Book Review: Kneel Down (Nailed Down Book 3) by Chelle Bliss & Eden Butler

 Kneel Down 
(Nailed Down Book 3)
 by Chelle Bliss & Eden Butler

 Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N  

My job as a SEAL was to go in and save the day.
But even heroes fall. Even heroes make mistakes.

My only saving grace was Gin Sullivan.
My knock out best friend who wasn’t afraid to tell me the truth even when it hurt. She’d pick me up when I was wallowing in my own stupidity.

It wasn’t hard for me to fall for her.
Any man would.
She was beautiful.
She was smart.
She was everything I’d ever wanted.

I had plans to tell her that, squash the pinning we’d both done for two years.
But a bullet to the gut silenced me and Gin got tired of waiting.

Now I have a new mission, one that I can’t fail:
Do whatever it takes to make Gin mine forever.

Other books in the standalone Nailed Down Series:
Nailed Down - Book 1
Tied Down - Book 2
Kneel Down - Book 3

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

Words always get in the way. They did. Somehow, it was the words we didn’t say that injured the most. It was the silence that kept us from what we want. 

My Review: 

I struggled to finish this one, not that the book was bad, it just wasn’t aligned with or palatable to my personal taste as constant conflict just isn’t my jam. The angsty storylines were missing the critical element of wit and levity that I had come to expect from these talented authors and instead appeared to be a repetitive cycle of 90% conflict, reticence, and forfeiture. I also failed to connect with the painfully stubborn and annoying morose characters, I found them exasperating. However, for readers who have a proclivity for angsty and quarrelsome tales with a few sizzling scenes of hot steamy sex, this would be a quick and tasty treat.

Empress DJ

Meet the Author

USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She's a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She's written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master's degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor's in History. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can't imagine doing anything else.

http://chellebliss.com/

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Book Review: The Lieutenant’s Nurse by Sara Ackerman

The Lieutenant’s Nurse

by Sara Ackerman

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

Paperback: 352 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (March 5, 2019)

November, 1941. She’s never even seen the ocean before, but Eva Cassidy has her reasons for making the crossing to Hawaii, and they run a lot deeper than escaping a harsh Michigan winter. Newly enlisted as an Army Corps nurse, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man she is drawn to but who clearly has secrets of his own. But Eva’s past—and the future she’s trying to create—means that she’s not free to follow her heart. Clark is a navy intelligence officer, and he warns her that the United States won’t be able to hold off joining the war for long, but nothing can prepare them for the surprise attack that will change the world they know.

In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Eva, and her fellow nurses band together for the immense duty of keeping the American wounded alive. And the danger that finds Eva threatens everything she holds dear. Amid the chaos and heartbreak, Eva will have to decide whom to trust and how far she will go to protect those she loves.

Set in the vibrant tropical surroundings of the Pacific, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is an evocative, emotional WWII story of love, friendship and the resilient spirit of the heroic nurses of Pearl Harbor.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


Eva had been shown a Pro-kit— sulfa ointment, directions and a soaped-up cloth— and told to hand them out to every soldier who left the hospital. A Good Soldier Will Not Get Venereal Disease was stamped across the front.



Murmurs erupted and the room cleared faster than if someone had let loose a bagful of snakes.



He felt as though he were watching a war movie, his eyes unable to believe what he saw. He kept thinking about that first Zero and how close it had been. The bastard had actually waved. That face, he would never forget.



I swear to you, that morgue right there is enough to turn anyone against a war. Even the most hardened general. You ask me, it ought to be required visiting for those folks.




My Review:



This was an engaging and poignantly written tale which combined fact and fiction, although, there were more surprising factual events than I was ever aware of or would have expected. The premise was unique and entertaining, with writing that squeezed my heart while continually plucking at my curiosity. I enjoyed the well-crafted mystery as well as the interplays between characters as much as I appreciated the historical significance of the story. Ms. Ackerman’s characters were complicated, smart, disarmingly endearing, and well fleshed out. Her scenes were lushly described and well textured to involve and employ all the senses. And despite the traumatic backdrop of the carnage of war, the emotional tone was generally well balanced with surprising twists and unexpected bursts of wit tucked in.



I live in Hawaii and though I wasn’t around during the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am old but not that old, it was several levels beyond cool to read a book that mentioned quintessential local landmarks that were familiar and special to me. Some are no longer standing such as the iconic Dole Cannery water tower, which was shaped and painted like a pineapple; where else in the world would you ever see one of those? Having trod many of the same steps, it was supremely pleasing to be able to read of the locales they frequented and know exactly where they were and what it looked like. I’ve also sucked back drinks at sunset at the illustrious Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which is still lovely and still pink. And I could hear the crunch and taste the pleasant crispness as the nurses snacked on Saloon Pilot crackers, which are the absolute best and still baked fresh in Honolulu. Reading that scene had me cheating on my diet while digging my own tin out of the pantry and grabbing the guava jelly for an afternoon treat. That extra pound on the scale tomorrow will be blamed on Sara Ackerman’s charismatic storytelling.

Empress DJ

About The Author

Sara is the bestselling author of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing and sees no end to its untapped stories. When she’s not writing or teaching, you’ll find her in the mountains or in the ocean. She currently lives on the Big Island with her boyfriend and a houseful of bossy animals. Find out more about Sara and her books at www.ackermanbooks.com.

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Book Review: Ten Lies by Emily James

10 Lies

 (Power of Ten Series #3)  

by Emily James

Amazon 

Katie Perkins lives a simple life. She takes care of her son, works hard, and tries not to worry about the man-shaped hole in her life. That is until she wins a fantastic luxury holiday. Throwing caution to the wind, Katie lets down her hair and the holiday mood takes over.

