Author Archives: Kristin

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

20 August, 2017 4:42 pm , Leave a Comment ,

Blogging is not as easy as you would think. I have a food blog that I started many years ago but it is nothing like Book Sniffers Anonymous. I only post recipes when I have something to share and I only started it so that I could share recipes with my family and friends without having to send out multiple emails. So, when I decided to start BSA, I thought it would be the same, low key thing as Holy Cannoli Recipes. I was sorely mistaken. I mean, I could still have the same slow, on my time, posting schedule but you can’t really do that when you are accepting review books and taking part in tours. Not to mention that there’s a huge difference between spending a couple hours in the kitchen cooking up a recipe, and spending a couple of days reading one book. So, it’s safe to say that BSA takes up a lot of my time. It’s even more true considering that this blog is a one woman show. I don’t have other bloggers coming in and helping me out by posting, reviewing, or doing social media. Which is why some things fall through the cracks and I’m not always active on all the social media sites. I just don’t have the time to read, post, stop by my favorite blogs, make sure my social media sites have the latest review link uploaded, cross post reviews on bookseller sites, and post multiple pictures on Instagram every day. Heck, I’m lucky if I get one picture in a week on there. I just don’t have that kind of time. Seriously, how do some of you guys do it?

One thing I recently did was convince my sister to help me out on the blog. She’s a big reader and I figured if I could have her help me out with reviews, that would be some weight off my shoulders. If you’ve been with me from the start, you may have noticed that I have had a couple people help out over the years. I actually started the blog with a very good friend of mine. However, her life started to get really busy and she didn’t have the time to work on the blog with me and I felt bad that I was pestering her about reviews. After that I enlisted my best friend from back home to help out with reviews. She has a completely different reading preference than I do. She would read more self-help and non-fiction books and I loved having her on here to mix things up. But again, she was climbing the corporate ladder at work, buying a new home, and really just didn’t have time to read any more. So, I’ve been chugging along just trying to keep my head above water when I decided to practically beg my sister to help me out. Thankfully she said she would come on board and I’m really happy I was able to persuade her to help out. So, you will be seeing reviews pop up from time to time from Jodi. She doesn’t have any social media handles yet but if she decides to set something up, I will be sure to include them on the website. 🙂

 

I am curious though, for those of you that have book blogs, how do you guys manage to keep up with your blogs?

 

 

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Posted in: Ramblings

Review: I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

18 August, 2017 6:34 am , 8 Comments ,

I Believe in a Thing Called Love
by Maurene Goo
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
Publication date: May 30, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:

Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

 

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Posted in: YA Contemporary, YA Romance , Tagged: , ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Chasing Red by Isabelle Ronin [Giveaway]

16 August, 2017 6:39 am , 12 Comments ,

Chasing Red
(Red #1)
by Isabelle Ronin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: Sept. 5, 2017
Genre: New Adult Romance

THEY SAID SHE WAS GOING TO BE MY RUIN…
THEN LET HER RUIN ME.

He had everything—wealth, adoration, a brilliant future. Until one chance encounter changed everything.
The moment Caleb Lockhart spotted the mysterious woman in her siren red dress, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
For the first time in his life, he wanted something. Something he knew he could never have.
The unforgettable stranger he dubs RED.

 

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Review: Paper Princess by Erin Watt

14 August, 2017 1:23 am , 21 Comments ,

Paper Princess
(The Royals #1)
by Erin Watt
Publisher: Timeout, LLC
Publication date: April 4, 2016
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

 

 

I was completely wrong about Paper Princess. I honestly thought it was going to be a royal’s story, not a Royal’s story… as in their last name. So, there are no prince’s or princess’s. Just a rich dude who takes in a dirt poor teen and tries to incorporate her into his lifestyle with his five snobby rich-boy sons. Which is not exactly the story I was expecting, but it was still an entertaining read.

I actually got this book from my library and it was classified as Young Adult. Me personally, would not give this book to a young teen. There’s stripping at a strip club, drinking, drugs, attempted rape, and some pretty steamy and quite detailed sexual scenes that I would associate more with a New Adult novel than a YA. So, while the story follows a teen, the things that take place inside the pages are not really appropriate for a younger crowd, in my personal opinion.

Now onto the story. I will admit that I rolled my eyes at Ella… a lot. I mean, she’s this girl who’s at the bare bottom, trying to make ends meet. She’s working three jobs, one of which is stripping, and attending school… and her name is Ella. I was not at all surprised that her stipper name is Cinderella. After all, this story is a “Cinderella story.” I just wish her name wasn’t so cliche. Anyways, not only does Ella go from rags to riches but of course she has to fall for the meanest of the Royal boys. The one who runs the show, the one who says she doesn’t belong and gets pleasure from treating her like scum, the one who belittles her and accuses her of doing everything under the sun, the one who propositions her like a total creeper. Yup, that is the guy that Ella falls for. Ugh! I’m a little sick of the heroine falling for the a-holes who probably grow up to become psychopaths. This isn’t healthy, people. Not sure why authors keep writing about it like it is. To say I was disappointed in a lot of the decisions that Ella makes would be an understatement. For having to grow up and be her own adult at a very young age, you would think that she would be smarter… but she isn’t. She got struck dumb by the pretty boy stick, and it was just a little sad to watch.

However, it pains me to say that I really enjoyed this story. Say, what! I know that’s not where you thought I was going with this. I mean, the characters are cliche, the romance was cringe-worthy, and there really wasn’t anything original to the story… but I still didn’t want to put it down. It was like a 300 page train wreck and I just couldn’t look away. It was like getting a glimpse into the rich people’s world where power is everything, and these kids have been playing the game from a really young age. I was fascinated by the dynamics of it all and while there were some really creepy scenes that were way too inappropriate to be considered normal… even for some rich snob. Yet still, I was glued to their story. So, yeah, I have already put the next two books on hold at the library and I’m itching to start reading them.

 

Favorite quote…

“Somewhere along the line, I started thinking that if I just got through this bad experience, this bad day, that tomorrow I’d have something better, brighter, newer. I still believe that. I still believe that there’s something good out there for me. I just have to keep going until my time comes.”

 

 

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Posted in: NA Romance , Tagged:

Review: Say No More by Liliana Hart [Giveaway]

11 August, 2017 1:54 am , 14 Comments ,

Say No More
(Gravediggers #3)
by Liliana Hart
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication date: July 25, 2017
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:

Sometimes the dead do rise…

Dante Malcolm is a man of refined tastes. He was once a part of Britain’s Elite Intelligence Force, but there was a reason he’d never been able to capture Simon Locke, the notorious thief who always seemed to be one step ahead. That’s because Dante and Simon were one and the same, until Dante’s double life eventually caught up with him and now he belongs to the Gravediggers.

Eva Rothschild is a Detective Inspector with Interpol and is the one responsible for catching MI-6’s most notorious agent in his final heist—except the heist killed him. But something has never felt right about his death, and it’s haunted her for months. It was too easy, and Dante Malcolm was too smart to go down that way.

Dante might belong to the Gravediggers in body, but his heart and soul will always belong to the next job. The rest of the team doesn’t know about his alter ego because he made sure the information went missing from his file. So when the job he’s always waited for seems like a possibility, he sneaks out of the country like a thief in the night, only to run into the only woman who’s ever been able to match him in wit—and passion—for the job. Except they’re standing on opposite sides of the law—and only one of them can walk away with the prize.

 

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Sneak Peek Wednesday: Sight Unseen by Sherry Thomas, Meredith Duran, Erin Satie, Emma Barry, J.A. Rock

9 August, 2017 1:15 am , 9 Comments ,

Sight Unseen: A Collection of Five Anonymous Novellas
by: Sherry Thomas, Meredith Duran, Erin Satie, Emma Barry, J.A. Rock
Publisher: Open Ink Press
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Genre: Romance

What stories would you tell if you could? Where would your mind take you, if you let it? Five of the top voices in romance dare you to explore the most distant corners of their imaginations as they test the limits of storytelling and break the boundaries of what even they thought possible, teasing and tormenting you shamelessly as they go.

But there’s a twist—the author of each story is a secret at the time of release. They’re each plumbing the depths of the human heart and mind in ways they’ve never attempted before. Taking you high, bringing you low, until you will be hardpressed to guess who wrote what. Can you tell? Want us to?

Too bad our lips are sealed . . . for now.

Lost That Feeling
Alma knew who she was, once—that is, before she erased her memory with a spell. Some, like the guards at the prison in which she’s held, say that she was a thief, a murderer.

