Monday, August 26, 2019

Book Review: Catching Him by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Catching Him (How to Catch an Alpha #1)
by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Source: Netgalley
Leah Emerson isn’t looking for a man—she’s looking for the right man. But her mother’s idea of a great catch leaves her cold, and she’s pretty sure her cocky, arrogant, and way too good-looking new neighbor isn’t the one either. If only her wayward cat would stop jumping through his window, she could get on with her life.

Tyler Duncan moved into town for a new job, not to fall in love. But he always goes after the things he wants in life with steadfast determination…and he wants Leah Emerson. He wants her smiles, he wants her touch, and he definitely wants her in bed.

Unfortunately, someone else wants Leah—in the worst way. Now Tyler’s on a mission to protect the woman he’s falling in love with while proving he’s worth falling for, and Leah must decide whether Tyler is a catch worth catching…


I've read two Aurora Rose Reynolds books before this one and have yet to understand the hype of the author. This one looked like it was going to be a cute, fun romance, so I decided to give the author one final chance. 

Everyone in Emerson's life wants her to settle down, but she hasn't found the right man yet. But when her cat breaks into her neighbor's house and she comes face to face with the hot new neighbor, Emerson is smitten. Tyler takes an immediate liking to Emerson and inserts himself into her life until Emerson can't ignore him anymore. 

Ugh. I honestly just think Aurora Rose Reynolds is not my cup of tea. There were so many things about this book that had me rolling my eyes and on the verge of putting this book down from 30% onward. First was the dialogue. While I was reading this, the dialogue felt so stiff and there was no way I could imagine people actually talking like that. The characters would sit around and talk about nothing and I was bored most of the time of this book. I also wasn't a fan of Emerson at all and how clueless and immature she acted as a woman in her early 30s. 

When it came to the romance, I was just not on board with this book. The pacing was weird and definitely insta-lovey. These guys were barely dating and telling each other I love you and meeting each other's families. There was a "mystery" thrown in at the end that was so obvious and random and I just wasn't a fan. 

The only reason I even finished this book was because I received a copy for review. If I picked it up on my own, I would have put it down before the halfway point. I think I'm done with this author and her alpha males and insta love plot lines.





Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Blog Tour: Broken Knight by LJ Shen

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"Everyone needs to read this book. "
- Harloe Rae, USA Today bestselling author.

Broken Knight, an all new standalone about first loves, betrayal and loss from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!


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Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.
Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.
Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.
This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.
But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.
Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.

Photo Jun 22, 4 45 13 AM.png

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
$2.99 for a Limited Time Only
Pre-order the Audio edition now
(Available 8/25)
Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2HdgKQH
Amazon Audible WorldWide: http://mybook.to/BrokenKnightAudio
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2YbCrun

Excerpt:
Right now I wanted to just be here in silence with my best friend. And somehow, I don’t know how, but Luna sensed it. So we sat there for what felt like two hours but was probably a lot less, until I opened my eyes again. Her eyes were closed, too. I watched her for a while.
When she opened her eyes, it felt like she took something away from me.
“Let’s jump,” she said.
“I’m quite fond of my limbs, Moonshine.”
“Stop being such a big baby.”
“Big, quarterback baby who just finished a football season in one piece and would like to keep all his body parts intact.”
She crawled out of the treehouse and settled on the branch. It was thick, but I doubted it could carry my muscular ass for more than a few seconds before snapping. I rolled my eyes and settled next to her. She slipped her hand in mine.
“Three, two, one.”
It was a short, sweet way down.

About LJ Shen

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 Best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

LJShen

Connect with L.J. Shen
Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

Monday, August 19, 2019

Book Review: Blood Truth by JR Ward

Blood Truth (Black Dagger Legacy #4)
by JR Ward
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Source: Publisher
As a trainee in the Black Dagger Brotherhood's program, Boone has triumphed as a soldier and now fights side by side with the Brothers. Following his sire's unexpected death, he is taken off rotation against his protests—and he finds himself working with Butch O'Neal, former homicide cop, to catch a serial killer: Someone is targeting females of the species at a live action role play club. When the Brotherhood is called in to help, Boone insists on being a part of the effort—and the last thing he expects is to meet an enticing, mysterious female...who changes his life forever.

