Book Review: Catching Heat (Feeling the Heat, #3) by Alison Packard

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Carina Press

Published: 10th February 2014

Pages: 267

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sport Romance

Main Characters: Angie, J.T.
Date Read: 9th August - 11th August 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Life has taught Angie DeMarco that all baseball players are womanizers, and her incredible one-night stand with sexy San Francisco Blaze back-up catcher J.T. Sawyer seemed to prove it. Determined not to give in to their sizzling chemistry a second time, she’s kept her distance ever since, focusing on her accounting job with the team. But now she’s laid off…and pregnant.
J.T. was hurt by Angie’s rejection, but with one more year with the Blaze, he has no time for love. He needs to spend the off season training hard so he can negotiate a better contract with a new team at the end of the year. But when Angie shows up on his doorstep, he‘s overwhelmed by wanting to not just do right by her but pursue a relationship with her. Hoping for a second chance, he proposes.
Angie agrees to marry J.T. on one condition: the marriage will be purely a business arrangement. But as Angie spends time with him and his family, and J.T. neglects his training to spend time with her, what begins as a union in name only slowly grows into something more—something that looks a whole lot like love and friendship.

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is a little too plain for my liking as it's too white. I do like the softness look of the cover as it comes across as romantic and since this is a romance novel it's rather fitting.

Thanks to Alison Packard I am addicted to sport romance novels so it was nice to go back to her books and even though there wasn't any sport being played I could still tell that sport was the underlining story which I think made it even better as their was no terminology that I didn't understand. I was completely hooked by this story to the point I didn't want to put it down even when I had to. I have read a couple of stories that have pregnancy intertwined in the story which I haven't been a huge fan of because they kept the pregnancy a secret so it was nice to see it being put out there from the beginning. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters even when they didn't want to like one another I could still see them sizzling whilst in the same room. This book had me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as one minute I would be laughing out load and then there was moments when I had to force myself not to cry. I kind of loved the ending as it was such a sweet moment but I didn't like that some issues wasn't sorted out.

I loved pretty much all the characters apart from Angie's Mum she was a nightmare! Angie I actually didn't like during the first half of the book as she was down right awful to J.T. however once we find out about why she was the way she was I was able to understand where she was coming from. The second half she was a much more likeable character as J.T. and his family brought out the best in her. I adored J.T. he was the most kind and sweetest guy ever in fact he did seem a bit too good to be true but I didn't care as I loved him anyway. I loved J.T.'s family as they where so nice and I especially loved his brother's Jake and Josh maybe not so much Justin but there's a story there. I am so glad that the next book is Jake's I can't wait to find out more about him, I just hope the others get their own book but as of yet there's no word on Goodreads about them.

Overall, I adored this book and I can't wait to read more from Alison Packard.

The Accidental Assassin (The Assassins, #1) by Nichole Chase

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Indie

Published: 1st December 2014

Pages: 356

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, 

Main Characters: Ava, Owen
Date Read: 2nd August - 8th August 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:From the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Nichole Chase, comes THE ACCIDENTAL ASSASSIN.
Ava McKenzie is a creature of habit. Life is passing her by and she has nothing to show for it. She's had the same job since she started college, she orders the same dish every time she goes to her favorite restaurant, and only reads books from authors she knows. There is nothing new or surprising in her life... until her best friend marries a man from London. When her newlywed friend asks her to house-sit while she honeymoons, Ava jumps at the chance. She thinks this could be the very thing she needs to shake up her life. Ava throws herself head first into her new lifestyle; she wants to try everything, go everywhere, and never get stuck in a rut again. Of course, offing a man in a car garage hadn't been one of the things on her list to try.
Owen Walker spends every day in a new place with a new case. As one of the most renowned assassins in the world, he has his choice of marks--and he's never failed in a mission. When a new hit takes him back to his hometown, he looks forward to spending time somewhere familiar. What he isn't expecting is to help an attractive, confused American woman find out how she's ended up on a hit man's list.
As Ava and Owen dodge bullets, will they be able to escape their undeniable attraction to each other? Or will all of that chemistry blow up in a shower of hot and dangerous sparks?

I've loved every book written by Nichole Case so it was a no brainer that I was going to get this book and I'm happy to say The Accidental Assassin is no different...

I think this cover looks elegant in the clothes and the styling in the background, it's the gun that is surprising as you wouldn't expect to see all that in the same cover which is very much in keeping with the story.

