Month: June 2015

Book Review · Books · Fantasy · HEA · NetGalley · Romance · Sci-fi · series

Give Up the Ghost ~ Kelly Moran

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Current Read

Just when I thought the second book couldn’t be anywhere near as great as the first… I was so wrong. I feel like Bill Hader’s character from SNL, Stephan. This book has everything! Romance, suspense, ghosts, heartbreak, and humor.

The book picks up with the team moving on to the next assignment. The night before, team member, Kelly, has a severe migraine and sees a doppelganger. Panic ensues… and she calls the one person she knows will always come…. her best friend and fellow team member, Paul. What she doesn’t know… he’s been in love with her… for six long years… talk about an eternity. Now they must solve a thrilling mystery and navigate the murky waters of the changing relationship status…. and a new team member, Cain. Good times to be had my friends! Now, it didn’t have nearly as many funny moments as the first book of the series… but there was still enough humor that it wasn’t so serious. (Hey, even Harry Potter got darker as the series went along! Don’t judge!!)

The book did raise a question though. How many of us have that one friend that we didn’t see… I mean, really SEE? Ms. Moran has a way of making the simple so self reflective that it changes how you read the book (or in my case, how you read the book the second time!) I look forward to reading more by Ms. Moran and (if I’m being honest…) I’m hoping and praying for a third installment!

Books

Real Neat Blog Award

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real-neat-blog-award

Thank you Suganiya! This is so awesome!!!! You have to check out her blog! It’s truly amazing! (Go to her blog if need any book recommendations!)

Well, off to the post, here are the usually prerequisites

  1. Put the award logo on your blog.
  2. Thank the people who nominated you, linking to their blogs.
  3. Answer 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
  4. Nominate any number of bloggers you like, linking to their blogs.
  5. Let them know you nominated them (by commenting on their blog, etc.)

Now to the questions!

  1. Do you like to read books? Why? Of course! I love to read… for many different reasons. One reason… I can travel without having to leave my house!

  2. Tell me the character which would resemble the true you? I’m torn between a few characters… so I guess I’ll say I’m a mixture of Percy Jackson, Ron Weasley, and Clarisse LaRue.

  3. The name of your first crush and have you ever told him/her that? His name is Leonard… I was in the third grade. I did tell him. I didn’t really have any expectations, but it was a learning moment…
  4. If you could be one character out of a book, what would that be? I’m torn between Katy from “Obsidian” and Clary from “The Mortal Instruments”
  5. The little things that put a smile on your face everyday? Honestly, listening to “3 Things” by Jason Mraz, a good book, and coffee with almond milk… sigh
  6. The happiest thing that has ever happened to you? I would have to say actually having someone follow my blog. It showed that at least one person was interested in what I thought about a book.
  7. Do you believe in true love? (Did I sound like a corny website there?) At times, I do… but sometime I think my true love died at child birth of unnatural causes… LOL… but no seriously, I’m on the fence.

My nominees:

Emalie

I Heart Fictional People

Paige

Danielle

Lainey

Your questions

1. Why do you like/love to read?

2. What’s your favorite genre?

3. Do you listen to music while you read? Or do you find that distracting?

4. Who do you get your book recommendations from?

5. Do you prefer an actual book or electronic book?

6. What’s your favorite book?

7. Favorite couple?

I’m off to notify everyone!

Book Review · Books · HEA · Romance · Sci-fi · series

Ghost of a Promise ~ Kelly Moran

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No one does romance and mystery quite like Nora Roberts… but that is exactly what this book put me in the mind of. (I know… big shoes!)

Ava Trumble’s great aunt, Lois, passes away and leaves her home to Ava. The problem… the house is haunted. The house has a great, but tragic history that dates back to the Revolutionary War. The Kerricks moved to Maine from England and Peter Trumble falls deeply in love with Sarah Kerrick. Before her family is set to move back to England, Sarah is killed and no one knows by whom or why.

There is one condition… in order for Ava to inherit the house, she must solve the mystery of what happened to Sarah. Enter Jackson. He has a TV team that investigates paranormal activities. There’s an interesting fact about Jackson… while Ava is a descendant of Peter Trumble, Jackson is a descendant of Sarah Kerrick! Together,  they must solve the mystery of Sarah if Ava is to have her dream come true.

I have to say… I have to meet Jackson! There was a vulnerability to him that I absolutely loved!  What I loved about Ava was that she didn’t take any bull… from anyone. She was able to read Jackson like no one else could, which only fascinated him. The writing is superb! The interactions and chemistry between Ava and Jackson, for me, was off the charts. There is a scenein the kitchen between the two of them. They are getting to know each other and the conversation is not only funny, but made Jackson and Ava very endearing. It was paced greatly and each page kept you in interested.  I can’t wait to read more from Kelly Moran!