Ever since her sister was murdered at the club, Helaine has been committed to finding the killer, no matter the danger she faces. When she crosses paths with Boone, she doesn't know whether to trust him or not—and then she has no choice. As she herself becomes a target, and someone close to the Brotherhood is identified as the prime suspect, the two must work to together to solve the mystery...before it's too late. Will a madman come between the lovers or will true love and goodness triumph over a very mortal evil?


You guys all know that I love the BDB series, so I was excited to finally be fully caught up on the series before a new release. I was excited for Boone's romance and another peak at the lives of the trainees! 

Now that Boone's sire has passed away, Boone is left with a life he's not sure what to do with. He's never been enough for his sire, especially when he broke off his arranged engagement. Now, as a trainee in the legacy program, he's helping Butch investigate a series of gruesome murders. Their investigation leads them to Helania, who witnessed something bad happen and could be the key to finding the murderer. 

For the past few BDB books, I feel like we've been building to a big final event between the vampires and their enemies. Unfortunately, this book was just a nice filler book that STILL gave us no answers. Granted, this is a book in a series about the trainees, so we never really get BDB conflicts all that much. For this one, it really was just a nice romance with no other real purpose for the series except for to introduce us to Syn. Other than giving us a bit more into Syn's character, this was just a fun story in the BDB world. 

Looking at the romance, I really enjoyed how Helania and Boone grew to know each other through the investigation. They had undeniable chemistry, but it was hard for Helania to really trust anyone or let anyone in. I liked how even though they were in completely different social classes, they didn't allow it to affect how they viewed each other. If you're going into this one for a vampire romance, that's what you're going to get. 

While this wasn't really a necessary book for the series, I thought it was a nice break until the real crazy stuff goes down in the next BDB book. I really enjoyed Boone's character and how much of Butch we got. This was just a nice book for the BDB fans to have.



Sunday, August 18, 2019

Release Day Blitz: Broken Knight by LJ Shen

BROKEN KNIGHT BANNER.jpg


"Everyone needs to read this book."
- Harloe Rae, USA Today bestselling author.

Broken Knight, an all new standalone about first loves, betrayal and loss from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!


IMG_1621.jpg

Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.
Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.
Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.
This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.
But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.
Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.

KNIGHT_LIVE_FB.jpg

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

$2.99 for a Limited Time Only
Pre-order the Audio edition now
(Available 8/25)
Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2HdgKQH
Amazon Audible WorldWide: http://mybook.to/BrokenKnightAudio
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2YbCrun

About LJ Shen
L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 Best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
LJShen.jpg
Connect with L.J. Shen
Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

TV Series News: 44 Chapters About 44 Men by BB Easton

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WE HAVE HUGE NEWS!

BB Easton’s bestselling 44 Chapters About 4 Men Series has been adapted into a new 8 episode TV series, SexLife, and is coming soon to Netflix!

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READ BEFORE YOU WATCH!

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44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN SYNOPSIS

School psychologists aren't supposed to write books about sex. Doing so would be considered "unethical" and "a fireable offense." Lucky for you, ethics was never my strong suit.
After spending years trying to spice up my sex life, I gave up and took to my journal. Perhaps my gorgeous, cold, number-crunching husband simply wasn't capable of the kind of passion I'd come to expect. After all, my ex-boyfriends--a tattoo artist turned U.S. Marine turned motorcycle club outlaw, a baby-faced punk rocker out on parole, and a heavy metal bass player--were every bit as tattooed and testosterone-fueled as the leading men in my favorite romance novels. If I couldn't have that kind of passion again in real life, I could at least write about it. Right? Nobody had to know. It would be my little secret.
Well, guess what? My husband read that sh*t.
And guess what else? He upped his f*cking game.
Drunk with power and under the dubious advisement of my best friend and colleague, I began testing the limits--crafting journal entries specifically designed to manipulate Ken's behavior. For the most part, he responded beautifully...except when he didn't.

ABOUT THE 44 CHAPTERS SPIN-OFF SERIES

Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her best-selling, award-winning memoir, 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy stand-alone novel. In SKIN, SPEED, STAR, and SUIT, BB takes you back in time to the late ‘90s and early 2000s to tell the outrageously wild, shockingly sexy, deeply emotional, and as always, wickedly funny backstories for Knight, Harley, Hans, and everyone’s favorite husbot, Ken.


ABOUT BB EASTON

BB Easton lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, with her long-suffering husband, Ken, and two adorable children. She recently quit her job as a school psychologist to write books about her punk rock past and deviant sexual history full-time. Ken is suuuper excited about that.


For more information on BB Easton visit: https://www.artbyeaston.com
Follow BB on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2U7mjc0
Stay up to date with all things 44 Chapters, and sign up for BB’s mailing list: http://bit.ly/2H3JStR

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Release Day Spotlight: Blood Truth by JR Ward

 Blood Truth (Black Dagger Legacy, #4)

BLOOD TRUTH
The Black Dagger Legacy series
by J. R. Ward
On Sale: August 13, 2019

Purchase Link:

Catch up on unique terms in the Black Dagger Brotherhood universe...and their IRL inspirations!
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Savior brings you the next sizzling and passionate paranormal romance in the Black Dagger Legacy series.

As a trainee in the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s program, Boone has triumphed as a soldier and now fights side by side with the Brothers. Following his sire’s unexpected death, he is taken off rotation against his protests—and he finds himself working with Butch O’Neal, former homicide cop, to catch a serial killer: Someone is targeting females of the species at a live action role play club. When the Brotherhood is called in to help, Boone insists on being a part of the effort—and the last thing he expects is to meet an enticing, mysterious female...who changes his life forever.          

Ever since her sister was murdered at the club, Helaine has been committed to finding the killer, no matter the danger she faces. When she crosses paths with Boone, she doesn’t know whether to trust him or not—and then she has no choice. As she herself becomes a target, and someone close to the Brotherhood is identified as the prime suspect, the two must work to together to solve the mystery...before it’s too late. Will a madman come between the lovers or will true love and goodness triumph over a very mortal evil?

J.R. Ward

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J.R. Ward is the author of more than thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than fifteen million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-six different countries around the world. She lives in the South with her family.

Don’t forget to sign-up for exclusive Black Dagger Brotherhood original content:

Sneak Peek at BLOOD TRUTH:

29th and Market Streets
Caldwell, New York

Boone’s shitkickers shredded the frozen tire tracks down the middle of the alley, his powerful body churning through the dirty city snow, air sucking into his lungs cold and punching out hot as steam from a locomotive’s stack. In his right hand, he had a twelve-inch serrated hunting knife. In his left, a length of chain.
Up ahead, by about thirty feet, a lesser was running as if its undead life depended on all the Usain Bolt the thing was pulling. The telltale sickly sweet stench of the enemy was thick in its wake, a tracker that Boone’s sensitive nose had picked up on seven blocks ago. The slayer was sloppy of foot, flappy of hand, and given how saturated its smell was, Boone wondered whether it was already injured.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood’s commanding officer, Tohrment, son of Hharm, set the nightly territories for the Brothers and fighters, carving up sections of downtown into quadrants that would be stalked for the enemy. Trainees such as Boone were paired with more experienced people, either Brothers or members of the Band of Bastards, in the interest of safety—especially as there was a new threat out on the streets.
Shadow entities. That were killing innocent vampire civilians.
                  Boone glanced over his shoulder. Tonight, he was working with Zypher. The Bastard was a great partner, a big, brutal male who nonetheless had a teacher’s patience and an eye for constant improvement.
It was supposed to have been Syn. And a relief when it wasn’t.
Syn was . . . different.
Boone’s favorite to work with, bar none, was Rhage. But the Brotherhood was otherwise occupied tonight. Every last one of them.
And Boone was the one who had set them on a mission that he hoped and prayed didn’t result in death.
His father’s, specifically.
                  In the intervening twelve months since their blowup over the broken arrangement, he and Altamere had settled into an uneasy détente. Which was what happened when you finally called a bully on their push-and-shove. The two of them kept up appearances, something that was not hard given how starchy and superficial their relationship had always been, but Boone had drawn a line and instead of the threatened repercussions, in return he’d gotten a retreat of hostility.
                  He probably should have moved out, but as petty as it was, he had enjoyed getting the upper hand and keeping it. Especially after he joined the Brotherhood’s training program, something he was well aware his father disapproved of. Altamere’s “son” a soldier? Fighting in the war? How brutish. The move had made Boone’s bookish decades seem like a fine hand of cards.
                  But he loved the challenge and he was damn good at the work—and a new kind of life and rhythm had started, where he and his sire rarely saw each other.
                  Except then came the invitation: The pleasure of his father and stepmahmen’s company requested at an aristocrat’s home this very evening. Going by the card stock alone, it was clear that other members of the glymera were included on the guest list.
                  Social gathering? Maybe. Treasonous violation of Wrath’s ban on the Council coming together? More likely.
                  It had been the first time in a year that Boone had spoken to his sire about anything of note. Yet how could he not urge the male to stay home? That viper pit of aristocrats had already tried to take down Wrath’s throne, and if they were planning another attempt?
                  The training center had taught him in detail all of the things the Brothers were capable of doing to someone who crossed them. And he might not like his father . . . but that was the point. With his alarm bells going off about treason, if he didn’t at least try to keep the male away from that party, he would feel like he had killed Altamere himself.
                  And that was too close to what he had at times wanted to do, and who needed to live with that guilt?
                  Predictably, his father had refused the wise counsel. So Boone had gone to the Brothers directly, and that was why he was paired with a member of the Band of Bastards this fine, crystal-cold winter’s evening.
                  Refocusing on his hunt, he threw some more speed into his legs, his thighs beginning to burn, his calves tightening, his bum ankle issuing the first of what was going to be a lot of complaints. All of that was background chatter easily ignored, utterly forgettable.
                  Just breathe, he told himself. The more oxygen he could get into his lungs, the more he got into his blood, fuel for his muscles, speed for his body.
Power.
                  And what do you know, he was closing the distance. The problem? He was getting farther and farther away from Zypher, who was dancing with a slayer of his own three blocks—now four blocks—back.
                  Time to do this.
                  Per protocol, he hit the locator beacon on his shoulder to notify the other squads that he was about to engage. And then he closed his eyes.
                  Dematerializing was something that vampires ordinarily had to concentrate and calm themselves in order to accomplish. Boone, however, had trained himself to find that place of inner equilibrium even when he was running full tilt boogie in pursuit of the enemy. And courtesy of all his practice, his physical form disintegrated into a scatter of molecules and he shot forward, passing the lesser.
                  He re-formed in front of the enemy, his boots planted, his knife up and his chain down, ready to party.
                  The slayer did what it could to slow its roll, arms pinwheeling, shoes slapping at the snow and skidding as it tried to stop on ice. Momentum was not its friend. Unlike some of the scrawny new recruits, this one had a football player’s thick neck and barrel chest, and all that body weight was a boulder bouncing down the side of a mountain, all keep-going instead of back-that-ass-up.
                  As he had been trained to do, Boone’s peripheral vision imprinted the alley’s contours and possible cover opportunities. His brain also did a lightning-quick assessment of threat potential, cataloguing fire escapes, rooflines, doorways, and windows, all of his instincts feeding information into the calculation of his own safety. On the physical side, his body braced for contact.
                  And the length of chain began to swing.
Boone wasn’t aware of giving his hand and arm that particular command, but things had started happening like that in the field over the past month. According to the Black Dagger Brother Vishous, there were four levels of skill development: unconsciously unskilled, which meant you didn’t know how much you didn’t know and couldn’t do; consciously unskilled, which was when you began to be aware of how much you needed to develop; consciously skilled, which was the level at which you started to use what you’ve trained yourself to do; and, finally, unconsciously skilled.
                  Which was what happened when your body moved without your brain having to micromanage every molecule of the attack. When your training formed a basis of action so intrinsic to who you were and what you did in a given situation that you were unaware of any cognition occurring. When you entered “the Zone,” as the Brother Rhage called it.
                  Boone was in that sweet spot now.
The whirring sound of the chain links circling beside him was soft yet menacing, like the easy breathing of a great beast—and Boone knew the second the slayer was going to move because one of its shoulders lifted and its hips angled ever so slightly.
                  The knife the lesser had tucked in its hand came flying out at Boone end over end—proof that Boone’s subconscious hadn’t considered quite everything. But his reflexes were on it, jerking his torso to one side, the surge of aggressive energy flowing through him so acute, so pleasurable, it was almost sexual.
                  His counterattack started with the chain. Licking the links out, he sent them around the slayer’s neck, a snake of metal with a tail that swung wide and doubled up on itself. With a tight loop locked in, he yanked with his full body.
                  The slayer pitched forward into the snow face-first.
And that was when Boone lifted his own hunting blade over his shoulder.
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