Articles for the Month of August 2016

Book Review: SWEAR ON THIS LIFE by Renée Carlino

swear-on-this-life-9781501105791_hr

ABOUT SWEAR ON THIS LIFE:

 

From USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino (Before We Were Strangers), a warm and witty novel about a struggling writer who must come to grips with her past, present, and future after she discovers that she’s the inspiration for a pseudonymously published bestselling novel.

 

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J. Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

 

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

 

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

 

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction? 

 

62435-addtogoodreads

 


12969_439936488_hrABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Renée Carlino
 is the author of Sweet Thing, Nowhere But Here, After the Rain, and Before We Were Strangers. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog, June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next book, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. 

 

 

 

FIND RENÉE ONLINE:
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Instagram 

 

 


Book Review  

 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

 

This week I’ve had the pleasure of featuring not one, but two upcoming/new releases that are sure to be EPIC reads of 2016. Swear on This Life is definitely a top 5 contender. I could not put it down. From the first line to the very last this book consumed me. I devoured every single word. Readers will be captivated by this beautifully creative and unforgettable journey. You will hang on to every word eagerly awaiting the outcome…tearful and hopeful. Honestly every time I read a Renée Carlino book she manages to capture my attention and completely own it.  This book was no different, but this may have been her absolute best work to date. 

 

Emiline, now an adult living in San Diego has struggled to come to grips with her past, but when she picks up a new bestseller she realizes how eerily similar the story of Emerson and Jackson seem to mirror her own upbringing with Jase, her best friend and first love. Written in her perspective Emiline is pissed that Jase would have the audacity to write her own story, but she can’t put it down. Em has been struggling to face what she’s been through and has never really opened up to anyone about her past, but as she reads Jase’s novel it forces her to start chasing some of those demons, but not before she finds and confronts Jase for what he’s done. 
Cleverly crafted, raw, and intense.  This book is all-consuming. It will grab hold of you and nothing else in the world will exist. Five stars for this emotionally addictive ride.

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~

 

SWEAR ON THIS LIFE by Renée Carlino
Atria Trade Paperback | ISBN: 9781501105791 | On sale: August 9, 2016 | 320 pages | $15.00
eBook: Atria Books | ISBN: 9781501105807 | On sale: August 9, 2016 | 320 pages | $7.99

 

ORDER (US)

 

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Books-a-Million   |   IndieBound   |   Apple   |   Blio   |   Google   |   Kobo

 

ORDER (UK)

 

Amazon   |   Apple   |   Kobo   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Google   

 

ORDER (AUS)

Amazon   |   Apple   |   Booktopia   |   Fishpond

RAFFLECOPTER:

5 signed copies of SWEAR ON THIS LIFE

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Teaser Excerpt Blitz – FURIOUS RUSH by S.C. Stephens

Stephens_FuriousRush_TR

 

ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: FURIOUS RUSH
Author: S.C. Stephens
On Sale: August 23, 2016
Publisher: Forever
Format: Trade Paperback & eBook
Price: $12.99 USD (TP) / $4.99 USD (eBook) 

 

62435-addtogoodreads 

 

The first in an emotion-fueled, New Adult series from the #1 bestselling author of the Thoughtless novels!

 

Too fast, too furious—and way too hot to handle… 
Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father’s talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team’s newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie’s skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she’s racing against Hayden.
As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense—and strictly forbidden—attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind…

