Thursday, November 13, 2014

NEW BLOG & LINK TO The Odyssey of Falling by Paige Crutcher REVIEW

QUICK!  Click HERE! to go directly to my review of The Odyssey of Falling by Paige Cruther and completely bypass my BLOG UPDATE that explains why you're going to a different blog!!



**BLOG IS IN NO WAY COMPLETE AND MAY NOT FUNCTION COMPLETELY CORRECTLY. SORRY IF YOU ARE AFFECTED!!**

My new blog is LIVE guys, though it is in no way finished.
I agreed to be a part of the The Odyssey of Falling blog tour before my husband surprised me by buying our domain name and making me a completely new blog (and switching from blogger to wordpress to boot!)

So my review has been posted here!  It is in no way how the final site will be done, but it does have my template, graphics, etc.

There is no home button, menu bars, etc. because this blog isn't completely finished yet!  Sorry!  And my old reviews haven't been switched over yet.  Please be patient with us, neither of us actually went to school for this and are learning a brand new blogging site on the fly as well as building a brand new template from scratch.

I am so excited to get back to blogging, and I'm sorry I've been gone for so long!  I promise I do have at least 10 reviews in the can, waiting to be uploaded to you guys!!

See you guys on the other site (which will be linked directly to when completely finished.  Though new blog posts will be showing up there soon!!).

Thursday, October 23, 2014

#HaleNo, #BloggerBlackout, and Blog Updates

Its been so long, but with very good reason!! *this post is not formatted because I am using an app, on mini vacation, and don't have my laptop handy*

First of all, Happy Cloud Reviews will be joining Dear Author and other book bloggers for #bloggerblackout, basically meaning I will not be posting reviews for New Releases (which I have a few!) For the next week in light of all of the KH drama and #HaleNo.  My New Release reviews (and all other reviews and features) will begin posting early morning of Nov. 1st.

Secondly, where have I been?? Well...my blog is being completely reformatted and I am getting brand new graphics, logo, the works, and my wonderful husband has been doing it all over the past 3 weeks. So I've been reading, supervising that (because this is still my blog), enjoying having a toddler, writing reviews, and following #HaleNo and GamerGate at a rather unflattering rate. I meant to format my reviews and start getting them up, but life kept happening. And then I set a few to start uploading this week and decided to postpone that due to the KH situation.

So, Kathleen Hale...? Yep. That happened. I had ACTUALLY just started No One Else Can Have You 2 days before that whole fiasco began. Needless to say, I immediately stopped reading that. I don't support stalkers. Especially considering I've been stalked as a teenager, I was disturbed, frightened, and angry about her piece. My husband asked if I wanted to quit blogging and just be a reader. I said no. I actually enjoy what I do. I might be new and inexperienced, but I have had great experiences blogging about books. Plus the authors I have interacted with are amazing and have been very supportive of me and my blog.

For the record, I use a pseudonym for my own safety and the safety of my child. Coley Belle are both names that have very deep significance to myself and my family. They were not picked out of the sky and I have been called Coley by close friends for almost 10 years. I turn 26 on December 9th and I have a 1 year old toddler. I am a stay at home mom. And I will always be upfront with you guys.

Sorry for the long post, but this is what's going on. I hope you all are well and I will see you November 1st for blog relaunch, and book reviews!!

-Coley Belle

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Mistletoe Wedding by Melissa McClone

Source:  ARC
Genre:  Adult Romance, Holiday
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
Date Published:  October 16, 2014
Number of Pages:  T.B.D.
I received an ebook ARC of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any form for my opinions, or the review.

Event planner at the Bar V5 Dude Ranch, Meg Redstone is dreaming of a white Christmas with twinkling lights, sparkly decorations and strategically placed mistletoe. She loves making dreams come true for others, whether planning a holiday wedding or giving her young daughter the best Christmas ever. 

Ranch foreman Tyler Murphy loves the holidays, but his newest employee has taken over his barn with her over-the-top decorations. He admires Meg’s desire to give her daughter the perfect Christmas while planning a winter wonderland wedding, but he wants to show her that a Montana Christmas is more than glitter and lights. 

After raising his younger sister, an instant family is not on Ty's Christmas wish list. But he finds himself falling hard for the single mom and her little girl. Meg, however, is not interested in a romance with a cowboy like Ty, or any man. Getting her under the mistletoe is going to take a Christmas miracle . . . or a little help from Santa.   (from Amazon, since there isn't a Goodreads page thus far.)

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins

Source:  ARC
Genre:  Adult Romance, Holiday
Publisher: Tule Publishing (Montana Born)
Date Published: October 13, 2014
Number of Pages: 100
I received an ebook ARC of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any form for my opinions, or the review.

Liz Flowers has never enjoyed Christmas, but this one is shaping up to be the worst by far. She let her ex take her daughter to Mexico while she stays behind in a strange town, sitting her former mother-in-law’s high strung little dog. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, but this California girl doesn’t have much in common with the ranchers in small town Marietta. 

Blake Canon perks up with male interest when he sees a new face at his friend’s Christmas cocktail party. His son is away and a light affair would take his mind off his financial troubles. Then he realizes he knows Liz. She was once married to the brother of his ex-wife. 

Their children might be cousins, but Blake and Liz do the kissing—under the mistletoe. It’s the beginning of a new view of Christmas for Liz, but when their children arrive home unexpectedly, and family secrets are revealed, Liz isn’t sure she’ll stay in Marietta for Christmas after all. (from Goodreads)

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Protectors by Trey Dowell

Source:  ARC  
Genre:  Adult Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/ Simon 451
Date Published: October 7, 2014
Number of Pages:  330
**I received this ARC on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.


An enthralling debut, The Protectors offers a dark twist on the classic superhero story as fallen hero Scott McAlister embarks on a globe-hopping chase to stop his former teammate—and ex-lover—gone rogue.

Don’t call him a superhero.

Heroes change the world. Scott McAlister? On a good day, he manages to change out of sweatpants.

It wasn’t always like this. Scott used to be leader of the Protectors, the world’s one and only squad of superheroes. It was a decent gig, but far from the shiny force for good the UN advertised. He could abide the publicity stunts, the lies, the ham-fisted government handlers—but when one of the Protectors died under his command, it was too much. Wracked with guilt, Scott stepped down and into an early retirement.

Now, five years later, a desperate CIA chief shows up on Scott’s doorstep with a polite request and a cadre of shock troops to ensure that Scott accepts. His ex-teammate and ex-lover, Lyla Ravzi, has gone rogue. The former Protector has the ability to control minds, and she’s no longer interested in “protecting.” She wants world domination.

Scott’s mission is simple: Find Lyla and stop her. The messy little details are up to him. It’s the last thing Scott needs after five years spent trying to forget the Protectors and to get over Lyla, but the alternative is worse.

As he closes in on his target, Scott is forced to confront his past and face a chilling reality: Can he save the world and the woman he once loved? Or will he have to choose?  (from Goodreads)


Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Family inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich

Source: ARC
Genre: Woman's Fiction
Publisher: Boutique of Quality Books (BQB)
Date published: October 1, 2014
Number of pages: T.B.D.
I received an ebook ARC of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any form for my opinions, or the review.


Called to the bedside of their dying mother, three sisters reluctantly return to their childhood home in northern Minnesota. What should be a reunion of love and warmth is tainted by the ghosts of their childhood; their parents' farm is a place of painful memories. With their mother slipping into a coma, Helene leaves behind a shell of a marriage in Atlanta--her country club lifestyle not at all what it seems. Alice has finally fled an abusive husband but is afraid her failing courage will put her children in danger. Waking up beside yet another stranger, Suzanne can no longer deny how an alcohol addiction may destroy everything she's worked for--an addiction that barely masks the terrible wounds on her soul. They may have escaped the farm, but Helene, Alice, and Suzanne find they are still perpetuating a cycle of pain, abuse, alcoholism, anger, fear, and bitterness. Seeing themselves through each other's eyes, the sisters are forced to confront their demons as their mother lies dying.  (from Goodreads)



Frozen (Heart of Dread) by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston

Source:  ARC
Genre:  YA- Sci Fi, Fantasy
Publisher:  Hachette Children's Books
Date Published:  October 2, 2014 (UK paperback version)
Number of Pages:  365
Book 1 in the Heart of Dread series
I received an ebook ARC of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any form for my opinions, or the review.

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.  (from Goodreads)

Monday, September 29, 2014

The Trouble with Goodbye by Sarra Cannon

Source:  Purchased (free book on Google Play before the release of the sequel)
Genre:  New Adult
Publisher: Dead River
Date Published: May 21, 2013
Number of Pages: 330


One night can change everything…

Two years ago, Leigh Anne Davis shocked everyone in tiny Fairhope, Georgia when she broke up with her wealthy boyfriend to attend an Ivy League university a thousand miles away. At school, she finds a happiness and independence she’s never known.

Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.

With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.

That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what’s left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.

Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.



Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Source:  Purchased
Genre: Adult Fantasy/Horror
Publisher: Plume
Date Published: June 10, 1982 (original pub. date)
Number of Pages: 231
Book 1 in The Dark Tower series


Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy -- what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus -- has spanned a quarter of a century.
Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement.
Book I
In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.
This new edition of The Gunslinger has been revised and expanded throughout by King, with new story material, in addition to a new introduction and foreword. It also includes four full-color illustrations in the hardcover and trade paperback formats.  (from Goodreads)

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Source: Purchased
Genre: Adult Romance- Paranormal
Publisher: Signet
Date Published: September 6, 2005
Number of Pages: 393

Book 1 in Black Dagger Brotherhood series


In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
 
The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.  (from Goodreads)




Thursday, September 25, 2014

Cover Reveal: Inspire by Cora Carmack


Cover Reveal for Inspire by Cora Carmack, a book I am extremely excited to buy and read!!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Source:  Purchased
Genre: New Adult
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Date Published:  May 14, 2014
Number of Pages:  322
This is only $1.99 on Kindle!! Pick it up!!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.  (from Goodreads)

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Source: Purchased
Genre: YA-Contemporary Romance
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile
Date Published:  August 14, 2014
Number of Pages:  352

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.  (from Goodreads)

Monday, September 22, 2014

Asher by Jo Raven

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  New Adult
Publisher: Smashwords
Date Published: May 21st, 2014
Number of Pages: 213

Now eighteen, Audrey returns to her hometown for the first time after the accident – the car crash that took her dad and scarred her for life. She’s here to start again. Go to college and have fun. Make new friends. Get over the past.

But the past won’t let go. Asher is here – her first kiss, her first heartbreak. More handsome and distant than ever, he’s still the boy who used to be her best friend. That was before he changed into someone she hardly knows anymore – the boy who started getting into fights and gave her the cold shoulder for years.

Asher isn’t what she needs. In fact, she hates him and should try her best to keep away from him. Yet her body doesn’t seem to care about how she feels, and maybe, just maybe this time her body got it right. Not that she has much of a choice. Asher draws her like a bright flame, and if she isn’t careful, she’ll burn.

And that may not be such a bad thing after all...   (from Goodreads)

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  New Adult, Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Date Published: August 5, 2014
Number of Pages: 320

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
                                                          Love gets ugly.     (from Goodreads)

Friday, September 19, 2014

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: October 1, 2013
Number of Pages: 295

An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.  (from Goodreads)

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Shattered by Tracy Wolff

Source: Purchased 
Genre:  New Adult
Publisher: Flirt
Date Published: April 22, 2014
Number of Pages: 299

 Ash Lewis has poured every last ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the very top of the professional snowboarding world—until the unthinkable happens. After the biggest competition win of his career, Ash’s mother and father are killed in a tragic accident. Unable to handle the idea of going back out on the snow to pursue the dream his parents shared with him, Ash feels that he has no choice but to walk away from snowboarding forever. Then he meets Tansy Hampton.

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy has a different look and a new passion every week. As a cancer survivor who spent the past several years waiting to die, Tansy has a fresh perspective on life—even if she doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants to do with it. But she’s determined to find out, and that means making the most of her time while she still can.

From the very beginning, their chemistry is intense. But while Ash can’t stop chasing the ghosts of what can never be, Tansy stays firmly focused on the possibilities the world holds for her—and for them. She’s already picked up the pieces of one shattered life. Now she’s determined to help Ash do the same.  (from  Goodreads)

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Source:  Purchased
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Smashwords
Date Published: October 12, 2013
Number of Pages: 405

Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore.
Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Rule by Jay Crownover

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  New Adult
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Date Published: May 7, 2013
Number of Pages: 432

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters 

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want--and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other. (from Goodreads)

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

This is a novel I'm not entirely sure how to explain or review.  

Publisher:  Forever

Date Published:  March 4, 2014
Number of Pages:  285




Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.  (from Goodreads)







Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Source:  Purchased
Genre: YA-Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Date Published: December 11, 2012


After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.  (from Goodreads)




Thursday, September 4, 2014

I'm Back with a Brand New Look!!!

So...I decided to make the blog look more professional.  Completely redo it.  So when we got back from my parents' on Sunday (they live 4 hours away), I made it my mission to redo the blog on Monday.  

I failed.

Hard.

I broke the blog.  BROKE IT.  It looked awful.  Nothing worked.  I almost broke the laptop.  I cried.  I gave up.

So on Tuesday, I decided to just keep looking at templates and find something that spoke to me.  In the span of time it took me to open 2 websites, we completely lost internet.  A large part of the state lost internet (a cut fiber, or something?) and we didn't get it back until 9pm.  So that wasn't happening either.

Then this morning, amiss doctors appointments and running to the grocery store, I found a template I love (and is now a part of this blog!  Yay!) only to be forced to have my husband install it, cause I couldn't figure it out.  

Everything is finally resolved (almost! The Book Reviews tab is not working, but that will be resolved soon!) and I feel confident in saying...Welcome to the new Happy Cloud Reviews, guys!!   Thanks for all the support!!

I'm still on Twitter!!  And I'm more active!!  Let's follow each other!!
@happycloudbooks


I will resume posting reviews, which I am VERY behind in, tomorrow!!

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Landline by Rainbow Rowell Review

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  Adult Contemporary/ Chick Lit
Publisher:  Saint Martin's Press (Macmillan)
Date Published: July 8, 2014 
Number of Pages: 319

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.
Maybe that was always beside the point.
Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.
When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .
Is that what she’s supposed to do?
Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?  (from Goodreads)



Such A Rush By Jennifer Echols Review

Source: Purchased
Genre:  YA-Contemporary
Publisher: MTV Books
Date Published: December 18, 2012
Number of Pages: 336 


A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true... but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly. (from Goodreads)



Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Review

Source:  Purchased
Genre: YA-Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Date Published: December 2, 2010
Number of Pages: 372


Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?



Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins Review

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  YA-Contemporary Romance
Publisher:  Dutton Books
Date Published: September 29, 2011
Number of Pages:  338


Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

(from Goodreads)





The Hazards of Skinny Dipping by Alyssa Rose Ivy.....QUICK Review

Source:  Purchased (free ebook)
Genre:  New Adult
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Date Published: May 17, 2013
Number of Pages: 248


This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along. (from Goodreads)






Friday, July 11, 2014

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  Adult Romance/Mystery
Publisher:  Ace/Mass Market Paperback
Date Published: April 26, 2006
Number of Pages:  320


Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first… (from Goodreads)




Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Source:  Purchased
Genre:  YA-Contemporary
Publisher: Dutton Books
Date Published: January 10, 2012
Number of Pages: 318 


Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.








Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Heir Untamed by Danielle Bourdon

Source:  Purchased (free ebook)
Genre:  Adult Romance
Publisher:  Wildbloom Press
Date Published: December 9, 2012 (my birthday!!)
Number of Pages: 318


Desperate for work to avoid eviction from her Seattle apartment, photographer Chey Sinclair accepts a rare opportunity to travel abroad and photograph Latvala Royalty. Encountering the Royals for the first time, Chey experiences an instant attraction to Mattias, second in line to the throne. He's charming, confident—and taken.

During a horseback ride to clear her head, Chey finds herself in a scuffle with Sander Fisk, head of security. Rugged, determined and sharp tongued, Sander is infuriating as well as intriguing.

Faced with conflicting emotions and a mystery unfolding in the castle, Chey must decide between men: a Prince of Latvala, or an arrogant rogue.

She discovers the hard way that this particular fairy tale was more than she ever bargained for.  (from Goodreads)