Monday 28 November 2016

One of my favourite authors ...

Chelle Bliss is one of my favourite contemporary romance authors.  I am supporting the cover reveal of one of her newest books - Dirty Secret.  It is a stand alone novel, although it does share side characters with other books in the series.

To celebrate I've added a little something to my sidebar. 

If you like contemporary romance with a bit of steam (be warned these aren't clean romances) two of Chelle's books are free on Amazon.  Throttle Me can be found here and here.

I forget how much I enjoy Chelle's books whilst I'm waiting for the next one to come out.  I'm hoping this is as enjoyable as the rest.

Monday 21 November 2016

And now for something completely different - a book review.

A book I had the pleasure of reading recently was 'To Save Him' by the wonderful Jade C Jamison.  I've read several books in her 'Bullet' series, which are Rock Star Romances unlike any usual Rock Star Romance.  That is because her books are much more about the growth and development of the heroine/hero with love and romance being a very minor part of the tale.

To Save Him is described as a May to December Romance, but the romance part is almost a side theme in what is a very complex, captivating and hope filled story of letting go but also of finding yourself.  For me it was genuinely a 'can't put it down' read.  Why?  Because the characters were so well written that you really care about them, the story leaves you second and third guessing through to the end (and over more than one thing!) and it was nice to read a story where the heroine could be your best friend (or even yourself if you weren't already happily married).

I've reviewed the book on Goodreads, Amazon US and Amazon UK (though they all say the same thing - I'm lazy like that).  Here's what I said

Oh my goodness this is one of the best books I have read this year. Jade C Jamison has outdone herself with this amazing offering.

At times I wasn't sure what genre of book I was reading and whilst this sounds like the story would be disjointed and not work, it most certainly wasn't and it did. The twists and turns, the suspense, the hot sex scenes and the amazingly written characters all add up to a riveting and captivating read.

If you are a fan of Ms Jamison you will know that her books are not typical 'will they, won't they' romances but are much more focused on the growth of the characters she writes about, and the developing (or not) relationship between them. There are some very steamy and kinky sex scenes in the book but they do fit into the plot and are a minor part of the story. In fact I was almost a little disappointed that there weren't more of them! However the tense plot line picks up for the last third of the book and hot sex scenes would have been out of place.

I have to say that this isn't the book you would expect from something described as a 'May to December Romance'. There were lots of occasions through this book when I really wasn't sure of how the story would develop and I was almost tempted to flick to the 'last page' to see how the story would finish. I'm glad I didn't but I ended up reading very late into the night, and whilst eating my breakfast etc. in my desperation to know how the story would develop (much like Brandon does when reading one of Kimberley's books!)

Thank you Jade C Jamison for having gifted me an advanced review copy of this book, it was an honour to receive it and a pleasure to read and review it.

Below is a little more information provided by the author, a little peak at the book - and some links too.  It's good to be back - hopefully this will kick start me into blogging again.


Title: To Save Him

Author: Jade C Jamison

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 21
Add to your TBR: http://bit.ly/2g4qSeF

Synopsis
A new look at the May-December romance…
She said she would do anything to save him…but will it cause her to lose herself?
What if she was wrong?  What if Brandon Abbott is not who he says he is?
Kimberly Cooper’s emotional compass has been off since her bitter divorce and the death of her oldest son, so when young soldier Brandon shows up at her door, she invites him to be part of her family’s life. He says he was friends with her deceased son…
But things don’t seem to add up.
And then, when she becomes sexually attracted to him, all bets are off.
When her heart trumps her brain, will she know if she was wrong or will she learn the truth after it’s too late?

Excerpt
There was a sadness about Brandon that touched my heart. I could sense that he had so much more to say, but the words couldn’t find a way out. Maybe he needed time, but there was also a chance that those words would be forever buried inside him.
“Brandon, I haven’t been a Christian woman since the day I learned of my son’s death, but it wouldn’t be very Christian or civil of me to turn you away after dark.” I took a deep breath and saw him mustering up an argument, but I began speaking again before he could protest. “Ordinarily, I’d have a guest stay in the extra bedroom, but—if you’d be okay with it—I’d imagine Gabriel would like to have you stay in his room. It’s…been unoccupied for a very long time.”
There was a long pause until JR clamored, “Please?
Brandon’s struggle was evident in his eyes but he said, “That’s very kind of you. I’d…appreciate it more than you know.”
His soul had spoken to me that night. It was the night I fell in love with Brandon Abbott.

Buy Links
Amazon: http://books2read.com/u/31gQQw
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2erkT6y

 

Saturday 19 November 2016

Back from the wilderness with a sneak peak look at 'The Spire'

First of all if you're one of the many friends I made through following scrapbook, paper-crafting or just general life blogs then hi and apologies for not having been around for a long time. 

Reasons for not blogging?  I took on extra responsibilities at work, and also seem to have totally lost my crafting mojo.  I keep looking at all my crafting items and wondering about selling them ... but I'm a hoarder by nature and you never know if I'll suddenly want to scrapbook again.  Then I'd be filled with the regret of having got rid of it all!

What I have been filling my meagre spare time with is reading.  I read voraciously up until I started my family.  Three children in less than three years left me very little time and no spare cash to indulge my passion.  Other than the occasional book as a present, or to read on holiday, I totally fell out of the habit.

Last Christmas I had a kindle.  It has changed my life by reawakening my desire for the fun, excitement, love and adventure that I find in books.

I have a particular penchant for paranormal romance and also love science fiction, but as long as a book is well written, with believable AND likeable main characters, then I'll give it a try.

One writer I discovered this year is Kate Canterbary.  She writes contemporary romance that wrap around your heart and take you from smiles to tears and back again - more than once.  The first book in the series, Underneath it all, is free on Amazon.  It's well worth the read - although if you like your romance sweet this may NOT be the book for you.  Once I'd read that book I soon worked my way through the rest of the series.  Each book features one of the Walsh family of (mainly) architects.


I am now awaiting delivery of this little gem to my kindle (I have it on pre-order)


Rebel, runner, recluse, rich girl.
Nine years ago, Erin Walsh ran away from everything.

Home.
Family.
Secrets.
Tragedy.
Herself.

The only permanence in her life is catastrophe.
She travels from country to country, chasing disaster, teasing fire, playing with poison. She guards against real connections, and shuns the only family she has left.
She holds everyone—even her siblings—at a mile-long distance. It's the only way to protect herself.
But she can't protect herself from him.
He's the ice to her fire, and he's willing to sacrifice everything to bring her home.
Erin Walsh arrives December 13.

If it is anything like the rest of the series I will LOVE every second of the book.  I will want to read it in one go, unable to put it down.  And I will need tissues, LOTS of tissues.

Role on December the 13th!  I will TRY to be good and make this 'last' but I am not promising anything ;)

I will be back on Monday with more book stuff related to the information on the side bar.