EXCERPT 

Honda Boy was holding his helmet under an arm while he flirted with the girls surrounding him. He was blond, with a short, shaggy hairstyle that probably took a lot more effort to create than it looked like. I could tell from the way the girls around him were tittering like teenagers that he was charming; with seemingly little effort on his part, he had all of them eating out of his hand. When a break in the crowd gave me a clear view of his face, I realized another thing: He was smokin’, someone-hold-on-to-my-ovaries- before-they-explode hot.
There was a perfect symmetry to his rugged features that made it seem unreal that he was standing just a few feet away from me. He should be plastered on a billboard somewhere, half-naked, selling overpriced cologne to men who wanted just a fraction of his sex appeal. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned his gaze my way. Our eyes met and locked, and I was helpless to turn away. There was something carnal about him, primal and dangerous. Exotic. I was instantly captivated, and I hated that I was. This guy was neck-deep in a world that twisted my stomach, a world that spat in the face of my sport. My career.
As his light-colored eyes bored holes into mine, one edge of his lip curved up in a devilish crooked grin that was both playful and promising. He was practically shouting, with just that one deadly smile, that he would satisfy my every desire, satiate every craving I could possibly have. My heart started thudding in my chest as sensations that had been dormant for far too long swirled to life in- side me. Luckily for me, the big man taking the guy’s bets clapped him on the shoulder, breaking our stare down. Once I was free of his steamy gaze, I instantly turned around so my back was to him.  Jesus, was I breathing harder? Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I was twenty-two, not twelve.
“Damn,” I heard Nikki say. “You were right. I should have bet on him from the get-go. I didn’t really get a good look at him before, but he is freaking hot!”
Inhaling a deep breath, I attempted to force my body back in line with my brain. “This guy is undefeated?” I asked Nikki. “Really?” She nodded in answer and I had to close my eyes for a second. A face like that with racing skills to boot? Jesus.
Clearing my throat, I nonchalantly asked, “What did you say his name was again?” I could at least label the guy in the fantasy I was surely going to have later.
“Hayden… something. He’s been around for a while, from what I gathered.”
I risked a glance over my shoulder at… Hayden. He’d slipped his helmet on, thankfully, although his visor was popped up. The big guy taking bets had been joined by a skinny Hispanic guy who seemed to be giving Hayden instructions. Or maybe a pep talk. The little guy was acting out the race that was about to happen with his hands, complete with swerving and explosions. God, I hoped there weren’t going to be explosions. While he was going through his dramatic highlights, the big guy looped a camera over Hayden’s helmet.
When the two competitors were ready, they backed their motor- cycles onto the street. A cheer ripped up and down the sidewalk as the hopeful gamblers prepared for another round of racing. I didn’t want to feel anything but contempt for what I was witnessing, yet the energy of the spectators, the roar of the bikes—I couldn’t help the zing of excitement that raced up my spine. Against my will, my mouth twisted into a wide grin, and a yell of encouragement left my lips. Hayden’s helmet swiveled my way as he revved his engine. My pulse quickened as our eyes met. Then he winked at me and slammed his visor shut.
As the riders moved into position, Nikki grabbed my arm. “Come on. We can watch the action from the van.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. Before I could ask her, though, she yanked me toward a black van parked on the sidewalk. The back doors were open, and a giant monitor attached to a swinging metal arm was sticking out above the hovering crowd. The screen was split in two, each half showing the footage from one racer’s helmet cam. Hayden and his opponent were both looking straight ahead, and the dual feeds showed similar stretches of barren road. Looking down the street, I saw that the pair were stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.
Returning my eyes to the monitor, I found myself holding my breath as I waited for the signal to change colors. When it turned green and the bikes surged forward, I stepped closer to the van, like that would somehow release my pent-up energy. In unison, the crowd around me started hooting and hollering. Swept up in the moment, I bounced on my toes and prayed for speed. But after watching the screen for just a few seconds, I was struck with the harsh reality of the situation I was watching. This was no closed-off track with well-defined paths. This was down and dirty, anything goes, just get to the finish line first racing.
The bikes blew through red lights like they meant absolutely nothing. The streets were fairly empty at this early hour, but they blurred past the few vehicles on the road like they were standing still; they had to be going 100 miles per hour, easy. They dodged obstacles by hopping onto the sidewalk, they fishtailed around slick corners, and they came close to colliding with oncoming traffic more than once.
I turned to Nikki with shock clear on my face. “This is insane! Someone’s going to get hurt. Maybe killed!”
