Journey with Books

Apr 24, 2014

Book Tour: Excerpt and Giveaway: Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars by Codi Gary

Unknown April 24, 2014 0 Comments

Tour Banne Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars photo GoodGirlsDontDateRockStarsJPEG_zps84577e46.jpg

Title: Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars
Author: Codi Gary
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: Avon Impulse an Imprint of HarperCollins Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary Adult Romance

Blurb:

Gemma Carlson didn’t plan on waking up married.
She also didn’t count on running into her old flame—and her son’s father-turned-country-rock star, Travis Bowers—followed by a night of drunken dares. Apparently one of those involved a ring on her finger and a vow…neither of which she intends to keep. Now with a hangover from hell, this good-girl-gone-bad knows there’s just one thing to do: run. Travis has been all over the world, but Gemma has never been far from his thoughts. So when he had the chance to catch up over a few drinks, he didn’t hesitate. Of course he didn’t expect it would lead to marriage, or a runaway bride! Travis finally has a second chance and doesn’t plan on losing Gemma again—or the son he didn’t know he had. He proposes—albeit belatedly—a date. Or rather, a few. If they can make this marriage work by starting over, he stays. If not… Gemma’s not interested; she’s got a son to protect and a heart to heal. But having Travis around could make both a little easier. Still, good girls don’t date rock stars…right?

Excerpt:

How many glasses of champagne did I have last night? Gemma Carlson groaned, gritting her teeth against the stabbing pain that seemed to be spreading through her brain. She didn’t want to open her eyes, afraid of what she would find. Right now she was only sure of two things. One, her head hurt like a son of a bitch and two, she was very, very naked. Prying open her right eye, she tried to focus on her surroundings, but instead of seeing intricate, golden wallpaper, she found the walls were now light colored. A couch sat in the corner of the room, though her room had had a tiny office chair and desk. The landscape on the wall was new, too. She opened both eyes, blinking rapidly at the dryness, and realized she had no idea where she was. Which meant she obviously wasn’t in her hotel room. A light snore behind her caught her attention and she stiffened, turning her head slowly to look at her bedmate. She sucked in a breath at the sight of dark curls and a broad back, the only things visible above the heavy comforter. What have I done? Sitting up, she swallowed down the rolling nausea and fought the splitting headache, catching her face in her hands. And then she felt it. Something cool and metal on her finger. Something that definitely shouldn’t be there. Pulling her hands back, she stared at the large three-stone diamond ring on her left index finger and froze.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble / HarperCollins / iBook

Author's Bio:

Suzie An obsessive bookworm, Codi Gary likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she's not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family.

Links for Author:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Entry -Form

Apr 18, 2014

Book Review: A Dark & Stormy Knight by Suzie Quint

Unknown April 18, 2014 0 Comments

Title: A Dark & Stormy Knight
Author: Suzie Quint
Publication Date: March 23, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Georgia McKnight would do anything for her daughter Eden, but the one thing she's failed to do is to provide her daughter with a model of a good marriage. To remedy that, she's set her sights on converting her friendship with Daniel, the divorced father of Eden's best friend, into a romance. Unfortunately, she has to leave Dallas for the summer to help her parents in Hero Creek, where her ex-husband waits, scheming to win her back.

Sol McKnight has three passions in his life: riding bulls, his daughter, and the woman he married right out of high school. He's pulled some underhanded tricks over the years in order to keep his ex-wife single. He doesn't regret a single one of them because, well, they worked. But now, she's come home and he has a chance to win her back for good. If he's smart about it, maybe he can make her see that she belongs with him.

Kayla's Thoughts:

Okay, so I have been listening to a load of country music this past week. Thanks, for the most part, the topic of books I have recently been reading. And also thanks to the fact I just found out my phone has FM radio and country is what comes in best on it. YAY!! But mostly because of the topic of books I have been reading.

A Dark & Stormy Knight is a wonderful wonderful story of cowboys and the women who love them...or believe that they don't in the case of Georgia McKnight, who left her bull riding husband years ago and has believed ever since she left him that it was the right thing to do. Her excuses? They were young and dumb, they thought love conquered all, etc. But, hey, whatever makes her sleep at night. It was these excuses that got her through all the visits to the McKnight ranch when dropping off her daughter with the girl's father for a select amount of time each summer. Then, however, she could just leave and come back when that time was over. But when a stroke takes out her mother and Georgia's sister Bethany calls her up to help out during the ENTIRE summer, she won't be able to hide behind her excuses. She will have to face the man she left in the dust.

Sol McKnight was heartbroken the night Georgia left, and ever since, he has fought to keep her out of the hands of any man. So it seems like a dream come true when she has to stay the summer to help out her parents. Can he get her to stay for good, or will the past repeat itself by her running away from him again.

I loved this book so much. It aggravated me to no end!!! But in a good way. Both characters are stubborn as mules and just too hard-headed to back down from each other. They goad one another just to get a reaction...AND THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK!! As the summer goes on, old feelings begin to come back, causing them to actually face what happened all those years ago.

I must say that Georgia is a bit difficult, and that is putting things mildly. She is so quick to judge Sol on everything, and, to quote a character, "he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't," but you can tell that she really does not want to face the truth. That what happened all those years ago could have been a HUGE mistake! However, I kind of like her this way. Yeah, it is aggravating at times to hear her judge Sol against other men and say that she would be better off with someone else, but that is what makes the story juicy. SO MUCH DRAMA!!!! I love it.

I also love how every other character can see Sol and Georgia's true feelings for one another. But every time the subject is brought up, "Oh no, it can't be..." I find that so funny. But love is truly blind sometimes. And deaf, from all the yelling. And sore, from all the heated...well...conversations. *wink wink*

In the end, a possible threat of impending marriage and a situation with an engagement ring may be the thing that decides the fate of Sol and Georgia.

Verdict:

I noticed my review was getting a bit long, so I am just going to end by saying...READ THIS!!! It is a phenomenal book and just one of three in the McKnight series. More specifically, #3. Plus, there is even a short story about Sol and Georgia that takes place before this where Sol makes a plan to jeopardize yet another of Georgia's relationships. Definitely going to read that.

I am officially a fan of Suzie Quint. Girl, you are AWESOME!!

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Smashwords

Author's Bio:

Suzie Quint has always been fascinated with the human psyche, so she can imagine no better way to explore the human condition than through the characters she writes. Finding the happy ending for the people who inhabit her worlds is the best job anyone could have. Getting to share them with others... It doesn't get any better than that.

Links for Author:

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter

Apr 14, 2014

Release Day Book Review: Resisting the Rancher by Roxanne Snopek

Unknown April 14, 2014 0 Comments

Title: Resisting the Rancher
Author: Roxanne Snopek
Publication Date: April 14, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Publishing—Bliss
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

She’s his best friend’s sister, but he’s ready to break all the rules…

Country veterinarian Celia Gamble is in trouble. A misunderstanding from
her past is rearing its ugly head and the only person she can turn to is
Jonah Clarke—her family’s lawyer and, as it turns out, her brother Zach’s
best friend and her childhood crush. She always wanted Jonah to see her as
a bona fide woman, but as a woman who’s being wrongfully blackmailed for
seducing a married man? Not on her life.

Jonah is happy to help little CeeCee Gamble, if only she’d come clean
about why she’s being blackmailed. But with Zach’s wedding on the horizon
and Zach’s fashionista fiancée Desiree giving CeeCee a makeover, the
little duckling Jonah remembers is turning into a definite swan. And the
unwritten law on sisters is clear—hands off. Jonah must resist Celia or
lose the only true family he’s ever known.

Kayla's Thoughts:

It has been quite some time since I have read a romance novel set in the country. So I guess it was pretty well a no-brainer when this beauty popped up that I agree to read and review it.

The whole romance side of things in this book was quite fulfilling in its story. Two people, Celia and Jonah, who haven't seen each other since years back are brought together once again and sparks immediately seem to fly. The problem...a big brother who is definitely trying to compensate for a fatal accident and is very protective of his little sister. Who he apparently still sees as the little girl that used to follow him and his friends around. The thing is though, she is not that little girl anymore. And this known fact is the basis for the romance. The story focuses mainly on Celia, our heroine, finally finding her own beauty and no longer seeing herself as the awkward young girl she used to be, but it also focuses on Jonah, who is fighting the feelings that are coming to the surface. Even though he can see that throughout the book his need for a little distance is hurting Celia, he cannot get over the fact that she is his best friend's little sister. Jonah doesn't want to betray his friend's trust. But as she gets more and more beautiful, it gets harder and harder to stay away.

Now as with most romances, there are some rocky slopes. And in this book, that rocky slope's name is Melinda, a woman connected to Celia's past who is out for revenge. She doesn't care who she hurts as long as Celia gets her supposed comeuppance, even if it means she ruins the entire Gamble family. I must say that I kind of expected there to be more of a fight with her. Up until the end, there was. But when she was supposedly finally dealt with, it was a bit anticlamactic to me. Enough to the point that I wasn't sure she truly had been dealt with. I kind of wish she had gone out with a bang. Other than that, though, the story was very well-written, the characters well-developed, and there was quite a bit of humour throughout.

Verdict:

This was a wonderful read, and I am definitely going to be checking out the other Three River Ranch books that deal with some of the other characters that I met in this one. I am now a fan of this particular author and cannot wait to read any future books by her.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

Roxanne Snopek is an award-winning Canadian writer and author, focusing on contemporary women's fiction and romance, usually with a dollop of crazy. Plus a dog or two.

Links for Author:

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Amazon / Google+ / LinkedIn

Apr 11, 2014

Promo Sale: Flawed Perfection by Cassandra Giovanni

Unknown April 11, 2014 0 Comments

Title: Flawed Perfection (Beautifully Flawed #1)
Author: Cassandra Giovanni
Publication Date: March 6, 2014
Publisher: Show n'ot Tell Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sale Dates: April 11, 2014 - April 13, 2014
Original Price: $2.99
Sale Price: $0.99

Blurb:

Bobby Beckerson was the American All-Star hockey player - he was the spitting image of perfection in his family. Goofy, sweet and undeniably gorgeous, he had everything but the one girl he wanted: River Ahlers.

River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She's been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she's stuck right in the middle of the brothers dueling over everything and anything, and she doesn't even know she's the ultimate prize.

Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girls' hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damaged, with boyish good looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.

Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself - or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved, a tragedy strikes that will break them all...

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / Google Play

Author's Bio:

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then, Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall #1) and the Amazon bestselling thriller, Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales #1). Cassandra released her first New Adult novel, Love Exactly, which became an Amazon bestseller overnight in June of 2013. She's currently working on her new New Adult Contemporary Romance, Beautifully Flawed. The first novel in the series, Flawed Perfection is scheduled to be published on March 6, 2014.

Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios Photography and Gio Design Studios Publication Marketing. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life, their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Links for Author:

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest

Apr 4, 2014

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Obsidian Eyes by A.W. Exley

Unknown April 04, 2014 1 Comments

Title: Obsidian Eyes
Author: A.W. Exley
Publication Date: March 24th, 2014
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Blurb:

1836, a world of light and dark, noble and guild. The two spheres intersect when seventeen-year-old Allie Donovan is placed at the aristocratic St Matthews Academy. More at ease with a blade than a needle, she finds herself ostracised by the girls ad stalked by a Scottish lord intent on learning why she is among them.

She begins to suspect the underlying reasons when soldiers arrive to see her friend, Zeb, a mechanical genius. On the hunt for answers she breaks into his underground laboratory. There, Allie discovers he is not just constructing sentient mechanical creatures, he is building a devastating new weapon for the military.

The guilds want the weapon and Allie is trapped by ties of blood. She must obey the overlord of the guild and deliver up her friend, unless she can rely on the bonds of friendship, to save both their lives.

Kayla's Thoughts:

I love books that are different. Books that have their own personality. Books that do not sound generic or 'been there done that'. So when I read the blurb of this one before reading it, I immediately knew this was one worth the read. It also kind of helped that I totally fell in love with the feline-looking creature on the cover. (Don't judge me...It's cuteness cannot be helped...)

I do not normally use the word exquisite when doing reviews. But in some cases it is the exact word that best fits, and for this particular book that is exactly the case. The imagery and the world that was created and the way the characters seem to leap off the pages is just plain exquisite. I mean, the author did such a beautiful job weaving this tale that at the end I was almost speechless.

I absolutely adore the main character, Allie. She is a no-nonsense type of girl who just happens to love her weapons. What girl doesn't? Well...most of the other girls at St Matthew's for starters. I love the fact that Allie is so inherently different from those other girls, because it makes her stand out. She is so outspoken and tough and confident on the outside, but there is a bigger fight going on inside of her. She was born into a world where loyalty to your own is the only thing that really keeps you from certain death. But the friends she makes at St Matthews and the unfurling of a plot that might actually challenge her own personal morals could change her view regarding that loyalty, and could very well mean her life in the end.

