Marie Landry Cover reveal!

Posted in Cover Reveal, Genre: New Adult, Genre: Romance by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Something in the Air
Author: Marie Landry
Publication Date: November 3, 2015

Synopsis:
Her life hasn’t gone as planned, but she’s about to realize that sometimes the best things happen when you stop expecting life to be a certain way…

When Rose Morgan put off her college plans to help her mother through a difficult time, she thought it would just be a bump in the road of her journey. She got a job to help pay the bills and started picking up the slack at home. But three years later, her bumpy ride hasn’t smoothed out yet, and Rose feels stuck. She’s working at a job she hates and living with a manipulative mother. She’s tired of feeling like her life has stalled, tired of the resentment and anger building inside her with each passing day.

Then Declan Connelly appears in her life, and even though the hot Irishman is seriously tempting, Rose is determined not to let him in. She’s afraid to suck anyone into her bizarre life, especially someone who seems too charming for his own good. She soon learns there’s more to Declan than his sexy accent and charismatic personality, though. He’s a good man, and he wants Rose in his life, baggage and all. He’s got his own, and he isn’t scared away like she originally feared he would be.

Everything in Rose’s life is changing quickly. It’s finally her time–time to figure out what she wants and what her future holds. Time to get swept off her feet and not fight it. But when her plans might take her away from all the amazing new things in her life, including Declan, Rose has to make a choice. Is she willing to chase her dreams, even if it means letting go of love?

Connect with Marie:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Instagram

20Jul2015

Messed Up and Magic Blitz post.

Posted in Genre: New Adult, Genre: Romance, Release Day Blitz by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Messed Up and Magic
Author: Holly Stone
Published:July 13, 2015

Synopsis:
Friday nights are about fish and chips, not finding sexy boys on your doorstep, particularly when the boy in question seems so lost.

Jack’s been Amy’s customer for years so they’re not exactly strangers, but he’s stunned when he finds himself homeless and she offers him a place to stay.

Amy’s desperate for change. Fed up with fulfilling her father’s expectations, she’s struggling to see a way out without letting him down. Suddenly faced with more issues than she can cope with, Amy turns to Jack for comfort. But as they get closer, and Jack’s troubles get deeper, he’s reluctant to make promises he can’t keep.

One lonely boy, trying to do the right thing.
One girl used to pushing her dreams aside.
Two hearts struggling with life and love.
Things are about to get all kinds of MESSED UP and MAGIC.

11Jan2015

Book Review: More than Music by Elizabeth Briggs

Posted in Genre: New Adult, Genre: Romance, Rating: Four Umbrellas, Review 2015 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: More than Music
Author: Elizabeth Briggs
Published: June 17th 2014
Publisher: Createspace.
Disclosure: I was sent this book by the author because it is ‘damaged’. It was a gift, all opinions are my own.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Music major Maddie Taylor just finished her junior year of college and has a summer internship lined up with the LA Philharmonic, yet every night she practices guitar and secretly dreams of a louder life. But geeky girls like her don’t get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition.

Once on the show, Maddie discovers there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation – and that he’s just as big a geek as she is. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single they’re forced to keep their relationship secret.

As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart.

This was an adorable, quick, fun little read. It took me on a wild and fantastical romp. I really got into Maddie’s head, and loved her story. It’s something that I’ve secretly always wanted to do–somehow get whisked away by my favorite band and play and tour with them. Plus, who hasn’t had a crush on a musician? Jared is one of those characters that I love to hate. He’s a good guy with a bad reputation of being a heartbreaker. What I did really love about Maggie and Jared’s courtship is while there’s intense chemistry between the two, there are just as many bumps and misunderstandings. It’s very natural rather than the two of them just falling into bed together and everything working out right away.

I love the support cast, and was really happy to find out there’s a novella about Kyle, and books planned for the other characters. In fact, according to goodreads the second book will be out soon, so I won’t be kept in suspense for too long. The main plot point revolving around the band on a reality tv show The Sound, very similar to the Voice. It was a neat twist on things, and the drama of the show really kept the story going. It added a few twists and turns, and in the end, really created something spectacular for Maddie and the rest of Villain Complex.

Overall: Looking for a swoony, rockstar day dream romance? Read this. The characters have scorching chemistry and the story moves quick with a great ending.

9Jan2015

Book Blitz! Take Them by Storm by Marie Landry

Posted in Book release, Genre: New Adult, Genre: Romance by Raindrops and Pages

Take Them By Storm (Angel Island #3)

by Marie Landry

Release Date: 01/06/15

Summary from Goodreads:

This book is a standalone companion novel to Waiting for the Storm and After the Storm. The books do not need to be read together or in order, but please note that this synopsis contains mild spoilers for After the Storm.

Sadie Fitzgerald has always been different, and not just because she makes her own clothes and would rather stay home watching Doctor Who than party with kids her age. When it’s time to leave Angel Island for college, Sadie is eager to put her old life behind her. Small-minded people and rumors have plagued her for years, but with the love of her adoptive family, the O’Dells, Sadie has learned to embrace who she is. Now she’s not afraid to admit the rumors about her are true: she’s gay.

For the first time in her life, Sadie feels free to be herself. She dives into college life and begins volunteering at the local LGBT center, where she discovers her small-town upbringing left holes in her education about life outside Angel Island.

The world is a bigger and more accepting place than Sadie ever imagined. She’s finally found where she belongs, but with the reappearance of someone from her past, an unexpected new friendship, and a chance at love, Sadie soon realizes she still has a lot to learn about life, friendship, and love.

Buy
Links:

Amazon│Barnes
& Noble│Kobo Books

Book in this series:

(cover linked to Goodreads)

About the Author

Marie has the
best job in the world—one where she gets to make stuff up for a living and shamelessly
eavesdrop on everyone around her. She writes happily ever afters while dreaming
about the day she’ll have her own epic love story to tell. Most days you can
find her writing, reading, fantasizing about traveling the world, listening to
U2, watching copious amounts of TV on DVD, or having grand adventures with her
nephews and niece.

For more on Marie and her books please visit http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca.
She also loves to chat with fellow book lovers, so feel free to tweet her
@SweetMarie83 any time!

Author Links:

photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

9Jun2014

Book Review: SEAL My Destiny by Sharon Hamilton

Posted in Genre: Romance, Rating: Five Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title SEAL My Destiny
Author: Sharon Hamilton.
Published: March 14th 2014
Publisher: Createspace

Rating:

Synopsis:
Navy SEAL Luke Paulsen, on the verge of PTSD stemming from the death of his fiancee and a brutal tour overseas, knows he is damaged goods and unsuitable for relationships. While paying respects to a fallen comrade, he is unprepared for the chemical attraction he feels for the carefree dark-haired beauty playing in the surf one evening. Julie Christensen befriends the troubled SEAL, motivated by her yearning to soothe the young man’s troubled soul. Fueled by intense mutual desire, they succumb to one night of mind-numbing passion. Afterwards, he is unable to shed the memory of his lost love and disappears. When they meet again at a wedding that will forever bring their two families together, their passion and longing for one another forces them to confront their pasts in order to find a future together.

This is one of the best SEAL/military focus romance I’ve read. I love that Ms. Hamilton not only has well rounded characters with incredible chemistry and explosive scenes together, she has a battle torn SEAL who suffers from PTSD. It’s handled beautifully, and true to real life. I really like that she had the balls to bring that into this story. It’s something that makes it all the more real, more visceral if you will. I have not read the other books in this series, but there are reoccurring characters and I didn’t feel lost coming into it with the sixth book. I will for sure be checking out the other books. I love a good military focused romance, and by golly this hit ALL of my buttons.

Speaking of, the romance sizzles and is off the charts. Again there’s realism to it when Luke disappears from Julie’s life. The way they come together after that is great, and so worth the wait. I really rooted for them and they deserve a happy ending. I fell in love with this story and the characters. It’s action packed full of good drama and real characters. Seriously, I cannot recommend this book enough. There are a few things that don’t jive (a few pacing details), but it’s not enough for me to really care at all.

Overall: This is a beautiful story, full of love, steamy scenes, and realism. I recommend it highly.

I was sent a copy of this novel for review by My Family’s Heart Book Reviews. I am not compensated.

10Apr2014

Book Review: Lady’s Destiny by A.R. Von

Posted in Book Tour, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Romance, Rating: Four Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Lady’s Destiny
Author: A.R. Von
Published: February 1st, 2014
Publisher: self

Rating:

The Summary:
When dreams haunt you in the most delicious ways and fate pulls you into destiny’s path, what can be done other than to accept and submit to it.

Can Iria truly get what she’s always dreamed of or will it always just remain a memory? Being a rare creature such as her with exceptional beauty and rarity of existence should be enough. Though, all she wants is her desire, her destiny… To be with a man—one man.

Are these dreams she’s having real? Could she really take on human form and become a Lady to be with the man she craves?

Dezso discovers a magical creature—a being of incredible light and peace. He is drawn to it again and again, and his feelings grow with every encounter. He carries a dark secret that he wishes never existed. The only thing that truly brings light upon his existence is the beauty that warms his heart but seems to only exist in his head—with dreams and visions of a magical woman, full of heartwarming light.

Will he ever know true love and happiness? Will he ever be able to lighten the weight and share his dark secret with another…?

Darkness is growing stronger, weakening the light and killing off what makes the world a beautiful place to live in. Enter a world of fantasy and dreams, passions and temptations. A world where dragons, unicorns, magic and mermaids really do exist. A world where love WILL conquer all!

I feel almost guilty getting the chance to review this. It’s a beautiful fantasy world full of mythical creatures and magic. Most importantly, Lady’s Destiny is a sweeping love story that toys with the emotions and heartstrings, and I for one got so caught up in it, I couldn’t put it down. A unicorn longs to be human so she can be with the man who is haunting her dreams. Her wishing and wanting for the man she feels such a strong connection to is nearly tangible. I felt for Iria the entire time. Like all good love stories, her wish is granted, and she finds her way to the arms of the man she so desperately wanted to be with–Dezso.

Dezso is a smoldering hero. Dark and delicious with secrets of his own he scorches the pages he’s on. His chemistry with Iria is amazing. I love the two of them together, and I really care for them. A.R. has a wonderful way of storytelling and making her characters believable and real. I won’t give anything away, but the two not only have to fight for their lives, but their love. There’s plenty of action (both kinds), and it’s all done so tastefully and wonderfully. There’s themes of good vs. evil and the hope that love conquers all things and there’s a happily ever after–again, I’m not giving any spoilers. You’ll have to read and see.

The dual narrator/split narrator works really well for this introduction to their world. Dezso and Iria have independent voices and they carry their story well. If you’ve read A.R.’s Wunder series (And if you haven’t go, read it) the overall story telling tone might be a little different at first. This is a fantasy world, a high fantasy world, and that’s also reflected in the dialogue and the way the characters communicate. The antagonist, Than, is a nasty nasty piece of work, and provides good contrast between the other main characters.

Overall because Unicorns. No really, it’s a great fantasy read, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of this world.

I was gifted a copy of this book for review. This does not influence my opinions.

24Mar2014

Book Review: Desire by B.L. Wilde.

Posted in Book Tour, Genre: Erotica, Genre: Romance, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Desire (The Seductors Series #1)
Author: B.L. Wilde.
Published: November 30, 2013

Rating:

The Summary:
Jade has worked as a Seductor in a secret organization for five years now. Her main job? To earn the trust of her targets and secure the object or information her company was hired to steal—by any means necessary. She’s damn good at it, too.

With five years left on her contract, she is handed an assignment that turns her world upside down.

Oliver Kirkham is the attractive, young CEO of Kirkham Industries, a weapons manufacturing company, and is currently in possession of some very important blueprints—blueprints that could change the way war, as we know it, works. He’s extremely focused and doesn’t have time to date, at least until he comes to the rescue of a shy but very alluring Jade Gibbs.

What happens when one night of passion turns into more? Will Jade allow her feelings for Oliver to get in the way of her mission? Or will she do what she was hired to do and secure the steal?

I’m torn with this book. It’s a great story with extremely strong, well voiced characters. But on the other hand it feels a little rushed and I’d really like to know more about Jade and the other Seductors. The author hints at relationships (both romantic in nature and platonic) between the various characters that work in this secret organization, but there’s not enough there to build a mental image of their relationships. I would have rated this higher if I could have gotten to know Jade and her backstory more.

However, I did enjoy this story. Jade is an amazing character–most of the time in this type of book the female character (main or supporting) is seen as a wilting flower, or damsel in distress just waiting for the hero to come in and sweep them off their feet. Jade has nothing of that, even while pretending to be something she’s not. Her interactions with Oliver were interesting, I liked how the ‘love/lust at first sight’ gave way to feelings, and compromised missions. [No further spoilers 😉 ] The character of Oliver was great too. An alpha male who went after someone that he wanted, but at the same time there’s tenderness and gentleness that I find isn’t in a lot of alpha-male characters. He and Jade are electric together and I found myself falling for them together.

The plot was decent, it worked with what the characters had set up, and worked well with the world. I enjoyed the ending. I won’t talk anymore about that, other than I really liked it and it left me wanting more. I want to know more about where the characters go from here.

Overall: few repetitive phrases, and a too mysterious heroine on the downside, but the story carries itself well and redeems itself slightly.

This book was provided by My Family’s Book Reviews & Tours solely for review purposes. I am not being compensated for my review.

1Mar2014

Book Review: As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

Posted in Genre: New Adult, Genre: Romance, Rating: Five Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: As You Turn Away
Author: Molli Moran
Published: March 1, 2014
Publisher: Self through Amazon.

Rating:

Synopsis
Two hearts, one life-changing summer, and a long-awaited second chance…

When Quinnlan Reynolds left home at 18, she escaped her small, Georgia town and her suffocating upbringing. She started a new life as a ballerina, and tasted freedom for the first time. But four years later, her first visit home turns tragic. Reeling, Quinn tries to piece her life back together again. But doing so is easier said than done when sexy Jonah Walker saunters back into her life.

Quinn shattered Jonah’s heart once, so getting involved with her isn’t something he’s sure he’s ready to do again. He became someone he didn’t recognize when he left home. He’s spent the last years burying his pain by keeping everyone in his life at arm’s length. Now he needs to get to know his family again, and finally become who he wants to be.

But neither Quinn or Jonah can stay away from each other, especially when old feelings resurface. Something is pulling them back together, and they can’t deny their chemistry for long. One Georgia summer could change both their lives forever, if they can work through their past to have a future together.

I participated in the cover reveal for this a couple of months ago, and I was really excited and interested by the blurb I got to post along with the beautiful cover. (I’m supposed to be posting another blurb, but I can’t. I can’t. I just wanted to get this review up and my thoughts out before my brain melted.) I sat up and read this after a very long day at the hospital with my mom–it’s way past my bedtime but yeah. As You Turn Away is the debut book from blogger turned author Molli Moran.

It’s a bittersweet story of good girl meets baddish boy and they fall in love and break each other’s hearts. Our story picks up after not seeing each other for four years, finding themselves back in their small town in Georgia. Tragedy brings them together once more, and I like the slow build of their relationship. Their fear is real, their pain is real, and Molli did a good job addressing both aspects of this. There’s drama in this story, but it’s not over the top. It feels real and organic and isn’t in there just to throw a wrench into Quinn and Jonah’s lives. There’s building of trust, both with each other and their respective families–again, making this seem so real. The characters are believable and I connected easily with them. One thing I did like that Molli did was weave together present day narrative with flash backs that told more of Quinn and Jonah’s story. It added a depth to it and made it all that more richer. I would have liked the story to go on a little longer.

Overall: . There’s a down home genuine southern feeling to this story. I felt as though I was coming home along with the two main characters. It’s a great read, a wonderful story and I like that the ending is happy and positive without throwing a massive bow on the end of it (HAHA no spoilers.) And I did notice the little “Walker boys #1” tagline under the main title. I want more. I love Jonah, and I love Ethan but let me tell you Reece stole my heart. I’m sorry. I’ve always had a thing for the older brother type and Molli wrote him well.

You can reach out to Molli through various social media:
Twitter
Website

Add: As You Turn Away on Goodreads

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of As You Turn Away by the author for review.

28Feb2014

Book Review: Going Nowhere Fast by K.D. Bloodworth and Giveaway!

Posted in Book Tour, Genre: Romance, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Going Nowhere Fast
Author: K.D. Bloodworth
Published: December 2nd 2013
Publisher: Planettopia Publishing LLC

Rating:

The Summary:
Leave your mundane cares behind, sit in your favorite chair and be prepared to travel the road of love, loss and no return. Travel down roads most women would never dare. Delve into the lost and found of life’s trials and tribulations by ‘Going Nowhere Fast’.

Going Nowhere Fast is a fast paced, fly by the seat of your pants kind of read. Dawn and Kelley are two pool playing, country hopping friends that live on the road and make no promises to settle anytime soon. Dawn is a character that is very passionate and daring. She gets into trouble, and manages to get herself out. She’s adventurous, progressive for the time period of the book (1960s and 70s) and is a free spirit. She finds love, lust and a whole heap of trouble within the pages of this book. It got off to a rocky start for me and I had a lot of trouble connecting to Dawn as a character but as the story went along I came to really like her narrative.

Overall: Not really my speed when it comes to books, I found it a little fast paced and difficult to connect with, but the book is nicely written and Dawn is a force to be reckoned with.

Connect with K.D. Bloodworth!

Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | WordPress

Givewaway!

$5 Amazon Giftcard
2 eCopies of Going Nowhere Fast

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

This book was provided by My Family’s Book Reviews & Tours solely for review purposes. I am not being compensated for my review.

2Feb2014

Guest blog post featuring Julie Lynn Hayes!

Posted in Genre: Romance, Genre: Urban Fantasy, Guest Post by Raindrops and Pages

When Will I See You Again takes place in a time when the presence of werewolves and vampires among the general populace is known and accepted, largely because of drugs that control any baser animal instincts. SL57 is the werewolf wonder drug, short for SomnioLupus, otherwise known as Wolf Trank. In the small seaside town of Crescent Bay, people come to the famous nightclub Charisma, mostly because of the charismatic man who is one of the best-known supes in the area: Raoul Marchand. Raoul is a regular party animal, one who lives but to have a good time, and who cares for no one and nothing. But he hasn’t always been this way…

Synopsis:
Raoul Marchand is the crown prince of Charisma, the infamous night club in Crescent Bay, renowned for its supernatural clientele. He has the pick of any and all men, but he cares for none. He uses them and throws them away again, and has done so for some twenty years, in the aftermath of a tragedy that robbed him of what he loved most in the world.

Alexx Jameson is an idealistic young would-be reporter with the Crescent Bay Chronicle. Presented with an opportunity to write a story on the Marchands, he eagerly grasps the chance to be a real reporter. His friend, Chronicle receptionist Miller Fenwick, suggests they go to Charisma to do a little research. Alexx isn’t sure that’s such a great idea. After all, he’s still under age, being only twenty. No problem, Miller can fix that! Added bonus, there’s a full moon tonight.

When Alexx first encounters Raoul, it isn’t exactly in the way he dreamed of, and he’s sure he made a terrible first impression. But Fate throws them together under unforeseen circumstances, and the attraction between them can’t be denied. Can Raoul let go of the past long enough to find his future with Alexx, or is he doomed to repeat past mistakes?

More About Julie:
Well, besides being an awesome person and the ringleader of Wednesday Briefs. 🙂

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she’d never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another’s arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. She enjoys crafts, such as crocheting and cross stitch, knitting and needlepoint and loves to cook. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn’t mind. Marching to the beat of one’s own drummer is a good thing, after all. Her published works can be found at Amber Quill Press, Dreamspinner Press, MuseitUp Publishing, Torquere Press, and eXtasy Books. She is also an editor at MuseitUp.

You can find her:
Blogging
Twitter @Shelley_runyon
On facebook
On Goodreads

Purchase When Will I see You Again here

What’s that? You’d like an excerpt? I have one of those.

Continue reading →