Category: New Releases

*ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS DURING RELEASE WEEK! THIS BOOK IS ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME AND WILL RETURN TO ITS REGULAR PRICE OF 3.99 AFTER SALE ENDS!* 

**Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads  ~  Kobo  ~  

**THIS IS THE STANDALONE EDITION OF KEEP ME STILL AND INCLUDES THE PREQUEL AND SEQUEL NOVELLAS Let You Leave and Hold Us Close

Synopsis:

Scarred by loss, Layla leaves her hometown of Hope Springs, Georgia, hoping to put her painful past behind her and start over in college in California. When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she’s built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.

Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls, but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her

* This special edition of Keep Me Still includes the novella, Let You Leave & Hold Us Close:

Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that will either bind them together or tear them apart.

My review:

Quick note:  the edition that I just read included the novellas Let You Leave and Hold Us Close which in essence are the events leading up to and following the main novel, Keep Me Still.  I do recommend this edition, if for no other reason than you get more Landen!

Keep Me Still is a novel by author Caisey Quinn and the first of her works that I have read.  Well, after this, I will be adding all of her other works to me to-read list (oh, goodie!  She’s got a bunch of books out!).  This book was a crazy, intense emotional trip that I absolutely loved.

Among the many things Layla Flaherty has wished for in her life, being normal and happy are the two that mean the most.  She has been through more in her life than anyone should have to endure.  She lost her parents in a horrible act of violence that left her scarred emotionally and physically.  Even though you couldn’t actually see her physical scars, they have ruined her reputation at school in the form of a seizure disorder and threaten to ruin her chance at a normal life.  Things change, however, the minute new student and star soccer player Landen O’Brien moves to their school.  She thought things had changed for the good when they became fast and close friends that slowly grew to more.  Soon she realized that things actually changed for the worse when he broke her heart and ended up moving again…away from her.  Even a year later, freshly tucked into freshman year at college far away from her hometown and all those memories, she couldn’t forget him.  He was it for her and no one will ever live up.  Imagine her surprise when she finds out he’s on her college’s soccer team.  Is fate giving them another chance?  Would she be able to get over her broken heart now, with him here?

As an army brat, Landen O’Brien was used to moving around.  He was also used to a crap home life with a less than warm and fuzzy father, to put it nicely.  The only good thing in his life was soccer….until he met Layla.  For once, he was thanking his lucky stars that they had to move again and that he ended up here, with Layla, in this small town in Georgia.  After spending time together, he knows he’s fallen hard and fast, but like all things in his life, nothing good lasts and he soon finds out he has to leave her.  He broke her heart the day he left and he knew enrolling at the same college she was going to may not be the best choice, but he has to try to get her back.  She was everything to him and he is going to do all he can to make her realize that.  Since he left her a year ago, he’s been planning this.  Even with his unanswered emails, texts, phone calls, he was determined.  Now, with a little undercover help from Layla’s aunt, he’s here and there’s no way is he going to let her slip away again.

Layla and Landen embark on an emotional, moving, touching journey that will test their commitment to each other as well as to themselves.  Individually they carry their own heavy burdens and things will get hard along the way, but with love and trust in the bond they’ve found, they have the power to make it all work out in the end.  It may not be easy, but some things are worth fighting for.

This book kicked my arse and I absolutely loved it.  Layla broke my heart at the beginning.  She was so damaged and lost and just plain sad.  To have gone through what she did and still be willing to try to get to some kind of normal life was so very admirable.  Then to see her grow with Landen’s help, and to gain some confidence was fantastic.  It was that confidence that had me loving her through the book.  After coming out of her shell, so to speak, she really learned that she could take charge of her future and that her scars and her past didn’t define her.  It was beautiful to see that change in her.  On the flip side, Landen ended up breaking my heart at the end.  He is a book boyfriend that I know tons of gals will be swooning over.  An adorable, all-American jock with a damaged side that slayed me.  Reading some of his scenes had me bawling my eyes out.  Of course, that made me love him even more.  His determination to be with Layla and his love for her was so real and intense.  The dynamic between Layla and Landen is amazing.  He helped her when she needed it most and pulled her from her darkness and eventually she has to do the same for him. Their trip to a happy ending is a really, really, REALLY rough one but so damn well deserved. Gut wrenching, sob inducing, heart breaking, emotional charged scenes put this book on my list of favorites.  I absolutely adore Layla and Landen and reading the last few pages of this book made me so very happy for them.

Oh, and Layla’s roomie?  Corin…. KICKED ASS! That girl is a friend we all would be lucky to have.  She’s there for Layla when the chips are down and it honest even when the truth hurts.  Loved her!

