Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 267

Review: THE BOYFRIEND EXPERIENCE by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

Evie had no love life, not since she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with his fiancé. Never thought that she would be “the other woman.” The worst part was when he blatantly said that she meant nothing to him. Ouch!


Face it: Evie just wasn’t good at picking men. Maybe she needed The Boyfriend Experience, this app that was like an escort service, except there’s no sex. This gives you a boyfriend for when you need someone for a special event. A temporary boyfriend would be a big help at Evie’s family reunion.


Eric had no clue he was being coerced into being someone’s boyfriend until Evie hired him. Now what? Well, she was hot, so why not?


This started off light and easy with flirty banter and enjoyable characters. However, the story spends a lot of time on their physical attraction and make-out sessions. Apparently, Eric wanted to get paid in kisses. It’s a good thing that it’s not just physical; they had an emotional connection, too. Thing was that it’s very slow. Heck, it takes a long time for them to even get to the reunion.


It was a good concept, but I just couldn’t finish it.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: THE BET by Orna Landau

The Bet: a 45-year old woman aims to prove to her husband that she is still desirable to others. For a 3-month trial separation, they would be free to do…whatever they wanted.


Of course, the very next day, when Sarah wakes up from the hang-over and the passionate love-making, she wonders if it was a good idea, especially when Ben starts packing right away. Yeah, never make bets when drunk. Can a perfectly good marriage be broken? It’s only for 3 months.


Throughout the story, Sarah and Ben suffer a mixture of angst, withdrawals, and excitement. The eagerness to fly and be free clashes with the guilt and constant doubts plaguing their minds. What happens when sex gets in the mix? Then it becomes an internal war between the angel and the devil.  Who will win in the end?


Lovely and well-written.  I was intrigued by the bet and thought it was such a daring idea. And I agreed with Sarah: if the two really loved each other, they would survive the 3 month. Heck, I’d enjoy the peace and quiet, too! Watching Sarah sort through the online dating dilemma was a riot.  The two just get wracked with guilt that it’s hard for either of them to enjoy this little experiment. They constantly obsess and quibble, practically repeating the same whiny notions over and over again. That tends to get annoying after a while.


Overall, this was a good read.  


My rating: 4 stars

Review: SWEET TEA AND SECOND CHANCES by Dylann Crush

Cassie returned home to fix and sell her grandma’s house. Last thing she expected was a blast from the past. Her plan was to finish and sell the house, get out of her old town, and avoid Robbie at all cost. But, of course, he insisted on helping her fix up the place. He aimed to find out what had driven her away. Why did she end things with him?


Story had good tension and drama between the two characters. Can they put up with each other for a couple of months? It relives sweet and scary moments from their childhood.


For Rob, this might be a chance to win her back. But can Cassie put up with a arrogant, pompous jackass? Or does she want to return to an old passion?


A nice, friendly romance with some lag.


My rating: 3 stars

Blog Tour: SAVED BY YOU by Kimberly Daniels

 
Saved by Youby Kimberly Daniels
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Now forced to relive painful memories and bring dark secrets to light, Cole begins a downward spiral that leads him back to the place he spent years trying to escape. As the pain of his past collides with the present, he finds himself lost again, fighting for his family's future. How can he find the way back in time for his forever to be saved?
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Excerpt One:
Footsteps approach. I feel a light touch, and then hands gently finding their way around my waist. Camryn lays her head on my shoulder and squeezes. Gavin stands up next to me on the other side of the bench and links his arms around my neck.
“Daddy, are you mad at me?” he asks.
I lift my head, pull Gavin onto my lap, and tilt his chin toward my face. “You listen now. I could never be mad at you for talking about the baby. You will be the best big brother anyone could ask for. So, you talk about the baby all you want.” I lift my thumb. “Thumbs-up to the best big brother in the world.”
He touches his thumb to mine. “Thumbs-up to the best daddy in the world.”
As the pain melts away, Camryn squeezes my waist and kisses my shoulder. “Are you ready to go, best-daddy-in-the-world?”
I gently kiss her lips and assure her, “With you, I’m ready for anything.” The meaning of my words run deeper than the family dinner awaiting us at home.
She stands up from the bench and turns toward me. “Let’s start small then.” She reaches her hand out. “One step toward home?”
The distant roar of the waves slamming the shore, and the strength in Camryn’s simple words, fortify my resolve. I reach out to my wife, my lifeline, and grasp her hand, knowing she is the only one who possesses the power to save me.

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING HERE. FOR STARTERS, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WRITING AND WHAT INSPIRES YOU.I am fairly new to the writing world. Saved by You is my second publication in the Contemporary Romance genre. It follows the first book, Lost Until You. I have been writing since I fell in love with it in third grade when my story was chosen to be published in the school library. My daughters are my biggest inspirations because I want to show them that if you want to accomplish something , then you need to work hard at it and love what you’re doing.

JUST FOR FUN, IF YOU COULD TAKE A VACATION ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? I would want to go to the Maldives and stay in one of those huts that are right in the water.HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? I always refer back to 3rd grade when I fell in love with writing and made it a hobby. I then pursued a full time career as a Middle School English/Writing Teacher.ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT? Currently, I am writing a brand new contemporary romance outside of this current series. I hope to be finished writing by summer.WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW? I am just starting It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. I’ll let you know what I think when I finish it ;)
YOUR WORK HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLE FOR THIS BOOK? The story is centered around the main character who is a bit damaged from his past. The idea of love and family saving him inspired the title, Saved by You.WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK? IS IT PART OF A SERIES? The first book in the series, Lost Until You, is the story of Camryn who meets Cole and needs to find her way out of her sadness and grief. Book Two, Saved by You, is Cole’s story and it lets the reader see a glimpse of his past and how damaged he was.WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FOR YOUR BOOK? Wild Rose Press is the publisher and they do beautiful covers. I described the setting and really they ran with that. I think they did a beautiful job.WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY?That no matter how damaged your past made you, there is something bigger that will save you.WHEN AND WHY DID YOU BEGIN WRITING? A few years ago, one of my seventh grade students bought me a writing journal and in it  said, “Just start writing.” I felt like I owed it to her to succeed at something I love to do.DESCRIBE YOUR WRITING STYLE. I definitely have a more casual, comfortable style. I love ending a chapter with something to think about or hang on to.WHAT IS THE HARDEST LESSON YOU HAD TO LEARN AS A WRITER? That not everyone is going to look at your writing as unique. That you have to rise above those opinions and keep doing what you love.WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A WRITER? I write in a very crowded genre space, so not being an over well-known author is tough in the romance market.DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS? Just keep at it and don’t let others determine what you want for yourself.
           
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My review: With a son and a wife that was expecting another child, Cole was living a happy life. It was theirs. It was their forever. The last thing he expected was to run into the old thorn in his side—Tara,  a woman he still shared secrets with. “The pain Tara brings to the surface is unbearable, making me realize I still hold on to a good deal of anger and grief.” (5)
Visions of Rose, his baby girl, still haunt his mind. If only he could drown the sound of those machines that were pumping life into her. Over and over and over…
Writing was gripping and lovely. Story is narrated with past and present scenes, summarizing Cole’s life. The air of mystery that this started with was tapered by trifling and lengthy accounts, even though they were well-written. Still, you can’t help but wonder what happened between Cole and Tara. Why was there such animosity between them?
It’s a nice story, full of pain and regret, but it was a little too drawn out for my taste.
My rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kimberly Daniels is a middle school English Teacher who took the advice of her students to pursue her writing hobby as a career. When she’s not at her laptop dreaming up new happily-ever-afters, she can be found glued to the TV or Kindle consumed with a new show or book addiction. She lives with her husband and two daughters in in the suburbs of Philadelphia, spending weekends at basketball games, softball fields, and dance recitals.
Connect with Kimberly Daniels:Website: https://www.kimberlydanielsauthor.com/FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/kimberlydani... Profile: https://www.facebook.com/authorkimber... https://twitter.com/authorkdanielsIns... https://www.instagram.com/author_kimb... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Danie...

