Wednesday, April 30, 2014

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick


"From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is." (Description from Goodreads.com)


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What I Thought Was True was a great sophomore book for Fitzpatrick. This book is in a different world from her first and and I'm to understand, a stand-alone. What we have come to love from My Life Next Door with Fitzpatrick's honest writing about teenagers and how the interact with the world around them is fully displayed in What I Thought Was True

Honestly, it's more than that for me with Fitzpatrick's books. I feel like I'm apart of the world she has created, experiencing right along with the main character. From being worried about money to wondering what really happened that cold, cold, day with Cass to worrying about how her friend thought about her. 

Fitzpatrick also excels at developing relationships between her characters. Family members feel true with a give and take, push and pull that all families have. Also featured was friendships and relationships and how the can ebb and change over time and through life-changes.

What really stuck with me was that Gwen and Nic (her cousin and housemate) are trying and working towards a better life. They don't want to become the "help" for the island's rich. They want more out of life. Gwen is faced with questions on how to make that possible with her brother while Nic is faced with a girlfriend who wants to stay on the island. Nic at one point says to Gwen, "do you ever feel like we're one decision away from going the wrong direction." That's not a direct quote but a feel of what he was trying to get across. These two kids are walking a tight rope between making the right decisions to achieve their goals. But they're still kids and learning how the world is effected by the decisions they make. While reading this book I kept thinking, what senior in high school doesn't feel like this? One wrong decision and the goal to move out, go to college, experience life...the pressure of making the right decisions and choices can become a bit much.

I know a lot of reviews talk about the sexuality of Fitzpatrick's books. Personally, I find it refreshing in the YA genre. The teens talk about sex in an very open and honest way. It also doesn't hurt that protection and what can happen if you don't use it are also talked about. More importantly, in this book Gwen does have experience but she isn't vilified for it.

Overall, this book was great from start to finish. Another must-read book for your list! Make sure to check your local library for copies of both What I Thought Was True and My Life Next Door.


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Extra! Extra!

Cover Reveal with giveaway and playlist for Secret Alpha! 


 

Synopsis

"I’m Dan Smith, and I’m currently living two lives. Maybe even three if you really look into it. Haley, Allison, Hunter, Wade, Sergio, and Isla all exist in one or more of them somehow.

Am I a supporting role in their stories, or are they merely characters in mine? You decide.

Haley told her story. Now I’ll tell mine.

She said. He said.

This is my story."

Note: Secret Alpha is the second book in the A is for Alpha Male Series and must be read after A is for Alpha Male.  

Warning: Some explicit language and sexual content. 



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Get it now!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1itCwi7
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/QW2f71
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1nX5wOE


Get A is for Alpha Male now!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1do8T0t
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1nRQBcd
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1hdtN1u
 
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About the Author

 Laurel Ulen Curtis is a 27 year old mother of one. She lives with her husband and son (and cat and two fish!) in New Jersey, but grew up all over the United States. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, and puts that to almost no use other than forecasting for her friends and writing a storm chasing heroine! She has a passion for her family, laughing, and reading and writing Romance novels. She’s also addicted to Coke. The drink, not the drug.

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Sunday, April 27, 2014

His Eyes by Renee Carter


"Amy Turner's about to graduate from high school and all she wants is a job. Actually, all she wants is to find a way to pay for college. Amy certainly isn't looking for love when she answers an ad to baby-sit a boy-she just needs the cash. But the job has a catch: The boy is blind...and he's her age.

Tristan Edmund may be hot, but he doesn't want Amy's help. Or so he thinks. After being blinded in a horse show-jumping competition, Tristan spends his days in the dark, refusing to accept his disability. Much to his annoyance, Amy bursts into his life and drags him into the light. But just as the two begin to see something in each other, Tristan's beautiful ex-girlfriend shows up. Will the temptation be too much, or will Tristan choose the girl who really sees him?" (Description from Goodreads.com)


While reading Fade In by M. Mabie, I kept thinking about His Eyes by ReneƩ Carter. After my read of Fade In, I went back to my copy of His Eyes for a reread. The two books are similar in that one person is dealing with vision issues and not necessarily handling it well or at all. However, that is where the similarities stop. His Eyes is a YA book set right around high school graduation.