Yes, this is clearly one of my long and rambling reviews, because I just LOVED this book.  Again, I recommend getting the edition with the two novellas because, well, more is always better!  Thank you, Caisey, for Layla and Landen and for this amazing story.

Four-and-a-Half Loves

About the author:

Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com .

Website: http://www.caiseyquinnwrites.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7041163.Caisey_Quinn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaiseyQuinn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaiseyQuinn

Book links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads

Synopsis:

*Drowning is a New Adult Contemporary Romance suited for 18+ due to some violence, language, and sexual content*

“I dare you.”

Those words would change adrenaline junkie, Alice Harrison’s life forever. She’s a party girl that doesn’t believe in love until she meets a man that only writes about it.

Seth James escaped his overbearing father and moved into one of the James family’s vacant condos, hoping to create the music he loves in peace. But the fragile calm he’s envisioned shatters when a tiny woman with a world full of energy bounces out of the elevator and nearly takes him out.

With the patience of a saint, Seth seeks the dark that keeps Alice from enjoying life. He challenges her to exorcise the demons in her past in order to discover the true meaning of love. But when the walls fall down, the hidden deceptions will bare the ugly truth about a woman drowning in sorrow and a man who may not know how to be her hero.

My review:

Drowning is the newest work from author Rachel Firasek.  I have read most of Rachel’s’ earlier works, and really enjoyed them, but nothing comes close to what she has done with Drowning.  This book was remarkable.

To say that Alice Harrison has had a pretty heavy cross to bear would be a huge understatement.  Feeling responsible for the recent accident that happened to her older sister is just the latest scar left on her emotions.  Those emotional scars add another layer to the physical scars left by a person who was supposed to love and care for her.  That combo has left her hardened and swearing off love and emotions for good.  It was the only way she knew how to survive.  That all changed when she meets her new neighbor, Seth.  He refuses to let something like a slammed door to the face turn him away.  The scariest part is, Alice knows he may be the one that can crumble her resolve and lead her to believe there may be some good left in the world.  Will he have what it takes to love someone as scarred as she is?

Seth James hasn’t really had the best childhood.  One of the things that has helped him through it, besides his brother, was his love for music.  Now that’s his main focus.  Well, it was until he sees Alice, the new neighbor.  Funny that just a little conversation in the elevator can have him dying to know more about her.  She’s going to be a tough nut to crack, but he’s up for the challenge.  Seth soon finds out that there’s more to the challenge than just a tough exterior when he finds her crying in the stairwell and realizes she needs more than just a hot boy toy….she needs a knight in shining armor and damn if he wants to be that for her.

Seth and Alice have so much from their pasts that needs to be healed.  Working on their own really hasn’t gone so well for them.  Will working together finally be the balm they need to heal the wounds they both have?

Talk about an emotional story.  We are given a peek into Alice’s story in the beginning and ever so slowly, the pieces are revealed and the puzzle that starts to take shape is so utterly heartbreaking. From the day she was born, she never stood a chance at happiness in the life she was brought into.  Alice is truly a survivor though.  She is finally free from the hell she called home and is now out on her own and is doing her best to live and be normal.  Then she meets Seth and she gains be a sliver of hope that she could be loved….scars and all.  Seth is amazing.  He’s a man’s man with a huge heart and the love he has for his brother is evident from the first chapter.  That made me love him even more and I knew if anyone can save Alice, he was it.  Regardless of his own personal and family issues, he has a good head on his shoulders and is a delicious balance between hard and soft.  The delicate dance between Alice and Seth was fabulous to read.  There was a slow build of trust and caring between them.  The attraction was instant but the progress into a relationship was done really well.  Especially as we learn about Alice’s past and what she has endured.  I can’t give anything away, but have some tissues handy.

Another fantastic addition to the story were the band members….besides brothers Seth and Gabe we meet Deacon and Evan.  Those two boys are a terrific addition to the entire dynamic and make the whole gang have a real family feel.  Albeit a slightly dysfunctional one, a family nonetheless, with all the teasing, bickering and caring that comes with it.

Rachel takes the reader on an emotional voyage with love, loss, angst, tenderness, anger, lust and so much more.  Thank you, Rachel, for Alice and Seth and for all of the rest of these memorable characters.  I can’t wait to see what you have planned form them all next!

Four Loves

Excerpt:

He laughs that loud laugh that cuts down into my stomach and vibrates my breakfast to the surface. “Of course. I haven’t seen you in quite some time and thought I’d pay my baby daughter a visit. Did you get my letter?”