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Kimberly Daniels will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: CHANCE by Carolyn M. Bowen

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez

They took her lover. Getting him back could be the last thing she ever does…High-powered Atlanta attorney Sydney Jones never backs down from a case. So when her bodyguard and boyfriend is accused of murder, she’s determined to fight for him in court. Instead, the charges are suddenly dismissed, and he vanishes without a trace…Suspecting CIA involvement, Sydney takes on a lawsuit with Chinese Black Society ties and finds a startling connection to her missing man. But as she digs deeper, she discovers that someone may kill to keep the secret.Will this dangerous cat-and-mouse game reveal the truth or put a bullet in Sydney’s head?

Available on Amazon





My review: A former pop star that was hooked on drugs turns up dead, a past catches up, and a future that could be in danger.

Sydney Jones had been dating her body guard, Walker, for a while. The last thing anyone expected was for Walker to find the body of the dead singer and be a suspect.
To top it off, Sydney, a lawyer with a dangerous job, found out she was pregnant with Walker’s child.
Story had a lot of government and lawyer jargon, which made it kind of slow and complex. It had an interesting story line. I just wished it would’ve been quicker and to the point. I thought that we would focus more on the celebrity murder and Walker’s conviction. Actually, we don’t even hear about it again after like the first 2 chapters. In fact, the two don’t even work together on a case. They’re not even in the same country for most of the story. The book practically deviates from what I thought was the main story. It’s almost two different stories going in several directions (Walker in Cuba working some covert op and Sydney working a mafia case while raising a child – seriously, how much time had passed that the kid was already grown?)
Although there was some level of intrigue and excitement, story ultimately loses the reader with its maze of complexity and abundance of characters. As much as I wanted to like it, I just kept getting lost and losing interest. 
My rating: 2 stars
 

 

Review: AFTER HE KILLED HER by James Rice

“I know you killed your wife and I can prove it.”


If only he could remember if it was true.


Frank had been in a coma for a while, having dreams while under. When he woke up, he had no memory of them.


I thought this would be good, but it really WASN’T. What’s up with the long shower scene? It’s mostly him reliving dreams and NOT in a very interesting way.


My rating: 1 star

Review: THROW A MONKEY WRENCH by Karen Chester

Emma Cassidy was a party planner. At an elegant party for one of her toughest clients, people were collapsing at the dessert table. What was going on? This surely wouldn’t be good for business. Naturally, Emma wasn’t surprised when her client was screaming at her, threatening to sue. In the end, she might’ve gotten some cancellations, but, at least, she had that big wedding to plan (not her own, of course.) This was a wedding of star-crossed lovers from opposites side of the track (she’s rich and he’s an outlaw,) so, of course, the bride’s parents were less than thrilled.


Suddenly, the client from the poisoning disaster ends up murdered and the groom was a suspect. The bride’s parents hated the boy and would do anything to throw a wrench in the mix. Meanwhile, the wedding was off and so was Emma’s commission along with any possible job prospects. Can she solve this mystery and prove a good man’s innocence?


This was a good mystery. There were lots of suspects and several mysteries in one—the poisoning, the hit-and-run, and the murder. There were so many angles and so many possibilities that made this an interesting and compelling read.


I don’t know how I feel about the cover. The 3D imagery looks very stiff and robotic. Absolutely no life to it. Not like Pixar at all.


Still, this was a good mystery!

My rating: 5 stars

Review: SENIORS SLEUTH by J.J. Chow

Winston Wong had a typo in his ad that made him a seniors sleuth rather than a Senior Sleuth. So, naturally, the first client that walked in was a rickety old lady, who just wanted to know who killed Teddy. But since the old lady is senile and confused, that granddaughter wanted Wong to “investigate” the case and help granny forget about it and move on. I liked the idea of tricking the old lady—it’s what you have to do sometimes (out of necessity and for fun, of course.) Needless to say, this was Wong’s first case and he needed the paycheck, so why not?


Overall, this was witty and easy-to-read. Some of the old people were not that interesting, like the Jazz Man. I don’t know, the idea of an old senior case sounded interesting, but, in reality, it really wasn’t. Yes, Winston Wong had that funny, crotchety “Jack Lemon” persona, but the mystery was kind of slow (like old people.)


This was an okay read.  


