Diary Entry #0058: Cover Reveal—SHAMELESS by Lex Martin

Title: Shameless

by Lex Martin

Genre: Adult | Contemporary Romance

Date of Publication: April 26th 2016

Brady…

What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.

Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who’s slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.

I keep reminding myself that I can’t fall for someone when we don’t have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.

Katherine…

When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I’m not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me.

What I don’t count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won’t mean anything, that I won’t fall in love.

I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.

Shameless is an adult contemporary romance/spinoff featuring a character from The Dearest Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone. Shameless is on SALE for 99 cents only during the pre-order, which is available now.

Pre-order Links

Amazon US | UK | UNIVERSAL | iBOOKS

Also Available

The Dearest Series Boxed Set just went live and is FREE on KU for a limited time. Get all three Dearest Series books, including Dearest Clementine, Finding Dandelion and Kissing Madeline, as well as Dearest Series bonus scenes and the first chapter of Shameless.

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / UNIVERSAL

About the Author

Lex writes adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she's not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she's lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.

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Diary Entry #0057: Release Blitz—LISTEN TO ME by Kristen Proby

 

Kristen Proby is known for writing heartfelt characters with deep connections and sizzling passion. In her brand new series from William Morrow Paperbacks, Fusion, she will seduce readers’ senses with the sexy, contemporary romance, LISTEN TO ME, in which five best friends open a hot new restaurant together. Today, we are thrilled to bring you this first book in the Fusion Series. Available now, LISTEN TO ME finds a hot former rock star looking for a steady gig at the restaurant, but he’ll have to convince the prickly front-of-house manager to take a chance on him—with her business and her heart.

 

Title: Listen To Me (Fusion, #1)

by Kristen Proby

Date of Publication: April 12th 2016

Genre: New Adult | Contemporary Romance

Grab Your Copy Today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

 

"Listen to Me is a phenomenal start to a new series that will hook the readers to the point of no return." -Fiction Fangirls

Diary Entry #0056: Song Release—IF I HAD NEVER MET YOU from LISTEN TO ME by Kristen proby

Kristen Proby is known for writing heartfelt characters with deep connections and sizzling passion. This April, she will seduce readers’ senses with a brand new series, Fusion, from William Morrow Paperbacks, in which five best friends open a hot new restaurant together. Today, we are thrilled to bring you a song written exclusively for LISTEN TO ME, the first book in the Fusion Series releasing April 12, 2016. LISTEN TO ME finds a hot former rock star looking for a steady gig at the restaurant, but he’ll have to convince the prickly front-of-house manager to take a chance on him—with her business and her heart. Don’t miss what Kristen has to say about the beautiful ballad, If I Had Never Met You, and then grab your copy of the song and preorder the novel today!

 

A Message from Kristen about If I Had Never Met You: From the minute song writer Jake Keller lays eyes on Addison Wade, a tune sets up residence in his head. As he gets to know her, the tune becomes a song. Their song. Addie's song. The stakes are the highest they've ever been for him when he finally sings it to her, but will it be enough to keep her? I can't thank Brad Yunek and Dan Keseloff enough for writing this beautiful song to accompany Jake and Addie's story. I hope you love it as much as I do! 
       

Listen to a sample of If I Had Never Met You here!

Diary Entry #0055: Release Blitz + Review—He Will Be My Ruin Ruined Me

We are so excited to bring you the Release Week Blitz for K.A. Tucker’s HE WILL BE MY RUIN! HE WILL BE MY RUIN is a Suspense novel, published by Atria books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, being released on February 2, 2016! Grab your copy of this suspenseful read today and see what everyone is talking about!

   

Title: He Will Be My Ruin

by K.A. Tucker

Date of Publication: February 2nd 2016

Genre: New Adult | Suspense

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | IndieBound | Book Depository | Audible

         

The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series makes her suspense debut with this sexy, heartpounding story of a young woman determined to find justice after her best friend’s death, a story pulsing with the “intense, hot, emotional” (Colleen Hoover) writing that exhilarates her legions of fans.
A woman who almost had it all . . .
On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself?
A man who was supposed to be her salvation . . .
Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life. Until he became her ruin.
On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.

 

"This man was once my salvation. Now he will be my ruin."

This book was. So. Good.

I've read every single book that K.A. Tucker has published so I thought I already knew how good she was especially when writing the suspense-filled scenes. But, no. She still managed to blow me away with this book.

Diary Entry #0054: Release Blitz—CHASING SPRING by R.S. Grey

Title: Chasing Spring

by R.S. Grey

Date of Publication: Feb 1st 2016

Find on Goodreads

I thought I’d left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn’t belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn’t listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.

I didn’t ask for a hero. I don’t want to be saved.

To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin’ out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I’d assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.

I didn’t want to be her hero. Some girls don’t need to be saved.

Diary Entry #0053: You'll Only Read A Book Like This Once In This Life—A Book Review

Title: In This Life
by Christine Brae
Date of Publication: January 22nd 2016
Genre: New Adult | Contemporary Romance

It started out so simply. Anna runs away to Thailand, drags her best friend Dante with her and spends a few weeks away, taking on other people’s problems while getting away from her own. She meets the enigmatic Jude Grayson, and for as long as it’s clear to both of them that it ends when they leave, she thinks she’s got the perfect fling planned out.
Or does she?
Anna returns home to find that her life is no longer the way it once was, and that she can’t stop thinking about him. She learns through tragedy that nothing she’s ever believed in has turned out to be true. The worst part? The people she loved were keeping a secret from her. And that no matter what she does, no matter how hard she fights against it, every path she takes keeps leading her back to Jude.
This is a story about love, found in a faraway place by two very unlikely people. It is also a story about friendship and loyalty and fighting for what you have despite the illogical mystery of fate. And with the struggle between morality and guilt, faith and acceptance, there comes a learning that even the best-laid plans are powerless against the alignment of the universe.
From the beaches of Thailand to the streets of New York, three friends, Anna, Dante, and Jude will learn the hard way that once providence steps in, there is nothing in the world that can change what is truly meant to be.

“He’s a force that pulls me towards him, a cliffhanger in a story in need of an ending.”

I’ve finished reading Christine Brae’s In This Life recently, and by recently, I mean around ten hours ago. As I was reading it, I typed some thoughts out about this book that was sort of like an outline of my review so that it won’t be hard for me to make a coherent and cohesive book review.

It didn’t help at all.

I actually don’t know how I’m gonna write this review, so I’m just going to wing it from here. You should know first that I really liked this book. I’ve read so many New Adult Contemporary Romance books, so it’s hard to get me to be impressed by the plot of books from the same genre now, but In This Life…yep, like the title suggests, there’s really nothing I could compare it to.

Diary Entry #0051: New Year, New Books a.k.a. My Most Anticipated 2016 Releases (Part 1)

It's a new year and I thought I should do something new in my bookworm diary, too. I remember planning to post something about my most anticipated 2016 book releases before last year ended and now it's the second day of 2016 already, but I think it's not inexcusable to enjoy the new year via food coma and watching (again and again and again) Taylor Swift's #OOTWMusicVideo, right?

Right.

Anyway, I still thought of posting such diary entry, but there were some problems with that. The biggest one is that some books that are scheduled to be released later this year still don't have covers and some, like the third book of Marie Lu's The Young Elites, still don't have exact release dates. Since I have a mild case of OCD, I didn't want my post to be incomplete and not uniform. I've thought about doing it monthly, too, but the post would be too short and will probably not be worth your time reading. So, I've decided that I'm going to do it quarterly.

Yes, here I am presenting to you my most anticipated books coming out in the next three months!

Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1) 
by Susan Dennard

Date of Publication: January 5th 2016

Synopsis:

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Diary Entry #0050: Best 15 of 2015

We've reached the last day of the year again and it's time for listing the bests of 2015. For a bookworm like me, I think 2015 has been really great because I read a lot of 5-star worthy books. Last year, I posted my Best 14 of 2014. Listing the top 14 books out of the 190+ I read was hard, trust me. This year, I read 170 books (excluding those I re-read) and one might think it will be easier to pick my top reads with, err...fewer choices, but it's not. It was just as hard!

So, like last year, I listed down (in no particular order) all the books I gave 5 stars to and I tried to narrow it down to 15. If you haven't read some of the books in this list, I hope you trust me enough to check them out and give them all a try.

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)

by Marie Rutkoski 

Full of lies, treachery and deceit, The Winner's Crime kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the book. It didn't have the...curse that most 2md-book-in-a-series get where the plot dies down, no. This book was thrilling and set a perfect precedent for what will surely be a mind-blowing finale.

Read my review here.

Things We Know By Heart

by Jessi Kirby

Things We Know By Heart is achingly sweet, hopeful and heartbreaking. It has the perfect blend of familial and romantic love and left me believing in fate stronger than ever. Sometimes, when you read a book you just know in your heart that you're going to remember it forever. This book is one of those.

Read my review here.

Diary Entry #0049: I Read November 9 On December 23rd And It Was Awesome

Title: November 9

by Colleen Hoover

Date of Publication: November 10th 2015

Genre: New Adult | Contemporary Romance

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse. 

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

 “As long as the two people end up happy, it doesn’t really matter if they end up happy together.”

This. This book the is the Colleen Hoover I know and love.

Diary Entry #0047: My #ForeverMoments—Of Course They're About Books

#‎ForeverMoments all stemmed from Jennifer L. Armentrout's title, FOREVER WITH YOU. This is going to be a day about celebrating and sharing the moments that stay forever with you—and the people who you’ll keep forever with you! There are some amazing friendships in FOREVER WITH YOU, and we want to hear about your #ForeverMoments! So go ahead and share a time when your best girlfriends had your back, or that one moment you know you’ll remember for the rest of your life, a moment that changed you in some way. And the sky is the limit with what you can do here…graphics, videos, an interview with someone who was a part of your #ForeverMoments, whatever makes you happy! Being creative, having fun and sharing your #ForeverMoments with the world is the most important thing here.

Because of this, I will share some of my #ForeverMoments with you all.

Diary Entry #0046: Release Blitz—FOREVER WITH YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

We are so excited to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Jennifer L. Armentrout's FOREVER WITH YOU! FOREVER WITH YOU is a standalone New Adult contemporary romance being released on September 29th, and is the fifth book in the Wait For You Series, published by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Grab your copy of this incredible addition to Jennifer's Wait For You Series and see what everyone is talking about!

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Praise for FOREVER WITH YOU:
“Armentrout packs a powerful emotional punch in her fifth Wait for Younew adult contemporary (after Fall with Me)... Armentrout tugs at the heartstrings while delivering an intense, gripping tale.” –Publishers Weekly

“Armentrout presents an emotional installment in her Wait for You series…[she] does it again, presenting a fast-paced tearjerker that fans will devour.”–Booklist

In the irresistibly sexy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, two free spirits find their lives changed by a one-night stand…
Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.
Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .  

Diary Entry #0045: Cover Reveal—THE PLAY by Karina Halle

A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules.
A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.
When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, man-eating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.
Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

ADD TO GOODREADS

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Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle , on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com  and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

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Diary Entry #0042: Book Review—Renée Carlino and I Were Strangers Until I Read This Awesome Book

Title: Before We Were Strangers

by Renée Carlino

Date of Publication: August 18th 2015

Genre: Adult | Contemporary Romance

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.

AMAZON  | BARNES & NOBLE |  iBooks

“You can’t re-create the first time you promise to love someone or the first time you feel loved by another. You cannot relive the sensation of fear, admiration, self-consciousness, passion, and desire all mixed into one because it never happens twice.”

This is the first time I’ve read a book by Renée Carlino and—gosh darn, I love it!