I can’t help the tremble that takes root in my chin and bleeds up into my tear ducts. I fight the well of salt water. Seth was right. They were a weakness to him, and he’d feed on them. “You need to go.”

“I’ll go when I’m ready. I think you should remember whose roof you’re living under and be more gracious.”

The door across the hall opens, and I meet Seth James’ bold stare over my father’s shoulder. God no. Please, don’t watch this.

He leaves the door open and steps closer. “Everything okay?”

My father lurches back and clears his throat. “Everything’s fine.” He spins and thrust out his hand, all politician’s smiles and his kissing baby’s grin on his face. “E. Harrison, and you are?”

“Neighbor. Seth James.”

I grip my towel tighter, but Seth’s eyes never stray from Dad’s. He was so wrong about being a hero. He’d just saved me from pure evil. The two men stand taller. My father is forbidding in his expensive threads. He has years of cut muscles beneath that have kept him from sagging like most men his age. Seth, on the other hand, has youth on his side. He’s all hard ridges and full of territorial male dominance.

With a deep sigh that relaxes all those tightened nerves, I ask, “Father, did you need something?”

“I came by to speak to you about something, but, perhaps another time would be better suited.” He glances back at me and sneers, but returns to sleazy smiles before he gives a nod to Seth. “Mr. James, a pleasure. I’ll be on my way.”

Seth puts a hand out and catches my father’s shoulder. “Mr. Harrison, as the owner of this condo, I feel that I should warn you against making my tenants uncomfortable.” Seth steps across the hall and drops an arm around my scarred shoulder. His thumb soothes away the shiver chasing over my collar bone. “I’m not sure of your welcome here, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t want to see either of these girls come to harm.”

I gasp. He spoke so eloquently. Bold and rich. I’d have never thought he had it in him if I hadn’t just witnessed it. And no one has ever come to my defense. Never. Seth James was ten feet tall and made of blue bubble gum right now. I’d chew him, blow him, and make him pop. Vulgar, I know, but there it is.

My father straightens his jacket. “Do you know who I am?”

“I do, but obviously you do not know who I am or what I’m capable of.” Seth tucks me even closer. If he’s noticed the scars stretching across my shoulders, he’s too polite to even give them a second glance, and for that, I’ll forever be indebted to him. “Don’t fuck with Alice again.”

He knows my name. And he just cussed my dad.

Harrison squints at us, and turns, clicking his heels together before stalking to the elevator. As much as I love seeing someone put him in his place, Seth James had just built me a coffin.

Fucking great. As soon as the sliding doors close on Dad, I shove Seth away from me. He’s too much right now. Everything is too much.

His brow wrinkles. “What?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

He steps back and glances at the floor before smirking up at me. “Being your hero.”

About the author:

Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of stories and her nights putting the ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional American Idol or Swamp People quality hour.

She has a philosophy about love. It must devastate or it isn’t truly worth loving. She hopes that you all find your devastating love and cling to it with all your heart!

 Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Book links:

amazon ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads

Synopsis:

The holiday novella, Book 1.5, following the award-winning debut of Forged in Dreams and Magick in the Highland Legends Series:

Desperate to honor a life-long promise, Susanna MacEalan escapes her abusive clan with the fierce determination of never falling under the power of a man. Ever.

Aggravated by shallow-hearted pursuing lasses, Robert Brodie, commander of his clan’s elite guard, has foresworn scheming women. Forever.

When magick transforms Brodie Castle into a Christmas wonderland, the two despondent souls find solace in a most unexpected place . . . each other’s arms.

Amid a whirlwind of escalating events, Susanna’s traumatic past threatens Robert’s ability to protect the one woman meant for him. In a harrowing moment, as her fears and demons coalesce, will hope, faith, and love be enough to save them?

My review:

Bound by Wish and Mistletoe by Kat Bastion follows the fabulous Forged in Dreams and Magick.  I was drawn back into Kat’s gorgeous Highland world from the very first pages and was so happy with this novella and being able to have another taste of the Brodie Clan.

Susanna MacEalan is in the midst of a desperate escape from her horrid clan and her father.  She refuses to live another minute with the barbaric and ignorant people she is supposed to call a family.  The last thing she expects to run into is a group of men in the woods along her escape route.  Now she finds herself at their mercy and in need of their help if she stands any chance of getting away for good.  Will she be able to trust a man?  It’s men that have caused her to run in the first place.  Without many options, she will have to swallow her pride and fears and trust this Highlander, whether she likes it or not.

On a ridiculous mission for something called a Christmas tree, Robert Brodie is annoyed, cold and tired…but not just for having to traipse through the winter woods looking for a tree.  He’s also annoyed with women and has officially sworn them off for good.  Now, with the tree procured, and his task just about complete, he is caught by surprise by the young and beautiful lass waving her dagger at him after stumbling upon him and his men in the woods.  He realizes she’s in need of help and he’s realizes he would do anything to keep her safe.  Struck by a sudden wave of emotions, he also realizes there is no way he’s going to let this woman go.  She may not know it yet, but fate has sent her to him.

The fates and magick, it seems, have brought Susanna and Robert together for many reasons.  The most important reason is simply that they were made for each other.  The attraction and intense emotion they share for one another is a gift, and one they both will treasure.

I wrote earlier that I was so happy to be back in Kat’s gorgeous Highland world.  I adore Kat’s writing and this novella is a prefect addition to the Highland Legends Series.  Susanna broke my heart.  The poor girl has been through so much at the hands of the very people who are supposed to love and care for her.  Reading her stories of the abuse she and her mother endured was so very sad.  I admired her tenacity and resolve in deciding to leave her old life behind in search of happiness and freedom.  She sure is a spitfire!  Robert is amazing.  He’s a warrior though and through with a huge heart and soft side that had me swooning.  He knows he has to work really damn hard to win Susanna over and he’s up for the challenge.  Oh, how I loved his drive to win Susanna.  Together, they are a beautiful match and make a fantastic couple.

I also loved seeing our favorite characters form Forged in Dreams and Magick.  We get to see a bit of what the Clan Brodie has been up to and get a glimpse of what’s to come for them.  Oh, I can’t wait!

Thank you, Kat, for another beautifully written story.

Four Loves

About the Author :

Kat Bastion is an award-winning paranormal romance writer, poetic warrior, and eternal optimist who loves getting lost in the beauty of nature. On a never-ending, wondrous path of self-discovery, Kat throws her characters into incredible situations with the hope that readers join her in learning more about the meaning of life and love. Her first published work, Utterly Loved, was shared with the world to benefit others. All proceeds from Utterly Loved, and a portion of the proceeds of all her other books, support charities who help those lost in this world. Kat lives with her husband amid the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Visit her blog at www.talktotheshoe.com, her website at www.katbastion.com, and her Twitter account at https://twitter.com/KatBastion for more information.

I’m so happy to bring you my review of Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen!  I hope you enjoy and be sure to stop back on November 29 when it’s my stop on the blog tour…

Book links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads 

Synopsis:

Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She’s sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she’s happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she’s culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.

Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?

Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.

My Review:

Cinderella Screwed Me Over is the newest release from author Cindi Madsen and the book that has turned me into a fan!  Fun, flirty and with the perfect amount of snark, this book was way too much fun!

Successful interior designer Darby Quinn has had her share of love…and her share of disappointment.  Now, in her mid-twenties she has learned a lot about love and a lot about how love can really, truly suck.  She has made a list of rules and requirements she lives by when it comes to her dating life, all have come to be as a result of the dating disasters of the past.  Of course, when she meets Jake, she immediately crosses him off the list of prospective dating material because he breaks, like, a bazillion of her rules.  Unfortunately, she runs into Jake more and more and she slowly starts to realize that maybe he’s worth bending some rules for.  Will he end up being just another lesson she was forced to learn in the game of love or will he turn out to be her exception to every rule?

I adored this book! I was completely hooked form the first page.  No joke.  This was a funny, quirky, snarky, Sex in the City-esque story with too many laugh out loud moments to count.  Darby is an absolute hoot!  She literally gives us her past boyfriends and measures each one up to a fairy-tale romance boyfriend and why they suck.  I totally couldn’t argue with all of her reasons for giving up on love and the reasons why she was ready to ditch the happy-ever-after.  She gave so many good and valid arguments.  Don’t count out the tender and romantic moments though.  Jake has more than a few tricks up his sleeve and is certain to be able to win any gal over, just be being himself.  He really is the total package and a total catch! But in the end, she really started to open up to the idea that not all guys are duds and, well, I can’t ruin it, but I will say that even the non-believers get a happy ending.

Cindi has such a great and unique way of writing.  I enjoyed every page and flew through this book without even realizing it!  To me, that’s a sign of a talented writer.  I felt like I was watching a two-hour chick flick with my girlfriends rather than reading a 400 page book, solo on my ipad.  I am now a Cindi Madsen fan girl and will be looking forward to her new releases.

If you’re looking for fun, then by all means get this book on your to-read list!  You will not be disappointed!  Thank you, Cindi!

Four Loves

About the author:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novels All the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, adult contemporary romances Falling for Her Fiancé and Act Like You love Me, and the women’s fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

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