Others say she was a hero. Like Driss, the man who rescues her. He claims to be a friend. He’s certainly handsome. And charming. And brave. In a word: perfect.

That’s the problem. If he’s perfect and she’s a hero, how did she end up in prison with a seven-year hole in her memory to begin with?

A Clear View of You
As a child, Kate had one dream: to escape her mother’s deluded hippie commune and live in the real world, where mature adults know that magic isn’t real. But the real world also has its downsides—like rent, student loans, and a cutthroat job market.

Happily, Kate is uniquely qualified for one in-demand position: psychic. Of course, she’s as fake as the rest of them, but nobody plays a fortune-teller as convincingly as a girl raised by a would-be witch. If only Kate’s newest client weren’t so perceptive . . . and attractive. If only crystal balls didn’t have the habit of lighting up in his presence.

Magic isn’t real, right? Kate is about to find out otherwise . . .

Free
Brad White would be an ordinary accountant with an unrequited crush except for two things: he works for a criminal motorcycle club, and he’s in love with the club president’s daughter. When she discovers the truth about the family business, Brad has to move beyond ordinary and put his life on the line to keep her safe.

Wren Masters, unlike everyone else in her graduating class, chose to stay in Fallow, Montana because, also unlike everyone else, she loves it. But when she finds out her father’s club is running drugs, her family and world crumble. She and Brad risk everything to uncover the truth . . . and begin a scorching affair.

As the conspiracy—and their feelings—deepen, Brad and Wren must choose between family and justice. And neither seems to include a future for them.

Chariot of Desire
CJ Crespo, drummer for the once wildly popular rock band Donjon, has always had a thing for frontman Donny Times. They spent the seventies getting high together, making music together, self-destructing together. But her qualms about ruining a creative partnership with sex kept them from ever hooking up. Now, Donny’s conversion to a bizarre fringe religion that won’t allow him to engage in—or even sing about—sex, drugs, or other “sins” threatens to tear Donjon apart.

As the band struggles to embrace a new decade and a new Donny, CJ must decide where she belongs: by Donny’s side, even if he can’t ever love her? Or out there making her own music, away from a man who gives and takes in equal measures?

The Heart is a Universe
On the remote planet of Pax Cara lies the greatest secret of the universe. Once every generation, the inhabitants must offer up an exceptional young person—the Chosen One—who sacrifices his or her own life for the sake of that secret, and the planet itself.

However, Vitalis, the current Chosen One, is desperate to free herself from the yoke of destiny. An unexpected invitation to an aristocratic summit seems to be the perfect opportunity for escape. But almost as soon as she arrives, the most eligible prince in existence proposes marriage.

Sparks fly, but Vitalis is wary. Eleian of Terra Illustrata can have any woman he wants. Why has he set his sight on Vitalis, who, unless she manages to flee, will die in sixteen days? Is he hiding an ulterior motive, one that could put everything in jeopardy—her plans, her life, and her heart?

 

 

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Review: Illegal Contact by Santino Hassell

7 August, 2017 1:14 am , 9 Comments ,

Illegal Contact
(The Barons #1)
by Santino Hassell
Publisher: Penguin: Intermix
Publication Date: Aug. 15, 2017
Genre: M/M Romance
Rating:

 

The rules of the game don’t apply off the field in this first Barons novel.

New York Barons tight end Gavin Brawley is suspended from the team and on house arrest after a video of him brawling goes viral. Gavin already has a reputation as a jerk with a temper on and off the field—which doesn’t help him once he finds himself on the wrong side of the law. And while he’s been successful professionally, he’s never been lucky when it comes to love.

Noah Monroe is a recent college grad looking for a job—any job—to pay off his mounting student debt. Working as Gavin’s personal assistant/babysitter seems like easy money. But Noah isn’t prepared for the electrifying tension between him and the football player. He’s not sure if he’d rather argue with Gavin or tackle him to the floor. But both men know the score, and neither is sure what will happen once Gavin’s timeout is over…

 

 

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Posted in: Erotic Romance, Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: The Next Flame by Penelope Douglas

4 August, 2017 1:16 am , 12 Comments ,

The Next Flame
(Fall Away #4 & 4.5)
by Penelope Douglas
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

New York Times bestseller Penelope Douglas introduces the next generation in her Fall Away series in Next to Never, together for the first time with her bestselling novella, Aflame….

