Monday, September 30, 2013

No Turning Back by Casey Peeler RELEASE DAY!

 
No Turning Back Synopsis:
After getting involved with Dylan, the bad boy of the Dixon High Swim team, Charley decides to stay close to home for college. It’s just safer that way. Later, she realizes it’s a mistake, just like dating Dylan. She decides to put the past behind her and leave the small hick town of Grassy Pond. There is only one problem; she makes this decision three weeks before the fall semester begins.

Charley packs up her Honda and heads to Southern College. On the morning she’s about to leave, Cash walks back into her life. He has been her best friend since they were four and is the only one who knows the REAL Charley. She leaves her farm in Grassy Pond with all kinds of “what if” questions.

Charley decides to live her college career to the fullest. She finds a great group of friends, joins the swim team, and meets a guy named Joe. He’s got eyes that make ya wanna melt!

At college, she encounters a new problem. Charley has been away from home for only forty-eight hours before she breaks the two promises she made to herself. Will she be able to overcome her past? Find new love? What will happen with Cash now that he is back in her life? Will she find what she is wanting in Jackalope Joe? How will her first semester of college end? Joe, Cash, or alone?
 
 



Casey Peeler Name Bio:
Casey Peeler grew up and still lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter. Her first passion is teaching students with special needs. Over the years, she found her way to relax was in a good book.

After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston her senior year of high school and multiple Nicholas Sparks’ novels, she found a hidden love and appreciation for reading.

Casey is an avid reader, blogger (Hardcover Therapy,) and now author. No Turning Back (Full Circle #1) is her debut novel releasing September 30th. Finding Charley (Full Circle #2) will release spring 2014.

Her goal is to one day be an author who is recognized nationwide like Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover, Tiffany King, and Amanda Bennett.

When Casey isn’t reading, you can find her listening to country music, spending the day at the lake, being a wife and dance mom, and spending time with friends and family.

Her perfect day consists of water, sand between her toes, a cold beverage, and a great book!
 
<a id="rc-23ac0742" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23ac0742/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
 
 
Links:
 
 
 
 
 

Convicted by Aleatha Romig

 
More days!!!!!!!!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Convicted by Aleatha Romig




       ONLY 10 MORE DAYS UNTIL WE ARE REUNITED WITH TONY & CLAIRE!!!!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Nashville Heat by Bethany Michaels

This book can be described in three pictures......

 
If you need a translation: Cheesy, Corny & Sweet :)
 
A light read that will leave you smiling.
 

Protect Me by Jennifer Culbreth




Let me introduce you to Ryan Dixon. He is pretty near my perfect man. Successful? Check. Good Looking? Check. Ex-Military? Check. Romantic? Check. Check & Check! He has made the list. You know the one that we all have......the Book Boyfriend List. I'm getting pretty selective too so that should tell you something about how much I liked this book. Did I say liked? I LOVED this book!

After an unexpected inheritance Abbi flees Georgia for the city of LA. Snagging a job as a waitress in a bar she meets Ryan while working the VIP section of the club. Ryan is the head of his security firm and is equally as taken with Abbi upon their first meeting. Unfortunately he has some hang ups about his military past and thinks he's not good enough for Abbi.

After a catastrophic event at a party, on his yacht, he comes to realize that he has been stupid and can't live without her. (Don't you love it when that happens?) Let the love fest begin!

If that was all this story was it would be about half the length that it is. Lucky for us there is more!

Drama unfolds for Abbi as her boss, at the club, is involved in some nefarious dealings and drags her into the middle of it. Thank goodness Ryan has that military background!

This is Jennifer's debut novel and in my humble opinion she nailed it! Protect Me pretty much sums up the story of Ryan & Abbi, but this is the first in a series called The Protected Love Series. I can't wait to read about Jace & Judy in the next one! Like literally can't wait. Why do I have to wait?????


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/protect-me-jennifer-culbreth/1116259653?ean=9781491054802

http://www.amazon.com/Protect-Protected-Love-Series-ebook/dp/B00E98ZPXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380240213&sr=1-1&keywords=protect+me+jennifer+culbreth

Friday, September 20, 2013

Nicholas Sparks Book Signing, etc.

Grab a drink & buckle up. I had one CRAZY ASS day today! No joke. I'll try to be as concise as possible, but get comfortable :)

As with most things, I can't remember how I found out about the N.S. book signing, but I wasn't gung-ho on the idea from the beginning. I am a fan, but not a big fan. I've probably seen more movies based on his books than I've read his books.  Somehow the signing came up with my SIL, who it turns out is a HUGE fan, and she tells me that my niece-in-law is also a HUGE fan. I was wavering on whether to go when my SIL tells me that a signed book would make a great Christmas gift for our niece. From that point on, I was in. (I consider myself an excellent gift giver & have a reputation to uphold!)

I looked up the details, logged them in the back of my brain & pretty much didn't think about it again until yesterday. I pulled up the details yesterday & noticed right away that they had changed the time. Original signing was at 5pm and was changed to noon. Didn't really change my plans because you still had to be there at 9:00 to get a ticket to gain entry to the actual signing. I made a point to call the store to make sure I knew which door the line was going to be at & to double check that they had enough books. I made plans with the hubby to get the kiddos to school, took the day off of work & had a whole day to do what I wanted. Apparently what I wanted was to screw the whole thing up from the start. So this morning I get up at the butt crack of dawn & arrive in Charlotte at 6:15. Stopped at McDonalds to use the bathroom & arrive at the B&N at about 6:25. First one there! WooHoo! I had planned on getting there at 7, but got nervous and went 30 minutes early. I was so proud of myself that I was the first one there. Took pics & even posted on FB that I was the first & only one there. I had coffee from McDonalds so while I waited I read & dealt with my emails, updated FB, put on my make-up and went to the bathroom 3 times. While using the restroom inside the mall I ran into a mall walker who stopped me to talk. She walks everyday in the mall at 6am and is originally from Germany. Her name was LaGracia, but everyone calls her by her middle name: Peaches. I (mistakenly) mentioned that my MIL was from Germany & a 10 minute conversation followed where I kept trying to back away. Peaches wasn't having it :) I finally interrupted & wished her well as I speed walked back to my spot as line leader. Still no one there. I decide to not sit in the car (as it's now daylight outside) and perch myself on the bench outside the front doors. Three employees showed up to work in the 20 minutes that I sat there, said hello & proceeded into the building. At around 7:35, I start getting curious. NO WAY am I the only one at a Nicholas Sparks event in NC, his home state. I pull up his website & I AM AT THE WRONG STORE!!!!! Immediately panic and fly to the car & google maps shows me that I just have to go down the road & will get there in 10 minutes. Needless to say my fantastic defensive IL driving skill came into play & I arrived safely......to a line. DUH!




I park and all but run to get in line. I was relieved to see that while not first (2nd, 5th, 10th, or 20th) I could at least see the door and took a little time to kick myself and calm down. As happens at all of these types of events conversations start with those around you. I met Kelly & Lisa, co-workers who had come together. ( I mentally lamented the fact that I need reader friends who are closer to partner with me for these types of things.) So.....blah, blah, blah we wait in line until a little after 9, get our tickets and decide to go to breakfast. Now, I do not promote careless behavior, but I also consider myself a good judge of character. With that being said, getting in a car with virtual strangers is probably never a good idea :) I've done it twice at these events. I'm actually 2 for 2! Bad Valerie!!!!!



