April 13th, 2018
Book Review:
Ready Player One
By Ernest Cline
Do you remember That ‘70s Show? It was a show built off of nostalgia and stereotypes that people look back fondly upon. Do you remember That ‘80s Show? No? You’re lucky, it was bad and too soon.
Ernest Cline has waited the right amount of time for people to have a fun nostalgic look back at a formative time for many of today’s adults.
Read my full review...
April 10, 2018
New Release & Review:
Devils Unto Dust
By Emma Berquist
I love a zombie western, it is quickly becoming my favorite subgenre within the zombie world. The western has taken a fabulous turn over the past few years, alright, a few decades if I go back to the Unforgiven. The black and white Stetsons don’t mean what they used to, there is a shade of gray that seems to cover all of the characters.
Read my full review...
April 4th, 2018
New Release & Review:
Rated Z: Money Shot
I’m a firm believer in mixing it up. I’ll go from a mystery to dystopian to historical; switching from dark to disgusting to laugh out loud funny. I love when an author can push my limits and make me say, “Sweet Jesus, did they just do that!?” Brahm Stroker was going to allow me to penetrate the world of Dick Shooter and Bunny Hole.
Read my full review...
March 27th, 2018
Book Review:
The Women in the Walls
By Amy Lukavics
Amy Lukavics has a knack for grabbing my attention. As soon as I finished reading the first chapter, I told my wife to grab the sample and just try to resist. The Women in the Walls reminded me of Barney Stinson’s Get Psyched mixed tape, it grabs you and never lets you down.
Read my full review...
March 20th, 2018
Greg's Old Shorts:
The Twilight Pariah By Jeffrey Ford
What goes together better than drinking and archaeology? Jeffrey Ford decided to take this concept and run with it. He tossed in a disturbing horned child in an abandoned outhouse for good measure.
The Twilight Pariah was a good little story. Ford captured my interest early on, had some intriguing characters and the story had some definite creep factor.
Read my full review...
March 16th, 2018
So here we are at the end of the trilogy. One way or another this apocalypse is coming to an end; it’s us or them.
I’ve been going through a bit of a funk with books in a series, or the never-ending series; I’ve grown to fully appreciate the trilogy, there is something to look forward to, the suspense of a great cliffhanger, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Read my full review...
March 13th, 2018
Book Review:
Quiet Places By Jasper Bark
The key to Quiet Places is the beginning. I love these stories where the author kicks me in the face with a what-the-hell-is-going-on-here start. They can then take their sweet old time revealing what causes this freakish scenario that has shocked me to the core. Jasper Bark did exactly that.
Read my full review...
March 9th, 2018
New Release & Review:
The Last Hour
By Harry Sidebottom
I don’t know why this happens to me, but it seems to occur with much more frequency than in the past. I read a synopsis, fall for a book, then when I go to read it, the book is not what I expected. For whatever convoluted reason, I was expected The Last Hour to be a sort of homage to Colleen McCullough’s The First Man in Rome, a suspenseful, intricate mystery set in the streets of ancient Rome. What Harry Sidebottom delivered was something completely different.
Read my full review...
March 2nd, 2018
Greg's Old Shorts:
Tipping By Gregor Xane
The short story is a finicky little beast. The author has such a short amount of time to captivate me and make me invest myself. For me, a short story has to do at least one of two things: grab me with a shock at the start or pull the wool over my eyes with a surprise at the end. If the author does both, they’ve got my respect and admiration as a master of the short.
Read my full review...
February 27th, 2018
Book Review:
Pandora: Outbreak By Eric L. Harry
This is a tough review to write. I’m always on the lookout for something different and unique in the post-apocalyptic universe. Pandora seemed to tick off all of the boxes; sometimes there is simply a failure to connect the product offered by the author to the product desired by the reader.
Read my full review...
February 20th, 2018
Book Review:
Lamb By Christopher Moore
Jesus Christ, can you think of any one person who has had more influence on two thousand years of history? I think we all know the story – born in a barn, pissed off many important people and ended up nailed to a tree. Christopher Moore has decided that there has to be more to the story. If we could sit down with Christ’s best bro from his teenage years back in Nazareth, what stories would we learn?
