Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Harper Effect by Taryn Bashford

9 May, 2018 12:01 am , 7 Comments ,

The Harper Effect
by Taryn Bashford
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Publication date: May 15, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Romance

Sixteen-year-old Harper was once a rising star on the tennis court–until her coach dropped her for being “mentally weak.” Without tennis, who is she? Her confidence at an all-time low, she secretly turns to her childhood friend, next-door neighbor Jacob–who also happens to be her sister’s very recent ex-boyfriend. If her sister finds out, it will mean a family war.

But when Harper is taken on by a new coach who wants her to train with Colt, a cold, defensive, brooding young tennis phenom, she hits the court all the harder, if only to prove Colt wrong. But as the two learn to become a team, Harper gets glimpses of the vulnerable boy beneath the surface, the boy who was deeply scarred by his family’s dark and scandalous past. The boy she could easily find herself falling for.

As she walks a fine line between Colt’s secrets, her forbidden love, and a game that demands nothing but the best, Harper must decide between her past and her future and between two boys who send her head spinning. Is the cost of winning the game worth losing everything?

 

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

Review: Mate Claimed by Jennifer Ashley

7 May, 2018 12:33 am , 6 Comments ,

Mate Claimed
(Shifters Unbound #4)
by Jennifer Ashley
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Oct. 2, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

As a wildcat Shifter and leader of his Shiftertown, Eric Warden knows his own kind. When he sees Iona Duncan, he realizes that although she appears human, she is a half-Shifter wildcat living without a Collar—and that if she doesn’t acknowledge her true nature and her mating hunger, it may kill her…

Iona finds the mysterious and powerful Eric alluring, even though she has vowed never to reveal her Shifter side, lest her mother pay the price for hiding her all these years. But her mating hunger is rising, and with Eric so close, she may not be able to resist…and her desire may lead to the very doom they are fighting to deny…

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: ,

New Plants and Books Equals One Happy Girl

6 May, 2018 10:14 am , 16 Comments ,

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

 

I know I talked about plants last week, but I am even more excited about the plants I got yesterday. We went to our local nursery because The Mister wanted a bougainvillea. We wound up not finding the one he wanted, but I found these two awesome plants! The one of the left is a Cylindrical Snake Plant aka African Spear and the one on the right is a Pilea Peperomioides aka Chinese Money Plant. The Pilea is a plant that took me forever to find online last year for a friend who really wanted one. I wound up dropping $30 on a tiny 2″ pot to be shipped to me. So, imagine my surprise when I rounded the corner and there were a whole bunch of these plants for sale! There was no way I was walking out of the store without one.

Aaand if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a bit obsessed with plants. If I could, I would be one of those people whose house is covered in plants from top to bottom. I’m starting to feel like maybe I need to start a plant discussion post or something for the blog. 😂

 

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

4 May, 2018 12:39 am , 13 Comments ,

Punk 57
by Penelope Douglas
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: Oct. 21, 2016
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

Misha

I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.

 

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Posted in: NA Romance , Tagged:

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart

2 May, 2018 12:32 am , 10 Comments ,

Murder, She Knit
(A Knit & Nibble Mystery #1)
by Peggy Ehrhart
Publisher: Kensington
Publication date: March 27, 2018
Genre: Mystery

Since her only daughter left for college, widow Pamela Paterson has kept busy as associate editor of a craft magazine and founder of the Knit and Nibble knitting club in quaint Arborville, New Jersey. Now, she’s trying out a new hobby—solving murders!

Pamela is hosting the next Knit and Nibble meeting and can’t wait to liven up her otherwise empty home with colorful yarn, baking, and a little harmless gossip. She even recruits Amy Morgan, an old friend who recently moved to town, as the group’s newest member. But on the night of the gathering, Amy doesn’t show. Not until Pamela finds the woman dead outside—a knitting needle stabbed through the front of her handmade sweater . . .

Someone committed murder before taking off with Amy’s knitting bag, and Pamela realizes that only she can spot the deadly details hidden in mysterious skeins. But when another murder occurs, naming the culprit—and living to spin the tale—will be more difficult than Pamela ever imagined . . .

Knitting tips and delicious recipe included!

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Mystery

Win the entire M-Day series by DT Dyllin (signed)

1 May, 2018 12:49 am , 5 Comments ,

Stuck on Books is putting on a May I Suggest Giveaway Hop, and I’ve decided to join in on the fun. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these hops, but I had to take part in this one. I’ve actually been holding onto these books for over a year now. I was lucky enough to meet D.T. Dyllin at RT Booklovers Convention last year, and I got her entire M-Day series signed for an upcoming giveaway that I was planning. However, I wound up moving soon after the convention and things got put on the back burner. So, when I saw that there was an upcoming hop designed to show your love for one of your favorite books by giving them away. I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to give away these signed copies.

 

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Posted in: Erotic Romance

Review: Bound for Eden by Tess LeSue

30 April, 2018 12:11 am , 10 Comments ,

Bound for Eden
(Frontiers of the Heart #1)
by Tess LeSue
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: May 1, 2018
Genre: Western Historical Romance
Rating:

Alexandra Barratt has found the perfect man—it’s a shame he thinks she’s a boy…

Fleeing from the murderous Grady brothers, Alexandra disguises herself as a boy and joins a frontier party heading West, with her brother and sister in tow. The wagon train is captained by the irresistible Luke Slater, who’s never met a woman he couldn’t charm.

At first, Alex can’t believe the way every woman in town falls at Luke’s feet, including her suddenly flirtatious sister. But when she sees him naked in the bathtub, she finds herself swooning over him too. If only she could wash the muck of her face and show him who she really is. Unfortunately she has more pressing concerns…

The Gradys aren’t about to let Alex, nor the small fortune she stole from them, slip through their fingers. Only by maintaining her ruse does she have a chance of protecting her family. But fate, it seems, is conspiring against her.

 

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Posted in: historical romance , Tagged: ,

Prince’s, Thieves, and Birthday Girls!

29 April, 2018 8:41 am , 22 Comments ,

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

 

I definitely got bit by the Spring bug. I’ve been gardening up a storm! Last weekend we went out and got some plants for my tortoise, Hailey’s, enclosure. My neighbor who practically has a botanical garden in her backyard, is preparing to move, and she gave me clippings of some of her plants. I’ve now been introduced to Philippine Orchids and a Orchid Cacti. The Philippine Orchid is really cool looking and I would have never guessed it was an orchid. It has these plantlets that grow off of the branches of the stalk (sort of like a spider plant). The Orchid Cacti are plants I’ve seen around the neighborhood but had no clue what they were. I tried googling them but was never able to identify them. So, I was really excited when she offered to give me some clippings from hers. Right now they look like a snake plant but once they start growing more segments they will resemble more of a huge Christmas Cactus.

 

 

 

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Posted in: meme

Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

27 April, 2018 12:43 am , 8 Comments ,

When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 30, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating:

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

 

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

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes

25 April, 2018 12:06 am , 8 Comments ,

The Forgotten Ones
by Steena Holmes
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication date: April 1, 2018
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.

Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.

As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth—if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Thriller , Tagged: