Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 93
December 21, 2014
Book Review: The Missing
The Missing (Birthright #2) by Necole Ryse: Reeling from her boyfriend's disappearance, Raevyn Jones is shocked to learn that she is considered suspect number one. To make matters worse, rumors are swirling that golden boy, Jeffrey Donnelly, isn't just missing...he may never be coming back.
And Raevyn is being framed.
Her second semester at Benjamin Wallace Fitzgerald University, the nation's first Ivy League institution for African Americans, is full of twists and turns.
Soon Raevyn will learn not to trust anyone, not even the people she calls friend.
Toni's thoughts: I have really mixed emotions about this book. There is nothing bad about it but on the other hand it wasnt an exceptional book to me. The book was very well written and has a good story line I just couldn't connect to and fall in love with this book like I did the first one in the trilogy. I would find myself starting to get lost in it but then it would just kind of fall flat for me. I think what bothered me is the times she has a way of finding out who was in the picture and find out what happened to her boyfriend and then she would just do something else and then in the next chapter it was all she could think about and then drop it again. The book just felt like it was jumping too much. I did like that it did answer most of the questions that you had.
Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: December 21, 2014
Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: December 21, 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.)
Top 10 Paid:
1. Jaked: A New Adult Romance by Sabrina Stark
4.2 out of 5 stars
2. Broken #5 (The Broken Series - Book #5) by Claire Adams
4.1 out of 5 stars
3. Broken by Claire Adams
4.0 out of 5 stars
4. Casual Encounter Vol. 5 by M. S. Parker
4.8 out of 5 stars
5. Broken #4 (The Broken Series - Book #4) by Claire Adams
4.3 out of 5 stars
6. Broken (A Redemption Novel Book 1) by Lauren Layne
4.6 out of 5 stars
7. Broken #2 (The Broken Series - Book #2) by Claire Adams
4.5 out of 5 stars
8. Broken #3 (The Broken Series - Book #3) by Claire Adams
4.4 out of 5 stars
9. Beautiful Oblivion: A Novel by Jamie McGuire
4.4 out of 5 stars
10. Once Perfect (Shattered Past Book 1) by Cecy Robson
4.4 out of 5 stars
Book Review: First Frost
First Frost (Waverley Family #2) by Sarah Addison Allen: From the New York Times bestselling author of Garden Spells comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves...
It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.
Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.
Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.
Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?
When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.
Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen's enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.
Lori's thoughts: **ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review**
It's been awhile since I've read anything by Sarah Addison Allen. I've missed her magical storytelling and word weaving. This states that it is Waverley Family #2, and I have read the first book, Garden Spells, it was some time ago. You do not need to read the first book before reading this one. It is completely stand-alone. I loved the book, but it dragged for me a few times, thus the less than 5-heart ranking. I do still think it's worth a read! I loved Bay and Josh and wish the author would have spent a little more time on these two. Perhaps there will be a third "Waverley" story at some point in the future? One can only hope. All of Sarah Addison Allen's books contain a magical theme. I recommend, if you're a fan of a good story without a lot of angst and passion, but just a good story, this is one for you!
December 18, 2014
Blog Tour & Giveaway: Always
Title: Always
Author: Suzanne Halliday
Release Date: Dec 1, 2014
Find on Goodreads
Meet Stephanie Bennett
The one-time beauty queen and widowed mother of Tori St. John, arrives at the Marquez Villa to be with her feisty daughter and husband Draegyn, as they count down the days to the arrival of their first child.
It all seemed so simple. Arizona would be a nice change of pace from Stephanie’s life in Atlanta.
And then she meets Calder Dane
Alex’s down-to-earth doppelgänger of an uncle takes over day-to-day operations of the agency so his nephew can focus on his upcoming wedding.
It all seemed so simple. Calder was close to Alex, loved being in Arizona and was happy to help out.
Sparks fly when these two meet because nothing is ever simple with Family Justice!
Alex and Meghan
The foundation of the expanding Justice family is blissfully enjoying their engagement with loads of wicked sexy times and a bit of match-making thrown in to keep things interesting!
Draegyn and Victoria
In what feels like the tenth month of a difficult pregnancy, the couple face challenges that put a strain on their happiness. Can their unconventional love survive?
Cameron and Lacey
It’s all good at the Cameron household as their love story continues. Dylan’s growing like a weed, Lacey takes to motherhood like a champ and Cam? Color him – happy.
Get ready for Brody Jensen to drop a bomb about his past while Parker Sullivan is revealed to have more to do with the Marquez family than just being Alex’s oldest friend!
There’s never a dull moment with Family Justice!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Meghan watched as Alex swiftly exited the room, pulling the door almost completely shut on his way out. She wiggled her fingers to keep the blood flowing and danced around on the balls of her feet, taking in every little thing about the tack room. She even eyed the strange sawhorse-looking thing and decided that with a blanket thrown over it, the height would be perfect for what she had in mind. Hell, he could even tie her hands to the legs so she couldn’t get up at all. That would be fun.