Anyway, we go to breakfast & had some yummy food. Headed back to B&N and proceed to get in line, get booted out of line, get booted back by the blue balloon, have eye to eye combat with another group of ladies who were afraid we were going to get in line ahead of them, meet up with a new friend Elaine, converge on the 'forbidden zone' to hear N.S. speak & answer questions, get in line, get our pic taken & books signed & then........it was over. At this point I had been at B&N (one or the other) for about 5 hours. It was over in the blink of an eye. Keep that in mind when you decide to go to these events. Not a lot of bang for your buck :)



Exchanged personal info with my new friend Kelly and parted ways. I had been looking forward to going to the mall to do a little shopping so headed over there. (*****this is where the official book portion of my day ends, so feel free to stop reading if you don't want to hear about my non-book life*****)

I walk around for awhile, decide I'm too tired to shop and head back to my car. As I pass a car in the parking lot I see an infant car seat in the back covered with a blanket (like you do when you have a baby in there). Kind of freaked me out, but I went to my car & went to leave. A Mall Security truck passes me & I took this as a sign that I should say something. I tell him what I saw, show him the vehicle, he too thinks it's suspicious & calls in the 'real' cops. To make a long story short.....2 mall cops, 4 police cars, 2 fire trucks & 1 ambulance later they break into the car & NO BABY!!!!!! OMG! So embarrassed, but they were cool about it. Said it was better to be sure than to ignore it & watch it on the evening news. The police were super cute & I'm truly sorry to the person who the car belonged to that they had to 'jimmie' the locks & break-in. {sigh}

As a reminder, I am originally from IL and now live in NC. I live outside of Charlotte & do not hardly ever go to Charlotte. I think navigating in and around Charlotte is confusing. But maybe that's just me.

I pull up my GPS on the phone and take off in the car. ETA was 33 minutes. I decided to call my friend Lisa in IL as we haven't talked in awhile. One hour later I have to interrupt Lisa to tell her that I have no idea where I am and that I should have been home 30 minutes previous. We laugh at my day & hang up. Have to pull up/change my GPS 3 more times before I finally get on to the interstate and arrive back to town an hour and 40 minutes after I left. I hate driving to Charlotte! That's all I have to say about that. :( {sigh}

I decide to go to Old Navy because their jeans are on sale & I have lost 36 lbs and mine don't fit anymore. (please take a moment to rejoice with me because I worked my ass off to achieve that goal!) I now have no idea what size I am and I have never bought jeans at Old Navy before. I grabbed a size smaller than I used to wear & a size smaller than that just on a whim. The cutie patootie sales associate who had been talking to me off & on was back by the fitting room.  He offers to exchange sizes if I need him to. In the dressing room I grab the smaller of the 2 sizes and put them on. They fit. Actually the longer I looked at them I thought, I bet I could go a size smaller. I exit & find cute guy & say 'Since you offered, can you go grab me a size ** in the skinny jeans?" He returns with the jeans, I try them on, THEY FIT and I burst into tears as I was headed up front. Concerned the cute guy asks if I'm ok. Embarrassed, I tell him, "I recently lost 36 lbs and these are the first pair of pants that I've bought since." He praises me & I slink away. It's a good thing I'm married as my flirting skills are severely lacking.

I check my watch and decide to head to my daughter's softball practice where I am Assistant Coach. I watch them finish and as we get in the car, my daughter informs me that one of the girls on the team told her, "I hate your mom. If I had a gun I would shoot her."

And........that's my day!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

When Girlfriends Step Up by Savannah Page

Sometimes you just need a break. A break from all the drama. From all the flawed book boyfriends (no matter how built or sexy!). From the wimpy females who can't stand up for themselves or the abusive men in their lives. From guns blazing and killers killing. This book provided that break for me.

After finishing a series where I was disappointed I found this book & dove right in. So glad I did! The only disappointing part to me was at the end where I found out it is part of a series. The book is about a group of close friends and it appears the series has a book dedicated to each friend. So, while disappointed that I kind of started in the middle I don't think it matters in the end.

Book Description:
A novel about love and support, and learning that with enduring friendships, no woman is ever alone.Robin Sinclair is young, determined, and has a promising career at a small publishing house in Seattle. Even though she considers herself unlucky in love, Robin still dreams of eventually meeting Mr. Right and having a happily-ever-after kind of life. And at twenty-five, the world of opportunity is wide. But it's been a difficult year filled with trials...and it's only just begun.

While long-time friendships are finally on the mend, and things are starting to look up again, Robin is faced with her biggest challenge yet. She's single and pregnant.

Uncertain now of her future and scared of being alone, Robin must re-examine her life and choices, and summon the courage to step up.

With the love and support of her best girlfriends from college, especially her best friend and roommate, Lara, Robin will learn that when the going gets tough, the best of friends become family. And, perhaps, with their encouragement, Robin can mature and gain the confidence needed to become a single mother. And, who knows about being unlucky in love. Things are suddenly getting interesting with Robin's attractive co-worker, Bobby.

This is an endearing story about maturity and perseverance. It's a story about friends coming together as family, about finding the strength within and around, and about writing your own happily-ever-after. About what happens when girlfriends step up.

Anyone with a good friend, or group of friends, will enjoy this story. It's the kind of book that engages you, but you can walk away from. You know.....like if the phone rings, you need a potty break, you need to take the kids to school, or you need to go to bed because it's 3AM and you have to work in the morning. Some books aren't like that.

I recommend this book when you are looking for a filler and I will definitely be going back to the beginning of the series and reading about Robin's other friends.

***Those of you who know me or follow my blog will notice that this is available only on Amazon & not B&N. My first read since figuring how to get the kindle app on my nook  :)



Sunday, September 1, 2013

Cover Reveal - Convicted by Aleatha Romig

There were still lessons to learn and consequences for the truth!
When Claire Nichols met Anthony Rawlings, she didn’t know they had a past, or that he had plans for her future. Over time, the role of teacher changed—games became reality—and domination turned to desire. Despite an insurmountable history, Claire and Tony found their way back to one another.
Just when they seemed to have it all—love, respect, and the promise of a family—the game master exposed the truth. Claire’s world once again spun out of control. Unwilling to allow her child to suffer the consequences of an old vendetta, Claire fled...
At one time, Claire was held captive in an opulent mansion—then her incarceration was a cell inside a state penitentiary. Was her new prison—a tropical island—truly less lonely? Perhaps that was the game master’s plan, all along?
Who will save Claire from her oldest nightmare and her newest reality? Will it be Tony? Can he forgive her for leaving him—again? Harry? Will he utilize previously unknown connections to save the woman who infiltrates his thoughts? Maybe Phil? Will his devotion in keeping Claire and her child safe be rewarded?
As the cards are played—sins of the past, innocent victims, and truths are revealed. With compartmentalization no longer an option, is the reality too much? Could there be an even worse isolation?
With the game master dealing from a stacked deck, can this new high-stakes game possibly be won?
When its all over and their cards are on the tableSOME will discover their bets were too high—they have nothing left to lose—ALL will learn the crucial lesson—the most important rule—there are CONSEQUENCES for the TRUTH!
Aleatha Romig’s CONVICTED!

Book links:
Buy links: To follow

Series Links:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Aleatha Romig is a bestselling author, who has been voted #1 "New Author to Read" on Goodreads July 2012 - Present! She was also #9 most followed author on Goodreads - July / August 3013.

Aleatha has lived most of her life in Indiana growing-up in Mishawaka, graduating from Indiana University, and currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her high-school sweetheart and husband of twenty six years, they've raised three children. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her pastimes include exercising, reading and creating heros/ anti-heros who haunt your dreams!

Aleatha enjoys traveling, especially when there is a beach involved. In 2011 she had the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia to visit her daughter studying at the University of Wollongong. Her dream is to travel to places in her novels and around the world.

CONSEQUENCES, her first novel, was released August 2011 by Xlibris Publishing. October 2012 Ms. Romig rereleased CONSEQUENCES as an Indie author. TRUTH, the sequel, was released October 30, 2012 and CONVICTED, the final installment of the Consequences Series, is scheduled for release in October of 2013!

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and represented by Danielle Egan-Miller of Brown and Miller Literary Associates.

AUTHOR LINKS:
Twitter @AleathaRomig: http://www.twitter.com/AleathaRomig
 





Cover Reveal - Return to Poughkeepsie