Read my full review...
February 13th, 2018
If you want a creepy, edge-of-your-seat reading experience, The Ritual is a must-read! Oh, and The Ritual is now playing on Netflix!
Book Review:
The Ritual By Adam Nevill
The Ritual hit me in all of the right places. It had everything that I was looking for in a book right now. It was horror mixed with Nordic Noir. It was gruesome and gory. It felt like it was written just for me.
Read my full review...
February 6th, 2018
Book Review:
Find You in the Dark By Nathan Ripley
Coming Soon!
This book is marketed as being comparable to Dexter and The Talented Mr. Ripley. These are great tags to pull a reader like myself in, but you have to live up to your own hype. Once you get to know Martin Reese, the comparison of characters is there. Let’s see how the story holds up.
Read my full review...
February 2nd, 2018
Greg's Old Shorts:
Fathoms By Rich Hawkins
This isn’t my first stroll by the seashore with Rich Hawkins. He can captivate me and keep me glued to the pages of a voluminous book without any difficulty. He can connect me to the characters and make them a part of my life through the pages of his book.
Read my full review...
January 30th, 2018
Book Review:
The Terror By Dan Simmons
The more I read, the more I see themes and familiar situations from one book to another. By no means am I accusing anyone of plagiarism, it’s just that there is a limit to how many ways something can be done. So, I find myself pulled into books that are different, the ones that go somewhere I’ve never been before. The Terror is one such book.
Read my full review...
January 23rd, 2018
Book Review:
Year One By Nora Roberts
My wife has been after me for quite some time now, “You should give Nora Roberts a chance, she’s really good, and she’s not too heavy on the romance.” When I saw the pre-order go up for a post-apocalyptic book by Nora Roberts, I thought, now that’s the one for me! There was a sample available, and it only reinforced that I needed Year One.
Read my full review...
January 19th, 2018
Greg's Old Shorts:
Cowboys Vs Zombies By Eric S. Brown
This one falls within the subgenre of a subgenre, the zombie western. There are more books in there than you might think. It’s not a bad addition to the subgenre. Eric Brown has done something a bit different from what I’ve seen before, and that’s always a good thing.
Read my full review...
April 17th, 2018
It has been quite some time since I read Shakespeare’s Macbeth; I think it must be at least a dozen years, as my wife laughs, telling me to double that…and then some. I don’t consider myself to be a Shakespeare expert, but I’ve read a handful of his plays and enjoyed most of them. Macbeth is by far my favorite.
What he's reading!
What she's reading!
Greg's Dailyish Blog
Shelley's Daily Blog
2 Book Lovers Reviews
Knotted
(Trails of Sin #1)
By Pam Godwin
April 20th, 2018
Waking the Ancients
By Catherine Cavendish
This week's list of new releases
is posted below. Enjoy!
The Real is a unique, charming,
sweet, slow burning romance.
As soon as I began reading this
novel I couldn’t help but smile.
The characters were endearing,
quirky, and I found myself
loving them from the very
beginning. Give me an original
love story and I am happy.
From the way that Abbie and
Cameron met, the coffeehouse
that they communicated in,
and the people that they
surrounded themselves with, this story was just brimming with originality.
*See the tour post, read my full review & an excerpt...
New Releases!
- Birthday Girl - By Penelope Douglas - Forbidden romance! I'm looking forward to reading this one!
JORDAN
He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.
He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.
He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.
I have to stop this. It can’t happen.
My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.
Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.
PIKE
I took her in, because I thought I was helping.
She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.
As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.
The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.
But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.
And her boyfriend’s father.
Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
- The Real – By Kate Stewart - This book was so good! Stay tuned for my review! Read my review!
They say it happens when you least expect it.
It did for me.
It started the moment I saw the simple message pop up on my computer screen:
Cameron’s Mac: Hi.
And when I met the eyes of the gorgeous man messaging me from across the coffee shop, I never thought my reply would lead to the most intense, sexual, and passionate relationship of my life.
We both agreed to check our bags at the door and put our future hopes and aspirations on the table.
It worked.
I fell in love with his no holds barred attitude, sexy smirk, and undeniably good heart . . . and for a while we forgot about our baggage. We happily tripped over it to get to the other, neither of us willing to show the contents of our pasts in the off chance it could ruin us.
We built our love on a foundation of gray.
It was life in black and white that threatened to tear us apart.
- Relentless (Skulls Renegade #4) – By Elizabeth Knox - MC romance!
- Come As You Are – By Lauren Blakely – Romantic comedy!
I couldn't have scripted a more perfect night.
For one fantastic evening, at a masquerade party in the heart of Manhattan, I'm not the millionaire everyone wants a piece of. Fine--multimillionaire. But who's counting all those commas? Not me, and not the most intriguing woman I've ever met, who happens to like dancing, witty banter, and passionate up-against-the-wall sex as much as I do.
There's no need for names or business cards. And that's why I'm eager to get to know her more, since my mystery woman seems to like me for me, rather than for my huge...bank account.
Everything's coming up aces. Until the next day when things get a little complicated. (Newsflash -- a lot complicated.)...
- Under a Storm - Swept Sky – By Beth Anne Miller
An eighty-mile trek across the rugged, stunning beauty of Scotland’s Isle of Skye isn't something I imagined myself doing. Ever. This isn't a trail for beginners. And I'm not a hiker.
But I have to finish it, even if it kills me. I have no choice.
With the ever-changing weather and relentless terrain, I’m in over my head.
Rory Sutherland, my guide on this adventure, is not happy. We clash with every mile, but we recognize a shared pain. Not only is the journey a struggle, but the tension between us is taut with unsaid words. And hope.
He’s broken. I’m damaged. Together, we’re about to make the perfect storm.
- Too Hard to Resist (Wherever You Go) – By Robin Bielman - Each book in this series is a standalone.
One rookie assistant + one demanding executive = flirting that is too hot to handle.
Have you ever wished for the perfect job? Me, too. So when I land a temporary gig with a worthwhile and exemplary startup, I'm determined to make it permanent. That my boss is the gorgeous, clever Elliot Sax is nothing I can't handle. We may steal glances at each other and straddle the line of playing it safe, but our partnership is too important for complications. Not to mention workplace hookups are against the rules.
But when our attraction flames hotter, our best efforts are put to the test. I never imagined having to fight my feelings for him on a daily basis and keeping my hands to myself is absolutely killing me.
Until I can't. Until we can't. And what's at stake becomes more than our jobs. What's at risk is our hearts.
- Chaser: A Dive Bar Novel – By Kylie Scott
Bartender and all round bad boy, Eric Collins, has come to a crossroads. It’s time to take life seriously and maybe even attempt to settle down. If only the person he was hoping to settle down with didn’t turn out to be pregnant.
Starting over in a small town, Jean is determined to turn her wild lifestyle around and be the kind of mother she always wished she’d had. Since local bar owner and all round hottie, Eric, is now determined to steer clear of her pregnant self, it should be easy. When she goes into labor during a snowstorm and her car slides on some ice, however, it’s Eric who comes to the rescue.
There seems to be a bond between them now, but is it enough? And can Eric give up his manwhore ways to be the man Jean needs?
- Leading the Witness (The Conflict of Interest Series #4) - By Chantal Fernando - A steamy standalone novel when a divorce lawyer finds himself stuck between his client and the woman he desires—and soon he’ll be forced to choose sides.
- Save Me (Corrupted Hearts #4) – By Tiffany Snow - Romantic suspense!
- The Pecker Briefs: A Legal Affairs Standalone – By Sawyer Bennett
...My name is Ford Daniels, partner at the law firm of Knight & Payne, and my latest case has me wading through the finer points of peckers—woodpeckers that is. Specifically, the red-cockaded woodpecker. I swear, I can’t make this stuff up but that’s what the sexy-as-hell blonde chained to a tree told me this morning.
Her name is Viveka Jones and she is so much more than a pretty face. She’s got wit, charm, and razor-sharp smarts. Turns out my client is looking to bulldoze the red-cockaded woodpecker’s natural habitat in favor of a multimillion-dollar subdivision and the sexy attorney with legs for days (and days), just happens to be counsel for an animal rights group looking to put a halt to construction.
My client’s pissed, but all I can think about is getting Viveka across the table from me. And then on the table underneath me. Perhaps up against the wall. And then—
Well, let’s just say when it’s all said and done, I’m hoping the red-cockaded woodpecker isn’t the only pecker that gets some attention from Miss Viveka Jones.
- Needing Him – By Kennedy Fox - Enemies-to-lovers office romance! Standalone.
- Regretfully Yours – By Sunniva Dee
Our relationship was a sin, they said, but how can it be a sin to love so deeply?
She shouldn’t have listened to them.
Shouldn’t have left us behind.
You can’t help whom you love, and without Silvina, I didn't give a damn.
A mafia prince without a cause becomes a rebel with nothing to lose.
My brother owned an adult entertainment studio.
He wanted me nowhere near it. Thankfully, his competition did.
I auditioned. Landed a contract.
It's how I took my sins to a new level, my up-yours to la famiglia.
Until Silvina was kidnapped, and my world was thrown upside down.
- Love Again – By Kelly Elliott
Jonathon Turner is going to be the death of me.
Maybe not the death of me…but my panties for sure! They seem to disintegrate the moment he touches me. Looks at me. Smiles at me. Talks to me.
It’s more than physical. He’s breaking through an impenetrable wall.
There’s a problem though—he’s younger than me.
Six. Years. Younger.
Let’s not forget he’s also one of my brother’s best friends.
Oh, the other problem I forgot to mention…
I never wanted to fall in love again.
But you know what they say….never say never.
- Flesh Into Fire (Original Sin #3) – By J.A. Huss & Jonathan McClain
- The Elizas - By Sara Shepard - Psychological thriller!
- The Theory of Unrequited (The Science of Unrequited #1) – By Len Webster
Atomic number: 8
Name of chemical element: Oxygen
Symbol: O
Every theory has a test subject … even between best friends.
The pact: Stanford.
The betrayal: AJ attending Duke.
The reason: She did something stupid like fall in love with Evan.
The problem: Evan’s not ready to let this betrayal go so easily.
The solution: Find AJ and fix them.
- Bloodlines (Sin City Outlaws) – By M.N. Forgy – Standalone MC romance!
- Lyrical Lights – By Maria La Serra
A hard of hearing model, neither tall nor skinny, is unheard-of in the world of fashion, but that won’t stop Mable Harper. Unfortunately, her agent Dania doesn’t share her enthusiasm or her vision of shattering the patriarchal expectations of the fashion industry. Frustrated with Mable’s inability to lose weight, and unable to sell her monotone voice to designers looking for brand representatives, Dania drops Mable as a client.
Mable considers giving up, but a chance encounter with a witty fashion photographer, Simon Rowe, revives her career—and awakens desires she never imagined. Mable soon discovers there’s more to this witty motorcyclist from down under. As her relationship with Simon flourishes so does her modeling
career. Suddenly Mable finds herself struggling to balance her life in an unbalanced world, forcing her to make a choice between a life of fame and the man she loves.
- Wishing Well – By Lily White – Romantic suspense!
- One Good Man: a novella – By Emma Scott
It’s spring, 1970. The Vietnam War has been raging for years with no end in sight. Janey Martin, a California college student and aspiring journalist is tired of writing puff pieces about her university men’s sports teams. She wants to be taken seriously as a journalist and as a woman. With riots at their doorstep, her wealthy father sends Janey to the Sorbonne in Paris to finish her college education away from the chaos.
Janey is reluctant to leave the Big Story that is Vietnam, but vows to prove herself. Much to her dismay, her first assignment is to interview the hotshot star forward of a local soccer team. Janey is sure Adrien Rousseau is going to be like every other playboy jock she’s ever dealt with, but quickly learns there is much more to Adrien than meets the eye.
The mysterious, sexy footballer just might be the biggest story of Janey’s life.
- The Wedding Date – By Zara Stoneley – Romantic comedy!
One ex. One wedding. One little white lie...
Happy Reading!
