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Review: Nash(Marked Men #4), by Jay Crownover

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01nas “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in the world.”-Lucille Ball

It’s hard to believe I waited so long to jump into this Marked Men series. But as I read the first three, I knew Nash’s story was going to be heartbreaking and emotional. And I also knew that he would need someone very special to hold on to him. I’m glad to see I was right.

Right from the start, this book got me. When I read the Dedication and Introduction, I knew I was going to love this book. And then I got to the Prologue and I was immediately thrust back into high school and then I knew how hard this book was going to be on me.

Nash was the best friend you could ever ask for. He was always giving of himself. He would do anything for those who loved him. In truth, he would do just about anything for love. After growing up, in a house that showed him no love, only cruel and hurtful words, he tried to find love in every place imaginable. He thought he was unworthy of it.

Saint Ford is a successful ER nurse who was not expecting to run into the man who, as a young teenager, destroyed her self esteem and self worth, without even knowing it. She wants nothing to do with him. He may not remember the hurt, but she does. But being a caring nurse, she can’t help wanting to be there for him, when his uncle Phil is brought into her ER.

My heart went out to Saint. The low self esteem and the teasing, as a teenager, I could totally relate with. And then when your crush is the one who causes the most damage to you, well, let’s just say, most of us have been there. So to have those feeling shape you, all the way to adulthood, it’s going to take a very strong person to make you realize how great you really are.

“All I can see is you. Why can’t you understand that? No one shines as bright as you in the sky I’m looking at. To me there is no sun, no moon, and no stars in the sky, just endless miles of storm clouds and pretty pretty grey.”

As Nash’s world, as he thought he knew it, starts changing and pushing at him from all sides, he wishes he could cling to Saint. But she still has feelings of inadequacy, and it will take a lot of patience and a very awkward moment to bring her right where he wants, and needs, her to be.

Learning to love yourself, and realizing that you are worthy of having someone love you in return, are very hard lessons. Everyone is worthy of love, no matter what their past may show.

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”-Buddha

~Melpomene

Buy Nash: A Marked Men Novel

Review: Always on My Mind by Bella Andre

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20140424-153424.jpg Always on My Mind is such a fun read! Totally unrealistic, a bit far-fetched, and full of too-convenient resolutions… but so, so fun.

Lori is a dancer who was betrayed by her dancer boyfriend. Grayson is a widower avoiding his grief. The meet-cute is on Grayson’s farm with Lori in her sequined dance costume.

Their relationship starts off as lusty hate, moves through predictable mishaps, misunderstandings and forgiveness, and ends up a happily ever after. Reeeeealllllly straightforward, but the sparks between Lori and Grayson are so hot that you’re really not so concerned with the depth of the plot. Chemistry and sexual tension abound. Lori and Grayson love it and I did too. 😉

Although the story is devoid of subplots, Andre gives Lori’s Sullivan siblings plenty of appearance time. It’s always fun to remember which Sullivan just got married or had a baby or bought a home. Most of the story is really about Lori and Grayson, but the love of family is ever-present, and the Sullivans all come together at the end.

–Calliope

Buy ALWAYS ON MY MIND

Review: Darkest Flame(Dark Kings#1) by, Donna Grant

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01dark I am in love with dragons. Seriously in love. Donna Grant has shown me the light. 🙂 I mean, look at that cover!! What’s not to love?? The Dark Kinds is a spin off of the Dark Warrior and Dark Sword series. I enjoyed meeting a few of the Dragon Kings in those books. I’m glad they get their own series.

Kellan has been asleep for over 1200 years and wanted to stay sleeping. He hates humans and all the trouble they cause. But when he is woken up by Denae, in his cave, he is forced to make the decision to save her or let her die. But something about her, captivated him. He wants her, but he doesn’t want to want her.

Denae is MI5 and was on a mission, and was betrayed and is now in at the mercy of the Dragon Kings. While she tries to find out who set her up, she is forced to be around Kellan. She knows he hates her, but she is drawn to him and can’t seem to get him out of her head. It seems that the more she tries to stay away from him, the more they are brought together. She just wants to give them everything she knows so she can leave. But leaving is easier said than done.