Amy Turner, the main female character and whose POV the book is told from, is hired to be a babysitter. While at the interview, she discovers that the job is for someone her own age who needs  help getting around. Also, might I add that Tristan doesn't want help. He wants to sulk about what has happened to him just some months ago. Honestly, what teenager would be devastated when faced with a new reality. While some would face it head on, he seems to shrink in himself. It seems that Amy's job becomes to shake Tristan out of his shell and to give him confidence in his new world. 

This is the start of the story, add in a few secondary character's, a crazy ex-girlfriend, and even crazier mom and you have yourself a fun, entertaining read. Amy in assured in herself and a great female character to read. Plus the epilogue? It was awesome and made you want more of the story. Sadly, this hasn't happened yet so I'm left to my imagination.

If you're a fan of Fade In's storyline, I would give the YA His Eyes a try!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Devour a New Adult Anthology

EIGHT, yes eight full length books for only $0.99! All proceeds will go to First Candle Foundation. For Fallen Crest High fans, there are extras included with the book!




An anthology featuring 8 full length published novels from
Amazon, NY Times and LA Times bestselling authors:

Fading by E.K. Blair
Very Bad Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Shattered Ties by K.A. Robinson
Sizzle by Lexi Buchanan
Always You by Missy Johnson
Love in Between by Sandi Lynn
Emerge by S.E. Hall
Fallen Crest High by Tijan


 ALL proceeds to go to First Candle:


This anthology will be available
for only two weeks...May 11 - 25, 2014





Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?

Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.

The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.

At what point do secrets become lies?







Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about...until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy…where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.







With a former supermodel mother and a rock-and-roll legend father, Emma Preston has the best of everything. Nothing is as perfect as it seems though. After her parents divorce, she’s forced to live with her mother in a private Santa Monica community. Ignoring their parental roles, her mother becomes more focused on climbing the social ladder while her father is off on tour.

Growing up in a trailer park with his mother, Jesse is used to people looking down on him. When his mother begs him to submit an application for a scholarship to one of Santa Monica’s top private schools, he never expects to actually get it. When he does, he is forced to attend school with a bunch of rich kids. He ignores their stares as they judge him for having tattoos and a less than impressive car. As long as he has his surfboard and the guys at the tattoo shop, he knows he can make it through.

When Jesse shows up on the first day of school, Emma can’t help but be intrigued. Her mother would never approve of Emma talking to someone so poor, but she doesn’t care because something about Jesse draws her to him.

Jesse tries to hate Emma, but he discovers that he can’t resist her. Forced to hide their relationship from Emma’s mother and everyone else around them, things start to fall apart. When Jesse’s friend, Ally, decides to interfere, things go from bad to worse.

Can they survive their first love? Or will they be left with nothing more than shattered ties?







Thalia is twenty-one and has just finished her sophomore year of college, and is trying to avoid going home to her stifling parents who have a curfew of nine every night, and have a bad habit of treating her like she's still ten years old. Her new boyfriend, Liam, invites her to spend the summer with him and his family, so as she’s been unable to find a local job to keep her at college, Thalia jumps at the chance. Liam tells her that she can be his guest at his brother, Jack’s, wedding at the end of the summer.

Jack is twenty-five and feels as though he’s drowning. He’s engaged to Mia, against his will, because it’s always been drilled into him, family comes first. Jack’s studying for a law degree, and wants to go out on his own once he graduates, specializing in criminal law. His father wants him to accept a junior partnership in the law firm owned jointly by him and Lewis, his fiancĆ©es father, to practice family law.

Then he meets his brother’s girlfriend, Thalia, and he can’t get her out of his head. He needs her to keep her distance, because every time she smiles in his direction, he wants to carry her to his room and do really naughty things to her.