Each character, situation, mechanical invention, and setting brings life to this story. They are all parts of a whole that has such depth and warmth and wonder to it. It is truly an awesome book. And I mean that in the true definition of the word.

Verdict:

I recommend this for anyone who loves fantasy. It will blow you away. Or at least it did me.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble

Author's Bio:

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of Anita's life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.

Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.

Links for Author:

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway Click here to check out all the other amazing blogs out there that are involved in this tour.

Apr 1, 2014

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Captivate Me by S.J. Pierce

Unknown April 01, 2014 2 Comments

Title: Captivating Me
Author: S.J. Pierce
Publication Date: April 1st, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Recommended for readers 16 and up due to mature content.

Blurb:

"My mom had always told me - when you meet "the one", you'll know; they'll captivate your heart the moment you lay eyes on them. I had always wondered, though, if my mom's words of wisdom were finite - if they applied to everyone. Maybe those who had found their one great love were the lucky few, and maybe the rest of us would have to settle for less than earth-shattering."

Seventeen-year-old Kat Walsh is a Gifted - a human with paranormal abilities. With her mom a former Angel and her dad a dream prophet, it's always been in her genetic make-up to be extraordinary. But, unfortunately for her, the world can't handle the strange or unusual. So when she slips up and uses her powers at her high school in Ireland, the entire student body treats her like a freak - even the ones she thought were her closest friends.

Broken, but hopeful for a fresh start, she allows her parents to enroll her in a boarding school buried deep within the forests of a small Colorado town. At Midland Pines, School for the Gifted, she feels as though she can finally be herself; she makes new friends and even has the attention of the most popular guy in school - Levi. Everything feels normal again...or does it?

Not long after her arrival, weird dreams of an alluring boy whom she's never met surface during the night, and the eerie, shadowy trees encircling their school seem to call to her. As these disturbing, yet enticing developments intensify, other bizarre occurrences happen - students and staff turn up missing, and mystery visitors leave gifts while she sleeps. With all of these other things fighting for her attention, a desperate Levi has to fight even harder to keep her interest. But with the dreams of the attractive boy slowly captivating her heart, Kat has to make a choice - will she settle for 'great' Levi, or will she search for her elusive dream visitor, possibly stumbling across 'amazing'?

From the author of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles comes a refreshingly different Young Adult series with plenty of love, suspense, and a new take on the Paranormal.

Kayla's Thoughts:

The beginning of this book starts out with the same premise that a lot of Paranormal books that I have read start out with. You have a girl who feels somewhat lost in the world, something happens that separates her from the world, or at least the "norm", and she feels even more like that freak that she believes herself to be, and then a wonderful opportunity happens, allowing her to set things in motion for her true destiny to be revealed. Now, just because I say this is the premise of most that I have read does not mean that it is entirely similar. Books can start the same, it is how they end that truly shows a writer's merit.

I actually loved Kat, the main character. I could feel her emotions throughout this book, and that is very important to me. I could somewhat feel her pain at being considered an outcast when her powers are revealed at her old school. I could relate to that fact and I also kind of loved it that her old school was in Ireland. Okay, so I cannot relate to that, but I can definitely respect an author who can put Ireland in something. MY FAVOURITE PLACE!! *clears throat* Back to the review.

Throughout the book, I could feel a tension building in every page. A tension I did not exactly know the cause of, but which helped with the anticipation of the situation, i.e. the fact that people are disappearing and there is a mysterious boy invading Kat's dreams who keeps leaving her gifts. Are they connected in some way? Is he involved with these very disappearances? These are the questions that allow that tension to become stronger and stronger, allowing it to gradually rise until the end, when everything resolves itself, or at least, as with all series, resolve itself enough to carry the story on to another installation.

Verdict:

I really did love this story. It may have started with a general concept, but it certainly had its own flare. The author did a wonderful job making this one different, and I actually cannot wait to get my hands on the other books involving Kat, and now that I know about the books regarding her parents (Alex Rayer Chronicles) I cannot wait to pick those up as well. I love this world, I love these characters, and I cannot wait for what is in store.

Captivate Me is on sale for $0.99 through the end of next week, Friday April 11th.

Links for Book:

Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords

Author's Bio:

Susan James Pierce has a degree in Marketing Management, works for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Georgia, and devotes her precious, and spare time writing Fantasy, Paranormal and Sci-fi novels.

Links for Author:

Goodreads / Facebook / Website

And Now For A Grand Giveaway!
Here is just one thing that you can win by entering.