Danger is coming from all directions, which forces her to stay and learn secrets that have been kept for thousands of years. Secrets that will bring past friends and new allies, into the picture, and have Denae thrust into a war she never saw coming. They must decide if their love is worth the danger it brings on the rest of the kings and their people. But in the midst of all of this craziness, there was one story line thrown in, that blew me away. I seriously reread the same page 5 times. I wasn’t sure I read correctly. I never saw that coming. But now I’m SUPER excited for the next book!!

I really loved the romance of this story. Kellen truly wanted her, but his hatred of humans was driving him away. Once he let it go, love beyond his wildest imagination was given to him. Now all he had to do, is protect it. And he would do anything, in his powers, to do it.

~Melpomene

Buy Darkest Flame (Dark Kings)

Review: Mud Vein, by Tarryn Fisher

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“It’s your darkness that pulls me in. Your mud vein. But sometimes having a mud vein will kill you.”

This is not a book I can put in just one category. It’s not a mere thriller, mystery or suspense, or even a romance. This story can’t be simplified into any of those. It is an experience that will leave you speechless.

I am having a hard time putting into words all these crazy feelings that are running through me. Very few books have left me with this feeling of sadness, over the ending. But sadness isn’t the correct word. I’m not sad. I may be crying, but I’m not really sad. I’m more numb, than anything. See?? I need someone to reach down and pull the correct words out of my head and through them down here. I’m all a wreck.

If I could just write a review saying “Go and read it.” I totally would. Tarryn Fisher has a very unique writing style and it sucks you right in. This review will NOT do it justice. I’ll tell you that right now. You might as well just click on the buy link, at the bottom, and get started on reading it.

Senna wakes up in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere, and the only way out is to take good hard look at her past. But looking at her past may very well destroy her future. She must try and put the pieces together, or her life might not be the only one in danger.

Her past has completely shaped her. She is a broken soul with no way to be fixed. Or maybe, she doesn’t have the will to be fixed. She broke my heart. I was drawn into her and could totally feel everything she felt. I was breathless at a few parts. How one person could experience so much, was beyond me. I could feel her brokenness through these pages.

Isaac, was her savior, but she never really noticed that. He was there when she was at her worst, and he helped her when no one else did. He saved her from herself. He kept her alive. He was also with her in the cabin.

“Maybe lifting someone else’s weight makes yours a little more bearable.”

Every time I saw a glimpse of Isaac, from her past, I fell more in love with him. He never left her, when he thought she needed him. And she most definitely needed him, way more than she thought. He cared for her and never backed down no matter how hard she pushed. And boy did she push.

“Why are you here?”
“Because you are.”

But this wasn’t a love story really. It was a story about people and their darkness, and how even those with darkness in them they can still be loved. But it really wasn’t about love!! I still can’t put my finger on it.

My heart was racing almost this entire book. Watching Isaac and Senna try and put the pieces together, had my heart racing. It was a matter of their life or death. This is definitely not my usual type of story. I’m a fluff reader. Happy happy joy joy, with occasional heartbreak mixed in. This book terrified me, made me nervous, and of course, still broke my heart. The love shone, throughout this story, was beautiful, if not devastating. To have love like that would make anyone deliriously happy, but to Senna, it was unfathomable, until the very end.

“What you wrap around your soul determines your outcome.”

Tie yourself to those you truly love you.

~Melpomene

Buy Mud Vein

Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

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20140111-211005.jpgI’ll start off with a disclaimer: I’m a huge fan of dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories. That being said, at times they all tend to run together with story lines that are too similar to keep them separate in my mind. Boy/girl surviving in a harsh future world that’s been changed forever by a virus/alien invasion/advanced technology/drought with a love story thrown in for good measure…you get the picture. But this new offering by Ann Brashares offers a different take on the oh-so-popular genre.

Seventeen-year-old Prenna comes from a world that’s been devastated by a killer mosquito-born virus. Millions of people have died, and society is in ruins. In order to save themselves as well as the entire human race, a “community” of those with a natural immunity to the virus is formed. They decide to travel back in time in an attempt to change the course of events that set the world on a path to destruction. The community has a set of present-day rules that must be followed: never attempt to interfere with events, never reveal that they are from the future, never form a relationship with someone outside of the community. Prenna doesn’t question these rules until she falls for Ethan who, as luck would have it, is one of the few outsiders who can “see” that she’s actually from the future. Turns out there’s actually a bit of a conspiracy going on with the higher-ups of the community.

This was one of those books with several intersecting story lines. Yes, Prenna is the main character and Ethan is her love interest. But there are many other things going on at the same time. It’s a good book, just very hard to describe or summarize neatly. Read it if you enjoy well-written futuristic stories.

~Thalia

Buy it Now: The Here and Now

Review: You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age

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18114061A little change in direction from my “normal”, for lack of a better word, reading habits occurred over the last week. I know, the shock! However, once in a while is quite refreshing.
I was browsing NetGalley (that site is more addicting than social media!) and I came across a memoir of sorts from Hollywood actor Robert Wagner. Now, I can’t really say that I’m a particular fan of Wagner – there’s nothing wrong with him, but he’s just never really been on my radar. However, his memoir promised to be filled with fascinating anecdotes, scandalous secrets, a comprehensive history of the old Hollywood system and an “opportunity for readers to live vicariously through one of its most beloved leading men”.
I’m happy to say that this book did live up to its promises. It provides a really interesting history of Los Angeles, Hollywood, and the surrounding areas. Although it gets tedious on occasion, the historical aspect to this memoir does help to create context and insight into the lives and attitudes of the early actors and studio heads. To read about the slow, but steady, building of the Los Angeles area and its early players, taught me quite a bit.
Wagner doesn’t just give us a history lesson though; Famous actors including Cary Grant, Norma Shearer (arguably the biggest diva and brat of the 20’s and 30’s), are profiled through several stories and fun tidbits. Hearing about how certain actors would buy up whole floors of hotels for their extramarital affairs, was quite entertaining! We get to hear the parties (and they would give today’s parties a run for their money) he went to, personal stories from his friendships with certain stars, and a lot of stories that were told to him.
This is a tell-all memoir, but one with history, and a little class. Wagner never sensationalizes, but gives you enough juicy gossip to keep reading. If you’re looking for something light and different, or have an interest in classic Hollywood, then I really recommend that you give this one a try.
*ARC provided by NetGally in exchange for an honest review*
You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age

Until next time.
Pegasus.

It’s a National CoHo day and giveaway!!

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What does CoHo stand for, you ask?? Well, it’s Colleen Hoover, sillies. And today she has two new releases. Well technically one new one and one kinda new one. Maybe Someday is the brand new one. I have read it and I LOVED it!! Check out my review HERE. I can’t say enough good things about this book. It was a brand new reading experience for me.

For those who don’t know, Griffin Peterson wrote an album to go along with Maybe Someday. It’s a match made in heaven, I tell ya!! You click on the link or GR code, depending on which type of book you’re reading, and it will take you to the website with the music. Then, as you read the book, you click on the songs that go along with certain scenes.

It is just perfect. You’ll fall in love with the songs and his lovely voice. He is super talented and I am so glad he agreed to write these songs for Colleen. They complete this book. Like I said in my review, when I read song lyrics it’s hard to determine the melody. So when I can actually hear the songs as I read, I am blown away. My favorite song is a toss up between Maybe Someday and Hold On to You. Every time I listen to it, I think of the scenes they were played in, and I cry. Such a beautiful story paired up with beautiful music.

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Also releasing today is Finding Cinderella. Now this book is already a free ebook. But as a true CoHo fan, I need her books in the dtb(dead tree book) form. So a group of us diehards bombarded Atria Books on Facebook and Twitter, begging them to print it out for us. For months we did this and it totally paid off!! Today the paperback of Finding Cinderella novella is being released. I know I’ll be stalking my mail man all day. Inside this book will be some of the texts that we sent, and bonus content that isn’t in the ebook. I am super excited to have this on my shelf!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME
Comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of the MP3 album Maybe Someday, by Griffin Peterson. You can download it to your iPod or phone and take his fabulous songs everywhere you go. Trust me, you want this. This music will make your heart happy. The contest will run all week, and I’ll draw a name on Friday at noon. US ONLY

~Melpomene

Buy the book Maybe Someday

Buy the soundtrack Maybe Someday

Buy Finding Cinderella: A Novella

Review: Her Rancher Rescuer (Cadence Creek Cowboys) by Donna Alward

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20140208-124426.jpg I enjoyed this quick novel about Amy, a small-town woman too afraid to follow her big dreams, and Jack, a millionaire rancher too afraid to follow his heart. They fight their way through their fears and meet in the middle – in love.

