understanding lit his expression. “Um, thanks again.” I turned to Abby who was finishing up her breakfast, “Let’s go, Abs, you’re making us late for school.”

“I’m Ben by the way,” he called out to my back. “Ben Tyler.”

I snorted to myself at the two first names- it somehow seemed appropriate for the handsome life-long bachelor, but ridiculous all the same.

“Liz Carson,” I called over my shoulder. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Uh, the towels?” he shouted after me when we’d reached the gate.

I turned around with a dropped mouth, thinking a hundred different vile things about my new neighbor. “Can’t we… I…” I glanced down helplessly at my bare legs poking out of the bottom of the towel he’d just lent me.

“Liz,” he laughed familiarly, and I tried not to resent him. “I’m just teasing. Bring them back whenever.”

I growled something unintelligible that I hope sounded like “thank you” and spun on my heel, shooing Abby onto the lawn between our houses.

“Nice to meet you, neighbor,” he called out over the fence.

“You too,” I mumbled, not even turning my head to look back at him.

Obviously he was single and unattached. He was way too smug for his own good. I just hoped he would keep his gate locked and loud parties few and far between. He seemed like the type to throw frat party-like keggers and hire strippers for the weekend. I had a family to raise, a family that was quickly falling apart while I floundered to hold us together with tired arms and a broken spirit. I didn’t need a nosy neighbor handing out Pop-Tarts and sarcasm interfering with my life.

Five Stages of Falling In Love By Rachel Higginson is one of those books that should come with instructions. It should also come with a warning label. The reader needs to be prepared when opening this book!

Instructions:

Turn off your phone

Get into your most comfortable jammies

Grab your favorite comfort food

Add extra chocolate to your food stash

Load up on caffeine

Surround yourself with your softest, warmest blanket

Make sure you have a least one full box of tissues

Be prepared not to move for hours

Five Stages of Falling In Love will hold you captive. You will become it’s willing hostage. You will refuse to let go until the very last word is read. You will experience a reading hangover that will last days.

Five Stages of Falling in love is one of the most gut wrenching books I have read. The emotional roller coaster I experienced while reading this book touched me deeply. This is a book of complete heartbreak. It also a book of hope. It is a book about learning to live once again and find absolute joy in life. It is more than a love story. It is a book about life.

Elizabeth Carlson was living the life of her dreams. She had married her true soul mate, her once in a lifetime love, Grady Carlson. Together they had built a wonderful life. They had four beautiful children that were happy and thriving. They were living in their dream home. They were doing well financially. Grady had a successful business that was growing. They had everything they wanted and so much more to look forward to. Then life stepped in and reared it’s ugly head. Grady was diagnosed with brain cancer. The prognosis was not good. Still they clung to hope. They tried to fight fate. Fate won the battle and Grady left his family. He left Elizabeth shattered. He left his children fatherless. He broke their hearts and shattered their lives. How could they go on without him?

Elizabeth is still struggling with the loss of Grady six months after he has passed. It seems that her life has stalled. She has lost control of every aspect of the life she once knew. She is struggling to both a mother and father. She is struggling to maintain control of her parenting abilities. She is struggling to get out of bed each morning and face a new day. She has only begun to go through the five stages of grief.

The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each stage will break Elizabeth down and rebuild her. Each stage will give her a new gift in life. A new reason to move forward.

Although life reared it’s ugly head and took away Elizabeth’s love of her life, life also gave her several gifts that she will learn to recognize and accept on her new journey. One gift that life has brought to her door early in her journey is her new neighbor Ben Tyler.

Ben offers Elizabeth the friendship, support , and help she doesn’t know she desperately needs. He offers her an unbiased shoulder to cry on. He offers her unconditional help. He offers her more… he offers her his heart. He is willing to wait until she heals. He is willing to help her in her journey. He will be there with his arms wide open and enough love for her and her children to last a lifetime.

Elizabeth’s journey through the five stages of grief will take her down a new road. She will experience the five stages of falling in love. She will learn to live again and love completely.

Don’t miss The Five Stages of Falling In Love by Rachel Higginson. It is a reading experience that will touch your soul.

Author Bio:

Rachel Higginson is the creator of The Star-Crossed Series, Love & Decay Novella Series, The Starbright Series, The Siren Series, Bet on Us and the soon to be released, The Five Stages of Falling in Love! She is also the co-creator of the podcast, “Zach & Rachel Take Over the World.”

She was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days raising four amazing kids. In the few spare moments she has to herself, she is either reading for hours on end or writing worlds of her own.

Author Page | Twitter | Website | Tumblr

Traveling Man by Jane Harvey-Berrick -2015 Favorite + 6 Star Review + Giveaway

Posted on 01/28/2015 by shellbellereads

Traveling Man

The Traveling Duet Series – Book 1

By Jane Harvey-Berrick

Synopsis

I was ordinary. Nice.

He was extraordinary. And he wasn’t always nice.

Moody and difficult, brilliant and beautiful, Kes scared me and he protected me. He could be incredibly hurtful and incredibly thoughtful. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me. He challenged me, he took me out of my safe little box and showed me the world could be magnificent. He was everything I wasn’t.”

* * * *

Aimee Anderson is ten when the traveling carnival first comes to her nice little town. She doesn’t expect her world to change so completely. But meeting Kestrel Donohue puts her life on a different path.

Even though she only sees him for the two weeks of the year when he passes through her home town, his friendship is the most important of her life. As a child’s friendship grows to adult love, the choices become harder, and both Kes and Aimee realize that two weeks a year will never be enough…

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Excerpt

He’d grown taller. Not as tall as his grandfather yet, but nearly as tall as my father. His shoulders were wider and I could see his biceps pushing through his ragged t-shirt, but he was still on the thin side, wiry, I guess. He looked stunning, like he should be in a boy band—you know, the bad one that makes all the parents fear for their daughters’ virginity.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I turned to study the competition. I had to admit it wasn’t looking good. The girl was taller than me and wore a low cut tank top that showcased a lot of cleavage. Her boobs were no better than mine, I decided—there was just more of them on show. So whereas I looked safe, nice you might say, she looked dangerous. Her arms were covered in colorful tattoos, her ears pierced five or six times each, and she had silver rings through her lip and eyebrow. Her face was hard, but beautiful, even caked in makeup.

I guessed she was maybe two or three years older than me, it was hard to tell.

As if she felt my gaze on her, she swung toward me, her eyes blazing.

“No rubes back here!” she yelled. “Get the fuck out!”

I was shocked that a complete stranger would speak to me like that. I froze, my eyes darting to Kes. He turned to look at me, his frown of annoyance changing to a warm smile.

“Chill, Sorcha,” he muttered. “The shrimp’s a friend.”

