romance

New Releases for October 15, 2013

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Well, it’s that time again. New release day!! I, for one, am super excited to tell you about a few of these books.

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The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
For those of you who LOVE all things Amazon, this is right up your alley. 🙂 I must admit, I’m intrigued, myself.

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Naked Sushi
I’m currently reading this book. I’m in the beginning and so far, I’m quite enjoying it. These Cosmo Red Hot Reads have been fun.

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Everything You Need to Know
And here’s another Cosmo Red Hot Read. It was a quick and fun book. I hope they come out with more of these.

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The Wolves of Midwinter: The Wolf Gift Chronicles
This is the second book in The Wolf Gift Chronicles. I, myself, am a bit afraid of Ms. Rice books. One of these days, I’ll take a chance and try one. 🙂
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UnSouled (Unwind Dystology)
This is third book in the Unwind Dystology series. I am adding this one to my tbr list. I love dystopian books!!

18589060Holding Out for a Hero
This is another book that has caught my attention. One of the Muses has already read it and will post a review tomorrow. Here is the link

17284874Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy)
The Artists trilogy is another series I’m dying to read. I’m glad I waited til the third book is out, though. Now I can read in peace. 🙂

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Finding It (Losing It)
This is the third book in the Losing It series. I’ve enjoyed these a lot. My review, for this one, will be posted later today. I’ll link it HERE.

I hope you enjoy all of your new releases.

~Melpomene

Review: Stirring Up Trouble by Juli Alexander

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5 stars!

If you’re looking for a fun, young romance for a teenage girl to read (or if you yourself want to wax nostalgic), this is it! I’ll tell you upfront, there’s a lot of teenage kissing and a little bit of hand-wandering. Other than that, clean clean clean. Perfect for ages 13 and up.

Zoe is the magical daughter of a magical mom and a scientific dad. They’re divorced. Zoe has one magical friend, Milo, and regular friends Anya, Jake (who used to date Anya), and Camille.

The book centers on Zoe figuring out what to do about her crush on Jake, how she’s going to avoid getting into trouble with her magic, what to do with her annoying dad, and how she’s going to balance her friendships when her girlfriends are a little crazy sometimes.

Juli does a WONDERFUL job writing realistic teenage dialogue, describing awkward relationships with parents, showing how a teenager’s behavior doesn’t always match her thoughts, and using magic as the vehicle for moral lessons (greed, selflessness, kindness, honesty).

The story is super fun, light, and funny. It’s like a rom-com for teenagers with some potions and spells sprinkled in. I’m no teenager, but I loved it!

–Calliope

Great price: $2.99!

Buy it now Stirring Up Trouble
…and the next in the series Trouble’s Brewing

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Review: Take Me Home for Christmas(Whiskey Creek #5), by Brenda Novak

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I know what you’re thinking. It’s not even Halloween and this crazy Muse is posting about Christmas?! Well, the truth is that there are a ton of Christmas books that are coming out next month, that if we don’t space them out a bit, we will be overwhelmed almost every day with them. Not that I would mind, but I’m sure the other muses would shoot me if that’s all I did. So I’m starting now. 🙂

This is a story about true friendship and forgiveness.

Sophia returns to Whiskey Creek after her abusive husband dies running from the FBI. She has hit rock bottom and most of the town isn’t ashamed to rub it in her face. She has to be strong for her 13 yr old, but she doesn’t know if she can.

Ted Dixon is secretly pining over her all these past years, since she jilted him. So he really doesn’t want her here, but he’s not going to do anything about it. That is until he hears and sees what the town is doing to her. He decides to be the bigger person and help her out.

Sophia is so desperate for money, she’ll even work for Ted. Even though she knows her heart won’t be able to handle it.

I felt so bad for Sophia. I understood why she did some of the things she did. But it was still hard to watch her fall apart and just give up. I knew some people would help her. But I was shocked at some other’s reactions.

I may have to read this series from the beginning. It was really good. I’ve read the first two books and skipped to this one, but I don’t feel like I missed anything. The only thing I really missed was the hook ups from the past three that I didn’t read. But since I know who ends up with who, I can go back and relax and read.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

~Melpomene

Buy it now Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek)

Review: Operation: Date Escape by Lindsey Brookes

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Kelsie Collins had a bad marriage, an emotional divorce, and a plan for a bad date escape book. Her best friend Nanci and her mother Melinda helped out by setting up blind dates just a little too often.

