Showing posts with label sweet romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sweet romance. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Review of Black Tie Christmas by Jo Michaels
Welcome to the blog tour for Black Tie Christmas by Jo Michaels! This is a quick read for Christmas. Please enjoy my review and an excerpt and then download your own copy. Follow the tour for more book fun!
Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Title: Black Tie Christmas
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: YA Sweet Holiday Romance
Editor: Tia Silverthorne Bach with INDIE Books Gone Wild
Publication Date: November 27th, 2018
Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Evelyn Hart is a broken shell of her former self. She can’t even talk to the cute barista in the mall who asks for her number without having a panic attack afterward. Barely holding herself together, she heads to the Caymans with her family for a little pre-Christmas trip, needing time to focus on her future career as an artist.
All is well until they check in at the hotel, and Evelyn comes face-to-face with the boy from the mall, Adam. Believing she has a boyfriend, Adam tells her he just wants be friends, and she agrees. They spend their entire vacation hanging out together.
Falling in love wasn’t in her plan, and now, she has no idea how to tell him about the lie—or the incident that left her in pieces—because she’s terrified he’ll run. So, Evelyn lets him return to New York without saying a word.
All she can hope for is understanding from Adam and a little Christmas magic to help her open her heart to someone once again.
Buy Links:
Amazon * B&N * Kobo * iBooks * Smashwords
**My thoughts**
I love holiday romances. And I love YA romances that feel a bit more real and true-to-life where I can relate with the MCs. This book started out strong. Evie is a talented artist who has focused her attention on getting into the art school of her dreams and pursuing her career. She randomly meets Adam at a coffee shop and has a complete meltdown after doing so. You realize that something happened in her past, and meeting guys is very difficult for her to do. Bits and pieces of her past slowly come out to give you some insight.
And then she and her family go to the Caymans. Guess who is also randomly there on vacation? She decides to let herself trust Adam and try to get to know him and his family while they are all in paradise, and the two develop a close relationship. At this point, I'm starting to get all of the feels and love watching this relationship between them develop.
Then we get back to New York. Evie enters an art contest that has massive implications for her future. We get to the awards night. The story is still flowing along quite nicely. And then it abruptly ends. I felt like there was a much longer novel coming out of this author and then suddenly the wall was hit and word count meant the story had to end, because it just did and wrapped up too quickly. I really hope that this there is a sequel to this story, because there is so much more to Evie and Adam to be explored. You have her past, for sure, which could almost make for an interesting prequel if handled correctly. I think their relationship has so much more potential and their story just is not yet finished. But this was definitely an enjoyable start to it all.
Jo Michaels is...
Hi, I'm Jo. Let's forget all the "Jo Michaels is blah, blah, blah" stuff and just go with it. I'm a voracious reader (often reading more than one book at a time), a writer, a book reviewer, a mom, a wife, and one of the EICs at INDIE Books Gone Wild. I have an almost photographic memory and tend to make people cringe at the number of details I can recall about them and/or their book(s). My imagination follows me around like a conjoined twin and causes me to space out pretty often or laugh out loud randomly in completely inappropriate situations.
I have a degree in graphic design, and my journey to the end was one few students who begin that program ever complete. However, this was one case where my memory and OCD tendencies helped me. Graduation was one of the most amazing days of my life. But, my most amazing day was when my now husband proposed. Every little girl dreams of being Cinderella someday, and he pulled off the proposal of fantasies.
At the risk of sounding cliché, I'm going to let it out there and say how much I absolutely adore the man I'm married to. Along with my children, he's my whole world.
I've lived in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia, but I've had my feet in almost every state. Traveling is something I adore, and have plans to someday see the Mongolia I've written about in Yassa.
One of my favorite things is hearing from fans! You can find me on social media most any day of the week. Connect! I'd love to hear from you.
Author Links:
Website: http://WriteJoMichaels.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/WriteJoMichaels
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteJoMichaels
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/WriteJoMichaels
Instagram: http://instagram.com/WriteJoMichaels
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rkgBSZ
Ocean waves rolling over one another and birds cawing with the rising sun drove Evie out of bed the next morning. Someone had opened the sliding glass door, letting a light breeze blow through the room. She stretched, rose, and stuck her feet in her flip-flops to check it out. When she pulled back the curtain, she spied her parents cuddled together in the hammock a few feet away. They were mumbling to one another and stealing kisses now and then. Rather than disturb them, she went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and put her bathing suit back on, topping it with shorts and a tank.
Loudly clearing her throat before she stepped into the small yard, she plastered on a smile and pretended she hadn’t seen anything.
