Articles

Jul 23 2013

Axel (Corps Security #1) Blog Tour

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

*This book is intended for a mature reading audience and isn’t suitable for younger readers. Brash language, sexual hotness, delectable alpha males, some violence and adult situations are all over this book–you have been warned! **wink**

Synopsis

Fate hasn’t always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a down right bitch.

Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved.

For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.

When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door.

Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated.

How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?

There are a bit of spoilers in this review but, hardly enough to ruin the book.
I highly recommend this book. It is well written and a great summer read!

What happens?
Axel leaves for the marines a young foster kid. He and Izzy are deeply in love but tragedy pulls them apart. Even after years of missing one another and life moving on, the two have never forgotten one another or the love they shared. That tricky bitch fate brings them back together and this is where the story truly begins for me. I loved watching these two rebuild what was so long ago lost. I loved the chemistry and the heat rising from my kindle as I read. I’m still fanning myself over Axel…wooooah is all I can say.

This is a great read for those who like a good erotic romance with a HEA. There is a great story behind this and I’m guessing there will be more to tell from the looks of the title. Can we say sequel? I hope so. There are so many stories to tell I would love to hear Maddox’s story and also Dee’s story, especially what drew her away from her love interest in this book. I was eager to get that story but I’m glad there will be more. I do hope there will be more Axel and Izzy as I fell in love with these two.

What I loved?
Axel, Axel and Axel oh wait, Maddox, Beck, and let’s not forget Greg.

I could’ve done without Coop, he was a bit of a player but give me the other 4 in a sandwich…I’d eat them up!
Oh who am I kidding? I’d take Coop too!

Yummo! Lol!

This story was great because while it was sexually explicit it still had a STORY…and a good one at that. There was passion and sexual chemistry but the book also delves into the world of domestic violence/abuse and I admire Harper Sloan for taking it there. It is a subject too often forgotten and one that affects a considerate amount of women…and men! The affects of such abuse can be life or death but the emotional scars are deeply examined in this book. I appreciated that. Even if you’ve never experienced an abusive relationship, you walk away respecting someone who has survived such a horrific ordeal. You learn a lot about their struggles and the toll a relationship of that magnitude can take on the abused psychologically.

With that said…

Woah, I freakin’ loved this book. Every minute of it! Axel, omg what I would do to have Axel. He is so hot! I got frustrated with Axel and Izzy’s naivety and stubbornness but, I was completely satisfied with the direction this book took. Isabelle had a rough life. She swears fate has it out for her and after reading a couple chapters you almost start to agree. But when Axel comes bounding back into her life things get…complicated.

I was so deeply enamored with Axel and Izzy’s relationship. I wanted everything to work out, even if fate had other plans. I feel the trials and tribulations thrown their way only strengthens their union when they are finally reunited.

This story makes you believe in love. It makes you believe in lifelong, unbreakable, earth shattering love. The kind of love that can conquer all!

What I hated?
It ended. I wanted more…lol

Favorite Quotes:

It really is funny sometimes how everything comes full circle. Just when you think your life is headed in one clear cut direction, the light turns red and the turn signal comes on.”

“People say karma is a bitch but I have news for you, karma doesn’t have anything on fate when she is after blood. Not a single thing.”

“My body is telling me to start humping, my heart is telling me to run, and my mind is sitting there enjoying a cigarette as his hips start to move against me.”

“I love you, Axel Reid. I have loved you forever and I will never stop. Made for me, baby. You were made for me. Don’t ever leave me. Never again. I would rather die than be without you again.”

About the Author:

Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husbands chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!

Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.

Author Links:

Email: authorharpersloan@gmail.com

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

Jul 21 2013

Me Before You Book Review

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

Synopsis

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

“This book was….WOW.”

That is the extent of my goodreads review. I thought I’d expand on that and discuss what I loved and disliked about this book. I actually loved everything about this book. It was powerful, emotional, deeply moving and something about it stuck with me. The love, the loss, the growth, all make this a beautiful yet complex novel. I cried like a baby but I seriously recommend the hell out of it.

This was a book club read for my friends and I. Yes, somehow between all my blog reads and life I make time for a book club haha…don’t judge me! I roped my sister into giving her input for this review. She begrudgingly agreed. LOL. These are our shared opinions…

What’s it about?

Me Before You is a tragic yet heartfelt journey of self discovery. It will most certainly make you shed a tear…or a thousand. I certainly did. My sis says, “Me too!”

Lou Clark lived a simple, run of the mill life. She is a girl who doesn’t know what she wants when the book begins. For much of the story she is still trying to figure her life out. She can’t fathom having any sort of definitive life plan. She is an eccentric girl with a very unique sense of style. This made me laugh for much of the book because her quirky sense of style was something that stuck with me. It doesn’t seem like a very important fact but when you read this story there will be moments like this that stick with you. I think you will also understand why it stuck out to me after reading.

When Will Traynor enters her life…or rather, when Lou enters Will’s life the things she accepted as the status quo she now begins to question. He makes her question her entire life, starting with the reason why she remains in a loveless relationship. He challenges her and makes her challenge herself. Will had his entire life planned out. He can’t understand how someone can live their life without a plan. Even after his life-altering accident he creates a plan; one that many disagree with but a plan nonetheless.

This oddball combination brings out the very best and worse in one another. I really liked the dynamic character development and the story overall.

I will give you one spoiler…this is not a typical love story, in fact it isn’t so much about love as it is focusing on finding your own path in life and making decisions that are right for you. This is a must read.

My rating – 5 star
My sister’s rating – 5 star

We firmly stand by our ratings and highly recommend it.

*Note – If you are a Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks fan this is a book you will appreciate.

Purchase Me Before You for Kindle | Paperback

About the Author:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Jul 08 2013

Girl in Translation Book Review

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

Synopsis

Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures.

When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition. Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.

Through Kimberly’s story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about.

Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.

Review

I read this book a couple of months ago and I really loved it but then I was left in a state of distress. An ending to a fantastic novel that fails to meet my expectations usually ruins an entire book for me, but this book was so well written and moving that I still can’t help but rate it high on my list. While I was disappointed with the ending the book deserves notable mention as a good read. I just felt a little warning was needed especially to those who are easily disappointed by less than stellar endings.

The story documents the life and times of a Chinese immigrant girl Kimberly Chang and her mother who are thrust into a new life in America, namely New York City. Their lives are rough from the start. I rooted for their success throughout the book, but how far would you go to escape poverty? How much would you be willing to sacrifice?

Kimberly was an extremely selfless person who considered the future of not only herself but those who would be affected by her choices. She grew up quickly and became the one her mother depended on due to the language barrier. This explores her struggles, her accomplishments, her decisions and the outcome. Her selflessness was noble but at what cost?

This book is a quick read and really explores the difficulties the protagonist Kimberly and her mother face adjusting to a new culture and country. I was all in, until the last few pages and not because there wasn’t a happy ending or it wasn’t necessarily a love story but it really was anticlimactic. I was disappointed, to say the least, but I really thought over how affected I was by the story as a whole and in retrospect, it was well written.

Jean Kwok paints a vivid picture of life as an Asian American immigrant. She adequately describes the struggles many immigrants face entering a new country and essentially a new way of life. It shows not only the American experience but the struggle to achieve the American dream. This book is definitely worth a read but I’m giving you fair warning you may or may not love the ending. I’d love to know your thoughts on this book so comment, email, tweet, facebook, smoke signal, whatever ℓσℓ

Jul 07 2013

Out of Breath Book Review

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: 1 Comment

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

Synopsis

Emma leaves Weslyn and everyone in it behind to attend Stanford University, just as she always intended. A shell of her former self, she is not the same girl. She is broken, and the only way that she’ll be whole again is through forgiveness. Emma must find a way to forgive herself and recognize her own worth before she can receive the love she deserves. This final installment will have readers holding their breath until the very last page.

