Finding Autumn by Beth Michele

"My name is Autumn Winters. 

The truth is, that's the biggest lie I've ever told. 

My real name is Olivia Redmund. Autumn Winters is the curtain I hide behind. You see, I write bestselling erotic romance novels. But my life is far from erotic. The only fantasy exists in my head. 

The day I met Hunter Grayson, that all changed. A handsome stranger on a train who turned my world upside down, made me think and feel things I never knew were possible. 

But he's hiding, too. 

What happens when I slowly realize that who I truly am is more similar to who I'm pretending to be? I want to be brave enough to tell the world, but the fear is crippling. 

Fear of myself. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will think. 

But life is too short to be afraid. 

And I'm so damn tired of hiding." (Description from author)

Review

I was offered the opportunity to read Finding Autumn as a reviewer on the blog tour. How exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. This is my first ARC for review on a blog tour. When the book arrived, I was just thinking that I needed a sexy book to read. I was looking for something fun, sexy and heart warming all over. I’m so happy Finding Autumn fit the requirement.

The story starts with Olivia learning (by visual mind you) that her fiancee is cheating on her. Fast-forward a year and we learn she's hasn’t had any sort of relationship since then. So, when Hunter ‘bumps’ into her then meeting again on the train, it makes more sense for her actions and reactions.

I’m going to take a sideline here and say that at first you might think the meeting of Hunter and Olivia happens fast from bump in the crowd to attraction but I encourage you to just go with it (see excerpt below). Plus, the meet up is very funny and totally embarrassing. It was a true laugh out loud moment for me.

At first you think this is going to be a light, easy read but then you start to peel the layers away to discover great dept in the story. That was the best and biggest surprise of this book for me. I loved the many layers Michele created in the short novella framework.

This novella packs a lot of story in 14 chapters and a lot of sexy. This is also a complete story with a HEA. This book recommendation would fall under the ‘naught librarian’ recommended book list.

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Available for purchase at (and only $0.99!): Amazon   Amazon UK  iTunes  Barnes & Noble

Excerpt from Finding Autumn (beware...it's a little racy)

“Shit,” I mumble to myself when I spy the pink vibrator, glaring proof of my non-existent sex life now on public display. “God damn it,” I utter again, shaking my head and scrambling to grab it, when I notice a pair of beautiful, masculine hands scooping up my belongings. Completely mortified, my cheeks flush a deep red, and I’m silently praying he hasn’t spotted my favorite sex toy. My eyes make their way from the ground, climbing past the hands and up the length of strong, muscular arms to an absolutely gorgeous face, and I take a hard swallow. A chiseled jaw with a hint of stubble, irises the color of aged brandy, a sharp, sculptured nose, and perfectly tousled hair that matches his hypnotic eyes. I don’t realize that I’m staring until his lips quirk up into a grin.

Could I be any more obvious?

He tosses the items back in my purse and nods toward the vibrator. “I’ll let you handle that one,” he offers, his voice a rich timbre to my ears. “Although,” he whispers, leaning in close, “I’m sure I could put it to good use.” My mouth drops open in surprise, just as he reaches his thumb out to skim my bottom lip. “I’m pretty sure I could put this sexy mouth to good use, too.”

Giveaway

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About The Author

Beth Michele is the author of Love Love, Lovely, Scarred Beautiful, and Finding Autumn. She is a Connecticut native who loves spending time with her husband and two children. If you can’t find her, though, she’s probably hiding out with her kindle somewhere quiet, preferably a spot overlooking the ocean. She has an affinity for Twizzlers, is a hopeless romantic, and a happily ever after fanatic.

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Omens by Kelley Armstrong

"#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong begins her new series with Omens, featuring a compelling new heroine thrust into a decades-old murder case and the dark mysteries surrounding her strange new home.

Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.

But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.

Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.

Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her." (Description from Goodreads.com)

I'll admit it. I went through a Twilight phase and from that I found a love of supernatural books. Enter Kelley Armstrong and her werewolf series Bitten. From there I fell in love with Armstrong as a writer. Armstrong first focused on the werewolves and then moved to witches, and all sorts of other supernaturals in her universe.

Back to Omens..when I first saw that she was coming out with a new series set in a new world, well fan girl moment is the only way to describe it. I squeeeeed a lot! With Bitten, we meet characters that have had a long and heavy history together. With Omens, Olivia, runs to a new town to make it on her own and we get to meet a new set of characters and discover them as she does. The story is set in multiple POVs giving you a more well rounded story from different perspectives. I felt it also added to the mystery of the town and its people.

I really loved that Olivia wanted more out of life. Even at the beginning. However, mom and James seem to be against it. With her running to Cainsville, you get to see her make a life of her own.
We also don't see Olivia fall in love with someone right after the demise with James. We see her grow and explore her new life while researching the mystery.

The book overall had nice pacing that kept you wondering who was supernatural and involved in the larger picture. There was also nice plot twists and turns throughout the book...most seemed to include a Mr. Gabriel who is his own mystery.


My favorite character was Ricky, son of a biker and also in the bike club. He was a blip in the story. A few pages of the story but I loved him and hope to see more of him in future books. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a man on a motorcycle.

Overall, I found Omens to be an excellent start to a new series with great background and story setting. I look forward to reading more in this series and learning more about these characters! If you're a fan of paranormal fiction or Kelley Armstrong, I would suggest trying this book for your next read.