Be Prepared - Kathryn Perez is about to Gut You

A while back I wrote a review on Kathryn Perez's book, "Therapy".  In that review, I compared Ms. Perez to Al Pacino and how he is an amazing actor.   I stated that none of his movies will ever compare to "The Godfather", just like none of Ms. Perez's books will ever compare to "Therapy".

I am now eating my words.

"Letters Written in White" exceeds all expectations I had on what Ms. Perez could do with words.  It is brilliant and tragic and beautiful and ugly.  It is a story of every woman and a story of just one.  It is a masterpiece.

The story follows Riah after her death.  She must come to terms with the mistakes she made in her life before she can truly find herself resting in peace.  We watch as she sees the life she left behind, her husband, her children, her neighbors, and the impact her death has had on them.

While Ms. Perez's writing has always been beautiful, "Letter's Written in White" takes it to the next level.  And don't get me started on the formatting.  

Ok, yes...let's discuss that.  The letters our heroine writes in the book are actually written in white on a black background.  The result is not only stunning visually, it makes the words that much more emotional.

"Letters Written in White" is not an easy read.  I wept through a good 75% of it.  But it is almost a necessary read for anyone who has struggled with depression and thought the world would be better off without them.  Because this book gives us a glimpse into the reality of that thought.  The heartbreaking, tragic reality.

I cannon stress enough how important I think this book is.  Grab your tissues, a bottle of water and a quiet place to read.  Then click here to get it and dive in.

You will be gutted.

You will be destroyed.

But you will see the ugly truth of suicide.  And it will make you a better person for it.

Erika Ashby and A.E. Woodward "Impact" Their Readers Once Again

I remember reading "Caught" by Erika Ashby and A.E. Woodward.  I remember thinking what a fantastic read it was and how seamlessly they work together as a collaborating team.

I also very distinctly remember Greg. 

Oh Greg.

The wonderful side character that you want to know more about.

Well, surprise!  Ms. Ashby and Ms. Woodward agreed and decided to bring us his story.  And what a surprise it was!  I talk to Ms. Woodward on a frequent basis and she never once let the cat out of the bag that it was coming.  It was an honest to goodness surprise release for the fans.

I really enjoyed getting to know Greg.  I loved seeing him as a young, overweight kid.  I loved seeing him as a determined tween.  I loved seeing him as a studly teenager.  Frankly, I just loved Greg.

Now here's where Ms. Woodward and I don't necessarily agree.  In the synopsis as listed on Amazon, it distinctly says you must read "Caught" before "Impact".  Like I told her, I kind of wish I had read them in the opposite order.  Why?

Because I enjoyed Greg in "Caught" but I fell in love with him in "Impact".  And I think his story packs more of a punch if you don't already know certain things about him.  And no, it won't ruin "Caught" for you.  There are hints of the storyline, but no huge spoilers that you wouldn't have already figured out by reading the synopsis.

Either way, you should read them both.  Get "Impact" by clicking here. And don't forget to get "Caught" by clicking here.

By far, this series has made a big "Impact" on me.

Sara Ney's Writing Has Nothing to "Hide"

Truth:  Over the last year, Author Sara Ney and I have become very good friends.

Truth:  I mostly like her because I love her writing.

Truth:  Ok, fine.  That was a lie.  I like her for who she is as a person. But I really do love her work.  Her newest novella, "Things Liars Hide" is no exception.

It's the second in the "Three Little Lies" series.  And as always, it's fantastic. 

The story is about Tabitha.  Tabitha has a secret.  A sexy, erotic secret. She's perfectly happy living a double life...until Collin comes along. Collin knows her secret.  Will he let the cat out of the bag?  Or will he use it to his advantage to get the one thing he wants...Tabitha?  Secrets, secrets everywhere...

I love Sara Ney's writing.  It's not overly angsty.  It's not unrealistic drama.  It's genuine characters with genuine problems.  And this time, Collin's one liners will have you entertained until the very end.

You can get "Things Liars Hide" by clicking here.  Is it life altering? No. But it will keep you entertained the whole time and will leave you with a smile on your face.  

This is the part where I would normally give it 4 Diamonds.  But you know what??  You guys know I don't review anything lower than that on the Diamond scale!  So...just read it!

Happy Reading!

Erin Noelle Tells Us Why She Loves When "The Ground Rules" Are Rewritten

Wow. Ummm…okay. Geesh, I’m kinda speechless, and for those who know me, they know that NEVER happens. I just finished "The Ground Rules Rewritten" by Roya Carmen, and I thought it’d be best if I did my review immediately following, in order to best capture my raw emotions, but I can’t seem to find the right word(s) to properly describe how much I love to hate to love to hate this book and these characters.

First off, if you haven’t read book one in this series, "The Ground Rules", you need to do that. It was the very first guest review I did for the blog, and you can find out how much this book rocked my world (Get it by clicking here). A different spin on the love triangle/ square, I was thoroughly impressed with Carmen’s ability to make me feel like I was living the life, experiencing the emotions, right along with the main character.

"The Ground Rules Rewritten" picks up exactly where the story of Mirella, Gabe, Weston, and Bridget left off in the initial book. As I’ve stated in my reviews before, I’m not a fan of book-report-style summaries, so I’ll spare you the play-by-play of what happens. However, as "The Ground Rules" left off with the two couples ending the arrangement between them, obviously the deal is reinstated at the beginning of book two…or there wouldn’t be a need for it. The story would simply have ended.

So here we go again with the emotional roller coaster that occurs when Mirella becomes involved with a man who isn’t her husband, and much like in the first installment, her thoughts and actions jump from one end of the spectrum to another in a matter of seconds. As the entire story is told in only her POV (side note: I usually prefer dual POV stories in romance novels, but for some reason, I really like only getting hers in these books), scenes in "The Ground Rules" were broken into two categories: those with Gabe and/or her daughters and those with Weston, but in this book, we get to see what happens when those worlds collide. And I liked it!

Yes, there were times I wanted to thump Mirella between the eyes and scream at her to stop being a fickle, whiny brat, but for the most part, I understood why she struggled with keeping her emotions in check. I knew going in to the book that there was going to be a third book, and even though I had a pretty good idea of how this one was going to wrap up, I was still left with my mouth hanging open and my heart pounding in my chest.

Now I’m left anxiously (and impatiently) waiting for the next book, having absolutely no idea how in the world Carmen is going to conclude this page-turning series. I’m not even sure I know what I want to happen, but one thing I know for sure, whatever the ending to this story is, more "Ground Rules" are sure to be broken before we get there.

Get it by clicking here.

Colleen Hoover Creates Another Masterpiece

I'll make this short and sweet...

This may be my favorite book of 2015.  It also may be Colleen Hoover's best work to date.

You will not just love this book, you will devour it.  You will laugh and cry and gasp and yell and smile.  And just when you think you've seen the last twist, Hoover will find another way to surprise you.

Get it by clicking here.  Now.  Go.  Hurry.

Trudy Stiles Continues to Bring Us "Epic" Books

The thing that sets Trudy Stiles apart from other authors is her ability to take her own experiences and turn them into a heartfelt story.

Take "Dear Emily" for example.  The letters in "Dear Emily" are real letters she wrote to her daughter as they went through their own adoption process.  To me, that makes the story so much more real and personal.

"Epic Sins" is her latest example of real life experiences come to life.  

It's the story of Garrett and Samantha.  They are thrown together by difficult life circumstances that came in the shape of a newborn, and have to learn how to navigate through it all.  

I so enjoyed watching Garrett learn how to not put himself first.  I so enjoyed watching Samantha learn how to let her guard down.  But the true star of this story was Kai, the baby.  

As a mother of a two month old, I only recently started sleeping through the night (somewhat.  It depends on what your definition of "through the night" is).  We've got all his reflux and protein sensitivities under control, so he doesn't cry unless he's hungry or dirty now.  And he smiles at us, which makes my day every time.

But to watch Kai go through withdrawals was heartbreaking.  To live through the difficulties of parenting a drug addicted baby was fascinating.  And to know it is all bases on real life events, to me, that was the epic part.

There's one other thing that's worth noting.  Several of the characters from Ms. Stiles' "Forever Family" series popped in and out of the storyline as well.  It was fun seeing small follow ups of their lives. Especially Emily.  Seeing her family all together, that made my heart happy.

Overall, "Epic Sins" was a wonderful read.  But I honestly didn't expect anything less.  This story was very personal to Ms. Stiles, and it very much comes through.  You don't want to miss out on seeing the real kinds of struggles real children face.  Get it by clicking here.

And by the way, if you haven't read "Dear Emily" yet, it's another very personal story to her.  One-click it here.  It's free right now!

This was definitely a great beginning to what is sure to be an "Epic" series.

Kristie Cook Joins Others to Bring Us Some Interactive Reading

I have been following Kristie Cook since I randomly found her book "Promise" and fell in love with her stories.  So imagine how excited I was when an ARC of "The Wolves" landed in my Kindle the other day. 

Very excited.  

"The Wolves" follows Sundae Grayson, a werewolf who is ready to leave her pack and explore life on her own.  But that's not how things turn out for this 22-year old.  Due to a series of events involving the Daemoni (those are the bad guys for those of you who haven't read the "Soul Savers" series yet), Sundae is not only forced back into the pack. She's forced to lead it.  Her first act as the leader is a mission that will quite literally, save the world.

While it isn't part of the "Soul Savers" series (one of my absolute favorites), it's a parallel storyline.  And a really good one at that.  It was a treat for me to see that when it comes to saving the world from evil, it takes more than just angels.  It takes courageous acts from all kinds of creatures.

Even if you haven't read the "Soul Savers" series yet (what are you waiting for??  "Promise" is free!!), you will enjoy " The Wolves".  It's a fantastic installment of the "Supernatural Chronicles".  Get it by clicking here for only $0.99.

But that's not all.  Oh no.  This is where things get exciting:

As I was getting ready to write up my review, I noticed "The Wolves" is listed as the second installment in the series.

Huh?

I then noticed that the first installment, "The Skinwalkers" was written by someone else.  Looking even closer, every single installment is written by someone different.  Not knowing why this is, I went ahead and contacted Ms. Cook personally to find out what is going on!  Here's what she said:

"They are a series of books, each written by a different author, each about a different supernatural creature.  The first 9 stories are about a supernatural race given a riddle to solve and they have to bring a relic to the cemetery in New Orleans before the veil between our physical world and the Other one falls."

Well now I'm intrigued.  But guess what?  It gets better:

"The last book, The Noir, wraps up the overall story...Make sure you collect the relics because there is a scavenger hunt at the end with some amazing prizes.  BTW, if you joins us in the Dynamis' Dynamic Readers Facebook group, you'll get all the info and be able to stay on top of all the giveaways and fun."

That.  Is.  Freaking.  COOL!!!

Of course, I immediately added myself to the group.  And you'll want to as well.  This is an amazing interactive concept and I don't think any of us want to miss out.

The book itself was fantastic.  But this...THIS cements the rating: