It Started with a Whisper by Shannon McCrimmon

Title: It Started with a Whisper
 
Author: Shannon McCrimmon
 
Publisher: CreateSpace

Published Date: May 19, 2016

Buy on Amazon: Kindle & Paperback

Author Website: http://shannonmccrimmon.com/

Synopsis: 

Five simple words: That’s all it takes to change the course of 18-year-old Josie Graham’s life in the summer of 1989.

Josie is a musical prodigy: She can sing, play guitar and is a natural on the piano. Instead of spending her last summer before college traveling the country with her rock star father, she’s made a last minute decision to spend it working at her Aunt Bernie’s inn, in Ambler’s Fork, North Carolina. But what could have turned her life-long passion for music into a hatred for an industry she’s worked so hard to get into?

Her aunt’s inn seems like the perfect place to escape, to clear her head and figure things out, but on her first day there, she almost drowns before Chic Hobbs saves her.

Chic wants nothing more in life than to leave Ambler’s Fork and his sordid past behind—at least not until that day Josie Graham swims into his life. The problem is, Chic’s got a secret. It’s a secret he’s keeping from Josie, and he’s worried if it gets out, it’ll ruin everything, and she’ll judge him for his past mistakes the way everyone else in town has.

Josie is carrying a burden of her own. One that made her run to Ambler’s Fork – away from her family and everything she’s ever known.

Chic saved Josie once. Can he save her again? Or will Josie rescue him this time?

My Thoughts:

Shannon McCrimmon's 7th novel, It Started with a Whisper, takes place at a North Carolina lake resort during the summer of 1989. Josie, hiding a secret, decides to work at her Aunt Bernie's inn instead of going on tour with her rock star father. Chic is the boy who literally saves Josie's life (and steals her heart) on her first day there. Chic is fighting his own demons as he works for Bernie and also helps his father at the family canoe livery. Together the two embark on their blossoming relationship and tackle saving Bernie's floundering inn and in return Chic's father's canoe business.

It Started with a Whisper is a wonderfully written tale of love, redemption, and forgiveness. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Josie and Chic unfold. What started as two people not looking for love grew into a story of Josie and Chic helping the each other deal with their unresolved issues. McCrimmon did a wonderful job with character development. Each character, even minor ones,were fully developed. I also enjoyed watching the mystery of Chic's father unfold. Throughout the whole novel Chic's father was hard and unforgiving. He openly judged Chic and the choices he had made. However, when his father's backstory was revealed he became more human.

My favorite relationship in the novel was between Chic and his brother Dunny. Dunny was Chic's older brother yet mentally he was like a 3rd grader. Dunny loves Star Wars, comic books and music. Chic was Dunny's protector, friend, and brother. Their relationship was endearing and wonderful to read about.

Shannon McCrimmon's It Started with a Whisper is a wonderfully heartwarming read. It's full of highly likable characters, a realistic plot, and a perfect ending! Here's hoping for a sequel!!!!!

Shannon McCrimmon

                                               

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, It Started with a Whisper, for the purpose of review.*

Quinn II by J.C. Cliff

     


Title: Quinn II (Undaunted Men Series)
 
Author: J.C. Cliff
 
Publisher: J.C. Cliff LLC

Published Date: April 19, 2016

Buy on Amazon: Kindle & Paperback

Author Website: http://www.jccliff.com/

Synopsis:
 

QUINN IS BACK and pushing the limits on it all -- suspense, sex, love, gut-wrenching emotions -- with a fiery intense conclusion to his and Lexi's story. The more Alexis runs, the harder Quinn fights for her.
 
It's an undeniable truth; bad things happen to good people, and Lexi is not impervious to the realities of the life she left behind.
 
Keeping Lexi safe at all cost, Quinn remains unwavering in his duties, constantly putting his life on the line, time and time again.
 
Two tortured souls are pushed to the edges of their sanity and their love will be put to the test. Tempers flare, emotions burst, and love flickers, but after the ultimate explosion, can forgiveness be found amongst the rubble?
 
Alexis needs Quinn more than ever...and Quinn must decide if Lexi is truly his fate or if their romance was never meant to survive beyond his mission. One thing is for certain: neither Quinn nor Alexis will be the same after surfacing from the mountain trails. Now that they've survived the wild, can they survive each other?
 

My Thoughts:

Quinn and Quinn II, by JC Cliff, are the first two novels in her Undaunted Men Series. These suspenseful and sensual romance novels take place on a trail in the Appalachian Mountains. Quinn is retired from the Military and runs his own investigative company with his best friends. Quinn starts when he gets an unwanted call from someone he had once done a job for he automatically says no.  He wants nothing to do with Tony Moretti, the head of a Mob empire. He is not one to get involved in mob affairs and he in no way wants to be put in the middle of two mob families fighting. However, when Quinn hears the problem he can't ignore that Lexi, the 'mob princess' has gone underground and disappeared in the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains with no warning. Knowing that things could go very wrong, Quinn takes the job.

Lexi stays out of all Mob business. She's leads a regular life and tries to forget who her family is and what they are involved in. However, when she finds herself set up for a murder that she didn't commit and then blackmailed to marry the guilty, Lexi is beside herself. When the opportunity is presented for her to disappear in the mountains she runs with it. Nevermind that she knows nothing of hiking, snakes, starting fires, bears, etc. After a day in she realizes how much she is in over her head. When a stranger named Quinn happens upon her and offers to help her get where she's going, Lexi feels like he is a gift from above. However, Quinn and Lexi aren't prepared for the instant chemistry or onset of emotions that follow as they are with each other, and only each other, for such a long period of time in the mountains. Each secret they keep threaten to tare them apart.  As danger approaches, they must decide where their loyalties lie.

Quinn II follows Quinn and Lexi out of the mountains as they are thrust into a reality neither want.  They find themselves in the middle of a Mob War with repercussions for every step they took and continue to take. Sacrificing herself to save Quinn, Lexi does the unforgivable. Quinn is devastated, and loses all faith in Lexi. Is there anything she can do to win Quinn's forgiveness? Will she ever be able to forgive herself?

J.C. Cliff does a fantastic job of weaving a steamy and heartbreaking story together that revolves around characters she truly makes us care deeply for. There are times I wanted to smack both Quinn and Lexi for their errors in judgment, but the end of the novel made up for their mistakes. I can't wait to read the next book in J.C. Cliff's Undaunted Men series.  

                                                

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the books, Quinn & Quinn II, for the purpose of review.*

Mastered by Maya Banks

Title: Mastered
 
Author: Maya Banks
 
Publisher: Berkley Trade

Published Date: December 29, 2015

Buy on Amazon: Kindle & Paperback

Author Website: http://mayabanks.com/

Synopsis: 

What he wants, he takes with no remorse or guilt.
 
She stood out in his club like a gem, unspoiled and untouched. A lamb among wolves, she clearly didn’t belong. Drawn to her innocence he watched as she was surrounded by men who saw what he did—but no one but him could touch her. He summoned her to his private quarters. He sensed her fear. He also recognized the desire in her eyes. And he knew she wouldn’t leave before he possessed her. She had no need to know his secrets. Not until he had her under his complete and utter control.
 
What he wants, she isn’t sure she can give him.
 
The moment he told her want he wanted, she couldn’t resist. Instinct told her to run, but her heart said stay and walk the fine line between pleasure and pain. Though she wasn’t sure she could ever completely surrender, the primal part of her wanted to try, even knowing this man could break her in ways she never imagined. Because once he possessed her, he owned her and it would be too late to turn back. She can only pray that he doesn’t destroy her in the end.

My Thoughts:

Mastered, by Maya Banks, is the first book in her hot off the presses series, The Enforcers.  Evangeline is a timid Southern girl with a heart of gold who is living in New York City.  Splitting rent in a tiny apartment with her three best friends, Evangeline sends every extra penny she earns at a local pub home to her disabled parents. Everything she has done in her life has been to help support them. She dropped out of high school and earned her GED so she could work two jobs, passed on college, ignored boys, and moved to NYC for an opportunity to earn more money for them.  However, when smooth talking Eddie charms his way into Evangeline's heart, she becomes distraught when he drops her after the challenge of being the first to get in her bed is over.  What starts out as a fun night at a popular club to show Eddie what he carelessly threw away and to get her mojo back quickly changes Evangeline's whole world.

Drake is a mysterious badass businessman who not only owns the club Evangeline walks into but many other things as well. Drake is not one to be messed with, and everyone in the city knows.  Much of his business dealings are not exactly on the 'up and up.' Drake surrounds himself with a group of dangerous men who work for him and he trusts inexplicably.  Drake immediately zones in on Evangeline when she walks into his club. Seeing the beautiful and innocent woman among the rich and jaded makes him want to get her out of his business as soon as possible.  Once Drake meets Evangeline in person he realizes that she is not someone he can stay away from.  

Mastered takes readers on a wild ride as Evangeline tries to fit into Drake's strange and affluent world. Everything about Drake's world is opposite of what Evangeline knows. The money, the clothes, the jewelry, the restaurants- Evangeline feels out of her element at every turn. Even more bizarre to Evangeline is what Drake asks of her in return.  Is she able to give herself to him completely- heart, body, and control?

One of my favorite things about Mastered is Evangeline's relationships with Drake's men.  Each 'enforcer' is an intimidating badass who happens to be hot.  However, after five minutes with Evangeline and they turn into sweet boys.  She charms the uncharmable with her innocence, goodness, humor, and baking! I'm excited to read each 'enforcers' own story as The Enforcers series continues with the men.                     

If you are looking for a scorching and edgy read, Maya Banks' Mastered is for you. I found it to be a quick read because I couldn't put it down!  I am eagerly awaiting the release of her second book in The Enforcers series, Dominated to see what happens with Evangeline and Drake.  Mastered ends with a sort of cliff hanger so I am impatient to see where their story takes them! 

Maya Banks

                                                 

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, Mastered, for the purpose of review.*

Cover Reveal- Meredith Schorr's 'Novelista Girl'

I am very excited to be featuring the Cover Reveal of Meredith Schorr's newest novel, Novelista Girl. 

   Drum Roll Please......

Synopsis:

Readers first met sassy Kimberly Long in Blogger Girl, and now the feisty New Yorker is back in a sequel packed with quick wit, friendship, heartache, and, of course, romance.

Kim runs the most popular chick lit book blog on the web, loves playing house with her sexy lawyer boyfriend, Nicholas, and is finally pursuing her lifelong dream to become a published author. At first glance, her life is five-pink-champagne-flutes worthy. 

 

But is there more to the story than meets the eye?

 

After hearing the phrase “chick lit is dead” more times than she’s read Bridget Jones's Diary, Kim is driven to desperate measures, seeking advice from up-and-coming chick lit author, Hannah Marshak, her high school nemesis and resident “mean girl.” As if Kim doesn't have enough on her plate balancing her secretarial duties with her blog Pastel Is the New Black, shrugging off the growing pile of agent rejections, and keeping her best friend from turning green over Kim’s budding friendship with Hannah, Nicholas is so blinded by his career ambitions, he doesn't see that their home sweet home could use more than a dash of sugar. 

 

This is the year when all of Kim's dreams—professional and romantic—are supposed to come true, but will the story have a happily ever after, or will Kim end up unpublished and all alone?

 

This novel can be read as a sequel or as a standalone and is best accompanied by a cocktail, preferably a pink one.

Sustained by Emma Chase

Title: Sustained
 
Author: Emma Chase

Publisher: Gallery Books

Published Date: August 25, 2015

Buy on Amazon: Kindle  & Paperback
  
Author Website: http://authoremmachase.com

 

Synopsis: 

 

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy and Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal’s office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that—that, I know how to do.

 

My Thoughts:

Sustained, by Emma Chase, is part of her Legal Briefs Series.  At first I was worried because I had not read the first book in the series, Overruled.  However, I quickly realized that Sustained can be read as a stand alone novel, as it centers around a friend of the main characters from Overruled.  

 

Sustained revolves around Jake Becker, who I instantly felt disdain towards. A top notch defense attorney, Jake is also a womanizing asshole who lives for one night stands with no strings attached.  However, my feelings for him quickly change as he finds himself at the house of Chelsea, a 26 year old who has found herself as the guardian of her 6 nieces and nephews after her brother and his wife were tragically killed.  Jake doesn't do emotions, relationships, kids, or attachment.  However, the more time he spends with Chelsea and the rambunctious group of kids, the more he finds his cold heart warming.  What follows is not only a steamy romance, it is also a heartwarming story of acceptance, guidance, and family.

 

Emma Chase's Sustained is full of 3 dimensional characters.  I could practically see the selfish Jake grow as a man and a role model as the book unfolded. While I LOVED the relationship that formed between Jake and Chelsea, I think what I loved even more was Jake's relationship with the children: Riley, Rosaleen, Rory, Raymond, Regan, and Ronan.  These 6 young kids had their world turned upside down with loss and emotional trauma.  They were acting out enough to make any person run for the hills, however Jake sees himself in them and finds himself cultivating relationships with each and every child.  Chase's book has it all: love, sex, comedy, and feel good moments.  At times laugh out loud funny, Sustained is also full of emotions with plenty of places to shed a tear.

 

Emma Chase's Sustained is a book that I 110% recommend.  The characters will quickly find a place in your heart and you will be left wishing for more from the Becker and McQuaid clan.  I've already ordered my copy of Chase's Overruled because of my love for her writing and character development and can't wait to read the 3rd book in her Legal Briefs Series, Appealed.                

 

          

Emma Chase

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, Sustained, for the purpose of review.*

Just One Lie by Kyra Davis

Title: Just One Lie
 
Author: Kyra Davis

Publisher: Gallery Books

Published Date: July 28, 2015

Buy on Amazon: Kindle  & Paperback
  
Author Website: http://new.kyradavis.com/

 

Synopsis: 

 

Melody Fitzgerald is the opposite of the “perfect” daughter. The lead singer of an indie rock band, she is impulsive and creative, with a rebellious streak that both defines her and becomes her greatest enemy. Her lover, the enticing and unpredictable Ash, shares her free spirit and penchant for trouble. On the face of it, he seems to be her perfect match.

So why is she so drawn to her soft spoken, reliable drummer, Brad Witmer? How can a man who wears polo shirts and reads the financial section of the paper be of any interest to her at all? And why on earth does someone like that appear to be so captivated by her?

Before she knows it, Melody finds herself on a path of self-discovery, passion, and affairs of the heart. But will a dark secret from her past derail it all? Or will its exposure be the very thing that unburdens her heart and allows her to seek a future with the one man who loves her completely?

My Thoughts:

Just One Lie, by Kyra Davis, is the follow-up story to her New York Times Best Selling book Just One Night.  Just One Lie is definitely a stand-alone book, as it is the first book I have read of Davis’.  However, after reading it I will definitely be reading Just One Night this summer!

Just One Lie centers on Mercy/Melody, a troubled singer in an independent rock band.  Melody is a loner who has done it all.  Her life has literally been drugs, sex, and rock and roll. However, things changed for her more than a year ago.  She fell in love after a one night stand with a mystery man, Ash, that changed her life forever and led to a severing of ties with her parents.  Melody felt that that one night killed her emotionally and physically.  She changed her name to Mercy and found herself in a new city.  Mercy gave up the hardcore drugs and became clean from the drugs for the first time in years.  She formed a new band, hid her past, and had been taking it one day at a time.

All of the effort Mercy put in to forget ‘Melody’ and her previous life comes crashes down around her. Mercy finds herself reeling after Ash shows up to her New Year’s Eve show speaking of forgiveness and soul mates.  Knowing all that she knows, Mercy still can’t stay away from Ash.  She keeps a huge secret from him that would undoubtedly change their relationship.  What unfolds is a complicated love story filled with ups and downs, shocks and plain craziness.  

Added to Ash and Mercy’s complex relationship is the fact that Mercy is starting to have feelings for her new drummer.  Brad is not someone she ever thought she would be attracted to.  He looks like an All American boy, not a drummer in a Rock Band. However, he listens to her and she finds herself opening up to him more and more.  They seem to connect, and this both scares and fascinates Mercy.  She has never known anyone like Brad, someone that would care about her wholeheartedly and not judge her for her past or present.

Kyra Davis’ Just One Lie follows Mercy from New Year’s Eve 

 1999 until present day.  Readers are able to watch Mercy grow and bloom, as well as witness her self-destructive tendencies come to the forefront and be dealt with.  I absolutely adored this story.  The characters were relatable and multifaceted.  I found myself rooting for Mercy throughout the book, wanting her to follow her North Star and embrace who she was. As I mentioned earlier, you do NOT need to read Just One Night in order to enjoy Just One Lie.  I plan on picking up Just One Night just because I enjoyed Mercy’s story so much as well as Davis’ writing.  She knows how to write a gritty, intoxicatingly sexy, coming of age story that kept me wanting more up until the last page. Just One Lie should most definitely be on your Summer 2015 ‘To Be Read’ list!  I know you will enjoy it as much as I did!              

Kyra Davis

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, Just One Lie, for the purpose of review.*

Summer at Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis

Title: Summer At Hideaway Key
 
Author: Barbara Davis

Publisher: NAL

Published Date: August 4, 2015

Buy on Amazon: Kindle  & Paperback 
  
Author Website: http://www.barbaradavis-author.com/index.html

Synopsis: 

 

Pragmatic, independent Lily St. Claire has never been a beachgoer. But when her late father leaves her a small house on Hideaway Key—one neither her mother nor she knew he owned—she’s determined to visit the sleepy spit of land along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Expecting a quaint cottage, Lily instead finds a bungalow with peeling shutters and mountains of memorabilia. She also catches a glimpse of the architect who lives down the beach….

But it’s the carton of old journals in the front room that she finds most intriguing. The journals were written by her mother’s sister, an infamous beauty whose name has long been banned from the St. Claire home. The journals tell a family tale Lily has never heard, of her mother and her aunt as young girls in Tennessee and the secrets that followed them into adulthood. As she reads, Lily gains a new understanding: about her family and about herself. And she begins to open her heart—to this place, these people, and the man next door. But can she ever truly learn to trust, to believe that love is not a trap but a harbor? And is it true that hearts, even broken ones, can be forged anew?

 

 

My Thoughts:

I have always been a lover of Women’s Fiction for the pure ‘realness’ of the story. I love the feeling I get when I read about a character and feel connected to her, like she is just as real as I, knowing that the struggles she is going through are struggles that so many other women face, and finally seeing the personal growth the she goes through.  Barbara Davis’ Summer at Hideaway Key has all of these characteristics and MORE. 

Summer at Hideaway Key centers around Lily and her deceased Aunt, Lily-Mae.  Lily never met her aunt, as Lily-Mae’s name was basically a curse word to her mother, Caroline. Lily never understood the animosity that was obviously between Caroline and her sister, and neither Caroline nor Lily’s father ever spoke of it.  Lily-Mae remained a mystery in Lily’s life. However, all of that changed when Lily’s father died and left Lily-Mae’s Florida bungalow to her in his will.  Caroline is furious and insists that Lily dispose of it immediately, but something tells Lily that this may be the one and only chance she gets answers regarding her family history. Why else would her father leave it to her? 

I love how Summer at Hideaway Key is told from the view of Lily and Lily-Mae. Lily-Mae is definitely my favorite character. Her story is up front and center and Lily-Mae finds a voice through her journals which Lily stumbles upon.  In these journals Lily learns of horribly unspeakable things that happened to Lily-Mae, as well as her mother. Lily-Mae had a horribly sad life, with just bits of happiness mixed in. However, no matter what the consequences, Lily-Mae always put the needs and happiness of others in front of her own.  As more of Lily-Mae and Caroline’s past comes to light, the more questions that Lily finds herself asking.  There is definitely a good deal of mystery in Davis’ novel, as well as many twists and turns.  I was shocked to find out how Summer at Hideaway Key concluded.

Summer at Hideaway Key, by Barbara Davis, is a wonderfully touching novel, with romance and mystery mixed in.  It was a novel that truly resonated with me and I believe it will with you as well.  Enjoy!                        

 

Barbara Davis

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, Summer at Hideaway Key, for the purpose of review.*