My rating: 3 stars

Excerpt: TEDESKIMMA by 100 Lick

Available on Amazon




EXCERPT 1 (From Chapter 40: THE ASYLUM)
The group sat in silence for the next few hours, stunned by everything they had been put through, trying to piece it all together. Their ears perked up a few hours later, when they heard the screams and cries of a large group of children coming from one of the adjoining rooms.“DIIN! DIIN! Are you there, child?” DIIN’s father screamed.“CREFY! My little baby! CREFY!” CREFY’s mother screamed.All four parents pressed their ears against the wall, hoping to hear a reply from DIINor CREFY. But all they could hear were the screams of a hundred terrified children. The parents did everything they could to isolate the cries they heard, hoping that one of them belonged to their little babies. But their efforts were futile. There were simply too many voices, too many innocent little children crying for their mommies and their daddies after being cruelly separated from them, too many little bodies trembling with fear, too many tiny souls unable to understand or cope with the barbarity they were experiencing.“How many of them are there?” CREFY’s mother asked. “A hundred? A thousand?”“Too many,” CREFY’sfather replied. “Too many.”“They’re just children. Helpless little…” DIIN’s mother said, as she fell to the floor sobbing.“What is happening? What is this cruelty?” DIIN’s father asked, as he fell to the floor. “Is this a nightmare? Is this hell? Is this a nightmare? Is this hell?” he began repeating, as he held his head in his hand, and rocked himself back and forth, alternating between screams and sobs.“This cannot be the utopia we sought. It just cannot be. We traveled all this way. We sacrificed so much. It can’t be. Not for this. Not for this…” CREFY’sfather muttered. He ran to the door and began banging on it, screaming for help, begging for answers, hoping that there was at least one kind soul in the building that would respond, that there was somebody out there who would take pity on them, and listen. But no one did.

EXCERPT 2 (From Chapter 83: THE HUNT)The creature cautiously moved around the IZOLAI, growling as it looked for an opening. Its fur, and the interlocked plates that covered the upper parts of its body, were jet black, as dark as the night that surrounded them. Its paws, all four of them, were plated as well. The creature had a long tail, and a single horn, that was as sharp as it was deadly. The IZOLAI could barely keep up with it as it circled her. She would have had a great deal more difficulty seeing it if it wasn’t for the creature’s bright green eyes. Their glow pierced the darkness and reached her, and gave her a guiding light that she could use to follow the creature’s movements.The IZOLAIsteadied herself as the creature stopped and gnarled at her. She could make out that two of its upper teeth were longer than the others. The creature, with a single, swift movement, pounced at her before she could gather any more details about it. The IZOLAI jumped out of the way just in time, with barely an inch to spare between her left eye and one of the longer nails on the creature’s right paw. The creature landed before the IZOLAI could, and before she knew it, it had lunged at her again. It was all she could do to touch her feet to the ground and roll out of its way. She fully expected the creature to attempt a third lunge, and she had already calculated that it would be one she couldn’t avoid, but the attack never came. The creature instead stood in place, and assessed her for a few seconds, as she steadied herself and got back on her feet. While the creature examined her, the IZOLAIslowly put a hand on the sheathed blade that was attached to the back of her waist. She pulled the blade out partially when she saw the creature ready another lunge. Her hand movement, subtle as it was, gave the creature pause. It growled at her softly, before it slowly took a few steps back and disappeared into the darkness.

EXCERPT 3 (From Chapter 61: THE MALL)CHOTYforgot about these thoughts as soon as the escalator reached the topmost floor. He ran into his section of the floor, and stopped right in front of his quarters. He borrowed a stool from one of his brother’s followers, and looked into his house through the tiny windows in its makeshift walls.“Your brother isn’t home yet, little bruda. Go! Hide!” the OSZA he’d borrowed the stool from whispered.CHOTYsnuck into the house carefully. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the OSZA. It was just that his brother could be really sneaky when he wanted to. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to have made his way into the house without the OSZAnoticing. Even CHOTY had managed to accomplish that feat a few times already. CHOTYslowly made his way to his favorite hiding spot, one silent step at a time, examining every inch of his house as he did. He was satisfied with what he saw, until he thought he heard a snicker. CHOTYstopped moving, and slowly looked around the house, focusing on every sound he heard, while doing his best to stay as still and as silent as possible. He was about to begin moving again when another snicker reached his ears. CHOTY gave up on stealth, and began to wildly run around the tiny room that was his house, searching every nook and cranny he could think of. He had made his way through half the room when the snickering OSZA dropped all pretenses, and began to laugh loudly, in a deep voice at first, that soon turned into shrill howls.HOTHEAD! CHOTY thought. Only he laughs like that.Before CHOTYcould dart around looking for him, HOTHEADfell out of a nearby cupboard. He collapsed on the floor, convulsing with laughter as he did.“You… should… look… at your… self… CHOTY… You… so… fun… ny…” he managed to blurt.CHOTYran over to him, and kicked him as hard as he could. HOTHEAD, as usual, winced with pain while simultaneously laughing even more.“Where is my brother?” CHOTY asked him, as he grabbed one of his ears.“Who? CHILLA? How should I know, little bruda,” HOTHEAD said, continuing to laugh.CHOTYbrought his mouth to HOTHEAD’s ear, and screamed into it, as loudly as he could. HOTHEAD grabbed him and held him down while he continued to laugh.“You’re mean, little bruda. And to think I actually brought you something,” he said.CHOTY’seyes lit up. “What? What? Show me. Show me! Please!” he screamed, as he did his best to get out of HOTHEAD’s grip.

Blog Tour: SLEUTH ON SAFARI by A.R. Kennedy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A. R. Kennedy will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Naomi and her estranged sister are off on a trip of a lifetime—an African safari, a bucket list trip for Naomi on which she got a last-minute deal. Naomi thinks traveling with her sister will be the worst part of her African safari until she finds one of their fellow travelers, the unlikable Dr. Higgins, dead. She gets more adventure than she bargained for when she starts investigating what she thinks is murder but the luxury lodge says was a tragic accident. She only has a few vacation days, and a few game drives, to find the killer.

Read an Excerpt



For fifteen minutes, we stood at the conveyor belt, waiting for my luggage to arrive. The constant trail of luggage became a trickle and I began to worry. I had a vision that my vacation slideshow would be me in my Supernatural TV series T-shirt and jeans, with a soundtrack of my sister’s voice saying, “I told you so.”



I glanced at Charlotte. After a fifteen-hour flight, Charlotte had emerged refreshed. I was a little worse for wear. She gave me a dismissive look and I wiped a few crumbs from breakfast off my jeans.



She smiled briefly and the other expression returned.



“You know you look like Mom when you’re annoyed,” I told her.



She glared at me and whipped around. She and her bright pink luggage stormed off. Her pink flowy top wafted over leggings with a black-and-pink chevron pattern. I had to admit, she did look nice. And did not look like she had spent almost a day traveling. I looked down at myself. The same could not be said. My wrinkled black T-shirt and torn jeans, paired with Converse sneakers with tips that used to be white, made me cringe. Nothing about me said glamour.



I didn’t worry about being left in a foreign country by myself. I could find her a mile away with that highlighter pink gear.



I said a quick prayer before turning back to the luggage belt. I exhaled and smiled. She didn’t see the last bag to drop onto the conveyor. My worn tan duffle bag.



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My review: Naomi and Charlotte had arrived…on a safari, no less.


There was a variety of characters on the same tour as the girls, which practically brings the reader to the set of Clue, the classic board game. I probably would’ve limited this to a select few, ones that leapt off the page with quirkiness. But most of them seemed to be cut from the same mold.


The writing was good, but there was a steady lag throughout. At times, the story got too descriptive, which was one of the slowing factors. Nonetheless, the story really does take the reader on a wild safari ride through African landscapes. It was very informative of what you would expect. It definitely makes me want to put Africa on my travel destination wish list.


For the overall mystery, it definitely takes a while before it even comes up, but, yes, there was a murder within the tour group. Following the mystery was okay, but it wasn’t as enticing as I expected.


An okay read.


My rating: 3 stars


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About the Author:

A R Kennedy lives in Long Beach, New York, with her two pups. She works hard to put food on the floor for them. As her favorite T-shirt says, ‘I work so my dog can have a better life'. She’s an avid traveler. But don’t worry. While she’s away, her parents dote on their grand-puppies even more than she does. Her writing is a combination of her love of travel, animals, and the journey we all take to find ourselves.



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ark_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARKennedyauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ark_author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7382548.A_R_Kennedy

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/a-r-kennedy



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