Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 199

Book Review: In the Stillness

In the Stillness by Andrea Randall: Natalie is a wife.
Natalie is a mother.
Natalie is a cutter.

Clawing at walls built by resentment, regret, and guilt, Natalie cuts as an escape from a life she never planned.

Staying present is only possible when you let go of the past. But, what if the past won't let go of you?






File Size: 614 KB
Print Length: 486 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1484118782
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00CB24VS2
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Enabled

Whairigail's thoughts: ***5 Heartbreaking, Wonderful Hearts***

This is one of those "Oh I'm not sure that will be my cup of tea / The storyline seems a bit dark / I dont deal well with reading about self harm / I'll put it to the bottom of my pile" books.

Well Ladies and Gents - THINK AGAIN! This books is absolutely stunning. It broke my heart in many places, but put it back together again in others.

Natalie self harms - there is no getting away from this. She uses razor blades to slice her skin until she bleeds. That is tough to read - but you will understand why she does it. She is numb to the pain, as the reader becomes numb to the grit and horror of reading about someone who wants to do this to themselves. GET PAST IT PEOPLE - the story is so much more than just self harm, it is a mere speck in this beautiful story.

Put this to the top of your reading list - you will be hooked from the first line...

I exist. Right?

Favourite Quotes:

“Heroes don’t always wear capes, badges, or uniforms. Sometimes, they support those who do.”

“You two had something special – it’s the circumstances that were shitty.”

“His body came home, but his soul had been devoured in the firefight of a godless desert.”

“They took his soul over there, fuckers, and left me with the breathing carcass.”

“Change never comes slowly, brewing on the horizon. It's always in a second. Balanced on the rip of a razor blade, in empty pill bottles, behind two pink lines, or learning that one of your children is slowly slipping into a world of silence.”

Book Review: Rule & Jet

Rule by Jay Crownover: Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn't want--and the only person she's never tried to please. She isn't afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won't listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother's girl. She lives by other people's rules; he makes his own. He doesn't have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she's the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

The first Marked Men novel in Jay Crownover's combustible New Adult series.
File Size: 520 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 7, 2013)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B00CGZXRQ6
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled

TeriLyn's thoughts: Love, love, loved Rule. This was a great story and something a little different. Super emotional and angsty. Rule and Shaw both rediscovering them and uncovering truth's of their pasts. It was a heart wrenching read but just as much fun and sexy. Shaw is a great heroine. Strong, determined, questioning, adapting ... I just thought she was great. And Rule, all sexy, crazy, intense, and broken pieces of him were exciting to read. All of their friends were great as well and the family they've formed was awesome. I don't know what to say without saying too much. This was a really great story and I'm so glad I finally read it as it totally sucked me into their world. I hope there is more Rule & Shaw's story in the future. This is a must read!








Jet by Jay Crownover: With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?
File Size: 504 KB
Print Length: 416 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 28, 2013)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B00CGZXRRU
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled

TeriLyn's thoughts: Jet was FANTASTIC. I enjoyed Jet and Ayden's story just as much as Rule and Shaw's. The Marked Men books are so good, to me, because they deal with people who come from very flawed backgrounds; Jet and Ayden being no exception. They have both made their fair share of regrettable decisions and have tried to learn and grow from those mistakes. I also love this series because no matter, when these characters find each other there is a change takes place. Messing around is no longer an option. And even though the characters might not be together for the entire story, they have their reasons why and it's not for another person or some crazy love triangle. They are navigating through their lives trying to find a way to be together despite their crazy differences.

Ayden a couple of times drove me nuts with her "old me, new me" mantra. She was fighting so hard against something that was so right even if she couldn't see it at first. I loved her attitude, her ambition, and her selflessness. She has a huge heart and her moments with and advices to Shaw are some of my favorites. Jet was awesome. He had no clue what was going with his feelings for the whiskey-eyed brunette but those feelings were intense and quite enjoyable to read.

The supporting cast was once again excellent too. They have all become one big family despite their differences, their upbringings, and their shitty home lives. They look out for each other, care about each other, and are quite funny. I'm glad we get another book to see this tight-knit together. Great read!

Book Review: Love and Candy

Love and Candy by Elizabeth Famous: Now includes the happily ever after EPILOGUE: http://elizabethfamous.com/freepilogue/

LOVE and CANDY is a contemporary New Adult/Young Adult romance that doesn't shy away from the gritty details a young woman's first serious relationship. It's a coming of age story that deals with adult topics and takes place in the hyper-sexualized world of a posh high school. In the end, it’s optimistic about Jane-Eyre-style romance and love.