A minute passed. Then another and another. Figuring he must have run into the barn where a cooler of water bottles was always on hand, Meghan hummed a little tune and looked forward with anticipation to when her wicked fiancé would return. Her reaction to the riding crop surprised the hell out of her. She was in no way a masochist—any more than Alex harbored hidden sadistic tendencies. Their kinky fun times were more suggestive than anything else. It just ramped up her excitement knowing she was helpless while he messed with her.
The door pushed open and she spun around, her hands gripping the jute where it was looped over the hook above her head. Only it wasn’t Alex standing in the doorway. It was a shocked and horrified looking Draegyn who was losing all the color in his face as he stood there, slack-jawed, taking in her appearance.
Oh, my God, she thought. This was just too damn funny for words.
“Hey Drae,” she chirped as if nothing weird was going on. “You’re back! Nice black eye, by the way.”
The usually unflappable security operative with the 007 reputation was speechless. And embarrassed. Meghan was trying not to laugh like crazy.
“Um, Alex will be right back,” she told him. “He just went to get something.”
All of a sudden, he whirled away so she was talking to his back. “Jesus Meghan,” he muttered. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She giggled and said, “I don’t think we were expecting you back so early.”
“Look, tell Alex I’m, uh, home. I’ll talk to him later.” And with that he all but ran as Meghan struggled not to dissolve in a fit of laughter.
* * *
Alex was hurrying back to the tack room, carrying two bottles of cold water and the riding crop. As he came around a corner at the end of the long passageway, he ran head first into a fast moving object.
What the fuck? Draegyn?
“It’s your own damned fault,” Drae yelled at him. “I do security for a living god dammit. Fuck Alex!”
“Whoa, whoa,” Alex drawled. “Slow the fuck down and hello to you, too.”
The dark, almost malevolent glare Drae threw at him got his eyebrows bumping together.
“When a door that is normally locked is left ajar, I’m going to check it out, you dumb motherfucker. Just be glad I didn’t do it with a gun drawn.” Drae was practically unglued and barking like a mad dog.
Alex shook his head. What the fuck was he bitching about? An unlocked door? Ohhhhh. Shit! Meghan. Glancing down the dark passage he suddenly understood why Drae was almost hyperventilating.
Thumping him on the chest, Drae snarled again, “Your own damn fault,” then stomped away with a deep growl.
Hurrying to the tack room, Alex pushed open the door and found his sexy fiancée dangling like she had a starring role in Fifty Shades of Barnyard Fuckery with a laugh evident on her face. Thank fucking God she was still dressed and all his brother really got an eyeful of was her bra, and of course, the way she was tied and hung from the ceiling.
“Honey, I think Drageyn’s home,” she giggled.
They both roared with laughter for a full two minutes until Alex closed the door and locked it, uncapped the water bottle, and held it to her mouth for a long sip.
“Now, where were we?” he asked silkily.
Suzanne Halliday writes what she knows and what she loves – sexy adult contemporary romance with strong men and spirited women. Her love of creating short stories for friends and family has developed into a passion for writing romantic fiction with a sensual edge. She finds the world of digital, self-publishing to be the perfect platform for sharing her stories and also for what she enjoys most of all – reading. When she’s not on a deadline you’ll find her loading up on books to devour.
Currently a wanderer, she and her family divide their time between the east and west coast, somehow always managing to get the seasons mixed up. When not digging out from snow or trying to stay cool in the desert, you can find her in the kitchen, 80’s hair band music playing in the background, kids running in and out, laptop on with way too many screens open, something awesome in the oven, and a mug of hot tea clutched in one hand.
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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Leon's Way
Leon’s Way by Sunniva Dee
Publication date: December 19th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
I’m Leon , number one object of Deepsilver’s rumor mill. Owner of student hotspot, Smother.
Since I was sixteen, the world has been mine. I do everything—
My way.
Every co-ed in town clenches her thighs over me, but most don’t fit the bill. See, I like my girls broken . Once I detect my shade of don’t-give-a-fuck damaged, I fight hard, I fight dirty, and I don’t give up until—
I conquer.
Drunk fathers and frequent beatings don’t merit attention, but when my despicable dad starts the process of croaking, I’m forced to remember. Thus, the downward spiral begins: my latest broken-girl turns the tables on me and splits. My hot-as-hell employee, Arriane, throws me the curve ball of a lifetime. And suddenly—
I’m out of control.
But at the center of my chaos, she exists. Always close, always sweet, and so beautifully fucking… wholesome. She represents everything I’ve shied from in a woman. Still—
I crave her.
