tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9752504820641148722024-02-21T02:08:19.712-05:00CeCe's Steaming Mug of BooksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-76171814785102983212014-03-14T05:00:00.000-04:002014-03-14T05:00:00.752-04:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK22LaXMSAxyRr8kmiOuHiXvSQGmqeNrrjENYo1bgouRucbtRcI0eaDMmhenBsgOqfwApwwE4cVI2Ly1BisfZ8xhseM-S5a7iMHpv5YMTjRUr8Doc3c4vU4MJ2h0iHmbJFVIKGu0d2s_7/s1600/if+i+were+you+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK22LaXMSAxyRr8kmiOuHiXvSQGmqeNrrjENYo1bgouRucbtRcI0eaDMmhenBsgOqfwApwwE4cVI2Ly1BisfZ8xhseM-S5a7iMHpv5YMTjRUr8Doc3c4vU4MJ2h0iHmbJFVIKGu0d2s_7/s1600/if+i+were+you+quote.JPG" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-78511844412753415762014-03-11T05:00:00.000-04:002014-03-11T05:00:10.475-04:00Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Para/Fantasy/SciFi Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fx3-hQj_MzmUd1gPM8hqE9gL3cOMES9K6q3XG8VQj_KYMxF0cVB-0CXyXjtP4tNFRYCbGhwxX_5cIpLfOMZNU44RGMamNRzCeLmDxOJSFztO72xYoCF4a7nUJ9xbwPk0PgzqKTar4K5Q/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fx3-hQj_MzmUd1gPM8hqE9gL3cOMES9K6q3XG8VQj_KYMxF0cVB-0CXyXjtP4tNFRYCbGhwxX_5cIpLfOMZNU44RGMamNRzCeLmDxOJSFztO72xYoCF4a7nUJ9xbwPk0PgzqKTar4K5Q/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is “Top Ten All Time Favorite Books in X Genre” and I get to pick the genre. I decided to go outside my comfort level and pick my top paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi books. As you may know, I am not a big paranormal fan. I have found many para books do not have the world building or consistency I am looking for so they frequently fall short for me. However, I have read many GREAT paranormal books which keeps me exploring the genre. Here are some of my favorites.</div>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW-WgKRBrftvbpYK91zFAxCaJy-I963nO5_7bKCmbm8019CZRV0HxIP1nUzFvrz4acbjclTYs8U8j9jlE5Qund5ol-jdvtGOf3of5C_ujFS8jrypW6B7v278Sztc2AdpRk7a8YUXfHNv8/s1600/TTT+genre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW-WgKRBrftvbpYK91zFAxCaJy-I963nO5_7bKCmbm8019CZRV0HxIP1nUzFvrz4acbjclTYs8U8j9jlE5Qund5ol-jdvtGOf3of5C_ujFS8jrypW6B7v278Sztc2AdpRk7a8YUXfHNv8/s1600/TTT+genre.JPG" height="237" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 11.45pt;">
<b style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor</b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – This isn’t my first time mentioning this book and it won’t be my last I am sure. Karou is one of my all time favorite characters. She is an awesome, kick ass chick!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><b>2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo</b> – Leigh did something special here… she sparked an interest in the villain and made me want to understand and feel compassion for him. <br /><br /><b>3. Pivot Point by Kasie West</b> – This book was a surprise for me and I did not expect to like it as much as I did. I loved the way Kasie showed two possible outcomes to an event and I loved how each one had crazy consequences.<br /><br /><b>4. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley</b> – This is one of my favorite books of all times. It has kings and queens and fantasy lands as well as some awesome magic, but it also has amazing emotion and character depth.<br /><br /><b>5. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrou</b>t – I still haven’t finished this series, but this alien made a big impression on me. I never though a paranormal creature could be so sexy!<br /><br /><b>6. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick</b> – One word: PATCH! My favorite angel.<br /><br /><b>7. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers</b> – To hell with all the haters, I could not put this series down and for that it deserves a spot on the list.<br /><br /><b>8. The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne</b> – I only read the first book in this series, but I was impressed by it and really enjoyed the main character. I would love to pick up another in the series, but too many books, too little time and all that stuff.<br /><br /><b>9. Vampire Academy by Rachelle Mead</b> – I read this entire series and while I enjoyed the first half of the series better than the second (it started to get too weird for me), it was a very entertaining set of books.<br /><br /><b>10. Catalyst by Jennifer Snyder</b> – This book fileld a void in my heart when the CW show Secret Circle was cancelled and for that I am thankful.<br /><br />What are some of your favorite paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi books? Share in the comments below!</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-91955615654967614022014-03-10T05:00:00.000-04:002014-03-10T05:00:10.122-04:00Fighting for Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All I really need to see is MMA Fighter to grab my attention... Check out this new book by L.P. Dover!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJQKIfQAl9Z-QuTMwfTjrn8BQf0AT_0CUqexqn97aBECStMKZtdGWMD-81j2H8-vb30ESY81M-MR_SaOlzZh5uzJ1o7bhkpqDOShDMcLwEcLnCWVh50uBqJp7ooLW5G4LwMjV5QccWtv9/s1600/FightingforLove_high.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJQKIfQAl9Z-QuTMwfTjrn8BQf0AT_0CUqexqn97aBECStMKZtdGWMD-81j2H8-vb30ESY81M-MR_SaOlzZh5uzJ1o7bhkpqDOShDMcLwEcLnCWVh50uBqJp7ooLW5G4LwMjV5QccWtv9/s1600/FightingforLove_high.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fighting for someone’s heart is more challenging than
fighting for a title.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a time, many years ago, love had grown, love was made, and in the end …
love was lost. The decision to leave had been the worst mistake
Shelby Dawson could have ever made. However, at the time—ten years ago—she
felt her secret needed to stay hidden, even if it broke her heart and the
heart of the man she loved. Back then, he was all hers and she was all
his, but now things have changed and he isn’t the same guy she knew.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He happens to be the well-known MMA Heavyweight champion and famous bad boy,
Matt ‘The Destroyer’ Reynolds, who once before struggled to help his
family pay the bills. Now, he has money flowing with each undefeated win and an
insurmountable number of women filling his bed. Everything is perfect for
the illustrious fighter, until one day it all changes. In walks the girl from
his past, the same girl who promised to stick by him but left and never
looked back.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Their second chance to make things right will not come easy, for when one mistake
is made an unwelcome consequence soon follows. Someone out there wants to
rip them apart and they won’t stop until Matt and Shelby pay the ultimate price
… their love.<br />
<br />
Find the book here:<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20317145-fighting-for-love?ac=1">Goodreads</a> or </b><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Fighting%20for%20Love%20dover">Amazon</a> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKHMk11WQNRIm2sf2_ZnPjnbAmz89EX6E3OJ1-rDSLSFstjgXYmAM7H8jT5FgOGJWcMt25tolptE7Wgmv0IzxgmzoToZ4tfs8QSMSjdqWFJZ9-MT4Rh5Ju6O3ToQ06Xdvvi78YNdimvXM/s1600/pizap.com13938154701491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKHMk11WQNRIm2sf2_ZnPjnbAmz89EX6E3OJ1-rDSLSFstjgXYmAM7H8jT5FgOGJWcMt25tolptE7Wgmv0IzxgmzoToZ4tfs8QSMSjdqWFJZ9-MT4Rh5Ju6O3ToQ06Xdvvi78YNdimvXM/s1600/pizap.com13938154701491.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251356/" id="rc-d04251356" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_00KZ8SWIDONEYGS3SZ639XyeDKpa-9EJR6jjSy5xw1FrrDOUmQZmHKmaLI4A7624oSVT-GdyRFwrplp8EdEC25_a4kQm8Pfoz_uLn3qrpjk0F8YzOJAghICbi3E6N8RkyfYmHu2Ym-ju/s1600/LPDoverpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_00KZ8SWIDONEYGS3SZ639XyeDKpa-9EJR6jjSy5xw1FrrDOUmQZmHKmaLI4A7624oSVT-GdyRFwrplp8EdEC25_a4kQm8Pfoz_uLn3qrpjk0F8YzOJAghICbi3E6N8RkyfYmHu2Ym-ju/s1600/LPDoverpic.jpg" height="320" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">USA
Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North
Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even
began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment
of dental surgeries.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain
hikes, white water rafting, and you can't forget the passion for singing.
Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime
and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over nine novels
including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, and her
standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is
romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to
choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of
the Fae.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Where you can find L.P. Dover</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Facebook- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lpdover">https://www.facebook.com/lpdover</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Website- <a href="http://www.authorlpdoverbooks.com/">http://www.authorlpdoverbooks.com/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blog - <a href="http://www.lpdover.blogspot.com/">http://www.lpdover.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Twitter- <a href="https://twitter.com/LPDover">https://twitter.com/LPDover</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Goodreads- <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6526309.L_P_Dover">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6526309.L_P_Dover</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Amazon- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/L.P.-Dover/e/B00AFVV8TG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1380503353&sr=8-2-ent">http://www.amazon.com/L.P.-Dover/e/B00AFVV8TG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1380503353&sr=8-2-ent</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pinterest - <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/LPDover/">http://www.pinterest.com/LPDover/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCCkmw-DdPo8LbcS99_JYeMPvPiie0LDeXFAf0Gk3Gza6DEMPaWR-wlngLHYyCMgHmeURn0X0XMIjouCfaDh3l1QxJJkGXmybN3nfAk4fksGXhZBoPK3oGJBgcVNB4DjtBELgkSPi0H8A/s1600/XpressoBannerTours.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCCkmw-DdPo8LbcS99_JYeMPvPiie0LDeXFAf0Gk3Gza6DEMPaWR-wlngLHYyCMgHmeURn0X0XMIjouCfaDh3l1QxJJkGXmybN3nfAk4fksGXhZBoPK3oGJBgcVNB4DjtBELgkSPi0H8A/s1600/XpressoBannerTours.png" height="50" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-41023570036985454842014-03-07T05:00:00.001-05:002014-03-07T05:00:03.535-05:00Flawed Perfection<div style="text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]>--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New book by Cassandra Giovanni comes out today! Check it out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/release-button.jpg"><img alt="Release Button" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1980" src="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/release-button.jpg" height="181" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bobby Beckerson was the American All-Star hockey player--he was the spitting image of perfection to his family. Goofy, sweet and undeniably gorgeous, he had everything but the one girl he wanted: River Ahlers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She's been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she's stuck right in the middle of the brother's dueling over everything and anything, and she doesn't even know she's the ultimate prize.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girl's hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damaged, with boyish good-looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself--or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved a tragedy strikes that will break them all...</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18302556-flawed-perfection"><img alt="Goodreads-badge-add-plus" height="51" src="https://djgho45yw78yg.cloudfront.net/assets/badge/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47.png" style="margin-bottom: .5em; vertical-align: middle;" width="163" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/uhnI8vQ8jsA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/excerpt.jpg"><img alt="Excerpt" class="aligncenter wp-image-1983" src="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/excerpt.jpg" height="88" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I nodded my head and watched as Adam’s hand lingered on the neck of the Ibanez™ before he picked it back up and slipped the strap over his shoulder.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I sat on the edge of the bed as he began to play without an amplifier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">The noise was tinny without the electric part hooked up but that didn’t matter. Adam’s fingers moved effortlessly from fret to fret as he strummed the guitar. His head nodded ever so slightly to the beat and his bare foot tapped the floor as he closed his eyes and a smile formed on his lips.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I stood and placed my hands around his neck, yet he continued to play, nod his head and tap his foot with eyes closed. The only change was on his lips as they crept into the seductive grin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I leaned into him, letting my hands comb through the hair on the back of his head as my breath washed over his lips.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">Still nothing. The guitar continued to hum with his talent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I let my lips hover over his, then let them wander over the soft skin of his neck and up the stubble of his chin. The beat remained smooth, undisturbed as the strings squealed and he deepened the riff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I paused as my lips reached his again, lingering at the corner of his mouth where the cold metal of his lip ring teased me just as much as his fingers on the guitar.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I let my mouth run over the metal until it caught in my teeth and I sucked it in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">Finally, his body reacted tensing as he groaned—but his playing didn’t cease, didn’t change. He still resisted, hand strumming a tease over the strings next to the skin of my belly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">His mouth responded to mine as I let the ring and his lip slowly slip away from me. That was it— the guitar spun to his back and he yanked my hips to his own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">“I need you to play me like that guitar,” I gasped as his hand tilted my head and his tongue ran over my trembling neck.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">His other hand drifted down my torso.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Good, because I wasn’t done with my song,” he growled into my ear.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/giveaway.jpg"><img height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgWr3TmtI7_1FeAZS-xfqo-IMlM9UMfW2Y7eJadxvuH6FeI2SzBF6EhJl1D-rN0RlynSiDOM6eRfcuL0tAwoA_zntTeQ5fgLfrCYyFX0KdGE8qSGQnJ_sDT-u_h8QFhmWW3onLZq-1gPNym8xiK40uhHiTKKmHmxlgs-uyrAi2d=" width="200" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
1 International eBook & Paper Swag Pack</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ceaecb11/" id="rc-ceaecb11" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trajan Pro', 'serif';"><a href="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/about-the-author.jpg"><img alt="about the author" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1981" src="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/about-the-author.jpg" height="49" width="320" /></a></span></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/twitter-pic.jpg"><img alt="twitter pic" class="size-full wp-image-1988 alignright" src="http://cgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/twitter-pic.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextauthor6094287" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing <em>In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1)</em> and the Amazon bestselling thriller, <em>Walking in the Shadows. </em>In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, <em>The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1).</em> Cassandra released her first New Adult novel, <em>Love Exactly</em>, which became an Amazon Bestseller overnight in June of 2013. She's currently working on her new New Adult Contemporary Romance, <em>Beautifully Flawed</em>. The first novel in the series, <em>Flawed Perfection </em> is scheduled to be published on March 7, 2014.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of <strong> <a href="http://giodesignstudios.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Gio Design Studios Photography</a> </strong> and <strong> <a href="http://gdsmarketing.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Gio Design Studios Publication Marketing</a> </strong>. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cassandra can be found on:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/cassiegiovanni">Facebook </a>~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094287.Cassandra_Giovanni">Goodreads </a>~ <a href="https://twitter.com/cgiovanniauthor">@cgiovanniauthor</a></span></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
</h1>
<!--[if gte mso 9]>-->
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcgiovanniwrites.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fgiveaway.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgWr3TmtI7_1FeAZS-xfqo-IMlM9UMfW2Y7eJadxvuH6FeI2SzBF6EhJl1D-rN0RlynSiDOM6eRfcuL0tAwoA_zntTeQ5fgLfrCYyFX0KdGE8qSGQnJ_sDT-u_h8QFhmWW3onLZq-1gPNym8xiK40uhHiTKKmHmxlgs-uyrAi2d=" -->CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-7271518384378683482014-03-04T05:00:00.000-05:002014-03-04T05:00:06.270-05:00Control You by Jennifer Snyder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a new book by Jennifer Snyder coming out tomorrow. As you might know, I read and enjoyed her book <a href="http://steamingmugofbooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-review-catalyst-by-jennifer-snyder.html">The Catalyst</a>, which was Book#1 of a paranormal series. This new book is a romance novel and the blurb talks about both Tattoos and Snark so you know I am interested.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOlPF6l02BFPNkMWjkeW7ozYpGB_T0xTjWmVhooFHuwA2edsGJkcOhVHhjWhjDfFrTKrinY_Wi0r3NkUuoJCL6oGb9q1CyqYCDRbuxrvjzG7HH7vXJXx1eWy61WtCKxN__t0PLbYL8gy1/s1600/control+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOlPF6l02BFPNkMWjkeW7ozYpGB_T0xTjWmVhooFHuwA2edsGJkcOhVHhjWhjDfFrTKrinY_Wi0r3NkUuoJCL6oGb9q1CyqYCDRbuxrvjzG7HH7vXJXx1eWy61WtCKxN__t0PLbYL8gy1/s1600/control+you.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kind hearted and naive, Paige Jacobs wants what every girl
craves…to be loved. She uses this need to make excuses when her current
boyfriend goes from being a tad jealous and slightly overprotective
to stalker-ish. She isn’t that girl and Craig isn’t one of those
guys. Things are fine. Perfectly fine. Until the moment a dark-haired, tattooed hottie
with a snarky mouth walks into her life and tells her she deserves better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Confident and boldly spoken, Cameron Green has always been the guy bad
girls can’t get enough of and all the good girls want to tame. He’s lived
a lavish lifestyle filled with drugs, women, and alcohol up until his
destructive path finally caught up with him. Now Cameron isn’t sure what
to do with himself or how to dampen the longing for something
more festering inside of him since coming out of his drug-induced haze.
But when he meets a doe-eyed girl who gets past his walls like no
other, everything about him clicks into place.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Together the two learn there are emotions that hold within them all the power
to control you…</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251350/" id="rc-d04251350" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQz7IJFK98kn3NjYt1cPZ2Yzz6CCrs6gVBJrDhqnR1eyu_z68QHwyatf3VmFw-E_dH8URD0UdVSPwa2QGu1-MahBy__1RVjXBdr6nFbxx03gLjdkv517IQnk0BSJy4Xi9Os_WDNYu8L35/s1600/Jennifer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQz7IJFK98kn3NjYt1cPZ2Yzz6CCrs6gVBJrDhqnR1eyu_z68QHwyatf3VmFw-E_dH8URD0UdVSPwa2QGu1-MahBy__1RVjXBdr6nFbxx03gLjdkv517IQnk0BSJy4Xi9Os_WDNYu8L35/s1600/Jennifer.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jennifer
Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing
new adult and young adult fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on
top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes
and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two
children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat
and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.<br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Find out more about her latest novel by visiting her blog:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com/">http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other ways to connect with Jennifer:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorjennifersnyder">Facebook</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://twitter.com/jennsnyder04">Twitter @jennsnyder04</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19343480-control-you?ac=1">Goodreads</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Control+You+Jennifer+Snyder&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AControl+You+Jennifer+Snyder">Amazon</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/-Jennifer-Snyder?store=allproducts&keyword=+Jennifer+Snyder"></a><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/-Jennifer-Snyder?store=allproducts&keyword=+Jennifer+Snyder">Barnes and Noble</a></div>
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9ve-z_ET21YmVzJfhSM7Shr5tWHdXmiEgRj-W6bKqYEmz-YUKw-z2kAptXdweXCMMBEXUqF5G3rcvz6cOGcX7rDRvmuRGkdkuy1iKhX-LG5atAlvgG3AC-cuOedT1PtIxwnyRKld5yVV/s1600/XpressoBannerTours.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9ve-z_ET21YmVzJfhSM7Shr5tWHdXmiEgRj-W6bKqYEmz-YUKw-z2kAptXdweXCMMBEXUqF5G3rcvz6cOGcX7rDRvmuRGkdkuy1iKhX-LG5atAlvgG3AC-cuOedT1PtIxwnyRKld5yVV/s1600/XpressoBannerTours.png" height="81" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-4572406648983501982014-03-03T10:00:00.000-05:002014-03-03T10:40:44.407-05:00Book Review - Worth the Fight by Vi Keeland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KPR3CtaNJ_Dks2Y8MSAZF5mLouUWY14xtxLUlpp0Mj_01U9x-qA7amoFYIqYGkSvhmD6rKHwpJiGw2zgcs5nNJxdgZxYBcMJFDrFEwIwJWJtCASsZBCUSoGANLXkSZsfbndI1Si0YINm/s1600/worth+the+fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KPR3CtaNJ_Dks2Y8MSAZF5mLouUWY14xtxLUlpp0Mj_01U9x-qA7amoFYIqYGkSvhmD6rKHwpJiGw2zgcs5nNJxdgZxYBcMJFDrFEwIwJWJtCASsZBCUSoGANLXkSZsfbndI1Si0YINm/s1600/worth+the+fight.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It didn’t matter that the ref called it a clean hit. Nico Hunter would never be the same. <br /> <br /> Elle has a good life. A job she loves, a great apartment, and the guy she’s been dating for more than two years is a catch and a half. But it’s boring…and she strives to keep it that way. Too many emotions are dangerous. Her own past is living proof of what can happen when you lose control.<br /> <br /> Then Nico walks into Elle’s office and everything changes…for both of them. But what can the tattooed, hard-bodied MMA fighter and the beautiful and always steady attorney have in common? A lot more than they bargained for.”<br /><br />Look at that cover! Does that not look like a book written for me? I thought so. I participated in the cover reveal and purchased a copy as soon as it came out, but I only just got around to reading it this weekend. Unfortunately, after building my excitement, this book did not do it for me.<br /><br />Elle is a lawyer going through life making smart (and boring) decisions. One day, Nico comes into her office needing help with a contract and sparks fly. Nico is sexy and masculine but he has demons he is facing and Elle needs to figure out if she can get over her own past and be with him.<br /><br />As you can probably tell, the story line is rather cliché. BUT the book is about a MMA fighter and y’all know I have a weak spot for this type of fantasy guy so I went for it anyway because even the more unoriginal storylines can be great if done well. <br /><br />Unfortunately, this book fell short for me in a lot of ways making the general reading experience one of “Meh” and was instantly forgettable. In an effort to be as specific and fair as I can, I will share with you what I didn’t like or you can make up your own mind. <br /><br />The character development was weak. In fact, by the end of the book, I still didn’t have a good sense of who these people were outside of their relationship or why they liked each other. The only insights that I saw were ones that directly affected the story which for me didn’t work. I like more well roundedness in my characters.<br /><br />The writing style felt like a lot of random scenes pasted together. Some sections were longer and more thought out, others were short (a couple paragraphs long) and felt like they didn’t properly transition or have much place.<br /><br />There was a fair amount of redundancy is the wording as well as some inconsistencies that I had trouble overlooking. The timeline was especially hard to follow and left me scratching my head.<br /><br />There were a lot of places where I felt Vi skipped over parts instead of developing the story. For example: When we meet Elle she is in a friends with benefits relationship with another man. She breaks up with him, but instead of showing us the conversation which would have added a lot of good development and insight, she skipped over the whole conversation. There are other relationship building scenes that were cut and instead of showing us the development we were instead told the relationship was developing. <br /><br />I did not feel any chemistry or sexual tension that is absolutely necessary in an Alpha romance type book. Nada. No feels at all actually.<br /><br />Now, don’t get me wrong - It was readable and I did get through the whole book, but it was all rather “blah” for me. Hopefully, Vi will live and learn and the second book will be a lot better. I also want to point out that this book has gotten a lot of great reviews on Goodreads so maybe it’s just me (I don’t think it is, but maybe). I have presented you with my 2cents. Take it or leave it. <br /><br />If you want a really good book about an MMA fighter that was anything but blah – read Katy Evan’s Real series. Now Remington Motherfuckin’ Riptide Tate is an Alpha male that gets me excited and has no problem holding my attention!<br /><br />**<br /><br />Two Stars<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vikeeland.com/">http://www.vikeeland.com/</a></span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-50250324787232511822014-02-28T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-28T05:00:11.132-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueluBn22EhTWWaa7oUn92vX8Y8ZBfKxKBKh9OGL87yg6KYc7nUpolH03QYOuchrrATHCKp9t06nhXDhSzeYl3xDpQXJFr8tsypw1sI59l6U1ROgCoSfmLG7NGUuV4UCur7ircBIc-fNGc/s1600/tears+of+tess+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueluBn22EhTWWaa7oUn92vX8Y8ZBfKxKBKh9OGL87yg6KYc7nUpolH03QYOuchrrATHCKp9t06nhXDhSzeYl3xDpQXJFr8tsypw1sI59l6U1ROgCoSfmLG7NGUuV4UCur7ircBIc-fNGc/s1600/tears+of+tess+quote.JPG" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-37913924864342983532014-02-26T09:10:00.000-05:002014-02-26T09:10:58.537-05:00Blogger Discussion - Can Authors Be Bloggers?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGgatxfdXbCmKgUuGycQk2HMUV7_EkzVYxXFlGnBQFXxJAZ8cTGUwgKT1wig0MJF_cGUYvXHFqdMK1DbHI0me-mszMKNP6uG1KeGCDP828mdIy7JXY5hXiRpb4AM7wxTRF0fgVLoo8IZ0/s1600/blogger+discussion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGgatxfdXbCmKgUuGycQk2HMUV7_EkzVYxXFlGnBQFXxJAZ8cTGUwgKT1wig0MJF_cGUYvXHFqdMK1DbHI0me-mszMKNP6uG1KeGCDP828mdIy7JXY5hXiRpb4AM7wxTRF0fgVLoo8IZ0/s1600/blogger+discussion.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As many of you already know, I am working on a book which I hope to publish later this year (still much to be done on that front). As part of my planning, I have had to consider many, many things - more than I ever imagined. There is a lot of research to be done and things to figure out and as I stumble my way through, one question in particular has been weighing heavy on my mind. I am not entirely sure the answer and I would love some feedback...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Can authors be bloggers?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My initial thought was "Yes, why not? If I still have time that is," but after pondering long and hard on the topic, I started thinking "Well, maybe not."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my rationale and I am hoping you can weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would not yet consider myself to be an author because I am yet to be published, therefore, I will not pretend to know what it feels like to be an author or understand how it changes one's mindset. However, I imagine that if/when I publish my first book, my place in the book community will subtly shift. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My title will change and thus people's perception of me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My interactions will change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My promotional needs will change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will gain more author friends increasing my bias.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I might even start looking at book blogging in an entirely different light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would hope that I could separate my author self from my blogging self and still be unbiased enough to give that honest feedback that you have all come to expect from me, BUT...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As unbiased as I attempt to be, will my position as a new author automatically cast a shadow over my credibility? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I make friends with more authors will it limit who and what I can review? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will favoritism be assumed even if I make all attempts to rid my posts of such bias? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Further, I also wonder about my place in the blog commenting sphere. Bloggers have been saying forever that it is best for authors to NOT comment on reviews in an effort to make this a drama free, open forum. As I shift into a new role, will commenting become a gray area?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Should I instead stick to sharing my FEELS on Twitter and Goodreads which would allow me to be involved and make suggestions, but in a more informal, and possibly more appropriate way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I need your help here! I absolutely love blogging and I do not want to give it up, but I love writing more and I hope I have a future there. I want to make sure that I take these next steps in the most respectful way. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks!</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-20536369050782641112014-02-24T09:26:00.001-05:002014-02-24T09:26:54.024-05:00Series Review - Inside Out by Lisa Renee Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazq-OtebyBnPctmPVXj7wuLMjI8uCHrj2g0wyrBydx_g_jPIRKoISbQBh6UIHxdjotpMqsTMBdHJ8MUVm5PYheUSLT4fqtgRmu_MXUa7-ewNasSaVJypGSSpEGK5We6_iCGzttr97ETrk/s1600/if+i+were+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazq-OtebyBnPctmPVXj7wuLMjI8uCHrj2g0wyrBydx_g_jPIRKoISbQBh6UIHxdjotpMqsTMBdHJ8MUVm5PYheUSLT4fqtgRmu_MXUa7-ewNasSaVJypGSSpEGK5We6_iCGzttr97ETrk/s1600/if+i+were+you.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQKTCSAb-muBjXXh_IT_0nOdU-IxW7fWxGbsSNiR3PqnHeJ-ZOJTERxs44bXoNAybC9S9Z_tJE2u0b4ffKWJ8VKF_NnTWX13Y56yTcRUUQJlnbtnJsHz18Q5XCYEs-SoYffC8pcFHvdvP/s1600/being+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQKTCSAb-muBjXXh_IT_0nOdU-IxW7fWxGbsSNiR3PqnHeJ-ZOJTERxs44bXoNAybC9S9Z_tJE2u0b4ffKWJ8VKF_NnTWX13Y56yTcRUUQJlnbtnJsHz18Q5XCYEs-SoYffC8pcFHvdvP/s1600/being+me.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“When Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry.<br /> <br /> Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life. Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more.”<br /><br />I am extremely conflicted about the Inside Out series by Lisa Renee Jones. As part of the dark romance kick I have been on lately, I picked up these books after receiving recommendations for Lisa’s work from blogger friends as well as hearing a lot of positive feedback on Goodreads. I read the first one, If I Were You, on my plane ride home from Jackson Hole this month and quickly purchased and read through books #2 and #3, Being Me and Revealing Us, the following week. Last but not least, I picked up the novella, His Secrets, from Net Galley and finished it quickly this past weekend.<br /><br />I absolutely loved the first book! <br /><br />Sara is shown journals written by a woman named Rebecca who has gone missing. The journals tell the story of Rebecca’s spiral into the darkness that is the BDSM world. Curious about her story and desperate to find out if Rebecca is okay; Sara decides to investigate her disappearance and soon finds herself living Rebecca’s life. <br /><br />This concept was new to me and I found it very interesting. Lisa created an unsettled feeling in me with her use of journal entries to unravel the mystery and parallel the womens’ confusion about the controlling men in their lives. There were secrets, emotional struggles, and gorgeous men and it had me on the edge of my seat turning the pages.<br /><br />If I Were You ended with a cliffhanger and I immediately picked up book #2 and flew through it, gobbling it up. Being Me added additional drama with plot twists and crazy side characters that was suspenseful, but I didn’t find necessary. Because of her past experiences with her father and ex-boyfriend, Sara was deeply conflicted by the new relationships she was developing with Chris, a sexy artist, and Mark, a gallery manager who was also her new boss. She was scared by the idea of being controlled by these men in her life and she wasn’t sure who she could trust. Those issues created natural drama which was dark, laced with desire, and drew me in. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzkkjue3eqfuW8DcB3oUZdVsnGbwGhKe83qiLmBePOKXq-Eq6OnOQQu1J3_hNeQvByYJtp1NX-VheYV0HSiyynnPRkG7ShqBIof-Ttf9mDxf2ltQs4dR5pe0H7eF-mPu6BQS-HlBMXqNf/s1600/his+secrets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzkkjue3eqfuW8DcB3oUZdVsnGbwGhKe83qiLmBePOKXq-Eq6OnOQQu1J3_hNeQvByYJtp1NX-VheYV0HSiyynnPRkG7ShqBIof-Ttf9mDxf2ltQs4dR5pe0H7eF-mPu6BQS-HlBMXqNf/s1600/his+secrets.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4RPfvrrwe-8m0nfKFH3ZKXlRP8Un1BVAWzAMyB0JMXxOu-MhVEfh521aN1fZbMunTXIc-1RTJJT6PoEcaKt775iCw1D3_5OojHUbWtoE_WmA_AFfMxNTfuj5XDFV-4tglhmCK5rJfUZ4/s1600/revealing+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4RPfvrrwe-8m0nfKFH3ZKXlRP8Un1BVAWzAMyB0JMXxOu-MhVEfh521aN1fZbMunTXIc-1RTJJT6PoEcaKt775iCw1D3_5OojHUbWtoE_WmA_AFfMxNTfuj5XDFV-4tglhmCK5rJfUZ4/s1600/revealing+us.jpg" height="200" width="127" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />When additional dramas came into play, especially in Book #3 – Revealing Us, I found myself annoyed more often than not. If you like high drama books, then, go for it! You will love these books. I prefer my drama to be more subtle and realistic and by the third book, I couldn’t believe what was happening and it made me lose some of the interest I had at the start of the series. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I also thought this series could have used some editing and would have worked better as a duology. I have a lower than average tolerance for redundancy and I felt by Book #3 there was a lot of repetition with the characters constantly having the same conversations. If some of that was removed, it would have made the story have a stronger forward movement.<br /><br />His Secret, the novella written from Chris’ point of view, released today. I was happy to see this was a continuation of the story instead of a repeat of previous plot points from his POV. Chris is a big mystery throughout the series and I loved getting inside his head. I would have loved to see more of his POV earlier on in the series. However, this novella was very short (I read it in an hour) and by the end there were still unanswered questions (like what the heck happened to Ella?!). Overall, I would say it is a fun read and a nice addition and if you are a fan of the series, definitely worth checking out.<br /><br />At the end of the day, I am not sure how to rate this series. It started off as a strong 5 star, but slipped to more like a 3 star by the end. I think Lisa is a great story builder and character creator and I am certainly interested in checking out more of her work. I hate to compare books to others in their genre, but I agree that if you like the Fifty Shades or the Crossfire series, you should check this series out. I found it darker and more interesting than those others.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lisareneejones.com/">http://www.lisareneejones.com/</a></span></div>
</div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-53159132270628044482014-02-21T05:00:00.002-05:002014-02-21T05:00:08.945-05:00Alabama Sons by E.A. Whitehead<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out this debut book by E.A. Whitehead! Everyone loves southern boys.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.smibookclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/alabama-sons-blog-tour-button.jpg"><img alt="Young couple on picnic at forest" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8713" src="http://www.SMIBookClub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/alabama-sons-blog-tour-button.jpg" height="323" width="488" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alabama-Sons-E-A-Whitehead-ebook/dp/B00HXGWWGE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390188563&sr=8-2&keywords=alabama+sons" target="_blank"><img alt="Alabama Sons Cover" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8510" src="http://www.SMIBookClub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Alabama-Sons-Cover.jpg" height="624" width="488" /></a></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Penny Wilmot leads a simple life. Together with her widowed father and best friend Boone they run a small U-Pick farm. She never asked for much, and certainly wasn't looking for him...
Jackson Hawkes lives his life at one steady speed: fast. On a mission to find his father, he takes a road trip and ends up finding himself with a new band, a new job and a new dream.
The two meet by accident and begin a romantic adventure in the summer heat of Alabama. But what happens when the pair find out that they have the one thing in common that took their whole worlds away from them?
Death. It takes things away, but can it bring the two together?
Join Penny and her sons of Alabama in a turbulent journey of love and loss..</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gMoUCgMT2eQ?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18161513-alabama-sons" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><img alt="AddtoGoodreads" class="size-full wp-image-2751 alignleft" src="http://www.SMIBookClub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/AddtoGoodreads.png" height="41" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alabama-Sons-E-A-Whitehead-ebook/dp/B00HXGWWGE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390188563&sr=8-2&keywords=alabama+sons" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVORlX4tafQfvguIfa7QUPiiis-8HuhTqckxCCx-hDzSFCpxBj6hvYl09nwLcueCCzZEPpuCYE8rsgmsHXGAwBHcJnXKSTSlyUkuqq1FKx-_0QX5HiX-nNmThrOBhf7L2FJR_FaVuS2sj7/s200/Amazon.jpg" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alabama-sons-e-a-whitehead/1118136431?ean=2940148110804" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyn35mj0ljuwQGccwswkEFrh1fXXE9ga6tbmiwLvQIXSDENL-8LteD-SxGRu8GKmv2g8hyCmB0vKRx1HMzfwrWP-I8wowsuq7aTpDwG2NRi7p4Lh9GqhW9X5yhYEbrPaSI_3N40TaxwpS/s200/barnes-and-noble-logo.jpg" height="100" width="100" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alabama-sons-e-a-whitehead/1118136431?ean=2940148110804" target="_blank"><img alt="kobo_logo" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-8714 aligncenter" src="http://www.SMIBookClub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/kobo_logo-150x150.jpg" height="150" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
----------------------------------------------------</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Author Bio:</span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">E.A. Whitehead is the author of Alabama Sons, book one of The Sons Trilogy. She spends an unhealthy amount of time ‘pinning’ things and getting lost in a fantasy world where everything is DIY and she owns a 12-room house to decorate. She obsesses over hockey (go Bruins!), all things Harry Potter, and her cats Little Bear and Baby Girl. She also believes that Wanderlust will cure your soul, live your dreams passionately!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.eawhitehead.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eawhitehead">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ea_whitehead">Twitter </a>| <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7161263.E_A_Whitehead?from_search=true">Goodreads</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">
