October 12th, 2018
October 5th, 2018
New Release & Review:
An Easy Death
By Charlaine Harris
It pains me to write this review, almost as much as it pained me to finish this book. I’ve always enjoyed Charlaine Harris’ writing: the Sookie Stackhouse /True Blood series, Harper Connelly, Midnight, Texas. When I saw that Harris had a brand-new, what I would call, dystopian/fantasy, I was all in.
Read my full review...
October 2nd, 2018
Book Review:
Consumed
(Firefighters #1)
By J.R. Ward
I’ve read my fair share of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but with so many titles in the series, it gets a little intimidating. That’s why I was excited to see a brand-new series from J.R. Ward, one that I could get my hooks into from day one and not have such a massive catalogue to get caught up to.
Read my full review...
Read Shelley's review.
September 25th, 2018
Book Review:
Strange the Dreamer
By Laini Taylor
This is my second venture into the kaleidoscopic mind of Laini Taylor. I fell in love with her Daughter of Smoke & Bone series. There was just too damn much in the synopsis for me to resist this new series.
There are different types of authors: some are storytellers (they captivate you with their tales), others are writers (they expertly piece together stories that follow all of the rules), then there are the world-builders...
Read my full review...
September 11th, 2018
Book Review:
The Book of M
By Peng Shepherd
This is one of those books that piqued my interest long before it was released. The whole idea of lost memories tied to an apocalyptic loss of shadows was new and unique. I love it when an author says: let’s make a different apocalypse.
Read my full review...
September 4th, 2018
Book Review:
The Passage
By Justin Cronin
I’ve heard many great things about The Passage over the past few years, the timing was right, so, I decided to embark on this epic journey concocted by Justin Cronin. I’ve got to tell you, I loved it. This was one of those books that I opened up to read whenever I had a few minutes…or hours.
Read my full review...
August 28th, 2018
Book Review:
Mega 2: Baja Blood
By Jake Bible
It was two years ago that I read Mega by Jake Bible. I was in the mood for another fun, fast and furious ocean adventure. What could be better than a return voyage with Team Grendel on a new and improved Beowulf?
After finishing Baja Blood, I had to go back and take a look at my review for book one. There are a lot of things that can change in two years: my expectations among those things.
Read my full review...
August 21st, 2018
Book Review:
Circe
By Madeline Miller
Greek mythology is filled with women. Many of these women were portrayed in a villainous or destructive role: Pandora, Clytemnestra, Helen, Medea…and Circe, to name a few. Why the Greeks did this is a completely separate topic, but they did. I love what Madeline Miller has done with Circe, she has taken one of the most famous villainous Greek women and she has shown her readers the other side of the story.
Read my full review...
August 14th, 2018
Book Review:
Xinners
By Wayne Simmons
Right from the start, Wayne Simmons brought me back to a comfortable, familiar place: Helo brought me back to the Creature Cantina. With the intricately detailed and varied aliens, I was brought back to my youth, invested in the story even before I got to know the characters. But this wasn’t the Creature Cantina of my youth, it was a bit more “adult,” I kept waiting for Rev to tell a couple of Stokians that “This is not the whore you’re looking for.” I was hooked.
Read my full review...
August 7th, 2018
You have to understand, you don’t just sit down, relax and read a book by Iain Reid; it’s a contest, a competition - can you figure out what the hell is going on before he has to spell it out for you? Well, that’s how I look at it, anyway.
Read my full review...
Read Shelley's review
July 23rd - August 5th, 2018
Gone Fishin':
Summer/Vacation Reading & Recommendations
Vacation time has arrived, I’ve got some reading to do. I’ve been on a bit of a book buying bonanza lately and I have a lot of books I want to read. My reading list for this summer’s vacation is excessively ambitious, but between balconyville and poolsideton, I’m hoping to succeed.
Read my full post...
July 17th, 2018
New Release & Review:
Baby Teeth
By Zoje Stage
A connection. When an author can create a connection between you and their characters, you’ve got a winner.
As a father, with one child, a son, I could feel an affinity for Suzette. My son and I often butt heads and disagree; his relationship with his mother is the complete opposite. I saw parallels with Suzette and Hanna and Hanna and her father.
Read my full review...
July 13th, 2018
Book Review:
Whore
By Matt Shaw
After reading Whore, I think I must be a little bit dead inside. I like big books, write a fabulous story and I’ll read two thousand pages of it. But once in a while I like to grab a shorty…one hundred pages or so; a little something to reset my barometer, some literary sorbet, if you will.
Read my full review...
July 10th, 2018
Book Review:
Midnight Crossroad
By Charlaine Harris
I’ve been having a tough time of it the past few weeks…months; finding that book that gives me that Calgon moment, yes, I’m aging myself, but I want a book to take me away. I thought it would be good to go back to an old favorite, Charlaine Harris.
I was immediately ready to pack my bags and move to Texas. Harris filled that little town with such an intriguing cast of characters.
Read my full review...
June 26th, 2018
New Release & Review:
The Cabin at the End of the World
By Paul Tremblay
I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. When I pick a book to read, I want to love it. I want the book to captivate my mind, take me away and immerse me into the lives of its characters. The Cabin at the End of the World did none of this.
Sometimes I think that I get caught up in the hype surrounding certain authors. This award-winning, that prize winner, on the board of this, that and the other thing.
Read my full review...
June 22nd, 2018
Book Review:
Ride On
By Gwen Cole
I’ve been on a bit of a post-apocalyptic/dystopian ride for the past few months. When I originally saw Ride On, a post-apocalyptic western, I thought, giddy-up!
Cole doesn’t really touch on the how or the why of what happened to create this post-apocalyptic world, all we know for certain is that the sun is forever hidden behind a gray sky.
Read my full review...
June 19th, 2018
New Release & Review:
Providence
By Caroline Kepnes
Caroline Kepnes has crafted a masterful mystery/thriller with a touch-o-romance, a smidgen of science fiction, combined with an homage to H.P. Lovecraft. She has
paired engaging characters with a unique plot.
I love it when an author can pull me in with their characters. Kepnes’ story shifted between three characters’ points of view. Jon, Chloe and Eggs were exceptional, and I was captivated by each of their stories.
Read my full review...
June 5th, 2018
Book Review:
Hell Divers III: Deliverance
By Nicholas Sansbury Smith
I’ve been a little bit off of “the series” for a while now. I like getting into a story, and when it’s done, moving on to the next. But there is something about the characters that Smith has created that pulled me back in for another dive to Hell.
Read my full review...
May your weekend be filled
with relaxation & reading!
If you're looking for a book to
read over the weekend, my
latest review and top
recommendation is posted
below. More books have also
been added to this week's list
of new releases. Enjoy!
Everything about this book just
screamed my name. First of
all, the cover is adorable, then
there’s the synopsis that hints
at all of the potential banter
and angst that I adore, and
finally, it’s written by Samantha
Young! I’m just going to get right down to it and say that I
LOVED this book! I thoroughly enjoyed every second that I
spent within these pages. Fight or Flight ended up
surpassing my already high expectations. Don’t let that cute, whimsical cover fool you, this book packs a punch that you will feel in the pit of your stomach and right down to your toes.
New Releases!
- The Gathering: The Ivy Blackwood Chronicles – By L.A. Fiore
Words like unnatural and impure started the whispers.
From the very beginning, Ivy Blackwood was different. She was only a child when she was accused of setting the fire, one she passively watched engulf the small house she had called home. Her fingertips burned and her hair singed. Some who watched her crossed themselves, convinced she was soulless for she showed no emotion at all. Calm and dispassionate, even when the screaming started that quickly turned to bellows of agony before dying into nothing but the roaring of the fire.
She was locked away where she couldn’t bring harm to herself or others. To all involved, they had protected the world from a monster, but sometimes things are not what they seem.
- Fool’s Errand (Cartwright Brothers #4) – By Lilliana Anderson
- What Lies Between (Where One Goes #2) - By B.N. Toler - The continuation of the story that began in Where One Goes.
- All My Life – By Prescott Lane – This book looks good! Unrequited love!
The beginning of any love story starts with the meet.
I’ve known Garrett Hollis since before I can remember, and I’ve loved him just as long. I loved him while he loved someone else. I loved him when he had a baby with her. I loved him when she left him.
The greatest of love stories is that between a dad and his daughter. I should know. I’ve had a front row seat. First steps, first words, all the big moments.
Garrett was just a teenager when Mia was born. I’ve watched him braid his daughter’s hair, hold her hand crossing the street, seen her asleep on his chest. I’m the best friend, the one they can count on for everything from dance lessons to motherly advice, anything they need. I’m their go-to girl.
The best part of any love story is the happily ever after.
But what if the happily ever after doesn’t include you?
All my life, that’s how long I’ve loved him.
Of course, he’s clueless.
- Fight or Flight – By Samantha Young - I loved this!
The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn't hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava's ever had. And that's all it was--until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.
When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb's orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he's stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart's in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she's made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn't quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her....
- Sweet-Loving Cowboy: A Kinky Spurs Novel – By Stacey Kennedy
- Love Sincerely Yours – By Sara Ney & Meghan Quinn – Office romance!
Dear Mister.. . . no, too formal.
Hey there sweet cheeks. . . no, too forward.
*Clears throat*
To whom it may concern,
Full disclosure; before we move forward with this email, I would like it to be known that I have consumed an adequate amount of alcoholic beverages to intoxicate myself tonight. Three margaritas, two shots, and one beer—because it was free.
I think it’s important to be open and honest with your co-workers, don’t you?
So here I am, being open and honest. Drunk but honest. Or just drunk with lust? You decide.
I have a hopeless, foolish, schoolgirl crush on you when you are the last person on earth I should be falling for. Did you know people around the office call you a sadist? An egomaniac. An insensitive, arrogant prick. But what they don't know is your bark is worse than your bite...
- Bitter Orange – By Claire Fuller – Psychological thriller!
From the attic of a dilapidated English country house, she sees them — Cara first: dark and beautiful, clinging to a marble fountain of Cupid, and Peter, an Apollo. It is 1969 and they are spending the summer in the rooms below hers, while Frances writes a report on the follies in the garden. But she is distracted. Beneath a floorboard in her bathroom, she discovers a peephole which gives her access to her neighbours’ private lives.
To Frances’ surprise, Cara and Peter are keen to spend time with her. It is the first occasion that she has had anybody to call a friend, and before long they are spending every day together: eating lavish dinners, drinking bottle after bottle of wine, and smoking cigarettes till the ash piles up on the crumbling furniture. Frances is dazzled.
But as the hot summer rolls lazily on, it becomes clear that not everything is right between Cara and Peter. The stories that Cara tells don’t quite add up — and as Frances becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of the glamorous, hedonistic couple, the boundaries between truth and lies, right and wrong, begin to blur. Amid the decadence of that summer, a small crime brings on a bigger one: a crime so terrible that it will brand all their lives forever.
- Bridge of Clay – By Marcus Zusak - New family saga from the author of The Book Thief.
The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance.
At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle.
The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?
- Five Years Gone – By Marie Force
I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone.
That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a man who may be dead for all I know. At my sister’s wedding, I meet Eric, the brother of the groom, and my heart comes alive once again.
The world is riveted by the capture of the terrorist mastermind, brought down by U.S. Special Forces in a daring raid. Now I am trapped between hoping I’ll hear from John and fearing what’ll become of my new life with Eric if I do.
- The Witch Elm – By Tana French - Thriller/Suspense!
Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who's dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life - he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden - and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.
- This Love (Cowboys and Angels #6) – By Kelly Elliott
- Chasing My Forever (The Beaumont Series: Next Generation #3) – By Heidi McLaughlin
- Misadventures with a Manny – By Toni Aleo
Vera Woods is at her wit’s end.
Her husband has run off with the nanny, leaving Vera with a broken heart, three very angry sons, and even less time to juggle the demands of family and her career. After her boys scare away a sixth replacement nanny, Vera is out of time off from work and desperately out of options. Still nursing an aching heart, she turns to an unlikely source for help―a manny...
- Something Special – By S. Massery
Charlotte avoids romance like the plague. Anything that can be put into a romance novel is not tolerated--and that includes mysterious men that sweep women off their feet with a single smile. But what is she to do when a handsome man sits down across from her at a coffee shop and does just that? Instead of promising her romance, Avery offers her an adventure she can’t refuse. A spontaneous date leads to a feeling that Charlotte hasn’t felt in a while: attraction.
Although Charlotte and Avery part ways without a true goodbye, fate keeps pushing them back into each other’s orbits. As they struggle to put their pasts behind them and find happiness together, it leaves Charlotte with the question: is it possible to love someone when you’re broken?
- Absolution – By Ava Harrison - Standalone.
I was done with love.
When I opened my heart, it was for the men I couldn't have.
The unattainable ones.
The ones who would hurt me.
A vicious cycle I couldn’t seem to stop.
But I had a new resolve.
Focus on my career.
Stay single.
And then I met him.
Jace Montgomery.
A wounded widower with two young kids.
He was exactly everything I was avoiding.
So I did my best to stay away.
But then he kissed me.
And I fell.
Hard.
Hard for a man who would never be mine…
A man who was broken beyond repair.
A man who would break me.
- Once Upon a Wild Fling (The Heartbreakers) – By Lauren Blakely – Rock star romance! Standalone.
There are a million reasons why Miles Hart isn't the man I should date but allow me to enumerate the top three. He's friends with my brother, he's a single dad, and he's a sexy, in-demand rock star. He might as well wear an off-limits, totally unavailable, and don't-even-attempt-to-ride-this-ride sign.
Then he asks me to be his plus-one when his band plays at his high school reunion, and the night unfolds in ways I never expect...
- Trusting You – By Ketley Allison
He's my best friend's ex. But she died, and he's the father of her baby.
Now I have to tell him...without falling in love with him.
- Dane - By K. Webster - M/M romance!
- An Inconvenient Dare – By Bethany Lopez
- The Royal Runaway - By Lindsay Emory - A fun and daring novel about a modern-day princess who teams up with a spy to find out what happened to the fiancé who left her at the altar—and who just might get her own fairytale in the process.
- Winter in Paradise - By Elin Hilderbrand
Irene Steele shares her idyllic life in a beautiful Iowa City Victorian house with a husband who loves her to sky-writing, sentimental extremes. But as she rings in the new year one cold and snowy night, everything she thought she knew falls to pieces with a shocking phone call: her beloved husband, away on business, has been killed in a plane crash. Before Irene can even process the news, she must first confront the perplexing details of her husband's death on the distant Caribbean island of St. John.
After Irene and her sons arrive at this faraway paradise, they make yet another shocking discovery: her husband had been living a secret life. As Irene untangles a web of intrigue and deceit, and as she and her sons find themselves drawn into the vibrant island culture, they have to face the truth about their family, and about their own futures.
- Beast (A Twisted Tale Series) – By Lisa Edward
- Lovers at Heart, Reimagined – By Melissa Foster
- By Virtue Fall (Shakespeare Sisters #4) – By Carrie Elks
- It Ended with the Truth (Truth and Lies Duet #2) – By Lisa Suzanne
- Player - By Staci Hart
- Loving Mr. Cane (Cane #3) - By Shanora Williams
- Ridge - By S.L. Scott - Rock star romance!
The One didn’t exist.
Then I met Meadow.
The band's honorary little sister was off-limits. Too late for that. She says we’re “nothing serious,” but she’s gotten under my skin and I can’t stop thinking about her. And when I touch her, I know we’re meant to be...
Happy Reading!
October 9th, 2018
The Hunt for Red October meets 30 Days of Night. There is something terrifying about being trapped in a canister so far below the surface of the ocean that the pressure alone would crush your body. Kent and Kaufmann selected an ideal environment for their tale.
What he's reading!
What she's reading!
Greg's Dailyish Blog
Shelley's Daily Blog
2 Book Lovers Reviews
Inquisition
By David Gibbins
