WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Congratulations to the winner of the signed copy of "Unspoken" by Brenda Rothert.  Our winner, as chosen by Random.org is.....

WhyamIdoingthis

CONGRATULATIONS!!

You have 7 days to email me at chelleauthorstalker@gmail.com to claim your prize!  Please make sure to send me your full name and mailing address.

And if you haven't read "Unspoken" yet, you  need to!  Brenda Rothert is one of my absolute favorites!  You can get it by clicking here.

Happy Reading and Happy Halloween!!

It's a Signed Paperback Giveaway!!!!!

Brenda Rothert was one of our original Diamonds in the Rough when this blog started out last year.  But she's isn't "in the rough" anymore. She is polished and shiny and still one of my favorite authors!

Her latest creation "Barely Breathing" releases in less than two weeks!!!

So to celebrate, we're giving away a signed copy of one of our favs, "Unspoken".

It's easy enough to enter.  Just follow these 3 simple instructions:

1)  "Like" Brenda's author page by clicking here.
2)  "Like" the Diamonds in the Rough page by clicking here.
3)  Comment below with what your favorite Brenda Rothert book is.

See?  Easy!

Winner will be picked at random on Friday!!

Good luck and Happy Reading!

Kristin and I Agree....This is One of the Best Books of 2015!

Kristin here. It’s been a while and life has gotten me off track a little. I’m back now and am so excited about my newest Diamond(s) KL Grayson and BT Urruela who co-authored "A Lover’s Lament".

This book. 

This. 

Book. 

It’s a rare treat for me to find a first time author that I know will be one I follow for the rest of their careers. BT Urruela is one of those authors for me. What he and KL Grayson did with the story is phenomenal. I’m not even sure I have the words to express how much I truly loved this book. The story was seamless, even going back and forth between the two different POVs. For two authors that don’t know each other well, this is an incredible feat to accomplish. I have been kicking myself over the fact that I haven’t read anything by Ms. Grayson until now. I will be remedying that asap.

Anyway, let’s get back to the book! Forget the synopsis and just read this book. Seriously, it’s in my top 5 of the year and I have really high expectations. Like I said earlier, the story is written in alternating POVs; Devin and Katie tell us their story together and it meshes perfectly. We get a glimpse of their childhood growing up together and see how their friendship grew into something more. Of course there’s angst and heartache, but it’s balanced with such realness that you don’t normally see in romance novels. Katie is such a strong female lead and I felt an inseparable bond with her by the end of the book. She’s a character that I wish I could reach into the book and just give a big ole hug. We’re friends now and friends give hugs!

Reading from Devin’s POV was probably my favorite part of the story because he lays it all out there for the readers to see. Nothing is sugar coated or polished to make it easier to handle. We get a look inside the front lines like I’ve never seen before. Several times I could imagine myself right there with him seeing the bullets ricochet off the walls and hearing the explosions ringing in my ears.

This will definitely be a story that stays with me for a while. One I will keep coming back to, reading it over and over until I have it memorized. I am so excited to have added two more authors to my list of Greats and look forward to watching their success continue in the future.  You can get A Lover’s Lament by clicking here.   

By the way, I have picked up two of KL Grayson’s other titles; Where We Belong & Pretty Pink Ribbons. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and she will be donating all proceeds from the sales of these two books to breast cancer research. You can get Where We Belong by clicking here and you can get Pretty Pink Ribbons by clicking here. 

I think it’s fairly safe to say that I enjoyed this book. I give "A Lover’s Lament" 5 shining Diamonds!

Take it From Someone Who Knows..Make Sure You Read Lisa DeJong's Latest Series in the Right Order

I made a fatal mistake when reading this book.

Call it post partum baby brain or just plain ditziness.  But somehow, I didn't realize "Love Unspoken" by Lisa DeJong is Book #2 in the "Flawed Love" series.  For about half of the book, I kept wondering what I was missing.  I was waiting for there to be some flashbacks or some sort of background information to be revealed.  Finally, I figured it out...I was missing the first book.  Hence, why I was so confused.  It wasn't my finest moment.

To be clear, I immediately downloaded "Lies Unspoken" so I could catch up.  But before I continue with my review, if you haven't read "Lies Uspoken",  STOP READING THIS REVIEW and go grab it by clicking here.  It's only $0.99 and it will give you all the background info you need to make "Love Unspoken" a much better read.

Because I read the second book in the series first, I'm recognize that my opinion is going to be a little different than if I had done it right.  So take it for what you will.

"Love Unspoken" is the sequel follow up to the rather screwed up love life of Lila.  She's nursing a really bad break up that left her reeling and is trying to figure out how to move on.  Considering she has a sexy boss that is damn near perfect and really into her, it seems like it should be easy.  But the heart doesn't forget as easily as we'd like it to.

I wish I could say I loved Lila.  I didn't.  I liked her.  I understood her.  I totally got where she was coming from.  But I also felt she was kind of wishy-washy.  She would make up her mind and then change it.  I know we all do that, but I felt bad for all the players involved because of it.

I also didn't care for Blake.  I wanted to.  I really, really did.  Even after going back and reading the first book.  I 100% understood where he was coming from.  He has dealt with lots of crap.  But I wanted to say, "No way, Bucko.  You screwed up so bad, you can't fix this."

Don't misunderstand me.  Lisa DeJong has an amazing way with words.  I have dabbled in writing myself and I kept finding myself thinking, "How does she make the simplest things sound so beautiful?" For the writing alone, I recommend reading the book.  Get it by clicking here.

If you enjoyed the first one, "Lies Unspoken" won't disappoint.  There is heartache.  There are happy moments.  There is closure for everyone involved.  The truth is, you don't have to love a character to be happy they get the best resolution for them.

But take it from me...if you ever pick up a book that says the word "series" anywhere on it, make sure you have read the first one.  I suspect I screwed myself out of enjoying this series more than I already did.

Despite my blunder, the writing alone deserves at least 

Author Jessica Prince is "Transparent" About Her Love For Erin Noelle's Writing

When I first finished reading "Translucent" all I could think was, how in the hell is Erin Noelle going to wrap this story up! 

 

"Translucent" ended in one of the most epic cliffhangers I've ever read, and I've been dying to see Blake and Madden get their HEA. Well, now I can tell you with complete confidence that Erin does NOT disappoint.

 

When we first met Blake in "Translucent" (which you can get for $0.99 by clicking here) she was a broken woman who had suffered unspeakably at the hands of her husband. She was hiding from her past, always looking over her shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

 

In "Transparent", the final installment in this series, we get to see that scared introverted woman grow by leaps and bounds into, for lack of a better word, a total badass. While she might still be scared of the unknown, she's tough. She refuses to take what's happening to her lying down and that was one of my favorite things about reading "Transparent". I loved Blake in book one, but by book two I wanted to BE her. 

 

Now lets talk about Madden...oh sweet, sexy, alpha Madden. In this book we get an up close and personal view of just how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves. Erin Noelle took swoon-worthy to a whole new level when she created Madden Decker. 

 

Now, while I've waxed on poetically about the h/H, there is one other person that was introduced in "Transparent" that I want to discuss with you. Raze. Oh, Raze. What do I say about this character. 

I LOVED HIM! 

Everything about him! 

And when you meet this man, you'll see why. Even for a bad guy, there was just something so magnetic about him that you couldn't help but fall in love. 

 

I've been a fan of Erin's for a while now and I have to tell you, "Transparent" will deliver everything you're wanting in a book, wrapping the "Luminous" series up in a pretty little bow without any loose ends. Get it by clicking here. With the perfect combination of angst, love, and unexpected twists and turns, "Transparent" is just another shining example of why Erin Noelle has the rabid fan base she does. 

She doesn't disappoint.  

Author Shirl Rickman Tells Us Why She Can't Get "Enough" of Dawn L. Chiletz's New Release

 When I was asked to write a review of Dawn L. Chiletz’s latest novel, "Enough", I was thrilled yet nervous. I wasn’t sure that I would ever be able to do the justice it deserves. I wasn’t sure it would be good enough. It was that thought that lead me to recognize what I wanted readers to know about this unique, heart breaking, soul warming story.

Dawn L. Chiletz takes us on a journey through the life of Everly. A woman scarred and broken down by life. A woman who doesn’t believe she is enough for anyone. She isn’t even enough for herself. 

From the very first line of the book, I felt connected to Everly.  I understood her struggle. I had been in her shoes…in her mind once or twice over my life. It was real.

It was in this realistic view of womanhood, motherhood and love that Chiletz allows us to understand and realize we all have our struggles. We all have our insecurities. We all view the person we are through glasses that are marred by scratches and smudges; by imperfections.  Yet, these imperfections are what make us perfect.

While this isn’t your typical romance, I was still swept off my feet. There is so much love. First, the love she has to learn to find within herself then the love she has to be brave enough to accept from another. It’s a perfect blend of sorrow, hope, and romance.

By the end, you’ll be a cheering Everly on while making a commitment to be better to yourself. To be more forgiving. To be more in love with the person that you are each day.  Put aside all of your expectations and set aside uninterrupted time to read and love this book.

You can get it by clicking here.

I give Everly, her story and Dawn L. Chiletz 5 sparkly diamonds and even that isn’t ‘enough’.

AE Woodward Gives Us a "Reprieve" From Over-The-Top Angst

I love angsty books.  I love crying ugly.  I love feeling the intense drama.  I love holding myself back from throwing my Kindle across the room.

But sometimes angst can be overdone.  You know what I mean?  When a situation is so far fetched, or the characters are so immature you find yourself rolling your eyes instead of wiping the tears away from them.

This is where AE Woodward excels. And in her new book, "Reprieve", she proves once again that she can write angst without over doing it.

"Reprieve" follows the life of Tegan, a heroine addict.  We see what caused her downward spiral, watch the reality of her life as she hits rock bottom, and experience the difficulty of recovery.

But "Reprieve" isn't a feel good book about how there's hope beyond addiction.  Oh no.  It's much more than that.  I would say it's motto is more along the lines of "once an addict, always an addict".  And sometimes the easiest way to move past your addiction is to find something else to be addicted to.

In Tegan's case, it's her drug counselor.

But as lines get crossed, Tegan has to figure out when a new addiction is ok and when it's leading back down the same dark and twisted road.

This book was raw and gritty.  It made my gut twist and my heart break.  It was flawless in it's interpretation of the every day life of a drug addict.  And it was gut wrenching to feel the humiliation of coming to terms with the things an addict lowers themselves to.  You really feel Tegan's emotions. And they aren't pretty.

My biggest critique is that the likelihood of the romantic relationship developing in a real life scenario like this is pretty slim.  However, if circumstances were to align the way they did in "Reprieve", it's easy to see how boundaries may get a little blurry.  And for entertainment purposes, it didn't disappoint.

Overall, Ms. Woodward continues to impress me as she breaches topics that other authors shy away from.  And she does it in a way that is neither over the top nor cheesy.  "Reprieve" is just her latest example. You can get it by clicking here.

AE Woodward gives  us a "Reprieve" from over the top, cheesy angst for a gut-wrenching