</span></span><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js" type="text/javascript"></script><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/97d19d6/" id="rc-97d19d6" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://smipromotions.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/alabama-sons-blog-tour.html">Follow the tour here</a>!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://smipromotions.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="SMI Promotions main logo" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-7066" src="http://www.SMIBookClub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SMI-Promotions-main-logo-300x74.jpg" height="74" width="300" /></a></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-20036654894549339162014-02-21T05:00:00.001-05:002014-02-21T05:00:03.127-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I could fill every week for the rest of the year with quotes from The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan. I won't but here are a few of my favorites. Thank you <a href="http://thereaddicts.blogspot.com/">The Readdicts</a> for reminding me...</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tCLVjA6Eb8hp_wgwbREylzGzSNtxBI4Mxwr0TUdhvzn55cEcnoLb4r91m1SdEJRA9k_Ci1xnxJZ63tpKtQhbFwRZI1SRAwuGTSFxmKLvCznLaiVB2RCqXNx0PRPkGSoaCSvBtUS36Lpk/s1600/TLD+%231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tCLVjA6Eb8hp_wgwbREylzGzSNtxBI4Mxwr0TUdhvzn55cEcnoLb4r91m1SdEJRA9k_Ci1xnxJZ63tpKtQhbFwRZI1SRAwuGTSFxmKLvCznLaiVB2RCqXNx0PRPkGSoaCSvBtUS36Lpk/s1600/TLD+%231.JPG" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxVUBq_FWDasc_MopfyPzxgpiQ1sUphIDJElDbIHsZCI9_x6CsdQhG4drM-9TR-amDroIEZH6ljxxJ1lbxoUpqzKsdZoXS7a8qKk3hr4RMHXxsaaZQy1DSHbfZXfBrulrmaReFmfyjGsu/s1600/TLD+%232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxVUBq_FWDasc_MopfyPzxgpiQ1sUphIDJElDbIHsZCI9_x6CsdQhG4drM-9TR-amDroIEZH6ljxxJ1lbxoUpqzKsdZoXS7a8qKk3hr4RMHXxsaaZQy1DSHbfZXfBrulrmaReFmfyjGsu/s1600/TLD+%232.JPG" height="202" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0CVk04dVZuNU9U1tsT4_PJu4hIXdxt7gjaDHd8hLRBKlW1UnoFimlgyoXa1Ncy-xfuzJt_s3fbU4qpI8EyGUv1NV_0wAmdKeHUlSyFEx8eKve5rkYMHLl1ToYhZDxE5sBnyyJe7fmYcM/s1600/TLD+%233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0CVk04dVZuNU9U1tsT4_PJu4hIXdxt7gjaDHd8hLRBKlW1UnoFimlgyoXa1Ncy-xfuzJt_s3fbU4qpI8EyGUv1NV_0wAmdKeHUlSyFEx8eKve5rkYMHLl1ToYhZDxE5sBnyyJe7fmYcM/s1600/TLD+%233.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXd58TquPVUj50sSWLmS0GQCU48XjOazo4PUBG1ri0ve-EbKF2C2UkbtqTJfoUfw70YKCLaLberNG1Ph5sUpRstlxjqEvwwL9dFIYnyxuHCH34-OItelIl0Molj8dd6-E8j6DcxWDAGL_F/s1600/TLD+%234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXd58TquPVUj50sSWLmS0GQCU48XjOazo4PUBG1ri0ve-EbKF2C2UkbtqTJfoUfw70YKCLaLberNG1Ph5sUpRstlxjqEvwwL9dFIYnyxuHCH34-OItelIl0Molj8dd6-E8j6DcxWDAGL_F/s1600/TLD+%234.JPG" height="161" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPeCy-OSuh5F6Tz53MeOiF8R6a_Xyu01vYbUdT4fP2qbQ2y1uKDZ61BATn2cwEC97ARy-x1JMS3cCKrQKVSWZasNULMPMAtjz-YFhLOqUQm2C_O-e_41waNhsALPyuoSZQox0r0iDJ-6N/s1600/TLD+%23+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPeCy-OSuh5F6Tz53MeOiF8R6a_Xyu01vYbUdT4fP2qbQ2y1uKDZ61BATn2cwEC97ARy-x1JMS3cCKrQKVSWZasNULMPMAtjz-YFhLOqUQm2C_O-e_41waNhsALPyuoSZQox0r0iDJ-6N/s1600/TLD+%23+6.JPG" height="204" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will you read this book already?</span></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-50512352609807366672014-02-19T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-19T05:00:00.634-05:00Book Review - The Reluctant Dom by Tymber Dalton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzc5CRyk5d5SOX-LDwLTc_aYc1lUoRzesaRNxxcNWCgA3w2RUP0CA4ae7Hb-o7eIfRx2BvyZgbTIraBZArvhbZDOzSpukCl068_-Xm8bGTGDGRo2bptuEP3nj4nmqRJuBmU6keHuN8xx-/s1600/the+reluctant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzc5CRyk5d5SOX-LDwLTc_aYc1lUoRzesaRNxxcNWCgA3w2RUP0CA4ae7Hb-o7eIfRx2BvyZgbTIraBZArvhbZDOzSpukCl068_-Xm8bGTGDGRo2bptuEP3nj4nmqRJuBmU6keHuN8xx-/s1600/the+reluctant.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Love hurts...if you're lucky.<br /> <br /> Kaden knows he's dying, but before he goes, he has one problem he needs to solve - he must ask his oldest friend Seth to take over as his beloved wife's Dom and Master after his death.<br /> <br /> Seth has always seen himself as the perpetual screw-up and Kaden as the strong and steady one, so his friend's request rocks his world. Now Seth finds himself immersed in a role he's far from comfortable with: inflicting pain to provide emotional comfort for the woman he's secretly loved for years. Can he deal with his crushing grief and learn the skills he must master in time to become the reluctant dom?”<br /><br />This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting… In a good way. If you are thinking – No way! This is not the book for me. Do not click away yet. Give me a second to explain….<br /><br />After hearing a lot of positive feedback about The Reluctant Dom and seeing it constantly pop up on various Goodreads’ List, I added this book to my TBR thinking it might be interesting. However, I was reluctant to read it (see what I did there?) because I was afraid it might be little more than shallow, shock value, erotica which I am happy to pass on in favor of more story rich novels. <br /><br />So I put it off. <br /><br />And put it off. <br /><br />Until finally, I found myself with a very large Amazon gift card balance (Thanks, Katy!) and a desire to read something a bit twisted (I have been on a kick lately as you may have noticed). My husband was spending the day snowboarding Jackson Hole and I found myself in a lodge by a fire with a glass of wine in hand and thought “What the heck?” and one-clicked. <br /><br />I quickly discovered that this book was a lot more than I expected and was instantly sucked in.<br /><br />Kaden receives news that he is dying of cancer. His first thought is of who will take care of his wife when he is gone. She is his submissive and he, her master, and she relies on him to survive her emotional struggles. His best friend, Seth, is the only man he trusts for the job, but it is a lot to ask of someone and a lot to teach in a short period of time. Can Seth learn all that needs to be taught? And is he willing?<br /><br />The wine and fire were not the only thing warming my cheeks while I read. This book is explicit. Be warned. <br /><br />BUT… <br /><br />It is not just a string of sex scenes looped together like I feared. There is a real story and emotional journey throughout The Reluctant Dom that made this book way more interesting than I ever imagined it would be. This book has HEART! a lot of T&A… but also, HEART!<br /><br />Seth has to deal with not only the imminent death of his best friend but also face deep down feelings about his friend’s wife. While trying to battle his emotions, he must learn and try to understand a whole world of pleasure, pain, and control that he was never previously exposed to and he is not sure he can open himself up to. He must deal with overwhelming feelings of guilt, desire, fear, and loss. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster and even had me shedding a few tears. <br /><br />I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not scared off by mature content. Do not be fooled into thinking this is just another book about BDSM - it is a book about friendship, trust, and survival. It goes deeper than any other book on the subject I have read before.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Five Stars<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">*****</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tymberdalton.com/">http://www.tymberdalton.com/</a></span></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-8658597804692084162014-02-18T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-18T09:21:14.456-05:00Top Ten Tuesday - Blogger/Reader Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> </span><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">The Broke and Bookish</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">) is Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Blogger/Reader. Considering i just registered for BEA this is a perfectly fitting topic!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Blogger</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. <b>No More Flying Blind</b> - Since becoming a part of the book blogging world, I almost never read books that haven't first been recommended to me or that are by authors that I know and love. This has drastically improved my reader success rate and I find I am reading more and more books that I love. There are so many books and so little time and reading the reviews and recommendations allows me to pick out gems.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. <b>Deeper Insight </b>- I read books differently now that I am a blogger. I look at them front many angles, dissect them more, and discuss them with others. All of that has lead me to become a better reader and writer (I think, I hope).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. <b>More Books</b> - I am not going to try to pretend that free books and ARCs given to me along with constant social media notifications of book sales so I can snatch up deals on my own does not motivate me. I am a book hoarder and the more books I can get my hands on the better. My book ownership has skyrocketed this past year and knowing I have a tablet full of awesomeness makes me warm and fuzzy inside. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. <b>Authors</b> - Realizing authors are normal people has been rather eye opening. I used to put them on a pedestal and be intimidated by their creativity, but I now see that they have fears and imperfections and like hearing positive feedback just like me and that is refreshing. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also can't get over how cool it is to interact with authors and my fangirling has definitely increased. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. <b>The People</b> - I have met so many awesome folks this past year, several of which I am fortunate enough to now consider friends. I am thrilled to have found a group of people who "get me" and I love all the interactions. Having people to obsess and sequel and rant with this AMAZING! Thank you, thank you, thank you!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Reader</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. <b>Knowledge</b> - I love to learn and reading is a great way to do that. Even romance novels can teach you something: random trivia, new words, occupations and locations. It also sparks interests to go explore further elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. <b>Going Place and Living Different Lives</b> - The George Martin quote “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies... The man who never reads lives only one.” says it best. I love the ability to get out of my own life and experience another. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. <b>Entertainment - </b> It's simple. Books are entertaining. I am never bored when I am reading. I think my husband sometimes gets annoyed when he gets antsy and I can sit still reading for hours on end and be perfectly content. I also love opening a book after a long day at work and being absorbed in the story and forgetting everything else.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. <b>Community</b> - Being a reader allows me to support a community of awesome people doing the thing that love to do and I like knowing the money I spend on this hobby helps allow that.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The FEELS</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - When a book can take you on an emotional rollercoaster and make your insides do flips? THAT is something special! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do YOU love about blogging/reading? Tell me in the comments!</span></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-18136746371653961832014-02-14T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-14T05:00:00.101-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Zreqwe8z7aE69-98-7hGPftv6T3x0sGOsO09TSjnG9VtIDeIf5w_3axdGatevuVfo-GPCZfPwn8jahELOi1AZfb55jXQdPL5rBsd37aQMF0R4hggHAvG44EmrM2gWiRTXmKbyojdeCxy/s1600/raw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Zreqwe8z7aE69-98-7hGPftv6T3x0sGOsO09TSjnG9VtIDeIf5w_3axdGatevuVfo-GPCZfPwn8jahELOi1AZfb55jXQdPL5rBsd37aQMF0R4hggHAvG44EmrM2gWiRTXmKbyojdeCxy/s1600/raw.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-54058909958372677152014-02-11T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-11T05:00:02.546-05:00Top Ten Tuesday - Swoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> </span><a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">The Broke and Bookish</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;">) is Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon. This is a tough list to narrow down because I read many swoon-worthy books. Here are a few I came up with:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bGJCuTbJU3jMa_X53WJ-2dAscvvWZmgl91268tk1PK32EcJWunWg3QRrWG2069FkTXHHjdtMh2JAl7nzpA8Qw6g47Skaj51YCr7uZvecxfCbIAiWV-OWWWAmsd-9jggcIcB0KNz41zZt/s1600/ttt+swoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bGJCuTbJU3jMa_X53WJ-2dAscvvWZmgl91268tk1PK32EcJWunWg3QRrWG2069FkTXHHjdtMh2JAl7nzpA8Qw6g47Skaj51YCr7uZvecxfCbIAiWV-OWWWAmsd-9jggcIcB0KNz41zZt/s1600/ttt+swoon.JPG" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. <b>Hopeless by Colleen Hoover</b> – The non-kiss, kiss scene? If that doesn’t knock the air out of your lungs, I’m not sure anything will.<br /><br />2. <b>Real by Katy Evans</b> – Three words – Remington Riptide Tate! I get hot just thinking about him.<br /><br />3.<b> Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire</b> – Many people will probably disagree with me here, but Travis Maddox definitely had me swooning. <br /><br />4. <b>Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens </b>– Obviously, Kellan Kyle needs to make the list – my favorite book boyfriend of all time!<br /><br />5. <b>Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles</b> – Alex and his motorcycle? Yes, please!<br /><br />6. <b>Rule by Jay Crownover</b> – And all the other Marked Men. They are delicious and sweet and heart flutteringly good!<br /><br />7. <b>Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins</b> – A cute Brit living in France? Etienne is the definition of swoon-worthy.<br /><br />8.<b> Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino</b> – Will Ryan is a smart, sexy, caring musician. Mia doesn’t deserve him. <br /><br />9. <b>Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder</b> – This book had my heart in a vice and I couldn’t catch my breath.<br /><br />10. <b>Slammed by Colleen Hoover</b> – Colleen is the queen of swoon. All her books are heart meltingly sweet.<br /><br />What are some of your favorite swoon-worthy books? Is your heart pitter pattering just thinking about some of the books on my list?</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-72923675902693295772014-02-10T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-10T05:00:08.422-05:00Book Review - RAW by Belle Aurora<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXLapcqNqHfpsVTx8jGhCp6as76wQzrPVDPYm3fh-kycN7dcJe_7U41DQTEBVpRbOxw0WEVdTkC91birz5MdCllyf7G7zPM-f01BkwrS4NS1GxM7UX5kgIOPEx7oc0eMnkic3B4tL-1pv/s1600/raw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXLapcqNqHfpsVTx8jGhCp6as76wQzrPVDPYm3fh-kycN7dcJe_7U41DQTEBVpRbOxw0WEVdTkC91birz5MdCllyf7G7zPM-f01BkwrS4NS1GxM7UX5kgIOPEx7oc0eMnkic3B4tL-1pv/s1600/raw.JPG" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Growing up the way I did, you’d think I’d be more screwed up than what I actually am.<br /> Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street.<br /> Best decision I ever made.<br /> Now, at the age of twenty six, I’m educated, employed and damn good at my job.<br /> My friends have become my family. Like me, they know what it’s like to grow up unloved.<br /> But the saying is true.<br /> The world makes way for those who know where they are going.<br /> That’s me.<br /> I know where I’m going and I’ll get there eventually. On my own terms and at my own pace.<br /> But then there’s him.<br /> I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me.<br /> He makes me feel.<br /> It’s unconventional.<br /> But it’s real.<br /> I’m sure you’re wondering how a person falls in love with their stalker.<br /> So am I.<br /> This isn’t a story.<br /> This is my life.”<br /><br />I am still, weeks later, not entirely sure how I feel about RAW. This review will probably be useless, and gather incoherent, to most of you. I apologize in advance.<br /><br />RAW is about Lexi, a social worker who is being stalked. Her stalker, Twitch, keeps his distance until one day, while Lexi is being attacked, he interferes and saves her. She feels an unexplainable attraction towards him and even though he warns her off, she cannot stay away. <br /><br />I found this story to be extremely entertaining and literally struggled to put it down, “twitch”ing with need to find out what would happen next. For that alone, it deserves a few stars.<br /><br />Add another star for Twitch who was crazy hot. Tattooed business man who was bad to the bone. 100% alpha and 100% fucked in the head. And don’t be fooled, Twitch is not a hero, he is pure villain. <br /><br />Lexi? I can’t really even remember Lexi that well because I was too focused on Twitch. She wasn’t the brightest (you know, getting involved with her stalker and all) but she didn’t annoy me at all which was good.<br /><br />Be warned, there are some plot issues that could be eye roll inducing, but again… TWITCH! Who cares about plot issues? When TWITCH!<br /><br />Also be warned, read the last page at your own risk. That last page completely screwed with my head and I hate Bella Aurora for it. <br /><br />Also, piercings. <br /><br />That is all.<br /><br />Four Stars<br /><br />****<br /><br /> </span><br /> CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-81990657313071622372014-02-07T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-07T05:00:12.034-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcwUBJID_FZThUxBqGAgrXIl7K4suIIZgpF3STDNl_-LL6bPCROC7zV_ApLyXO_sd9CVdAihsC9WdtIR4qjYPqZBh9eKwokiuOBXRmsuQZ8l3VErx_t1pbLHi72FA-s4k17-UaI42_32a/s1600/theopportunist+quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcwUBJID_FZThUxBqGAgrXIl7K4suIIZgpF3STDNl_-LL6bPCROC7zV_ApLyXO_sd9CVdAihsC9WdtIR4qjYPqZBh9eKwokiuOBXRmsuQZ8l3VErx_t1pbLHi72FA-s4k17-UaI42_32a/s1600/theopportunist+quote.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-2007053774227751242014-02-05T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-05T05:00:00.066-05:00Unraveled by Jen Frederick - Cover Model Q&A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The latest Woodland Series book came out last month and we got to interview the handsome cover model, Lance Paul. So much more than a pretty face... and abs.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYMgmsRbHNChMx3yYqYjtjMzKfMGOCKiC2SsRVtJH9BCuMgfqCws7_70CMa9Nc6K_YOFIBtsKWFWIz9aUdGUleWyUdNPzwBuPfN1wJ5__cvlKoouyKBJeIhlujZEDLcH3pK0et16UxlRI/s1600/unraveled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYMgmsRbHNChMx3yYqYjtjMzKfMGOCKiC2SsRVtJH9BCuMgfqCws7_70CMa9Nc6K_YOFIBtsKWFWIz9aUdGUleWyUdNPzwBuPfN1wJ5__cvlKoouyKBJeIhlujZEDLcH3pK0et16UxlRI/s1600/unraveled.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuWMJ-KkkBmoKAB9ZowmvwPvCt0qGA-xVEfTkjKxbNN6FdWClgVfQPrm-PZYEDFyNANNCySig3v5Q3-g2-I1JltU8zJCgDRGAHJaQ9TnxKG2qdJ547vTKAfY0KkkA0Ord1CsVwQQD4E2B/s1600/lance+paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuWMJ-KkkBmoKAB9ZowmvwPvCt0qGA-xVEfTkjKxbNN6FdWClgVfQPrm-PZYEDFyNANNCySig3v5Q3-g2-I1JltU8zJCgDRGAHJaQ9TnxKG2qdJ547vTKAfY0KkkA0Ord1CsVwQQD4E2B/s1600/lance+paul.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi Lance! We are so excited to have this opportunity to get to know you better. We have just a few </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">questions for you. To begin, can you tell us how you became involved with Jen Frederick and the Unraveled Cover?</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, I was found by the amazing photographer David Wagner, and he reached out to me to be a part of the Shoot. At the time I did not know it was for a Jen Frederick book cover. <br /><br /><b>You mentioned that your mother is a big fan of the series, which book is her favorite? Does she brag to her friends that you are on the cover?</b><br /><br />I did, my mother is a big fan of the “Woodlands series,” so this is a little bit of a big deal for her. She has just started bragging to her friends, she belongs to a book club and has told all of them about it. <br /><br /><b>Your bio is quite extensive as an actor/model/producer. What are the attributes of each that you like the best?</b><br /><br />Great question, well I started my career off as a fitness model and everything has developed from that initial competition I competed in. Everything life has thrown me in my career has been a blessing. Modeling helped me pay for college and introduced me to stage acting and producing developed from that. My degree was in Financing and that has helped me with the financial side of producing, and while I was in college I had my first bite of the acting bug. <br /><br />Through the years I have learned to loved all aspects of the my career. When I’m in front of the camera modeling I am using my abilities to convey emotion and feelings through my look. While acting I am creating characters that entertains and makes people who watch feel something. Then producing allows me to use my love of puzzles and find the fastest and most proficient way to finish a project. A great example of this would be finding a cost efficient way to land a crew in Syria to cover refugees for my documentary, “Growing up Refugee.” <br /><br /><b>Do you have to get your head in a particular mindset when you’re in a shoot?</b> <br /><br />Yes, of course. It doesn’t matter if I’m in front of the camera for a photoshoot or film, I take both just as serious and let myself become the character I am portraying. <br /><br /><b>What was being in the shoot like? Is it uncomfortable to bare so much skin?</b><br /><br />You can never bare too much skin! :) <br /><br /><b>In Unraveled, the hero has very close male friends who he bonded with while in the Marines. Do you have a group of friends that you would do anything for? </b><br /><br />I do actually, I grew up in Naples Florida and even though my buddies and I have went our different directions we still keep in contact with each other. I’ll actually be visiting two of my best buddies this year in London and Japan. <br /><br /><b>The book features a scene where the guys construct a slip n slide out of tarps and air mattresses. Sounds fun, Right? So, we ask: "What's your craziest DIY project?"</b><br /><br />That sounds amazing! It reminds me of a similar DIY slip n Slide my fraternity brothers and I created in the main lobby of our fraternity house. That was crazy good time. We had a whole themed party around it. <br /><br />The Hero in this series, tried to pick up knitting to impress his girl. Name one thing you have done to impress a girl that your friends would tease you for. <br /><br />Well I have recently taken up gourmet cooking and have been learning French to impress my current girlfriend. Nourrir, parler français à elle et elle est heureuse.<br /><br /><b>What's it like to be the embodiment of one of Jen's sexiest guys to date. Sgt. Phillips is a dirty talker.... Ladies, want to know... On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your skill level of dirty talking?</b><br /><br />It is amazing being part of Jen’s world. I am very thankful for the opportunity and readers rest assured I am a 10 on the dirty talking scale when the times calls for it. It wasn’t just my amazing cooking that landed me my dream girl. <br /><br /><b>Women are swooning over the cover of Unraveled. Have you been recognized as the cover model? How do you handle women “swooning” over you?</b> <br /><br />I have not been noticed as of yet, but that could be due to me being stuck in Detroit during the Polar vortex on a project. As with everything I try and handle women “swooning” with respect and never take advantage of any situation. <br /><br /><b>Out of the movies that have been produced, is there one role you would have loved to play? </b><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Opposite of Myself. It was a refreshing role and I look forward to the movies release later in the year. <br /><br /> I approach film financing and producing very differently then others, my main goal behind helping creating projects is to further my acting career. So when I attach myself to a project I usually have a role set in mind. My favorite as of yet was the role of Cain in “Buried Cain,” it allowed me to deeply embrace a character who handles his life situations in the polar opposite of myself. I look forward to the “Buried Cain” release later in the year. <br /><br /><b>We would love to see more of your work. Can you share with us a few of your favorite finished photo shoots? or candids?</b><br /><br />I definitely can. I hope you enjoy the pictures I have enclosed. <br /><br />Thank you again for taking the time to answer our questions. We are enthusiastic about seeing more of you. Good Luck to you and all of your future endeavors. <br /><br />Thank you! I appreciate that, and the same to you girls. <br /><br /><b>Finally, one last question. Are you single? :-)</b><br /><br />Unfortunately readers I am in an amazing relationship with a very special girl.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Find more information about Lance at: <br /><br />FB- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lance-Paul/286027823145">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lance-Paul/286027823145</a><br /><br />Twitter- <a href="https://twitter.com/Lance_Paul">https://twitter.com/Lance_Paul</a><br /><br />instagram- <a href="http://instagram.com/imlancepaul">http://instagram.com/imlancepaul</a><br /><br />IMDB- <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3859501/">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3859501/</a></span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-15156110622608368752014-02-04T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-04T05:00:08.091-05:00Top Ten Tuesday - Tearjerkers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcVmhzmlfH0yMl3ujY_CAvHdufY0YgnmVsXFJzO3dO4xQDa08ze3948yf5ya3XlbWXrmc67chOZcdOV_zt_dzBOGMpprkg4od3qELO9yK9VP7IUtWgm_7L1oFsSbFikA6NWB5QEpDK0d5/s1600/top+ten+tuesday.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and Bookish</a>) is Top Ten Books That Made You Cry. This topic is easy-peasy! I love a good tearjerker. Here is my list:</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFScxxIphTci5Yniy0B2FrEi-LHzkhRMRBejLBXzS8kPlht0lDVmsXUJpuH_fmrKKuWwPvgWmq2pfW0b83NGiOc2VI_LFHZx1RE43ZXxEvFl0kxrep5BpckppOpS0CrAn5l3TB3FFU718/s1600/TTT+cry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFScxxIphTci5Yniy0B2FrEi-LHzkhRMRBejLBXzS8kPlht0lDVmsXUJpuH_fmrKKuWwPvgWmq2pfW0b83NGiOc2VI_LFHZx1RE43ZXxEvFl0kxrep5BpckppOpS0CrAn5l3TB3FFU718/s1600/TTT+cry.JPG" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Marley and Me by John Grogan</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – If you don’t cry at the end of this book, you don’t have a soul.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell</b> – Another book I cried while reading… cried for, oh, about the last 100 pages.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. The Bronze Horseman Trilogy by Paullina Simons</b> – So many tears! I, then, had my sister in law read them and she brought one with us when we went on a girls vacation in the Dominican Republic and we both sat (me reading over her shoulder) sobbing by the pool behind our sunglasses.<br /><br /><b>4. Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan</b> – Granted, I was crying in frustration at the end because of the cliff hanger, I definitely shed a few tears along the way because of how sad and gripping this story was.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – Obvious choice. I pretty much sobbed my way through this whole book. It was hard to read the words through all the tears. But totally worth it!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">– Can we just take a moment to reflect on all the FEELS? Wow!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b>7. Dewey by Vicky Myron and Bret Witter</b> – What can I say? I have a thing for animal. I finished this one on the train was trying not to let anyone see me crying.<br /><br /><b>8. Crash by Nicole Williams</b> – This series had my insides all sorts of twisted up and emotional.<br /><br /><b>9. The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski</b> – That thing that happens at the end? You know, that thing? Yeahhhh – Hello Glassy Eyes!<br /><br /><b>10. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell</b> – This book didn’t elicit full on water works, but there was definitely glassiness and a tight throat.<br /><br />I cannot wait to see what everyone puts on their list today because I am a glutton for punishment and I love emotional books that can make me cry. Bring it on!</span></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-73656492441112223162014-02-03T09:09:00.002-05:002014-02-03T10:08:06.282-05:00Book Review - Night Owl by M. Pierce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsZUwbAFRrQXRAsh6SNfbTuhJQo_qFG_KZnWoZT-xEjFanImFwiITlDlWgpiO4xNgMC0oPAXqiDqJK6sd-iq-N3wN6Dh8Xct9W_e04jKoNYOm_am2dDuwsb96kaWdzzrOVjEuUo-oX9hw/s1600/night+owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsZUwbAFRrQXRAsh6SNfbTuhJQo_qFG_KZnWoZT-xEjFanImFwiITlDlWgpiO4xNgMC0oPAXqiDqJK6sd-iq-N3wN6Dh8Xct9W_e04jKoNYOm_am2dDuwsb96kaWdzzrOVjEuUo-oX9hw/s1600/night+owl.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Love is unstoppable...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At twenty-eight, Matt Sky has the perfect life. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a massive inheritance, and four national bestsellers -- all penned under his airtight alias, M. Pierce.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />At twenty-seven, Hannah Catalano has a train wreck. Her boyfriend is a deadbeat and her job is abysmal.<br /><br />Matt and Hannah meet online as writing partners. Their relationship is safe, anonymous, and innocent...<br /><br />Until Matt sees a picture of Hannah.<br /><br />Hannah's picture sparks an attraction Matt is powerless to ignore. When circumstance brings Matt and Hannah together, the strangers begin a love story that's passionate, poignant, unforgettable, and unstoppable."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After reading Night Owl by M. Pierce, I didn’t think I would write a review because I was sure I wouldn’t be able to properly explain my feelings and in such a way that you wouldn’t misinterpret my disgust. However, Courtney from <a href="http://mustreadbooksordie.blogspot.com/">MustReadBooksorDie</a> has shown interest in my reaction and since she was nice enough to gift me with this book, I will try to oblige.<br /><br />Night Owl is about two twenty-eight year olds, Matt and Hannah, who meet online in a writer’s forum, and begin writing a story together. Matt insists on anonymity and does not want to share any personal details with Hannah. However, one day, Hannah carelessly sends an email to Matt from her personal address and he sees both her last name and a profile photo of her. An obsession begins and their relationship quickly transforms…<br /><br />This book was a rollercoaster.<br /><br />The first 50 pages were off the charts hot. The idea of strangers meeting online and starting a sexual relationship all while feeling like they are doing something wrong has a base sexuality that is undeniable.<br /><br />The next 50 pages were of a quickly developing relationship that felt too forward moving for me. Personally, I would have liked the sexual tension we see at the start of the novel to have been dragged out longer.<br /><br />The next hundred pages were a complete downward spiral. This is the part that, even though it was very well done, sat uncomfortably with me. What started out as a fun, sexy relationship turns into a psychologically twisted pathetic mess.<br /><br />I am being purposely vague because I do not want to give anything away, but I will say that even though the characters say “I love you”, this is not exactly a love story, not in my book anyway. To me it came across as a dark, unhealthy story about deeply depraved individuals.<br /><br />With that said, it was an incredible read. It is creatively done and the author did a wonderful job of taking me places and making me feel things I did not at all expect. For that, I would definitely recommend this book, just be prepared to squirm.<br /><br />Five Stars<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">***** </span><br /><br /><a href="http://mpiercefiction.com/">http://mpiercefiction.com/</a></span></div>
CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-76215855398714679412014-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:002014-01-31T05:00:04.977-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdTW1g4Qbj3m_-Q4ncvgCKGNTlbJDg5hs8Iij0iAs_FmiBAa4n4eH4sSQh1zDwsklhNf789BuBQjS2bL0ZEB-N3NcWUJHrr4f8iK_IdJ94BB-UkwLSI0ZI3FLwk2xgelFmbwallX1Bmyo/s1600/TBHquote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdTW1g4Qbj3m_-Q4ncvgCKGNTlbJDg5hs8Iij0iAs_FmiBAa4n4eH4sSQh1zDwsklhNf789BuBQjS2bL0ZEB-N3NcWUJHrr4f8iK_IdJ94BB-UkwLSI0ZI3FLwk2xgelFmbwallX1Bmyo/s1600/TBHquote.JPG" height="395" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-5025660226962857942014-01-30T05:00:00.000-05:002014-01-30T05:00:03.474-05:0054 Reading Questions: Book Meme<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found this survey on <a href="http://yabooknerd.blogspot.com/2014/01/54-reading-questions-book-meme.html">YA Book Nerd's</a> blog and thought it would be fun...<br /><br />1. Favorite childhood book?<b> Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Voirst</b><br /><br />2. What are you reading right now? <b>A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons</b><br /><br />3. What books do you have on request at the library? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>None, I don’t go to the library.</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />4. Bad book habit? <b>Picking up and putting down books.</b><br /><br />5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? <b>I repeat - None, I don’t go to the library.</b><br /><br />6. Do you have an e-reader? <b>Yes, a Nexus 7 Tablet with all the bookish apps on it and nothing else.</b><br /><br />7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? <b>I prefer to read one book at a time, but I am not always (usually) successful.</b><br /><br />8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? <b>I never read books not first recommended to me anymore – I also think a lot more about what I am reading and from many more and different angles (writing style, character development, plot development, etc).</b><br /><br />9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far)? <b>This year has only been a few weeks and while I did enjoy the book, I would have to say Sweet Thing by Renne Carlino. It was a 3 star book for me and it had a lot of potential and I can see why others loved it, but the main character, Mia, did not resonate at all with me.</b><br />10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? <b>Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell!</b><br /><br />11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? <b>I am not entirely sure what my “comfort zone” is – I will pretty much read anything and be happy to do so. </b><br /><br />12. What is your reading comfort zone? <b>I don’t have one – see above.</b><br /><br />13. Can you read on the bus? <b>Yes though I can’t remember the last time I rode on a bus. I can read anywhere anytime and I do.</b><br /><br />14. Favorite place to read? <b>Whilst taking a bubble bath.</b><br /><br />15. What is your policy on book lending? <b>I am very free with my books. I like to spread the love. I only have two books I don’t want to part with (Eleanor & Park and TFIOS). I lent them both but made sure I got them back quickly because I missed them.</b><br /><br />16. Do you ever dog-ear books? <b>Yes. I prefer bookmarks, but yes. I don’t care about dirtying books.</b><br />17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? <b>No. Though I have been known to make notes on ebooks.