Nikki’s face was pure elation as she watched the screens. Her expression changed as my words sunk in, then she looked at me like I had a foot sticking out of my head. I supposed it was odd to hear that type of statement coming from someone who routinely hovered around the 150 mark on the speedometer while riding, but that was a completely different kind of environment. Believe it or not, what I did was safe, relatively speaking. Millions of dollars were spent to make it that way. This was not safe. At all.
“They’re breaking every traffic law there is,” I added, feeling like a giant stick in the mud. Someone needed to be the voice of reason here, though, because everyone was clearly out of their ever loving minds.
Nikki smirked at my comment. “It’s a race, Kenzie. They can’t exactly drive cautiously. Why do you think this happens so late at night?”
“Because it’s illegal,” I deadpanned. I got a couple of odd looks from the crowd after saying that, including a particularly nasty glare from Hayden’s bet collector. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to be talking about the law. Shutting my mouth, I quickly refocused on the screen.
Just as I noticed a familiar section of street come into view on the monitor, one side of the screen started wobbling, then the camera showed asphalt, sparks, spinning scenery, and a rapidly approaching telephone pole. The crowd around me hushed as it became clear that Hayden’s competition wasn’t going to finish this race. I heard Hayden’s bike rounding the corner seconds later, then Nikki was once again pulling me along like a rag doll. She shoved us into a good position to see the finish line right as Hayden’s Honda whizzed past. He was alone. Cheers erupted mixed with a few groans from the people who’d bet on the other guy.
Just as I was wondering if anyone was going to go check on the Ninja rider, Nikki grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me with uncontainable joy. “We won, Kenzie! We frickin’ won!”
“Great,” I said, clenching my teeth so I wouldn’t bite my tongue. 
Releasing me, Nikki let out a squeal of excitement. “I just made enough money to pay you back and cover my loss. See, aren’t you glad you came?”
I narrowed my eyes into poisonous daggers that would hopefully drill some sense into her. “I hate you,” I murmured.  Nikki held a hand over her heart. “I know by hate you mean love, and I love you too, Kenzie. Now let’s collect my winnings and go home so you can rest up. Big year this year!”
I opened my mouth to scold her with some biting remark about how I’d wanted to leave ages ago, but she turned on her heel and left me there, gaping. Just as I was forcing the muscles in my jaw to relax enough to contract, Hayden pulled up next to where I was standing on the sidewalk. It felt like the world suddenly shifted into slow motion as I turned my head to look at him.
He was still hunched over his bike, hands on the grip and throttle; the only indication that he was looking at me was the direction of his dark helmet. Then, like some freaking Prince Charming in a fairy tale, he slowly removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. I swear the air around me condensed as his tilted smile came into view. Jesus Christ, this guy was sex on a stick.
Reaching up, he roughly ran a hand through his sweaty dirty- blond hair. The short, sexy shag he’d had going on earlier was destroyed from the helmet, but somehow after just a few scruffs of his hand, the carefree style was back to utter perfection. I kind of wanted to mess it up again, run my hands through the strands, grab a handful and clench it tight while I outlined those incredibly kissable lips with my tongue.
Whoa. No. I didn’t want that.
His penetrating gaze studied my face for a moment. There was something there in his eyes that I couldn’t quite grasp. Interest, sure, but almost… sadness too. Then he smiled, and the look vanished so fast, I was sure I’d imagined it. “Haven’t seen you here before,” he said, his voice low and easy, like he hadn’t just risked his life. “I hope you bet on me. It would be a shame to see someone as beautiful as you… lose.”
His grin turned suggestive, and warning signs started flashing in front of my eyes. Danger! Do not proceed! Rocky road ahead! Turn back now! The warnings flared even brighter when he stood from his motorcycle and began approaching me.
When he was directly in front of me, so close that I could smell the subtle spicy aroma of his cologne, my heart was hammering so hard, I was positive he could hear it, positive he could see my T-shirt lifting and releasing like a frantic hummingbird was hiding under the fabric. What the hell was he doing to me? Was I nervous or excited? Because the sensation was so similar to both, I honestly couldn’t tell.
Extending a hand, he smoothly said, “Name’s Hayden. Hayden Hayes.” I was just about to lift my hand and touch him—my fingers even twitched in response—when he added, “And what should I call you, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart? With those two simple syllables he had just dumped a bucket of ice water over my head and killed any fantasy I might have had about him. I lived, worked, and breathed in a world where men looked at me like I was a second-class citizen. To prove my worth, I had to work harder, longer, and with everything I had inside me, all the fucking time. I felt like he’d just tried to take all of that hard work away from me with that one demeaning word.
“Leaving,” I said, walking away.