When Kelsie tries to escape from an especially horrifying blind date, she gets rescued by hunka hunka burning love firefighter Cole. And then it happens a second time – a bad date, fudged escape, and rescue by Cole. It has to be fate!

Kelsie and Cole go through customary ups and downs in their short but intense relationship before a delightful, realistic happily ever after.

The novel is funny and fresh. Lindsey Brooke writes a straightforward romance with easy, natural dialogue — especially between Nanci and Kelsie. She writes an awesome subplot, too: Nanci and Cole’s friend Joe hit it off in a different but still big and romantic way.

Operation: Date Escape is great fun… lighthearted chick lit romance with realistic characters and laugh out loud moments.

-Calliope

P.S. The cover doesn’t do the book justice.

Buy it now Operation: Date Escape

Review: Just One Song, by Stacey Lynn

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Silly as it sounds, I bought this book after seeing the cover. I never read what it was about. All I knew was it was a romance, and that was good enough for me. But I loved it!!

Nicole Parsons’ life tragically changed over one year ago. And since then, she has stopped living. Her friend, Mia, challenges her to go out on a limb. And while she’s out there, she meets mega star, Zach Walters. She doesn’t wanna get involved with someone who reminds her of her past. It’s too hard.

Zach has never found anyone who likes him for him. Until he meets Nicole. He is thrown for a loop, over this girl who keeps to herself and who always looks sad. He wants to find a way to make her happy.

Nicole is shocked she feels anything for Zach. She is so used to being lost and sad. But she listens to Mia and goes out on that limb. She does some life changing things, but she needs to do them, in order to move on.

Zach helps her succeed in moving forward, without forgetting the past. It’s far from easy. But he doesn’t give up, and neither does she.

“Tell me that when you’re this close to me, when you feel my heart beating in my chest and feel my arms wrapped around you that you don’t want me; that you’re not falling in love with me. Because I am, Nicole. I’m completely falling head over heels in love with you.”

My favorite parts were all of the music scenes. I’m suck a sucker for musicians.

There is another book, about Mia, coming out at the end of this month. It’s called Just One Week. I can’t wait!!

~Melpomene

But it now Just One Song

Musings: The problem with Romance Critics

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books-20167_640If you read any of my reviews here (and I hope you do!) you should notice I read a variety of genres. I read Young Adult, New Adult, Dystopian, Romance, Sci Fi, Literature, Horror, LGBT and the list actually does go on from there. I don’t review everything I read because not everything is worthy of a review. I read a lot of 3 star books and in general those reviews would be pretty boring so I try to stick to the 4 and up or the 2 and below. So if it seems I read only a certain genre on here that would be why!

But one genre that I do read a ton in is romance. I love romance books. Which is why I get so incredibly annoyed and quite honestly pissed off when I hear over and over about how dumb romance books are or how predictable and fluffy they can be. I assume those people have never read the romance books that I am reading because I don’t read predictable or dumb romance books – those would be the ones I pick up and put down immediately.

I love romance books because they are so all encompassing. They can include literally every genre there is, so you have paranormal romance, the urban fantasy romance, contemporary romance, historical romance, sci-fi romance, inspirational romance, Christian romance and the list seriously goes on and on and on from there. A ton of young adult books can be considered romance because most of them are centered around a romantic triangle of sorts, even while other dramatic events are taking place.

What I hear over and over again is – oh romance is fluff. REALLY? Not the stuff I read. I read Nalini Singh’s captivating Psy/Changeling series with it’s great world building and a build up over 12 books as of now with 3 different races – the Psys, the Changelings, and the Humans trying to coexist. I read Singh’s Guild Hunter series with it’s insanely complex mythology, and a gritty world where archangels guard over their cities. I read Sarah Mayberry’s and Shannon Stacey’s contemporary books with real life settings and real life problems that are so incredibly well written, laced with humor and with intense feeling that I don’t see how it’s any different from any other “normal” book.

I read Ruthie Knox and Tessa Dare. Jill Mansell, Mary Balogh, Jeaniene Frost. I was super excited to read new author Mary Ann Rivers and fall in love with her writing. I just discovered Elyssa Patrick and Sabrina Elkins and absolutely loved their recent releases. Ruthie Knox and Nalini Singh both recommended Laura Florand and off I went to discover yet another author I loved with a totally new twist. I discovered the New Adult genre by reading romance and fell in love with Colleen Hoover, Jessica Park, K.A. Tucker, Tammara Webber.

That’s the other thing I’ve discovered about the romance genre – the people. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a group of book lovers online and then even more lucky to discover a small group of romance lovers within that group. I love having friends who read some of the same books I do. They suggest great books for me to read and we have excellent book discussions on who to read next. We band together because when people get asked what genre they read what we hear most often is anything BUT ROMANCE or I don’t read fluff. We have long discussions about how our favorite books are so not fluffy, they’re emotional and intense, hilarious and suspenseful. I love my romance book friends – they are ridiculously awesome!

But I’ve found that the authors are also just really amazing. Maybe that’s true with all genres, I don’t know. But I find that these authors are kind and funny on Facebook and Twitter. They interact with their fans, give recommendations and get them. Quite honestly, it makes me like some of them even more than I did before.

So the problem with romance critics is that they don’t get it. These books definitely have romance in them obviously. But there is SO much more to them. There is humor, suspense, action, mystery and so much more. But you know what? If you don’t want to read romance that’s totally fine with me. I’m cool with that, I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi either. So don’t read it.

But please do me a favor. Shut up about how stupid or vapid Romance books are unless you read them and want to review them – because obviously if you do so that’s your prerogative to not like something you’ve read. But if you don’t read them then just shut up already. Say you don’t read romance. Leave it at that.

And stop using the word fluff. My books are not fluffy, my cats are fluffy. Get it straight.

~Clio

New Releases for October 1, 2013

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I can’t believe it’s October already!! But I love the Fall weather. It’s perfect for cuddling up in a blanket, with a cup of mint tea and my kindle.

I can’t believe how many new releases come out this month. I am almost afraid to see how low my Amazon account will dwindle down to. So maybe if I only look at it week by week it won’t be so bad….maybe.

Since it’s the first of the month, that means new $2.99 book deals. Here is the link.

And here are a few that some of us are waiting for:

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Torn: The Connections Series, #2
I’ve read Connected, the first one, and it left us hanging with a cliffy. So I am so anxious to read this! It has a hot rocker. What more can we ask for? 🙂 This will complete the duet. I’m so glad to here it’s only a two book set. All these trilogies kill me!!

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Midnight’s Temptation (Dark Warriors)
I LOVE this series!! I was bamboozled into reading the first book of this series. And ever since then. I was completely addicted. If you like druids and fea, with a smidgen of romance thrown it, you’ll like this series.

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Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries)
I have been waiting very impatiently for this one. I’m a sucker for BDSM books. This book has that, and an extra dose of suspense. Perfect combination.

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The Wager: The Bet series: Book 2
I totally loved this book!! Funny and emotional. I seriously was cracking up. But there’s one scene that had me tearing up. So sweet.

“Love isn’t effortless; it hurts. When I watch you my chest feels like it’s going to explode, when you touch me I feel it everywhere, when you breathe I hold my breath until you exhale. Love is hell, it’s torture, it drives a man insane, and it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever felt. I feel like I just jumped into a burning building…but Char, you’re my water. I need to know one thing.”
“What?” She whispered.
“Will you come to my rescue?”

I know, right?!?! Here’s the link to my review.

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Red Hill

If you’ve read Beautiful Disaster, and loved it, you should try this one as well. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I’m not a fan of zombies, but this book threw me for a loop. I figured if I loved BD, I would love this one as well. I was right. 🙂 Here is the link to my review.

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Love and Lists (Chocoholics)
If you haven’t read Tara Sivec’s Chocolate Lovers series, you must do that first!! This is the spin off series. SO technically you don’t NEED to read the others first, but you’d be missing out on a whole lotta funny. And who doesn’t need funny in their lives??

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Possession: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
This is another paranormal romance series from J.R.Ward. I’ve only read her Black Dagger Brotherhood, but I have the first book, in this series, sitting patiently on my kindle. Hopefully one of these days, I’ll get to it.

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Found in You (Fixed)
I’m dying to read this trilogy! I will admit, I only bought it because of the cover. I’m shallow like that. I’m hoping to get to these sometime this month also. The first book, Fixed on You (The Fixed Trilogy), didn’t end on a cliffy. So that makes me feel a lot better.

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The Signature of All Things: A Novel
A novel about desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed. I’m finding myself drawn to historical fiction lately. This sounds like something I may have to squeeze in. 🙂

~Melpomene

Review: A Beauty Uncovered by Andrea Laurence

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This is the second in the Secrets of Eden series by Andrea Laurence .  I had not read the first one before I picked up A Beauty Uncovered and didn’t find that it detracted from this book at all.

Brody Eden is a reclusive CEO who rarely, if ever goes out in public due to major scarring he has over half of his face which has made his life pretty miserable. He has a past filled with secrets and protects himself and his family fiercely from anyone who would discover those. Brody’s gruff demeanor keeps everyone at bay, which is just where he wants them.

Samantha Davis has her own issues she’s dealing with and just wants this new job to work out for once and doesn’t want to screw it up.  She’s intrigued by Brody from the beginning but intent on not becoming interested in him at all for her own reasons. That doesn’t exactly go as planned.

“No woman, sparkly or otherwise, had ever deliberately touched his scars like that. With every fiber of his being he wanted her to do it again.”

I really enjoyed this book overall, I liked the dynamic between Samantha and Brody. She is plucky and strong enough to not let him get away with anything and he is strong enough to appreciate that in both an assistant and someone he’s interested in.

This is part of a series about a family of foster children who bonded and are a close knit family now that they are all grown and successful. However the brothers and sister have some pretty big secrets that are an overarching thread through the series. Normally with series like that I can be irritated with a few different things – unnecessary cliffhangers and dramatic hinted at secrets. However, A Beauty Uncovered was able to not do either. While there are heavy secrets, they come out in the open in a reasonable amount of time, without the dramatic drawing out I hate in some romance novels. With the cliffhanger- which there was a mini one- it was done in such a way that it set up the next book nicely, making me want to read that one, and still liking the one I just got done with. I felt this story was wrapped up well. And I want to read the rest too!

4 stars.

~Clio

Buy it Now A Beauty Uncovered (Secrets of Eden)

Review: Bridesmaid by Julia London

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20130928-072827.jpg Bridesmaid is a novella about Kate, who has to travel from New York to Seattle on a deadline — and with a poufy bridesmaid dress in tow. Joe, a handsome, successful IT guy who hasn’t yet found his one and only, sweetens the trip.

Kate and Joe overcome funny travel challenges together in order to their final destinations. On the journey, they notice they kind of like each other. What do they do about it? Read the book!

I’ve read Julia London before and I usually like her books. I also appreciate a really tightly written yet thorough novella. I didn’t enjoy Bridesmaid as much as I wanted. The writing wasn’t as good as I expected, the dialogue was just mediocre, and the characters were a little flat.

Bridesmaid has a cute plot and a nice, easy love story. But it isn’t quite the best you can get from Julia London.

–Calliope

Buy it now Bridesmaid

Review: By Proxy by Katy Regnery

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This charming romance novel revolves around Jenny, a small town Montana girl from a close-knit family, and Sam, a work-hard-play-hard corporate guy who lives in Chicago but has Montana family ties.

Jenny and Sam agree to help their loved ones get married from afar by standing in for them by proxy. While they wait for their courtroom appointment, they have a few days to get to know each other. I’ll let you read for yourself how THAT goes. There’s quite a bit of personal growth, family loyalty, snowy fun, and new love in there … and a happily ever after, too.

The first few chapters were a little awkward to read. But the awkward writing mimicked the discomfort of Sam and Jenny as they felt each other out and determined how their feelings were going to play out. The writing became smoother and more natural as Jenny and Sam became more comfortable with each other.

I indeed sighed at Sam’s romantic moments, clenched my fists with Jenny when she was frustrated, and felt my shoulders tense when another guy tried to make a move on Jenny. Katy Regnery sparked more interest with snippets of Swedish… little phrases that I am going to practice so I can use them when the right moment presents itself. And I had fun strolling with the loving couple, talking Glogg and enjoying the Christmassy atmosphere.

I totally loved that By Proxy didn’t try to be flashy or dramatic, but it still made me laugh and cry. Real tears, people! I felt for these characters. And I’m all in for the next book in this Heart of Montana series.

–Calliope

Buy it Now By Proxy