March 26, 2020

March 26, 2020April 3, 2020

Blog Tour (Review): Attracting Aubrey by Avery Flynn

I read a lot of different genres, but I realized that it had been a while since I read some lighthearted romances. This book, along with its companions (more on that later), was a perfect choice.

**Download your copy today!**
Amazon: https://amzn.to/36wbySJ
AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2FuY4KW
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/AttractingAubrey
Nook: http://bit.ly/2tK1GWM
Kobo: http://bit.ly/306Q3FQ
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UfZQYS

Aubrey and her four best friends from college go on a singles cruise together. For her, it’s a chance to get away from the bakery she runs. Little did she know that she would be wrapped up in some deceit and romance so quickly into the cruise.

Carter is a movie star who is taking the cruise as proof that he can disappear into his character and become unrecognizable. What happens when he gets pulled into Aubrey’s prank on her friend before the ship even sets sail?

I’m not going to give away the answer to that question. But I will say it is a simple set up in a fun location, with likable characters.

I liked Aubrey’s sass. She’s obviously the “bad girl” of the group, but she seemed like fun. I liked the interplay between her and Carter. The dialogue was snappy, and the chemistry was off the charts hot.

As someone who cruises a lot, I could nitpick quite a few details about the cruise itself, but that’s not the focus of the book. I understand that’s the situation that the characters were put in, and the authors had to make the best of it.

Note that I said authors (plural). There are five books in this…I am not sure what to call it. Not exactly an anthology, but not a series either. Different authors wrote each book, and each one focuses on one of the friends. As I read and review, I will link to each of them here: Kissing Kendall, Gaming Grace, Loving Liv. (Blog tours on differing dates, so links may take a while – there will be no review on Beguiling Benjamin).

If you’re looking for something for a brain break, give these books a try.

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About Avery Flynn

USA Today bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip.

She fell in love with romance while reading Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory books. It wasn’t long before Avery had read through all the romance offerings at her local library. Needing a romance fix, she turned to Harlequin’s four books a month home delivery service to ease the withdrawal symptoms. That worked for a short time, but it wasn’t long before the local book stores’ staff knew her by name.

Avery was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs.

March 26, 2020March 23, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): The Girl I Thought I Knew by Kelly Heard

I love it when a book title has multiple meanings, and this one is no exception.

Is the girl Daisy, as the person she thought she was growing up? Is it Daisy as others have seen her? Or is it Stella, her best friend from childhood? Or is it somebody else altogether?

A lot is going on in this story, but it all hinges on one event at the beginning of Daisy and Stella’s senior year of high school. Repercussions follow both girls over the years, ultimately bringing Daisy back to the small town she grew up in to confront the past.

I thought the author did an excellent job of setting the scene and laying out the details of Daisy’s life. The interspersal of “Before” chapters dovetailed nicely with the “Now” chapters without seeming choppy or taking me out of the flow of current events.

I liked Daisy as a character and as a person. Although it seemed as if there were times that she tended towards the melodramatic, once her entire story was revealed, it became obvious as to why she acted the way she did.

Stella did not play as big of a part as I expected her to, given the taglines and descriptions. But I did like her choices that were the catalyst for the journey into the past undertaken by Daisy. (It sounds convoluted, but it makes sense in the course of the book).

I also thought that the whole reveal was a little bit of a throwaway, given the build-up through the entire book to that point. After everything Daisy had endured over 17 years, it was all explained away in just a few pages. I wish there had been just a little bit more depth to that.

That being said, I did like Daisy’s overall journey, especially as she realizes that she is stronger than she (or anyone) has ever given her credit for being. She had the courage to stick to her convictions, even as everyone else ridiculed or diminished her abilities. On that note, although I initially thought that Anderson’s part in the story was contrived, I found the chapter from his perspective to be ultimately satisfying.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and was turning pages late into the night to finish. (I also love that the author isn’t too far from me, so the world she describes was familiar). I would definitely recommend it.

Author Bio

Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Kelly Heard now lives in Richmond with her husband, spoiled house cat, and two-year-old daughter. She writes poetry, adult fiction, and creative nonfiction. When she is not writing or reading, Kelly enjoys spending her time gardening, cooking, and playing the ukulele for her toddler.

March 26, 2020March 26, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): The Break Up by Tilly Tennant

Happy to be kicking off this blog tour. Sorry for the delay on the review. But here it is!

I actually like the original title for this book (A Cat Called Cupid) better because it highlights who the real star of this book is: Fluffy/Satchmo. As evidenced early on, there is nothing more comforting than a kitty purr. A cat’s nature is what makes this story work as a whole.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08423K71C
Apple: https://apple.co/2G6oZxf
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2RAGGdF
Google: http://bit.ly/37gL9Zt

Oh, there are humans as well, and they are the main story. Lara has a typical rom-com shocker at the beginning, but the author doesn’t waste time with her moping around. In the second chapter, we are already a year later, and Lara has moved on – for the most part.

She came across as extremely likable and realistic. While she starts a business that seems counter-intuitive (wedding planning), she seems to excel at it. But at the same time, she is not impervious to the feelings that come from her boyfriend/best friend issues. Her reactions were natural.

I had a harder time getting a handle on Theo….until his scene with Great Aunt Emma at Chloe’s wedding (and boy was Chloe a piece of work). That scene grabbed me in a way that few do. All at once, I had everything I needed to know about Theo. Nothing else that he said or did mattered. His treatment of Emma was it for me.

I liked the author’s style of writing. The history of locations and detailed descriptions gave the story depth and made it easier to picture the action. In fact, the best thing about a book like this was feeling like I was “reading a movie.” I especially like that in a rom-com over any other genre. This book definitely wins on that front.

But do yourself a favor and go pick up this new release today; it’s the perfect fix for any blues you may have.

Author Bio:

Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.

Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her next Tilly Tennant novel. She also writes as Sharon Sant, where she explores the darker side of life, and Poppy Galbraith, where things get a little crazier.