Furious-Rush-Quote-Graphic-#-1-2

PREORDER THE BOOK HERE 

 

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   B-A-M   |   GooglePlay   |   iBooks   |   IndieBound   |  Kobo    

S.C. Stephens CREDIT Tara Ellis PhotographyABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. C. Stephens is a #1 bestselling author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family. She and her two children reside in the Pacific Northwest.
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads   

 


 

YOU’RE INVITED!
It’s a virtual-party!!! Please join S.C. Stephens (and some pretty awesome authors) on Facebook for a pre-release celebration of Furious Rush on August 22nd! There will be prizes! There will be fun!
RSVP Here!

 


 

FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE 
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Instagram   |   Pinterest

 


RAFFLECOPTER

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


 

 

 

 

Book Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

  it-ends-with-us-9781501110368_hr 

 

IT ENDS WITH US

BY COLLEEN HOOVER

 

“Colleen Hoover reminds readers that love is a fragile thing, built from courage, hope, and tears. Every person with a heartbeat should read this book.”
– Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

 

Visit www.ItEndsWithUsBook.com for teasers, tour dates and more.

ABOUT IT ENDS WITH US:
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. 
With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

 

62435-addtogoodreads

 


11109_408567071_hr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of SlammedThis GirlPoint of RetreatHopelessLosing HopeFinding CinderellaMaybe SomedayUgly LoveMaybe Not, and Confess. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com

 

 

FIND COLLEEN ONLINE: 
Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   Instagram

 


Book Review

 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Wow. I feel like I preface every Colleen Hoover review with that simple word yet it’s generally the best way I can describe how I feel immediately following my “CoHoma” (aka the Colleen Hoover induced haze/shock that immediately follows reading one of her books). This was super complex and deeply personal. I cried a lot of ugly tears…mostly toward the latter part of the book, but definitely not surprising because her books always get to me somehow. I don’t know this woman, I’ve never met her, I know her the way most readers do, through her words and let me tell you if you follow anything about her, you’ll know just how kind and generous she seems. Reading this book made me feel as though I knew a deeper part of her and it may sound weird, but I saw some of the best in her through this one book. She manages to make you question everything you ever think you knew by simply making her characters so human. You fall in love with them, you take journeys with them, your heart is sometimes broken by their actions, but in the end you have a better understanding of not only them, but yourself. This is what It Ends With Us does to the reader, it allows you to not only engage in a wonderfully complex journey, but it also makes you do some soul searching.

 

I’ve followed her work since Slammed and have been an avid fan ever since, I go through the same process with every release…asking questions like, “is this my new Colleen favorite?” and then grunting or sighing because I know rating or ranking any of her work is pointless because everything she writes is golden. There has never been a bad Colleen Hoover book and I’m convinced there never will be. Her books are generally very poignant, thought provoking, usually witty and always ; her characters are perfectly flawed, they have depth and their stories generally shock you into a “CoHoma” (this is my new word and I’m sticking to it because her books are spellbinding). It Ends With Us is different in that it pushes limits, makes you question yourself and what decisions you would make if you were any of these characters. This isn’t very different from most of her books because she always shocks me, but her voice and the plot twists combined are completely unparalleled. This was a tough read in so many ways for me because it was so relatable. For many who pick this book up you might have been through something similar or chances are you know someone that has. You may have even judged, commented or witnessed something similar, regardless of the how, I’m betting that you will relate in some way. When you realize how easily black and white can turn to grey it is then that you will understand what it truly means to unravel the mystery that is a Colleen Hoover read. She finds a way to make even the most difficult situations real and creates a challenge for the reader by daring them to confront ugly truths or in this case naked truths.

