The Infinity of You & Me by J.Q. Coyle
The Infinity of You & Me by J.Q. Coyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Alicia has had a long list of different diagnosis in her short lifetime and on a variety of medications to help her cope. She can suddenly begin hallucinating different worlds and scenarios and any given time. In one particularly vivid imagination Alicia is with her father and shot, in another she meets a boy named Jax whose world is dying and he asks for Alicia’s help.
At Alicia’s birthday party her long lost father shows up and explains to her that her hallucinations aren’t hallucinations but real worlds that do exist. The medication that Alicia had been taking is blocking her ability to see her true self and travel between the different worlds in which other versions of herself have led all kinds of different lives.
The Infinity of You & Me is one of those young adult reads that when finished I had to debate on how I felt about it in the end. It’s actually a wonderful and intriguing concept but I wasn’t a huge fan of the execution of the story. A tad bit confusing at times and the focus seemed to switch on me and not concentrate on the world traveling as much as I’d have liked it to.
Another thing with this one that kind of bothered me a bit too was that when Alicia began to learn of the different worlds and try to force herself to have one of her “hallucinations” she had to make herself bleed to do it. That was kind of a cringe worthy why in the world would the author make self-harm a part of the how’s to Alicia’s traveling, it just really didn’t sit well with me and another reason that side of the story needed more explanation and attention.
Overall, three stars for this one, it’s an interesting concept but I wasn’t a huge fan of the execution and story line.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ky by Irish Winters blitz with giveaway
Ky
Irish Winters
(In the Company of Snipers #13)
Publication date: September 27th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
TEAM Agent Ky Winchester survived a brutal encounter with a Taliban madman only because of a woman with green eyes, an angel he thought he’d dreamed in the depths of torment. She came to him in that far off torture chamber, cloaked in the tender magic of hope, and because of her, he was willing to believe he might survive his nightmare. It’s too bad he never thought to ask her name. Too bad he’ll spend the rest of his days searching for her.
Whoever she is…
FBI Agent Eden Stark is the Bureau’s number one and very top-secret psychic asset. While running from a different kind of madman, this one intent on mechanizing America’s military, turning them into controllable drones, Eden’s plane goes down in the frigid Canadian north. It’s very probable she won’t survive the night. Two meched-up FBI agents are already tracking her. Maybe wolves.
Maybe someone else.
More about the In the Company of Snipers Series, from the Author:
This series revolves around ex-Marine scout sniper, Alex Stewart, and his covert surveillance company, The TEAM, home-based out of Alexandria, Virginia. An obsessive patriot and workaholic, he created the company to give ex-military snipers like him a chance at returning to civilian life, a chance at normal, with a decent job.
This is not a serial with each book ending at a cliffhanger. I wouldn’t do that to you. I hate cliffhangers! In the Company of Snipers is a collection of passionate love stories involving strong men and women who are tough enough to take on the world alone. Each is a stand-alone read, complete in itself.
Spoiler alert: Every story contains adult scenes including sexual situations (some explicit), language, and violence. I don’t write sweet romance, so be forewarned.
Book 1, ALEX, reveals how The TEAM came to be, as well as how Alex met Kelsey, how they fell in love and fought all odds to stay together. Each of the following books is a complete romance in itself where, in the course of an active TEAM operation, one agent comes face to face with his or her demons. The men and women I write about are all patriots and warriors, dealing with what they’ve lived through or the mistakes they’ve made.
It’s my hope that you’ll come to realize, along with my heroes, that Love Changes Everything…
—
EXCERPT:
The cold solved her perspiration problem. She shivered, but didn’t stop struggling with each step.
Still pulling. Still—argh. My arms are killing me. “I. Can. Do. This!”
Her voice sounded shrill and slightly hysterical in the whisper of the quiet pines. So be it. She’d been slightly hysterical before. Certain times required hysteria, maybe dementia. Maybe even outright crazy, the way this day had gone. Surely the day you fell out of the sky demanded a scream at all the crazy gods who let it happen, right?
But screaming would only burn energy she couldn’t afford to waste, and she knew better. Besides, it reminded her of the day her father had left. Make that, deserted. She’d screamed plenty when that happened, her heart torn out of her at Drake Franklin’s ultimate betrayal to his child. What good had screaming, ‘Daddy. Don’t go. Daddy, please. Don’t leave me!’ done?
Nothing. Drake Franklin hadn’t even looked back—just said he’d had enough of all the bullshit and walked out of her life. Left Casey Franklin and her seven-year-old daughter, Eden, without a car or a dollar to their names.
Eden grew up fast, believing every word her mother taught her. Who wouldn’t believe the woman who worked her heart out to support her child? The wise woman who taught her: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Never give up. Work your heart out and your heart will steer you true. Stuff like: I do believe. I do believe. I do. I do. I do.
Young Eden became a positive-thinker out of necessity—a glass is half-full kind of a girl. She believed in the inherent goodness of people. It worked until the day an illegal immigrant had broadsided her mother’s rattletrap of a twenty-year-old Honda Prelude in rush-hour traffic in the middle of Podunk Boise, Idaho, and left her dead at the scene. How a guy with no insurance and no driver’s license got released from jail on his own recognizance in time to flee south of the border made no sense to a fifteen-year-old girl without a friend or a relative in
the world.
One of her mother’s girlfriends took her in. Eden legally rejected her father when he didn’t step forward to claim her. She assumed her mother’s maiden name, Stark. Life went on.
But nothing had hurt as bad as standing alone at Casey’s grave telling her mother goodbye for the last time. Unless you factored in Eden’s dumb-butt, seventeen-year-old boyfriend, Stan’s, betrayal with that hooker waitress at Denny’s the day after the funeral.
Stan claimed he only hooked up with her because he was lonely. The ass didn’t have a clue what lonely was. The one day that Eden could’ve used a real friend, all she got was another rude awakening. Guys lie. Guys cheat. Guys only think about themselves and that puny, little thing dangling between their legs.
“I sure know how to pick ’em,” she told the bundle sliding quietly along behind her.
Night threatened in black and blue shadows at the edge of the sky she could no longer see. Too many tall, bushy trees obstructed her view. Pines, every last one of them. She used to love the lacy, elegant Noble pines when decorated with snow and glistening icicles the way these were. Pines always reminded her of tinsel and Christmas, one of the few good holidays left in the world. Not anymore. These Nutcracker Suite bad boys just might be the death of her, which could be a good thing in the long run. Freezing to death seemed a better way to go than a double tap to the cranium, her brains spilled out for the wildlife to sample. An Eden buffet. Hmmm.
She blew out a deep breath of frosty air and staggered on. Even gliding over snow-covered ground, her load was a heavy one. Ten feet to go. Then five. Then I can rest and maybe this headache will stop.
At last Eden dropped to her knees, sure she’d done the best she could. This was the only bare patch of earth within dragging distance, sheltered beneath the fanlike branches of a densely
packed stand of evergreens. It almost seemed serene, this spot. Serene and surreal. A little reverent. Sacred even. But mostly— diggable, if that was even a word.
Yes. It would do. A single shaft of the weak winter sunlight fell across her snow-dusted boots. A brave little bird flitted in the chilly branches overhead, but it didn’t sing. Didn’t even chirp. What the heck did birds have to sing about in the frozen north?
She took a moment to catch her breath, but ended the break before her limbs had the chance to seize from exhaustion or her backside from the cold. This next chore would be harder. She still had to bury the body.
Author Bio:
Irish Winters is an award-winning author who dabbles in poetry, grandchildren, and rarely (as in extremely rarely) the kitchen. More prone to be outdoors than in, she grew up the quintessential tomboy on a farm in rural Wisconsin, spent her teenage years in the Pacific Northwest, but calls the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah home. For now.
The wife of one handsome husband and the mother of three perfect sons, Irish divides her time between writing at home and travelling the country with her man while – writing. (Seriously, what else?)
She believes in making every day count for something and follows the wise admonition of her mother to, “Look out the window and see something!”
To learn more about Irish and her books, please visit http://www.IrishWinters.com.
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Random Series Mega Bundle by Julia Kent blitz with giveaway
Random Series Mega Bundle
Julia Kent
(The Random Series, #1-8)
Publication date: August 3rd 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance
From New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent comes a very special sale. Regular price $25.99!
Darla’s not the type to pick up hitchhikers on the turnpike in rural Ohio — especially naked ones. She also didn’t plan to have her first book become a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, and turn into eight books of heart, heat, hilarity and crazy comedy mixed in with wild, deep romance that lasts and lasts…
The Random Series giant boxed set contains the first 8 books in the Random series, a bestselling saga that defies categorization. Romantic comedy, heart-stopping drama, unconventional sensuality, rock star gods, mousy librarians with quite a nightstand drawer stash, a mother who is addicted to sweepstakes winnings, sugar-free gummy bears that cause a CDC scare, and a chicken running for president (who probably polls better than any of the current choices)…you won’t find another book series quite as “random” as this.
Save when you buy this omnibus, and sink into a half a million words of fun and love.
This boxed set contains:
Random Acts of Crazy (Book 1)
Random Acts of Trust (Book 2)
Random Acts of Fantasy (Book 3)
Random Acts of Hope (Book 4)
Randomly Ever After: Sam and Amy (Book 5)
Random Acts of Love (Book 6)
Random on Tour: Los Angeles (Book 7)
Merry Random Christmas (Book 8)
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks / Google Play
—
EXCERPT:
The last time I saw Sam was four and a half years ago at the qualifiers for the National Debate Tournament. He was from a neighboring school and I’d seen him since freshman year at different speech tournaments, every Saturday, from the end of October through March with few exceptions. I had a sense of who he was from the start. He was Lincoln-Douglas debate all the way, baby. Smart, determined, and turning from a silent geek into one hell of a hot guy by the time we were seniors.
The funny part was he didn’t know it.
The awesome part was that was what drew me to him.
He wasn’t awkward, like the other guys. Sam was so self-contained and knew himself so deeply that he didn’t need to talk about it, show off, or prove his manhood. Talking to Sam could be torture. Catching him in the halls, in the cafeteria with his group from his high school, and me with my group from their rival, we intersected enough to hang out. Over ice cream bars and the occasional cup of coffee by our senior year, there was an accumulation of just enough conversations for me to decide that I wasn’t crazy and that there was a spark of interest there.
What happened to confirm that was burned into my brain, the second strongest memory of my life.
I lost one of the most intense debates of my career two weeks before qualifiers, and Sam found me in a corner of the enormous high school auditorium. I was trying to cry quietly, and mostly not succeeding. He just found me—that’s all. He didn’t lord over the fact that he placed first in the tournament that day, to my third. He didn’t try to say all the right words that everyone thought were kind, and considerate, and comforting, and helpful.
He didn’t stumble or say “I’m sorry.” He just walked up and stopped a few feet away from me, his brow lowering with a frown of recognition, and then did something so perfect it makes me ache to this day. Decisively, step by step, he closed the gap and just put his arms around me.
Tucked my cheek into his chest and wound one arm around my waist, the other around my shoulders, rested his head on my hair, and held me.
I would give anything to go back to that moment in the auditorium, with its cracked wood seats and its shabby, threadbare carpet, its smell of lemony bleach, to feel again how Sam filled all my senses. My ear against the wool of his suit, his arms wrapped around me like a cocoon of understanding. His aftershave, the rasp of his cheek against my ear. Sam created a world for me in that one moment, a safe world where I could cry. A world where I fell in love.
What I didn’t know then was that two weeks later at the national qualifier tournament, I would dismantle that world, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, completely unaware that I was doing it at the time.
Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down
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Falling For You by Ava Claire blitz with giveaway
Because You Want Me
Ava Claire
(Falling For You, #1)
Genres: Erotica, Romance
Penny Robertson just wanted to get through the events leading to her sister’s wedding with as little drama as possible. Smile until it hurt, avoid questions about her lack of someone special, then put it all in the rearview.
She wasn’t counting on traipsing to The Red Door Club–or meeting the drop-your-panties sexy businessman, Xander Wade. Xander has a proposition for her: if she agrees to pretend she’s his girlfriend for a month, he’ll go with her to the wedding…and pay her twenty thousand dollars.
It seems like easy money; a business arrangement that benefits them both, but she wasn’t counting on falling for him.
Xander Wade works hard and plays even harder. CEO of a cutthroat investment firm, his philosophy on romance is no strings attached.
When his ailing father threatens to boot him from the company if he doesn’t settle down, Xander makes a choice to play the game. He’ll pretend he’s the marrying type for a month, then go back to the jet set life. No complications. No love.
He wasn’t betting on Penny. A month seemed like a breeze before her. Now, a month isn’t long enough…
The complete series:
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—
SNEAK PEEK:
And those lips—the gloss was all but gone and I could make out the contours of her mouth. A mouth made for kissing.
She made a face at me before she turned away, trying to get the bartender’s attention. “My mother always said it was impolite to stare.”
“She should know better than anyone how impossible it is to not stare at you. You’re beautiful, Penny.”
The look she gave me was so incredulous that it made my fingers twitch into a fist, ready to take on whatever demons had convinced her to take compliments with a grain of salt.
-From Because You Want Me (Falling For You, Book One)
Author Bio:
Ava Claire is a sucker for Alpha males and happily ever afters. When not putting pen to paper or glued to her Kindle, Ava likes road tripping, watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix, karaoke and vintage fashion.
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Hunter by Skylar Heart blitz with giveaway
Hunter
Skylar Heart
Publication date: September 22nd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
LIZZY
I should have known he was trouble when I watched him drive his motorbike onto campus, leaving a trail of people whispering as he made his way into the Art Building.
Word around here is, he doesn’t date. So why do his eyes keep roving over me? Why does he want to talk to me?
Rumor has it, Hunter’s good at two things: making art, and getting into fights. I love art, but I can’t stand violence. I’ve been on the receiving end of it too many times.
My life is simple, it needs to be if I want to graduate and keep my eating disorder at bay… I sleep, I eat, I go to class and I definitely Do. Not. Date.
So why do I want him to hold me in his strong arms and cradle me to his broad chest?
HUNTER
She’s like a spooked little mouse. Not my type at all. Until she looked up at me and I was caught in her azure eyes.
But I won’t let her get close. In the last four years, I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. I will never trust anyone ever again. The second I do, I’ll find myself alone again. So, what’s the use?
So I create big metal installations, I go to class when I feel like it, I drink and get into fights at the bar.
I have to stay away from Lizzy, because my darkness will only make hers worse. I know I have to, but that isn’t what my heart wants. When I see the pain in her eyes, I can’t resist her. I want to help her, touch her…
Own her.
—
EXCERPT:
Just a couple of feet away there is a man on a horse, like a prince out of a fairytale, only the horse is a dull brown and the man doesn’t look very prince-like. He looks like he might be in pain as he moves slowly. His broad back bulges under a tight T-shirt and his legs look like steel in the leather pants.
He hasn’t realized I’m here yet, and I don’t really feel like talking to people today, so I retreat back into the clearing.
A stick snaps under my heel and both horse and rider turn to me abruptly. It takes me not even a second before I recognize the rider. Hunter. He may not be Prince Charming, but he definitely is a Prince of Darkness. There are bruises on his face and I now also see them on his arms. He looks… broken. I freeze in my spot, not daring to move, too scared to set him off. If he looks like that, I don’t want to end up on the other side of his fists.
Hunter slowly gets off his horse, letting out a hiss as he lowers himself to the ground. Only when he is standing right in front of me does he say something. “Lizzy.” His voice is rough, quiet, then he reaches up, almost touching me.
That finally breaks me out of my trance and I step back, shaking my head.
A smile tugs at his lips, but then he looks me over and I see the clouds gather in his stormy eyes. Fuck. “What are you doing here?” he asks.
What? Out of everything, that is what he wants to know? “It’s the weekend, there is a lovely sun out. What else am I supposed to be doing?”
The question seems to surprise him. He shrugs and lets out a sigh. “No clue.”
We both fall quiet. I can’t help but stare at the bruises. They look so dark, and so painful.
Hunter reaches out, takes my hand, and puts it on his jaw. I want to pull back, but he holds it there. “I’m not scary, or dangerous.” His low voice is pitched even lower and something stirs inside me.
He is though—he is scary, and apparently quite dangerous to someone, if the bruises are anything to go by. But I know that isn’t what he means. He means that he is no danger to me. And I don’t know how I feel about that… “And yet you are.” I quickly close my mouth and look away. He finally lets go of my hand as he lets out a laugh.
“I just make stupid choices sometimes, usually when I’ve had a bit to drink.” He steps back and reaches out to the horse, who pushes against him slightly.
Author Bio:
Skylar Heart loves sexy romances and has a particular soft spot for broken boys and their damaged girls. When she’s not reading or writing steamy stories, she loves to nap with her two cats, preferably under a fluffy blanket, and play videogames. She has studied literature and creative writing but often finds that the couple of classes she took on coding is much more of a help in this new adventure as an author.
To stay up to date about Skylar’s books you can sign up for her newsletter:
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