From the beginning I was blown away with this book as it was brilliantly written, I was able to believe in everything that happened with the brilliant witty humour in a dark world it was perfectly balanced. I loved the location and was able to picture the scenery that was depicted. I love how unique this story you would think that a story about assassins wouldn't work but it sure did! There was always something happening with loads of action as well as the romance there was never a dull moment. The chemistry between Ava and Owen was off the charts from the very beginning, I loved them as a couple their love felt realistic even with the speed of their feelings. It was the last few chapters that stopped me from giving it the full five out five stars as it felt a bit too rushed for my liking as well as holes in the story and yes there is another book so these could be filled in then however there was no cliff hanger so that was a plus.

I loved all the characters that where the good guys. The two main characters Ava and Owen are two of my favourite characters ever. Ava was such a sweetheart with a great sense of humour but she also had a tough side to her that came out through out the story. Owen should be someone that you don't like because at the end of the day he is a murderer yet I was still ends up a great and likeable character that I couldn't get enough off. I thought Kenny was a great addition to the book and I hope he gets his own book as I would love to see more from him.

Overall another amazing book by the talented Nichole Chase, shame the ending let it down ever so slightly.

Waiting on Wednesday - Sweet Nothing by Jamie McGuire & Teresa Mummert

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's this week's book I can't wait for...

Sweet Nothing by Jamie McGuire & Teresa Mummert

Expected Publication: 1st November 2015

Synopsis:It is enough to break any man: watching what could have been my future slip away before it was ever in my grasp. The possibility of losing someone I loved, before she was even mine, is something I never would have imagined. Certainly nothing I'd ever wish on anyone. I went to her every day and waited. Waited for the impossible, for a sign, for her to look at me ... hoping sinners were granted miracles, too.
Just one glimpse of him was all it took. In the next lane, at a stop light was the man I would fall in love with and marry. People talk about the kind of love that takes time--love you fall in to. We were more like a crash and burn, and when our lives intertwined I knew I would never be the same. He was the man I would cherish the rest of my life, who would father my children. In an instant our life together began, and in an instant it would end. The late nights; the excuses; the lies. And in the blink of an eye, it was like we never were.
For the first time, experience a heartfelt, jaw-dropping novel by #1 New York Times bestseller Jamie McGuire, and New York Times bestselling author Teresa Mummert. 
When you think you know what's happening, you're only half way there.

To be honest I'm not sure what to make of that synopsis just that it sounds interesting. The reason why I am excited about this book is that it is co-written by Jamie McGuire and I love her work so I'm hoping that this one will be no different.




What are you waiting on? 

Book Review: His Forbidden Princess (Royal Holiday, #4) by Jeannie Moon

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Tule Publishing

Published: 30th April 2015

Pages: 110

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, 

Main Characters: Sofie, Ian
Date Read: 2nd August - 5th  August 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Eight years ago, university student Ian Stuart fell in love with his sweet, beautiful classmate and he’s never forgotten her. Sofie loved Ian with all her heart in return, but she didn’t trust him with one little detail about her life she’d neglected to share.
She was a princess, and they could never be together in the outside world.
Now Crown Princess Sofia is in danger. An insurgent faction in her country has targeted the royal family, and while Sofia is visiting the United States, she is forced to go into hiding. Assigned to protect her is none other than FBI Special Agent Ian Stuart.
Once again Ian and Sofie are in an impossible situation, fighting their feelings for one another, while trying to stay safe. Will their love for each other prove to be the most dangerous game of all?

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This cover is a little different to the other covers in this series and I actually think that it is loads better than the others. I love that it has the two main characters in the cover as there is two main characters in the story so it is more fitting than the other covers when they only had a female on the cover. I feel like the colours are more inviting than the other covers so it stands out over all the others.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book, it was very addicting and I found myself looking forward to what was going to happen next. There was a couple of moments that I felt dragged out a little too long and then other times when it was too rushed. The chemistry between the two main characters Ian and Sophie was mixed as one minute you could tell they where in love with each other and then there was other times when I just didn't understand what they felt about each other. The end of the book was the main area that was rushed as it felt like there was gaps in the story. I would love to have read this as a full length novel as I think that maybe it would have been an amazing read.

I had mixed feeling about the main characters but their was a secondary character that I liked through out but would have liked to have seen him more involved with in the story. Sophie at times came across as this sweet, down to earth girl but she did seem a little annoying at times. Ian was a nice enough character  for the most part but a couple of things that happened put me of his character.

Overall, this was a good novella and definitely the best from this series but because it was a short story I felt like there was a lot of times didn't come across like they could have if it was a full length novel.

Book Review: His Defiant Princess (Royal Holiday, #3) by Kathleen O'Brien

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Tule Publishing

Published: 23rd April 2015

Pages: 147

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Main Characters: Brenna, Ronan
Date Read: 28th July - 1st August 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Brenna Tinley has decided to move to the Unified Isles of Cornetta, a fairy-tale kingdom just south of France in the Bay of Biscay to escape the recent tragedies in her personal life. The happiest summer she can remember was spent there, in the arms of a handsome, tender rascal who disappeared without a goodbye when Autumn came…
As fate would have it, the Royal House of Vicenza has engaged Brenna Tinley to clear up a public relations mess. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for this small-town American girl, but there’s only one problem. Her new employer, HRH Prince Ronan, aka her mystery summer lover of long ago, seems determined to pick up where they left off. Can Brenna work in the royal palace and not end up with a brand new broken heart?

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is another one with a similar cover but I have to say this is my least favourite cover as the model as given off an overly sexual pose which is know where near in keeping with the female lead she is portraying let alone the actual story.

This book started off so well as it was a nice, quick and easy read but then the second half of the book really let it down. In the beginning I cared about the characters and I cared what happened to them especially the main character. The relationship between Brenna and Ronan was a little confusing at times because there was moments when the chemistry oozed of the pages but then there was other moments when I just couldn't feel anything between them both. I liked that this book explained about what had happened between the two main characters in the past as I was able to get a better understanding where they where coming from. The ending was too rushed for my liking as things seemed to be brushed under the carpet with no explanation of what happened, it just felt a little anti-climatic for me.

I had a bit of a love/hate feelings about most of the characters even the secondary characters. Ronan seemed to have a split personality as one moment he would come across as this playboy who didn't care then there was other times when he was the sweets guy ever and would do anything for anyone. Brenna came across as this strong fierce woman in the beginning but in the end I thought she was a doormat. I felt that the secondary characters didn't really add anything to the story especially Emory he annoyed me a lot.

Overall, it was a good start but the ending just fell a little flat for me maybe if it wasn't a novella then maybe things would've been different.

Blog Tour - Extract & Book Review: This Is One Moment (Come Back To Me, #2) by Mila Gray

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Pan Macmillan

Published: 10th September 2015

Pages: 

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance,

Main Characters: Didi, Walker
Date Read: 18th July - 22nd July 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Didi Monroe’s waited her whole life for the type of romance you see in the movies, so when Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont sweeps her off her feet, Didi believes she might finally have met the one.
While Zac’s away filming for the summer, Didi begins her internship at a military hospital in California. There, she meets wounded Marine Noel Walker.
Frustrated on the outside and broken on the inside, Walker’s a pain-in-the-ass patient who refuses all help.
Yet Didi can’t help but be drawn to him, and though he’s strictly out of bounds it soon becomes impossible to ignore the sparks flying between them.
As the attraction simmers into dangerous territory, Didi finds herself falling hard for a man she knows is going to break her heart. Because Walker doesn’t believe in love or happy ever afters. So what possible future can there be?
Then tragedy hits, shattering both their worlds, and Didi is forced to choose between fighting for love or merely falling for the illusion of it.

I was asked if I wanted to take part in a blog tour for Mila Gray/Sarah Alderson's new book a companion novel to Come Back To Me, and seeing as I absolutely adored it I jumped at the chance to read the next book and I wasn't disappointed...

I do like this cover as it ties in with Come Back To me, it's just that I after reading the book I don't feel like these models are fitting for Didi and Walker especially the male model as I don't feel he is big enough to be him.

This Is One Moment was an addicting book from the beginning even when it was harrowing. This book was nothing like the first book as this one was heavily war casualty related which I have never read about before, I'm still not sure it's for me but it was still beautiful and tactfully written. There was a lot of this book that broke my heart but there was a bit of humour that was able to balance it out. The thing that really bugged me about this book was that when someone was talking about someone they would switch between calling them by their last and first name, which did get confusing in the beginning especially when they would start off using their last names before throwing in their first names randomly I was wondering who on earth was they talking about, but in the end I was able to catch on with who they where talking about. The romance side of the story was a slow builder which was understandable with everything Walker had gone through. I really liked the ending as it was sweet and heart warming in a way, however, I would have loved to see what they were up too in a few years time especially Walker.

I loved all the characters in this book and even though Jessa was in it a little which was nice but I did miss seeing Kit. Didi was a fun loving character in Come Back To Me and she still was a little bit but mostly she seemed so much more grown up with a sweet and loving nature. I loved Walker even though he was mean at times it was completely understandable and he made up for it in different ways. Walker said he didn't believe in the whole love and romance of a relationship when really he was really sweet and romantic at times. I loved Sanchez he was so funny which considering what he has gone on with him it was very surprising how full of live he was. Dodds was another character that I loved and he broke my heart.

Overall, This Is One Moment isn't as breathtakingly romantic as Come Back To Me but it was a beautiful book nonetheless.

Giveaway Giveaway is International and three prizes are up for grabs! 1 prize of 1 x signed copy of This is One Moment 1 prize of 1 x signed copy of This is One Moment 1 prize of a £25 Amazon Voucher. Giveaway ends on the 29th of August. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio

Mila Gray is the pen name for young adult author Sarah Alderson.

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and tutu-wearing daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home.

After almost a year spent wandering around India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb. She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali. Since then she has published a further four novels and several short stories.

The contemporary thriller The Sound, was published in the US in May 2014, while Out of Control, a thriller with a focus on human trafficking, was released in May ’14 in the UK and May ’15 in the US. Her first adult novel Come Back To Me was released in the summer 2014 by Pan Macmillan in the UK and became an instant bestseller. It will be released in the US in December 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Foreign rights have been sold to Brazil, Australia, US, Canada, Italy and Portugal.

Sarah is also a screenwriter. She adapted her first novel Hunting Lila for the screen (currently in pre-production) and is working on several other screenplays (multi-tasking is one of her favorite things).

Her first adult novel, Come Back To Me, was published in June 2014. The second, This One Moment, will be out in August 2015.

Sarah has co-written the Hunting Lila screenplay, which is currently in the early stages of production, and continues to blog about her life and travels.

Author links:

Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website


Extract

‘Hi,’ Didi says.

‘Hi,’ I say turning my head in her direction.

‘I just wanted to see you,’ she says ‘I mean, see how you were doing.’

‘I’m OK,’ I say. Better for hearing her voice, but I can’t tell her that.

‘I just wanted to put something on the iPod,’ she says. ‘It’s something I thought you might like to listen to.’

I nod, but can’t summon the energy to ask what it is. I’m tired. Everything today seems to take monumental amounts of energy.

I hear her crossing to the bed and then opening her laptop and switching it on. A minute or so later I hear her snap the lid shut and I start trying to think of things to say to make her stay, but I can’t think of anything. My conversation skills are limited, my brain too foggy to come up with anything.

‘OK,’ she says. I’ll see you tomorrow then.’

I nod. Stay. Please stay.

She doesn’t move, for a moment I think that maybe she’s heard my silent plea and is going to come over and put her hand on my arm or on my back like she did earlier. She takes a step closer, and my whole body is suddenly tuned to her, to her presence in the room.

Her hand falls on my shoulder. Beneath the bandages I squeeze my eyes tightly shut. I will her to stay like that. Her hand feels like an anchor, something holding me, pulling me away from the hard, narrow edge.

I sit there, lips pressed together, words gathering behind them, all jumbled, nonsense, the essence of which is thank you, please stay, please don’t go.

But she doesn’t hear them, can’t hear them, and after thirty seconds her hand drops away and she’s gone. 

Waiting on Wednesday - The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's this week's book I can't wait for...

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Expected Publication: 18th August 2015

Synopsis:For fans of We Were Liars and How I Live Now comes a haunting, sexy, magically realistic debut about a family caught between a violent history, a taboo romance, and the mysteries lurking in their own backyard.

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably and unavoidably accident-prone. Some years it's bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it's just a lot of cuts and scrapes. This accident season—when Cara, her ex-stepbrother, Sam, and her best friend, Bea, are 17—is going to be a bad one. But not for the reasons they think.
Cara is about to learn that not all the scars left by the accident season are physical: There's a long-hidden family secret underneath the bumps and bruises. This is the year Cara will finally fall desperately in love, when she'll start discovering the painful truth about the adults in her life, and when she'll uncover the dark origins of the accident season—whether she's ready or not.

I saw this on someone else's WOW post the other week and thought it sounded really interesting, I can't wait to find out what happens. Not long to wait for this one!



What are you waiting on?