When you read three or four books a week, it’s a welcome break to read a novel that is so well written it takes no effort at all to consume. The characters were straightforward with enough depth to make them seem real. The plot moved forward quickly and easily, and the dialogue was natural. I also like that Her Rancher Rescuer focused on two main characters and only touched on the secondary characters. I read this for the love story, and a beautiful one it was.

I realized I still have A Cadence Creek Christmas unread on my kindle. I’m going to rectify the unread status post-haste, despite the fact that I’ll be reading out of order. 🙂

Thanks to Ms. Alward for the A+ romance. I’ll be looking for more Cadence Creek in the future.

–Calliope

Buy Her Rancher Rescuer (Cadence Creek Cowboys)

Review: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

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20140205-125445.jpg NEW RELEASE!

Oh my goodness. I thought this was going to be a typical, delightful, romantic bit of chick lit.

It’s. Way. More.

Former French teacher Claire nudges 30-something Anna to visit Paris, much as Claire was nudged to do decades ago. The novel occasionally flashes back to Claire’s summer in France as Anna’s story unfolds. The first half of the story seemed to be predictable chick lit, and a little bit slow, at that. As I read onward, the characters were developed further, the plot became more complicated, my heart became invested in the friendships and love affairs and marriages.

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris might ostensibly be a book about a 30-year old woman finally coming into her own, or a 60-year old woman fulfilling a bucket list, or a father and son making the best chocolate in France, but underneath is where you’ll find the heart of the story.

Anna learns how to love herself — and love a man. She can finally objectively see and appreciate her family and her safe life in England.

Laurent overcomes his pride and is able to really enjoy life, instead of fighting to rise above it all the time.

Thierry and Claire realize they’ve been selfish all these years, and in a last act of selfishness they free others from worrying about them.

I was totally impressed with the depth of this novel, the complexities of the relationships, and the clarity of what it means to really love someone. Colgan also explores the many reasons people marry … or do not, and the reasons they hold too tightly to each other … or not tightly enough.

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris fills up the reader with emotion, then empties her, just to fill her again with a warm, spreading sense of joy, akin to eating the best chocolate. And it ends with all the drama of a French opera. I loved it.

–Calliope

Buy The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris

Review: Deeper by Robin York

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18525821 I have been waiting for this release as I am a big fan of this author when she writes as Ruthie Knox of contemporary romance novels. I was surprised to see this New Adult debut of hers was around 400 pages long which is a bit lengthy for this genre. Pretty much before the book starts I was immediately taken aback by the line “it sounds so drama llama”. The book is set in college and that made me think of a pre teen girl or my grandmother trying to sound cool. But moving on.

Caroline Piasecki is in college and has just discovered that her life is pretty much over because her ex boyfriend has ruined it by posting some pretty horrible sex pictures of her online. She can barely go to class because everyone on campus has seen them and she’s frozen just hearing all of their taunts in her head- both real and imagined. She throws herself into her classes and tries to put things out of her mind.

West Leavitt is a bad boy in terms of doing what he wants and not caring who says anything about what he does. This is not an unusual trope for a romance to use and definitely not one I’m opposed to reading. However, this is part of where the book started to move a little off the mark for me. West is obviously supposed to be a bad boy with a heart of gold. He has a little sister at home in not great circumstance he worries about constantly and he is gentle with Caroline, not caring about the online pictures, helping to restore her confidence. However at odds with this is West’s career as a drug dealer throughout the book as well as his mild violence.

I just couldn’t put all of the pieces of the book together into one great New Adult book for me. I did enjoy the flirtatious scenes in the bakery and the romance scenes were great – both unsurprising since Ruthie Knox is a great adult romance author. I was also drawn in enough to want to know what happens in the next book since this looks to be a series. This book did not have an HEA or in my opinion a satisfying end which IS kind of common in New Adult books and something of which I’m not a fan.

I’ll be reading more of this author in the future because I’ve read many, many of her books which have been 4 and 5 stars for me. If anyone reads this book and feels differently, comment and let me know why I’m wrong. I welcome the opinions 🙂

3 Stars

~ Clio

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