Kristin Cook Ends Her Series With a Little "Faith"

I should have read this book a month ago when it was first released. But I will admit, I was afraid.  For two reasons.

1)  The book before this one, "Torment", left me with such a gut-wrenching and unexpected cliffhanger than I wasn't sure where the story was going.  I needed some time to process everything.

2)  My BFF Allison warned me that some of the scenes may be too intense for me.  Especially with pregnancy hormones and all.

When I finally picked it up yesterday, I not only realized that my BFF Allison is a true wienie when it books, I also remembered what I had known all along... Author Kristie Cook knows what the heck she's doing.  Yes, the story went places I never expected it to.  But they were amazing.

There are two ways you can look at this book.  The first is from a very non-religious perspective.  The action and adventure were fast paced and my heart never stopped pounding.  Normally, I'm not a big fan of a lot of description about landscapes and such.  But when talking about the apocalypse and a nuclear holocaust of sorts, I found the descriptions to be really eery and telling of what this would actually look like.  From a fiction stand point, it was exciting to read.

You can also look at "Faith" from a very religious perspective.  If you are a strongly believing Christian like me (hey, I didn't say I was good at it.  I just said I was one), this entire series is the embodiment of everything we believe could very well happen when the end times come.  Don't misunderstand...this story is not a prophesy, nor does the author claim it to be.  It is a fictional story.  It is Kristie Cook's fictional characters and her interpretation of what the end times could look like. And it gave some very disturbing visual images that I am choosing not to dwell on because some are terrifying.

I will say, Alexis started to drive me crazy in this book.  Her lack of faith in EVERYTHING got irritating at times and I wanted to scream at her, "Open your eyes!!!  You are your own worst enemy! God didn't leave you!  You just stopped listening!"

And then I almost fell off the treadmill when the little voice in my head said, "Yeah.  Because you don't do that on a regular basis with your faith, too?"

Um.  My bad.  I guess I'm more like Alexis than I thought.

Regardless of which way you look at this book, it is exciting.  It's adventurous.  It's thought provoking.  It's sexy.  It wraps up this wonderful series just flawlessly.

If you haven't started the "Soul Savers" series yet, YOU MUST!!! "Promise", the first book, it always free.  You can get it by clicking here.

But if you have kept up with it to this point, you can get "Faith" by clicking here.  In some ways, it's a scary read.  But you won't regret it.  

I'm so looking forward to whatever Ms. Cook decided to do next.  If what I'm gathering is correct, she'll soon be working on a spin off series titled "Age of Angels".  I, for one, can't WAIT!!

In the meantime, Tristan, Alexis and their mommy author go out with a bang and a phenomenal

You Won't Hate This Love Story

Hey, Author Stalkers! It feels so good to get back to reading & reviewing! Life kinda got in the way with school work, clinicals, and kids. So, my reading came to a screeching halt the past month or so. 

I kept seeing this one particular book being talked about, though, so I decided to give it a try. 

Best decision I’ve made in a while! 

There are books that you read and they may have some funny moments, or some really deep moments, or the characters are so complex & real that you can’t help but love the book. My next Diamond in the Rough, Laurel Curtis, combined all of those elements plus so much more in her book Hate: A Love Story. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

"Roses are red, Violets are blue.  Life can be messy, And love can be too.  Most people say that it's not important where you're going, but instead, how you get there.  Unfortunately for me, the journey to love was absolutely agonizing.  Love and Hate wrestled with my life day after day, year after year, and the only way to stop it was to let one of them win.  Which one? I fought to love harder.  But I loathe my love story."

I know that the short & sweet synopsis doesn’t give you very much to go on, but trust me when I say that you don’t need it. This book speaks for itself and you just need to read it. You can even stop reading this review & just buy the dang book because It. Is. So. Good!! Okay, I’ll give you a tiny bit more. 

Whitney has a best friend named Blane. Blane adds another friend, Franny, to the mix to make the duo a trio of best friends. The story is about friendship & love and the struggles of holding on to friendships & love in the face of tragedy.

If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know that I don’t give 5 diamonds often. They are precious & I give them out very sparingly. I also don’t usually have “book hangovers” after reading anything that wasn’t a complete gut-wrencher. I want to pick this book back up and read it again just to laugh, and cry, and laugh some more all over again. Let’s just say that I was banished to the dungeon (my bedroom) because I was laughing too hard, too often while reading this story. 

Yes, there is one character in particular that I fell in love with because of her wit & humor. Gram is the bomb and is the glue that holds this book, and Whitney, together from the very beginning.

You can grab Hate: A Love Story here.

I don’t think it’s any surprise that I give Diamond in the Rough Laurel Curtis and her fabulous book Hate: A Love Story a great, big

This is Not my "Last Call" for a Sawyer Bennett Read

I don't normally review New York Times or USA Today Bestelling Authors.  Why?  Well, they aren't Diamonds in the Rough!  They're flat out Diamonds.  And I prefer to uncover the authors very few people have heard of.

However, I have been addicted to this series for the last few days and considering how busy I've been, there hasn't even been time to find a Diamond!

How busy have I been, you ask?  Well, I spent the weekend with this guy.....

 And this guy......

And this guy.......

Just to clarify, those are some cast members from The Vampire Diaries.  I volunteered at the convention this weekend.  Does that mean I spent my days and nights hobnobbing with Ian Somerhalder?  Uh, no.  As a volunteer, you are there to WORK!  And you rarely even get a glimpse of the celebs.  But for someone with my personality and energy level, it was the time of my life!

Anyway, back to the books.

I knew I wasn't going to have much time to read this weekend, so I should have searched for a Diamond in the Rough.  But instead, my friend Tami, who is a total pain in my butt, kept saying, "Read Sawyer Bennett!"  "Sawyer Bennett is awesome!"  "I love Sawyer Bennett's books!"  I've heard this over and over from her for months.  

*sigh*  Fine.  So on the recommendation of my pain in the butt friend, Tami, I did the worst possible thing I could do when your blog focuses on little known authors.

I picked up a Sawyer Bennett book.

And I have been hooked every since.  The "Last Call" series is 100% completely addicting.  It's about a group of friends making their way through life and trying to navigate through love.  Every story is different.  Every story is engaging.  Every character is lovable in their own way:

Like Hunter, who is a retired pro surfer that came home to run a local bar, and Gabby, the best friend of Hunter's sister, that has been in love with Hunter since she was little.  Except for the last five years that she has harbored serious resentment towards him after an incredibly emotionally brutal interaction.

Or like Brody, the convicted felon who is struggling to re-integrate back into mainstream society, and Alyssa, the heiress to a fortune, turned no-kill animal shelter entrepreneur, that sees beyond Brody's tough exteriror.

And the list goes on.

Needless to say, I've spent the last six days fully engrossed in this series.  And considering I was at the con for three of those days, you know these are some seriously addicting books.

While they have great story lines and some super hot sex scenes, to be honest, I can go without all the sex.  The story lines are intriguing enough that they just don't need it.  And there is some repetition in the way the men talk dirty and ALWAYS want to provide certain, um, amenities to their love interest.  (If that's really the way it is, I'm pretty sure we all need to move to the Outer Banks of North Carolina asap.  They grow some filthy boys there.)

But the addiction is real.  And I'm pretty sad that I'm almost done with the series.  So you really need to pick it up.  The first one is called "On the Rocks" and you can get it by clicking here.  

As I wind down this blog, I say to my pain in the butt friend, Tami, you may be a pain in my butt for all this Sawyer Bennett talk.  But this time, you were right.

Sawyer Bennett and her wonderful "Last Call" series get a sizzling

5 Things I Hope My Daughter's Never Learn From Books....and 1 Thing I Hope They Do

I have been jaded by reading.

Ok, well not really.  But I think it's really easy to read enough romance books that reality starts to seem a little less exciting.  Your expectations towards relationships change.  No romantic relationship can ever measure up.

It's a dangerous place to be if you aren't careful.  

As my girls start to get older, I realize they are going to be following in my reading footsteps. While this thrills me, it also kind of terrifies me.  

So I have compiled a list of things I hope they don't start to expect when they're older.  We'll start out with the big one:

1)  Every man you fall in love with will have a giant, um, "member".

Sorry girls.  This just isn't true.  Just like boobs come in every shape and size, so do man bits.  And while we're at it, let's also clarify that "big" doesn't mean "good".  Even if he's well endowed, if he puts no effort into foreplay and pays little attention to his woman's physical and verbal cues, it won't be a very satisfying experience.  And let me just say this...there is a such thing as too much. I'll just leave it at that.

2)  The bad boy will change if you just love him enough!

No.  No, no, no, no, no!  Is a bad boy fun to mess around with?  Sure.  But you aren't the first one who has loved him.  And you certainly won't be the last one to try and change him.  I get that sometimes there is an inexplicable draw.  But until he actually changes, he's not worth having your heart broke over.  Have your fun and get out with no regrets.  If he wants to change, he will.  For himself.  And that's when he's ready for you long term.

3)  Men want, and can have, sex roughly five times a day, every day, for their entire lives.

This man will obviously never have children or a job, because he doesn't even have to time to stop and eat, let alone care for anyone else.  Seriously?  Who has time for this?  And while we're at it, women can't orgasm on demand, nor will you orgasm the first time you have sex.  You won't feel a prick of pain when you lose your virginity and then, as he slowly thrusts in and out of you, your pleasure rebuilds.  Try again.  The first time will be painful and you won't orgasm.  And when he growls, "Come for me," you won't.  That's life.

4)  You will meet the love of your life while you are in high school.

Does it happen?  Sure.  Does it happen often?  Well, if you count up the number of Facebook friends I have and see who married their high school sweetheart, that's already a pretty small percentage.  When you take out those who were divorced by 19, the percentage gets even smaller. Speaking of divorce...

5)  Once you say "I do" to your soul mate, you will forever have butterflies in your stomach when he looks at you.

Uh, negative.  Most days I want to kick my husband in the shin because he farted in the kitchen or I dream of dousing him with cold water in the shower because he forgot to take out the trash and the dog got into it.  Marriage is HARD.  There are fights.  There is sacrifice.  There are times you wake up wondering why you got married in the first place.  Anyone who has been married longer than five years and tells you otherwise is either lying, in a totally co-dependent relationship or needs to be sharing their magic formula with the rest of us.  Does that mean it always sucks?  No. But the dynamic will change.  And you need to be prepared for that.


On the flip side of my reading fears, however, is the one thing I hope my daughter's learn from reading:

1)  Don't settle.

There are men like Holder from "Losing Hope" out there.  Men who will know your deepest, darkest secrets, but it won't change how they feel about you.
Men like Kayden from the "Callie and Kayden" series who will do whatever it takes to protect you.
Men like Jason from "Falling Into Us" who will stick by you through heartache and tragedy, and never once be tempted to stray.
Men like Phillip from "That Boy" who will know every single annoying and obnoxious thing about you, and will love you with his whole heart anyway.

The thing is, though, he won't be rich, well endowed, have a "v", get you off five times a day, be model gorgeous, change just for you, be your boyfriend since high school and still be come with lust-colored glasses for you to look at him through when you've been married for 15 years.  You may be lucky and get one or two of those traits.  But no one is as perfect as our book boyfriends. And if you try to force them to be, you will not only be sorely disappointed, you may just lose out on a great thing.

So, if the only thing my girls get out of reading is "don't settle", I can rest assured they will figure out the rest just fine. 

Mary Frame's "Imperfect Chemistry" is Damn Near Perfect

One of my favorite shows on TV is "Big Bang Theory" on CBS.  It totally cracks me up.  I think for most of us, there is one particular reason the show is so funny.

Sheldon Cooper.

His lack of understanding of human emotions and social boundaries are hysterical.

That's why I love "Imperfect Chemistry" by our newest Diamond, Mary Frame.  Her main character, Lucy London, is like reading a combination of Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler, but with so much more depth.

You see, Lucy is 20 years old, has a PhD, and has gotten a grant to study human emotions.  Love, lust and attraction to be more specific.  Problem is, she has never really felt any of those things, so she doesn't have any point of reference.

Add in a super hot neighbor that she is just SURE can teach her what she needs to know, and a new friend with no filter between her brain and her mouth, and you have a fun, lovely story.

The characters themselves kind of remind me of people Penny Reid would write.  And you know how much I adore Penny Reid.  The difference, though, is apples and oranges.  While Penny Reid's characters tend to be quirky and social awkward, Mary Frame's Lucy is not social awkward at all. She just has no interest in relationships, except for how they can be used to create a thesis.  

The story itself is fun.  It's funny.  It's not chock full of raunchy sex.  In fact, Lucy is trying her hardest to understand the connection between sex and emotion.  And there is an interesting twist regarding sex that you don't usually see in today's romance novels.  It was a surprise to me and actually made me happy to see the author went that route.

It took me less than a day to whiz through this book.  And I enjoyed it so much, I immediately downloaded the second book, "Imperfectly Criminal" about that new friend with no filter.  Took me less than a day to whiz through that one, too!

I can honestly say, "Imperfect Chemistry" has been one of my favorite reads so far this year.  It will be worth your time and money to get it by clicking here.

Mary Frame created some great characters with some great chemistry for a near perfect

ABF 2015 - In Pictures and a Spoiler Free Review of "Confess"!

So Kristin and I spent the weekend together.  That could be interpreted the wrong way.  Let me rephrase.  We spent the weekend here

That's beautiful Austin, Texas where we spent the weekend at Austin Book Fest 2015...one of the biggest author events this year!

You never quite know what's going to happen at an event like this.  But almost immediately we ran into an author and her side kick.

For those of you that don't know, that's Colleen Hoover (who is obviously extremely excited to see us) and musician Tyler Lenius.  Tyler's lyrics are actually showcased in the book "Therapy" by our Diamond Kathryn Perez.  He provided our musical entertainment this weekend, as well as gave hugs at inappropriate times, flashed his nipples in the glass elevators, and provided your general weekend mayhem.

To be fair, mayhem was pretty much provided by all.  I mean, who can predict when your blogging partner is going to molest your baby bum in an awkward fashion that makes everyone around you strangely uncomfortable?

Then again, you can't predict when things are gonna turn out pretty great, either.

The signing itself was a wonderful event full of so many of our favorite authors.  We ran into Diamonds Fisher Amelie who wrote books like "Vain" and "Greed",

And Diamond LB Simmons, who wrote "The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller".

We even saw Diamond Penny Reid, whose newest book, "Elements of Chemistry" is getting ready to release.  Of course I forgot to take a picture with her (blame the pregnancy brain), but hey....I got to pick up an ARC of this beauty, so all is well.

We ran into some newer Diamonds like Teagan Hunter

And some future Diamonds like this one....

More on her to come.

We even got our hands on signed copies of "Confess" by Colleen Hoover, three days before it releases!

Well, Kristin got a signed copy.  I just got the most ironic inscription ever.  (Yeah, I'm talking about you Hoover!  Turns out, we both have memory issues!)

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend full of lots of memories.  Vilma Gonzales puts on a FANTASTIC event and I can't wait to see what she pulls off next year!




Speaking of "Confess",  it releases tomorrow and if you are anxious to get your hands on it, you should be!  

When Colleen Hoover wrote "Maybe Someday", she really broke the mold by incorporating music into the story.  The result was a reading experience unlike any other.  I honestly thought it was a once in a lifetime idea that she could never replicate.  

I was wrong. 

The addition of artwork, actual paintings, into "Confess" once again makes the reading experience so much more than just a reading experience.  It plays on your senses on multiple levels and gives you an experience like no other.

And of course the writing is impeccable.  The story is full of tears and heartache, secrets and twists.  It is typical Hoover brilliance in a very a-typical book.

Just a word of caution, make sure you have your tissues handy when you first crack open the book.  Hoover doesn't ease you in to the emotions.  She throws you into turmoil straight out of the gate.  And it is wonderful.

There's really nothing more I can say about "Confess" except you must read it.  Colleen Hoover truly never disappoints and "Confess" is no exception.  It releases at midnight so pre-order by clicking here.

Colleen Hoover only gets better with every project.  She earns a brilliant

Melissa Brown Proves She's No "Freshman" Author

"Love of My Life Series".

"Wife Number Seven".

And now "Sorority of Three:  Freshman 101".

Melissa Brown continues to prove the she is truly a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie authors.  Because everything she writes turns to gold.

"Sorority of Three: Freshman 101" is no different in that regard.  It is fun.  It's entertaining.  And it beautifully captures the lives of three very different women who have quickly become the best of friends.  

Sunny, Grace and Claudia have all found themselves at college for the first time and have pledged to NOT pledge a Greek sorority.  Instead, they rely on each other for friendship and camaraderie.  Each of them is learning lessons about herself, what she wants out of life and how many risks she's willing to take to get it.

I have to say, I love Ms. Brown's writing.  She's just....flawless.  Each character has her own very distinct voice.  Each character has her own distinct story.  And each character has very different twists and turns as the story lines progress.  I love that.  Far too many authors have characters that sound exactly like each other.  But Ms. Brown does an impeccable job of keeping things very unique for everyone.   

I will say, one of the story lines wasn't my favorite.  Personally, if I can't interchange myself into a story line, it just doesn't really capture my attention that well.  It was well written.  It's just not a particular story line that I gravitate towards no matter who writes it.  HOWEVER, I have to give Ms. Brown props...there were some friendship issues surrounding this story line that were very real and very well done.  And I think her ability to add that element is what kept someone like me, who is picky about her romance scenarios, completely engaged.

Vague enough for you?  I know.  And I'm sorry about that.  But just because it's not my cup of tea doesn't mean it's not yours.  And I don't want to ruin it for you.  So you'll have to wait and see.

"Sorority of Three:  Freshman 101" isn't chock full of angst and I didn't weep angry tears while shaking my fists to the sky.  But I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I enjoyed being the "invisible friend" who got to watch these women learn about life and love.  And I was kind of ticked when it was over because I wanted more!  But alas, I have to wait for the next installment, just like everyone else.

Melissa Brown has quickly become of of my favorite authors.  And I'm looking forward to seeing what sophomore year will entail for my new "friends".  In the meantime, get "So3" for just $0.99 by clicking here.

Brown and her "Sorority of Three" worked hard for a solid and entertaining