</b><br /><br />18. Not even with text books?<b> Nope. I highlighted in textbooks, but I can’t remember many notes.</b><br /><br />19. What is your favorite language to read in? <b>English though I have read several books in French as well.</b><br /><br />20. What makes you love a book? <b>Prose. Quotability. Depth of emotion</b>. <br /><br />21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? <b>I recommend all sorts of books to all sorts of people. I judge each recommendation based on who I am talking to.</b><br /><br />22. Favorite genre? <b>Contemporary romance or young adult </b><br /><br />23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did)? <b>I can’t think of one. If I want to read a genre, I read it – no wishing about it. </b><br /><br />24. Favorite biography? <b>It’s not a biography but a non-fiction about something that happened to someone – Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell</b><br /><br />25. Have you ever read a self-help book? <b>Unfortunately, yes, yes I have.</b><br /><br />26. Favorite cookbook? <b>I don’t often use cookbooks, I prefer to screw around in the kitchen, but I have a Vegetarian Cooking Light book that is actually rather good. It was a gift from my brother-in-law’s girlfriend and it has lots of gorgeous food porn pictures.</b><br /><br />27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? <b>Hmmm… I thought the Just One Day/Just One Year duology by Gayle Forman was pretty inspirational. I read it on New Year’s and it has a lot of messages of self-discovery which made me ponder some things.</b><br /><br />28. Favorite reading snack? <b>I drink tea when I read, but that just reminded me that I brought clementines today and now I am going to eat those : )</b><br /><br />29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. <b>The Kite Runner. It wasn’t a bad book but everyone RAVED about it and I expected more. Harry Potter is another book that I liked but felt let down by after all the hype.</b><br /><br />30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? <b>I don’t read professional critic reviews though I agree with other bloggers often.</b><br />31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? <b>I write negative reviews honestly and with specifics and I have no problem doing so.</b><br /><br />32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? <b>French</b><br /><br />33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? <b>I am not sure what book would be considered intimidating. I don’t get intimidated often.</b><br /><br />34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?<b> See above.</b><br /><br />35. Favorite Poet? <b>Edger Allen Poe </b><br /><br />36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? <b>None. Jeez, this survey likes the library</b><br /><br />37. How often have you returned books to the library unread? <b>Never</b><br /><br />38. Favorite fictional character? <b>This question is impossible! How am I supposed to pick one? Perhaps Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor</b><br /><br />39. Favorite fictional villain? <b>Leah in Dirty Red by Tarryn Fischer or The Darkling in Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo</b><br /><br />40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? <b>Romance</b><br /><br />41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. <b>In college I didn’t read much but mainly because whenever I had the time, I was doing homework.</b><br /><br />42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. <b>The S Word by Chelsea Pitcher. Great idea with good potential, but I could not get through it.</b><br /><br />43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? <b>Twitter. Twitter distracts me often.</b><br /><br />44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?<b> Little Women! Amazing book and amazing move. Love love love!</b><br /><br />45. Most disappointing film adaptation? <b>The Moral Instruments. I am not a big fan of this series but that movie was pretty bad.</b><br /><br />46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?<b> $100? I try to avoid bookstores because they are too tempting. This does not include textbook shopping either, that is obviously much, much more.</b><br /><br />47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?<b> Never</b><br /><br />48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?<b> It is dragging and I am bored. That feeling when you don’t have any urge to pick it up again.</b><br />49. Do you like to keep your books organized? <b>I recently reorganized my bookshelves by theme. I also like to separate books I have read from the ones I still need to get to.</b><br /><br />50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? <b>I like to give them away and spread around the love. I don’t often re-read books so it is nice to share.</b><br />51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? <b>Not that I can think of</b>.<br /><br />52. Name a book that made you angry. <b>Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan - the cliffhanger at the end mad me see red.</b><br /><br />53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? <b>Eleanor & Park. I wasn’t that excited to read it but once I did? It became a top 5 favorite.</b><br />54. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? <b>I don’t feel guilt about reading books, even the trashiest romance is entertaining and serves a purpose in my life, no guilt needed. </b><br /><br />That was fun! I hope you enjoyed it and maybe learned a thing or two about me. If you do it, comment with a link so I can check out your answers</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-47466400400778183672014-01-29T10:12:00.000-05:002014-01-29T10:12:41.567-05:00Here is a thought....<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you guys ever stop and think about the types of books we read and the sometimes (often) graphic nature of those books and think... "Huh, this should be weird. Discussing this should be weird. But it's not and that is kinda cool in and of itself." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I couldn't stop thinking about that after reading RAW by Belle Aurora and Night Owl by M.Pierce this week. If you have read either of those books, you know what I am talking about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The times they are a changing...</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-30506903305684959112014-01-27T09:17:00.001-05:002014-01-27T09:17:54.002-05:00Book Review - Believe by Erin McCarthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjmRC8hEazLIfkF0l-fYu_8R9wl21FX_5pEzWpu1JUXRHNDgPHpT7kk7P2RKJPOyzQpMe4yBU087ZPlJK6vIxNxBvQ0BLTlEVg3LufOb9vIqB5cztqocpdpQo-zr6gdeSGWAjwQtwDqpG/s1600/believe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjmRC8hEazLIfkF0l-fYu_8R9wl21FX_5pEzWpu1JUXRHNDgPHpT7kk7P2RKJPOyzQpMe4yBU087ZPlJK6vIxNxBvQ0BLTlEVg3LufOb9vIqB5cztqocpdpQo-zr6gdeSGWAjwQtwDqpG/s1600/believe.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…<br /> <br /> Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.<br /> <br /> But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…”<br /><br />I have been on such a roll with books lately and it is making me a very happy girl. I don’t know if it is pure luck or I am just picking a lot of winners now thanks to all the reviews I read and the book community’s help in crafting my TBR, but I feel like I have been rolling in 5 star winners. I don’t like giving 5 stars out often because I think it should be reserved for the best of the best, and I am actually feeling a lot of doubt over how many I have been giving out, but fuck it - these books are GOOD! <br /><br />So let’s get to the book at hand, Believe by Erin McCarthy. This is book #3 in the True Believers series. I read True – Book #1 and it had a huge impact on me (<a href="http://steamingmugofbooks.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-and-rant-true-by-erin.html)">read my review here</a>). This series includes drugs, poverty, and a lot of bad home life situations and I can relate to all of that so it holds a special place in my heart. <br /><br />When the second book, Sweet, came out last year I added it to my TBR and wanted to read it, but life (and other books) got in the way and it never happened. So last week when I got an email from NetGalley saying I was pre-approved for Book#3, I couldn’t help myself. I try desperately to stay away from NetGalley because it is too tempting to sign up to review ALL the books and I don’t want to get in over my head and have my blog become a stressor in my life. But for Erin McCarthy, I broke my rule. <br /><br />I requested to read Sweet as well since it was still available, but I was denied – something that makes absolutely no sense considering the same publishing house pre-approved me for Book #3, but that is a whole other topic of conversations. Each book in this series can be read separately so I decided to forge ahead with #3 and push reading #2 until later. <br /><br />Once I picked Believe up, I could not put it down! I was instantly brought back and remembered how much I loved the first book, True, and how awesome Erin McCarthy is. WHY, WHY have I not picked up another of her books sooner?<br /><br />Believe is about Phoenix and Robin. Phoenix is the cousin of the Mann brothers and Robin is a best friend to one of the brother’s girlfriends… sorry if that is confusing or vague but there are a number of brothers and friends and I don’t want to get into the whole social tree…<br /><br />Anyway, Phoenix just got out of jail and meets Robin at a time in her life when she is making huge changes because of a terrible mistake she made. Immediately, they are pulled together, but since they are both fighting their own demons, it isn’t easy. It never is.<br /><br />My absolute favorite thing about this book was the dialogue. Phoenix and Robin have these easy yet still meaningful conversations and I was incredibly impressed by Erin’s ability to write realistic scenes that built the relationship naturally without feeling forced or ever dragging. <br /><br />This was a romance that made perfect sense! <br /><br />Even though things moved fast between them, I won’t use the term insta-love because, to me, insta-love is two people that fall in love and you aren’t really sure why or what makes it so special. <br /><br />Phoenix and Robin? <br /><br />It wasn’t love at first sight. It wasn’t any of that “she looks innocent and now I am protective and in love” crap that you see so often in this genre. You saw the initial curiosity. You saw the realization of common interests. You saw the humor and the heavy that grew their attraction. You saw the issues they were dealing with and how it brought them together. You saw it all and it was PERFECT!<br /><br />Go read this series now!<br /><br />Five Stars<br /><br />*****<br /><br /><a href="http://www.erinmccarthy.net/">http://www.erinmccarthy.net/</a><br /><br />Have any of you read the other books/series by Erin McCarthy? If so, which ones and would you recommend them?</span>CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-975250482064114872.post-46669252631395729272014-01-24T05:00:00.000-05:002014-01-24T05:00:09.326-05:00ALL the FEELS Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttNXp-trtwUv4fIMjvJXStzYaTsUkDBPp8n_j0ZNJiVPhWeiXlGh-09drb_6JSP6EeHUGxyclBcpGCwiSUgIZTILTOx_8uEDJQ7CVWFcYQGzLlkY2BrFSjOpFA0G_GZM8IZqTNSiCnWiL/s1600/POR+Quote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttNXp-trtwUv4fIMjvJXStzYaTsUkDBPp8n_j0ZNJiVPhWeiXlGh-09drb_6JSP6EeHUGxyclBcpGCwiSUgIZTILTOx_8uEDJQ7CVWFcYQGzLlkY2BrFSjOpFA0G_GZM8IZqTNSiCnWiL/s1600/POR+Quote.JPG" height="400" width="350" /></a></div>
<br />CeCehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00299658923968310492noreply@blogger.com4