Book Review · Books · Fantasy · HEA · LGBTQIA · NetGalley · Romance

The Clockwork Heart ~ Lilliana Rose

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The issue I’m having with this review is that I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t dislike it either. Libby is learning for self defense from Helen because an ex lover from her past, Scarlett, is trying to find her. Scarlett will use anyone against Libby, including Helen.

Because of Libby’s mistrust of people, she surrounds herself with automons. Scarlett had truly scarred Libby. Helen teaches Libby how to defend herself while they have a huge crush on each other, but without expressing it to each other. Scarlett gets her hands on Helen, Libby comes to rescue her. They admit they have feelings for each other.

The book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. It could have been flushed out a bit more, but then it wouldn’t be a short story…

Book Review · Books · LGBTQIA · NetGalley · Romance

The Kissing Contest ~ Francis Gideon

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Current Read

Homer Ruiz is an actor who entered the kissing contest at the request of his friend. It’s a charity event, so why not?! Because he’s an actor, no one can really tell his heart isn’t in it. He does what everyone expects of him, including his wife, Clara. As all the contestants take their place, he can’t help but become fascinated with the final contestant, Absalom, an artist. There’s something about Absalom that reminds Homer of distant memory of a young man he once had a crush on. With a conversation with Absalom, Homer realized and (slightly) admitted (although to himself) that he wasn’t being his true self.

Mr. Gideon’s writing brings Paris to life. His descriptions made you feel like you were standing next to Homer. I can’t say that I can truly placed the time period, but it was a bit oppressive. It was quite sad to see Homer hide the fact that he wanted men… he has a wife, yes, but Clara loves Homer’s reputation… not Homer. Homer starts off likeable, but you kind of lose a bit of respect for him when find out he has no problem with having affairs. While it was a short read and quite enjoyable, I found myself wanting Homer to be the person he really was and finally stop acting.

Books

Summertime Madness Book Tag

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Emalie tagged me for this, thank you 🙂 and without further ado here is my post .

1. Show a book with a Summery cover! i.e Sun, Beach etc.

I could show you a couple of books with a winter or fall theme on the cover, but summer… I guess this has to do it. Two girls outside eating ice cream… that counts, right?

Summertime

2. Pick one fictional place that would be the perfect destination for your Summer Vacation!

Doon (Scotland) from DOON. I would love to be part of that town for a while (or forever).

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3. You’re about to go on a flight to your Summer Vacation. But you want to read a book that lasts for the whole flight so what novella do you choose?

Something from my TBR list and I have a Kindle, so I don’t have to choose. I can just pick what I feel like reading. For an actual book I would pick something by Jennifer Crusie, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Vonnie Davis, or Kelly Moran.

4. You have a case of Summertime Sadness what happy book do you pick up to shine a smile on your face?

A book by Rick Riordan, Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie or Caedmon’s Curse by AJ Nuest.

 5. You’re sitting at the beach all alone…which fictional character would be your beach babe?

Prince Caedmon from Rowena’s Key by AJ Nuest or Daemon from Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I can’t really decide. Can I just pick both?

6. To match your ice cream you want an icy cool sidekick! Which fictional sidekick do you pick?

I would choose Rhys from A Furious Muse and The Golden Key Legacy series by AJ Nuest.

7. Share the Summertime Happiness! Who do you TAG?

Suganiya @ Infinite Passion

Book Review · Books · HEA · Romance

Her Soldier’s Touch ~ JM Stewart

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Current Read 2

Colt comes home from his tour to find out that he has a 6 year old son, Greg. Dealing with the past and PTSD, he’s home to bury his brother. His brother, Paul, took the wrong path in life and paid the price. In the process, he gets in debt with a dealer and with him being deceased… someone has to pay up. Rachel is the mother of Greg and she has been taking care of him all by herself. She is so used to people walking out on her that she expects everyone to walk out. The life of Greg has been threatened and Colt and Rachel have to band together to save their son.

The writing is good and the characters are developed with each chapter. There were moments of frustration because of words that weren’t said. Colt has a past that he can’t get over. His father was a terrible person and that’s exactly what he doesn’t want to be to Greg.

There was enough romance that you weren’t annoyed with Colt and Rachel… and enough humor and drama that kept you intrigued. Each character added something to the story and I’m glad that I read this!