Samantha Montclare is not who she thought she was. Straitlaced and academically minded, she's knocked to her knees by an unexpected infatuation with the star of her local soccer team just as she discovers that her biological father is not the loving dad who raised her but a forbidding Italian aristocrat.

Within the social hierarchy of a wealthy suburban high school, Delaney Troy is so superior to naive Samantha that she can't speak to him without provoking obscene taunts from his friends.

Delaney is gorgeous, but much of Samantha's fascination stems from his brazen honesty and bristling wit. His air of confidence inspires so powerful an interest he draws her in without even looking at her.

But how could she possibly date a guy like Delaney who insists he only wants to hook up -- and doesn't believe in love?

Will the scandalous truth about the circumstances of her conception threaten her happy home life?

Must she find a place in her life for an alarming new "father" just as she’s becoming an independent young woman?
File Size: 432 KB
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: The Miri Group (August 6, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00ED6515Q
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled

Lori's thoughts: I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I stayed up way too late to finish the book last night (this morning) and I would have stayed up later if necessary! Samantha starts out as a nerdy, awkward freshman in high school. She has an awkward crush (mini obsession) on the older, popular, Delaney. Samantha was strong and didn't take crap from her peers. She was feisty and I admired her for that. Delaney Troy. What can I say? He was a selfish prick for a good deal of the book. He tries to feign disinterest in Sam, but he cares about her in the only way he's capable of. Sam's relationship with her parents is very open -- unusually so. I couldn't believe the things she discussed with them, and neither could Delaney. It took awhile for me to really get into the book. I thought about putting it down more than once, until I hit around 30% on my Kindle. Then it sucked me in and never let go. My heart swelled and ached for Sam. And I literally felt the pain she went through when Delaney and her broke up. Since you've read the blurb, you know that they get back together, but that didn't make it any less emotional! I see that Ms. Famous (that IS her real name, by the way) added the HEA epilogue. It's a good thing. If the book had ended without it, I would have been pretty upset! Pick up a copy today and read it. Stay with it -- and if at around 30% you're not totally invested in the story, I would be very surprised! Well worth the read!

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Present Pefect

I've been unsure about many things in my life except for one thing, that I have always loved him. Every single minute of every single day that I have been on this earth, my heart has belonged to him. It has never been a question, never a doubt. The love had taken on many different forms over the years, but it had always been a constant.

Everyone has their definition of love. There have been countless songs sung about it. A gazillion books, articles, and poems written about it. There are experts on love who will tell you how to get it, keep it, and get over it.

We’re led to believe love is complicated. It’s not the love that’s complicated. It’s all the crap that we attach to it and put in front of it that makes it difficult. If you’re smart, you’ll realize this before it’s too late and simplify.

Amanda Kelly spent her entire life trying to control every aspect of it, while striving for perfection. Her obsession with being perfect, along with her feelings of worthlessness, consumed her. The one thing she thought was perfect in her life was the bond she shared with her best friend, Noah.
Everything was going according to her life plan until she woke up one day and realized she had fallen in love with him. The one thing she couldn't control was the affect he had on her. Noah had the power to give her one hundred lifetimes of happiness, which also gave him the power to completely devastate her. He was the one thing in her life that was perfect, but she couldn't allow herself to have him.

Her life begins to unravel. Events take over and force her to let go of her dreams and desires. She needs to realize that a person cannot control the events in their life, only their reaction to them...but will it be too late for her to save her relationship with her best friend? Present Perfect is a story of how past events have present consequences and how perfect your present could be if you stopped fighting and just allowed it to happen.



Present Perfect by Alison G. Bailey
Release Date: August 6th, 2013
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Amazing Book Cover by artist Robin Harper of Wicked by Design









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Book Review: Bully

Bully (Fall Away #1) by Penelope Douglas: NEW ADULT ROMANCE--Bully (Book 1 in the Fall Away Series)

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he'll barely even speak to me.

But he still won't leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I'm done hiding from him now, and there's no way in hell I'll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It's time to fight back.

*This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.

**This book is the first in a series but can be read as a STAND ALONE. The next books will focus on side characters from this story.
File Size: 451 KB
Print Length: 371 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1490559175
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Penelope Douglas (June 17, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00DGT3VL2
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Enabled

TeriLyn's thoughts: I liked Bully. I didn't love it. The story was a tad juvenile for my taste in books. However, I thought the plot was original and well written. Jared's motives were that of a true bully; irrational behavior based on his own life issues. Tate fighting back go a little out of hand but overall I thought she was a good character. The race that he asks her to drive was my favorite scene, or rather any of the scenes where he shows some vulnerability. I was happy with how the mess at the end turned out. This story takes place in high school and it was hard for me to find any connection.

Book Review: Bad Rep

Bad Rep by A. Meredith Walters: "Who gives a damn about their reputation? Oh, that would be me! Especially since mine had gone straight to hell in the span of thirty minutes."

Maysie Ardin is soaking up the summer before her junior year of college, shopping, hanging by the pool and shopping some more. But when her black belt in spending lands her in trouble with her parents, she is forced to take a second job at a local bar to dig herself out of a deep financial pit.

She thought she’d be miserable. But then Maysie didn’t count on Jordan Levitt, the hot, pierced and tattooed, drum playing bartender who also happens to be very interested in her. And the feelings are totally mutual.

It had the makings of the perfect romantic set up. Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy has girlfriend? Okay, maybe not.

But attraction is a hard thing to ignore and soon Jordan and Maysie find themselves in the middle of a gossip induced firestorm. Maysie has to learn whether she can set aside her fear of public disapproval in order to be with the one she wants. Or will she let the opinions of others dictate her life and her heart?
File Size: 837 KB
Print Length: 376 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1490412727
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00AQQDG1I
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Enabled

Whairigail's thoughts: **4 Solid Hearts**

Let me start by saying I'm a bit of a book snob, I only really read a book if its got 4.00 or more of a score on goodreads - unless someone reccommends it to me. My best Friend Ashleigh Morgan reccommended this and I'm so glad she did *CHEESY SMILE*

The blurb tells you everything you need to know in regards to the storyline (but I might just be trying to get out of writing a blurb of my own because I SUCK at writing blurbs!)
Maysie is a typical New Adult - she is in College, trying to find her identity, working to pay off debt and in between trying to have a good time.
Jordan is one HOT piece of ass. He is sexy, funny, loving, bad-boy-but-good-boy-at-heart and just Scrummy :)

This book had me laughing out loud in places, going all Gosh you make my heart go all Squishy in others and getting all hot and bothered in between.

My only complaint is that at points I found Maysie to be rather immature and too concerned with other peoples opinions but that might just be my personality.

Favourite Quotes

“You're right, baby. We began out of something ugly. But what we became was something beautiful. I just wish I could make you see that.”

“Why, Maysie? What more do you need me to tell you? Haven't I already handed my fucking guts to you on a platter? What else do you need to hear?”

“I'm sorry if I pissed you off. I'm sorry if I acted like a fucker.But I'm not sorry for chasing off that pansy ass that used to have what's mine.Because you're my girl now and I won't have that asshole sniffing around where he doesn't belong.”

If you are looking for an easy read with tons of angst and sexual tension - this is the book for you. I read it in 2 days (4 sittings) and laughed hard.

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Out of Line

Desperate to break free…

I've spent my entire life under my father’s thumb, but now I'm finally free to make my own choices. When my roommate dragged me to my first college party, I met Finn Coram and my life turned inside out. He knows how to break the rules and is everything I never knew I wanted. A Marine by day and surfer by night, he pushes me away even as our attraction brings us closer. Now I am finally free to do whatever I want. I know what I want. I choose Finn.

Trying to play by the rules...

I always follow orders. My job, my life, depends on it. I thought this job would be easy, all the rules were made crystal clear, but when I met Carrie Wallington, everything got muddy. She's a rule I know I shouldn't break, but damn if I don’t inch closer to the breaking point each time I see her. I’m ready to step out of line. And even worse? I’m living a lie. They say the truth will set you free, but in my case…

The truth will cost me everything.








Jen McLaughlin writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, is due out September 2013. She also writes Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts. She is a multi-published, bestselling author and is represented by Louise Fury from the L. Perkins Agency. Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing.
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is too write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
SPECIAL CONTEST:
Jen McLaughlin (aka Diane Alberts) is also offering up a special contest. For every 100 adds she gets on goodreads for OUT OF LINE before the release (September 10th), she will reveal 5 pages of the book early!

If the book hits 600 adds before the release, she will release a bonus scene from Finn's POV! She will also choose random people who use the tag #OUTOFLINE on twitter and facebook, or adds the book to their TBR list, to receive swag!

GIVEAWAY:
Jen is offering a signed/personalized copy of OUT OF LINE to one lucky reader!

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Cover Reveal: Tragically Flawed

Tragically Flawed by AM Hargrove: Riviera Benson has a talent...one she discovered by accident. She’s a painter, but canvas isn't her medium. She creates her lovely masterpieces on walls and ceilings of million dollar homes as murals and faux finishes. Her art is in high demand now, but life wasn’t always that way. Riviera has secrets from her past she intends to keep tightly locked away...terrifying secrets that keep her awake at night...that prevent her from getting close to anyone...anyone that is, until she meets Shan.

Benjamin Shandon, owner of Shandon Homes, works like a thousand demons are chasing him...because perhaps they are. His business has boomed, ever since the forest fire swept through the canyon and destroyed hundreds of million dollar homes. He demands excellence in everything...from his employees to his women. He slows down for nothing, keeping a schedule that no sane person would want. But Riviera interrupts everything, twisting his guts inside out, and wedging her way into his heart, destroying a promise he made to himself.

Will they let their pasts control their future, or will they decide to let go and allow their hearts to discover each other’s?

Expected release date: September 23ish, 2013

Age Group: Mature New Adult

Cover designed by: Amber McNemar






One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include Kissing Fire, Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, the series the Guardians of Vesturon (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, Beginnings and reEmergent), Dark Waltz and the upcoming release Tragically Flawed.
Other than being in love with being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.
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Blog Tour & Giveaway: I Breathe You

When a tragic accident leaves Rhane Evans -- lead vocalist for the rock band Fate's Crazy -- permanently unable to speak above a whisper and kills the love of her life, she moves across the state to pick up the pieces. Shattered, Rhane struggles to understand what happened the night of the accident, an accident everyone blames her for, even though she wasn't driving the car.

Enter Ian Callahan. He's the one person who may have a more tumultuous past than Rhane. Though they try hard to deny the sizzling attraction between them, it proves nearly impossible. When Ian's troubled past threatens to tear them apart, they begin to believe happiness isn't in their cards.





Ten Things About Lori L. Clark:

1. I grew up in a small Iowa town, which is also the birthplace of Herbert Hoover.
2. I am an only child.
3. I've had three broken bones. The most recent being a broken foot which happened in June this year. I was pulling weeds.
4. I hate writing query letters, which is why I will never write one again.
5. My only child is a Min Pin named Barkley.
6. I'm a Pisces with Aquarius rising.
7. I'm a Jack of Clubs/4 of Diamonds.
8. I love music, especially 80's glam band stuff. My car radio is always tuned to Sirius XM's Hairnation.
9. The last concert I attended was Bon Jovi - this year!
10. One day, I hope to live on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.




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Cover Reveal: A Broken Fate

Title: A Broken Fate (A Beautiful Fate Series #2)Author: Cat MannGenre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Book Description:Coping with the traumatic experiences Ava endured with the Kakos is more challenging than she ever imagined it to be. She finds herself struggling to remember the details of her time kept away with Damien Kakos and when the memories assault her mind, she is plagued with crippling fear. There is something in the back of Ava’s thoughts screaming at her, telling her that the fight with the devil’s brood has not yet ended.Newly married, Ava and Ari deal with issues involving trust, honesty and faith in one another and as they plot their course for a new life together, they discover that their individual wants and needs don’t exactly match. Ari’s promises to Ava begin to break. Some of the Alexander’s family secrets are revealed and Ava realizes that she needs to keep her friends close, and her enemies even closer.

A Broken Fate, the second novel in The Beautiful Fate Series, dives further into Ava and Ari’s nail-bitter of a story and adds even more suspense, mystery, romance and thrills. This series is impossible for any reader to resist.

About The Author


Cat Mann has lived her entire life in central Illinois, but her interests and passions span the planet. She loves skiing, French music and working with the written language.
A self-proclaimed hermit, she is happiest at home reading, writing and scouring the far corners of the internet for new musical artists -- artists she skillfully weaves into her tales of the offspring of ancient Greece. She is happily married to her amazing and awe-inspiring best friend, Derek Mann, and together they have created two beautiful daughters.

A Beautiful Fate is Cat’s first novel in The Beautiful Fate Series. The second installment of The Beautiful Fate Series, A Broken Fate, will be available summer 2013. Visit Cat on Facebook and keep up with Cat on her blog.


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