Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 151

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: March 23, 2014

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: March 23, 2014. These are the top 10 bestselling New Adult books as listed on Amazon.com at the time of posting! (Single titles only - No box sets.) Also: No pre-orders! Sorry.

1. Fighting for Love (A Second Chances standalone) by L.P. Dover, Melissa Ringsted
4.7 out of 5 stars

2. Fall into Forever  by Beth Hyland
4.1 out of 5 stars

3.  Annihilate Me (Vol. 2) (The Annihilate Me Series) by Christina Ross
4.5 out of 5 stars

4. The Hazards of a One Night Stand by Alyssa Rose Ivy
3.9 out of 5 stars

5. Annihilate Me (Vol. 3) (The Annihilate Me Series) by Christina Ross
4.7 out of 5 stars

6. Twist Me by Anna Zaires
4.6 out of 5 stars

7. Lie Next To Me (A Millionaire's Love) by Sandi Lynn
4.4 out of 5 stars

8. Beautiful Disaster: A Novel by Jamie McGuire
4.3 out of 5 stars

9. Destined for Love ((Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 2) by Melissa Foster
4.8 out of 5 stars

10. Hard Body Rock (Rockstar Romance) (The Body Rock Series Book 1) by Nora Flite
4.4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: The Ice Marathon

The Ice Marathon by Rosen Trevithick: A one night stand.
A gross betrayal.
Every mother’s worst nightmare.

When Simon and Emma first meet, they find each other intolerable and are stunned when an angry row turns into sex.

The resultant pregnancy shocks them further. However, only days after giving birth, Emma falls critically ill. With Simon on an Antarctic expedition, Emma entrusts baby Joseph to her ‘in-laws’. On her recovery, she waits anxiously for them to bring him home, but when her father-in-law arrives alone, she knows that something is seriously wrong.

Is the distance between Emma and Simon purely geographical? Will Simon’s return be the key to reuniting mother and son, or is Simon integral to baby Joseph’s disappearance?
Maria's thoughts: Working for Shelter and living with a friend are about the only things that Emma lives for. Her personal life is riddled with mood swings, caused by her bi-polar disability. When a late night rendezvous with a man she despises results in pregnancy, Emma has a lot more to consider than just getting through the day.

Emma's personality really shines and matures throughout the novel as she accepts the responsibility of her pregnancy. Formerly a strong advocate for a woman's right to choose, Emma can't possible punish the baby growing in her womb for a poor choice she made. While some men would refuse to acknowledge an unplanned pregnancy, Simon accepts full responsibility and even finds a house for Emma and his child.

Emma is an unfortunate victim of our modern mental health guidelines. Being a bit too emotional, she's labelled bi-polar and put on medication. Because of the risks of lithium to the unborn child, Emma is weaned off the medication but wonders how she'll survive. At one point, overcome with fatigue and the desire to assemble cribs for the baby, Emma breaks down into tears. She accuses herself of being unfit to care for her child, but her emotional roller coaster is simply a hormonal rush due to the pregnancy, something that any halfway decent doctor should know. Emma is far stronger than she believes.

After the baby is born, Emma forces Simon to compete in a marathon is Antarctica. Miserable without him, though, she's anxious for his return. Suddenly the demands of an infant are overwhelming, and Emma loses faith in herself. She falls into her previous state of mind and requires assistance from others.

After a sudden crisis, though, Emma snaps out of her pathetic self and is determined to solve her own problems. With concentration and determination, not medication, she is able to focus.

This novel is well written and fast paced. It's enjoyable and hard to put down!

Book Review: Man for Grace

Man for Grace (Salt Spring Island Friends Trilogy #3) by E.C. Sheedy: Love. Loneliness. And linguini...
Grace Whitby is feeling a little blue, a little lonely, has ever since her two best friends married and left Salt Spring Island. She readily admits she wants what they have, the right guy to share her life with. But when Colin Ross, her high school crush and now a celebrated chef, reluctantly returns to Salt Spring and an old passion reignites, she's wary.

Grace isn't keen to get involved with a man who hates her island home, has a clingy ex-girlfriend, suffers from stress headaches, and doesn't believe in the word "sorry." So what if Colin seems totally at home on her couch, her cat loves him, and he looks sexy as hell in her kitchen, the man's got issues. He's definitely not the man for Grace.

Until he shows her exactly what a talented man can do in the kitchen.
Maria's thoughts: MAN FOR GRACE is a slow romance. Grace has put so much effort into her shop and devoted so little time to herself. Now she's a bit beyond the dating years, and her friends are married. She sees her life as a dead end with only muffins in the future. Enter Colin. He returns to the island to work quietly. With a past full of bad memories, Colin must try his best to move forward.

Grace is a great character. She's well defined and believable. Colin is a hard worker who is driven to success. The author does a very good job of characterizing them.

The love story that blossoms is a slow-moving tale.

Book Review: Pushing Limits

Pushing Limits (Fighting Love #1) by Kali Cross:

AMBER TURNER has trust issues. Major trust issues. Shipped off to boarding school at the tender age of six by her power hungry mother and distant father, she tried hard to gain her parents’ approval and have the love she craved. After graduating high school, she comes home from school hoping she will finally have the family life she wants. Turns out, dear old mom merely needs her to smile and wave for the photo ops while she runs for public office. After she wins her coveted position, her mother doesn’t need her anymore and gives Amber two choices: be kicked out of the house without a dime or find a “suitable” husband from the “right” family at an exclusive college in Texas. Yee-fucking-haw.

TOMMY BOLT is a blue-eyed country boy with secrets of his own. To help out an old family friend, he offers to stand in as the school chauffeur. Damsel in distress and all. He picks up Amber and her aunt when they land, driving her towards her new life. Drawn to her striking sense of humor, smart mouth, and her scrumptious ass, he offers to show her around town. With his dark curls, sapphire blue eyes, mischievous grin, and one smokin’ bod, Amber is tempted to get to know him better. After a scorching hook-up, Amber tries to make it all about the sex, brushing off every attempt Tommy makes to get to know her with sarcasm and half-truths. Tommy pushes Amber’s limits, emotionally and physically, forcing her to break down her walls. His only condition is I don’t share. His only requirement is honesty. After one monumentally stupid decision, Amber violates his trust and Tommy walks away, obliterating her heart.
TeriLyn's thoughts: Pushing Limits shines right off the pages. The plot edgily explores sexual preference, pushes boundaries, and equals in both angst and fun. It's well written with smart dialogue. The characters of Pushing Limits help the book thrive. Amber journeys through a new normal after she's cast aside by a politically driven, loveless mother. She's suffered a tragic loss involving her first love who is a woman. This was my first bisexual female lead and I enjoyed it. She's rebuilding herself, discovering her passions and living. Her character is formidable against change. I liked her sass, her edge, her expressiveness. She's forging a path for herself, doing her own thing; she's real. Her honesty is her most attractive attribute. Lightning strikes hot when Amber meets Tommy Bolt. Tommy is a strong character, an alluring hero. He's charming, sexually demanding, and funny. There's a charged passion in every scene with Tommy. The characters have interesting back stories and the pace at which they're developed makes for an easy read. The secondary characters make the book better as well. Sally is Amber's gay roommate; they're often engaged in flirty, fun, banter. Sally owns who she is completely and it's refreshingly honest. I liked where the author took us, I liked the conflict, and I adored the characters. I did not, at all, enjoy the way this book ended. Being part of a series, there is always the chance of a cliffhanger but this wasn't exactly a cliffhanger the book just abruptly ended; literally just in the middle of scene, done. That's my biggest issue. I'm excited for the second book to see where this author takes all of these characters. Pushing Limits is a recommended read that will leave you entertained.

**Pushing Limits was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Book Review: Letters of Love

Letters of Love by Clarissa Carlyle: Book 2 in the Lessons in Love New Adult Romance series

Alex Heron has graduated high school and been accepted to Princeton! But will college be the fulfillment of a dream like she always hoped it would be?

Leaving her first love behind, Alex travels away from her hometown of Woodsdale with a heavy heart. But will new love blossom as she makes new friends and joins a sorority and attends a wealth of college parties? As much fun as partying is, Alex must remain focused on her studies. She’s worked so hard to be there, she must make sure it’s worth it.

Princeton will test Alex. College will turn her from a young girl into a young woman. There will be hearts torn apart and flames burning anew, and always there will be the letters from home, the letters of love, to help guide her back from the brink.
Julie's thoughts: Letters in Love is the second book in the three book Lessons in Love series. This book follows Alexandra Heron as she leaves high school and goes through her four years as a student at Princeton University. We get to meet Alex’s roommate, Ashley, as well as Alex’s new boyfriend, Oscar.

For me, this book was much more enjoyable than the first book. In the first book, I have to admit, I got hung up on the fact that Alex was accepted to Princeton even though she had been a poor student for 3 ½ years of high school. It bothered me so badly; I couldn’t allow myself to buy into the story. With this second book, I didn’t have that issue since it had already occurred. I found this second book to be much more realistic. Alex is still struggling with the traumatic loss of her father. She isn’t over the top dramatic, but her grief wasrealistic to me. Oscar is dealing with loss of his own, and handling it poorly, yet in a believable way. I’ve never loss anyone close to me; so I can’t say with 100% certainty, but for me, I felt Ms. Carlyle did a really good job of writing characters dealing with loss.

I still do not click with Alex. I don’t understand her at all. She comes off as cold hearted to me. She lost her father, so I feel as if she would draw closer to her mother and brother, but she does the opposite. How can someone go through four years of college and never go home to visit? I’m sure it happens, but it seems off for someone who seems to love her family. I felt sad for Alex’s mother.

Ashley and Oscar made this book for me. Ashley seems so carefree and fun, but apparently in a better way than Alex. She attends all of the same parties and sorority functions as Alex, but is somehow able to maintain her GPA, unlike Alex. Perhaps Alex should have followed Ashley’s example and not taken all morning classes so she could arrive on time. As for Oscar, I loved him from the time he appeared outside of Ms. Dunne’s office. When they kissed for the first time, I immediately felt he was the one Alex should be with (over Mark from the last book). Toward the end, Oscar does fall off for me, but I’m hoping he pulls it all together and comes back in the next book better for it.

Book Review: Lessons in Love

Lessons in Love by Clarissa Carlyle: Book 1 in the Lessons in Love New Adult Romance series


The Lessons in Love series follows the story of high school cheerleader Alex Heron. She's pretty, blonde and popular. Alex seems to have it all, but she's hiding a dark secret from her past that threatens to destroy her future. Only the handsome new math teacher, Mark Simmons, can see past Alex's façade to the real girl hiding inside. He wants to help Alex overcome her past, but will their developing feelings for each other get in the way?
Julie's thoughts: Lessons in Love is the first book of the three book Lessons in Love series by Clarissa Carlyle. You can pick this one up for $.99 on Amazon. This is the story of Alex Heron, a beautiful high school senior who is the captain of the cheerleading squad and appears to have it all. But Alex has a secret that she is keeping from everyone; she doesn’t have it all. Through a series of things, Alex ends up confiding in her hot Math teacher, Mark Simmons. At 25, Mark is only seven years older than Alex. As Alex confides in him, they quickly develop feelings for each other. Will they allow those feelings to become a relationship?

I enjoyed the first half of this story. It is well written at a pace that held my attention. Although I didn’t really like Alex, I was interested enough to keep reading to see what would happen to her once her friends found out her big secret. Alex comes off as extremely self-centered. She is trying to fit in with the self-centered, popular crowd, though, so I guess that makes sense. Nothing we know about Alex is true, so I found it hard to make a connection to her that made me care about her one way or the other. She cares too much about what other people think of her, which made me think less of her.

I could imagine Mark as the hot young teacher that all of the girls have a crush on, however he is somean as a teacher I can’t imagine that any of the students would actually like him. I find it a bit creepy that a 25 year old would be interested in a self-centered 18 year old. Seven years isn’t that big of a difference later in life, but at 25 and 18, it should be a pretty big gap in maturity levels.

There were many unrealistic things that happened in this story. I don’t want to go into detail since I would have to include spoilers, but these things kept me from being able to fully enjoy the last part of the book.

I do feel that Ms. Carlyle did a good job with the way she wrote Alex. I did believe that she was a confused, angry, lonely girl. She desperately needs someone to talk to with everything she has gone through, and her mom isn’t there for her as she should have been. It made sense to me that Alex ended up confiding in Mark. With Mark showing interest in her, I can see Alex, as an immature, lonely girl missing someone dear to her, losing herself in that attention. Overall, though, the ending seemed anti-climatic to me. I will read the next books in the series to see how Alex grows as a character and person as she goes to college.

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Boyfriend List

Book & Author Details:

The Boyfriend List by R.S. Novelle
Publication date: February 10th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
The Boyfriend List follows twenty-year-old Reagan in her quest for the perfect relationship after a somewhat tragic spring break breakup leaves her disillusioned about love… again.

Reagan had always prided herself on making levelheaded, practical, analytical decisions about everything. Everything, that is, except where guys are concerned. Which was proven to her, once again, when her “boyfriend” opts to take another girl on their oh-so-romantic trip to his lake house. In order to prevent future heartbreak, she creates a checklist of all the qualities she wants in a man, and vows not to give her heart away again until she can determine if they fit every last criteria.

After scouring campus with her two best friends in her tricky journey, her detective work returns a pile of unworthy rejects, and it seems as though her choices are narrowed down to only two options: the hot stranger who’s inspired her new project, and her best guy friend Ian, who she’s always kept at bay due to his perceived playboy reputation.

Reagan gets more than she bargained for with her new set of rules, however, and is surprised to find that love, and the perfect boyfriend, may have been within reach the entire time. But will Ian’s reputation ruin his chances to prove his worth? And can Reagan let go of her insecurities long enough to even give him a chance?

The Boyfriend List is a light, New Adult romance about friendship, trust, and learning to let go in order to embrace what real love can offer.


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AUTHOR BIO
Renee’ Novelle is Preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.

As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.

Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.

In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love – fiction. She writes psychological and paranormal thrillers, as well as contemporary fiction and new adult fiction. For a complete schedule of upcoming releases, please visit www.RSNovelle.com

Though she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She’s an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes “no” as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life’s problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.

Author links:
http://www.rsnovelle.com/ReneeNovelle/Home.html
https://www.facebook.com/ReneeNovelle
https://twitter.com/rs_novelle
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7249191.R_S_Novelle

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway
Prizes
-5 eBooks copies of The Boyfriend List (INT)
-One signed paperback of The Boyfriend List (US only)

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Cover Reveal: Where You Are

WHERE YOU AREBy Alla KarNew
Adult ContemporaryReleasing July 2014Published by Swoon Romance
Got boy problems? Call Laney Scott. She's good for advice, a shoulder, or a swift kick where you need it. When her roommate Bethany gets her heart broken, yet again, it's Laney to the rescue. But Laney's harboring a secret. She's nursing her own broken heart. She and her friends come up with a plan to break Aiden and set it into play. Laney wants Aiden to pay for what he's done to Bethany. She will make him fall in love with her, so can break his heart.
Laney's ex-boyfriend Lachlan Hems is back in Florida, still Australian and sexy as hell. His best mate Lucas is getting married, and he is in town for the show. He just didn’t realize Laney would be there … in another guy’s arms, or that seeing her again would have such an effect on him. After the incident in high-school, he vowed to never care for her again. But sometimes fate has different plans.
When Laney’s resolve crumbles, Lachlan is the only one that can
put her back together again.
Where You Are is the start of a three-books new adult series
from Amazon and Barnes and Noble bestselling author Alla Kar.

About
the Author

I go by Alla Kar. I live in the deep south. I love to bring
Alpha Males, Southern Gentlemen and sometimes Paranormal characters to life.
Website

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Number Thirteen

Title: Number ThirteenAuthor: Bella JewelRelease Date: March 20, 2014Genre: Dark Romance**AUTHOR NOTE - This is NOT a BDSM Romance**


SynopsisWe're thirteen girls, captive, slave to our master.
A master we've never seen.
Obedience will become all we know in our shallow existence. It is the only emotion we're permitted to feel.
When we're bad, we're punished. When we're good, we're rewarded.
Our scars run deep. Yet we survive, because we have to...
because HE teaches us to.
All of us are special, we feel it with everything we are.
He has us for a reason, but it's a reason we don't know.
We've never seen his face, but we know that something deeply broken lies beneath the darkness. With every touch, with every punishment, we know it.
Then something changed.
He showed me who he truly is.
Now I want him.
I'll go against everything I know to be with him.

A monster. My monster. Loving him is a sin, but a sinner I am. I won't stop until I see every part of him. Even the parts he keeps locked deep down inside. I am Number Thirteen, and this is my story.
No one said it was pretty, or right, but it's mine.

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About the Author
Bella Jewel is an Aussie girl through and through. She spent her life in Western Australia, growing up in many different areas of the state. She now currently lives in Perth with her husband, children and mass amounts of pets. She's crazy, fun, outgoing and friendly. Writing is her passion, she started at the young age of 18 but finally got the courage up to publish, and her first novel Hell's Knights was released in August 2013.


Author Social Media LinksFacebook | Website | Goodreads
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Book Review & Giveaway: Every Shattered Thing

Every Shattered Thing by Elora Nicole Ramirez: Stephanie fights reality every day. The voices inside, the ones declaring her worth, deem her broken, used and dirty. She is an object. A toy. Something to be tossed aside when bored. Who will believe her if she whispers the truth about her wrecking ball of a family? Eventually, her secret explodes and the person who means the most to her knows just how shattered she is and why she's so afraid. But rescue is closer than she realizes. Hidden in plain sight, her horror hasn’t been ignored by everyone. Racing against the truth of what she faces, forces are joining together and developing a plan to free her from the hell in her own backyard. And while she’s at her lowest point, she’s hit with the beauty of love at any cost - redemption in the face of ruin. Will it be enough?

Lori's thoughts: This book was captivating enough to keep me turning pages, making me want to see what happened to Stephanie. The corruption around her is unfathomable and knowing that things like this really go on is truly horrifying. The story reminded me of Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan. There were similarities, but there were differences, too. 

It's one thing to get abused by someone who is supposed to love us -- such as a spouse -- but a member of our own family?! This isn't supposed to happen! But it does, sadly.

I liked the story line. I enjoyed the book, but the ending leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger.











Elora Ramirez Bio:

Elora Ramirez lives in Austin, Texas with her chef-husband. At the age of four, she taught herself how to read and write, cutting her teeth on books like Dr. Seuss and writing anywhere she could find the space--including her Fisher Price kitchen set, the pages of picture books and Highlights Magazine. Since then, she's grown to love the way words feel as they swell within her bones. Writing holy and broken is her calling, and pushing back the darkness and pursuing beauty through story is her purpose. She embraces the power of story and teaches women from all parts of the world how to embrace theirs. She has a knack of calling things out , the truth and the detail, the subversive threads that make a life a story. She loves hip-hop, wishes she lived by the beach and cannot write without copious amounts of coffee, chocolate, music, and her husband's lavender liqueur.

Links:BlogFacebookTwitterAuthor Goodreads
Every Shattered Thing Goodreads
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