Release Blitz: Toxic By Kim Karr

New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr turns up the heat in a smoking hot, emotionally compelling romance that takes you into the world of Manhattan’s elite.

Meet Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, brooding entrepreneur who goes after what he wants, and Phoebe St. Claire, a socialite-turned-CEO who’s been drifting through life searching for something she thought she'd never find again—the right man to share her future.
Phoebe St. Claire has devoted herself to saving her family’s hotel empire—but her best efforts have not been good enough. With her whole world in turmoil, the tenacious go-getter turns to the once love of her life. Far from innocent, Jeremy McQueen was a guy from the wrong side of the tracks and her parents would never have approved. Their years apart have only made the sexy bad boy more irresistible than ever—and their reunion is explosive.

When she asks Jeremy to help her salvage her family business, he agrees immediately, with only one condition—he wants her in his bed.

But soon surprising circumstances leave Phoebe reeling. Was this fairy tale romance just too good to be true? Will Jeremy’s secrets pull them apart all over again?

Holy hell Toxic is a book that will leave you with a massive book hangover, but it will be worth it.  I’m not going to lie, it took me a little while to really get into the book, but once I did I absolutely loved every emotionally draining second.  I am not going to get into a lot of detail because I so do not want to spoil anything, but just be warned, you will want to throw your kindle multiple times, I know I did.  It’s no secret that I swear in my reviews and in real life but I don’t think I have ever actually just looked at my kindle and cussed it out, more than once mind you, but kept going back for more.  I just couldn’t stop reading even when my husband threatened to take my kindle away because he was beginning to wonder if I finally totally lost my damn mind, I just had to know what was going to happen, whether it be good or bad I had to know.  I will say this, Jeremy is one sexy as hell man and I was wondering if the heat was on in my house from how hot the sex was.  Be warned, the chemistry between Jeremy and Phoebe is nothing less than nuclear when they are together.

Toxic is a must read for anyone who is a fan of second chance romances with a huge side of angst.  Kim Karr has written something that I will be thinking about for days, even weeks to come.  Toxic is a standalone so you don’t have to worry about cliffhangers.  Prior to this I hadn’t read any of Ms. Karr’s books, but you know now that I am going to be going and getting the rest if they are on the same level as this one was.

Buy links: Kindle: http://amzn.to/1yb3rGY

Amazon Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/q6saca2
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/ozhrudt
B&N Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/nld4foq
iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/ozxclzy
BAM: http://tinyurl.com/oxro3xg
IndieBound: http://tinyurl.com/pwqezsf
Google: http://tinyurl.com/p7hak78
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/pcztymj

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23276722-toxic?from_search=true

Excerpt: Feeling a bit drunk and overwhelmed with so many and so few choices at the same time, I needed some time alone and snuck off toward the beach path.

I ran toward the ocean and twirled in the sand as the wind blew around me. Once I started to feel dizzy from twirling, I still wasn’t ready to head back to the party, so I took the path that would lead me to the large Olympic-sized pool. I tugged my sandals off with thoughts of putting my feet in the water to rinse the mud and sand away. As I approached the pool, I noticed how it glowed like it was lit by small pale fires. Lost in the enchantment of it, the sudden movement beneath the surface startled me.
A fair-haired boy emerged from the water. He pulled himself up and out so quickly that I was momentarily stunned. And then when he drank me in with his eyes, I shuddered.
I couldn’t help it, the way he looked at me just made me shiver. No one had ever looked at me like that before and I found myself gazing back into his intense eyes.
He was utterly beautiful. His bare chest was sculpted but not overly bulky like Danny or Jamie. They worked out every day pumping obnoxious amounts of iron to look the way they did. In contrast, the boy standing before me had a swimmer’s build.
He stood stoic and a cautious look crossed his face. He was long and lean in a pair of bright green neon swim trunks.
Right away I could tell he didn’t care what anyone thought about him.
I loved the idea of that.
So I smiled at him.
He shook his head and his hair fell into his eyes.
I wanted to reach out and push it away. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short. It was perfect.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing a towel off the ground.
It didn’t belong to the club. It was small, beige, and a bit worn—not the large hunter-green fluffy ones monogrammed in white I’d always gotten when I used to come here to swim as a kid.
“Hey,” I said back, swinging my sandals nervously.
He grabbed a pair of jeans that lay next to where the towel had been and walked right by me.
I turned to watch him as he strode into one of the cabanas and dropped his trunks. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I shouldn’t be watching him but then opened them quickly when I couldn’t resist maybe catching a glimpse.
“Didn’t your parents ever tell you it isn’t polite to stare?” His voice was low and sexy, and it tugged me out of my own head.
I put my hands on my hips. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to get dressed in mixed company?”
He pulled his jeans on and laughed. “My mother might have mentioned that once or twice but I’ve never been good at following the rules.”
And it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t put any underwear on first.
Hot. Totally and completely hot.
I didn’t see anything I shouldn’t have seen, it was too dark, but something inside me electrified at the thought of seeing him naked and I stepped closer. That’s when I noticed the scuffed-up black work boots on one of the lounges with a T-shirt thrown next to them.
I raised a brow. “Is this your changing room?”
He laughed again but this time added a smile and put his hands up. “Okay you caught me. I better get out of here before anyone else does.”
He was adorable and charming and my heart skipped a beat or two.
Then I stepped even closer and entered the cabana entrance, effectively blocking his way. “Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”
He shrugged but he didn’t try to move around me. “I usually swim in the ocean but when the water is too rough, like tonight, I come here.”
I bit my lip in contemplation before speaking. “Does it really matter if you get caught?”
He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Let’s just say it’s not just the swimming. It’s more that I’ve been caught doing a few too many things that I shouldn’t have been doing in the past.”
A bad boy.
The thought made my pulse thunder. “So you’re not a member at this club?”
He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “No,” he laughed but his laugh was anything but genuine. “Are you?”
I hesitated as I considered my answer. “No, I was just walking the beach and wanted to rinse my feet. I’m Phoebe,” I said extending my hand. Technically, I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t a member, my parents were. I hadn’t even been here in years. And I was out for a walk.
Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “Jeremy,” he said back.
When I chewed on my lower lip, I noticed how his eyes focused on it.
Mine focused on the entirety of his mouth—his strong, firm jaw, his sensuous lips, and his tongue that had snuck out to lick his lips.
That mouth.
It was almost too much.
Almost.

Blog Tour: Fighting To Start By S.L. Ziegler

Reed "Riker" Collins is my story... The beginning, middle, and end.

Our love was intense, emotional, and raw, the kind that sticks with you forever. I thought we had it all, the thing that would make us last... Until we didn’t.

Reed promised me forever, and I believed him with everything in me. But it's never that easy. Without a second thought, Reed left me to follow his own dream of becoming a professional fighter. Five years of going through life without him has left me only drifting through life, never truly living, leaving me more damaged than ever before. But then, Reed walks back into my life when I needed him the most. Will I be able to forget all the pain he caused? Will he be able to heal the emotional wounds his love had left me with?

Can I fight to start? Or will I end up forfeiting it all just to make it go away?

Holy shit.  Those two words may not be the most descriptive or the most professional but sometimes the words “Holy Shit” can describe a million feelings, thoughts, or emotions in just those two little words.  I was not expecting everything I felt, thought, or cried about when I started Fighting To Start, I didn’t expect half of what I would feel let alone be at a loss for words trying to describe it beyond the two words I began this review with but I honestly am not sure what to say.  And that ending? Well another swear word comes to mind and I think you can guess which one I mean, I’ll give you a hint it starts with the letter “F”.  Normally I would just straight up type it but considering I am trying to be better at the whole swearing thing I am giving it a shot.

Be prepared to have to set your kindle or book down and just cry.  Have tissues and wine (or whatever alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink of your choosing) ready because you will need them.  Be prepared to scream and possibly want to hunt the author down after you reach the end to demand the next book.  Be prepared to have your emotions be shredded.  Be prepared to fall in love with Reed, I know I sure as hell did.

All I can say is that I need the next book sooner rather than later because I have questions that I must have the answers to.  Plus I want more of Reed and Hadley.  

Chapter 1

Hadley

“Reed. Really, baby? Twice didn’t help you at all, did it?” I poke him in the ribs, trying to get off the bed. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me into him, running kisses up my shoulder to my neck. Goose bumps cover my skin at the feel of his lips on me. “What fun is it to stop now? You are just too damn sexy for your own good and I can’t get enough. And I know if I keep going”—Reed glides his hand to my shoulder, moves my hair off my neck, and kisses me lightly behind my ear, sending chills through my body—“I will get you to forget about going to see that dumbass movie with your mom and come watch my fight.” Without warning, I’m flipped onto my back, Reed hovering over me. I stare into his breathtaking hazel eyes, about to wrap my arms around him, when his phone chimes with a text message, interrupting us. Reed growls against my temple, “Cock blocker,” and kisses me one last time before getting up to look at his phone. I can’t help but admire him as I push up onto my elbows. Reed looks like such a bad boy—defined muscles, colorful tattoos over his chest, arms, back, and down to his thighs, shaved head. He has it all in one nice six-foot-two-inch delicious package. And it’s all mine. I could stare at him all day, but I didn’t have the time. I had the rest of my life to appreciate his physique, so I roll off the bed and pick up his boxers off the floor, throwing them at his chest with a smirk. He quickly grabs my arms, pulling me into him with a smile of his own. I knew what that grin meant. Lifting myself to my tiptoes, I give him a chaste kiss and whisper against his lips, “I love you.” “Me too, babe.” I walk away with a smile on my lips after he slaps my ass. I shake my naked hips a little, teasing him some more, and then hear his deep laugh as I walk the rest of the way to our closet. I grab the first thing that catches my eye. A few minutes later, I come out dressed in my favorite pair of True Religion jeans, a plain fitted black shirt, and my black Chucks. Reed is sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over as he puts on his work boots. He must hear me approach, because his eyes lock with mine, awakening the butterflies in my stomach. Around Reed, I always have the fluttering in my belly, no matter how long we’ve been together. And I have no doubt in my mind how he feels about me. Whenever he looks at me, his eyes tell me everything I’d ever need to know. I have always seen the love Reed has for me, for us—even at the beginning when he’d tried his hardest to fight his feelings for me, I always knew it was there. Now, two years later, Reed never hides it—not from me or from anyone else. My hair could be greasy, unwashed for days, I could be drenched with sweat from our runs, or have yesterday’s makeup smudged beneath my eyes, and he’d still look at me like I’m the only one in the room. It’s the same way I look at him. We fell recklessly and wildly in love with each other. It wasn’t normal or the falling-off-a-cliff type. It wasn’t running through a field of daisies, either. No, it was like jumping headfirst out of an airplane without a parachute, running through a burning building—the kind of love that feeds on one another, that takes hold of every inch of your soul, takes away every breath and leaves you feeling as if you’re just now experiencing life. The kind of love that only gives you two options: if it works out, you’ll have lived with more love than most. You’ll be lucky enough to see everything for the better because that person is your better. But if it doesn’t work out, you are so utterly broken that you’re left beyond repair. Reed Collins is my once in a lifetime, the one people wait for, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m in deep—some say too deep. And just maybe they are right. Because now, I feel a changing in the air between us and I’m beyond scared shitless of what the next step with us is. Fights and underlying tension that never used to be there has put our once blissful relationship on unsteady and uncharted ground, and I don’t know how to handle it or what to do to make it better. But I will do everything in my power to keep it from falling away. I graduate in a couple of months with my nursing degree, and Reed is at the make-it or break-it point in his fighting career, causing us to walk this tightrope into the next chapter of our lives. I can only hope that as a couple, we are steady enough for everything the real world will be hurling at us soon. The restlessness billows around him like a plume of smoke after an explosion, and I can see it by simply looking at him. It’s as if Reed has the weight of the world on his shoulders. My feet carry me to him and I straddle his legs, wrap him in my arms, and rest my head on his shoulder, feeling the tension literally loosen. Reed, my boyfriend, and “Riker,” the fighter are two totally different people and I knew that the moment I saw him walk into the cage for the first time. The Reed I know is only shown to me—he’s sweet, caring, loving, and will protect me with everything he has. But “Riker” is all alpha, all the time. He sees one solution to any problem—fighting. The nickname “Riker” came from one of his many underground fights he used to do for money. Some old guy said he hadn’t seen someone fight like that since he left Rikers Island. The Riker part stuck and fits that side of him to a T. I learned a long time ago that you couldn’t love one without loving the other, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Reed has been busting his ass, training three times a day, six days a week, for the last four years to make a name for himself in Ohio and the surrounding states, but that’s not enough for him—Reed wants total domination. After all the time we have been together and all the fights I have seen him prepare for, I know today’s fight is different because he is different. He’s always hyped before a fight—it’s natural for him—but lately, he’s been on edge and I can’t figure out why. Riker seems to be showing up more and my loving boyfriend only comes out when I drag it out of him. It’s causing me to worry that something is happening, something he’s hiding. And whatever that something is, it’s big. “Reed, what’s up with you lately? What aren’t you telling me?” I plead quietly as my lips graze his ear. He holds a lot in. He’s been the strong, silent type for the two years we have been together, and it’s like pulling teeth to get any kind of information from him. I learned early on to just accept what he offers because each piece he gives knocks down a layer and shows me who he truly is. Reed only shakes his head, silently dismissing my question. Not wanting to push him any further into silence, I attempt to get up, but he holds on to me tighter. Knowing his touch is my downfall, he’s using it to stop me. “I know you promised your mom you will go to the movies, babe, but you rarely miss one of my fights, and with these…” He trails off and turns his head toward our nightstand where a framed picture of us sits. “What is it, Reed?” I press for more, needing him to open up to me. “I just want you there. That’s all. Plus, you know you’re my good-luck charm, Hads. I get all caveman with you there and can’t help but prove my manhood to my woman.” Reed jokes—it’s his way of telling me the conversation is dead. His lips meet the middle of my forehead and rest there. I know if I keep pressing him, it will start yet another argument and he doesn’t need that before his fight tonight. So I give up yet again, pushing my need to know deep down in order to comfort him. “Baby, I really wish I could, but you know my mom and I always go to the opening day of the movies to the books we read. She had this planned before the movie was even made and I can’t disappoint her. Not to mention, Riker Collins will undoubtedly kick this guy’s butt whether I’m there or not. And I won’t say it again. I’m not your good-luck charm. That red hat I gave you is. That’s your juju, not me. Courtney and I will meet you and Lance at the bar after, so you can tell me all about how you conquered this fight. We’ll have our celebratory drinks, get drunk off our asses, and you’ll forget all about how I wasn’t there. I’ll make you a promise though, and you know I never break one of those”—I wink teasingly at him—“this will be the last time I ever miss a fight of yours. I’ll be by your side so much that you will get sick of me and beg me not to be with you.” I wrap my pinky around his and lift our intertwined fingers to my mouth, laying a soft kiss on his. With great force, I pull his arms and lead him to his feet. “Come on, we’ve got to get downstairs before my mom uses her damn key again.” As soon as my foot hits the bottom step, my mother comes barging through the front door. My mom and boundaries don’t mix—not even close. I don’t think she will ever understand that I live with my boyfriend and, sometimes, privacy is needed. It’s a good thing that my parents spread out their time between Columbus and Atlanta, because I have a feeling she would be here all the time if not. “Mom, we gave you a key for emergencies only. That doesn’t mean you can use it instead of knocking every time you come here.” Reed, being so used to my mom barging in, just shrugs it off. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Look at the positive side, babe, at least you got her to stop coming over without notice.” He then goes to my mom and gives her a hug and a quick kiss on the check “Hey, Mrs. Thomas, how are you doing? I hope you ladies have fun tonight. I know how you two love those young sparkling vampires,” he says sarcastically.   My mother, Julie Thomas, is naturally gorgeous. She’s fifty-six years old but doesn’t look a day over forty without any help from cosmetic doctors. At five-four, she has a body that looks like she spends hours in the gym, even though she’s never stepped foot in one. She just has a naturally shaped and toned body—to everyone’s envy, but mostly mine. Her brown hair is shiny and always perfectly in place, and it complements her soft blue eyes well. As if that wasn’t enough to be jealous of, she also wears a natural glow all year around, never needing to waste time on getting a tan. It’s a real travesty that I’m adopted and didn’t get those amazing Thomas genes. My dad, William—a highly successful and powerful man—and my mom have been married for over the thirty-five years, which has given her plenty of time to channel her perfect trophy-wife look. I swear, she even sleeps in her makeup, Chanel, and flawlessly styled hair. She grew up with nothing, and always tells of how she was never able to play dress up. Apparently, she’s only making up for the lost time, although I think she’s spent more time making up for it than she actually spent without it. Her appearance is slightly deceiving, because she is the most humble person I know. My parents’ story is one for the books, they were high school sweethearts, and both came from the same rough neighborhood in Columbus. My father wanted more out of life and decided to join the Army straight after high school, marrying my mom right before he shipped off to basic. He got my mom pregnant with my brother Mark within the first couple months of their marriage. Six years after that, my brother Matt was born, and that’s when my father left the Army. He started a business in security with his best friend, Joe, using the small inheritance he had received from my grandfather. Within ten years, they had built it into a multi-million dollar company. Now, they have their hand in everything and have been on the Forbes list of highest earners for the last ten years. Even with all that, my father still brings my mom breakfast in bed every Saturday and cherishes her like his own queen. I hated it growing up, but now, I just look forward to having what they do one day with Reed. They adopted me when I was a baby—Mark was sixteen and Matt was ten. With the huge age difference, I’m not really close to them, but neither has ever made me feel anything less than loved. Mark has always been more of a background brother, only showing up if I needed something, while Matt is the fun one—poor guy…I was the annoying sister that followed him around like a lost puppy half his teenage life. I learned early on that if I needed help with my homework, Mark was the one to go to, but if I needed to get away with anything, Matt was my guy. Those boys never made me feel anything other than a Thomas.   “Reed, I told you to call me Julie about a thousand times. And thank you, I know I will have fun. It is my darling Hadley who won’t, though. I know she will be thinking about you the whole time—and that thing you call work…fighting or whatever it is. She won’t even care about who is on the screen or that she is with me.” My mom can’t fathom how Reed would want to try to make a living in the cage, but she’s never tried to understand it, either. My parents want his head in something that has a sure-future, but a sure-future career isn’t Reed. His life was unfocused and going nowhere before he found his love for boxing at twelve years old. He wrestled all through high school and had a ton of scholarship options, but he turned them all down to take up mixed martial arts instead. With his back ground in wrestling and boxing, he was a natural at it. Reed has since developed into an impressive fighter through the help of his best friend, Logan, and his coach/trainer, Kenny. He makes ends meet now by doing underground fighting and taking side security jobs through my family’s business. But mostly, he just trains, trying to make it in a sport that would rather see you fail than make it. But if they accept you into the sport that ninety-seven percent of people fail at, and you become that meager three percent, it’s paramount. But my parents don’t feel that it’s enough. They think it’s dangerous and nothing more than a hobby. “Mom, let’s not go over how you hate what Reed does again. I’m going to go walk him out,” I say and then follow Reed out to his motorcycle before she has time to reply. Reed reaches his bike and leans on it, reaching for my hand to guide me into him. His eyes capture mine as he speaks. “Hadley, you know you’re mine, and everything I’m fucking doing is for us so I’ll be the one to support us in the long run. Please don’t forget that.” How can I when it feels like he’s talking to my soul? “No matter what, you will make it, baby. Even if you don’t believe it, I’ll have the faith in you, for the both of us. I’ll be by your side every step of the way. I could live in a nasty box under a bridge as long as I had you with me.” Putting my hands up to his stubbly cheeks, I remind him, “It’s just like that song on that oldie country station. We are two sparrows in a hurricane, baby, only need some love and a whole lot of faith.” He shakes his head at me, giving me a heart-stopping smile that shows off his slightly crooked teeth. “I always knew you were a huge ass dork, but that shit you just said takes the cake, babe.” “Yep, I know. That’s why you love me.” “Damn right, woman, and it doesn’t hurt that you have great tits.” Reed turns his hat backward as he bends down, kissing my lips, and like always, it deepens, allowing our passion for each other to take over. After what seems like hours, I push off him. “Go, Reed. Call me when you are done. Court and I will meet you guys at Flats. Make sure you have my vodka soda waiting for me.” He smiles, and lands one last peck on my lips before I take a step back. “Sure thing, babe, and this time, I may actually remember the limes. Maybe, if you’re a good girl, when we get back, I’ll take advantage of you a couple more times and after that and you can make the bruises I’ll get better,” he says smugly as his leg swings over his bike. “Remember, actions speak loader than words, so you better just show me.” Reed laughs. He snaps his helmet and sunglasses on, and then the roar of his bike sounds around me like thunder. I blow him a kiss and stand there, waiting till he speeds off until I can’t see his taillight anymore. And just like that, I feel like the biggest part of my heart is missing.

       

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Blog Tour: Amber To Ashes By Gail McHugh

 They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.

In AMBER TO ASHES (Atria Paperback; June 9^th, 2015), Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.

They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.

Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.

Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.

They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally. 

Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.

Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.

But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives...and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.

I have been try to find the best way to word this review, and even now that I am at my laptop typing away I am still searching for the best way to word my thoughts and feelings about Amber To Ashes.  I am going to admit it took me a couple tries of picking up my kindle, reading pissed or upset before setting it back down again swearing I wasn’t going to finish it.  Then a couple days later I would repeat that same process and so on.  I don’t know if it was my mood at the time or what but I had a hard time getting into it, but then I finally forced myself to sit down and give Amber To Ashes an honest final attempt and I am glad I did.  I love a storyline that is filled with angst, love triangles, emotional roller coaster rides and smoking hot sex scenes.  So for me to take so long to get into a book that had all of these was strange.

In respect for the author I don’t want to give any type of spoilers away, I know some readers like spoilers and some don’t but I respect author’s and really try not to spoil anything in their books if I can help it.  I will say this, be prepared.  Be prepared to yell, scream, curse, cry, feel like your stomach is in a never ending knot because Amber To Ashes will do all of those things to you, multiple times.  Hell my own anxiety sky rocketed while I was reading and I am just reading the book, not one of the characters.  I can’t wait for book two to be released because I just have to know what will happen next.

I had tried to read this author’s previous series and got about halfway through Collide before I set it down, I still plan to go back because I know if I can work past my crazy emotions in Amber To Ashes then I will be able to continue on with that one.  If you are like me and may have had a hard time reading Amber To Ashes in the beginning, please pick it up one more time and give it that final last try because I know now had I not done that I would be regretting my decision down the road.

Order the AMBER TO ASHES paperback:

Amazon

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Order the AMBER TO ASHES eBook:

Amazon's Kindle Store

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Google ebookstore

iBooks

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 About the author:

Gail McHugh is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Collide and Pulse. She is the mother of three beautiful children and has been married to her husband for fifteen years.

Visit Gail online at:

http://www.authorgailmchugh.com/

Twitter: @Gail_McHugh

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorGailMcHugh

Enter the giveaway!

Enter to win one of ten signed copies of AMBER TO ASHES by visiting the blog tour rafflecopter! link directly to: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7e0813e14/

Review: Stealing Harper By Molly McAdams

This is Chase's POV from Taking Chances.

Chase Grayson has never been interested in having a relationship that lasts longer than it takes for him and his date to get dressed again. But then he stumbles into a gray-eyed girl whose innocence pours off her, and everything changes. From the minute Harper opens her mouth to let him know just how much he disgusts her, he's hooked.

But a princess deserves a Prince Charming who can make her dreams come true. Not a guy who can turn her life into a nightmare.

All good intentions go out the window when Harper starts to fall for the guy Chase has come to view as a brother. He wanted to protect her by keeping her away, but he can't stand to see her with anyone else, and he'll do anything to make her his. But when it comes down to Harper choosing between the two, will Chase have the strength to step back from the girl who has become his whole world if it means she's happy?

Lines will be crossed. Friendships will be put to the test. And hearts will be shattered.

CAUTION: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ TAKING CHANCES

If you read my review of Taking Chances or hell even if you had any contact with me for about a week after reading it you know, you know how much that book DESTROYED me.  I cried for days, I cried while writing my review, I cried so much my eyes stayed red.  I cursed my book bestie Gabrielle for having me read the book while at the same time loving her for bullying me into reading it.   I wanted to send Molly McAdams a bill for therapy and tissues.  I wanted to have Chase for myself.

So I am sure you are all asking yourselves why in the hell did you read Stealing Harper Janna when you knew what would happen and how upset you were before.  I will tell you why.  I needed Chase’s POV, I needed to see inside his mind and heart to see if all the love I had for him in Taking Chances would be the same in Stealing Harper. I can safely say that no my love for Chase isn’t the same, it is more intense.  I love him even more after reading his POV.

Chase knew he had screwed up when he pushed Harper into Brandon’s life, but he never expected for it to destroy him as much as it did just seeing her with his best friend.  He fought the attraction, he tried to just be friends, but when you are so deeply in love with someone staying away isn’t always easy.  He broke my heart more than once because he just wanted Harper to take a chance on him so he could prove that she was his one and only once and for all.  When we read the events leading up to the end of the book, you feel the anxiety forming because you know what is about to happen and you can’t stop it no matter how hard you wish the words you are about to read weren’t true.  Awe hell I have tears in my eyes again just thinking about it.

Now I am taking a text that I had with my book bestie and this should kind of hint at what I feel for Harper, I wasn’t a huge fan of her in Taking Chances but in Stealing Harper she made me hate her for how much pain she put Chase through.  Okay so here is what I said “I want to do a combo vag kick throat punch bitch slap to Harper”.  Yep that basically sums up how I feel.

I have cried before with books, I am an emotional person so I feel harder than some people might.  Taking Chances and Stealing Harper are books I will never forget.  They will hold a special place in my heart because they made me feel so many emotions so deeply that they imprinted into my heart and soul.  I am looking forward to reading Trusting Liam because I just know that it will be just as amazing as the first two books.  Molly McAdams you have shredded my heart, caused me to go through boxes, yes boxes of tissues, and you have a way to make something that is so painful still be beautiful and moving to your readers.

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Blog Tour: A Beautiful Kind Of Love By Ellie Wade

Every choice has a consequence.

I believe in soul mates. Why? Because I have one and his name is Jax Porter.

I have known Jax my whole life and I have loved him with every breath I’ve ever taken. The fact that we were born a mere month apart to mothers that are best friends has made us inseparable since birth.

What we have is so rare, one would think our story would be written, our fate sealed. But, unfortunately that’s not how life works. Life offers us many choices that can turn destiny into chance.

I now find myself heading toward a destination that I could have never imagined and I have to figure out where to go from here. 

Will the choices that have been made change our path forever or will fate find its way?

Shredded. Destroyed. Stomped on. Roller coaster ride.  Need tissues. Holy shit.  Those words can’t even begin to describe what my emotions and heart feel like after reading A Beautiful Kind Of Love.  I am still feeling all of those emotions days later, this is one book that will stay with me for a very long time. 

I am not going to write a long review because I am honestly worried that I might give something away and I don’t want to do that.  I want to just prepare you for your emotions to be all over the place and your stomach in knots and your heart breaking from the angst.  Jax and Lily are meant to be together, I just know it deep down in my heart that they are.

There is a cliffhanger, I really debated mentioning that because I don’t want people to shy away from reading it because of that.  I think that we will be in for more emotions, more angst, more tears before we find happiness.  I am very impressed with Ellie Wade’s writing.  I had not previously read anything by her but if A Beautiful Kind Of Love is just a sample of what she can write then I will be a fan for life.

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Our entire life together has been perfect. We have had eighteen years of foreplay. I don’t need candles or flowers. I need you. Take me to bed and make me yours in the only way that I’m not. ~ A Beautiful Kind of Love

What we have is the absolute rightness of two souls born into this world to complement the other flawlessly. Everything that Jax is and everything that he does is always exactly what I need. ~ A Beautiful Kind of Love

I can’t compare what I’ve had with others to what I could have with you. You are my Lily. There is no comparison. ~ A Beautiful Kind of Love

Our entire life together has been perfect. We have had eighteen years of foreplay. I don’t need candles or flowers. I need you. Take me to bed and make me yours in the only way that I’m not. ~ A Beautiful Kind of Love

This right here with Jax and me, our bodies and our souls acting on pure instinct and desire, is what I was made for. ~ A Beautiful Kind of Love

               JAX                    LILY

 

 

 

Ellie Wade resides in southwest Michigan with her husband, three young children, and two dogs. She has a Master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University and is a huge University of Michigan sports fan. She loves the beauty of her home state, especially the lakes and the gorgeous autumn weather. When she is not writing, you will find her reading, snuggled up with her kiddos, or spending time with family and friends. She loves traveling and exploring new places with her family. 

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Release Day Blitz: Fisher's Light By Tara Sivec

Fisher,

I guess this is it, huh? After fourteen years together, starting a life of our own on this island, five deployments and countless letters I’ve written you through it all, I finally go out to the mailbox and see something I’ve always dreamed of: an envelope with your handwriting on it. For one moment, I actually thought you’d changed your mind, that all the awful things you said to me were just your way of coping after everything you’d been through. I was still here, Fisher. I was still here, holding my breath, waiting for you to come back even though you told me you never would. You always said you’d find your way back to me. Out of all the lies you’ve told me, this one hurts the most.


Enclosed you will find the signed divorce papers, as requested.
I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’m sorry it wasn’t me.

Lucy

To get the ending they want, Lucy and Fisher will have to go back to the beginning. Through the good and the bad, they’ll be reminded of why they always made their way back to each other, and why this time, one way or another, it will be the last time.

Those of you who have read my reviews in the past may or may not have known that my husband was in the military and up until last year I was a military wife.  My husband also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.  When I originally read the blurb for Fisher’s Light I knew that this would be a book that could possibly hit close to home but knew that I needed to read this.  I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I waited to read it until very recently.  I waited because I knew that once I started that I wouldn’t want to finish until I had devoured the entire book.  I am a huge fan of Tara Sivec’s Chocolate Lovers and Chocoholics series but never read any of her more serious books previously.  I should have known that she would have the ability to completely destroy my emotions in the same intense yet different way that she can make you laugh.

I started Fisher’s Light knowing that I most likely would be crying at some point, little did I realize that I would be crying a lot.  I cried at the loss of Fisher and Lucy’s marriage.  I cried when Fisher pushed Lucy away and was cruel.  I cried reading Fisher’s journal entries.  I cried when more and more you see just how severe his PTSD became.  I cried when Lucy didn’t know if she should trust Fisher again.  I cried because I have a husband who has PTSD, not as severe as Fisher but who I have at times watched have an anxiety attack because of a crowd or just be super nasty to me for no reason at all.  I cried for any service member who suffers, whether it be a mild, moderate or severe case, and to some life ending when they take steps to end their pain.  I cried for Lucy, who was there for her husband through deployments and trainings and yet didn’t know what her husband was silently suffering through. 

But then I smiled.  I smiled because Fisher began to prove not only to Lucy but to the town that even the most destructive of individuals can repair the damage they caused.  I smiled because Fisher was battling a new war, one for the love of his ex wife.  I smiled when Fisher slowly worked his way back into Lucy’s life and into her heart.  I smiled because in the end Fisher and Lucy may have battled separate wars, but together they won the battle to love again.

Fisher’s Light is one of the most emotional reads I have read and not just because of the subject matter, but because it is so beautifully written that your emotions can’t help but overwhelm you once you begin reading.  I have read many books about the hero’s being in the military or suffering from PTSD but I have never read one that moved me as much as Fisher’s Light.  Grab your boxes, yes boxes of tissues and read this beautiful gut wrenching, emotional journey that is Fisher’s Light.

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