Author Archives: Kristin

Sneak Peek Wednesday: All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire

6 June, 2018 12:58 am , 4 Comments ,

All the Little Lights
by Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication date: May 29, 2018

The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.

Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.

Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, YA Contemporary , Tagged: ,

Review: Real Kind of Love by Sara Rider

4 June, 2018 12:42 am , 7 Comments ,

Real Kind of Love
(Books & Brews #1)
by Sara Rider
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

What happens when a fake relationship turns into a real kind of love?

As an audiobook narrator, Clementine Cox has no trouble mastering the voices of space aliens, elven warriors, or even demon-possessed cats. But the moment she tries her hand at an erotic romance, she’s stumped. With her deadline looming, she books a week at a secluded cabin to restore her inner muse, telling her loving-but-overbearing family it’s a romantic getaway with her not-so-existent new boyfriend to keep them from worrying. She never expects them to invite themselves along to meet the new guy. Now, she has less than twenty-four hours to find a pretend boyfriend in order to save her job and, potentially, her sanity.

Workaholic Jake Donovan isn’t interested in a real relationship. After a broken engagement, all he wants to do is focus on keeping his brewpub, the Holy Grale, afloat. But when he finds out his favorite customer is in need of a fake boyfriend, and his business partners insist he take a much overdue vacation, he has no choice but to help Clem out. All he has to do is enjoy the sunshine, play nice with her family, and keep his hands to himself for the week.

But Jake’s not prepared to like waking up next to Clem every morning as much as he does. Or to feel so welcome by her quirky family. And as the line between real and fake starts to blur, he realizes one week might never be enough.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged:

Dragons, Witches, and Vampires.

3 June, 2018 10:00 am , 9 Comments ,

I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Now that my tailbone is all healed, I started going back to the gym with the Mister this week. I don’t know what I was thinking because I hurt all over! Apparently he started a new intense high-weight workout for the next few weeks and I just so happened to pop back in right as he was starting it. Needless to say, I’ve been walking around like a mummy. I’m all stiff-legged and moaning. It’s going to be a while until I get back into the groove of things.

Yesterday was the cacti and succulent society summer show. I’ve enjoyed going to these shows because there are so many unique plants there that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Plus, they have a contest of the best plants. So, you get the chance to look at some really magnificent cacti/succulents. However, because we wound up buying so many plants, we didn’t end up walking the show afterwards to check out the prize winners. Which I’m okay with because my plant obsession is going to new heights. I don’t need to find more plants to add to my wish list. We got a lot of interesting plants that I’ve never seen before, as well as a kickass octopus pot from Tentacle Arts who was there for the show. We went a bit overboard in our purchases but since this is the last society show before we move out of the area, we sort of just bought everything that caught our eye. I’m just hoping I can keep everything alive, especially when we move to the desert in a couple of months. While the Mister bought cacti which will love being in the Mojave desert, my jungle plants will require a lot more attention and love if they are to survive the dry, hot climate out there. No regrets though because they are super cool!

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: In Bed with the Beast by Tara Sivec

1 June, 2018 12:07 am , 1 Comment ,

In Bed with the Beast
(Naughty Princess Club #2)
by Tara Sivec
Publisher: Swerve
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Genre: romance
Rating:

A tale as old as time: she needs a place to stay, he’s a grump with a secret and an extra room…can love find a way?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

Living in her overprotective dad’s basement, shy Belle lives her life through books. Being a part of the Naughty Princess Club is the first adventure she’s ever had, plus she desperately needs the money to save one of her favorite places – the local library.

But when her new friends and new business gets her kicked out of her dad’s house, Belle is rescued by the surly Vincent “Beast” Adams who invites her to be his house guest until she gets back on her feet. Despite his attitude problem and long list of rules, Belle finds herself warming to the muscled man with a penchant for growling and starts seeing a gentle side to him that wasn’t there before.

Yet there’s a room that Beast keeps locked and Belle keeps getting hints that Beast is hiding something…can a nerdy librarian tame the beast or will their romance be over before it has a chance to blossom?

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Looking for Dei by David A. Willson

30 May, 2018 12:09 am , 5 Comments ,

Looking for Dei
by David A. Willson
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: March 23, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Fifteen-year-old Nara Dall has never liked secrets. Yet it seems that her life has been filled with them, from the ugly scar on her back to the strange powers she possesses. Her mysterious father refuses to say anything about her origins, and soon, she and her best friend must attend the announcement ceremony, in which youths are tested for a magical gift.

A gifted youth has not been announced in the poor village of Dimmitt for decades. When Nara uncovers the reason, she uses her own powers to make things right. The decision sets her on a path of danger, discovery, and a search for the divine. In the process, she learns the truth about herself and uncovers the biggest secret of all: the power of broken people.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren

28 May, 2018 8:47 am , 5 Comments ,

The One You Can’t Forget
(The Ones Who Got Away #2)
by Roni Loren
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: June 5, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Most days Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter…
The world admires her as a survivor. But that impression would crumble if people knew her secret. She didn’t deserve to be the one who got away. But nothing can change the past, so she’s thrown herself into her work. She can’t dwell if she never slows down.

Wes Garrett is trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca―the attorney who helped his ex ruin him―his simple life gets complicated.

Their attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca’s secret is put at risk, both discover they could lose everything, including what they never realized they needed: each other

She laughed and kissed him. This morning she’d melted down. But somehow this man had her laughing and turned on only a few hours later. Everything inside her felt buoyed.

She felt…light.

She’d forgotten what that felt like.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Royals, Rebounds, and Murder

27 May, 2018 10:00 am , 6 Comments ,

I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

This week seems like it just flew right on by. It’s still been cloudy here, so I haven’t been able to do much on Instagram. However, the Mister and I have been checking out local nurseries in the area. He’s been on the lookout for a specific colored bougainvillea… which he was able to find yesterday! It was the only one they had. Today will be spent checking out other nurseries for a color that will compliment it since he wanted two different colors for the area he has planned. Me on the other hand, I just love going and checking out the houseplant section. I may have obtained five more plants since the last Weekly Wrap-up. It just seems like every time I walk into a nursery, they have one of the hard-to-find plants that I’ve been searching for online. Plus, two of the plants are from a neighbor who gave me her two orchids to nurse back to health. Which I think will be a fun project as well as interesting to see what their flowers will look like.

All of this would be totally fine if we weren’t planning on moving later this summer though. 😬

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

25 May, 2018 12:19 am , 7 Comments ,

The Kiss Quotient
(The Kiss Quotient #1)
by Helen Hoang
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: June 6, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan–from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Red by Jessi McPherson

23 May, 2018 12:13 am , 6 Comments ,

Red: A Modern Fairytale Retelling
by Jessi McPherson
Publisher: Zombie Cupcake Press
Publication date: April 4, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Everyone has read the tale of Little Red Riding Hood… Such a carefree, naïve girl who fell victim to the wolf and had to be saved by the Huntsman. I’d like to set that story straight. It all began with a girl, a curse, and wolf. We all have a hero inside. All it takes is to believe. Cara knew the legends of her village but she never thought she’d become one.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Review: Hooked on You by Kate Meader

21 May, 2018 12:55 am , 10 Comments ,

Hooked On You
(Chicago Rebels #3)
by Kate Meader
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication date: May 29, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

The steamy Chicago Rebels series returns with this racy and sassy tale of embittered hearts, second chances, and going for the goal—on and off the ice.

Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actually running the team with the half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.

Bren St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of the Ice, Hell’s Highlander…but it’s the latest tag that’s making headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a temptation he could so easily get hooked on.

For two lost souls, there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation… there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,