I’m Leon, and I don’t deny my cravings. Just—this girl is not surrendering. So here I am, fighting harder. Fighting dirtier. And goddammit all, I will—
Conquer.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23551540-leon-s-way
Purchase:Will be found here come release day: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=leon%27s+way+Sunniva+Dee+
AUTHOR BIO:Originally from Norway, I moved to the United States twelve years ago. I hold a Master’s degree in languages and taught Spanish at college level before settling in at the Savannah College of Art and Design as an adviser.
I write New Adult fiction, sometimes with a paranormal twist—like in “Shattering Halos,” published by The Wild Rose Press in February 24th 2014 and in “Stargazer,” released November 2014. The first book I’ve self-published was the New Adult Contemporary novel “Pandora Wild Child,” which made me a proud indie author in October 28th 2014.
I specialize in impulsive heroines, bad-boys, and good-boys running amok. Then, there’s the intense love, physical and emotional attraction beyond reason—sensory overload for the reader as well as for the characters. Like in real life, I hope you’re unable to predict what comes next in my stories.
Yes, so I write what I love to read, and depending on the reader, you’ll find my books to be a fast-paced emotional rollercoaster—or disturbing because the struggles of love aren’t your thing. Here’s to hoping you have the same reading vice as me!
Website : http://www.sunnivadee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSunnivaDee
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sunnivaD
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7191170.Sunniva_Dee
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sunnivadee/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sunnivadee
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December 17, 2014
Book Review: Anything But Mine
Anything But Mine (When You're Gone #1) by Taryn Elliott: BOOK 1 in an all new TRILOGY.
Rock star Logan King has come home to Winchester Falls for the annual Summer Festival. Only this time he's hauling a helluva lot more baggage than a few suitcases and vintage guitars. His closet contains more than the usual skeletons…and if he doesn't keep the door firmly locked, someone might get harmed. The specter of what haunts him forces him to turn away from anything more than one-night-stands.
Until Izzy and her topaz eyes finally give him a reason to try again.
Since moving to town Isabella Grace has found friends and a place to belong for the first time in her life. Running the Summer Festival is the perfect way to show how important her new community is. She just never planned on a whirlwind fling with a man too used to saying goodbye. Or to fall for a guy who has as many secrets as he does hit songs.
Logan is used to protecting himself, but protecting Izzy is all new territory. With everything that matters to him at risk, he refuses to let her get hurt—even if that means he has to walk away. For her own good.
BULLETPROOF WEEKS (book 2 - Jan 13, 2015)
EDGE OF FOREVER (book 3 - March 17, 2015)
TeriLyn's thoughts: **Anything but Mine generously provided by the publisher - Fido Publishing - via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Anything but Mine gives us the whirlwind, consuming romance of the jaded rocker Logan King and the fiery small town entrepreneur Isabella Grace. Set in what seems a quintessential, cozy quiet town in New York Taryn Elliott easily whisks you away to this surreal and open town with descriptive prose and a quick coupling between two unlikely people right from the beginning which directly contrasts the opening chapter we get from Logan.
Told from both Logan and Isabella’s points of view, the reader gets a bird’s eye view into the mind of a tortured, mysterious man completely captivated by a beautiful, sassy woman all the while bearing the burden of fear over what’s been happening in his rock star life. The angst-filled subplot with Logan working beneath the love story provides much intrigue.
The secondary characters provide comic relief perfectly as well. Nic and Zeke, Isabella and Logan’s best friends respectively, are fun loving and just what each characters needs in their lives. I’m interesting in Zeke’s story too, I wonder if that’s in the works?
The author convinced me these two have something magical happening between them. Her writing fluidly made up of the pages, making Anything but Mine an easy romantic read. Personally, I’m a sucker for tortured rock stars finding solace with an independent, fierce, honest woman he never once saw coming. There’s more to both these characters still than meets the eye and I can’t wait to find out more. Yes, for those readers who must know, the ending leaves more than enough to be desired you want the next part to their story immediately. If you follow my reviews, you know I'm also a sucker for a good cliff hanger - Taryn Elliott did not let me down. But waiting for the next book, the anticipation to meet Logan and Izzy again will tide you over. I promise.
Book Review: Easy Virtue
Easy Virtue (Virtue #1) by Mia Asher: Love is selfish...
My name is Blaire.
I'm the bad girl.
The other woman.
The one who never gets the guy in the end.
I'm the gold digger.
The bitch.
The one no one roots for.
The one you love to hate.
I hate myself too...
Everyone has a story. Are you ready for mine?
Jennifer's thoughts: Blaire---Does what she has to---and gets everything she wants. She doesn't involve any emotions especially not love, until she meets...
Excellent story! Spent my entire day getting to know Blaire and her unemotional ties to many men. One of the best books I've read in 2014!
Beware....it does end with.....To be continued.
But----Totally worth it!!
Book Review: Normal
Normal (Something More #1) by Danielle Pearl: It's the kind of situation most people would dread. Starting at a new high school, in the middle of my senior year, in a new town, in a new state. I know no one. No one knows me. That's what I'm counting on.
A year ago, Aurora "Rory" Pine was just a normal teenage girl - just as sweet and naive as the fairy tale princess she was named after.
But this isn't a year ago.
Rory is broken, and now suffering from a debilitating anxiety disorder, wrought with precarious triggers, she moves across the country to escape the source of her troubles. Her plan is anonymity, but that's easier said than achieved for the new girl having a panic episode outside of calculus. The worst part? There's a witness - and a gorgeous one at that.
Sam is a walking trigger for Rory. Incredibly handsome, built like the star athlete he obviously is, and undoubtedly popular, Sam outwardly represents everything Rory despises about high school. But as the fates keep throwing them together, a connection sparks that neither ever expected, and certainly couldn't ignore.
But Sam has issues too, and Rory's past won't just stay in the damned past. When friendship evolves into something deeper, can a girl utterly destroyed by the worst kind of betrayal and a boy battling demons of his own ever have a normal relationship? Is that even what they want? Find out in NORMAL, a gritty story of trust and abuse, heartbreak and salvation, and if they're lucky - love. This is not a flowery romance - not for the faint of heart.
Jennifer's thoughts: I enjoyed this book. The story was centered around the main character, Rory. She went through a terrible experience while in high school. Unimaginable...
This book may not be for everyone due to the subject matter, but I felt like the author told the story the way it needed to be told.
Rory is a good girl who got mixed up with the wrong guy and to make matters worse she didn't have the support she needed from the people or the person who should have been there for her.
The author used both past and present day to tell Rory's story. It was well written and easy to follow.
Normal was full of ups and downs---but worth the read.
Book Review: A Small Indiscretion
A Small Indiscretion: A Novel by Jan Ellison: For readers of Meg Wolitzer, Elizabeth Strout, and Anna Quindlen, A Small Indiscretion is a gripping and ultimately redemptive novel of love and its dangers, marriage and its secrets, youth and its treacherous mistakes.
A Small Indiscretion fixes an unflinching eye on the power of desire and the danger of obsession as it unfolds the story of one woman’s reckoning with a youthful mistake.
At nineteen, Annie Black trades a bleak future in her washed-out hometown for a London winter of drinking to oblivion and yearning for deliverance. Some two decades later, she is married to a good man and settled in San Francisco, with a son and two daughters and a successful career designing artistic interior lights. One June morning, a photograph arrives in her mailbox, igniting an old longing and setting off a chain of events that rock the foundations of her marriage and threaten to overturn her family’s hard-won happiness.
The novel moves back and forth across time between San Francisco in the present and that distant winter in Europe. The two worlds converge and explode when the adult Annie returns to London seeking answers, her indiscretions come to light, and the phone rings with shocking news about her son. Now Annie must fight to save her family by piecing together the mystery of her past—the fateful collision of liberation and abandon and sexual desire that drew an invisible map of her future.
A Small Indiscretion is a riveting debut novel about a woman’s search for understanding and forgiveness, a taut exploration of a modern marriage, and of love—the kind that destroys, and the kind that redeems.
Lori's thoughts: **ARC graciously provided by NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review**
If you are looking for a quick read filled with action and page turning exciting drama ... this is probably not the book for you. However. If you are seeking a book that is extremely well written with prose that pulls you into the story as though you are there, experiencing it along side the characters, then you really should consider reading A Small Indiscretion. I loved the author's nearly lyrical writing. I felt so caught up in the story that it stayed with me for days after I read the last word.
Many times throughout the book, I envied Annie Black and her devil-may-care attitude and freedom. I wanted to be there with her in the pubs of London. Other times, I nodded my head along while reading, because of similar situations I've found myself in along life's highway. Then there were times when didn't envy her at all and would have loathed to be in her shoes. There's a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming. There's a bit of a twist that I did figure out. But, either way, I am so glad that I read this book! I can't wait for Jan Ellison to write more books for me to read.
A slow, easy, burning five heart read!
Cover Reveal: ASA
We are so excited about the cover reveal for Jay Crownover's ASA! ASA is the sixth and final book in Jay's Marked Men Series, published by HarperCollins. Check out the hot cover and don't forget to pre-order your copy today!
Amazon US ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** KoboAbout ASA:
Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one stunning arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.
Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.
A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.
And don’t miss the previous books in The Marked Men Series!RULEJETROMENASHROWDYAnd don't miss Jay at 3pm EST over at the Between The Covers page on Facebook today! Come chat with her!
About Jay Crownover:Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She will also be introducing the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this summer starting with Better When He’s Bad. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.
Website ** Blog ** Facebook ** Twitter ** ASA Goodreads ** Jay Crownover Goodreads
