Happy New Year to Our Winner!!

Wow!!  We have had SO MANY people get excited about our Merry Christmas Giveaway!  I am so excited to announce the winner has been drawn by Random.org and the swag bag, complete with lots of books and a CD and swag, goes to.....

MELISSA WEBB!!!

Melissa, you have one week to email me at chelleauthorstalker@gmail.com with your address to claim your prize!  Congratulations!

If you didn't win, you can still one-click all the books and the CD.  Just click the titles below for the link:

"Finding Cinderella" by Colleen Hoover
"Change of Hart" by M.E. Carter
"Jessica's Journal" by Kathryn Perez
"In Too Deep" by Mara Jacobs
"In Too Fast" by Mara Jacobs
"Maybe Someday" CD by Griffin Peterson



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's A Merry Christmas Giveaway!

I love Christmas.  It's my favorite time of year.  It makes me feel festive and joyful for the whole month.  You guys make me feel joyful too, so I've been collecting things to include in a giant Merry Christmas Swag Bag Giveaway!!  Just look at what's inside....

That's right.  One lucky winner will receive a:

• Signed copy of "Finding Cinderella" by Colleen Hoover.
• Signed copy of "Change of Hart" by M.E. Carter.
• Signed copy of "Jessica's Journal" by Kathryn Perez.
• Signed copies of "In Too Deep" and "In Too Fast" by Mara Jacobs.
• Signed tote from Trudy Stiles.
• Copy of "Maybe Someday" CD by Griffin Peterson (unsigned).
• Lots and lots of swag!

To enter, like my Facebook page here and any of the author's Facebook pages, then comment below.  That's it!  Winner will be chosen on New Year's Eve.

Good luck and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Author Dawn L. Chiletz Tells us Why Sometimes it's "Worth The Fall"

Funny story....

We usually don't review New York Times best sellers because, well, they aren't exactly Diamonds in the Rough.  Those are usually very seasoned authors.  Our one exception, of course, is Colleen Hoover.  Mostly because I can't help myself.

Anyway, today's guest reviewer, Author Dawn L. Chiletz and I had been discussing her writing a review of the following book for a while.  Yesterday, the review was written.  And wouldn't ya know...last night the author popped up on the New York Times best seller list.  HA!  So I guess lots of people will agree with this stellar review!

So here now is Dawn L. Chiletz and her review of this book:

There's nothing I like more than falling in love.  It's probably one of the things I enjoy most about reading.  Reading gives me the chance to live vicariously though fictional characters and to fall in love each time they do.  Let's just say I have many, many book boyfriends.  I'd like to add another to the list.  His name is Matt McKinney.  Not only is Matt a Navy Seal and hotter than hell, he's also patient, kind and good with kids.  Here's the synopsis that had me one-clicking, although truth be told, she had me at the cover.

"The meet on a beach...Abby Davis isn't wearing a skimpy bikini or sipping umbrella drinks, not when she's busy chasing around four little ones.  And Matt McKinney isn't looking for fun - he's a Navy SEAL, a grown man with a long list of missions. . . and fallen brothers.

They only have a week...Abby has brought her children to this beach to start over, to give them the enjoyable memories they deserve.  Matt's been sidelined by a combat injury, and haunted by the best friend he lost and the promise he made:  to remain a SEAL - focused and dedicated.  This leaves no time for what he's always wanted: a family.

But a week is all it takes...Matt opens his heart while Abby soothes his soul.  And though they plan to say good-bye when the week is over, something magical happens on that beach, something neither can forget.  Something utterly, completely worth falling for."

I loved this story.  Every single character felt relatable and I formed an emotional bond with each one of them for different reasons.  First, there's Abby, a strong, beautiful, amazingly patient mother of four, not including the one in her belly.  Abby's had a rough life.  Left parentless though horrible circumstances which I won't spoil, and forced to live a life never feeling loved, or worthy of love, Abby is the perfect heroine.  After her not-so-great husband dies, she's left alone to raise her four kids and is pregnant with her fifth.  She's had plenty of practice parenting alone considering he was never there for her from the starts.  I instantly loved these four amazing, beautifully written children.  These kids were just awesome.  Each has their own distinct personality and way of speaking.  I laughed out loud many times.  Maybe it's because I'm a mom and I'm past that stage, but mostly it's because Claudia Connor writes these kids like she is a kid, or at least in the head of one, using the same words, thoughts and phrases you would expect out of honest to a fault children.  It's easy to love them and want for the whole darn family to find the happiness they deserve.  I stepped right into Abby's shoes and rooted for her at every turn.  I wanted to be her friends.

Enter Matt McKinney, my new book boyfriend.  This guy...he's just wow.  Tough on the outside and a big soft pillow for Abby and her kids to lean on.  I could go on and on about him, but you'll find all that out for yourself.  The story had the perfect amount of twists, turns, romance, angst, and heartbreak.  It was page by page brilliance.  I give this book Five Diamonds.  It's bright and shiny on the outside with enough facets inside to keep your eyes sparkling with tears and love. An added bonus is that you get to see both points of view and get inside the mind of your hero and the girl he loves.  It's easy to see why Claudia Connor is now a best seller.  She's made a fan out of me.  (You can get "Worth the Fall" by clicking here.)

This Diamond Can't Be Considered Rough Anymore

It is with a heavy heart that I say, this is probably the last time I will do a review on Brenda Rothert.  Will I still pimp her books?  Sure.  I love them.  But it appears our Diamond in the Rough had turned into a full blown engagement ring!  

Her "Fire on Ice" series is selling like hotcakes because, well, they're just plain hot!  The final installment of this series is "Release" about Orion.  Orion is just....well....just take a look at the synopsis:

NHL player Orion Caldwell protects his own.  He's an enforcer to his core, but he was the one left defenseless when his longtime girlfriend broke his heart.  Now he's all about his game, but spending the offseason in his hometown forces him to confront painful issues - both old and new.

Samara Cross just wants to be invisible. After living a nightmare, she came back to her hometown seeking solace.  But her quiet new life is upturned by the hot, charismatic hockey player who's taken a sudden interest in her.

Orion and Samara find something unexpected in each other, but when the hockey offseason ends, so does their time together.  They struggle with their separation, confronted by ghosts of the past and an uncertain future, discovering that sometimes the only way to hold on to something precious is to let go.

Ok, let's just back up for a second.  The second sentence of that synopsis says, "He's an enforcer to his core."  I was previously unaware that being an enforcer basically means he's paid to get in fistfights on the ice.  Yeah, yeah, there's more to it than that.  But focus on the fun part.....he's getting in fistfights on the ice!!  I have no idea why that seems like a totally hot thing for him to do for a living, but it does.

Beyond that, the story line is just nicely put together.  I loved both the main characters, wanted to punch out the ex-girlfriend, and found myself cheering when both Orion and Samara learned how to take care of themselves, no matter what the cost.

Without spoiling anything, I will say the ending was not what I was expecting.  The twist had me PMing Ms. Rothert to cuss her out for making me cry on an airplane.  So don't expect it to be "everything is all roses and unicorns" type ending.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great ending!  It's just a twist I wouldn't have guessed in a million years!

While this is the conclusion of the "Fire on Ice" series, she has some new things in the works.  I am really excited to see what she does next.  In the meantime, pick up this fabulous book by clicking here. (And if you haven't started the series yet, the first one, "Bound" is always free by clicking here.)

"Release" easily skated it's way into my heart to earn 

Author Stacey Grice Reviews a Debut Novel

I love blogging.  I love bringing new books to people's attention so they can discover some beautiful, yet unknown stories.

But sometimes I'm a little to close to either the book or the author to give an objective opinion, and that's what happened in the case of this next book.  Author Stacey Grice, however, loved this book.  So she decided to do a guest review for me.  Here now, is Stacey Grice and the book she is reviewing, "Change of Hart".

People choose to read fiction for a variety of reasons.  For therapeutic benefits, to be moved emotionally into a good cry or fit of laughter, or to really make themselves have to think. Sometimes, the story allows you to escape from your ordinary life into a fantasy world of absolute make believe.  And sometimes you read a story that is technically fiction and yet so real.  Truly relatable, authentic characters going through everyday experiences and dealing with normal situations.

M.E. Carter has managed to encompass most of those reactions and more in her amazing debut novel.  This tale is so real.  Such an honest portayal of sincere characters going through life. Parts will make you tear up and really think of how you would cope with the same thing happening to you or your family.  And other segments will make you crack up laughing.  I loved every twist and turn of this story.

Addison is an elementary school teacher and single mother.  An everyday woman with physical flaws and emotional baggage.  After losing her husband tragically, she is attempting to raise her son in a healthy environment but is struggling internally with some guilt and is certainly no devoting enough time to herself.  Romance and dating is not even on her radar.

Jason Hart is determined to make the most of his football career and is navigating through a very public life with himself and his wants and his needs as priority number one.  He refuses to get serious with any woman, and enjoys playing the field both in his NFL job and in romance. Settling down isn't happening any time soon, in his mind.

But things quickly change in a chance meeting with Jaxon, a child at the school where Jason was doing a random public community appearance.  The bond that is instantly forged between Jason and Jaxon was so sweet and heartfelt.  Jason was his hero and Jaxon quickly became Jason's little buddy, teaching him lessons that he didn't even know he needed to still learn.

Addison is Jaxon's mother and through the eyes of her child, she learns to deal with her own grief and guilt while forming a friendship with her child's celebrity hero.  Feelings beyond friendship were developing but Addison refused to allow herself to go there, in fear that if things didn't work out, her child would again lose a prominent male figure in his life, and she couldn't bring herself to be the reason for his impending devastation.

This book definitely carried you on a journey with some heavy subject matter but was written in such a beautiful and lighthearted way.  The secondary characters were crucial and added a necessary balance between the heavy and fun.  We all either have a friend like Lindsay, or wish we did and Deuce was hysterical.  

Once Addison gave into the attraction she was feeling for Jason, their chemistry was hot and undeniable.  I was anticipating the typical hot and steamy "first time" scene which M.E. Carter absolutely delivered, but she throws you for a slight loop by making everyday realities and concerns part of the action.  Addison needed to freshen up before proceeding forward and get her Spanx off first.  She was insecure and shy about her stretch marks and curves.  I admired her and this author for keeping it real.  Just enough humor intertwined with the series.

Ultimately, the story takes an unexpected turn, which I refuse to spoil, insisting that you read it for yourself.  You will be shocked for sure but I'm confident that you will be happy with this book in the end.  Whether it ends the way you wanted to or not, the writing is well done, the story is well told, and the experiences are authentic.  M.E. Carter truly scored a touchdown with this phenomenal debut novel and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future.  I hope this is just the start of a promising career ahead.

Chelle here.  Let's get business out of the way.  You can get "Change of Hart" by clicking here.

Now, Stacey and I had a huge debate on her rating of this book.  But in the end, it is her review. And she threatened to cut me if I didn't give it what she said.  I don't like bleeding, so I called uncle.  Stacey give "Change of Hart" a touchdown with

A Refreshing and Enjoyable Read by Sara Ney

In the world of YA and NA books, very little is terribly creative anymore.  The story lines kind of run together and it's hard to remember everything you've read.

My newest Diamond, Sara Ney, broke that mold with her fantastic book, "Kissing in Cars".

It felt so fresh and I had a giant smile on my face when I finished it.  Ask one my of my book clubs.  I kept posting quotes and giving updates as I read.  I'm pretty sure it annoyed the crap out of them.  Too bad!  I was just enjoying myself so much while reading.

Check out the synopsis as posted on Facebook:

"Studious and (mostly) sensible, the only thing Molly Wakefield wants to do is get through Senior Year and graduate.  Well, that and hit the beach in her spare time.  Okay, fine - and go shopping every once in a while for a new dress... (and who could blame her?)

And things are going according to plan - until the day she spies Weston McGrath, handsome start athlete and scholar, spying on her in study hall.

A tad creepy?  Maybe.
Thrilling?  Absolutely.

You see, Weston McGrath happens to be the one guy no one can get close to.

Despite her best efforts to avoid it (because let's face it - the guy isn't exactly "boyfriend material") Molly and Weston form a friendship.
And more...
Sort of.
But it's a friendship that comes with a price - because Weston just cannot seem to stop screwing things up.  Or saying all the wrong things.  Possibly in that order...
And who has time for an 18 year old "fixer-upper" that should know better?
Not Molly.
Or does she?"

This book was just so stinkin' cute I couldn't stop reading it.  There was no sex in it, but the sexual tension was hot.  There were some typos.  But I suspect those were fixed when it was re-released on Amazon recently.

As I went to find out more information about the author, I'm so pleasantly surprised to find out there is a second book in this series called "He Kissed Me First".  I can't wait to read it!  But before you do, pick up "Kissing in Cars" by clicking here.

Sara Ney and "Kissing in Cars" get a refreshing

Guest Review A.E. Woodward Finds a "Bastard" of a Book

A.E. Woodward writes some gut wrenching books.  I don't think I've NOT become a sobbing mess with anything she's written.  When she says she read something great, I sit up and listen. Here is her latest read:

Before A.E. lets us know her thoughts, let's see the synopsis as found on Amazon:

"Josephine Walker doesn't do drama.  All her life she has taken the safe route and done what was expected; she married her college sweetheart, found a great job, had two beautiful children and settled in to her little piece of perfection to live out her life.  She was happy with the mundane.

The only thing that seems out of place is her best friend Matt; he is as funny, crazy and impulsive as she is sarcastic, dependable and predictable.  Matt's life is loud and full of chaos.  Jo knows his past is as dark as his tattoos, that his secrets are buried for a reason, but all she can see is that he's always got her back.

When her marriage falls apart, Matt swoops in to help Jo pick up the pieces.  At least, that's what he planned to do.  But, Jo has other plans.  She's done playing it safe, done caring what other people think.  She wants wild and crazy; and as much as she tried to ignore it, she wants Matt.  Together they have to answer the ultimate question; can a man and a woman, who are as close as they are, ever truly be just friends?

Jo adores Matt, she trusts him completely.  But, will she risk everything, including their friendship, to take a chance on love with the bad boy that could destroy her heart?"

Sounds interesting.  So here now, is A.E. Woodward:


"Always Been Mine" was a different type of story than I was expecting.  I was expecting an easy, quick, light-hearted read.  But what I got was so much more.

Mateo...

Matt...

Matty...

Oh, Matty...

This best friend turned lover definitely earned a spot in my heart.  His tough exterior guarded some dark secrets that surprised me.  With a little Motorcycle Club tie-in that I believe strengthens in the next book, "Honey Whiskey", this book brought a lot to the drama table.

I definitely recommend this book for readers that enjoy the friendship turned lover type story line, as well as anyone who enjoys them some yummy motorcycle  men.

I give "Always Been Mine" four "bastard" stars.


Chelle here.  There ya have it folks.  If A.E. Woodward says to read it, we all probably should get it by clicking here.  She gives it a solid, yet "bastard" (I need to figure out what that means, asap)

Mia Asher Brings Us Another Tragically Beautiful Read

When Mia Asher released her debut novel, Arsen (which, by the way, is a gut-wrencher but something every woman should read, so get it here), it was such a HUGE success.  Here was an unknown author who released a book that ripped so many readers to shreds on her first time out.  It left many to wonder if it was a fluke.  Was Mia Asher a one-hit-wonder?

After reading her newest title, "Easy Virtue", I can say, without any hesitation, that the answer to that question is absolutely NO!  

Not only is she not a one-hit-wonder, I would go as far as to say she is one of the most brilliant writers in the Indie community today.  Think Tarryn-Fisher-brilliant, except without the twisted little mind.  

The thing I like most about Ms. Asher's writing is she has the uncanny ability to dig deep into the human psyche and show things most of us would never see, whether on purpose or by defense mechanism.  She brings those things to light and makes us, the readers, squirm with discomfort over the harsh reality of a situation.  I mean, just look at the synopsis for "Easy Virtue":

"Love is selfish...

My name is Blaire.
I'm the bad girl.
The other woman.
The one who never gets the guy in the end.

I'm the gold digger.
The bitch.
The one no one roots for.
The one you love to hate.

I hate myself too...

Everyone has a story.  Are you read for mine?"

WOW.

I was on the verge of tears for so much of the book.  I wanted to cry and scream and punch him towards the end and hug her always.  Because there is so much beauty in this tragic, tragic story.

Now there is a lot of buzz on this book and one of the things that keeps coming up is that it is a cliffhanger.  Let me clarify that for you before you write it off as something to read when the second one comes out:  Yes, this is a two-part series.  As Ms. Asher says, when the story started to unravel, she realized it was going to be way too long to be one book.  

I didn't know it was a two-parter and was in no way prepared for the ending.  HOWEVER, I didn't feel that way because I felt shafted or disappointed that I have to wait for the second book.  Quite the contrary.  It was a total and complete mind f*ck.  Again, like a Tarryn Fisher book.  The ending will have you thinking for days but in NO WAY will it frustrate you like an actual cliffhanger.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am highly recommending this book to everyone.  Pick it up here.  It is a tough read.  But so, so worth it.

My Diamond, Mia Asher and her tragically beautiful story "Easy Virtue" get an easy

S.E. Dosher's Series Will Make You "Shutter"

Serials have become pretty popular lately, and for good reason.  Sometimes it's nice to just sit down with a short, hot little novella that you can read straight through and enjoy.  It's even better when you realize the entire series is out by the time you discover it.

I found S.E. Dosher's serial titled "Shutter" the other day, and it definitely fits the bill for an enjoyable time.  Here's the synopsis for "Shutter: Volume 1".

"I get paid to photograph intimate moments in other peoples' lives--specifically one man.  During the day, I watch while he's working, and every night I watch him with he's f***ing.  It started as a job but quickly turned into an obsession.

His name is Nikolas Gallo.

I spent years in front of the camera before I escaped.  Now I'm behind it and in control of what my shutter captures.  The moment I viewed Niko in the lens of my camera I found the escape I'd been searching for.  I finally felt connected - whole.

There are two types of celebrity photographers; those that wait for their victim to venture into public to get their pay day; always allowing some small semblance of privacy.  Then there are those lurking in the shadows, steadily invading private lives, hunting and searching for the most intimate shots; that's what I have become.

My name is Brook Beckham and I found my inner peeping Tom."

The premise is, in fact, as interesting as it sounds.  But as with all serials, things aren't always what they seem.  The twists and turns are engaging.  And I really liked all the characters.  Not only were they interesting, but my heart actually ached for the unlikeliest of characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three books in "Shutter".  You'll see what I mean when you get the first one by clicking here.  Oh and by the way...."Shutter:  Volume 1" is free.

S.E. Dosher and her complete novella series click through to