Sunday, October 4, 2015

Book Review: The ABC’s of Dee By Danielle Bannister

abc of dee     The ABC’s of Dee

By Danielle Bannister

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It always starts out so innocent. A drink, a laugh, a bet. For 40-year-old Dee Harper, her hum-drum life is about to become...educated. When Dee’s wealthy friend, Gail, makes her a ridiculous bet, she never dreams she'll actually go through with it. After all, dating 26 men in one year, from A-Z, is ludicrous. Right? Then Gail offers her fifty thousand dollars if she succeeds. Now that is an offer she can't refuse. From Adam the cocky limo driver to Kevin the klepto Dee learns the hard way what sort of guy she doesn't want. Filled to the brim with snark and sarcasm about the joys of dating 'later in life,' The ABC's of Dee reminds us that even though life sometimes sucks, there is always someone there to laugh with.  



My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“Poor guy has no idea what he is getting into.   A four flame dish is probably not the smartest choice for someone who clearly doesn’t eat Indian food.  I played it safe and got chicken pakoras.  No farts-of-fire for me tonight.”

“The soup has reached ideal drinking hotness.  To ignore that would be a disservice to soups across the world, and I’m annoyed that you’re not enjoying the perfection with me and are instead choosing to judge me.”

“Gail gasps looking down to see my Wonder Woman undies.  (Shut up, they’re awesome).  ‘She will never let you live that down, you know?’”

“I take my leave, happy to not have to endure the monster, and head into the kitchen and make the specialty tea that Mrs. Morgan insists on.  No other tea is worthy of her palate.  It takes all I have not to switch it out with Nestea just to prove her fancy-pants taste buds are wrong.”

My Review:


At last! A witty, snarky, and highly entertaining story with a main character who is a woman in her forties that is not someone’s mother or ex-wife.  Hurrah.  She has a job, a functioning brain, a sense of humor, and is trying to have a romance, I know, it is practically unheard of!  I enjoyed this amusing story beginning to end and maintained a smile throughout and may even have barked aloud and fist pumped a few times.  The writing is crisp, insightful, clever, and well-paced.  This is my first time reading Danielle Bannister, but it certainly won’t be the last, I have a new favorite!

Empress DJ
  Brian  
danielle bannister

Danielle Bannister

 Danielle Bannister lives with her two children in Midcoast Maine. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine and her Masters degree in Literary Education from the University of Orono. She has written the Twin Flames Trilogy: Pulled, Pulled Back and Pulled Back Again, and a snarky Romantic Comedy called The ABC's of Dee. She also has a collection of short stories called: SHORT SHORTS. In addition, her work can also be found in the following anthologies: 2012 Goose River Anthology, 2012 Writeous Anthology, 2013 Maine Writes: Maine National Writing Project Anthology; and, 2013 The Stroke of Midnight: A Supernatural New Year's Anthology.

             
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Friday, October 2, 2015

Book Review, Giveaway: The Queen B* Strikes Back by Crista McHugh






The Queen B* Strikes Back by Crista McHugh

Date of Publication: September 29, 2015

Available From

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Blurb

Alexis Wyndham isn't quite sure what to think about her "friendship" with star quarterback, Brett Pederson. Sure, he has more brains than the entire football team combined. Not to mention that fact he's a great kisser. When he asks her to help him with his college admission essay, she isn't sure if he's doing it to spend more time with her or if he's just using her for her intelligence. But after her nemesis, Summer Hoyt, makes it clear she's not finished chasing after Brett, the war is on, and the head cheerleader will find out that hell hath no fury like a Queen B*.

My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“Brett was like sweet wine or chocolate.  Too much could be a bad thing, but a little indulgence here and there was near heaven.”

“It was one of those Disneyesque moments when the bored prince at the ball finally sees his Cinderella, and the rest of the world fades away.  The noise, the chaos, the crowds – they all vanished.  He only seemed to have eyes for me.”

“Taylor backed away as though she might catch old-people-in-love cooties from them, but I couldn’t move.”


My Review:


I am adoring this series and already curious for the next installment.  I enjoyed it so much I absorbed it rather quickly as I could not seem to put it down.   Ms. McHugh does an excellent job of capturing the anxiety, thrill, uncertainty, and disappointment of new relationships, the fear of revealing one’s true self, and the special horrors of high school involving teenage cliques and power struggles.  She has brought a fresh face to the vulnerabilities of that age and dressed her up as an intelligent mean girl, and despite my typical avoidance of anything YA... I am totally hooked.  I want more - and quickly!

Empress DJ

About Crista McHugh



Crista McHugh is an award-winning author of fantasy and romance who writes heroines who are smart, sexy and anything but ordinary. She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (including the Greater Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Eastside Chapters), and Romance Divas.
Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she's had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.
And she's also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

Find Crista McHugh Online

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Thursday, October 1, 2015

Book Review: Hollie Porter Builds a Raft by Eliza Gordon


Hollie Porter Builds a Raft

by Eliza Gordon

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raft (noun): when two or more otters rest together, often holding hands, so they don’t drift apart
.


Hollie Porter has put her old gig as a 911 operator and sad single girl in an attic-bound box, right where it belongs. She’s rebounded nicely from her run-in with Chloe the Cougar in the wilds of British Columbia, and this new life alongside concierge-in-shining-armor Ryan Fielding? Way more fun. After relocating to Ryan’s posh resort at Revelation Cove, Hollie embarks on an all-new adventure as the Cove’s wildlife experience educator, teaching guests and their kids about otters and orca and cougars, oh my.

When darling Ryan gets down on one NHL-damaged knee and pops the question of a lifetime, Hollie realizes this is where the real adventure begins. It’s all cake tasting, flower choosing, and dress fittings until a long-lost family member shows up at the Cove and threatens to hijack her shiny new life, forcing Hollie to redefine what family means to her. What is she willing to sacrifice to have one of her very own?

As Ryan’s words echo in her head—“Our raft, our rules”—Hollie has to face facts: a raft isn’t always tied together with blood and genetics. Sometimes it’s secured by love and loyalty… and occasional help from the clever creatures that call Revelation Cove home.








My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“Her eyes were hopeful, despite the smear of black and blue cosmetics that make her look like she’s been assaulted by Crayolas on a bender.”

“The harnessed power of this man’s smile could bring an end to our reliance on fossil fuels.”

“But… what if I don’t want to reproduce at all?  Why is that everyone expects that as soon as you get married, you’ll start squeezing out mutant life forms?”

“I sneak into the lingerie section to find a little something for Ryan for the wedding night.  No saggy, faded Hanes for Her with tired elastic under my dress.  I’m a swanky bride, baby, all satin and lace for my undercarriage.”

“This disaster stuff – it’s a rare genetic anomaly.  Some people have naturally straight teeth or curly hair or an affinity for math; my mother has the opposite of a Midas touch.  It seems to have leaked into my DNA.” 

“She’s adorned in so many animal prints – like she crashed into a safari or a blackjack table filled with Florida retirees escaped from their convalescent home.”

“You are a breath of the freshest air.”


My Review:


I adore Eliza Gordon, her books are just a delight to read and massively entertaining.  I want to follow her around and sit at her feet while listening to her warble hilarious and pithy comments all day.  I am sure she is constantly bubbling over with naughty fun.  I do believe I am decidedly envious of those friends and family members who get to sit with her at the “big kid table” during holiday meals. 

In reading her latest missive, I frequently smirked, chortled, and occasionally cackled.  I was enchanted with Hollie Porter Builds a Raft, which is the sequel to her first, and one of my all-time favorite books, Must Love Otters.   When reading series with a time lapse between books, I often struggle to remember the nuisances of the story as well as who the characters are, given my diminishing mental capacity, poor memory and massive reading list… but that did not prove to be a problem with this story, as Ms. Gordon’s quirky and amusing characters remained fresh in my mind, as if I had stored them in Tupperware and successfully burped their containers as directed.  The writing was crisp, smart, and endlessly witty.  I specifically enjoyed the amusing and clever banter between Hollie and Ryan, who are perfectly suited to humorous verbal sparring. 

The story-line provides one hilarious, mortifying, and least expected adventure after another for the newly engaged couple.  While Hollie is more than a bit of a Calamity Jane, once her long absent mother (Lucy) shows up out of the blue waving Hollie’s picture in the newspaper, we soon learn that Lucy bring a whole new level of disaster.  Having grown up feeling as if she missed out by not having a mother around, Hollie soon learns that she appears to have been far better off not knowing her crass, loud, bling-loving, uncouth, fire-prone, hirsute, sticky-fingered, banshee shrieking, poker-playing, and somewhat obscene and felonious nuisance of a mother. 

I was fearful that between Hollie’s accident prone tendencies and her troublesome mother’s shenanigans, my beloved BBF and the world’s most perfect man, also known as Concierge Ryan, would throw up his hands in surrender.  I do just love that man!  Thankfully he doesn’t, but Hollie almost does.  I adored everything about this book, the colorful descriptions, the sparkling humor, the demon goat, the creative manner in which the chapters are titled, the cast of unique and interesting characters, and of course the otters.  I was sad to conclude the book and am currently contemplating my plan of attack to campaign Ms. Gordon into continue their story with a series of adventures, as I don’t believe I could ever get enough of this charming pair. 

Empress DJ







 
***
Buy MUST LOVE OTTERS




BUY NEUROTICA 


Eliza Gordon has excellent taste in books, shoes, movies, and friends, and questionable sanity in the realm of love. Best leave that one alone. In real life, she’s an editor, mom, wife, and bibliophile and proud parent of one very spoiled tuxedo cat. Eliza writes stories to help you believe in the Happily Ever After; Jennifer Sommersby, her other self, writes YA and is repped by Daniel Lazar at Writers House.

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Book Review, Giveaway: Hooker Heels by Ryan Ringbloom




Title: Hooker Heels
Author: Ryan Ringbloom
Genre: New Adult
 Release Date: October 1, 2015



Blurb

 Kenna Winston knows two things. Men and money. That's her game. But when she's offered a business contract, the game changes. Kenna has to decide if she is ready to up the ante or if the proposal being offered is crossing the line, even for her. And what happens if her heart gets involved?

Oh, that's right... she doesn't have one.

Zackary Knight has always had things handed to him. That's not the life he wants. Can't anyone see that he is more than just a dollar sign? What about the beautiful woman who just showed up on his doorstep? Is she someone he can finally open his heart up to?

Because his heart... it's a big one.

*Contains Mature Content








Links to Buy 

99c
  
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU





Excerpt

Expectations are as follows:

 Spend a minimum of two hours with client daily, not to exceed four hours.

Not too bad. I expected it to be longer. Those were part-time hours.

No money or gifts valued over $100.00 are to be accepted from the client.

That sucked.

All payments will be made through a personal account set up in the employee’s name.

Direct deposit. Perfect.

Sexual advances are to be met with believable enthusiasm.

Believable enthusiasm. Like faking it? No problem there.

Discretion is mandatory.

No shit. For him and me both.

Employee is to cease any romantic encounters with anyone other than the client until the contract ends.

No other men for now. Fine with me. I could use a break.

The contract expires after six months. 

 I finished reading. “What happens after the six months are up?”


My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“‘I know that isn’t exactly the thing a guy wants to hear but I just need you to know, you’re not getting an untouched flower or anything.’  He wasn’t getting a flower at all, more like a weed.”

My Review:



I love Ryan Ringbloom’s work, but I struggled with this one, the heroine was hard for me to like.  I had to trust that Ms. Ringbloom would get me there, and thankfully, she did.  As always, the writing was well done, emotive, and insightful.  Of course the problem I am having now is that I want a Zachary of my own. 

Empress DJ 


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Book Review: Ryan's Letters by Jax Jillian


Ryan’s Letters by Jax Jillian 
Contemporary Romance 
Release Date - September 29, 2015 
Tour Host - DRC Promotions



My dearest Larkin.

Help me.

I'm drowning.

It has been almost eight months since the love of his life, Larkin, passed, and Ryan Boone has tried to make good on his promise to her to keep living. The letters she left behind had helped him tremendously, but all of a sudden, he felt like he was drowning and only she could save him. The only way he could think to reach out to her was to write her letters, just like she did to him. He never thought that she would actually get them; after all, she was gone. But when he sees her sitting on their private dune reading his letter, his grief would never be the same.

Ryan's Letters, the sequel to Jax Jillian's first novel, Larkin's Letters, takes readers on a journey with Ryan Boone as he struggles to completely come to terms with his wife's death. That struggle becomes even harder when Larkin's ghost comes to visit him each time he writes to her. But when Lux, a beautiful new doctor, moves in next door and befriends Ryan, he must choose between Larkin's visits and a potential new love.

Buy Ryan’s Letters



My Rating:


Favorite Quotes:


“Dealing with sadness and grief made him feel like a fish out of water – unable to breathe.  A feeling no one wants to have.”

“You are the day that keeps me breathing.  You are the night that keeps me dreaming.  You are the sun that keeps me warm, and the moon that lights my darkness.  You are everything that I need and everything that I want.  When I look into your eyes, I see my future.  I want to be your breath, your dream, your sun, and your moon.  But most importantly, I want to be your tomorrow.”

My Review:


On the heels of Larkin’s Letters, Ryan’s Letters is yet another deeply moving and well-written masterpiece by Jax Jillian.  I don’t know how she does it, but she squeezes my cold heart and stings my eyes with her words, and she achieves this feat repeatedly and without being sappy.  The plot is unique, interesting, creative, and relevant.  Ryan’s sorrow and pain are palpable and intense, yet somehow the story is hopeful and not maudlin.   I enjoyed the book and remained entertained and engaged from beginning to end. 

Empress DJ



Other Books

  
As Ryan Boone struggles to come to grips with not being able to keep a promise he made to his dying wife, Larkin's Letters propels readers into the mind of Ryan as he struggles with frequent visits from her ghost and a series of letters she left behind.
Ryan has worked hard to become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors, but no matter how famous he became, he always remained loyal to his childhood best friend, Larkin James. When Larkin is diagnosed with leukemia, Ryan sacrifices his career to be by her side and in turn realizes how much he had always loved her. Throughout Larkin's sickness, Ryan promised her he would never let her die alone. But we learn that not all of our promises are always within our control.

Buy Larkin’s Letters


About The Author

I am a 38-year old novelist living in Philadelphia. It wasn’t until I was 34 when I realized that I wanted to write a novel. Better late than never, right? My first book,Larkin’s Letters, was published and released June 25, 2013 by Tate Publishing, and the sequel, Ryan’s Letters, will be released on September 29, 2015.
 

Connect with Jax

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New Release: Pepped Up Forever by Ali Dean






Synopsis
This is the fifth and final book in the Pepper Jones series, and it’s one you don’t want to miss.
Pepper Jones is ready to start breaking some records. She’ll be a junior in college, and if she wants to run professionally when she graduates, it’s time to step things up a notch. This time around, she knows it won’t be accomplished by ramping up her training. While Pepper’s hoping for a race day breakthrough, she wonders if there’s a mental barrier holding her back, and if so, how is she supposed to confront it?
Meanwhile, Jace Wilder wants Pepper back any way he can have her, but he’s reluctant to bulldoze his way into her life having already crushed her once (okay, probably a few more times than that) before. More scenes from Jace’s point of view in the book shed a new perspective into the character Pepper fans love to hate, and hate to love, delving into those layers he’s only given glimpses of in the past.
The Brockton crew is growing up. Zoe and Wes. Jenny and Rollie. Lexi and Brax. Bunny and Wallace. Pepper and ??? It’s time to find out what Pepper’s happily ever after will be.

About the Author


Ali Dean lives in Colorado with her husband, twin toddlers, and golden retriever. In addition to reading and writing, she loves the outdoors- everything from marathon training and biking to snowboarding and skiing.
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New Release: Pink: Hot N' Sexy For A Cure

 

Join 28 of today's hottest romance authors as they introduce you to their most memorable and beloved characters in an all-new, exclusive, scorching scene. All proceeds of this year's anthology will be donated to The National Breast Cancer Foundation, to help support women in need of mammograms. The participating authors include: 

AM Madden 
A.C Bextor 
A.D. Justice 
Aden Lowe 
Andria Large/M.D Saperstein 
Autumn Jones Lake 
Riley, Daryl Banner 
Hilary Storm 
J.C. Emery 
J.C. Valentine 
J.L. Beck 
Jani Kay 
Jenna Galicki 
Kathryn Kelly 
Kira Barker 
L. Wilder 
Lani Lynn Vale 
Lisa Eugene 
M.N. Forgy 
Michelle Dare 
Nina Levine 
R.E. Hargrave 
River Savage 
Sapphire Knight 
T.S. Irons 
Tara Oakes 

Add Pink: Hot N’ Sexy for the Cure on Goodreads! 

Like the Books for Boobies Anthology Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Booksforboobies?fref=ts 

And join the release event on Facebook on October 10th for giveaways and takeovers by some amazing authors! 



Share these images to spread the word about this marvelous anthology!








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