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About Dee

I'm one of those people that no matter how many books I have, I can't turn down a sale or a trip to the bookstore. There are no limits to what I'll read and I hope you enjoy my reviews.

2017 Audie Awards – Overview

09 Feb

audie-award-2016-logo-260x200Oh its the most wonderful time of year…fourth(ish) only behind Christmas, my birthday and i’m sure some other day that I’m totally forgetting, is the day that the nominees for the Audie Awards are announced. Unlike last year, I actually remembered that they were being announced today, unfortunately, my bosses failed to understand the significance of this day and scheduled me for meetings pretty much all day (HOW DARE THEY??). So after I finally got some down time to take a look at the nominees (on the Audible website) – I had a slight freak out when I saw that there was a memoir listed in the romance category and knowing me I went high and right on my freak out. Thankfully, historical romance author extradoinaire, Laura Kinsale, talked me off the proverbial cliff and pointed out that the wrong audiobook was linked…(in my defense, it wouldn’t be the first time that a totally random listen had ended up nominated for a romance audie. So anyways – taking a look at this years nominees – it was hard to pick which categories I was going to review for Armchair Audies. Honestly, I don’t normally wish for a longer commute – but maybe I should, so I could fit in 4 categories of listening…haha!

And now to the nominees…

tenth-doctor-adventuresAUDIO DRAMA
Alien: Out of the Shadows: An Audible Original Drama by Tim Lebbon and Dirk Maggs
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Death and the Queen by James Goss
Doctor Who: The War Doctor: Only The Monstrous by Nicholas Briggs
In the Embers by Brian Price and Jerry Stearns
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall

AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
Around the Way Girl written and narrated by Taraji P. Henson
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart
The Greatest: My Own Story by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham
The Rainbow Comes and Goes written and narrated by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

another-brooklynBEST FEMALE NARRATOR
Another Brooklyn: A Novel by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by Robin Miles
Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson, narrated by Tavia Gilbert
The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien, narrated by Juliet Stevenson
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, narrated by Emma Thompson
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, narrated by Bahni Turpin

BEST MALE NARRATOR
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff by Pappy Pariah, narrated by Sean Penn
End of Watch by Stephen King, narrated by Will Patton
Jerusalem by Alan Moore, narrated by Simon Vance
The Last Tribe by Brad Manuel, narrated by Scott Brick
The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels
Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters, narrated by William DeMeritt

storytellers-secretBUSINESS/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Capital Offenses: Business Crime and Punishment in America’s Corporate Age by Samuel W. Buell
Humans Need Not Apply by Jerry Kaplan
Shrill written and narrated by Lindy West
The Storyteller’s Secret written and narrated by Carmine Gallo
Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek by Manu Saadia

EROTICA
The Baller by Vi Keeland
The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter
Eighteen (18): Based on a True Story by J.A. Huss
January: Calendar Girl, Book 1 by Audrey Carlan
Marriage Games by CD Reiss
Sweet Dreams by Sunny Leone

everything-box FANTASY
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
The Everything Box by Richard Kadrey
The Hike by Drew Magary
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik

FICTION
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Darktown by Thomas Mullen
End of Watch by Stephen King
Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia by Julian Fellowes
Sister of Mine by Sabra Waldfogel

valiant-ambitionHISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton
Paul McCartney: The Life by Philip Norman
A Time to Die by Robert Moore
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick,
The Year of Lear by James Shapiro

HUMOR
The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy written and narrated by Rainn Wilson
Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years by D.L. Hughley
I’m Judging You written and narrated by Luvvie Ajayi
Life and Other Near Death Experiences by Camille Pagán
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson
You’ll Grow out of It written and narrated by Jessi Klein

the-girl-from-the-trainINSPIRATIONAL/FAITH-BASED FICTION
Beric the Briton by G.A. Henty
The Christmas Town written and narrated by Donna VanLiere
The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert
Journey’s End by Renee Ryan
Risen: The Novelization of the Major Motion Picture by Angela Hunt

INSPIRATIONAL/FAITH-BASED NON-FICTION
The Awakening of HK Derryberry by Jim Bradford and Andy Hardin
Divine Collision by Jim Gash
Forgiving My Daughter’s Killer by Kate Grosmaire and Nancy French
The Great Good Thing written and narrated by Andrew Klavan
Space at the Table written and narrated by Brad Harper and Drew Harper

homegoingLITERARY FICTION & CLASSICS
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Another Brooklyn: A Novel by Jacqueline Woodson
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
LaRose written and narrated by Louise Erdrich,
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

