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Book Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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ABOUT ONE TRUE LOVES:
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever. Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly? Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying. 

 

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408067962_hrABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author and essayist from Acton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Forever, Interrupted, After I Do and Maybe In Another Life. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and her dog, Rabbit. You can follow her on Twitter @TJenkinsReid.

 


FIND TAYLOR ONLINE:
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Book Review 

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

Once upon a time I hated romance novels. I hate love triangles, drama and most of all the mushy often cliché writing. I can’t stand to sit and read about flawless, imperfect people and people who don’t struggle or grow. In any novel these are things I still look for. Obviously, you all can tell my opinion of romance novels has changed. I do still have moments where I find a book too cheesy for my liking, but as I’ve grown older, my appreciation for the art of romance/adult fiction has evolved and I do love a good romance novel. Although I wouldn’t classify Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing as simply romance, I’d say it could be categorized as contemporary adult/women’s fiction with romantic elements — with a lesson or two thrown into the mix. Definitely more along the lines of what I love to read. 
I discovered Taylor Jenkins Reid after reading Maybe in Another Life. I fell in love with her writing style and knew I had found a new author to follow. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on One True Loves. Her writing with Maybe in Another Life was quite profound and evoked pensive thoughts. I found this also to be true while reading One True Loves.  I’ve found her books have strong heroines that are faced with tough decisions, but they grow a great deal throughout the course of her novels. The lessons they learn and the experiences they endure are often difficult, but meaningful. Her writing generally has important life lessons that people neglect to really sit and ponder, but while reading you seem to find yourself thinking like you’ve never thought before. It’s actually one of the things I love most about her books. 
One True Loves is the type of book that will gut you and leave you an emotional wreck. The writing is beautiful, the emotions palpable leaving you with no choice but to keep reading, to keep devouring all that Taylor Jenkins Reid has to offer. This was an incredible read. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I sighed. Emma experienced an unimaginable tragedy, one that left her unsure of how she’d continue on each day, but somehow she managed, somehow she dug herself out and started to rebuild. Life seemed better, it didn’t seem as painful, as hard to continue moving forward, that is until Jesse resurfaces only complicating and confusing her about what she thought she wanted and who she thought she was. 
I read One True Loves in one sitting The author does an incredible job building the story up and she will keep you guessing. I felt as though I experienced all the pain and loss that each of these characters were faced with. I empathized with each of them and even I had a difficult time figuring out who Emma would ultimately end up with. The funny thing is you will fall in love with all of them, so much so that the who matters less in the end than the journey that led them there. Her characters are perfectly flawed, they are complex, well developed, genuine and lovable. Just a fair warning, you may need a tissue or two while reading, this one will definitely gut you, but the angst is completely worth it. And as always with a Reid book, you may also learn a thing or two about yourself. Raw, poignant and completely heartfelt, One True Loves is an definite 5 star must read perfect for contemporary romance readers and the quintessential summer read. 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~

 


ONE TRUE LOVES by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atria/Washington Square Press Paperback | ISBN: 9781476776903 | On sale: June 7, 2016 | 352 pages | $16.00

eBook: Atria/Washington Square Press | ISBN: 9781476776910 | On sale: June 7, 2016 | 352 pages | $11.99

 

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Book Review: Honor Me (Men of Inked, #6) by Chelle Bliss

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NEW RELEASE

Honor Me, Men of Inked Book 6, by Chelle Bliss

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City & Suzy are back!

I had everything I ever wanted—a wife, a kid, with two more on the way. I was living the American dream. After the babies were born, we hit a rough patch. I did everything to prove my love, to show Suzy that nothing was more important than her. After some work and a lot of time, we found our groove again. Just when life had evened out, a familiar enemy came back to haunt us. It wasn’t my past that followed us, but my brother’s. When the danger gets too close, I’ll do anything to defend my family. There’s nothing more important than the people I love, and I’ll protect what’s mine—even if it costs me my life.

