Review/ Maybe In Paris (#17DABash)

Review/ Maybe In Paris (#17DABash)Maybe in Paris by Rebecca Christiansen
Format: Hardcover
Published by Sky Pony Press on June 20th 2017
Pages: 240
Goodreads

Keira Braidwood lands in Paris with her autistic brother, Levi, and high hopes. Levi has just survived a suicide attempt and months in the psych ward—he’s ready for a dose of the wider world. Unlike their helicopter mom and the doctors who hover over Levi, Keira doesn’t think Levi’s certifiable. He’s just . . . quirky. Always has been.

Those quirks quickly begin to spoil the trip. Keira wants to traipse all over Europe; Levi barely wants to leave their grubby hotel room. She wants to dine on the world’s cuisine; he only wants fast food. Levi is one giant temper tantrum, and Keira’s ready to pull out her own hair.

She finally finds the adventure she craves in Gable, a hot Scottish bass player, but while Keira flirts in the Paris Catacombs, Levi’s mental health breaks. He disappears from their hotel room and Keira realizes, too late, that her brother is sicker than she was willing to believe. To bring him home safe, Keira must tear down the wall that Levi’s sickness and her own guilt have built between them.

I just quickly want to take a moment and thank Nichole from YaReads.com for putting together this huge debut authors bash. This has been happening since 2013 but my first time hearing about it so after hearing about it I quickly signed up. There was 112 debut authors taking part and its happening all this month. You can check the tour schedule by clicking THIS.

This is day 10 of the Debut Authors Bash and today I am going to talk about Maybe in Paris by Rebecca Christiansen.

About the Author:

Rebecca Christiansen Rebecca Christiansen tried to study creative writing at university, but kept skipping classes to write YA novels in the library, so she decided to pursue that instead. She loves boy bands and diet soda and suffers from incurable wanderlust. Rebecca lives with her boyfriend in a house packed full of books in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 

When I found out that I was actually going to host Rebecca Christiansen’s book Maybe in Paris I was super excited because she is a Canadian author and the book sounded really good.

This was a super quick read and I pretty much devoured it all on rainy Saturday.

Keira has always wanted to go to Paris. She loves everything about Paris and I could relate I am like that about New York City. She even went to her prom dressed like Marie Antoinette. Now that is some serious obsession with the city of love.

Her school has hosted a french foreign exchange student all year and she has had a little crush on him. She is determined to spend the summer in Paris with him and she knows the only way she can go is if she saves up for it and she does. Every nickel and dime goes towards this trip of a life time.

Just before leaving there is a huge problem that is possibly going to put a kink  in the plan. What will Keira do? Will she be going to Paris as played or will this trip go down the drain?

I can totally understand how upset she is about not being able to go but family is everything and we all take that for granted. We think we will be around for ever and sometimes we are and sometimes we aren’t. Not wanting to give up on her chance to go to Paris she comes up with a plan that will mean bringing Levi with her and following the rules her mother has set out for her in regards to looking after Levi and his medication.

Keira has their days planned out and sadly not once does she really think of Levi and what he might want to do as he just seems to be following behind her this whole trip. Before long Keira has left him behind and gone to do what she wants and not taking in to account she has left her brother for so  long. When she gets back she is in for a rude awakening.

Will Keira be able to cope or does she realize she is in over her head?

 

 

Stacking The Shelves- Birthday Edition

Since starting my blog back in August of 2008 I always try to share what books I get with you so that you can see what I will be reading and I am always looking for a place to link them so that others can see them so from now on I will be sharing my links on Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. As Marlene has offered to co-host Stacking The Shelves with Tynga’s Reviews. Marlene is a new to be blogger and I look forward to checking out her blog.

Good Morning Everyone. I am writing this post in advance because I don’t know if we will need to be at the arena early for game two in our local city hockey tournament so I figured it was best to do this in advance.

This past week was my birthday and I thought I would share the books I got for my birthday.

  1. Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan. This is the 6th book in the series.
  2. Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill. This is the first book in the series and a debut novel.
  3. Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Plus I also got:

Glitterville® Faux Fur Baby White Owl Ornament

 

The owl obsession still continues. Have a good weekend everyone.

Review/ The Heartbreak Cure

The Heartbreak Cure by Amanda Ashby
Publication Date: December 4, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush

How to get over a heartbreak:

Step one: Eat your body weight in brownies.

Step two: Throw yourself into your dreams of becoming a famous writer.

Step three: Beg your (hottie) ex-neighbor to act as your fake boyfriend.

Step four: Skip step three unless you’re ready for some serious fallout.

After being dumped and humiliated over the summer, Cat Turner does what any sane girl would do. She asks bad boy Alex Locke to be her fake boyfriend and show the world (and her editor at the school newspaper) that she’s fine. Problem is, the more time she spends with Alex, the more she risks getting her heart broken. For real this time.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a swoony bad boy who will melt your heart, brownies, and witty banter. One, two, or all three might prove addictive…

I quickly have to thank Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours for allowing me to be on this book tour and for graciously sending me a copy of the book to read for my review today.

I am so happy that I got the chance to read and review this because Amanda Ashby is a new to me author that I haven’t read up until today and after reading this I am curious to read more by her.

This was a super fun and quick read that I almost devoured in a day. I love reading books like this and I had a hard time to put it down when I had to.

Our main character is Cat who use to by just your typical high school girl but over the summer she got humiliated by her ex boyfriend on Youtube and dreads having to go back to school in the fall.  She needs to come up with a plan to show everyone at school especially the school’s newspaper editor that she is fine and this was just a bump in the road.

Enter next door neighbor, Alex. She convinces  him to be her pretend boyfriend out in public so that people will just get over her and move on to something else. Little does she realize but Alex has always liked Cat but never told her. I think deep down he know he would never be good enough for him and why risk a friendship. Will Cat feel the same way? Will she feel the same way in the end?

I loved reading this and watching the budding relationship forming and deep down you know Alex isn’t as bad as he seems. You can’t help but root for something to happen.

Reading this I realized that no matter the generation kids are still cruel and mean to each other. Looking back I don’t think I would survive being a kid in this generation with all the modern technology that is out there at least back in the day we had to relay on gossip and rumors with no proof to back it up.

If your looking for a light fun read then I have to recommend this.

Book Spotlight/ The Heartbreak Cure

 

 

The Heartbreak Cure by Amanda Ashby
Publication Date: December 4, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush

How to get over a heartbreak:

Step one: Eat your body weight in brownies.

Step two: Throw yourself into your dreams of becoming a famous writer.

Step three: Beg your (hottie) ex-neighbor to act as your fake boyfriend.

Step four: Skip step three unless you’re ready for some serious fallout.

After being dumped and humiliated over the summer, Cat Turner does what any sane girl would do. She asks bad boy Alex Locke to be her fake boyfriend and show the world (and her editor at the school newspaper) that she’s fine. Problem is, the more time she spends with Alex, the more she risks getting her heart broken. For real this time.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a swoony bad boy who will melt your heart, brownies, and witty banter. One, two, or all three might prove addictive…

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36476507-the-heartbreak-cure

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-the-heartbreak-cure-by-amanda-ashby/

About the Author:

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult and middle grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture. She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age.  Because she’s mysterious she also writes middle grade books under the name, Catherine Holt and hopes that all this writing won’t interfere with her Netflix schedule.

Website • Facebook • PinterestInstagram • Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

• $20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Code:
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Book Blitz/ A Sheikh For Christmas

A Sheikh for Christmas
Leslie North
(All I Want for Christmas is…, #1)
Publication date: December 7th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

It may be cold outside, but the snow begins to melt when an unlikely couple comes together during the Holidays…

Christmas is right around the corner, but after creating a society scandal, New York heiress Melody Hascall-Ebons has nowhere to turn. Cut off by her family for running away with an actor—who turned out to be using her for publicity—Mel is penniless, homeless, and disgraced. There’s only one place to go, and that’s back to the fiancé she ditched. But instead of her ex, she finds his friend Daveed Rafik. The handsome military translator disarms Mel with his easy smile and surprising sympathy. But as she struggles to get her life on track, the last thing Mel needs is to fall into the strong arms of her ex-fiancé’s best friend.

Counter-terrorism expert Sheikh Daveed Rafik has spent his career dealing with delicate and dangerous situations, but none of them compares to Melody Hascall-Ebons. He’s supposed to be helping his friend Murphy find his missing sister, not consoling the spoiled rich girl who dumped their buddy Heath. But the more he learns about Melody, the more he likes. With her unexpected intelligence and distinctive beauty, Melody calls to him in powerful ways. But when the woman he is arranged to marry shows up, Daveed’s highly organized life suddenly gets very complicated.

The streets of New York are steeped in holiday cheer, but can Daveed and Melody thaw the ice around their hearts enough to make room for love?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

EXCERPT:

Melody watched him walk away beneath her damp lashes. She’d never really paid much attention to Daveed before. He’d been one of Heath’s friends and always hanging around the periphery of their group, but had sort of kept to himself. Now, though, he’d come to her aid in her hour of need—or more like day of desperation—and a girl couldn’t ignore such chivalry.

As the silence between them grew more awkward by the second, she got up and wandered over to the table, which was covered by papers and post-it notes. Daveed didn’t look up at her at all, so she finally pulled out a chair and sat, forcing a tremulous smile. “What are you doing”

“Huh?” Daveed glanced up at her with a frown, as if just then remembering she was still there. “Oh, making lists. It’s how I keep track of everything I’ve got going on and my responsibilities.”

“Oh.” She picked up one yellow square and squinted at this illegible scrawl before she snatched it away from her.

“Please, don’t touch anything. These are all very important.”

“Right.” She’d never been big on lists or organization herself. Her mother had always had a social secretary to take care of most things for her and when that failed, then Melody preferred to “wing it.” For her life was all about spontaneity, but then again, given how this whole situation with Jefferson Hanks had turned out, maybe planning and consideration was the way to go. While Daveed said nothing more, scowling down at his notes again, she studied him more. Honestly, she really didn’t know the guy very well. From what Heath had told her, Daveed Rafik had served alongside him and their other friend, Murphy Coen, in the Middle East. Melody had always thought of Daveed as a sort of an Arabic James Bond type from the way Heath had bragged about the guy. He graduated Yale at the top of his class, spoke five languages fluently, and thwarted terrorists in a single bound, all without firing a single weapon.

Now, however, as he wrote furiously, his dark brows knit in concentration, she took her first real look at the guy. She’s noticed when he’d first answered the door that he was tall and well-muscled. As she sat beside him at the table, his dark brown hair curled above the collar of his white button-down shirt and reflected hints of gold beneath the lights. Yep. He was gorgeous, no doubt about it. If you went for the romance-novel cover sheikh type. Which she didn’t, at least not up to this point.

 

Author Bio:

Leslie North is the pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women’s contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

The truth of the matter is she loves her fictional persona, Leslie North, more than her normal, day-to-day persona! Her bestselling books focus on strong characters and particularly women who aren’t afraid to challenge an alpha male. Inspired after years of travel, her stories are set all over the world, from the tough streets of Russia to the beautiful beaches of the middle east.

Leslie fell in love with romance when she first picked up a scrappy, dog-eared romance book from her local library. She began writing soon after and the rest, as they say, was history. She now lives in a cozy cottage on the British coast and enjoys taking long walks with her two Dalmatians, George and Fergie.

She LOVES reader feedback, and if you have any comments, don’t hesitate to contact her via e-mail: leslie@leslienorthbooks.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

GIVEAWAYS!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


To celebrate my oh-so-hot “All I want for Christmas is…” series I’m doing an awesome giveaway. If you #preorder book one “A Sheikh for Christmas” you’ll enter a draw to #win a brand NEW #Kindle, with every single one of my books ever AND my yet-to-be-released ‘Sharif Sheikhs Series’!

That’s right! You’ll be the first person to read my latest series (three heart-stopping HOT Sheikh romances) a month before anyone else! All you have to do is pre-order “A Sheikh For Christmas” using the link below and forward your email receipt toleslie@leslienorthbooks.com!

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Book Blitz/ Holiday Ever After

Holidays Ever After: Contemporary Romance Holiday Boxed Set
Publication date: December 5th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance

Which holiday hottie will you unwrap first?

No matter the time of the year, it’s always the season for seduction!

From Spicy to Sweet and everything in between, this sizzling boxed set of TWENTY contemporary romances from today’s New York Times, USA Today, and International bestselling authors will give you tons of holiday hunks to fall in love with.
Inside these pages you’ll find everything from sexy strangers and brooding billionaires to marines, firefighters, and the guy next door.

Whether you’re in the mood for a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or a New Year’s celebration, this limited edition Holiday Ever After anthology is packed with exclusive, full-length titles to lift your spirits. From Halloween to Kwanzaa, Valentines Day, Norooz, and the Fourth of July, these stories will give your holiday season extra spark and will be the best romantic holiday bundle to hit your ereader this year!

Get ready to heat up your holidays when you treat yourself to Holidays Ever After!

Including stories from…
Colleen Charles
Monica Corwin
Amy L. Gale
Becca Fanning
Victoria Pinder
Alexa Padgett
Tuesday Embers
Khardine Gray
Holly Dodd
Liz Gavin
Jillian Quinn
Courtney Hunt
Vivi Holt
Kristen Luciani
Astrid Arditi
Rebekah R. Ganiere
Jessica Gray
Ja’Nese Dixon
Teresa Roman
Angela Corbett

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

SNEAK PEEKS:

Someone Special
By: Teresa Roman

“What can I do?”

I lifted my head, looked into his troubled eyes and then, without thinking, said,” Kiss me.”

For a moment I wasn’t sure he would. Not after our stupid fight and my bullheaded refusal to pick up the phone and apologize. Only moments ago, he’d referred to himself as a friend. Maybe that’s all he wanted us to be. But then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. One hand came around the back of my head, the other pulled me closer to him. My heart raced as his lips pressed harder against mine. His tongue slid into my mouth and I reached up to circle my arms around his shoulders.

The heat from his kiss and the way his body pressed against mine chased away the cold that had felt like it settled inside my bones, but it was still raining, and though the heat in my car had helped to dry my scrubs a little, they were soaked again from standing out in the rain talking to Jude.

I pulled away from him and reached into my purse searching for my keys. “Let’s go inside.”

Jude followed me without saying a word. After I closed the door behind him and flicked the light switch on, I turned around and kissed him again. He ran his hands through my dripping wet hair moaning gently as he pressed me against the door, pinning me between it and his body.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Dawn.”

He lowered his lips, kissing the sensitive skin on my neck. My breathing quickened. “I missed you, too. Badly. I was so stupid. I shouldn’t have—”

Jude pressed his finger over my lips. “Shhh, let’s not talk about that right now.”

He was right. Talking could come later, right at that moment the only thing I wanted was him. I needed this connection. And not just because it had one of the most heartbreaking days I’d had in a while, but because not seeing him or talking to him for all those days made me realize that I did have feelings for him, feelings that were stronger than I’d cared to admit. Feelings I desperately wanted to show him because I sucked at finding the right words.

Blissful Valentine
By: Amy L. Gale

Dean jumps over the top of the couch in a Dukes of Hazard move and lands on the cushion next to me perfectly seated. It’s like he practiced the move a million times. He slides his arm around my shoulder. “Sorry bud, she’s with me.”

I fight the urge to stand up and cheer from his flawlessly choreographed stunt. Soft fingertips graze the skin under my collar bone.

The man squints and tips his head. “She can be with you later,” he slurs and pulls at my arm again.

I yank my hand backward breaking his loose grip. “I’m a one-man kinda woman.” I shrug. “Sorry, there can be only one.”

The man holds up his hands and backs away. He trips on the coffee table on his way out.

Dean wrinkles his forehead. “Where’d you come up with that line?”

I sip my drink. “A line from a cheesy 80’s movie.”

He slowly slides his hand off my shoulder. “No way, Highlander?”

I raise my cup.

He leans back and looks me up and down. “Yep, you’re perfect. Marry me.”

I set my cup back on the table. “Wow, a marriage proposal because I know a line from a movie where the character’s main goal is to cut the other’s head off… It screams romance.” I smile.

“Hey, everyone ends up dead in Romeo and Juliet so decapitation in Highlander works too.” He winks.

I chuckle. Guess he’s got a point. Romeo and Juliet is a classic. If poisoning can be romantic then so can beheading. “Flowers and candy don’t stand a chance next to decapitation.”

He shakes his head. “I get it, all girls want is expensive jewelry, fancy dinners, and a white knight on a horse.”

Yeah, like anyone actually gets that. I press my lips together and hold back a smile. “I’ll take John Cusack holding up a radio and blasting a ballad outside my bedroom window.”

He flashes a sexy half-grin. “Nice, a girl who knows her 80’s flicks.” He tips his chin toward me. “Theater major?”

I scrunch my eyebrows and move my head back. “Do I look like I want to be a star?”

He scans my body, from my black, high-heeled boots, to my fitted, white, now-stained, shirt. “Hell, yeah.”

My skin scorches from his heavy gaze. “I’m a double major, business and marketing.” I grab my cup and slug down the rest of my drink. “How about you? No. Wait. Let me guess. Undeclared until junior year and until then it’s all about frat parties and bagging chicks.” Oh my god, what the hell am I saying? Real cool, Brooke.

I cover my mouth with my hand and slowly lower my fingers down my chin, dropping my hand at my side. “I’m sorry, looks like I had a bitch hiccup. I’m blaming the drink.”

 

GIVEAWAYS!
You can enter to win a box of books here as well as gift cards via the Rafflecopter below!
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