All the Stars Left Behind by Ashley Graham
All the Stars Left Behind by Ashley Graham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Leda Lindgren has recently lost her father with whom she’d been very close to her whole life and with a mother that is never there Leda finds herself being relocated to Arctic Norway with a grandmother and uncle. Leda also suffers from spina bifida and uses crutches to get around due to her failing muscles which doesn’t make the move and meeting new people any easier for her.
However when Leda meets her uncle’s gorgeous assistant, Roar, she finds a strange pull towards him with things happening that Leda just can’t explain. What Leda never expected was to find that there’s an alien world that she is at the center of that she’d never known existed even though her father seemed to be grooming her for this day all her life in his secretive way.
There were some things I really enjoyed with All the Stars Left Behind but unfortunately there are also others that were not so great. The story felt very creative just starting off in Norway giving it a foreign feel which was nice change of pace along with having a main character with a disability seemed a bit out of the norm. Also the different versions of aliens and a plot of a takeover and needing to find a weapon to save a whole alien race was quite intriguing.
However, the book also follows the normal young adult tropes of the characters falling instantly in love without much reasoning or build up to it. Along with our main female character being special without knowing it her whole life. Now those things would not normally stand out as much if worked into a story well but that would be my major complaint with this read… the story often felt a bit jumpy and a bit all over the place. It keeps a fairly fast pace all throughout but maybe that is a bit of a downfall here as it really could have used a bit more explanation and focus in parts. In the end I just found this one an alright read that had potential to be better.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Someone Like You by Lauren Layne Sale Blitz
A man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.
SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Oxford #3
Lauren Layne
Loveswept
Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series
continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible
bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes
away the pain.
Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as
Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every
flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s
hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his
heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy
Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his
best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.
After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need
anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look
at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the
type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret,
she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And
suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey
that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.
“Lincoln, you know that I love you like a brother, but if you make a move on my sister, I will end you.”
Lincoln Mathis took a slow sip of his cocktail as he studied the fierce bride-to-be. “I hope Cassidy knows how lucky he is. You’re so delicate and gentle.”
Emma Sinclair, soon to be Emma Cassidy as of this time tomorrow, lifted one elegantly manicured fingernail and flicked his chest. “Promise, Lincoln. No hitting on Daisy.”
“I don’t hit on women.”
Emma gave him a look.
He held up his free hand in surrender. “I don’t. They come to me. I’m like the stamen.”
Emma stared at him with wide, slightly accusatory brown eyes. “The what?”
“The stamen. The pollen-producing part of a flower, Sinclair. Don’t you watch the Discovery Channel? Animal Planet? I just saw a fascinating documentary on bees. See, when the bees land on a flower, their little feet pick up pollen from the stamen— “
“Mathis. Are you talking to my fiancée about semen?” Alex Cassidy asked, coming up beside Emma and setting a possessive hand on her waist.
“Stamen,” Lincoln clarified. “Not semen. Honestly, is sex all you people think about?”
“Yes.” This came from Riley Compton, a brunette bombshell whose status as New York’s foremost “sexpert” meant she had zero qualms about discussing sex at her best friend’s rehearsal dinner. “And you know, actually, the stamen is rather sexual. I saw that bee documentary too, because these are the sort of things you do when you’re nursing a never-satisfied baby, by the way, and the stamen is a flower’s male reproductive organ. Sexy, right?”
Emma inserted the arm not holding her champagne flute between the two of them. “Guys,
it’s my wedding weekend. Can we not talk about flower boners?”
“Fair enough, Bride,” Lincoln said. “What do you want to talk about? Cassidy’s boner?”
Alex Cassidy choked into his champagne.
“There will be no boner discussion,” Emma said. “Lincoln and I were just having a chat about how Lincoln will be maintaining his distance from my sister.”
“Speaking of flowers, where is Daisy?” Riley asked, scanning the room.
“Running late. Knowing my sister, her dress had a slight crease from the suitcase, and she won’t make an appearance until every wrinkle’s banished, every hair’s in place, and there’s not a speck of lint anywhere.”
“Gosh, however will I keep my hands to myself?” Lincoln muttered.
“Lincoln, I swear to God—”
“He’s messing with you, Em,” Cassidy said, carefully tugging his fiancée away from Lincoln. “Don’t let him press your buttons. And Lincoln, man, what is with that drink?”
Lincoln glanced down. “It’s called a Jasmine. Gin, lemon, some Campari—”
“It’s pink,” Cassidy observed.
“Right? You want one?”
Cassidy rolled his eyes. “I’ll stick with wine, thanks. Ah shit, there’s my grandma waving us over. Emma, you up for talk about the state of your uterus?”
Emma groaned. “Oh no. I thought she’d agreed to wait until after the wedding to talk about my eggs.”
“I’ll go with you,” Riley said. “As the only one in our little group of friends who’s ever pushed a human skull out my—”
“Okay, I’m going to expand my taboo list,” Emma said. “No talking about boners, flowers, or vaginas.”
“Fine,” Riley said, as she entwined her arm in Emma’s and started leading her toward Cassidy’s grandma. “But if Grams starts talking about fertility, just follow my lead . . . ”
Lincoln smiled as he watched his friends walk away. He could follow, certainly, help run interference, but new mom Riley was a far better choice for this particular bridal-party duty.
Besides, as best man, Lincoln had enough to worry about. The ring, reconfirming transportation to the church tomorrow, the speech that he was going to slay tomorrow, the—
Lincoln’s best man to-do list scattered as his eyes landed on a woman standing in the
doorway to the private event room. He did a double take. When had Emma found time to change? Generally speaking, he didn’t consider himself particularly in tune with his friends’ clothes. Especially the women, because, well . . . he didn’t really give a crap. But he was pretty damn sure Emma had been wearing a white dress just ten seconds ago.
Now she was wearing a short yellow dress, with fussy, flowy sleeves, high-necked and a bit demure—
No, not demure, Lincoln amended as she turned. Hot. The dress was backless, showing a smooth expanse of lightly tanned skin from the small of her back all the way up to long dark blond hair.
. . . Blond hair.
Emma had shoulder-length brown hair. A wardrobe swap, he might be able to buy, but the hair?
You idiot.
He was looking at none other than Daisy Sinclair, the forbidden fruit, in the flesh.
He’d forgotten that Daisy wasn’t just Emma’s sister—she was Emma’s identical twin.
Other than the fact that she was, apparently, not to be hit on, Lincoln didn’t know much about her.
Well, he supposed he now knew that she dyed her hair blond.
Or maybe Emma dyed hers brown?
Whatever. Girl stuff he didn’t care about one way or the other.
And yet he didn’t look away, captivated somehow. He racked his brain for everything he’d heard about Daisy Sinclair.
He knew that she and Emma had grown up in North Carolina. But Emma left for New York City shortly after college, and Daisy had stayed. He thought he remembered talk of a recent divorce, although he didn’t recall the details.
Didn’t need to, really. Lincoln knew better than anyone that not all relationships had happy endings.
Lincoln watched as Daisy hesitated just inside the doorway, unnoticed yet by the rest of the bridal party and out-of-town guests.
Making people comfortable was a particular skill of his. Normally he’d be over there in a heartbeat with a glass of wine and some of his best banter until her shoulders relaxed and he’d
coaxed a smile from her pretty face.
But he wasn’t entirely convinced Emma wouldn’t make good on her castration threats, so instead Lincoln merely studied Daisy. The woman was beautiful. No surprise there, since Emma was gorgeous. Yet, though their features were identical, they were attractive in entirely different ways.
Emma was all polished confidence, stunning in an untouchable sort of way.
Daisy was softer somehow. Gentler. She seemed . . . touchable.
Lincoln’s cocktail froze on its way to his mouth as the forbidden rocked him back on his heels. Daisy Sinclair was not for him to touch for reasons that had nothing to do with Emma’s threats.
As though sensing a man’s brooding thoughts on her, Daisy turned slightly, her eyes locking on his. Eyes that he’d known would be dark brown like Emma’s, and yet eye contact with Emma had never felt like this.
Lincoln felt something akin to panic, because for a heart-stopping moment, it felt like Daisy Sinclair was seeing him. Not seeing the Lincoln he wanted everyone to see.
The real him.
He gave himself a little mental shake. Get it together, Mathis. The woman doesn’t even know you.
None of them did.
Not really.
He saw the moment of answering shock in her own gaze, sensed that for a split second, she considered turning and running. From him, from the party, all of it.
Then he saw something else. Something familiar, because he’d done it a thousand times himself. She squared her shoulders, and he watched as a mask slid into place.
He knew even before she approached that Daisy was exactly like him—good at being around people only because she chose to be. Knew that perhaps once it had been second nature, and now it was nothing but a deliberate attempt to make sure everyone thought she was okay.
Daisy began making her way toward him, and he tensed for reasons he couldn’t identify before ordering himself to chill out.
It was just his friend’s sister. The maid of honor to his best man.
She stopped in front of him, and he caught just the faintest whiff of her perfume, a surprisingly elegant scent for someone named Daisy, before she extended her hand.
“You must be Lincoln Mathis, The Manwhore of Whom I Should Beware?”
Her voice was a surprise. It had the same low huskiness as her sister’s, but years in New York had all but erased the Southern from Emma’s whiskey-raspy voice. Daisy’s drawl was very much intact—a mint julep on a hot day.
He grinned and took her smaller hand in his. “Which would make you Daisy Sinclair, Delicate Flower to Whom I’m Not to Speak.”
She grinned. “Nailed it.”
Praise for Someone Like You
“Fun and flirty, sassy and steamy, with a deep
emotional pull that will keep you turning the pages.”—Kelly Jamieson, author
of Top Shelf
“An unsung hero with a story that touched my heart. Emotional and
gripping. A top favorite of 2016 for me.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland
$0.99 for a Limited Time
Lauren
Layne is the USA Today bestselling
author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with
her husband (who was her high school sweetheart–cute, right?!) and plus-sized
Pomeranian.
In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time
writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.
In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would
carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.
For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!
Meet ALL the Men of Oxford
Cover Reveal: Slow Burn by Roxie Noir with giveaway
Slow Burn
Roxie Noir
Publication date: May 24th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
I was hired to protect her, not make her scream my name.
Me and danger are old friends. From dodging bullets in Afghanistan to working for the Secret Service when I got out of the Marines, I know danger pretty well.
Or I thought I did. That was before my latest assignment came with a whole new kind of danger.
Her name? Ruby.
She’s the gorgeous-as-hell, opinionated, spitfire rebel daughter of Senator Burgess. Her family’s beyond strict, but for girl who’s so innocent, she’s anything but sweet.
Wicked green eyes, curves that beg me to touch them, and a smile that makes me think dirty, dirty thoughts.
Her father’s a nightmare – a totalitarian husband and father who rules his family with an iron fist. He decides what his clothes his daughters wear, what books they read, where they can go – hell, who they marry.
Ruby can pretend with them, but she can’t pretend with me. I can tell there’s more to her than the demure southern belle she’s supposed to be in public.
But I’m a professional, hired to be her bodyguard. I know better than to fall for someone I’ve been hired to protect, but with every glance, every accidental touch, every word she says to me, I just want her more.
I want to tear away the innocent good girl veneer, and make the real Ruby scream my name as she rakes her nails down my back.
It’s f*cking dangerous. If we get caught, there will be hell to pay — and it’ll be even worse for her.
But I don’t think I can stay away.
Author Bio:
I love writing sexy, alpha men and the headstrong women they fall for.
My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.
I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband and two hell-raising cats.
Get my romance novella Dirty Sweet FREE when you join my mailing list!
http://www.roxienoir.com/dirtysweetml
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Looking for Trouble by Stacey Mosteller blitz with giveaway
Looking for Trouble
Stacey Mosteller
(Nashville U #1)
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: September 20th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
She’s:
Uptight
Sheltered
Allergic to fun
He’s:
Cocky
Crude
Unapologetic
He’s all dirty jokes and curse words, while she’s quiet and shy. She blends into the background, while he is the center of everyone’s attention.
Clay Mitchell never expected to fall in love. Especially not with a girl he’s known all his life and one who’s always been off-limits.
Opposites might attract, but in this case of explosive chemistry, someone’s heart is bound to be shattered.
As enemies become friends and friends morph into more; Clay has definitely met his match.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
On sale for 99¢ for a limited time only!
—
EXCERPT:
Kat
Before I can get my equilibrium, his mouth brushes mine, so light I almost think I imagined it. I gasp, my back arching and bringing our bodies closer together. The contact makes him gasp too, and our mouths touch once more. This time, his tongue darts out to trace along my bottom lip. My arms tighten further as he presses the top half of his body against mine.
Reality intrudes, and I wonder, should we be doing this? Is this what I want? Then, Clay’s tongue touches mine and every thought in my head evaporates. Unable to focus on anything but the sensation of his tongue exploring my mouth, tangling with my own before he retreats. I automatically follow him, tasting the inside of his for the first time. If someone had told me that the first Mitchell boy I would kiss would be Clay, I would have laughed in their face. But, here I am, Clay’s hands on the bed, on either side of my head, his arms taut as they hold him above me.
The kiss deepens, and Clay’s body moves as he toes off his shoes before climbing up on the bed to hover above me. My legs fall open, letting him move between them. His body lowers onto mine and now we’re touching from head to groin, his erection against the part of me that clenches at the feel of him pressing into me.
Clay’s mouth leaves mine, traveling along my jaw until he gets to my ear where he sucks the lobe into his mouth, biting down gently. My arms go lax at the exquisite feeling, sliding down the side of his neck until my hands find purchase on his shoulders. He tugs a final time on my ear before his mouth moves lower to press a kiss just behind it. My nails dig into his shirt and his body shudders above mine, prompting a delicious feeling between my legs.
Before I can register the motion, he rises up on his knees, grips the back of his t-shirt in one hand and pulls it over his head. He drops it over the side of the bed and pulls me up to a sitting position to grip mine by the hem. Pulling it slowly over my head, he drops it down as well, leaving me clad in only bra, jeans and panties. Clay’s eyes travel from the top of my head to my breasts, where they hesitate for only a few seconds before his hands slide along the sides of my face, tunneling through my hair to tip my head to the side. His mouth descends on mine, and he thrusts his tongue back inside my mouth, more forcefully than before.
This kiss is totally out of my control. His hands on my face move it from side to side until I’m in the position he wants me in. Clay’s mouth is greedy, and he presses it harder against mine until I’m lying back against his pillows. All I can feel is the sensation of his mouth on mine, his bare chest touching my almost bare one. It makes me long for more. I arch my back, struggling to undo the clasp of my bra awkwardly with one hand. Noticing what I’m doing, he takes one hand from my face and runs it down my arm and around to where I’m struggling with the clasp. It takes him less than a second to undo, and then he uses both hands to slide the straps down my arms.
Author Bio:
Stacey is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of Second Chances and Shadows of the Past (co-authored with H.M. Ward), the Nashville Nights, Two Sisters and Nashville U series (coming late 2015 from Swoon Romance).
She is also a wife, mother, writer and self-professed bookwhore – not necessarily in that order! As the mother of three growing boys, her Kindle has become her temporary escape from the insanity of boys, dogs and her husband. Stacey can usually be found curled up with her iPad when she’s supposed to be writing or creating endless Spotify playlists!
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Turn Me Loose (Alpha Ops, #6) by Anne Calhoun
Turn Me Loose by Anne Calhoun
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
When Riva Henneman was eighteen she was busted for selling drugs by Officer Ian Hawthorn and given the option to avoid jail time by becoming a confidential informant. What Riva never revealed at that time was that she was really working for her father who turned his back on her after her arrest. With long nights together the two grew an attraction but neither acted upon it.
Now Riva has straightened out her life and runs her own restaurant using farm fresh ingredients she mostly grows herself. Also Riva is trying to work with the youth of the community giving them an opportunity for better lives. But when Ian Hawthorn walks into her restaurant she finds herself again extremely attracted to him and again trying to make a deal with him to save one of the kids working with her.
Turn Me Loose is the sixth book in the Alpha Ops series by Anne Calhoun. Each book in the series features a different couple so it is not necessary to have read the prior books in the series to enjoy this one. The male characters in the series each have some sort of military background in the stories tying the series together.
For me this edition to the series rates at about 3.5 stars. I found the couple to be alright but they also didn’t really grab me and make me fall in love with their story the way I’d like to rate a bit higher. I kind of questioned what exactly had changed that made it alright to pursue a relationship now when it wasn’t when they worked together before. Riva really was still going to be in danger trying to get the evidence needed but this time was also a lot more personal for her so it still seemed to be a stop sign to starting something between them. However if overlooking that dynamic the writing is still good turning it into an ok romance read.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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