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Excerpt

Suzy glared at me. “What’s this we shit? I’m the one with two aliens inside of me, trying to claw their way out of my body. I’m the only one pushing them out of my tiny vagina. Not you. Not her. Me!” She waved her hands frantically in the air. “I’m the one doing everything while you sit there calm, sexy, and without your body splitting in two. I’m going to be the one tearing wide open as I push two humans and their giant Gallo heads out of my body.” She collapsed, gasping for air, and closed her eyes.
I bit my lip. Pregnant Suzy was unpredictable, but in-labor Suzy was just downright scary. “I know, sugar. You’re doing all the hard work. I’m just here to cheer you on and support you.”
Her nostrils flared and her eyes grew wide when she glanced up. “Support me? If you want to support me, you’ll never knock me up again. You want to cheer me on?” She rolled her eyes and made a noise low in her throat. “Stop fucking talking.”
I braced myself, waiting for her head to do a 360. I brought my mouth right next to her ear. “My sweet little wife, you beg for my cock every day. It takes two to tango, sweetheart. I didn’t put you in that bed.” I lowered my voice further, whispering, “Your sweet little cunt did.”
She closed her eyes again and moaned. “You’re just too damn good. I can’t keep my hands to myself. It’s still your fault, my dear husband.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I burst into laughter. “Now, I fuck you too good?”
“Yes!” she screeched, pounding her fist on the crappy, plastic hospital bed. “If you weren’t so good at it, I wouldn’t be lying here right now.”
Just as I was about to reply, the nurse walked in. “I hear someone is ready to push.” Her voice was so chipper, kind of like my wife’s used to sound like before pregnancy. “Are we excited?” she asked, moving a tray of instruments next to the foot of the bed.
“I just want this over. I’m so freaking uncomfortable.”
“That makes two of us,” I muttered and nodded at the nurse with a fake smile on my face before leaning over and kissing Suzy’s forehead. “Ready, sugar?”

Review 

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

First of all I have to reiterate this with every Men of Inked release…I adore the Gallos! I was over the moon when I heard there would be another installment to one of my most beloved series. City and Suzy might be my favorite couple of the series, though I love them all. Throttle Me is where it all began so they’ll always have a special place in my heart.  It’s only fitting that we get a new installment continuing City and Suzy’s story.  Honor Me, the sixth installment in the series is everything I hoped it would be and more. Chelle Bliss consistently touches on real life issues through her writing. She knows just how to deliver blows to the reader yet keep you enamored and hopeful. This story had a bit of everything — friendship, family, humor, suspense, action, drama, heartbreak/sadness, admiration/love. It’s one of the reasons I am always a fan of her books. It has a little something for everyone and everything about her books makes this family and their stories always feel so real. You connect with these characters because they feel familiar, like loved ones or long lost cousins, but the ones you actually like haha. 
She definitely throws some curveballs this time around, but then again when doesn’t she?  This time I think she shocked me more than any other Men of Inked book. In fact, I’m pretty certain I fully stopped reading for a good twenty minutes and just stared at the page because I was in utter disbelief, but I picked my jaw up and as I continued reading I realized the error of my ways. Chelle never makes anything easy for her readers and I should’ve expected these twists, but she did a great job shocking me. She likes to torture us just a tiny bit, but as always those moments are beyond worth it. She also always focuses on serious, but key issues that people can actually relate to. This book focused on a few very real issues centered around self, family, relationships and how it isn’t impossible to overcome any hurdles with the right support systems in place. Although the book focuses heavily on City and Suzy, we continue to get more than a glimpse of the entire Gallo clan. 
This book makes clear how deep loyalty runs when it comes to the Gallos and how far they’ll go to protect one another. They are a resilient and lovable group whose stories continue to enrapture me. This story has it’s serious moments, but what would a Chelle Bliss book be without the “bliss.” Theres still the kinky, raunchy and downright dirty moments we all have come to know and love with this bunch. The only difference now is with a bunch of kids in the mix the stories are all the more hilarious. Absolutely adore this book and I can’t wait for more Gallos! 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies  ~


About the Author

Bliss

Chelle Bliss, USA Today Bestselling author, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. Currently she’s written a dozen books in three different series. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.

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Book Review: Nine Letters by Blake Austin

9 LETTERS LIVE

Meet Luke Crawley in Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love!

 

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Blurb
Luke Cawley is a broken man. After his wife’s tragic death, he lost everything that mattered in the world. Now, his life is filled with hard days, harder nights, and a steady stream of alcohol and the wrong kind of women. Nothing helps.
Until the letters arrive on Luke’s doorstep.
Nine envelopes. Nine messages. Nine chances to find his way back.
Rae Goode is looking for the real thing. After fighting her way out of a string of bad relationships, she’s ready for something different–something true.
She meets Luke while piecing her life together, and right away she can tell that he’s different. Drawn together by fate and the desire to heal, Rae and Luke discover new ways to mend their broken hearts–one letter at a time.
Discover Blake Austin’s debut novel of loss, redemption, and ever-enduring love.

