Rosalind James Takes Us To A Different Kind of Paradise

There are two reasons I usually decide to one-click on a freebie:  it looks really angsty or it looks kind of cute.  I picked up "Welcome to Paradise" by my newest Diamond, Rosalind James when it was free because of the latter.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out it wasn't cute.  It was just flat out good!

There are three books in "The Kincaids" series and all of them have great writing, interesting characters and a different premise than most of the books out there.  In fact, check out the synopsis as seen on Amazon for the first book in the series:

"Mira Walker is hoping that competing on a 'living history' reality show will give hr what's missing from her real life.  Maybe she'll get closer to her boyfriend, who hasn't been all that nice to her lately.  Get fired up about her job again.  Who knows, she might even win a million dollars.

Gabe Kincaid and his brother Alec are after that million too, though.  Mira and Scott are no threat at all, not when everybody involved is going to want to kill Scott after the first day.  And there's no bong stronger than a twin's.  What could possibly go wrong?"

I read these books several months ago, and yet, I still remember them very vividly.  I could tell you the story line without even looking.  So I know they made an impression on me.

I'm honestly really sad there are only three Kincaid children.  As a series, it was so much fun and so entertaining.  It was just...relief.  And an escape from the everyday world with virtually no love triangles!

I will admit, Alyssa (the sister) made me crazy sometimes, but I liked watching her grow and mature.  And there were a few times the writing got a little wonky and I had to reread a paragraph or two to make sure I didn't miss anything.

But overall, I LOVE THESE BOOKS!!  You can get book one, "Welcome to Paradise" by clicking here.

Rosalind James' series titled "The Kincaids" gets an easy, breezy

Who Likes Signed Books? (We Do!) How Do We Like Them? (FREE!!)

Well then we are all in luck!  Because the fabulous Diamond, Mara Jacobs, has provided us with a copy of both of these books:

If you can't see the titles, that's "In Too Deep" and "In Too Fast", the first two books in the "Freshman Roommates Trilogy".  I just finished reading both books this week and they are fabulous.  I'm can't wait for the third one in the series to come out!!

We are given BOTH books away to one lucky winner!!  (Toddler not included)  To enter into the contest, simply comment below and tell me the last Mara Jacobs book you read.  And yes, the contest is open internationally.

Winner will be chosen Friday by Random.org.  GOOD LUCK!! 

Author Michelle Pace Tells How A Rookie Mistake Left Her Feeling "Unsettled"

My friend and author, Michelle Pace is our newest guest reviewer.  You can guess what series she recently read based on the picture above.  But before I give her the floor, here's the synopsis as seen on Amazon:

"Lizzie O'Malley, a 23-year-old free spirit, is on a mission to find her purpose in life.  In the summer of 2000, she returns home to Boston to begin a life that she can be proud of.  On her first night out on the town, tragedy strikes and she finds herself the cause the emotional wreckage.  Instead of dealing with the consequences, she loses herself in a man she met that night.

Teagan Gallagher, a 22-year-old college student from Ireland, spends that same summer in Boston, working towards his degree and partying his way through the city.  One night, he finds a beautiful American girl that he is desperate to spend the summer with.

Together Teagan and Lizzie learn the ins and outs of an unconventional relationship.  It isn't until their relationship is in too deep that it becomes impossible for either to run away."

Well, there ya go.  So, without further ado, here is Michelle Pace:

Gonna level with ya.  I'm an author, so I listened to the audio books while commuting, while I pay bills, with my mind numbing and soul-sucking day job.

Alisa Mullen's leading lady, Lizzy O'Malley is a true, modern, three-dimensional heroine.  I wanted to hug her and bitch slap her - sometimes in the same scene!

I  made the rookie mistake of downloading book two and listening to it before book one.  DO NOT DO THIS!!!  "Unsettled" is book one and it is a great book.

But "Unchosen"?  Fan-fu*king-tastic with a Capitol fu*k.  

Well written (how refreshing), engaging, and just plain good.  Angst, humor, juice, etc.

My only complaint for book two was that the dialogue lacked contractions, and when the chick reading it tried to sound Texan, it was tragic.  Otherwise, read, read, READ!!!

Chelle here.  I think she wants us to read this series.  What do you think?  To make sure you don't make Michelle's "rookie mistake", I'll make it easy.  You can get book one, "Unsettled" by clicking here.

I think it's a safe bet that Michelle gives this entire series

Lydia Petersen's Debut Novel is Just Her Beginning

Action.  Adventure.  Humor.  Some romance.  Put it all together, add a bit of magic and you have a great story by my newest Diamond Lydia R. Petersen called "The Seven Thrones:  Book One of the Epta Chronicles."

This is a fantasy/paranormal novel.  To give you an idea of what kind of paranormal it is, take a look at the synopsis as written on Amazon:

"Lady Athelia is thrust into a world of responsibility and intrigue as she is chosen by the Council to serve as one of the seven rulers of Epta.  Embarking on a quest to save the life of one of her subjects, she much learn who among her new companions can be trusted and who among her old friends will remain loyal.  Will they discover the traitor in time?  Will the young rulers have the wisdom to be the defenders of Epta?  Who among them will survive?"

The story is well written and just so smart.  The voice in my head read the entire thing in a British accent, because that's how it reads....like a sophisticated work of art written by someone with a degree in creative writing.

Surprisingly, though, the author is just 16 years old.

WHAT?!?!?!  Yep.  I'll be following her closely.  If she can write this fantastic book at 16, I can only imagine what she'll be writing at 26!

Now, the beginning started off a bit slow.  And a couple of the character names were so similar that when they were both discussed in a scene, it could get confusing.  But other than that, it was wonderful.  The visual descriptions Ms. Petersen created were so vivid, I could actually imagine this being a box office hit.  If it was done the right way, it could be a stunning movie.

"The Seven Thrones" was entertaining and kept me wanting to know more about the characters. And with absolutely no foul language and nothing even remotely close to overly romantic scenes, I feel perfectly comfortable and confident putting this on my 12 year old daughter's Kindle for her to read.  

Whether you or your child or both read it, you'll love it.  You can get it by clicking here.

I predict Lydia Petersen is going to have a long and very successful career.  She earns a magical

Abigail Barnette Proves Why She's "The Boss" With this Great Series

I don't go looking for erotica to read.  It's not my thing.  But I go into most books without reading the synopsis so sometimes I run across it.  

I will admit, I read "50 Shades of Grey" voluntarily and loved it.  I liked that if you took all the sex scenes out, you still had a great story about a very wounded man.  You were intrigued about his history and what led him to feel comfortable with his lifestyle.  And in some very strange way, their relationship was really sweet.

That's why I'm really digging "The Boss" series by Abigail Barnette.  It is chock full of ridiculously hot sex scenes.  But if you were to take all of those scenes out, the story and the writing are just fabulous.  I may even go as far as to say I like it better than "50".  GASP!

You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.

Ms. Barnette's twists are so much better than the plethora of stories with the similar preface....super hot billionaire meets young virginal girl and shows her the wily ways of hot sex.

Sure, the hero in "The Boss" is a billionaire.  But he's in his 40's.  Yes, she's young but she's got the mouth of a sailor and has no desire to be anything but independent for the rest of her life. The dialogue is witty and fun.  The characters are very well developed.  The story line is just so well done.

I do have to insert a couple of disclaimers here:
~This series is DEFINITELY classified as erotica.  They are probably the most sexually explicit books I've ever read.  (sorry mom)  If that makes you uncomfortable, stay away.  These will be too much for you.
~The second installment titled "The Girlfriend" covers some extremely sensitive issues.  To eliminate spoilers, I won't mention what those are, but you can find out pretty quick just by reading some of the reviews on Amazon.  While I didn't LIKE the way one of those story lines ended up, it was interesting to me to read the thought process of someone who doesn't think like me.  So read at your own risk.

My only critique is that there is too much sex.  With this series, the story line is so good, it just doesn't need it.  But I'm perfectly content skimming my way through those parts to get to the rest.

Oh and did I tell you?  The first one titled "The Boss" is free just by clicking here.

Abigail Barnette shows she really is "The Boss" with her series that earns

LL Collins Breaks the Mold with "Breaking Free"

Novellas can be hit or miss.  Sometimes they're too short and you are left wanting more.  But LL Collins knocked it out of the park with "Breaking Free".  

"Breaking Free" is the final book in the "Living Again" series.  For me, all of the books were good.  A little on the wordy side, but entertaining non-the-less.  But then "Breaking Free" happened.  And just....wow.  Read the synopsis as listed on Amazon and then I'll explain further:

"Alexis Carson-Nichols has had what anyone would describe as an idyllic childhood.  She has great parents, little brothers and sister that mean the world to her, and friends that are always there for her.  As she graduated from high school and gets ready to go to college, she feels like she has the world at her fingertips.  She can't wait to experience life as a young adult.  Maybe even get a boyfriend...as long as her school comes first.
What she doesn't expect is to meet Greer Henderson.  Greer hasn't had a life anything like Alexis'.  Sure, he's had the parents that loved him, but that was about it.  He's never been understood or even tolerated.  He's spent his life in a constant state of inner chaos and outer turmoil.  See, Greer has Aspergers.  When he finally gets up enough courage to take a few classes at his local college, he becomes lab partners with Alexis.  He things she's the most beautiful person he's ever laid eyes on, but he knows she won't want anything to do with him. None of the kids ever do.  But if there's one thing he's good at, it's science.
As Alexis tried to break through Greer's tough exterior and understand his idiosyncrasies, she realizes that Greer may just be teaching her more than she could ever imagine, and changing her life in insurmountable ways.  Can Alexis teach others how to love and accept Greer, even if he's different?  And can Greer, through Alexis, realize that all of his dreams are within his reach and that's he's worthy of love after all"

My son has Asperger's, albeit much higher functioning than our hero.  So I recognize that I may just be a sucker for books like this.  But frankly, I thought it was really, really well done.  Each chapter is from either Alexis' or Greer's perspective and you can feel the difference in the writing. You really feel like you are in Greer's head and seeing the world the way he does, which is not an easy feat. I'm wildly impressed that LL Collins was able to pull it off and in such a heartfelt way. I ached for Greer.  I cheered for him.  I found myself mentally encouraging him.  And I was so thrilled that he found someone so perfect for him, who loved him just the way he was.  Maybe that's just me being an encouraged mom, but it was great.

LL Collins doesn't recommend reading "Breaking Free" as a stand alone book, so if you are interested in starting from the beginning, you can pick up the box set by clicking here.  It's $5.99 which really isn't bad for 4 complete novels and a novella.

However, if you never read another LL Collins book, I highly recommend you pick up "Breaking Free" by clicking here.  It is absolutely worth it.

LL Collins breaks through my picky reading ways to give "Breaking Free" a solid

JB Salsbury Fights to the Top Again with "Fighting the Fall"

One of the things that makes me crazy about books is when an author takes too many elements, character issues if you will, and tries to cram them all into the same story.  Almost always the story comes across as sort of bi-polar.  Is it a story about a girl with abandonment issues?  Is it  a story about a guy with tremendous guilt he can't let go of?  Do they love each other or not?  ACK!  I have whiplash!

That's what makes JB Salsbury stand out against the rest.  She can take all the issues listed above, add in concern about an age difference, some brain damage, death and bullying, and still make it work.  Her writing and ability to incorporate all those elements is virtually seamless. And it stays very true-to-life in how those elements really do intertwine in every day interactions. 

Here's the synopsis as seen on Amazon:

"The toughest fighters aren't created in the octagon but are born of necessity.  When life delivers blow after punishing blow, you fight back or get destroyed.

Eve Dawson has had her fill of bad luck.  A string of unhealthy relationships has left her angry, bitter, and frustrated.  She's given up on being happy and settles for content. 

Swearing off men, she repels advances and makes herself a challenge to even the most persistent suitors.  After all, how much can the fragile human heart take?  But life isn't finished with her, and when things can't possibly get worse...they do.

Stay on your feet.

It's Cameron Kyle's motto, but with his fighting career ripped from his grasp, a child he wasn't strong enough to save, and a marriage that even the brawn of a heavyweight couldn't hold together, it's getting harder and harder to stay upright.  He takes on the position of CEO of the UFL, intent on hiding his biggest weakness in order to forge a path that leads him back into the octagon.

When an old rival mysteriously gets wind of Cameron's plan to fight again, he comes out of retirement to settle old debts, but secrets, lies, and betrayal threaten to deliver the death-blow. The distraction of a sass-mouthed girl seventeen years his junior is the last thing he needs until a tragic accident shatters the firm foundation of his resolve and he realizes just how far he's fallen.

Will they risk it all and fight to be together?

Or does defeat lie within the fall?"

This book had me feeling for both Cameron and Eve from the very beginning.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't shed at least a couple of tears from the emotions that gripped me.  I just wanted to hug them both.

Plus, it's hot.  Really hot.  And I don't just mean because the story is set in Las Vegas.  No...Ms. Salsbury can write sexual tension like no other.  

My only real big critique is the scene and follow up regarding our hero's horrific guilt.  I expected more conversation when he finally confesses to the heroine.  I expected her to ask questions instead of jumping to a massive conclusion so quickly.  The resolution of that seemed a bit quick to me as well.  

But it didn't take away from my overall love of the book, and this series.  It is a fantastic addition to the "Fighting Series" which you can get for $.99 by clicking here.  Yep.  It's the entire box set for that price.  And you'll be happy to know, they can all be read as stand alones.  Even though, you won't want to read just one.

"Fighting the Fall" goes live tomorrow.  In the meantime, you can pre-order by clicking here.  If you love a good alpha male and love a story about MMA style fighters, you won't be disappointed.

Once again, JB Salsbury finds herself in a winning situation and earns