Next to Never
Under the close watch of the men in her family, Quinn Caruthers has found it nearly impossible to spread her wings—or even date—without her three older brothers, Jared, Madoc, and Jaxon, jumping in to hover. And when a family friend—several years older—from her childhood still holds her heart, she knows they’re going to be a problem. Lucas Morrow is a man, and knowing her brothers, he may as well be forbidden.

But years ago, Lucas left town and shows no signs of returning. Quinn knows she shouldn’t wait for him anymore.

Until a package turns up on her doorstep with no return address and its contents reveal family secrets that threaten to turn her world upside down. She’s never asked about the path of her parents’ romantic history, but she soon learns their happy marriage had a very rocky and passionate start.

As she starts to see things around her with new eyes, Quinn will have to make tough choices about whether she’ll keep waiting…or finally go after what she really wants.

Aflame
Tatum Brandt finally has everything she wants. Acceptance to medical school, a circle of friends she would never replace, and contentment that every day is now hers.

All through high school, Jared Trent called the shots. He decided if she would be happy or sad, fearful or free. He owned her heart, and he played with it like one of his cars.

Never again.

Two years ago, Jared left town, and Tate’s life is exactly where she wants it to be. Or that’s what she tells herself…

Because two years ago, her heart also stopped beating, and no matter the success in school or the support of her friends, there’s only one time every week she can feel that same rush in her blood. Friday nights on the track.

That’s hers, not his, and to hell with anyone that gets in her way again.

Especially him.

 

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Posted in: NA Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Perilous Trust by Barbara Freethy

2 August, 2017 1:42 am , 9 Comments ,

Perilous Trust
(Off The Grid: FBI Trilogy #1)
by Barbara Freethy
Publisher: Fog City Publishing
Publication date: Aug. 1, 2017
Genre: Romantic suspense

It was one dark night that brought Damon Wolfe and Sophie Parker together. They were two tortured souls, looking for escape, and they weren’t supposed to see each other ever again…

Four years later, Sophie’s FBI father, who is also Damon’s mentor, is killed in a suspicious car crash after leaving Sophie a cryptic message to trust no one from the agency. When Damon shows up looking for her, she isn’t sure if he’s friend or enemy, but she knows he could easily rip apart what is left of her heart.

The last thing Damon wants is to get involved with Sophie again. It was hard enough to walk away the first time. But she’s in trouble, her father’s reputation is under attack, and the lives of his fellow agents are at stake if there’s a traitor in their midst.

When someone starts shooting at them, they have no choice but to go on the run and off the grid. Everyone in their world becomes a suspect. They want to uncover the truth, but will it turn out to be the last thing they expect? Proving her father’s innocence might just cost them their hearts…and their lives…

 

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Review: Gone to Dust by Liliana Hart

31 July, 2017 1:23 am , 7 Comments ,

Gone to Dust
(Gravediggers #2)
by Liliana Hart
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication date: June 20, 2017
Genre: Romantic suspense
Rating:

The Gravediggers aren’t exactly what they seem. They’re the most elite of the world’s fighting forces—and all they have in common is that they’ve been betrayed by the countries they’ve died for. Because they are dead. To their country, their military, and their families.

Sometimes the dead do rise….

Miller Darling is one of the most popular romance novelists of her time. Not bad for a woman who doesn’t believe in romance. She’s as logical as they come, and she doesn’t believe in happily-ever-afters. What she does believe in is family, so when her brother disappears, she doesn’t think twice about packing her bag and her laptop and heading out to find him.

Elias Cole lived and breathed the life of a Navy SEAL. Now he’s “dead” and his hero’s honor tarnished. The only thing keeping him sane are the men who are like him—The Gravediggers—and the woman who makes his head spin. He’s never met anyone like Miller Darling. Her smart mouth and quick wit keep him on his toes, and damned if he doesn’t find that appealing.

When Miller receives a package from the brother who abandoned her asking for help, it’s clear she’s in over her head with the mess he’s gotten himself into. She needs a professional, and Elias is just the man for the job. Only her brother is a former SEAL—the man who left his team to die—and Elias is more interested in vengeance than saving his life.

 

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Posted in: romantic suspense , Tagged: ,