 

Lily is an incredibly strong character that will both inspire and transform you. I’m afraid to say this was Colleen Hoover’s best work yet, but because of how personal it is I have to applaud her for sharing such a difficult yet brilliant story with her readers. There are a handful of books I’ve read with similar storylines and they’ve never gotten to me to this degree. I hate to be so vague, but this story is worth withholding the plot, the summary does not begin to explain what you will go through reading this, but it is worth every second. Although the end seems final and complete (and totally perfect) somehow I hope she somehow is inspired to continue this as a series or at least a novella. I hope you all will take a chance on this one it is probably on my top 5 best reads of all time and might be my favorite book published in 2016. This book is heavy at times, but if you pick up one book this year please please please let it be It Ends With Us. I promise you won’t regret it.

 

It Ends With Us releases Tuesday, August 2, 2016 (that’s right less than 24 hours) get your pre-orders in now and be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy!
~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~

 

image011

 

 

Grab your copy of IT ENDS WITH US:

 

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   B-A-M   |   iBooks   |   IndieBound   |   Kobo   |   GooglePlay   |   Nook

 

IT ENDS WITH US

BY COLLEEN HOOVER

http://www.itendswithusbook.com/

Atria Books Paperback | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781501110368 | August 2, 2016 | $16.00

eBook: 384 pages | ISBN: 9781501110375 | $7.99

 


Now for the fun….the #ItEndsWithUs Contest!

Enter the Rafflecopter  to win a signed copy of IT ENDS WITH US and a limited edition Everything’s Better in Boston magnet (trust us, you’ll get it after you read the book)! (3 prize bundles in total) Contest is open until August 26th

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don’t miss Colleen on tour for IT ENDS WITH US

 

 

BOSTON, MA
Tuesday, August 2nd
BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH
7:00 PM
279 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02446
www.brooklinebooksmith.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1765869680321385/

 

MADISON, NJ
Wednesday, August 3rd
SHORT STORIES COMMUNITY BOOK HUB
7:00 PM
23 Main Street
Madison, NJ 07940
www.shortstoriesnj.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1816436548588340/

 

NEW YORK, NY
Thursday, August 4th
STRAND BOOK STORE
7:00 PM
828 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
www.strandbooks.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1266828406680888/

 

CINCINNATI, OH
Friday, August 5th
JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS
7:00 PM
2692 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45208
www.josephbeth.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/277088292641430/

 

CHICAGO, IL
Saturday, August 6th
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
2:00 PM
Meiley-Swallow Hall
On the campus of North
Central College 31 S Ellsworth Street
Naperville, IL  60540
http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/260878437616737/

 

LOS ANGELES, CA
Sunday, August 7th
CHEVALIER’S BOOKS
6:30 PM
126 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
www.chevaliersbooks.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/260712770964176/

 

PHOENIX, AZ
Monday, August 8th
CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE
7:00 PM
6428 S. McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85283
www.changinghands.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1188482081195713/

 

HOUSTON, TX
Tuesday, August 9th
BARNES & NOBLE – Town & Country
7:00 PM
12850 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024
www.barnesandnoble.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1755063464713808/

 

DALLAS, TX
Wednesday, August 10th 
HALF PRICE BOOKS
7:00 PM
5803 E. Northwest Hwy
Dallas, TX 75231
www.halfpricebooks.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1714556692137769/

 


image004

 

%d bloggers like this: