Blog Tour: Master of Revenge by Sienna Snow
Hosted by RRR PROMOTION
New Release: Alternate Endings
Blog Tour w/Review: Riverflow
I was eager to read this book because I live in a state where fracking is prevalent, and there are always conversations regarding its benefits and detractions. Never having read any of the author’s books before, I wasn’t sure how the topic would be addressed, so I approached with caution – I just hoped it wouldn’t turn into a diatribe (spoiler alert: it didn’t).
I will admit that the beginning seemed very slow to me. I understand that the author had to lay the foundation and let the reader get to know the characters, but it felt like it was too methodical and took too long. I kept wanting the action to kick off.
As I read further, I realized that the author was weaving a very dense web of character relations that would have an impact later in the book. I appreciated the beginning more when I realized it, but still made for a slow start.
The action did pick up some, as the main characters (Bede and Elin) got caught up in the fervor surrounding the fracking. I liked having to figure out what was personal and what could be related to the protests.
I found that Bede’s love/hate relationship to the river made his character most interesting. The river had claimed his uncle’s life (hate), but he and Elin enjoyed being near it and didn’t want the pollution of the fracking (love). His paranoia (or was it?) and actions seemed real, as did his reactions to the events that occurred.
I think this was a perfect example of many peoples’ attitudes toward environmentalism. How far will people go to protect what they love and at what expenses? How does one find a balance between the two? And how does one deal when long-buried secrets come to light, changing everything? There were more than a few twists along the way that kept answers to those questions from being addressed too quickly.
The book ended up being a pretty good read. I would have liked it to move a little bit faster, but I thought the author did a great job of building the tension to the climax of the story (you know me, I don’t like to give away plot points).
Give this one a try – stick with the slow beginning. You’ll be glad you did.
Cover Reveal: Collision
Book Review: A Stranger on the Beach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! Through the first part of it, the author did an outstanding job of planting seeds that made me doubt who was telling the truth and who was lying. At any given moment, I could swing my “allegiance to the truth” between Aidan and Caroline. By Chapter 26, I was convinced that Aidan was a creepy stalker. By Chapter 42, my notes read, “Wth is going on?” and “What’s real and what isn’t?” And by 52, my notes were nothing but “Omg, no way!” (and variations thereof). I cannot stress what a fantastic book this was. It is an absolute page-turner and a perfect “end of summer” novel. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC.
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Book Review: A Stranger on the Beach
You need to go grab this book…NOW!
It started as a reasonably straightforward plot; a woman (Caroline) finds out her husband (Jason) is cheating and finds solace in another man’s (Aidan’s) arms, then deals with the aftermath of the “affair.”
Or is that the truth of the matter?
It isn’t long before events start happening that make both the reader and Caroline question everything. Or should the reader believe Aidan?
The author deftly manipulates the action to keep the characters off-balance, and in turn, that keeps the reader off-balance as well. And that is the beauty of the book. I kept going back to re-read passages to see if I could figure out what was happening. By the time I got to the end, I wanted to read the whole thing over again to find possible clues.
As I mention in my Goodreads review (below), the twists come periodically at first. But roughly halfway through, the tension and the action speed up, and the hits and twist come fast and hard.
Reading this book was the absolute equivalent to a roller coaster. There is a slow build, but then holy hell, hold on to your seats for the rest of the ride.
It’s an excellent page-turner and a great way to spend a few days – especially if you need an escape from the coming school year or pressures of work. Lose yourself in this twisty thriller. You won’t be disappointed.
A Stranger on the Beach by Michele CampbellMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! Through the first part of it, the author did an outstanding job of planting seeds that made me doubt who was telling the truth and who was lying. At any given moment, I could swing my “allegiance to the truth” between Aidan and Caroline. By Chapter 26, I was convinced that Aidan was a creepy stalker. By Chapter 42, my notes read, “Wth is going on?” and “What’s real and what isn’t?” And by 52, my notes were nothing but “Omg, no way!” (and variations thereof). I cannot stress what a fantastic book this was. It is an absolute page-turner and a perfect “end of summer” novel. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC.
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Blog Tour w/ Review: Southern Gentleman
I came to the Charleston Heat series in the second book, so of course, I had to go back and read the first one immediately. Then I was left waiting impatiently for the third one to be released.
I am happy to say that my wait is over, and I was not disappointed.
This time, it’s Julia and Greyson’s story. I loved that they had to work together in spite of butting heads with each other – which was just the adult equivalent of him pulling her pigtails at school because their chemistry is off the charts.
I liked Julia’s profession. I thought it gave the author the opportunity for some great insights into the romance genre. I also liked that her side passion was a nod to her father. That was a small but essential touch that added depth to her character.
I particularly related to Grey’s feelings about relationships and why he was reluctant to enter into anything permanent. I did think that he was a little bit over the top with how people were disappointed in him, but it made sense when evaluating his attitude towards work – he needed to be successful and didn’t like having to settle for anything less.
Also, I want to take a second to acknowledge the details that the author shared about Julia’s pregnancy. For those of us who will never experience it, I thought she did an admirable job of the “warts and all” aspects. I liked how both Julia and Greyson readily admitted that they had no clue about what to expect, but that they were strong enough to recognize what they wanted.
As always, the sexy scenes are incredibly hot – the author is one of the queens of building that tantalizing burn that gives you that swoop in your stomach as you realize the feelings between the characters.
This is another excellent read in a fantastic series. I hope she keeps finding couples to focus on for a while yet. I’m not ready to let these go.
Southern Gentleman by Jessica PetersonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love me the boys of Charleston Heat, and this book is no exception. I especially appreciated the depth of the characters and the events that shaped their relationship. While the unexpected pregnancy trope is popular (no spoilers, it’s right there in the title info), the author cuts right to the point. The “Oh no, what should I do” doesn’t take up half the book, which I appreciated. We got to jump right into how Julia and Grey were going to deal with the pregnancy and beyond. I also appreciated that the expected sexy times were as hot as always. Another winner from Jessica Peterson! For more thoughts on this 5-star read, visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was written based on a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.
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Blog Tour w/Review: Clear My Name by Paula Daly
This book drew me in right away with the premise of Innocence UK, a group that takes cases in which people may be imprisoned unjustly. I have always been fascinated with how “justice” works, so this looked very promising.
I thought Tess was an interesting character. It was apparent that she had issues of her own and used her job as a way to avoid dealing with her problems. However, when her latest case caused her to visit the town in which she grew up. Past and present collide to make one page-turner of a book.
The plot was well-paced. There was enough action to keep everything moving along, but it was methodical and didn’t feel like details were crammed in. Everything unfolded in a natural way, which I appreciated.
I also liked the way the author interspersed the flashbacks for both Carrie (the “case” that Tess is working on) and for Tess herself. The characters were similar in many ways, and the backstories of each woman illuminated the parallels. That being said, the method also gave me just enough information to keep me guessing and second-guessing what I thought I knew. I love it when a book does that.
Of course, this being a crime novel, I’m not going to give away the ending, but I will say it’s a good one. There were also a few twists that I did not see coming (I think one of my notes was “Oh, no WAY did that just happen!”) If you are looking for a cracking good entertaining novel to get you through the end-of-summer doldrums, pick up Clear My Name. A definite five stars. You won’t be disappointed.
Blog Tour w/Review: Simply Irresistible
There was so much to like about this book; I am not exactly sure where to start.
Romances often involve conflict, or tragedy, or somebody needing to be healed by the love of the perfect person. Those all work as tropes in the genre. But sometimes it is nice to have a simple romance that harkens back to an “easier” time, to when romance was just a guy and a girl meeting and falling in love. Simply Irresistible is that type of book.
Melanie and Tyler work in the same building for two different magazines and have noticed each other from afar. Once they meet, the romance starts as they have friendly arguments over which decade is better, the 80s (her opinion) or the 90s (his).
As they meet each other’s families and their relationship progresses, they suffer a few ups and downs, both professionally and personally. The whole plot reminded me of a movie from their favorite decades. I got a definite “Never Been Kissed” vibe from the interplay between the two. A significant plot point even directly references “Sleepless in Seattle.” The author did a great job with creating the atmosphere to keep the reader in this frame of mind.
That would probably be my only complaint about this book. I wish that Melanie and Tyler had more discussions about the decades they loved. I would have enjoyed reading more perspectives from both.
In case you haven’t guessed by now, I’m an 80s gal, but have a soft spot for the 90s as well. This book was right up my alley and was a refreshing change from some of the other books I’ve read lately. I highly recommend this book even if you’re not a fan of the decades. You’ll love Melanie and Tyler. Thank me later 😉