BOOK BLITZ: NEIGHBORS WITH BENEFITS - MARISSA CLARKE + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!!

***Disclaimer:I received this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest opinion. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Book & Author Details:

Neighbors with Benefits by Marissa Clarke 

Published by: Entangled: Lovestruck

Publication date: June 30th 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

A satisfying category romance from Entangled’s new Lovestruck imprint…

Love thy sexy jerk of a neighbor…

CEO Michael Anderson might be something of a “control freak.” Still, he’s not quite sure why his therapist thinks dogsitting will fix anything—especially since he and the canine share a kind of mutual loathing. And to make matters worse, a house sitter moves in next door disrupting his peace—and his dates—with the worst possible music at the worst possible time… every time.

Free-spirited artist Mia Argaropolis has settled into the perfect gig—housesitting in NYC’s Upper West Side while working as an art therapist. Too bad she’s stuck living next door to a bossy control freak with a penchant for calling building security when she blasts music to drown out the noises coming through his bedroom wall.

Post-apocalyptic dinner rolls that nearly take her kitchen with them, a douchebag ex, and a Shih Tzu with the personality of Godzilla attack Mia in one day, and her unlikely neighbor comes to the rescue. Like it was her fault. And now, somehow, they find themselves engaged? Both agree, this neighborly feud just got taken to a whole new level.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon | B&N

Review: 

I like Marissa Clarke's writing style. It's engaging and entertaining and keeps you in the story. This is the second book in the Anderson Brother series but it can be read as a stand alone. 

Michael is straight-laced and a little uptight. Mia is the complete opposite. The story is a little cliche'. The guy is uptight, the girl is a free spirit. They can't stand each other and then all of a sudden they're all the other can think about it. BUT it's a great spin on the story, thanks to a dog Michael is talked into sitting by his psychiatrist. The way that Marissa Clarke wrote this common story makes it very interesting. You don't feel like "Oh, I've read this before" or "Oh, I already know what's going to happen." It's very refreshing and entertaining. 

I enjoyed this book so much but it's very hard for me to talk about it without giving away a lot of spoilers because it was so good I just want to talk about the whole book! I will say that at the beginning of the book I was very turned off by Michael. I thought he was a complete jerk and was hoping that someone else was going to swoop in and steal Mia. But once things started heating up between them, I quickly changed my mind!! They're a great match once they were able to get over their differences. I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to checking out the rest of the series! 

AUTHOR BIO:

Marissa Clarke lives in Texas, where everything is bigger, especially the mosquitoes. 

When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, husband, and a Cairn Terrier named Annabel, who rules the house (and Marissa's heart) with an iron paw.  She loves to connect with readers, so follow/friend her on Facebook and Twitter or shoot her an email from her website "Contact" page.

Author links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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BLOG TOUR: ALEXA CRUSHED - T. R. CUPAK + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

***Disclaimer: I received this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Book & Author Details:

Alexa Crushed by T.R. Cupak 

(Alexa Crushed #1) 

Publication date: May 20th 2015

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Alexa Morgan lost her mother when she was two. At eighteen, her father and stepmother died when a devastating earthquake hit the Bay Area. Only one person has remained a constant in her life: Devin.

Devin has been Alexa’s best friend since childhood. The two are inseparable—or they were until Devin declared his love for her at sixteen. When Alexa can offer him only friendship in return, Devin retreats, brokenhearted.

Alexa, on the other hand, longs for Ethan, the boy next door. Four years older than her, and with an ever-changing roster of girlfriends, Ethan is everything Devin isn’t: wild, sensual, and unpredictable.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, Ethan makes his move on Alexa, who reciprocates in a confused whirl of grief and desire. When Ethan leaves town shortly after, Devin comes back into Alexa’s life, offering support and expecting nothing in return.

Alexa begins to see the advantages of Devin’s quiet, stable love. But just as her feelings for her old friend begin to blossom, Ethan returns. Now Alexa must choose—the perfect boyfriend or the wild, thrilling bad boy. It’s a choice that changes her life forever.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon | B&N

Review: 

 I give this book 3 & 1/2 stars. I didn't LOVE it but I didn't hate it. I'm somewhere in the middle with it. And I think it's because of the way the love triangle played out. 

Alexa has dealt with a good bit of loss in her life. The one person who has always been in her life is Devin. They've been besties since they were kids. And guess who falls in love with Alexa? Devin. Guess who Alexa couldn't be less interested in? Devin. And then here comes Ethan, who was a well-written character, but I just didn't like him. I had already made my mind up that Alexa and Devin needed to be together so any scene that had Ethan in it I just kind of sneered at. 

T. R. Cupak is a great writer, though. This book is beautifully written even if there are a few scenes that I didn't like in it. These kids are young and just really experiencing life but I felt like sex was a little too casually used for this age group. (But, hey, maybe I'm a stick in the mud?) I also felt like the death of Alexa's family just kind of fell the wayside once the story started picking up speed. I didn't expect it to be the main focus but I did expect it to effect her more than it did. The ending of this book is really what did it for me. I really liked the way things wrapped up. And that's all I'm going to say so that I don't give anything away! 

This is a quick read. I think I finished it in about three days but it was worth reading. I did enjoy the characters and Cupak's writing. I'd be open to reading more about these characters and more by this author. 

AUTHOR BIO:

T.R. Cupak was born and raised in the suburbs of a Bay Area city in California. She was the closet nerd who hid her love of reading and writing short stories and poetry when she was younger. Back then it wasn’t considered cool to be into those types of activities for pleasure, whereas today you have TV shows, movies and books that glamourize that being a nerd is actually cool. 

T. lives in a quiet, little, country town south of where she grew up. She is happily married to an amazing man who supports her in everything she does and spoils her rotten. They have a crazy little Shih Tzu named Harley. He's their fur-baby and even though he’s a pain in the arse most days, they love the little guy. She has an obsession with cars, especially fast ones. She enjoys her music louder than anyone should. Admittedly it’s to drown out hearing her own singing voice, or lack thereof. When she’s not at work or busy writing you can find her curled up reading a book on her Kindle with a glass of wine or Dirty Shirley.

T. lost touch with her creative side and stepped off the path of all things written in her early twenties. Six years ago, her passion for reading was rekindled. She began to utilize reading as a way to escape everyday chaos. Late 2013 she began journal writing. After a couple of months of journaling T. realized that this form of writing wasn't keeping her interest nor was it helping her to relax. After that realization settled in she changed the direction of her writing. Her creative aspirations were flowing once again and she happily embraced it. As her fingers started to dance across her keyboard she began to see her fictional characters begin to breathe life. Writing was only supposed to be a way for the new author to relax, but a story was born and T.R. Cupak is excited to be releasing her self-published debut novel, Alexa Crushed.

Author links: 

Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

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BLOG TOUR: BELONG TO ME - LAURA HOWARD + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

***Disclaimer: I was given this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Book & Author details:

Belong to Me by Laura Howard 

(Moore Crossing #1) 

Publication date: March 26th 2015 

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Kate and Noah thought they had the kind of love that could last through anything. Until their world crumbles out from beneath them.

After months of separation, the tragic death of Jack, Kate’s twin and Noah’s best friend, throws them back together. As they try to heal from the horrific loss, will they be able to overcome old wounds or are they destined to live separately forever?

Review: 

This was a quick but great read. From the synopsis I was worried that this book was going to be on the heavier side of things but this actually turned out to be a light, warm, fuzzy-feeling kind of book for me. Yes, it had some sad parts in it but I think those sad parts made the sweet parts that much sweeter. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, too, which made the book even better. 

Kate reminds me of me in some ways because of her sarcasm which made me like her even more. Laura Howard does a great job of fleshing out these characters so that you are able to connect with them and identify with them as people.

 

Dealing with loss can be really hard, especially when you lose someone you're close to, but this book proves that love can help you deal with that grieving process. I loved this book and I will be reading more from Laura Howard in the future! 

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon | B&N

AUTHOR BIO:

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Author links: 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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BLOG TOUR: Pepper Jones - Ali Dean + + Excerpt + Giveaway!

Book & Author Details:

Pepper Jones Series by Ali Dean 

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis Book 1 - Pepped Up:

Pepper Jones is ready for an epic cross country season. She wants to qualify for Nationals, and she’s willing to do anything it takes to make it happen. She can handle long miles and hill sprints, but boys? That’s an entirely different challenge.

Pepper’s never considered revealing her deeper feelings for her longtime friend, Jace Wilder. After all, he’s got the personal magnetism and good looks to hook just about any girl in town — and he has. Their friendship stands apart from high school social circles, and they’re both just fine with that (or at least they pretend to be).

That is, until running star Ryan Harding moves to town.

When it comes to running, Pepper’s goals are clear. But when it comes to Jace and Ryan, it’s nowhere near as simple.

Synopsis Book 2 - All Pepped Up:

Pepper Jones knew that being Jace Wilder’s girlfriend wouldn’t be simple. But she didn’t predict just how many complications would arise from his past. Jealous girls? That she expected. Family secrets? Not so much. At least Pepper can always hit the trails to clear her head… except when it comes to racing. The high expectations from her phenomenal cross country season haunt her, and she can’t seem to get psyched up for track season. Pepper’s junior year at Brockton Public is full of challenges on and off the track, but she’s not afraid to face them.

Synopsis Book 3 - Pepped Up & Ready:

Pepper is finally a senior, and she’s determined to defend her national cross-country title. Although Jace is busy with the demands of college football, he’s still at Pepper’s side, supporting her goals. But is she taking her renewed enthusiasm for training too far?

As Jace and Pepper focus on their athletic ambitions, they discover that Jace’s social status has followed him to college, despite his attempt to keep a low profile. With her boyfriend as an idol on campus, Pepper discovers that she might just be a target to those who find Jace threatening.

Are Jace and Pepper strong enough to withstand the pressure from those who want something from them? It won’t be easy fighting for her title and her boyfriend, but nothing easy is worth winning… or keeping.

Excerpt from Pepped Up

I dig my feet into the mud and embrace the burning in my quads. The harder I push, the deeper the pain in my legs and my lungs. But I’m closing the gap with the two girls in front of me, and that makes it worth it.

Just before reaching the top, the girl in the yellow uniform pitches forward and hits the ground. She’s back on her feet already when I pass her, but she’s lost her momentum. It’s not easy to regain on this terrain.

I’m shoulder to shoulder with the girl in the red uniform when we hit the top of the climb. It’s a straight 100 meters to the finish. I can barely make out the finish line through my mud caked lashes, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not easing up.

I’ve got one shoe on, and I’m soaked in mud from head to toe. Literally. This is my kind of race. The discomfort from the elements is nothing compared to the throbbing in my muscles. I welcome it all as I force my legs into sprint mode.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/123010-pepper-jones

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pepper+jones+ali+dean&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apepper+jones+ali+dean

AUTHOR BIO:

Ali Dean lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. In addition to reading and writing, she loves the outdoors- everything from marathon training and biking to snowboarding and skiing.

Author links:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7237069.Ali_Dean

https://twitter.com/alideanfiction

https://www.facebook.com/alideanfiction

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REVIEW: Sky High - C.J. Lake

***DISCLAIMER: I received this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.***

BOOK DETAILS:

Sky High by C.J. Lake 
Publication date: May 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
**All books in C.J. Lake’s Attraction Series are standalone novels with NO cliffhangers.**

First she stole my parking spot.  Then we became friends.  Then I fell completely, mind-torturingly in love with her.  Oh, wait—I think that happened first.

Sky High by C.J. Lake – coming in May!

Review: 
This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. There are some people in this from previous books but you're not "missing" anything if you haven't read the other books. 
I really liked Sky High because it wasn't your usual New Adult book were girl meets guy, girl and guy think each other are hot, girl and guy bone as soon as possible. I liked that Sky and Jamie were friends first. I've always heard that the best relationships are those that started out as friendships! Jamie and Sky's chemistry is palpable from the very beginning but I think that both of them were trying to fight it at first. There were moments where I was yelling at the book, "KISS ALREADY!". When the two of them finally realize that they're meant for each other, it just works so well in the story! 
This is a really cute story with some good humor and some sexiness sprinkled in for good measure. Jamie surprised me when it came to the bedroom scenes, I didn't expect that from his sweet, geeky self, but it worked out very well! 
Sky High is a fast-paced read. I finished it in two days. It flows well and is written well. I like the way that C.J. Lake developed the characters and their personalities throughout the book. I will be adding the rest of the series to my TBR list! 

BLOG TOUR: The One That I Want - Marilyn Brunt + Review + Giveaway!!

Book & Author details:

The One That I Want by Marilyn Brant 

(Mirabelle Harbor, #2)

Publication date: July 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

The summer after her beloved husband died in a car accident, Julia Meriwether Crane is still picking up the pieces of her life in Mirabelle Harbor and trying to help her ten-year-old daughter adjust to this difficult new reality.

After her best friend Sharlene—one of the well-known Michaelsen siblings—talks her into finally going out on the town again, Julia finds herself stunned to be the object of interest of several different men: The boy who’d broken her heart back in high school. The college ex she’d left behind. And most surprising of all, the movie actor she’d always fantasized about but had never met in person until now. Can one woman have more than one “great love” in the same lifetime? And, if so, how can she be sure which man that’ll be?

Sometimes the person you think will be best for you…isn’t the one you really want. THE ONE THAT I WANT, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

Goodreads

Review: 

This book was a great take on the "grieving widow" story. 

Julia was a very strong, well-written character and I really liked the way Marilyn wrote the relationship between Julia and her daughter. They're both grieving the loss of Julia's husband but Julia is trying to be strong for her daughter and trying to teach her how to move on and enjoy her life all while struggling with that same thing. 

Enter Julia's friend, Sharlene, who pushes her to get back into the world of dating! I won't give away any of those fun details. You'll have to read the book but seeing Julia go through the world of dating was a lot of fun! 

There are some heavy moments in this book but overall it was a very enjoyable book. It was a very quick read for me, I finished it in about two days! 

Purchase:

Amazon | Smashwords | Apple | Kobo | B&N | Paperback

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME (Book 1)

Book 1 in the Mirabelle Harbor series, a standalone romantic novella called TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, is also out now and it's for sale *everywhere* for just 99-cents in celebration of the release of THE ONE THAT I WANT. 

Here are the buy links for that sale-priced novella and some info on the story:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | Apple | Paperback

Dedicated personal trainer Chance Michaelsen falls hard for Nia Pappayiannis—his complete opposite and a member of the family that owns the Greek bakery just down the street from his gym. He considers their pastries to be the enemy of good health, but his attraction to Nia can’t be denied. In matters of the heart, would you risk it all? TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

AUTHOR BIO:

Marilyn Brant is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary women’s fiction, romantic comedy & mystery. She was named the Author of the Year (2013) by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She loves all things Jane Austen, has a passion for Sherlock Holmes, is a travel addict and a music junkie, and lives on chocolate and gelato. Look for all of the contemporary romances in her new Mirabelle Harbor series, beginning July 2015! Visit her website: www.marilynbrant.com

Author links:

http://www.marilynbrant.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2978367.Marilyn_Brant

https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.brant

https://twitter.com/marilynbrant

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