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 

Sales, Sales and More Sales!

Who doesn't love a good sale?  And there are lots of them these days!  So get your one-clicking fingers ready.  Here are some of our favs:

Deep Down by Brenda Rothert

Just $0.99 for you to meet the Lockhard Brothers.  Trust me...they're worth it.

The Boyfriend Series Box Set by Erin Noelle

Our favorite guest reviewer has the entire box set on sale for just $0.99!  This is next on my TBR.

Letters Written in White by Kathryn Perez

This highly anticipated novel is on sale during the pre-order for just $2.99.  Once it goes live, the price jumps to $3.99.  Either way, you better believe I'll be reading it!

Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid

If you haven't jumped on the Penny Reid bandwagon, now is a great time to do it.  Her very first novel is FREE!!

Promise by Kristie Cook

This paranormal series is absolutely addicting.  And you have nothing to lose when trying it out because the first book in the series is always FREE!

Arouse by Nina Lane

This was my very favorite series read of last year.  You're in luck...the first installment is FREE!

La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust by CD Hussey

This FREEBIE was a really fun read.  Especially when I got to the twist that I never, ever saw coming.  Great Halloween read!

What If by Bayli Lane

This fantastic read was on my Top 10 list for last year.  For just $0.99, it is a steal.

Remember When by T. Torrest

Wonderful, wonderful series.  It's a top read for this year.  The fact that the first installment is FREE is just icing on the cake!

Worth the Weight by Mara Jacobs

If you haven't met Mara Jacobs yet, you must!  Her writing is effortless.  It's effortless on your part, too, since her first installment is FREE!

Here's to Tomorrow by Teagan Hunter

This newbie author has some great stories to tell.  For just $1.99 you can see what I'm talking about.

Picking up the Pieces by Jessica Prince

While I think this is the old cover, the price is new.  This is the book Jessica herself forbid me to read until my pregnancy hormones stabilized.  But even she couldn't stop my one-click finger from picking up this FREEBIE!

Guest Reviewer Erin Noelle Tells You Why You Should Dive in and Get "Wet"

Before I begin this review, let me start off by telling you how much I LOVE doing these guest reviews. As an indie-author myself, it brings me great joy to spread the love and introduce readers to little gems I find in my personal reading. There are so many new authors in the self-publishing world that I think people often are nervous about the quality of work they’ll get with an unproven product, and rightfully so. Well have no fear people, that’s why I’m here, and today I have a debut novel by Stacy Kestwick for you that you’re doing to want to dive right in to…and get "Wet".

Book One in "The Water’s Edge Series" begins with Sadie, a twenty-something year old girl, who has picked up and moved to Reynold’s Island, a South Carolina barrier island, to live with her best friend, Rue, after her P.O.S. boyfriend did what most P.O.S. boyfriends do. Taking whatever she can get on the job front, she pushes her training as a photographer to the side and becomes a lifeguard at the Water’s Edge Resort, where she meets and becomes friends with one of the local islanders, Theo.

            

Rue and Theo both push her to break out of the funk that usually follows an unexpected breakup, and through going out with them to the island’s popular hang-out spots, she meets West Montgomery, resident cocky-as-shit-because-I-know-I-look-good bastard. And of course, that’s where the fun begins.

            

From the very first page, I fell in love with the writing style and the heroine’s voice in the story. The flow is perfectly-paced and the dialogue is easy and natural, providing for realistic character development. The witty humor intertwined around a moderate amount of drama and angst had me turning the pages like a crazy woman. I mean who doesn’t like a book about spending steamy, summer island nights with a hot-as-sin boat captain and your choice of Krispy Kreme doughnuts or phallic-shaped pancakes the morning after?

            

Now before you go read this book, get to the end, and then come screaming at me about the cliffhanger… I KNOW!!! Believe me. I really f*cking know, and have already had that same reaction. But in case you missed earlier in the review, I did mention this is Book One of Two in Sadie and West’s story, and the second installment, "Soaked", is scheduled to come out late 2015 (which isn’t very far away). Personally, I’m a fan of cliffies because I love the anticipation it builds in me when I know the next installment is getting ready to come out. When a book is this good, I’ll have no problems reading it again, probably picking up even more the second go-round, right before the conclusion is released. 

I hope you’ll feel the same way and take a chance on getting "Wet"! You can get it by clicking here.

Mara Jacobs' Books are Always "Worth" Reading

My very first blog post was about an author no one had told me about before.  Her name was Mara Jacobs and I randomly found her when I picked up her book "Worth the Weight" for free.  I fell in love with the book and promptly one-clicked the rest of them.

So imagine my excitement when I saw a new installment in what is arguably one of my very favorite series'.  (On a side note, I have no idea why I wasn't counting down the days until it released.  How I missed it, I'll never know.  But it made for a great surprise!)

I wish I could give an accurate description of "Worth the Price", but the synopsis does it better than I ever could.  So here it is:

"Liv Beck loved her husband desperately, but that wasn't enough to keep him.  A failed marriage has taught her what's important, and how to get what she wants.  Unfortunately, she'll need her ex-husband's help to get it.

Twain Beck has dealt with the guilt of his divorce for seven years. Now he can finally make it up to Liv by giving her the one thing she wants most.  But is the price too high?

Spending time together reminds Liv how much she always loved Twain, but she knows she needs to protect her heart this time.  Twain can't understand these new feelings he's developing for Liv.  Could he be falling in love with his ex-wife?

Is trying again...Worth The Price?"

The thing I love about Mara Jacobs' writing is that it is effortless. There is no added drama for the sake of over the top angst or a gut-wrenching climax.  That's not to say you don't feel emotion when you read her books.  You absolutely do.

But what sets them apart is that they are realistic.  The relationship Twain and Liv have could be that of any divorced couple.  The emotions you feel when you find out the truth of why they split in the first place don't come from a place of throw-your-kindle-across-the-room shock.  They come from a place of genuine grief because you've connected with the characters in a very real way.

Add onto it, "Worth the Price" beautifully reiterates that no one ever really knows why a marriage crumbles except the two people in the marriage...no matter how much speculation there may be.  And no matter what they let you believe.

My only critique is what my BFF Allison said when she finished..."I need an epilogue!"  Well, I agree.  But I could also use 15 more chapters, another installment and maybe a live in housekeeper.  But alas, I have to defer to Ms. Jacobs on this one.  Only she knows when the story is actually over so I trust her judgement.  

Either way, you won't be disappointed.  You can get "Worth the Price" by clicking here.  And rest assured, while the entire series is fantastic, they can each be read as stand alone novels.  But...why would you want to do that???

Once again, Mara Jacobs has proven why her books are always "Worth" it for a solid

 

I Can't "Remember When" I Enjoyed a Series So Much

If you are like me, you are probably afraid to count how many books are on your ereader.  Personally, my TBR list is longer than I could possibly ever get through and just the thought of missing out on something brilliant causes me anxiety.  What can I say...it's a curse.

On the flip side, having a zillion books to choose from means sometimes I end up finding something spectacular that I missed when it was first released.

That's how I found the "Remember When" series by T. Torrest the other day; I randomly selected a book that looked intriguing and dove in.

After devouring what was one of the best books I've read in a while, I promptly one-clicked the rest of the books in the series (it's a trilogy) and finished them all in less than two days.  At one point, I actually put the last book down and walked away because I didn't want it to end.  I had to prolong it for a while.

So let's back up for a minute.  What makes these books so great?  

Easy.  The writing.

"Remember When" is told from Layla's point of view as she tells the story of her relationship with Trip Wiley, the hottest male actor in Hollywood.  

Part One is about their relationship in high school, way back in 1990, before Trip ever went to California.  The details are spot on, from big hair and stretch pants to the pop-culture references, which makes it fun.  But the writing is so brilliantly done that by the time you get to Part Two, when Trip is a movie star, it doesn't come across as cheesy or unrealistic.  The characters, and therefore the readers, always knew Trip was destined for great things.  He was always charismatic and stood out from the rest.  So his fame isn't a shock to anyone inside or outside of the story.

Parts Two and Three concentrate on Layla and Trip's attempts at rekindling their relationship while in the Hollywood spotlight.  While not a new concept, what makes this one stand out from the rest is the fact that these two can't figure out how to get it right.  That makes for an extremely realistic story.  And let's face it...how many times have you sat back after finishing a book and thought "Well that resolved itself too quickly, didn't it?"  

"Remember When", however, took it's time.  It didn't rush as we took a journey through heartache and unconditional love.  It didn't gloss over looking at insecurities we all would face under these circumstances.  

Hands down, "Remember When" is one of my top reads this year.  I adored the series, adored the characters and now, I adore T. Torrest's writing.

You can get "Remember When: Part One" by clicking here.  It's free on Kindle, so you've got nothing to lose!  Even if you opt not to read Parts Two and Three, you won't regret reading the first installment.  If for no other reason, than to relive high school, '90's style.

I can't "Remember When" the last time I enjoyed a series so much that all three books received