“Good morning!” Her mother grinned but didn’t disentangle herself from her husband. “Sleep well?”
“Like the dead. You?”
“Same. Benjamin up yet?”
“No. He was pretty tired last night. I’ve never seen him go to sleep that fast.” Evie laughed.
“You guys going to breakfast?”
Her parents exchanged a look before her dad shrugged. “Do you think you can fly solo this morning? We’ll wait here for your brother to drag himself out of bed.”
“Er… How do I pay and stuff? Do I need money?” Evie asked.
“Nope. Everything’s included,” her mom answered.
“Okay. Do you guys have anything planned for today?” Wondering if there was anything for teens, specifically, Evie stuck her thumbnail between her teeth.
“Not at all. Go. Have some fun. Check in with us now and again via text, okay? Every few hours?” Dad asked.
“I will.” She turned to leave but called back over her shoulder, “You guys can go back to canoodling now. See ya later!” After grabbing her small backpack and stuffing her phone inside, she marched out the door, determined to find something fun to do.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
When I Fall in Love by Clint Morey
When I Fall in Love
Amy Prescott is just your ordinary, everyday high school senior -- beautiful, brilliant, athletic, able to pick the hunk of her choice, and a scholarship to Harvard nearly in her hands.
Okay, maybe not so ordinary.
She has her life planned out and it's an exciting, adventurous plan. She can hardly wait for the next step. But all those beautiful, perfect plans are put at risk when her grandfather has a stroke and she's forced to care for her grandparents in Montana during Christmas break.
Amy finds her orchestrated world is about to snap. A cantankerous grandfather who doesn't want her help, but needs it because of a stroke. A grandmother who is the sweetest thing ever, but suffers from Alzheimer's. And family members out to protect "their share" of the estate.
As the children seek to solve the "problem," Grandpa, a master cello maker who can no longer do his craft, reluctantly shares with Amy the story of his great adventure - how he met and won the heart of his wife in Vietnam.
It's a nice story but Amy has more immediate concerns. Is her boyfriend dating someone else when she's not around? How can she fend off the Montana boy who has taken an interest in her? And then there's that Harvard thing.
Amy doesn't need any of this. Not now. Her life is planned. It's a perfect plan.
At least it was.
About Clint Morey
Website: www.clintmorey.com
Monday, August 1, 2016
Growing Up Neighbors by Frances Hoelsema
Growing Up Neighbors
Nicholas Michaels hated the fact he had to move away from everything and everyone in his life, but his feelings change when he meets the Harringtons. Deborah and Nicholas become the best of friends, and as the children grow up, their friendship deepens.
But when tragedy strikes, will this cause them to part ways? Or will it perhaps make them realize they may have stronger feelings for one another before it's too late?
Read an excerpt:
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” Nicholas said with a smile and wink. “I’m going to get you!”
He took up a snowball and threw it her way, but missed.
“Ha-ha, you missed!” Deborah exclaimed as she stood there with her hands on her hips.
She then bolted away from Nicholas as fast as she could because she knew she had one coming.
Nicholas chased Deborah back to the rear side of the house. He didn’t even have a snowball in his hand because he decided to tackle her instead. He caught up with her, grabbed her by the waist and they both flew to the ground that was cushioned with what seemed like a foot of snow.
Deborah landed face first in the snow with Nicholas at first on top of her, but then to her side on his back. She brought her head up, brushed the snow off her face and spit out anything that got in her mouth.
“What was that for?” she asked as she looked in his direction.“I felt like taking you down,” he explained.
Deborah playfully threw some snow on top of him for being so cocky. She didn’t like how cold and wet she was now, but did kind of like it when he grabbed her around the waist. Those thoughts gave her cheeks a little more color to them than what was there due to the frigid temps. She hoped Nicholas wouldn't notice.
Brushing those feelings aside, she just hung out there on the ground beside Nicholas for a few moments.
A few moments later, both of them, chilled to the bone, decided to call a truce and head inside to warm up and get some hot chocolate. They teased and giggled the whole way.
About Frances Hoelsema
A few of my favorites include hiking, kayaking, traveling, shopping, chocolate and cats. I love engaging with others through social media so feel free to connect with me!
Find her online:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Frances-Hoelsema/e/B00QRYGBPQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrancesHoelsema
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection with Giveaway
Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection
9 Faerie Romance & Fantasy Fairy Tales; Urban Fantasy, YA Fairies, Fractured Fairy Tales, Sweet Fae Romance, and Paranormal Boxed Set
One spellbound night, nine award-winning and Amazon best-selling authors joined together to bring you an enchanting collection of tales featuring our favorite otherworldly creatures, fairies.
Enchanted: The Fairy Revels Collection will seduce you into the wondrous world of the fae with magic, romance, fantasy, adventure, fairy tales, and folklore. Get ready to be beguiled by a unique boxed set with fractured fairy tales, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, sci-fi adventure, and more. This captivating collection is certain to please anyone who loves magical realism and fairy stories.
Books & Authors
THE BEE CHARMER by Poppy Lawless
Rayne moved to Chancellor on a mission to help Alice find true love. That is, after all, his job as her fairy godfather. What Rayne didn’t expect was to find a love of his own. All Viola wants is to pursue her dream of becoming a perfumer. She doesn’t have time to fall in love. Viola and Rayne will soon find that when your heart makes a wish, even impossible dreams can come true.
I DO BELIEVE IN FAERIES by Erin Hayes
Even though she grew up in a family of witches, Abby is normal. When faeries offer her a wish, she wishes for magick of her own, without realizing the consequences. Now she has to travel to the land of faeries to save her friend's baby and undo the wish, even if it means losing her magick forever.
WOE FOR A FAERIE by B. Brumley
When I chose retribution, it got me got kicked out of the spiritual realm and banished to mortality. Now I've got to choose between Jason, the priest who’s hiding something, and Arún, the handsome off-world Fae that believes I’m his prophesied queen... But first, I've got to survive New York City.
FLIGHTLESS by Margo Bond Collins
Josh Bevington doesn't know how to survive living in Fairy, Texas without his wings; Laney Harris doesn’t know how to survive without Josh. When Laney's biological father shows up in Fairy, determined to steal his daughter's newfound powers, Josh and Laney will have to overcome work together—or risk losing everything they care about.
ROSE PETAL GRAVES by Olivia Wildenstein
I thought losing my mother would be the greatest shock of my life, but the real surprise came after her death. Dad said she suffered a stroke after she dug up one of the ancient graves in our backyard, which happens to be the town cemetery. Creepy, I know. Creepier still, there was no corpse inside the old coffin, only fresh rose petals.
FAIRLY NORMAL by Carrie L. Wells
Violet Abernathy has spent more than 20 years in the human realm, but this is the year that everything changes. Potentially her last stint among the humans, her "senior" year in high school teaches her more than she ever guessed it would about friendship, love, and support. Maybe what they say is true, change is the only thing that ever stays the same.
FAE CAME ON THE PLANE! by Elizabeth Watasin
At Jifk Spaceport, something every creature and person feared came in on a plane: faeries. When the spaceport goes down, it’s any survivor of the fae incursion on her or his own, and Nico’s not going to let Darqueworld’s most feared boogeymen, the faerie kind, stop her from getting to her lover’s arrival gate.
THE FAE AND THE FARMGIRL by Pauline Creeden
A Fae princess in jeans and paddock shoes--could any of this be real? Daisy Adams was an orphan raised on her uncle's farm, but a tractor accident suddenly forces her uncle to reveal the lie she's been living. Her mother's still alive and she's a queen of the Fae... and to make matters worse, Daisy is hunted and the center of a war that is just beginning.
THE FAIRY BARGAIN by Blaire Edens
When FayeLynn Roberts finds herself pregnant by Drake, The Folk’s most dangerous man, she relies on Alvin Fairchild, the exiled prince of The Folk to carry her back to The Realm in order to save her child. Alvin wants to protect the child and save The Realm, but can the two of them band together and defeat Drake without losing their hearts?
Get your copy on Amazon today!
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bdRtbD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fallingindeepcollection/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29387416-enchanted
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Wednesday, July 8, 2015
#Amish Romance: 'Sanctuary' by Sandy Goodridge
Blurb:
When her two best friends are falling for Luke, the same man who stole her heart, can Olivia somehow manage to find happiness without losing her friends?
Olivia, Suzie and Sarah were the best of friends since they were
babies. They not only shared their most intimate thoughts and
feelings, they literally shared their dreams.
It seemed liked nothing could keep them apart from each other, until one day, a new Amish family moved into their community. And then they met Luke.
Will Luke choose Olivia and will they manage to get create a happy life together?
Or will Luke break her heart and tear the best friends apart?
As tensions are rising between Olivia and her friends, the looming
specter of Death and the Englischer world threatens a swift and
unfortunate conclusion. Can Olivia find enough light within her heart to cast away this darkness?
Come spend some time with the Amish in this story of friendship, love, loss and redemption.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Review of 'How to Unbreakup' by Rebekah L. Purdy
How to Unbreakup
Release Date: 02/10/15
Swoon Romance
Summary from Goodreads:
First rule of breakups: There’s no going back.