 

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Book Review

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

So, I’m just going to go ahead and say I generally live by the “don’t judge a book by its cover” rule, but every so often I get lured in by some fantastic cover. Come on, we’re all guilty of doing it at some point. In this case, I saw the cover, drooled a bit, and decided I absolutely needed to read this book before I even read the synopsis….what can I say?…cover dude is hot! I’m not actually sure the cover was a great match for the story, but it’s schmexy as all hell and definitely got my attention, so no complaints here. I wasn’t disappointed with this read, it’s engaging and heartbreaking at times, but there were a few things I felt could’ve been a bit more developed.

 

Luke Cawley has probably been living the worst year of his life. A year after the death of his wife, he’s still trying to cope with the loss. His guilt, shame and anger torment him, but when the letters arrive he starts to feel alive again and he begins to gain a semblance of hope that things will get better. What I loved most about 9 Letters was the rawness, the honesty and the grieving process that brings us on a journey with Luke. Sometimes an ugly, angry journey, sometimes a sad, heartbreaking one, but by the end you see how far this man comes and you will absolutely fall in love. 

 

Upon reading the synopsis I thought this might have been a dual POV read, but it is told solely in Luke’s POV — which I loved. I definitely would’ve like to get a bit more of Rae’s story, but as I continued reading I realized this was more about Luke finding his way and coming out stronger than he was in the first chapters. Rae has an important role in his coping and progress, but it is Luke that needs to find his way. I definitely loved his story and he is an admirable and loyal book boyfriend, not to mention the cover dude makes all thoughts of Luke Cawley schmexier 🙂

 

Seriously though, this book was a pleasant surprise from a new voice and I am excited to see what Blake Austin has in store for us next. 9 Letters gut punches you, but it connects you with Luke almost instantaneously. I read it in one sitting and it is probably the most honest fictional writing about the grieving process that I’ve ever read. You’ll love Luke. His story will leave you optimistic and reflective. As he begins to weave his way into the light you’ll hope that  he will find a way to reconnect with others — especially Rae. 9 Letters has elements of romance, but it also is a powerful story about love and loss and through these letters you see that even in death love is the most powerful voice of all. 

 

~ Happy Reading Lovelies ~ 

 9 LETTERS TEASER


Excerpt

I was about twenty minutes early for my shift, but I got up to the bar, grabbed a rag, started wiping it down, bussing some dishes.
“Damn, Luke,” Jake said, watching me work. “You win the lotto or something? Royals win the pennant last night and I forgot to watch?”
“I’m just in a good mood, that’s all,” I said.
I thought about it a moment longer, decided I should tell him more. Impart some wisdom learned from my not-particularly-advanced years.
“When everything’s dark for so damn long and your eyes get used to it,” I said, “just a little glimmer of sunshine lights up the whole world.”
He nodded, then grabbed a bus bin and headed back into the kitchen.
Warren though, Warren wasn’t impressed. He was sitting by one of the daytime barflies, but he’d stopped talking and was just watching me. I was on thin ice, and I knew it. I couldn’t afford to lose my job. A heartbroken, drunk, angry widower is probably as unemployable as the average ex-con.
I came on at the end of the day shift. Warren liked tending bar during the day, because it meant just shooting the shit with the regulars. That day I had a smile for every customer, sparse words of wisdom like day drunks want to hear. Tending bar wasn’t my dream. But to hell with letting that make me lazy. I kept the place clean, I poured drinks like I cared.
I was getting into the swing of it when happy hour kicked in and a few more people filtered through the door. Couple of middle-aged bikers, a retired couple that parked their RV out front.
The door swung open again, letting in a little bit of that early-evening cold, and I glanced up to see a crowd of three women, with two men. One of the women was a reddish blonde, radiant. Sort of stole the light out of the room. It was Rae. Our eyes met and her smile gave the room back its light.
She’d been in jeans at the shelter, but she was in a blue dress now and she looked damn fine in either. Took my mind right off Maggie, faster than I thought it would be possible. I met her eyes, and she gave out a little gasp and giggle. I was probably smiling in surprise myself.
The crowd came over to the bar. I’d thought the other four were two couples, but I realized pretty quick that the black girl with the afro was dating the quiet white guy in a beard and glasses and tattoos, and that the other guy was trying to impress Rae. He had a John Deere hat, but his clothes were way too clean for me to buy it that he worked on a farm. I hated him, right off. I probably would have hated him if he was the best guy in the world, though. The other girl, she was tall, latina, and for some indiscernible reason was interested in the poser farmer.
Most of the time, I’m awful at reading people. But for some reason, at work I can tell you everything about everyone who walks in the door. About who’s into who, about who had a bad day at work. Who wants to get drunk and miserable, who wants to get drunk and happy, who wants to get drunk and start trouble. Maybe it’s some magic of the job, maybe it’s just how people carry themselves at a bar. Helps with tips, that’s for certain. You wingman right, and the money flows in.
Warren, he likes to upsell them drinks when he’s doing that. Get them excited about the top shelf. Not me.
“Hey, Rae,” I said.
“Luke,” she said.
John Deere looked at me like I was the scum of the earth. And maybe I was, but if I was the scum then he was… I don’t know, something worse than scum. Wannabe scum.
She introduced me to her friends. Nicole had the afro, her boyfriend was Eric. The girl with bad taste was Irina, and John Deere had some name but honestly it went in one ear and out the other. He was John Deere to me. Yeah, maybe I’m an asshole.
“So, how do you know this guy?” Deere asked, tossing me a look that said I clearly wasn’t good enough to be friend with someone like Rae.
“Oh, he came in just the other day. Adopted the sweetest dog, a bloodhound.” She turned to me, flashing that dimple high on her cheek. “How is he? You guys call a truce yet?”
“King’s great,” I said. “I mean, he’s probably at home right now, eating everything I’ve ever owned, but I figure I was due for a purge anyway, right?”
It was a lame attempt at humor, but Rae laughed.
“What can I get you all? Friend of Rae’s is a friend of mine.”

9 LETTERS TEASER BT


blake austin bioAbout the Author
Blake Austin is a guitar playing father of one, who lives in Los Angeles. He’s written music for as long as he can remember and was inspired to add book writing to his repertoire. 9 Letters is his debut novel.
For updates: Follow Blake Austin on Facebook

 

 


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Lick (Stage Dive #1) Review

LICK

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

EXCUSE my slang but this book was EVERYTHAAAANG! hehe 😉

I loved it. Actually I loved David, yeah, definitely David. (drools)

This book just did it for me. It had just enough romance, just enough chemistry to steam things up and just enough drama. It  was everything you look for in a good read, sweet, funny and utterly sexy. The story was solid and I found myself laughing and smiling a lot while reading this book. So what’s it about…

Synopsis

Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas’s plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure as hell never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is for certain, being married to rock and roll’s favorite son is sure to be a wild ride.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I pretty much devoured the book. I finished it in one sitting. 

What would you do if you partied so hard you couldn’t remember anything about your night? Would you freak out when you notice a hot guy in the room, nursing your hangover? Evelyn Thomas wakes up with one hell of a hangover and one hell of a rock on her finger. Scratch that, a five carat Cartier to be exact! She doesn’t remember anything about her night with David Ferris and doesn’t remotely recognize him for his fame. Without so much as a second thought she freaks out…too shocked to think long enough to ask any of the right questions she suggests an annulment. David is seemingly upset by this, but agrees to have his attorneys contact her and draw up the papers. Although upset, he leaves slamming his way out of her life. A quickie annulment should solve all their problems, she could go back to her life and stick with her carefully mapped out plans. Simple enough right? Wrong! Upon returning home to Portland, OR she is rudely awakened by reality and just how drastically her life will change courtesy of her wild night in Vegas.

Although the ending left me fully satisfied. I do hope there will be more to David and Ev’s story. I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more by this author especially if David is involved! hehe 😉

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This book is slated for release on July 1, 2013.

Pre-order Lick (Stage Dive 1) for Kindle

Here’s an excerpt to hold you over until the release:

 A blackbird had been inked into the side of his neck, the tip of its wing reaching up behind his ear. I still had on my pretty white party dress, compliments of Mom. But he wore just a pair of jeans, some scuffed black boots, and a loose white bandage on his forearm.
     Those jeans … he wore them well. They sat invitingly low on his hips and fit in all the right ways. Even my monster hangover couldn’t detract from the view.
     “Aspirin?” he asked.
     And I was ogling him.”

About the author: 

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