2017 – Page 9 – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ Winter Stroll

Posted on November 16, 2017November 18, 2017 by Cindy

Winter Stroll (Winter #2) by Elin Hilderbrand
Published by Little, Brown and Company on October 13th 2015
Pages: 263
Goodreads

"Happy Holidays 2015! It has been a rough year for the Quinns, but I would like to start by saying thank you for all of the well wishes and positive missives sent our way."

Another Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. Though the year has had its share of misfortune and worry, the Quinns have much to celebrate. Kelley, now single, at least is on better terms with his first wife Margaret, who is using her celebrity to lure customers to the inn in record numbers. Their son Kevin has a beautiful new baby, Genevieve, with the Inn's French housekeeper, Isabelle; and their daughter, Ava, is finally dating a nice guy--her devoted colleague, Scott.
Now the Quinns are looking forward to celebrating Genevieve's baptism, welcoming Isabelle to the family, and enjoying the cheer of Nantucket's traditional Christmas Stroll. But just when a peaceful family gathering seems within reach, Kelley's estranged second wife, Mitzi, shows up on the island after souring on her relationship with the inn's former Santa Claus. Soon Kelley isn't the only Quinn entertaining a surprise guest from Christmases past as lovers old and new gather beneath the mistletoe. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns--and the inn--through the holidays intact.

This is the second book in the Winter series by Elin Hilderbrand.

Winter Stroll picks up a year after where Winter Street left off. I am happy that I was able to pick up the books one of the other so that it felt like I was reading just one book if that makes sense?

Another holiday season is upon the Quinn family. Like the previous book its told within a few days and the chapters are alternated between the Quinn family like the previous one. Everyone basically fills in the blanks to what has happened in the previous year while still telling what is going on in the present day.

Just like the previous book it follows the same family drama. Kelly is still struggling with the break up of his marriage to Mitzi. His oldest son, Patrick is facing possibly going to jail. His second son, Kevin is struggling with dealing with his feelings from his first marriage that failed and doesn’t want to go down that same path with Isabelle. His daughter, Ava is dealing with the fact her boyfriend decided he would rather spend be alone and she has no idea where he is as he is not in contact with her. Finally Bart is still missing in action and no one knows where he is.

There is so much more but I am going to stop since this is the second book in the series.

This was another super quick read and I read it over the course of two nights. Like the previous book it does end abruptly and since I know there is a book three I wasn’t left hanging for too long. I do look forward to continuing with the next book in the series.

Review/ Winter Street

Posted on November 15, 2017November 16, 2017 by Cindy

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
Published by Little, Brown and Company on October 14th 2014
Pages: 352
Goodreads

In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.
Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.
As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.
Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

As I was doing some much needed computer work I realized I had a few reviews of books that I bought/borrowed that I never shared with you so I thought it was time to add them to my blog finally.

I remember picking up this book last year and reading it right away and I fell in love this this trilogy and had to read the other books in the series. The other books in the series are: Winter Stroll, Winter Storms and Winter Solstice. So in reality this is no longer a trilogy and I am so happy that I got to read this series.

This is Elin Hilderbrand’s first Christmas story. It takes place in Nantucket with the Quinn family. They run a family inn and every year they through a huge Christmas Eve party with a Santa and all. The house is decorated from top to bottom.

The hosts are Kelly (the dad) and his second wife, Mitzi. Kelly is looking forward to spending Christmas with his kids from his first marriage even though financial troubles are hanging over head. He is determined to make this a great Christmas until he catches his wife kissing Santa. But Kelly is shocked when he finds out its been actually going on for years and what he saw wasn’t the first time. Mitzi decides she would rather be with Santa then Kelly and packs up and leaves.

Everyone in this family has drama and it all unfolds within this book. Such as the oldest son, Patrick being investigated for unethical practices and his wife leaves taking the kids with her to go to her parents causing him to head down a downward spiral. If thats not bad enough Kevin is not happy and has a secret romance that he has been hiding from his family but decides he needs to come clean and finally the youngest child Ava who is struggling to hold onto her boyfriend and hopes that he will propose but little does she know that he doesn’t exactly feel the same way about her. Finally Bart, the son he had with Mitzi is currently in the Marines and deployed in Afganistan is missing. No one knows where he is.

As you read this you will probably think that this is going to be a Christmas to remember well in some ways it is going to a be Christmas to remember and not in a good way. This is the story if anything can go wrong it will go wrong.

The book is told in a basically a few days span with its told in several points of view from the Quinn family, Kelly, Mitzi, Margret, Ava, Kevin and Patrick. This was a great way to get to know the characters in a short amount of time.

I loved how even though Kelly and Margret are divorced she is still actively involved in and with the family and that she is still included in family events. I know sometimes divorces can be tricky but it was nice to see that yes they had issues in the past they were able to over come them.

I really enjoyed the book and it was such a fun and quick read just the thing to sort of get you into the holiday mood. Thankfully I was able to pick up the other books in the series quickly from the library so that I could continue this.

The one thing I have to say is going into the book I knew it was a trilogy so the way it ended so quickly I knew I had to read the next book right away. Reading it it honestly felt like the publisher just cut it to make a second book. So you were left hanging.

If you plan on reading this then I highly recommend you have all the books in the series before you begin.

Review/ Saving It

Posted on November 14, 2017November 14, 2017 by Cindy

Saving It by Monica Murphy
Publication Date: November 6, 2017
Pages: 260
Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush

Eden: Josh Evans and I have been best friends forever. He knows all my secrets, and I know all of his. So when he randomly asks me to help him lose his virginity, I sort of flip out. That’s a question that sends your mind to places you’ve seriously never considered before. Like, you know. Having sex. With your best friend. Except Josh doesn’t want to have sex with me—he wants me to help him find a girl. A nice girl who’s funny and smart and cute. Except he already knows a girl just like that…

Josh: Eden Sumner is my best friend. So of course she’d be the person to help me find my perfect match, so I can drop my V card before I head off to college. Except the more we search, the more I realize that maybe the right girl has been by my side all along. I don’t need Eden’s help in finding me a girl to love. I’m pretty sure I’m already in love with Eden. But now she thinks I’m only after one thing…with anyone but her.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is what happens when American Pie meets Friends with Benefits. It contains two best friends, plenty of angst, and lots and lots of sex talk. Reading this might have you looking at your best friend in a different light!

Thanks Chapter By Chapter Blog Tour for sending me a copy of the book to read for my review and for allowing me to be a part of the book tour for this.

One of the best things about being a book blogger and reviewing books from publishers/authors/book tours is being exposed to books and authors that you might not normally read on your own and this is the case.

This is my first time reading any of Monica Murphy’s books and I have to say if this one is any indication of her previous books I really need to start picking them up to read. She has several series and stand alones and a new book coming out in the new year called Pretty Dead Girls.

Every now and then I like to break up my reading genres just so that I don’t get overwhelmed within a genre, and I am so happy that this was next on my list because every now and then you need a little romance in your life.

Our two main characters are Eden and Josh and they best friends. They know each other pretty much inside and out. I don’t think each other has thought of the other person as anything more then best friends but as you dig deeper into the story you do realize that they both had thoughts of each other but never acted on them.They both know that they can trust each other with everything. So when Josh asks Eden to help him lose is virginity because he is tired of avoiding the locker room banter she has no problem and they brain storm together to find the perfect girl.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it was just so heart warming that Josh felt like he could trust Eden to help him find the perfect girl and little did they both know that she was standing there the whole time. I loved watching this friendship grow into a more serious one with both Eden and Josh.

I can understand why they never said anything to each other because they didn’t want to risk possibly losing a friendship and I probably would have done the same thing. Sometimes its best not to say anything for fear of that.

Saving It is told in both Eden and Josh’s point of views so you are able to get each others thoughts which I think adds to the story.

I am super excited to read Monica’s other books really soon.

Book Blitz/ Mad Magic

Posted on November 14, 2017November 13, 2017 by Cindy

Mad Magic
Nicole Conway
Published by: Month9Books
Publication date: November 14th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Mad Magic is a beautifully dark and rich Young Adult fantasy from Nicole Conway, bestselling author of the Dragonrider Chronicles.

Josie Barton is a high school student living in terror. Invisible creatures torment her everywhere she goes, constantly getting her into trouble at school, and even haunting her apartment. But just when Josie thinks things couldn’t get any worse . . . she meets the guy from across the hall.

Zeph Clemmont is a changeling with enemies in all the worst places, fighting to undo a curse that threatens to end his life. Survival means he will have to swallow his pride and trust Josie with all his darkest secrets.

With the help of a gun-slinging shaman and the enigmatic Prince of Nightmares, Zeph and Josie are only a heartbeat away from defeating one of the most diabolical faerie villains their world has ever known.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

WHAT IS MAGIC?

“Magic is like water. It’s required for all things on this earth to live and it cycles through the world to be reused over and over again. Some things, even some people, soak up more of it than others or require more of it to live. Children are usually more attuned to it than most. They soak it up like little sponges.” Each word from his lips carried a weight I could feel hanging in the air. “Any being on earth is capable of using it, although humans lost interest and forgot how to do that a very long time ago. Most of them can’t even see it or feel it anymore. Their minds have turned to things of metal. It can be that way for faeries, too. In fact, a lot of us have fallen from our former glory to be fed by the machines of the modern world.”

A strange, wild hunger rose up in me so suddenly it made my body stiffen. If magic was real, then surely it had something to do with all the strange things that had been happening to me. I needed to know more—I needed to understand.

“Where does it come from?”

“The moon.” He paused, holding a liquor bottle in each hand as he turned to look me in the eye. “Or at least, that’s what the old songs say. No one knows for sure. But magic is raw energy that we can use as we choose. Even a small amount can accomplish miraculous or even terrible things.”

Author Bio:

NICOLE CONWAY is an author from North Alabama. She graduated from Auburn University in 2012, and has previously worked as a graphic artist. She is happily married and has one son as well as a cat and a dog. She enjoys blogging, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
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Book Spotlight/ Saving It

Posted on November 14, 2017November 13, 2017 by Cindy

Saving It by Monica Murphy

Publication Date: November 6, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush

Eden: Josh Evans and I have been best friends forever. He knows all my secrets, and I know all of his. So when he randomly asks me to help him lose his virginity, I sort of flip out. That’s a question that sends your mind to places you’ve seriously never considered before. Like, you know. Having sex. With your best friend. Except Josh doesn’t want to have sex with me—he wants me to help him find a girl. A nice girl who’s funny and smart and cute. Except he already knows a girl just like that…

Josh: Eden Sumner is my best friend. So of course she’d be the person to help me find my perfect match, so I can drop my V card before I head off to college. Except the more we search, the more I realize that maybe the right girl has been by my side all along. I don’t need Eden’s help in finding me a girl to love. I’m pretty sure I’m already in love with Eden. But now she thinks I’m only after one thing…with anyone but her.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is what happens when American Pie meets Friends with Benefits. It contains two best friends, plenty of angst, and lots and lots of sex talk. Reading this might have you looking at your best friend in a different light!

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36302599-saving-it

Purchase Links:

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-saving-it-by-monica-murphy/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is a traditionally published author with Bantam/Random House and Harper Collins/Avon, as well as an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson. She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Snapchat • Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

• A Signed copy of Saving It. (US only)

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Review/ Haven

Posted on November 13, 2017November 13, 2017 by Cindy

Haven by Mary Lindsey
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

“We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed.”

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s use to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running rom trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

Ancient magic and modern society collide in a sexy, spellbinding romance perfect for fans of C. C. Hunter and Maggie Stiefvater that proves sometimes beauty is the beast…

Thanks to Chapter By Chapter Blog Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to read.

One of the best things to happen when I sprained my ankle and that I am still recovering is that I can actually spend a little bit more time reading during the day so I am able to get through my commitments of books.

This is a YA paranormal romance and if you follow my blog I don’t tend to read a lot of paranormal romances with the exception to a few authors and books so this was a nice little treat for me. This also had a little bit of a mystery to it and I think that it added to the book and a little history as well. I love when an author gives a little history about the town the book takes place in. I always find it adds more to the story.

Haven is told from the third person and I have to admit I am usually not a fan but it worked with Haven.

Our main character is Rain (love that name) has suddenly lost his mother and is sent to live with his estranged aunt Ruby. He quickly picks up the feeling that something is not right and he can’t pin point what it is exactly. He notices at his new school that a certain group of kids stick themselves and he knows that there is something there. One of the girls in the that groups has gotten his attention and there is something about her that intrigues him. This girl is Friederike (love this name as well) aka Freddy.

Freddy is not your typical girl. She is very unique and she warns Rain to stay away from her but he can’t because something always happens to bring him in. There is something she is hidding that she doesn’t want him to know because it could kill him but Rain being Rain curiousity gets the best of him and it could cost him his life.

I should mention that Rain is like a bad boy that I know a lot of readers like and I know I do as well. He has grown up on the streets, he has problems and it always seems like he is the one in trouble. But deep down he is a sweet guy and he decided he wants to be better then what he was. Can he?

I just have to take a moment to comment on the cover, how pretty is it? I love how simple and inviting it is.

I do have to say that I found the beginning to be a little slow but it gradually picks up and once I hit that point I had a hard time to put the book down.

I really hope there is another book coming out because I would definitely read it. Although I have to admit the author tied everything up in a nice little bow. I am so happy that I got the chance to read this because I don’t know if this would have been a book I would have picked up on my own so I am happy I saw the email for it.

Review/ Six Little Secrets

Posted on November 13, 2017November 13, 2017 by Cindy

About The Book:

Title: SIX LITTLE SECRETS
Author: Katlyn Duncan
Pub. Date: November 24, 2017
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 150
Formats: eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Goodreads

Some secrets can never stay hidden for long…

Six teenagers meet in Saturday detention: a brain, a beauty, a cheerleader, a rebel, a recluse and the new girl.

But someone is watching. Someone has made sure that they are all in the same room at the same time. Someone knows that each of them is hiding a terrible secret…

…and by the end of detention, everyone will know the truth.

I quickly have to thank RockStar Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of the book tour for this and for sending me a copy of the book to read for my review.

This was a super quick read and I read it in one sitting. This was definitely a page turner and kept you on the edge of your seat.

Once I started reading the book I got the vibe of a modern day feel with a creepy twist of the Breakfast Club and can totally see this being made into a movie. Which by the way is one of my all time favorite movies from the 80s that I can rewatch over and over again. I even sported the Molly Ringwald hair cut.

So in this version six teenagers are arriving for their detention. There is a brain, a beauty, a cheerleader, a rebel and a recluse. The only thing different is that each of the kids have a deep dark secret that they don’t want revealed so the person who has sent them to detention knows exactly what they are. This group must follow the instructions given to them and they must reveal their secrets and if they don’t there is consequences to it.

Who is the person behind this that knows everything? Why are they doing it now? How deep and dark are these secrets?

I know I was curious about who the 6th person was and with all the twist and turns I didn’t see that coming. I loved how even though this was short everything gets tied up at the end and all is revealed.

I think if your looking for a good edge of the seat mini thriller then this is for you.