For three years, seventeen-year-old Grace Evers has regretted breaking up with Sage Castle.
For three years, seventeen-year-old Grace Evers has regretted breaking up with Sage Castle.
That day, she lost her boyfriend and best friend. And let's be honest, it's impossible to just be friends with the one person who gets you, faults and all, and loved you anyway. It's impossible not to think about how it felt to be held by him, or the way he looked right before he was about to kiss you with the most perfectly yummy kiss goodnight.
And now that things are over between them, they've become strangers to one another. Sage won’t even look at Grace, let alone talk to her!
Breakup life sucks and Grace is utterly miserable, doing whatever she can to ease the pain of losing Sage. She's spent the better part of high school pretending to be something she’s not and hanging out with people who probably wouldn't notice if she wasn't there. Crappy dates, backstabbing friends, and Sage's cold shoulder have taken their toll.
So when her parents propose going away to their house on Lake Michigan for the summer, Grace is thrilled. No more massively bad dates with horrible kissers or lunch with frienemies. Just three months of swimming, hiking, and relaxing before senior year starts.
But when Grace learns Sage and his family will be joining them, she readies herself for a totally awkward family vacation of disastrous proportions. How can it be anything but awful if Sage won't even acknowledge she exists?
This is it, Grace's last chance to get Sage back and unbreakup.
Read an excerpt:
“Let’s check out the deck.” Mom looped her arm through mine as we made our way around the furniture to the glass doors. As soon as we pushed them open, the scent of the lake and beach hit me. The sound of gulls echoed in the air. Beach chairs lined the deck, the view breathtaking. From here, I saw there was already a fire pit dug out on the beach.
The doorbell rang from inside and Mom squealed. “Come on,” she said. My parents rushed to the front door, us kids on their heels. “Time for our other surprise.”
Dad glanced at us as he whipped open the door. There, standing on the porch, was the Castle family. No. Flipping. Way. Sage’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. He met my gaze then looked away, obviously his parents hadn’t let him in on the surprise either. I squeezed my eyes tight then opened them again, trying to ignore the sick pit in my stomach. Okay. Just keep calm. It isn’t the end of the world. Not yet anyway.
“Welcome Castle family,” Dad said, hugging Mr. and Mrs. Castle. “The Evers and Castles together again.”
Mr. Castle chuckled. “Now how’s this for a surprise?”
“I gave up soccer camp for this?” Sage asked, his eyes narrowed.
“Yep, and you’re going to enjoy it. End of discussion.” Mr. Castle gave him a warning look. Sage pushed inside, carrying his stuff, not even bothering another glance in my direction. Crap. This wasn’t happening. It might be the end of discussion for Mr. Castle, but I had a feeling this was far from over. If things kept going like they were, it’d be a long, miserable summer for all of us.
Allie smiled as she came inside. “This is freaking sweet. We’ll be able to hang out all summer. Just like old times.”
“Yeah. Just like old times.” I gave her a quick hug. Minus the part where Sage actually talked to me. Things in my life were about to get a whole lot more complicated.
**My thoughts**
I loved this book. I completely understand why Grace and Sage broke up in the first place. They were quite young at the time and life is already confusing in your early teens. I felt sad for them that neither one of them was truly happy for several years following the break-up. I was even sadder that they weren't able to maintain their friendship. That best male friend is one of the most important in your life. Bonus points if you can turn it into something romantic.
I loved the list that Grace made to try to win back Sage, and the ensuing comedic mishaps. I found myself snickering out loud at some of her biggest failures, which just made her even more endearing. I felt like a teenager again, with those little belly flipflops any time Sage appeared to make some progress. I also felt her disappointment when her attempts were thwarted by her own missteps, or the acts of someone else interfering. I even found myself vacillating between Sage and Logan, the hottie she met up at the lake, as being the better choice for her at this point. After all, they are quite young. I don't know of many high school relationships that are this strong and intense. I do wish that everyone could find something so real and true at a young age, and also appreciate it as these two do.
I also loved the message of being true to yourself and not merely following the crowd. It takes time and maturity to figure that out for yourself. Many high school students are incapable of getting past that shallow stage until adulthood, but a few of us accomplished it by our senior year. I am seeing this theme again and again in YA lit, and love it.
I also enjoyed the setting, as I grew up in Ohio, just south of the Michigan line, and have fond memories of visiting some of these places. The whole book gave me a sense of nostalgia, and I was glued to the Kindle for the entire read. A solid 4.5 *s in my book.
Buy Links:
About the Author
Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…
Author Links:
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