Out of Breath, Book 3 of the Breathing Series is finally here and I am sad it is over. I don’t think I can adequately put into words my love for this series and Rebecca Donovan’s stellar writing, but here goes. What an emotional ride!!! I was nearly about to give up on this book. I had palpitations reading this one. I was nervous yet excited. My heart raced and my stomach dropped. By 12% I was disappointed and unsure of my feelings, but I kept reading knowing that Rebecca Donovan has managed to completely surprise me in the past. By 20% I was hooked. I could not put the book down. At 50% I was in a state of shock.

“Living in the mistakes of your past isn’t going to do anything but destroy your future”

Emma scared the hell out of me, more so in this book than the previous two. I was terrified of the choices she made. Early on I hated what was happening to her, she was lost and utterly broken. It was unlike anything I had expected. I was sad and upset at a lot of her decisions but I understood how messed up things were for her. Emma was screwed up from the first two books but in this book Emma took it to a whole different level. I feared for her and didn’t know what to expect, every decision she made had me on the edge of my seat. I seriously had anxiety throughout most of this book and I most certainly was holding my breath!

What about Evan, you ask? Well, he’s still one of the most incredible book boyfriends EVER! I was in a panic when things progressed in this book and he was no where to be found. I was anxious, to say the least, but boy oh boy was his return worth every nail biting moment! I don’t want to give away too much so that’s all I will say about Evan. I just wanted to hug them both and make things better, you will go through emotional hell reading this one but it will be worth it, I promise.

Sadly at 70 some odd % the exhaustion took over and I had to call it a night. I could not keep my eyes open and I tried desperately to finish but the last few days of little to no sleep finally caught up with me. I gave in. I woke up and the first thing on my mind was Out of Breath. I knew I would never be able to breath again until I finished. My kindle was my first priority of the day! Damn a shower, damn brushing my teeth, damn breakfast and damn getting out of bed. I grabbed my kindle, powered it on and continued from where I left off. I needed to know how it would end. I seriously did not start my day until I finished this book and it was worth every minute. I was not disappointed. I devoured the last few chapters. This book is emotional, raw and gritty. I loved it, but it was a completely bittersweet feeling knowing this was the final book of the series. I was satisfied with the ending…but, I wouldn’t be opposed to a continuation of this story in the future…hey, a girl can dream 😉

This is a must read and if you have yet to check out the series…what are you waiting for? All three books are out, ready and waiting for you.

Go.

Read.

Now.

Purchase Out of Breath for Kindle or Purchase Out of Breath in Paperback

Need the entire series…

Book 1 – Reason to Breathe for Kindle or Reason to Breathe in Paperback

17299817

Book 2 – Barely Breathing for Kindle or Barely Breathing in Paperback

Kindle Freebies

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

It’s Friday kids! Guess what that means? Friday Freebies…

Have a beautiful weekend and Happy Reading!

The

Jul 01 2013

July BOTM

Author: Bibliowhore • Discussion: No Comments

One Pink Line by Dina Silver

Synopsis

“Can the love of a lifetime be forever changed by one pink line? Dina Silver’s tender, absorbing novel, One Pink Line, is the warmhearted, wry story of love, loss and family, as seen through the prism of one singular, spirited young couple who find themselves in a predicament that changes the course of their lives, and those closest to them. With heart, humor and compassion, this debut work of women’s fiction is certain to stir anyone who relishes a good laugh, can stand a good cry, and, above all believes in the redemptive power of love.

This unique, contemporary story gives readers a dual perspective. Sydney Shephard, a sweet-tempered, strong-natured college senior is young, in love with an exceptional man, and unexpectedly pregnant. Faced with a child she never planned for, she is forced to relay this news to her neurotic mother, relinquish her youth, and risk losing the love of her life. Then there’s Grace, a daughter, who believed she was a product of this great love, grows to realize her existence is not what she assumed, and is left with profound and puzzling questions about who she really is.

Spanning generations and every imaginable emotion, One Pink Line reveals how two points of view can be dramatically at odds, and perhaps ultimately reconciled. Simultaneously deeply felt and lighthearted, One Pink Line deftly mines how the choices we make are able to alter so many lives, and how doing the right thing and living honestly can bring unexpected, hard-won happiness. It’s a must-read for anyone who relishes a great love story, absorbing characters, and plenty of laughs along the way.”