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. He was pleased to see me, but so dismissive. I stood there with my mouth hanging open. And then I was in Kes’s arms, breathing in the scent of sweat and soap and something like fresh hay that was so familiar.

“Hey, kid! How you doing?” he said, as he led me away.

His voice had deepened. No longer childlike, it was a light, pleasant tenor.

“Don’t call me kid!” I snapped, punching his shoulder.

He laughed and rubbed the spot where I’d hit him. His dimple popped out and I wished I’d hit him harder—then kissed him better.

“Okay, not a kid,” he smiled, but then I watched his eyes darken as they drifted down my body, pausing at my chest, then doing a slow sweep along my legs and hips. “No, not a kid,” he said again, and this time his voice was gruffer.

Michel’s Review

This book was brought to my attention while I was signing up for another blog tour. The cover caught my attention. When I read the synopsis for the book I knew I wanted to read this book. When the ARC was delivered to my kindle I had to start the book immediately. From the very first page I was hooked. I could not put the book down. I was mesmerized by the characters and their story. After I finished the book the I could not stop thinking about it. It was such a special, magical kind of story that captured my heart and imagination. Traveling Man was a 6 star book and made the 2015 Favorite List.

Imagine living in rural America, in a very small town where nothing ever happens. A town that is full of simple minded people and ordinary life. A town where excitement is non existent. Then one day a caravan of huge trucks rolls through town stirring up the dust. These trucks are not just passing through, they are stopping at an old abandoned farm. They are bringing a magical world to this small town. The carnival has arrived. Magic is in the air. The excitement level has escalated from zero to ten. For two weeks this sensation is going to breath life into this small world.

Aimee Anderson is celebrating her tenth birthday. She has been granted a special wish. She can celebrate her birthday anywhere she wants. She has watched the trucks roll through town. She knows the only thing she wants is to feel the magic the trucks have brought to her small world. She wants to go to the carnival.

Her birthday wish is granted and she is going to the carnival. She could of never imagined that the one wish would give her the most precious gift of a lifetime. She has been given the gift of a life long friendship and ever lasting love from a boy that ispart of that magical world. She has been given Kes Donohue, the boy extraordinaire. For two weeks every year, she will get to leave her ordinary world in the background and become a part of the world that Kes belongs to. For two weeks every year she will experience friendship, magic, excitement, and love.

Kes and Aimee come from two completely different worlds. Her world is structured. Aimee is smart and lives in a world of books. She has a stable home, a predictable family, and a predictable life. Kes lives in an RV. He travels the country throughout the year. He doesn’t attend school. His family consists of his grandfather, his older brother, their pet monkey, and fellow carnie friends. At a young age he became a showman and dare devil. There are not many children in his world and he has no friends. When he sees Aimee at the carnival absorbing all the wonders that most people don’t see, he knows he wants to share his world with her. He wants Aimee to share her world with him.

These two ten year old children form a deep friendship in less than two weeks. Their families are reluctant to allow the friendship because of how different their worlds are. Both families will see that this friendship is special and is beneficial for both the children. With reluctance they will allow this friendship to flourish.

Kes and Aimee will spend two weeks every summer together for six years. They will grow from children to young adults. They will change throughout the years. They will discover new feelings that are much deeper than their friendship. They will discover love.

Their sixteenth summer will bring their friendship to a halt. Their hearts will be broken and their lives torn apart. It will be the end of their magic.

For eight years Aimee and Kes will be traveling on new paths in their lives. They will become adults and begin new careers. They will be in control of their own destinies. They have both changed drastically. They are no longer the children with wonder in their eyes. That is until the magic hits them once again… their paths will cross once more. Can they bring their two separate worlds together and create the magic once again?

Traveling Man was mesmerizing. I love books where the readers get to experience the characters coming of age. Experiencing the characters go from childhood innocence to the angsty teenager and finally the full grown adult is like watching yourself grow through the pages. Being able to experience that first kiss and first love is magical.

Jane Harvey- Berrick captured the world of the carnival. Throughout the book I felt like I was right there with the characters. I could feel the smallness of Aimee’s world. I could feel the electricity in the air. I could smell the hotdogs in the air, I could taste the funnel cakes, and I could feel the excitement like it was electricity in my bones. I became a part of the book. She also brought her characters to life and the reader felt every emotional moment.

I absolutely loved Traveling Man! I cannot wait for the next book.

_______________________________________________________________

About Jane Harvey- Berrick

I lived in London for over 10 years and have a love affair with New York. It’s only since I have moved to the countryside, that the words have really begun to flow.

I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas.

Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

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6 Star Review and 2015 Favorite List : The Mason List by S. D. Hendrickson

Posted on 01/22/2015 by shellbellereads

The Mason List

By S. S. Hendrickson

Synopsis

“An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime.”

Today, 8:15 p.m.
I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness. . .

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love. . . I destroyed it.
– Alex Tanner
Author Note: The Mason List is a coming-of-age story that follows the life of Alex Tanner from the age of six to twenty-six. The novel crosses the genres of Young Adult and New Adult. It does contain some language and mild adult situations. The Mason List is a standalone, 118,940 word, full-length novel.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Wow! Are you looking for a book that is going to give you the next book hangover? Are you looking for an epic love story that is not your typical fairytale? Are you looking for a book that has you blubbering one moment and laughing so hard your stomach hurts the next moment? Are you looking for a book that will keep you captivated from the moment you open the book to the moment you close it? If you are looking for an exceptional book that will make an impression on your soul, read The Mason List by S. D. Hendrickson.

The Mason List by S. D. Hendrickson came highly recommended to me. In the midst of my busy review schedule, I bought the book with hopes to get to it as soon as I had a break in my schedule. The synopsis of the book kept haunting me. I finally put aside my schedule and allowed myself to indulge in a strictly pleasure read. The moment I opened this book I was immediately drawn into the story. I could vividly picture this very precious happy little girl playing dress up, climbing trees, and chatting with her dog. This little girl was everything an active, healthy, happy six year old child should be. Her life is perfect until two years later. Life threw her family into a downward spiral. Life took away everything she knew, everything that made her happy, and everything she looked forward to. Her life was out of control. Everything was subject to circumstance and minute by minute survival. Until fate steps in and changes her life once again. The Mason family stepped in to help the Tanner family get their lives back on track.

Alex Tanner will step into the world she has dubbed the “Mason List”. It will be a world full of anger, resentment, and hatred towards the Mason family because of their unconditional charity. It will also be a world of wonder, hope, happiness, heartache, and love because of Jessup Mason. She will find a friendship that is stronger than her hatred towards the Masons. She will find her soulmate and best friend. But just as fate stepped in when Alex was eight, fate will step in when she is an adult. This time she will have control on how she chooses to handle “The Mason List”.

This is an epic story of two lonely children that build a friendship that is timeless. Their deep bonds will grow with time into something that most people will never experience in their lifetime. The journey their lives take will have the reader enthralled. Their emotional transition from childhood to adulthood is an epic journey with eye opening moments.

The Mason List is a beautiful love story. It is a beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness. It is a story of love and hope.

It was an honor to witness Alex and Jess as they grew into The Mason List. These two characters captured my heart.

This book touched my soul. I highly recommend The Mason List.

Author Bio:

SD Hendrickson received a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism from Oklahoma State University. Currently, her days are spent teaching computer software to oil and gas companies as well as writing technical instructional manuals. The Mason List is her first novel and it was started during National Novel Writing Month.

S.D. Hendrickson lives in Tulsa with her husband and their two schnauzers. She loves chocolate, romance books, Oklahoma State Cowboys, music, Lost, chocolate, beaches, coffee, cooking, beautiful sunsets, Friends, chocolate, sad puppy stories, dreaming of Australia, guacamole, quotes, Netflixs bing watching, Dawson’s Creek, chocolate, hot tubs, exotic animal rescues, going on vacation, Friday Night Lights, writing, and of course, chocolate.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

ARC 6 Star Review: Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper- Much ” I Do ” About Nothing Novel

Posted on 01/21/2015 by shellbellereads

Dictatorship of the Dress

Much “I Do” About Nothing Novel

By Jessica Topper

Synopsis

As the dress-bearer for her mother’s wedding, Laney Hudson has a lot more baggage than the bulky garment bag she’s lugging from New York to Hawaii. Laney is determined to prove she’s capable of doing something right, but running chores for her mom’s fairytale nuptials is proving to be a painfully constant reminder of her own lost love.

So when she’s mistaken for the bride and bumped up to first class, Laney figures some stress-free luxury is worth a harmless white lie. Until the flight crew thinks that the man sitting next to her is Laney’s groom, and her little fib turns into a hot mess.

The last thing Noah Ridgewood needs is some dress-obsessed diva landing in his first-class row. En route to his Vegas bachelor party, the straight-laced software designer knows his cold feet have nothing to do with the winter weather.

When a severe storm leaves them grounded in Chicago and they find themselves booked into the last available honeymoon suite, Laney and her in-flight neighbor have little choice but to get better acquainted. Now, as her bridal mission hangs in the balance, perhaps the thing Laney gets right is a second chance at love.-

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Tracey’s Review

At first glance, Laney Hudson and Noah Ridgewood seem to have little in common. Thrown together by chance, the two accidental seatmates find themselves stuck in a snowbound Chicago on the way to their respective destinations. Laney, illustrator extraordinaire, has been designated dress courier for her mother’s wedding, and Noah, a tech-savvy entrepreneur, is on the way to his bachelor party in Las Vegas. But the more time they spend together, and the more they reveal their pasts to each other, it seems like maybe chance has very little to do with things, and that Fate may just be at work.

My favorite reads are the ones that come out of nowhere and surprise me. The description for Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper grabbed me, and I am so glad that I took the opportunity to read it, because this book is absolutely one of my favorite reads this year. Laney and Noah are far from the one-dimensional stereotypes they may seem at first. Both are made of so much more than they appear to be to each other, and, after days spent together under unusual circumstances, the layers are peeled away to reveal that they may just be exactly what the other needs. This book is categorized as a romance, and there is definitely that element to the story, but there is so much more. Characters with rich backgrounds hiding the ‘real’ them, dialogue that had me laughing out loud throughout, vividly drawn secondary characters, all combined to make this a book that I could not put down.

“I see you picked up a couple of souvenirs in Vegas,” I murmured.

“Just a couple of good-luck charms,” he replied.

“Oh, so now you believe in luck?” I chided. “What happened to strategy? And product placement?”

“I still believe in all that, too,” Noah said, gently setting me down. “And fate. And being in the right place at the right time.”

This is a read that will surely appeal to a wide variety of people, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I look forward to reading more from Jessica, and give Dictatorship of the Dress six stars for one of the most enjoyable books that I’ve had the good luck to read lately.

____________________________________

About Jessica Topper

Jessica Topper is an ex-librarian turned rock n’ roll number cruncher. She can trace her love for the written word back to age three, when she memorized Maurice Sendak’s “Chicken Soup with Rice” in its entirety.

After her daughter was born, Jessica left the Manhattan library world and began working for her husband’s music management company. He offered her a part-time bookkeeping job so she could “stay home for the baby’s first year” and pursue her dream of writing.

The baby is now thirteen, and Jessica has been working her full-time, sold-her-soul-for-rock-n-roll job as Office Manager for veteran jam band moe. ever since. She may have traded in books for bookkeeping, but the written word is never far from her mind, or her heart.

Jessica lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter and one ancient cat.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

ARC Review: Revenant by Larissa Iones- The Demonica/ Lords of Deliverance Series- Book 11

Posted on 01/15/2015 by shellbellereads

Revenant

The Demonica / Lords of Deliverance Series- Book 11

Genre: Paranormal

By Larissa Ione

Synopsis

HELL HATH NO FURY . . .

For five thousand years, Revenant believed he was alone in the world, a fallen angel beyond any redemption. Now he finds he has a twin brother who had all the light and love Revenant was denied. Caught in a tug of war between Heaven and Hell, he must weigh his thirst for revenge against his desire for a mysterious female named Blaspheme-a female whose very origins could deliver him into salvation . . . or destruction.

LIKE AN ANGEL SCORNED

Blaspheme has a deadly secret: she’s the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Hunted by both heavenly and satanic forces, she has survived only by laying low and trusting no one. When Revenant claims he can save them both, how can she possibly believe him? But the powerful angel is persistence incarnate and for Blaspheme, there’s no place she can hide in Heaven or Hell where he won’t find her . . .

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Michel’s Review

Larissa Ione is one the most gifted writers I have ever read. She created a world that is beyond your expectations in the paranormal world. She flawlessly blends these paranormal beings into characters that have very real emotional traits, strengths and weaknesses, and unique individuality that ensures that the reader connects with their entity. They are as vulnerable and as sensitive as most people while being extraordinary beings with unbelievable powers. There is always a balance of good and bad, divine and evil in each of them. They are powerful beings controlling the universe, defining the heavens and hells.

Each and every book in the Demonica Series/ The Lords of Deliverence is a gripping, thrilling, breathtaking adventure. So many things happen in each book. There is always a fight for balance in the world . There are always manipulators that shake the balance. Each character has to find their place in that battle, whether good or bad, and fulfill their role so that the balance stays where it should be. In the midst of the overall struggle, the character is struggling with themselves as individuals. They are trying to find their personal happiness and love. A way to make their personal life better.

These characters have personalities that are larger than life. They are badasses with a sense of humor, insecurities, elevated ego’s, souls with compassion, strong sense of honor, and sensitive hearts.

Their world is intricately woven to blend in with the human world. They have careers that are comparable to human careers. They also have their roles in destiny and fate.

Revenant is by far the best book in the series yet ( of course I say this with every release in the series). Larissa reached deep and let his world explode!

It was revealed in the previous book exactly who Revenant really was. We were led to believe that he was a fallen angel but he is so much more. He is one of the most powerful beings in both worlds. Now that his memories are restored, he’s beyond pissed. He has spent his entire life as an assassin for Satan without a clue to who he really was. He’s bitter. He wants answers about his past and wants to determine where his allegiances should lie now that he knows the some of the truth. The other thing he wants is Blaspheme.

Blaspheme is a doctor at Underworld General. She has a strong sense of right and wrong. She is compassionate and devoted to those she loves. She is very protective of those she loves. She does not want people to get hurt because of her. She is known as the false angel but she is something else. Like Revenant, there is more to her than meets the eye. She is the child of an angel and fallen angel. Her kind is hunted and destroyed. She is fighting against time. Her true identity is about to be revealed. This will put her in danger from both Heaven and Hell.

Rev is very persistent where Blaspheme is concerned. The more she rejects him, the more he pursues her. Their arguing, snarky banter, and insane conversations will have you laughing out loud. Their emotional moments will give you goose bumps. Blaspheme gave Rev the one thing he has never felt or experienced in his life. She has given him love.

As their love blossoms, their world begins to spiral out of control. Everyone has their own agenda in their world. The battle between the Heavens and Hells will always go on, but for Revenant and Blaspheme it won’t matter. They have each other. They have what means the most in any world. They have love.

Larissa Ione has outdone herself once again. Revenant was amazing!

_____________________________________________

About Larissa Ione

Air Force veteran Larissa Ione traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She has since published dozens of books, hit several bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today, and has been nominated for a RITA award. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Happy Release and 6 Star Review and Giveaway: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

Posted on 01/09/2015 by shellbellereads

Never Never

Book 1

By Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

Synopsis

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

“Never have I had my mind blown reading a book like I have reading Never Never. It was intense, sweet, completely unpredictable and utterly fascinating. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!” ~Jen, The Book Avenue
“Hoover and Fisher have combined their unique talents to deliver a deliciously twisted tale of deceit, love and friendship that keeps you guessing long after the heart-stopping end.” ~Vilma’s Book Blog
“Twisted, sickly wicked, yet warming with a deep-layered love story. Tarryn and Colleen combine their forces for good. Alone they are talented. Together this epic duo is unstoppable.” ~Pam, The Book Avenue.

“The evil queen and the good fairy of romance have come together, and the results are more than I could have ever asked for.” -Holly’s Hot Reads

This novella is recommended for readers age 16+ due to mild language and sexual content.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Smashwords

Robin’s Review

I want to begin by expressing my appreciation for the opportunity to review an advanced reader copy of Never Never on behalf of Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews.

Colleen Hoover recently shared on a blog post how a writing partnership was formed between herself and Tarryn Fisher. Colleen began by explaining she had an idea she had been considering for a novel. She shared her idea with Tarryn. Tarryn loved the idea and encouraged Colleen to begin writing the story. Colleen remained busy with other commitments, so Tarryn decided to write a first chapter and email it to Colleen. Colleen enjoyed reading the chapter so much that she decided to write a second chapter and sent it back to Tarryn. New chapters continued to be written. They were enjoying themselves. All I can say is thank goodness they decided to publish this story!

This review will not contain spoilers beyond what the authors have previously chosen to share. But I will share a glimpse of how this special story begins. Imagine you suddenly become aware of your surroundings. You remember nothing of the moment before. You don’t know your name or what you look like or where you are. You have no recollection of your past. Silas Nash and Charlie Wynwood both experience this in Never Never. It doesn’t take long for Silas and Charlie to meet and realize they are both in the same predicament. Why did this happen to them? How do they remember? And what do they mean to each other?

Here are some details I feel comfortable sharing about this story. The events of Never Never take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our main characters are in high school. The chapters for the male protagonist, Silas Nash, are written by Colleen Hoover. The chapters for the female protagonist, Charlie Wynwood, are written by Tarryn Fisher. It’s young adult fiction. It’s a drama full of mystery and intrigue, where every answer they uncover leads to more questions. It’s thrilling. Romantic. There is even a paranormal aspect to this story, although I haven’t quite figured that part out. That’s because the story is not quite finished. Colleen confirmed there is more of the story to be written on her recent blog post.

Even though this novel has been written by two authors, I feel the story flowed seamlessly. Any differences in writing style felt completely natural to me. After all, Silas and Charlie have different personalities. I immediately felt an affinity for Silas and Charlie. I guess you could say that I fell in love with these characters. I’m pretty sure I feel this way because Silas and Charlie bear a distinct resemblance to two of my favorite fictional characters. And Charlie also reminds me of one of my favorite authors.

I love mystery mixed with my romance. I love piecing together puzzles. But this novel left me reeling! I was wide awake into the night considering all of the possibilities for this story. What could possibly be happening to Silas and Charlie? What clues have I missed? I promise that I have lost sleep over this novel, and I could probably discuss theories for days!

Parts of this story are seriously funny! I laughed out loud on many occasions, and I’m pretty sure I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading Never Never. I found myself on a collision course with the last page of the novel. I devoured each page with gusto. It’s like Tarryn Fisher and Colleen Hoover wrote the perfect novel for me. They have me hoping for a fairytale outcome for Silas and Charlie. The sequel to Never Never has become my most anticipated novel for this year. Congratulations go out to Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher for this epic 6-star novel!

About The Authors

Colleen’s Bio

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, Finding Cinderella, and Ugly Love. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Tarryn’s Bio

Tarryn Fisher is the New York Times bestselling author of Mud Vein. She was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of her childhood. She moved to Seattle just for the rain. She reads and writes more than she sleep. She spends way too much time on Facebook and Instagram and drinks sick amounts of Starbucks.

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Signed Paperback Copy of Never Never

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6- Star ARC Review: Bound by Melody Anne

Posted on 12/05/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ ITunes

Title: Bound
Series: Forbidden Series #1
Author: Melody Anne
Publication Date: August 25, 2014

Synopsis

Relinquish Control has just opened its doors in Seattle, and already we are not shy for customers. Relinquish Control is an exclusive escort service catering to the most distinguished customers, from business magnates to foreign royalty. This proven and well-established international business offers an elite selection of women who are ready and willing to attend to your every need with no questions asked. Confidentiality is our special obligation.

Jewell Weston is homeless and desperate at age twenty-four. Two years ago, she quit her job to care for her ailing mother and her young brother; the medical bills incurred because of the cancer that killed her mother two months ago took everything the family had, and the state then took away her brother, now age fourteen. The only way for her to get the boy back is by finding a job and securing a home.

When she’s approached by a woman in cashmere and pearls who tells her she can change her life, and is handed a card with the business name Relinquish Control on it, she thinks she has nothing to lose by calling the phone number. Maybe this will be the answer to her prayers, a way to save her little brother from the nightmarish foster home he’s been placed in.

Blake Knight, known to the world as cold and without a heart, is given an exclusive membership to Relinquish Control by his devilish younger brother, who thinks it would be amusing to make his staid brother squirm. Little does this brother realize that Blake does indeed have unusual desires that Relinquish Control can cater to perfectly. What started as a joke turns out to be just what Blake needs. Though the world sees this man as deliberate and emotionless, it’s nothing but a façade. What lies underneath would shock all those who know him.

When he and his two brothers were six, eight and ten, they were tied up and forced to watch while their parents were murdered. The image has been burned into their minds, though they’ve tried to forget, leaving each of them guarded and unwilling to give their trust to anyone other than each other. No one is allowed to have their hearts. The brothers would never think of letting down their guard with anyone else, certainly not with a woman.

Follow Blake and Jewell’s journey and see if they can find a happily ever after…

Kelley’s Review

I was bound to my Kindle until 2:00 am. This is a read that you will not be able to put down.

Melody Anne is the first author I found after I read 50 Shades of Grey a few years back. She is amazingly talented and creates complex characters and puts them in dire situations. I have read every single book she has put out. Bound had absolutely enraptured from the very first chapter. Melody creates characters that you fall in love with along with those that you want to hate. There are several plot twists in this read and in true Melody style she also throws in a few surprises that you never saw coming.

You will not be able to help yourself when you meet Jewell Weston to want to be her best-friend. She is going through a really tough time in her life and none of it is because of anything that she did. She is struggling to get by and would do anything to get reunited with her brother. There is only blackness at the end of Jewell’s tunnel when she finally finds herself homeless. She had pretty much given up hope. When a beautiful woman hands her a business card and offers her a job Jewell knows it has to be too good to be true but decides to take a risk anyway because she has nothing left to lose.

Blake Knight is a very wealthy and gorgeous man who must have complete control in his business and his personal life in order to feel complete. He does not have any trouble finding women to fulfill his needs and enjoys breaking them. The more resistant a woman is to being dominated the more he gets off on dominating her. He likes to have women fall in love with him and then he ditches them and enjoys watching them walk away broken. So when his friend tells him there is an escort service that can provide a woman who is perfect for his needs and he can return her when he is done he becomes intrigued. What he never expects is the way his heart speeds up once he sees her and when their eyes lock its game over. She will be his. No one will stand in his way. Blake knows that money talks and he will spend whatever it takes to remove the innocence from her eyes and break her.

There is no way that Blake Knight could ever fall in love ….

Must have Broken Melody Anne!! I have to see what happens next.

Click here to pre-order Broken on amazon.

Excerpt

“I’m pleased we’re now business partners. I think this venture will be a success.”

Blake Knight laughed as he shook hands with Rafe Palazzo, happy the man had finally decided to come to visit from San Francisco. Though Blake had known Rafe for many years, this was the first project the two of them had paired up on. The contracts were signed, and the deal would put a few more hundreds of millions into both of their already fat wallets.

“I don’t think there’s a venture out there with your name on it that isn’t a success, Rafe.”

“Ah, my friend, the same can be said about what you and your brothers do,” Rafe replied without missing a beat.

“We’re just that damn good, I guess,” Blake said.

Though at first glance they might come off as smug and self-satisfied, and they might look at multimillion-dollar investments the same way an average person looked at depositing twenty dollars into their savings account, the men were shrewd. They knew how to make money, and they knew they’d always keep making more.

Only a select few ruled the world, and Blake Knight had decided, when he was a young boy and his parents’ lives ended right before his very eyes, that he would never be vulnerable again. He would never be one of the weak, easy prey to a world packed with predators. No one would sneak up on him and catch him unawares.

“Let’s have a drink, and you can fill me in on what you’ve been doing for the past year,” Rafe told Blake. “Too much time has gone by since our last visit.”

The two of them moved toward the conference room doors at Knight Construction.

“You’re the one who sold your soul to a woman and disappeared,” Blake reminded his friend.

“Don’t knock it, Blake. Ari has changed my life and made me a better man.”

“Oh, please, please, for the love of all that’s holy, do not continue,” Blake said, horrified to hear these words coming from a man who was once one of the most ruthless bachelors he’d ever met. “I remember the days when you thought no woman was true, no woman could ever be trusted. Marriage — your second marriage — has ruined you.”

“There was a time, Blake, when I would have thrown you up against a wall for just thinking me the slightest bit weak.”

“Ha! You would have tried,” Blake said.

Neither of them was remotely upset by the exchange, of course. All friendly banter.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ ITunes

Author Bio

Melody Anne is the author of the popular series, Billionaire Bachelors, and Baby for the Billionaire. She also has a Young Adult Series out; Midnight Fire and Midnight Moon – Rise of the Dark Angel. She’s been writing for years and published in 2011. She hold a bachelors degree in business, so she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen.

When Melody isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She lives in a small town that she loves, and is involved in many community projects.

See Melody’s Website at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to all her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or at twitter: @authmelodyanne.

ARC Review + Exclusive Excerpt + Giveaway: Romancing The Billionaire + Beauty and The Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Posted on 11/10/2014 by Saucy Southern Readers

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Synopsis

The New Billionaire Boys Club novel by the New York Times bestselling author.

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society. Six men of astonishing wealth. But there’s one thing money can’t buy. When it comes to love, success doesn’t come so easily…

Jonathan Lyons. Playboy, billionaire, and adventurer, he lives life on the edge. When he hears that his mentor, Dr. Phineas DeWitt, had a secret journal that leads to a legendary artifact, Jonathan takes action. It stirs his blood, but it comes with a heady challenge: DeWitt’s daughter Violet. She has what Jonathan needs. And she’s not giving it up it to the man who broke her heart.

Violet is Jonathan’s weakness—he’s still in love despite their volatile breakup a decade ago. But Violet’s memories have a sharper edge. She’s never forgiven him for abandoning her. Or so she thought. When Jonathan’s attentions turn seductive, she’s in danger of falling for him all over again. And she can’t help but wonder…does he really want her, or just what she’s hiding?

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Smut Book Junkie – ROMANCING THE BILLIONAIRE – Exclusive Excerpt

The weather was great all the way across several states, and the flight itself was a breeze. Jonathan tried talking to Violet at first, but when it became clear that she was surly with anxiety, he left her alone and she fell asleep. So instead, he just watched her as she dozed, slumped over in the copilot’s seat.

She was still incredibly lovely. For all her prickly demeanor, he could spend every minute of the rest of his life with Violet and not grow tired of her. He was fascinated with the thick fringe of her dark eyelashes, for one. They hid those lovely dark brown eyes he couldn’t forget. The stubborn curve of her jaw was just as he remembered it, though, and he remembered pressing kisses there.

Not that she’d let him do that now. She loathed him.

Jonathan was disappointed she’d clearly nurtured hatred toward him over the years. Sure, they’d had a messy breakup, but time had passed and they were both adults. He didn’t hold a grudge for her running home and leaving him. He didn’t hold a grudge because she’d changed her mind on what she wanted overnight and demanded that they start a family, and when he hadn’t liked that idea, run off back home to her mother. He figured they were both young and stupid at the time, and now they could be adults. Friends, if nothing else. But she acted like he was her mortal enemy, and he didn’t understand it.

He’d just have to win her over again.

He’d won her once, back when she was a closed-up teenager. He’d talked and smiled and flirted and made an utter fool of himself until she’d broken down and started responding. He could do the same with a stiff, angry Violet. Just keep talking and bothering her until she exploded and told him what was pissing her off so bad, so he could fix it.

Fuck, he’d do anything to fix it. He’d never wanted anyone but Violet. She was everything to him. He didn’t care what it took.

As if she could hear the turn of his thoughts, Violet shifted in her seat, snuggling down farther against the leather, her cheek cradled against the seat belt that separated her still-magnificent breasts. “Mmm, Jonathan.”

He froze, staring at the instrument panel. He no longer saw the gauges in front of him, or the sky that filled the windows. His mind was on Violet’s sleepy moan.

Obviously she was dreaming. Obviously. He repeated this in his mind, but it wasn’t sticking. His dick had gotten hard as a rock within seconds. What was she dreaming about? What was she imagining that he was doing? His hands grasped the yoke tightly, the dual sticks reminding him of gripping his cock, of all things. Fuck. Fuck. Like he needed to be thinking about jerking off at the moment? Just because she’d moaned his name in her sleep?

“Mmm,” Violet said again sleepily, and he glanced over at her sharply. Was she just fucking with him? But she didn’t stir. Against the thin fabric of her proper blouse, her nipples were stiff.

Oh, Jesus.

Jonathan began to sweat. He wasn’t going to ogle her while she was sleeping. He was going to ignore it. Ignore the fact that those delicious nipples were poking against the filmy blouse, just begging to be touched. He remembered how much she’d loved to have her breasts played with, how she’d cried out and thrashed when he’d tugged on her nipples with his lips . . . He wiped his brow, surprised that it wasn’t coated with sweat. Violet always talked in her sleep, he remembered. No big deal. She was just dreaming.

Hear that, dick? She’s just dreaming. Now go fuck off. She still hates us when she’s awake.

Of course, his dick was listening about as well as Violet was. The cockpit of the Socata was small. Too small, he thought. His traitorous mind was telling him to reach over and put a hand on her thigh, slide it up her skirt and see if she was wet . . .

And then she’d really fucking hate him, wouldn’t she? Jonathan scrubbed a hand over his face and then returned it to the yoke, staring grimly ahead. He’d just have to ignore her. So he concentrated on things that would make his rearing dick go back down to normal. Things like his wrinkled old housekeeper who worked in his NYC town house. Spotting the paparazzi waiting outside of a hotel he was staying at. His new lineup of sportscars rolling out as lemons. Jumping out of a plane and his parachute cord not responding.

After a few minutes, he was under control again. Good.

She shifted in her seat again, her skirt riding higher up her thighs. “Mmm, oh, yes—”

“Violet,” he barked. Jesus. A man could only take so much.

She jerked awake with a small snort, limbs flailing a bit. Then she looked around, eyes glazed and narrow with sleep. “Huh?”

“Wake up,” he said gruffly.

She raised a hand and rubbed her face. “I was trying to sleep, you know.”

“Yeah, but I want company,” he lied. She’d flip out on him if she knew the real reason he’d woken her up. “Talk to me.”

“Grow up,” she muttered, straightening in her seat. “I can’t believe you woke me up because you were bored.”

He glanced over at her, noticing that she crossed her arms over those erect nipples to hide them, and her cheeks were flushed. Was she aware she was having dirty dreams about him? Sounded like they both needed a distraction.

Kelley’s Review

A sinfully sexy and delicious adventure to find hidden treasure and a love that will stand the test of time.

I was hooked on this series after I was given the opportunity to read Beauty and the Billionaire. Jessica Clare has a talent for writing billionaire tales that allow the reader to disappear for a while and believe that extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people. Readers will be turning the pages to see what happens next on this crazy journey. I felt like I was watching these characters from afar as they searched for the next clue that would bring them closer to the end of their quest. Neither of them really knew what was in store for them at the end. As I read their story I realized what was going to happen at the end and really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Jessica brilliantly reveals each clue with a very lovely piece of poetry that I found breathtakingly beautiful.

Jonathan Lyons has never stopped loving Violet DeWitt. She was it for him. Even though they were only 19 years old when they first met, he never forgot the amazing summer they spent together. Jonathan has not had a single relationship since their break-up and when an opportunity presents itself for him to seek her out he charges as fast as he can to get to her.

Violet DeWitt is a school teacher in Detroit and has never forgot her one true love. Jonathan Lyons nearly destroyed her ten years ago and she has not forgotten the pain and heartache he caused her. She needed him and he abandoned her. So when he shows up unannounced at the school where she is teaching she is not really happy to see him.

Jonathan is so excited to see Violet once again. She looks just like he remembered minus the purple streak she wore in her hair. He is so sure that she will want to take the adventure her father left behind in his will for the two of them, that he is shocked when she turns him down angrily. He remembers that their break-up was a little messy but can’t understand why she hates him. It has been ten years. Couldn’t the past stay in the past? Unfortunately for Jonathan he has no clue of how Violet suffered because of him.

Violet is feisty and sassy as they come. I love how she keeps Jonathan on his toes. Jonathan could be my new book boyfriend. He is so kind and sweet and will do whatever it takes to make Violet happy. This couple is one of my favorite couples for 2014. There are so many secrets revealed and Violet has suffered so much at the hands of her parents. You wonder if they will truly find their path to true love. Yes Jessica Clare had me in tears at two points in this read. I was emotionally invested in Violet’s happiness. Since this is a romance novel you should know that yes the happily ever after comes but it is a heck of an emotional journey before you get there.

If you like swoony romance with a lot of sizzle and spice you will love The Billionaire Boys Club Series.

P.S. I would have named this book Seducing the Teacher because the billionaire in this story is the master of seduction.

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Synopsis

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who have vowed success—at any cost. Not all of them are old money, but all of them are incredibly wealthy. They’re just not always as successful when it comes to love…

Real-estate tycoon Hunter Buchanan has a dark past that’s left him scarred and living as a recluse on his family’s palatial estate. Hunter is ready to give up on love—until he spots an enigmatic red-haired beauty and comes up with an elaborate scheme to meet her.

Gretchen Petty is in need of a paycheck—and a change. So when a job opportunity in an upstate New York mansion pops up she accepts. And while she can overlook the oddities of her new job, she can’t ignore her new boss’s delectable body—or his barely leashed temper.

Hunter’s afraid his plan might be unraveling before it’s truly begun, but Gretchen is about to show him that life can be full of surprises…

The men may have all the money and power, but the women will bring them to their knees. Look out for the next breathtaking Billionaire Boys Club novel from InterMix.

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A modern-day Beauty and the Beast..

After reading this book I did a search for Jessica Clare and one-clicked all the books in this series. I am a sucker for good Billionaire love stories. The ones that are NOT cheesy and seriously unrealistic. Jessica does a great job of making the reader believe that even billionaires are real people with real problems. She gives us a heroine that so down to earth readers will be able to see themselves in her shoes.

Gretchen needs money. She is a ghostwriter for a series that she is not herself in love with. She is tired of writing about essentially science fiction porn. She has writers block because she can’t stand her characters and the path that they are on. She would do anything to get a reprieve from writing this book even take a job that is quite unorthodox. She is woman who loves an adventure, says what she thinks, and really does not care what people think of her. When her agent contacts her about an opportunity to write a book based on a trunk of old letters while staying at a mansion she jumps at the opportunity. Not to mention the money. She is about to be late with rent again and this opportunity could not have come at a better time.

Hunter is a very scarred man inside and out. Because of an accident when he was young part of his face is disfigured. He has kept himself out the public eye and has never pursued a relationship before. He becomes intrigued with Gretchen when he over hears her talking with her friend about her taste in men. Gretchen is more about what is underneath and knows from experience that beauty is only skin deep.

It was comical to watch Hunter hide in the shadows while Gretchen did as she pleased. She was told by his evil butler not to wander in certain parts of the house. Hunter’s plan was to stay hidden until the time was right. Well he did not get to pick when that time would be, because Gretchen came waltzing into his room just as he got out of the shower and she got a nice view of what Hunter had to offer. I laughed out loud several times at the miscommunication between these two. Hunter is a stubborn pain in the ass and Gretchen is a feisty red-head with no filter. The two of them together are a train wreck. They are polar opposites but everyone knows that opposites attract. When these two finally do come together the chemistry is explosive and I absolutely adored the passionate lover that Hunter became.

Readers that enjoy love stories and happily ever after for the most unlikely couples will fall in love with Beauty and The Billionaire.

Author Bio:

Jessica Clare is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who writes under three different names. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance.

She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and too many dust-bunnies. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing.

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Giveaway

Leave a blog post comment and tell us what you love about billionaire romance to be entered to win a paperback of Romancing the Billionaire (US Only)

Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway: Beholden by Corinne Michaels- The Belonging Duet- Book 2

Posted on 10/31/2014 by shellbellereads

Title: Beholden (Book Two in the Belonging Duet)

Author: Corinne Michaels

Release Date: October 22, 2014

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Catherine Pope got a second chance at love, only to have it ripped away—again. She should’ve known better.

But she dared to hope.

She refuses to let fate take the reins this time. Catherine decides she’s going to fight.

Jackson Cole risked it all.

He thought this time would be different.

With his loyalties pulling him in two directions—it’s time to make a choice…his past or his future.

Will they be beholden to their fears or will they both fight against their demons and finally find the love they both long for?

Kelley’s Review

Corinne Michaels delivers laughter, love, and tears with a story that will stay with you many days, weeks, and months down the road.

Jackson Cole is a complex man. He has a lot of secrets and has been through hell and back during his military career and while running his private security business. He has lost several friends and fellow soldiers and blames himself for it. When his best friend Aaron dies Jackson loses his mind and has to go bring him home. Jackson pushes Catherine away just as she finally opened herself up to love again. He walks away and does it in the name of protecting her and himself from heartbreak.

This part of the book nearly destroyed me. I was sobbing like a baby. No this can’t be happening and just when you feel like you can breathe again tragedy strikes and it is Jackson this time who is fighting for his life. This is only one bump in the road though. This story takes another plot twist that rips the rug out from under you. My head was spinning. Corinne shows us what it is like to have the love you need from very close friends when you feel like your world has come to an end and you are trying to pick up the pieces. Gretchen and Ashton become Catherine’s rock and between the tears Corinne has me laughing at the girls silly antics and their made up vocabulary with words like “twunt”. That is so something that my two best friends and I would have made up. The bond between Catherine, Ashton, and Gretchen reminded me of my two best friends of 20+ years and what life was like way back when before kids and messy divorces and perhaps that is why I connected so much with this story.

I really enjoyed the flip-flop of this story as well. Normally the female heroine leaves everything behind to run off into the sunset with the alpha male hero. Not this time. Corinne does something a little different and I have to say that the conclusion of Catherine and Jackson’s story was quite refreshing. I also adored the epilogue. You really get to see Catherine and Jackson and their witty banter years down the road along with Catherine’s antics to drive Jackson crazy. I loved their happily ever after.

Once again I reiterate I was engrossed in Beloved and Beholden for four days from the minute the kids went to bed until at least midnight each night. I had to see what was going to happen next. The chemistry was scorching hot between Catherine and Jackson and they had so many hurdles to jump and obstacles to overcome that I could not put these books down until I literally passed our from exhaustion. Thanks again for letting me ready your stories Corinne. I am really looking forward to reading whatever you have in store for us next.

Beloved (Book One in the Belonging Duet)

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Not enough.

Catherine Pope has never been enough. Every man she has ever loved abandoned her—from her father to her fiancé. She finally accepted the fact she would never be enough to hold any man’s heart and soul.

Then Catherine met Jackson Cole.

When her world literally collided with the sexy former Navy SEAL, everything she always believed is turned upside down and left scattered. He made her feel alive and desirable, consumed her with fierceness and loyalty—which completely unnerved her. Jackson got her in a way no one ever had, giving him the power to destroy her.

If she breaks down and gives him what’s left of her battered heart—will he protect it? Or will Catherine become an irrelevant part of yet another man’s life?

Will she get the one thing that has always evaded her – to finally be someone’s beloved?

Kelley’s Review

Corinne has a bright future ahead of her as an author. For a first read this book blew me away. The emotions that Corinne evoked in me are beyond words. Four days from when the kids went to bed until sometimes midnight or later I was engrossed in Catherine and Jackson’s story. The dishes and laundry piled up and my house looks like a team of football players ransacked it but it was so worth it. Now I am cleaning the house wonder when we will get Ashton and Mark’s story because I already miss Catherine and Jackson so much.

Catherine Pope has worked really hard to make a career for herself as a publicist. She is engaged and about to be married and is so excited to start a new adventure with Neil that is until she shows up as his apartment with their wedding invitations and finds him banging one of her friends. That about does Catherine in. She never in a million years would have seen that coming. She never felt she was good enough for anyone after her father left when she was only nine years old. She remembers the day he left like it was yesterday.

Jackson Cole is a bit of a mystery in Beloved. He is a handsome flirt and while Catherine is out with her girls drowning her sorrows she just happens to fall into his lap. One look at Catherine and Jackson is entranced. He tries to get her to stay for a drink but she runs off. He never expects to find out that his company Raven cosmetics hired her to be his personal publicist. Oh what a lucky man.

Corinne does an excellent job with character development when she really drags Catherine through the mud. Neil turns out to be a total scumbag and I seriously wanted to reach into my kindle and slap the crap out of him. Piper is a woman who readers will love to hate. She is Neil’s lover and loves to flaunt it in Catherine’s face.

Catherine and Jackson have a very rocky relationship as excess baggage takes hold of their relationship and spirals it out of control and just when it seems that all is right and good in the world again, tragedy strikes and it looks as if Catherine and Jackson might not get their happily ever after.

Thanks you soo much for letting me read your gifts to the world Corinne.

Corinne is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.

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Blog Tour + Review + Excerpt + Giveaway: Here With Me by Heidi McLaughlin- The Archer Brothers Series- Book 1

Posted on 10/24/2014 by shellbellereads

Here With Me

The Archer Brothers- Book 1

By Heidin McLaughlin

Synopsis

Ryley Clarke has grown up with the military in her blood, with both parents serving their country. Ryley knows the risks of being married to the military. But when the unthinkable happens, and her future husband is killed in action, Ryley can barely survive… until Evan’s twin brother, Nate, helps her pick up the pieces.

After serving on a special mission with the military for six years, Evan Archer returns home to find the unthinkable – the love of his life, Ryley Clarke – engaged to his brother, Nate. With Nate on deployment, Evan needs to figure out what happened in his absence, and more importantly, how to win Ryley back from the man he once considered his best friend, but now thinks of as his rival.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Excerpt

“Evan, sometimes love has an odd way of working around pain.”

I lean forward and look her square in the eye. “What about my pain? What about my agony? Who’s going to nurse my heartbreak? How come these weren’t thoughts going through either of their heads when they started betraying me like this? How come he wasn’t scouring the ends of the earth looking for me? Someone knew we were alive out there and no one came.”

She picks up her pen and scribbles on her notepad. I don’t even care what she’s writing. I just want to be done so I can go drown my sorrows at Magoo’s. At least my favorite bartender is still working, Slick Rick. Thank God some things never change.

“Do you feel like Ryley betrayed you?”

“Yes.” My words sting, but they’re the truth.

Michel’s Review

Here With Me by Heidi McLaughlin is the first book in her new series. This series is called The Archer Brothers. Being a huge Heidi McLaughlin fan, I had to one click this book the moment it went live. I devoured the book and am experiencing the ultimate reading hangover.

Wow! Here With Me by Heidi McLaughlin is her best book yet. The writing was superb! Heidi reached deep within the realm of emotions and executed them flawlessly throughout the book. The reader instantly becomes invested in the characters and feels every emotion they are experiencing. The characters are larger than life and jump off the pages. The secondary characters are an all-star supporting cast that completely makes this story surreal. The plot has been intricately woven into a book that reaches far beyond a second chance romance. Heidi adds suspense, drama, and an impossible love triangle. She adds the important elements that make these characters lives become even more real. Their families, their friends, and their support networks validate their lives. What holds all these characters together and makes them work harder to accept the unacceptable is a young boy. The five year old son that loves unconditionally. The book is written from duel POV ‘s. It flashes from past to present. The reader gets a strong sense of what brought this young couple together. They share their young love, their passion for one another, and their growth as a couple. We see them grow from teenagers to mature adults. We see their strengths and weaknesses. The one thing the reader can count on is their love for another. It is unquestionable. Their love is not the problem, it is their lives in the present, and their futures. There are difficult choices to make. Not only will these choices determine the future, they will destroy the fragile lives they have built. There is no winner. Each person will walk away hurt in some way.

Evan Archer was a Navy Seal. His last assignment should have been easy. An in and out. That mission stretched into six long years. When his team is finally able to come home they are in for a complete surprise. There are no welcoming committees, no military personal, and no transports home. Why? Because they are dead! They have been dead and buried for over five years. The lives they once had are gone. Their loved ones have moved on in life. Imagine the shock.

The only thing Evan wants is to return home to the love of his life and meet his son face to face. Riley Clarke has held his heart since he was a teenager. Imagine his shock when he finally meets up with Riley and she is not happy to see him. Imagine finding out that she is now engaged to another man. Imagine finding out that man is your twin brother. Imagine your son calling that man daddy.

Riley Clarke lost the love of her life when Evan was killed in action. She has spent the last six years moving on from that devastating loss. She had to give birth to her son alone. She has watched him grow alone. The only thing that held her together was the support of her family and Evan’s twin brother Nate. The two of them have mourned together, supported each other, and built a strong friendship that led to a loving relationship. When the man that owned her heart rises up from the grave she is once again devastated. She is angry with the world. She feels powerless and out of control. How can she choose between the man that owned her heart and the man that brought her heart back to life. Any choice she makes will destroy one of these men. Any choice she makes is going to forever break their brotherly bonds. It is going to destroy them all.

On top of all the emotional turmoil are the underlying facts about the mission. Clearly something went wrong. As the story unfolds it will raise many more questions.

I loved all the characters in this book. I am definitely rooting for Evan. I loved how he not only loved Riley as a teenager and grown woman, but how he respected her feelings and emotions at all times. He is truly a very good man. The readers did not get know much about Nate in the present times. We got to know him through memories and passages of the present. I think we will get to know his character in the next book. I think he is going to be more complex than we are anticipating.

This book ended on an emotional cliffhanger. It left the readers with so many questions. It also left the readers wanting to know Nate’s POV. I cannot wait for the next book, Choose Me by Heidi McLaughlin. I need it now!

AUTHOR INFORMATION

BIO:

Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she’s writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter’s basketball games.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Saucy Southern Readers

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Here With Me

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Here With Me

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