MIDDLE GRADE
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Demon Dentist by David Walliams
The Enchanted Files: Hatched by Bruce Coville
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury by Cressida Cowell
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz

magic-strings-of-frankie-prestoMULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE
Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Read by the Cast of the Stage Play by Choderlos de Laclos, narrated by Dominic West, Janet McTeer, Una Stubbs, Elaine Cassidy, Adjoa Andoh, Edward Holcroft, and Morfydd Clark
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom, narrated by Mitch Albom, Roger McGuinn, Ingrid Michaelson, John Pizzarelli, Paul Stanley, George Guidall, and more
Pruno, Ramen, and a Side of Hope: Stories of Surviving Wrongful Conviction by Courtney Lance and Nikki Pope, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and Bill Kurtis
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, narrated by Audra McDonald, Cassandra Campbell and Ari Fliakos
Thomas Jefferson-From Boy to Man by Jayne D’Alessandro-Cox, narrated by James Brinkley, published by James Brinkley/Jayne D’Alessandro-Cox
A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham, narrated by Lili Taylor and Billy Hough, published by Macmillan Audio

MYSTERY
Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Crossing by Michael Connelly
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens
IQ by Joe Ide

dear-mr-youNARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
Dear Mr. You written and narrated by Mary-Louise Parker
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo written and narrated by Amy Schumer
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox written and narrated by Carol Burnett
LaRose written and narrated by Louise Erdrich
A Life in Parts written and narrated by Bryan Cranston
The View from the Cheap Seats written and narrated by Neil Gaiman

NON-FICTION
Adnan’s Story written and narrated by Rabia Chaudry
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Hillbilly Elegy written and narrated by J.D. Vance
A Million Years in a Day by Greg Jenner
Words on the Move: Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally) written and narrated by John McWhorter

dispatcher-copyORIGINAL WORK
The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia
Alien: Out of the Shadows: An Audible Original Drama by Tim Lebbon and Dirk Maggs
Car Talk Science: MIT Wants Its Diplomas Back written and narrated by Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
In the Embers by Brian Price and Jerry Stearns
Pete Seeger: The Storm King, Vol. 2 by Pete Seeger, ed. and Jeff Haynes

PARANORMAL
Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
The Elementals by Michael McDowell
Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Staked by Kevin Hearne

glitterland-copyROMANCE
Dirty by Kylie Scott
Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt
First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Glitterland by Alexis Hall
The Obsession by Nora Roberts

SCIENCE FICTION
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Ellison
Crosstalk by Connie Willis
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

coffee-at-lukesSHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS
The Brink: Stories by Austin Bunn
Certain Dark Things by M.J. Pack
Coffee at Luke’s edited by Jennifer Crusie
The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke by Arthur C. Clarke
East, West by Salman Rushdie
Killer Women: Crime Club Anthology #1 by Louise Millar, Alex Marwood and Tammy Cohen

THRILLER/SUSPENSE
Cross Justice by James Patterson
The Fall of Moscow Station by Mark Henshaw
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
Home by Harlan Coben
The Short Drop by Matthew FitzSimmons

my-lady-janeYOUNG ADULT
The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff,
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco and James Patterson
Winter by Marissa Meyer

YOUNG LISTENERS (up to age 8)
28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith, Jr
Island Treasures: Growing up in Cuba by Alma Flor Ada
The Quentin Blake and John Yeoman Collection by Quentin Blake and John Yeoman
The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots by Beatrix Potter
Voice of Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
The Wooden Prince: Out of Abaton by John Claude Bemis

Stay Tuned for my category blog posts for my 2017 Armchair Audies listening extravaganza!

 
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Posted by on February 9, 2017 in Armchair Audies, Listening Events

 

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Review – Crossing Hearts – Kimberly Kincaid

08 Feb

crossing-heartsCrossing Hearts
Author: Kimberly Kincaid
Series: #1 in the Cross Creek series
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Book Won in a Giveaway Held by Author

Description:
Hunter Cross has no regrets. Having left his football prospects behind the day he graduated high school, he’s happy to carry out his legacy on his family’s farm in the foothills of the Shenandoah. But when a shoulder injury puts him face-to-face with the high school sweetheart who abandoned town—and him—twelve years ago, Hunter’s simple life gets a lot more complicated.

Emerson Montgomery has secrets. Refusing to divulge why she left her job as a hotshot physical therapist for a pro football team, she struggles to readjust to life in the hometown she left behind. The more time she spends with Hunter, the more Emerson finds herself wanting to trust him with the diagnosis of MS that has turned her world upside down.

But revealing secrets comes with a price. Can Hunter and Emerson rekindle their past love? Or will the realities of the present—and the trust that goes with them—burn that bridge for good?

Review:
So I actually read Crossing Hearts close to a month ago – it was officially the first book that I read in 2017 but since it had a release date of today (which means, Happy Book Birthday dance), I decided to wait to post my review. But as in typical Kimberly Kincaid fashion – I just end up gushing over her books! I swear – I haven’t read a bad one by her yet and Crossing Hearts just made my heart go all squishy inside.

I’ve never hidden the fact that reunited love/second chance love is a favorite romance trope of mine – combine that with small town romance and rancher romance (with a women in a kick ass career) and yes – there was little that I didn’t love about how Crossing Hearts came to be. I will say that sometimes family drama in small town romances kind of bugs me and Emerson’s family kind of ticked me off a bit – but at the same time, since she wasn’t all the forthcoming with her medical issues – I don’t blame them entirely either. It is proof positive that bad news only gets worse over time – especially when it is being withheld from people who love you.

One of the things I have always appreciated about Kimberly’s writing is the level of research and detail that she incorporates into her stories. I’m not sure who she worked with to get all the details on being a physical therapist, or how MS affects the body – but you could tell from the writing that she was able to meld the information that she gained from different sources into such a well-developed, well-rounded character. And as for Hunter…well, what wasn’t there to love – former high school athlete, willing to sacrifice his dreams to stay at home to help his family out – yeah, i’m gushing. I can’t wait for the next two books in the series and to see his brother’s HEA’s!

4.5 stars for Crossing Hearts and unfortunately not, I have to start the tedious wait time for a new book by Kimberly (which just sucks!)

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2017 in Book Review, Review

 

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Random Reads Rebooted – February 2017

04 Feb

Random Reads Rebooted

Random Reads was a blog feature that used to be hosted by the blog, I’m Loving Books, however, it is no longer active (at least that I can fid). Random Reads Rebooted is a reimaged version of this and I hope you will join me.

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a bad habit of buying books and then forgetting about them…I’m like a squirrel storing away its nuts for winter, except I do it with books. Random Reads Rebooted is dedicated to finding (and reading) those books that have long been forgotten about it.

On the first Saturday of the month (or within that first week), randomly select a book that is on your bookshelves (it could be a virtual shelf like a Goodreads one, or a real shelf that you have someone randomly numbered). I recommend using random.org to help you pick that special or forgotten book. At the end of the month, come back and let us know what you thought about the book that you picked.

January Review
ok, so I feel like a bit of a slacker because mid-month I hit an epic reading slump (and honestly i’m still digging my way out of it) and i’m still slowly working on my book. I’m about 15% of the way through and enjoying it though. The cultural mesh between traditional Indian and New Jersey culture is making for an intriguing read.

guns-will-keep-us-together February Pick
Even though I have slacked on my January read – I am going to go ahead and pick a book for my February read. Continuing with my plan from last month, this month, I’m picking a book from my Amazon 2010 purchases shelf (which currently has 270 books on it). After sorting the books by title alphabetically, random.org gave me 96 – which correlated to Guns Will Keep Us Together, by Leslie Langtry.

Purchase Date: September 15, 2010

Description:
Dakota Bombay prided himself on his blonde Bond image. Then his life gets both shaken and stirred by an irate grandmother demanding a marketing plan for the family assassination business, a six-year-old son Dak never knew he had, and a mysterious redhead who’s erased his decades-old preference for blondes

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2017 in Random Reads Rebooted, Uncategorized

 

A Month in Reading – January 2017

01 Feb

january

I always mean to do an end of month summary for my reading but to be honest, i’m never actually organized enough to get it done…so this is new for me – but its one of my blogging resolutions for 2017. I’m finding it hard to believe that it is the end of January already – I mean, this month flew by! On the non-blogging front – I started a new job (yay) – but have been extremely busy (boo!) which is reflected in both my reading and my blogging. But without further-ado, a look back on January.

Total Books Read in January: 18
Total Books Listened to in January: 7

crossing-heartsFirst Book of the Year:
Crossing Hearts – Kimberly Kincaid

simply-sexualLongest on TBR:
Simply Sexual – Kate Pearce – 2899 days!

scythe
Longest Book
Scythe – Neal Shusterman

dirty-like-usShortest Book
Dirty Like Us – Jaine Diamond

 

 

 

New Authors Discovered (that I will read again):
Chanel Cleeton – Fly with Me – military contemporary romance
Lilia Moon – Fettered series – Yield, Reveal and Desire – erotic BDSM romance (on the introductory side)
Chris Campillo – Then He Showed Up – contemporary romance

Books I’m looking forward to in February
The Invisible Library – Genevieve Cogman – Young Adult/Steampunk/Mystery
Eleventh Grave in Moonlight – Darynda Jones – Urban Fantasy
The Valiant – Lesley Livingston – Young Adult/Historical Fiction (umm, female gladiator – yes please!)
Devil in Spring – Lisa Kleypas – Historical Romance

Overall, I read less books this month than I typically do, but I had some solid reads and several new authors I can’t wait to read more by in the near future.

How about you – how was your January reading escapades?

 
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Posted by on February 1, 2017 in Meme, Month in Review

 

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TBR Tuesday – 31 January 2017

31 Jan

TBR Tuesday
TBR Tuesday is an opportunity to you to find and read those lost gems that might be hidden on your TBR shelves! In order to be eligible for TBR Tuesday a book should have been on your TBR pile for more than a year (so any book purchased prior to January 2016 is fair game right now. Let me know what book you read, how long it has been lost on your TBR pile and what you thought of it? Is it a hidden gem or a dusty throwaway or somewhere in between…

Made for Each Other – Morgan Ashbury
Bought:14 July 2010
Time of TBR: 2391 days

Review:
Sometimes as a reader, I want brain candy – that is, a book that really doesn’t make me think about anything while i’m reading, that is lite on drama and shenanigans and that is just there and Make for Each Other pretty much hit those wicked. It didn’t quite venture into the porn without plot realm, but the smexy parts did tend to outweigh the actual story (not that there was anything wrong with that because that was what I was in the mood for). I wouldn’t say that Made for Each Other ventured into the hidden gem realm, but it was definitely an improvement on some of the more recent books that I’ve dug out of Mt TBR. While I strugged with a guy being called Lesley (even though I know traditionally its a male name), his quirks were kind of funny and made him more relatable as a character. Overall a solid read and hit the spot for what I was looking for this past weekend.

 
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Posted by on January 31, 2017 in TBR Tuesday

 

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Review – Dirty Like Us – Jaine Diamond

29 Jan

dirty-like-usDirty Like Us
Author: Jaine Diamond
Series: #.5 in the Dirty series
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Review Copy Provided by Author

Description:
Maggie Omura has never been a gambling woman. As assistant manager of Dirty, the hottest rock band on the planet, she brings order to the lives of four crazy-ass rock stars.
But when the band lands in Vegas, a streak of bad luck lands Maggie in a bind–and in the penthouse suite, with the last man she’d ever want for a roommate.
Zane Traynor, lead singer of Dirty. Rock god. Sex god. Total nightmare for women.
And the only man who’d make Maggie a proposal so insane it just might work.

Review
A couple of months ago, I was given to opportunity to review the first book in Jaine Diamond’s Dirty series and enjoyed it so much, that when she offered me the chance to review the prequel for the series I agreed. While a short read (it only took me an hour or so to read), I was sucked in (while is probably why it was such as quick read). This is technically the prequel of the series, however, the author recommends that you actually read books 1 first to get more of the vibe of the band and the characters in it.

I’ll readily admit that I honestly don’t entirely remember Zane from Dirty Like Me, aside from the fact that he was the lead singer. Probably because I was so obsessed with Jesse and Katie…anyways – Dirty Like Us is Zane and Maggie’s story and like true rock star fashion…what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. One of the things I’ve discovered that I like about Ms Diamond’s writing is her ability to make the reader feel like they are in the setting of the book – I felt like I was in the hotel room with Zane partying and with him and Maggie hooking up in Vegas.

While a short read, it was a complete story with a happy ending. Overall, I gave Dirty Like Us 3.5 stars and can’t wait to see where Ms Diamond goes with the series next. Dirty Like Us is currently available as a free read through the authors website (click on the title link)

 
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Posted by on January 29, 2017 in Book Review, Review

 

Good Reads for a Good Cause

25 Jan

Good Reads for a Good Cause
Hot on Ice Blog Tour

cover4b-1A word about the anthology from contributor Kimberly Kincaid!

Hello, romance readers! I cannot even tell you how excited I am to tell you all about HOT ON ICE: A Hockey Romance Anthology (18 hot hockey romances! How can you go wrong?) and my story in the collection, which is titled DEEP CHECK. 20% of our royalties will be going to Homes For Our Troops, and I couldn’t be happier or more humbled to donate to such an incredible organization. Homes For Our Troops mission is to support severely injured veterans (post 9/11) by building mortgage-free and specially adapted homes for them and their families so they can focus on rebuilding their lives.

DEEP CHECK is a steamy second chance love story between hotshot hockey center, Finn Donnelly, and feisty firehouse administrator, January Sinclair. Finn wants nothing more than to bring the Cup to his best friend’s grave after the team’s victory—but going back to his hometown also means seeing January, a.k.a. the woman he left behind. Finn and January’s sizzling reunion is not only part of the HOT ON ICE anthology, but it’s a story set in my edgy, sexy Station Seventeen series, where hot firefighters and cops come together to keep their city safe. Many of the characters in this series bring their military backgrounds to the firehouse, where my DEEP CHECK heroine, January, has deep ties.

Like firefighters and first responders, the veterans helped by Homes For Our Troops made the choice to serve and protect those around them at all costs, even when those costs were grave. Being part of a project that supports these veterans as they focus on recovery, family, and rebuilding their lives was a driving force in my choice to participate in HOT ON ICE. I hope you enjoy the stories!

Learn more about Home for Our Troops here: https://www.hfotusa.org/

About Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology…
The New Orleans Cajun Rage professional hockey team just won the Cup. No one thought they’d do it. They were a team of shoulda beens, never coulda beens and a star or two. They’d only been in the Crescent City for three years before this year’s Cinderella run that had them skating off the ice with the championship. Over the following summer, each player gets to keep the Cup for a day. Nobody knows why, but whoever has the Cup falls in love. USA Today bestsellers Robin Covington, Desiree Holt, Kimberly Kincaid, Nana Malone, and Virginia Nelson, Publisher’s Weekly bestseller Angi Morgan, along with Xio Axelrod, Christi Barth, Andie J. Christopher, Avery Flynn, Kim Golden, Lena Hart, Robin Kaye, Katie Kenyhercz, Heather Long, Kate Meader, Susan Scott Shelley, and Misty D. Waters bring you 18 romances with smoking hot heroes—both on and off the ice.

Pre-order now on…
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2idJVbl
Nook: http://bit.ly/2gC6ceJ
iBooks: http://apple.co/2fOCS8g
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ggBnyg

Read more about the stories in Hot on Ice: http://bit.ly/2h6k2cH
Add us to your Goodreads shelf: http://bit.ly/2ggRF8e
Like us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HotOnIce/

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2017 in Uncategorized

 

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Review – Sweet Serendipity – Jamie Farrell

22 Jan

sweet-serendipitySweet Serendipity
Author: Jamie Farrell
Series: Part of Kindle Worlds tied to Hope Falls series (Melanie Shawn)
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Review Copy Provided by the Author

Description:
Wyatt Owens has had a crush on his best friend’s little sister for as long as he can remember. So when he unexpectedly finds her at his buddy’s vacation home – naked, no less! – when he arrives for a week of hanging in Hope Falls, he can’t decide if this is his lucky day, or if he’s in for the longest week of his life.

Skye Ryder has never much liked Wyatt. He’s bossy and disapproving and he never does anything wrong. But she’s also never been alone with him before. Nor has she ever noticed how sexy he can be, especially when he’s showing off his military-issue muscles and flashing those rare smiles. She’s not looking for love, but the man she hated is suddenly the man she can’t resist.

Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve read and/or reviewed one of Jamie’s books – mostly because she is a good friend of mine and I struggle to sometimes remain impartial on my reviews (because I could go total fan girl). But when she mentioned that she had been asked to participate in Melanie Shawn’s Kindle Worlds novellas for the Hope Falls series – I was intrigued (and even though I haven’t read any of the Hope Falls series, I’m now planning on it). If you aren’t familiar with Kindle Worlds, authors license the use of their fictional world to other authors to write novellas in – stories need to stay to the same vibe of the original series (so no vampires in a historical romance world) – I haven’t read many of these Kindle Worlds books, although I’ve been intrigued – so Sweet Serendipity seemed the right way to dip my toe in.

Not only did Sweet Serendipity feature a romance trope that I love (friend falling for best friends sibling), but it also featured a smexy military and an adorable, yet slightly klutzy young boy. Having known Jamie for several years (and her kids through her various social media postings) – I have no doubt that some of Nicolas’s adventures may have been inspired by her own kids. I love that when she features kids in her stories, they aren’t just there for added kid drama, but rather that they contribute to the story in often significant ways (in this instance, some of Wyatt and Skye’s relationship was due in part to Nicholas wanting them both with him during certain events in the story). Skye’s backstory was intriguing and her ex was (for lack of a better term) a dick – so seeing her struggle a bit with that as she and Wyatt developed a relationship make the book feel more real to me.

If you are looking for a small town romance, with a hot military hero and a (fairly) stable headed heroine – then Sweet Serendipity might be a book for you to try. You can purchase Sweet Serendipity from Amazon.

 
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Posted by on January 22, 2017 in Book Review, Review

 

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TBR Tuesday – 17 January 2017

17 Jan

TBR Tuesday
TBR Tuesday is an opportunity to you to find and read those lost gems that might be hidden on your TBR shelves! In order to be eligible for TBR Tuesday a book should have been on your TBR pile for more than a year (so any book purchased prior to January 2016 is fair game right now. Let me know what book you read, how long it has been lost on your TBR pile and what you thought of it? Is it a hidden gem or a dusty throwaway or somewhere in between…

Simply Sexual – Kate Pearce
Bought: February 9. 2009
Time of TBR: 2899 days

Review:
Another week, another book on Mt TBR and another book that was only so-so…I’ve heard good things about this author in the past and unfortunately, Simply Sexual just didn’t live up to my hopes for it. It was an ok book, don’t get me wrong – I gave it 3 stars, but it was good, but it wasn’t great. I think my biggest issue was that while Valetin’s backstory was interesting – it didn’t draw me in like it could have – while I felt detached like I think I was supposed to, I wanted more – it was just ehh…the scenes between Valentin and Sara were steamy in places but the rest of the book just mediocre at best…hidden gem Simply Sexual was not…but I’ll keep digging through the pile for that diamond in the rough

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2017 in TBR Tuesday, Uncategorized

 

Audiobook Review – What Stands in a Storm?

12 Jan

what-stands-in-a-stormWhat Stands in a Storm? Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South’s Tornado Alley
Author: Kim Cross
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Narrator: Tracy Brunjes
Run Time: 9hrs, 46min
Narration Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Description:
April 27, 2011, marked the climax of a superstorm that saw a record 358 tornadoes rip through twenty-one states in three days, seven hours, and eighteen minutes. It was the deadliest day of the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history, which saw 348 people killed, entire neighborhoods erased, and $11 billion in damage. The biggest of the tornadoes left scars across the lan so wide they could be seen from space. But from the terrible destruction emerged everyday heroes, neighbors and strangers who rescued each other from hell on earth.

Review:
Ashley Harrison, Danielle Downs, and William Stevens are just three of the victims of the tornados that hit Alabama in 2011 – all three were college students at the University of Alabama, who died when a tree fell on the house where they were taking shelter during the storm. They are three names that are imprinted on my memory after listening to What Stands in a Storm? But over 300 people died during the storm and the author, Kim Cross gave homage to all of them through her telling of these three days – it was poignant and moving – I even ended up tearing up a few times. What Stands in a Storm was told through the eyes of the people who both survived the storm and those who perished in it – through text messages, voicemails, facebook posts; from interviews with family and friends. These memories formed the basis for a narrative that struck fear into me – I felt like I was watching the storm bear down on me – not knowing what was coming next – just waiting for it to hit.

I often find that non-fiction leaves me feeling rather detached because of how its written, but What Stands in the Storm? wasn’t like that. I was tearing up while listening to it – in fact, I had to pull over the car a few times to wipe tears away. I can remember the last book that did that to me – it was one about the Canadian Army and deaths in Afghanistan. I attribute these emotions not only to the writing style of the author, but also the narration of Tracy Brunjes. She is a new to me narrator – and from taking a quick peak at her name on audible, only had 4 books to her name. Unfortunately, while I would like to listen to more by her, those other books aren’t really my thing – but i’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for other stuff in the future.

What Stands in a Storm? is a book that will stick with me and is well deserving of the 4.5 star rating that I gave it.

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2017 in Audiobook Review

 

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