Then Saturday night arrives and Liam takes Thalia to a new bar that has opened on the outskirts of town, where she discovers Jack’s big secret. By day he’s the good looking, slightly older brother with a chip on his shoulder, who gives her hot looks, and by night he’s Phoenix, singer/guitar player for bad boy group ‘Deception’, who makes her sizzle to the core!

He has muscle.
He has tattoos.
He has piercings.

He has a mouth that makes her panties wet every time he opens it. He is supposed to be getting married.

He is also her boyfriend’s brother....







I was thrilled when I was offered a graduate teaching position at the prestigious Tennerson Girls Academy. At twenty-three, this would be my first ‘real’ teaching assignment. Working at the elite boarding school, home to the daughters of some of the wealthiest people in the world, was a great opportunity that I would’ve been stupid to pass up.

One week into my new job, and I suddenly had no idea why I chose high school…I was a seventeen year old boy once, I knew how teenage girls behaved.

You can’t even imagine the hell of trying to teach thirty, hormonal driven seventeen year olds who have been cooped up, away from any male contact.

I could handle the whispers every time I entered the room. I could even handle the obvious attempts at gaining my attention. What I couldn’t handle was her…

Rich bitches and way too many rules. Was it any wonder that I hated school?

Add to that the lack of male contact, and I was going insane. Like literally. I wasn’t used to this. A year ago I was normal. I had a boyfriend, friends and a loving family. There is nothing normal about me anymore, and nobody here lets me forget that.

My name is Wrenn, and I’m only here because my aunt took me in after what happened, but my aunt also happens to be the headmistress of this academy…Can you see my problem?

I’m hated for my lack of money, and I’m hated for who my Aunt is.

Then he arrived. Dalton Reed. My new history teacher.

Slowly, he helped me see that even in the worst situations, there is always hope.






My name is Lily Gilmore, and I was supposed to be getting married today. That was until I found my fiancƩ having sex with my sister in the church moments before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. I grew up with a father who was a womanizer and cheated on my mother every moment he had the chance. He would even stoop as low as to take me and my sister with him on his trysts when we were younger. Cheating was all I grew up with, and I vowed never to live the life my mother did. After finding my fiancƩ and my sister together, I moved from Seattle to Santa Monica to start a new life of independence and to focus on my passion for photography, man-free.

My name is Luke Matthews. About a year ago, I lost the love of my life, my fiancĆ©, in a tragic car accident. There are no words that can describe how I’ve felt the past year. My life and all my dreams had died with her in the accident. I exist, and I play my guitar to try and ease the pain. My love was taken away, and I will never get that back.

What happens when the lives of two people who no longer believe in love are suddenly changed by fate?






“You never have to be without me, Laney, never.”

He lied…my everything I ever knew, trusted, wanted…I am, in fact, without him.

On my own and out of my shell, I learn new things about life, friendship and…myself.

Like what you’ve always known may not be what you’ve always wanted.

Dane Kendrick awakened things within me that I never knew existed, unraveling and uncovering the real Laney Jo Walker.

I’m a NEW adult…so is my story.







Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend her school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now Samantha has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn't care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent's divorce. But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.






Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Fade In by M. Mabie with Giveaway and Playlist

FadeInweb

"Tatum Elliot is a successful writer on a hit television show, lives in an Upper East Side apartment and loves her life. She wouldn’t change a thing. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a choice. She's losing her sight. Tripping over her tongue and her heels, Tatum all too quickly realizes that the things which appeared so important before are slowly slipping away leaving room for what really matters. With the support of her best friends, family and colleagues, she begins to see that there’s much more to life… and herself. When Ben Harris enters her life as her new personal assistant, she can’t tell if it’s his good looks and charm that are working on her libido, or his kind and helpful nature working on her heart? Whatever it is, neither one of them can resist it. As her vision fades out, a world of love and happiness just might…Fade In. Fade In is a contemporary-romance novel about laughing through your tears and telling life to, quite frankly, “Suck it.” This novel contains sexual situations that the author may or may not have tried at home… for your safety, of course. Research is research."


This love story is also about the journey for Tatum. Learning how to deal with the changes she's faced and facing them head on. Lucky for us there was no triangles or outside drama.It truly was about the couple and their own hurdles that they throw in the way of the relationship.

The story begins with a Prologue from a mystery man's POV. I just loved this. It's an early meeting with Tatum years before. They way she was described by the man was spot on. Where Tatum would find fault in her personality he finds strength and love (so to speak).

From there we go into Tatum's POV for the rest of the story. I thought this was a great way to tell the story because it eases you into Tatum's head. For me it gives the story more strength because you know that while she starts to question things he's fully in it.

What I also loved about the story was that Tatum is her own woman. A 100% so with confidence in who she is and what she wants out of life. She's so much her own woman that she finds it tough to accept help which isn't good for someone losing vision. This is also cause for issues between the couple throughout the book. You totally understand where she's coming from not wanting to lose independence but at the say time you want her to get more help for her own safety.

Tatum also thinks like one of the guys which might shock some readers. I loved it, it reminded me the way I use to think and talk when I first cam out to college in the mid-west. It was very East Coast boys club and raunchy at times.

This leads me to the beginning of the book with Tatum and her jerk boyfriend. She breaks up with him in the BEST WAY EVER! Honestly, it was raunchy but awesome and had me laughing out loud. With that setup, I knew I was going to love the book and I did.

Make sure to place this book on your "to be read" list, see link below. It was a wonderful read!

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC for my honest review of Fade In

Where to find Fade In:

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1fB0TDq

 

Extras!

A playlist for Fade In can be found here.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the Author:

M. Mabie lives in Illinois, NOT Chicago, with her rock-star husband. (True story.) She loves writing for Fifty5Cents Book Blog, which she owns and operates- at the moment quite poorly. She's a proud member of the Indie Author Romance Author Chicks writing group where she maintains a high standard of professionalism and lady-like maturity- or not. She cares about politics, but won’t discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head. M. Mabie has never been accused of being tight lipped or shy. She’s THAT girl. (She doesn't usually speak in third-person, but surprisingly does when weirded-out about writing her bio.)

Signup for the M. Mabie New Letter: http://eepurl.com/RTbLP




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Miss Darcy Falls in Love by Sharon Lathan

"The choice of a lifetime...

One young lady following her passion for music. Two strong men locked in a bitter rivalry for her heart. A journey of self-discover, and a trap of her own making. Georgiana Darcy is going to have to carve out her own destiny, however ill-equipped she may feel.

Noble young ladies were expected to play an instrument, but Georgiana Darcy is an accomplished musician who hungers to pursue her talents. She embarks upon a tour of Europe, ending in Paris where two very different men will ignite her heart in entirely different ways and begin a bitter rivalry to win her. But only one holds the key to her happiness.

Set in post-Napoleonic Empire France, Miss Darcy Falls in Love is a riveting love story that enters a world of passion where gentlemen know exactly how to please and a young woman learns to direct her destiny and understand her heart.

Miss Darcy Falls in Love was selected as a World Book Night US 2014 title." (Description from Goodreads.com)

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While working on my many gnomes for World Book Night, I discovered this book. It's easy to say I'm a fan of Pride and Prejudice. Colin Furth swimming in the lake? Classic! I'm proud to say a friend made me read the novel first before watching the BBC mini-series...which still ranks epic on my movie viewings. I was always a huge fan of Elizabeth, a strong female who didn't swoon on first sighting of Darcy because he had lots of money. She wanted more than a comfortable marriage. I loved that!

 When I saw this book title, I wondered how the author scripted Miss Darcy's future. I have read another book that had done so and I loved it. So while first reading this book, I kept picture the other book that I read. That and a book called Devil's Bride also set in the 1800's and a lot more sexy.

After two chapters, I was able to place aside my other readings and really get into the rhythm and cadence of the book which was beautifully written. We begin readying while Miss Darcy is on her European travels and is now in France going to balls, making friends and enjoying life. 

In this book Miss Darcy is very much in love with music and active in her playing. You could feel her struggle throughout the story between her love of music and what was expected of her...marriage, babies, and helping with the house. How could one be a mother and continue to write music? This is a minor theme but really hit home for me. 

There is a constast between two of her suitors on this point. One is pushing her to become more and study at the famed school. The other thinks women don't have time beyond being able to entertain. From there she has to decide about her feelings. Friendship, lover, just a strike of lightning? 

The story comes together and also gives us a after they agree to marriage look. We get to see snippets of the wedding and a peek into life a few years out. I really liked this part of the book. Most times we get the falls in love, marriage and that's it. I liked seeing what happened after the marriage. Umm, which I should admit, was a little steamy. Nothing graphic but Lathan does get much more descriptive than the original! 

This was a great pick for the 2014 World Book Night and a great read for the Darcy fans out there.

And for fun, here's the gnome I created for Miss Darcy Falls in Love

 

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Take a Chance by Abbi Glines


"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the story of Grant, the sexy playboy who first captured readers hearts in Fallen Too Far.

When Harlow Manning's rocker father goes on tour, he sends her to Rosemary Beach, Florida, to live with her half-sister, Nan. The problem: Nan despises her. Harlow has to keep her head down if she wants to get through the next nine months, which seems easy enough. Until gorgeous Grant Carter walks out of Nan's room in nothing but his boxer briefs.

Grant made a huge mistake getting involved with a girl with venom in her veins. He'd known about Nan's reputation, but still he couldn't resist her. Nothing makes him regret the fling more than meeting Harlow, who sends his pulse racing. Yet Harlow wants nothing to do with a guy who could fall for her wicked half-sister even if there are no strings between Grant and Nan. Grant is desperate to redeem himself in Harlow's eyes, but did he ruin his chances before he even met her?" (Description from Goodreads.com)

 
I was excited like other fans of Abbi Glines when I heard she was going to write a story for Grant from the Fallen Too Far series. I think Grand has been special to readers since Blaire turned a gun on him in the first chapter. What more, he was the voice of reason for a lot of books when it came to his friends and their love lives. As readers, we shook our heads and fists at his choice in women but let it be because we knew more was to come.

Personally, I felt the same way about Harlow when Blaire first met her as well. This sweet girl who father's a rock star and living in a house of sin while remaining nice, good and somewhat happy. As a reader, you felt her strength to be the person she wanted to be in those few moments of meeting her.

As the description above tells us, Harlow is now in Rosemary Beach where Grant lives. However, we learn in the first few pages that Harlow and Grant have some type of past together before an accident happens and Grant is called back to Rosemary. We read past and present POV's for the first few chapters and then go forward with just present POV's from both characters.

The two characters are placed back together in the first few pages in a very interesting way...somewhat embarrassing, funny, and evil author kind of way. From there, Grant has a lot of work to do to gain Harlow's trust. With some books you can find this type of formula predictable but Glines has this great way of throwing you for twists and turns you wouldn't expect. Sure, there's some foreshadowing to one of Harlow's secrets but not all of them. This is what kept me up at night reading and wondering how things were going shake out.

Take a Chance was the perfect mixing of Grant and Harlow. We finally learn what Grant's problem with commitment is and while he was so (SPOILER ALERT) hell bent on Nan for so long. I could devote an entire blog entry into what an evil little b-word Nan is. But that's what makes Glines such a great writer. She pulls these emotions out of us, all group hating on one character. Even if Nan has reasons for being messed up, I still wanted to yell, "grow up!" I really loved reading Grant's reaction to Nan at times even if Harlow was having a tough time with her actions, it was great to read Grants lack of caring and want.

If you have never read Abbi Glines, I would suggest starting with Fallen Too Far, the first in the Rosemary Beach series where you can discover Grant and all of the other characters with Blaire. I would also suggest reading the Vincent Boys, a great read about three friends two guy cousins and a girl who is a girlfriend to one and barley speaking to the other. This book has amazing chemistry in it, honestly, some of the best I've read in the NA genre!


Friday, April 18, 2014

Cover reveal for RIPPED by Katy Evans

I know more than a few ladies out there who will be very excited for this next book. Now introducing Ripped book five in the REAL series! 



"Every woman wants me--except the one I sing for.

Seattle shakes with anticipation: they call it the concert of the year. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about Crack Bikini being in town.

But when you love a girl, you don't leave her with nothing but a ring and a promise.

Any man with half a brain should know..

So what did I expect my girl would do when she saw me again?

Well, for starters, she loathes our music. Particularly the song I wrote about her.

When I sing it, the stadium is in an uproar. Thousands of fans scream my name like

I'm a god--but yeah, not her. Crystal clear: the girl's not happy to see me.

Black hair, black boots, a bad attitude, that's her -- Pandora Stone is a freaking man-eater and she's out for my blood.

That's alright.

Let her come at me. Because I'm out for her heart and, this time, there's no way she can stop me."


You can preorder RIPPED (Real #5) at:


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If you haven't heard of this series, it all starts with REAL (Real #1). See review here.

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Amazon 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Broken at Love by Lyla Payne


"When a knee injury ends twenty-year-old Quinn Rowland’s pro tennis career, he’s not only dumped by his hot Russian girlfriend but ordered to attend college by his disinterested billionaire father. A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure.

College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think.

But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts?

Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him.

To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good." (Description from Goodreads.com)

I discovered Broken at Love through Book Bub which is an daily email of ebooks that are on sale. (You can click here to signup for your daily list as well) The box set from Payne was on sale for $0.99 offering 4 stories (whole stories not novella's) based in Whitman College, as super fancy rich school. My love of New Adult and a good deal had me clicking on it right away. Even if the story was so-so, it was only $0.99 and I would get 4 stories out of it. The box set actual sells for $9.99 on Kindle so it was a amazing deal.

Lucky for me, Broken at Love was a great story and not so lucky for my husband since I stayed up late reading wanting to know what happens next. While you can say the the HEA is predictable, getting there wasn't and that's what I liked most about the story.

We first start with Quinn's POV and the setup to the entire story. After hurting his knee and ending his tennis career, he's now at college feeling sorry for himself and all about taking revenge on his ex through his fraternity's game. I loved how he explains his thought process and the different strategies to the game. I don't love the game but I liked reading his POV and how he got there.

From there we meet Emilie. Right away, we know she the next girl in the game (but she doesn't know this). Since we read the first "match" you know how it's going to proceed forward. Emilie's reactions to the game setup and usual lines were awesome. From there Quinn's POV comes back in and alternates with Emilie throughout the rest of the story. Quinn is so planned out in the match that he knows each action a girl will take or so he thinks. Emilie is like no other girl in the game and it was fun reading her blow him out of the water on it.

This is where you would think that's the story. Game, set, match or how to get to match. But then Payne layers in addition to the story revolving around family, friendship, love, and trust. I liked how these layers added to the overall story which gave us a stronger sense of the main character as well as the support cast. The additional layers made me want to continue reading the story to see how we would get to the HEA. I would note that this story is in the New Adult genre and does have some sexy bits to it.

Now, I'm going to dig into the next three stories from Whitman College and enjoy the fact that I got this great 4 book set for $0.99!


Saturday, April 12, 2014

Gnome for the Win!

 
It's hard not to get excited as we finished this gnome to book project. It was so much fun creating 34 gnomes to match the books that will be offered on World Book Night. Our gnomes are now up and being showcased at the New Ulm Public Library. The library is also hosting a contest to see who can match the most gnomes to books for a prize. In celebration of that, I'll giveaway one book to the person who can correctly identify 10 gnomes to books on the board below. 

I made sure to include closeups of all of the gnomes to help you with your guesses. Make sure to use number and book name. Ie. #22 the Ruins of Gorlan (22 doesn't count for your guess ;) Shipping to US included with book giveaway.) Leave you guesses in the comments below and the first person to identify 10 correct will win!

For closeups of the books being offered by World Book Night and to compare them to the gnomes, click this link: http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/books/2014

Happy gnome matching for the win!