Enter Jackson Quinn, a handsome doctor who is no stranger to the good life.

Katie has no experience of riches, and with only her bus fare home in her pocket, she decides there’s no harm in a few white lies… Filthy rich? Check. Size ten? Check. Olympic Gymnast who can complete a Rubik’s Cube in under thirty seconds? Check. After all, it’s not like she’s ever going to see Doctor Quinn again…

Follow Katie’s hilarious journey as she learns that sometimes those little white lies really can come back and bite you on the butt.

This standalone romantic comedy has a happy ending, no cliffhanger, and can also be enjoyed as part of The Power of Ten Series. It is best suited for readers over the age of eighteen due to sexual themes and mature content.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

What on earth happened to you, love? Come and sit down, you look like you’ve had a fight with death and come off worse…



I wonder what the hell kind of rubbish runners are on about when they say running brings them tranquillity and a chance to be at one with their thoughts. Right now, all I feel is dizzy from lack of oxygen and raw from no small amount of chafing between my thighs… My breathing is ragged, and the sun is so bright, all I can see is white light. I wonder if I’m about to encounter the pearly gates of heaven. Can you actually die from running?



What’s up? You look like you fell in a barrel of dicks and came out sucking your thumb?



My Review:



This was a fun and lively read. Katie had won a first class vacation in a raffle, and after enduring more than four years of being pitied as “the widow” of her small quirky village, she decided to try on a new persona with the handsome and wealthy man sitting next to her on the plane, and her embellishments and prevarications became increasingly more grandiose with each glass of champagne. She enjoyed the lavish and romantic encounters throughout her vacation with this lovely stranger, never expecting to run into him again after her once in a lifetime vacation fling ended, so imagine her humiliation when he turns out to be the interim GP in her little village a few weeks later. She was unable to hide from him but tried her best to keep all of her lies from being outed and embarrassing her further, but that proved rather difficult as she had told some ridiculous whoppers.



The premise was entertaining and relevant while the writing was creatively spirited and zinging with sensuality and clever levity. I particularly enjoyed Katie’s imaginatively sweet fibs involving “the elf” and her various fake phone calls to an assortment of make-believe complaint departments for such distressing problems as “monster removal,” to delight and soothe her anxious child. I adored Jackson, but why can’t I meet a handsome and attentive doctor when I travel? Sigh, I have decided to give up on flying as the skies aren’t so friendly and providence always seems to find me seated next to loud talkers, screaming infants, unmedicated hyperactive whiners, and rambunctious seat kickers instead.

Empress DJ

About The Author

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Emily James is an insanely funny British author who writes romance.

Current titles:

Ten Dates

Ten Dares 

Ten Lies

The Mistakes of My Past

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Book Review, Giveaway: Pieces of Us by A.L. Jackson

A second chance stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson's 
Confessions of the Heart Series.

DETAILS

TITLE: PIECES OF US

SERIES: A Confessions of the Heart 

Stand-Alone Novel 

RELEASE DATE: April 22nd, 2019

Amazon

Paperback

Audible

"I absolutely adored all of the sweet emotion, angst, and just all of the feelings “Pieces of Us” inspired. The characters and their growth had me hooked from the first page. Read it. You will not regret it.”

~NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Kylie Scott

My loves!! PIECES OF US IS LIVE!!! I am so freaking excited, I can hardly stand it! This book is EVERYTHING!

✓ Second-chance romance

✓ Sexy AF hero

✓ All the feels

  

Maxon Chambers has a way of stealing all the attention.
All my affection, and all my dreams.

What I needed to remember was he’d stolen my good judgment and my virginity, too.

When he broke up with me, I ran across the country and swore I’d never return to Broadshire Rim.
But here I am, thirteen years later. 

Maxon is all grown up.
Sexier than sin and more tempting than ever.

A detective on the Charleston force, he lives on the outside of safety, devoted to protecting the people of his city.
But with the way he’s looking at me now? I’m pretty sure what needs protecting is my heart.

Can we mend the pieces of us? Or will he leave my heart shattered forever . . .

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


Daddy-the-Great looks like he might be at his wit’s end. Grams said she is always at her wit’s end, and I don’t think we need to be driving Daddy there, too. It seems like a dangerous place to be. We might need an intervention.


I looked at Ian’s infant who was wearing nothing but a towel duct taped around his waist… “If you can get her into her bed for a nap without waking her up, I’ll give you a thousand dollars. Strike that, I’ll give you my car.”


Pulling me closer, she hiked up on her toes and murmured quietly in my ear so only I could hear, “Now don’t go and do something stupid like hurt my daughter. I’ll hunt you down and cut off your balls. Know it took some big ones for you to show up here today, so use ’em wisely.”


That’s a really bad word, Mr. Mack. Don’t tell me you really are a troublemaker, too. Mom’s already got her hands full with the two of us.


My Review:


A.L. Jackson seems to revel in anchoring her compelling yet broken and deeply flawed characters in misery, angst, melodrama, distress, and indecision while keeping her storylines fraught with tension. Thank goodness she always plants a few adorable children without filters on their mouths within her addictive stories to provide comic relief. Like the previous two books in this series, Pieces of Us was an intriguing, tragic, and heart squeezing second chance romance with elements of suspense and a ton of heartbreaking family drama. My poor coronary muscle feels battered and bruised and is in dire need of wine therapy and lighter fare. I’m thinking a vat of Moscato and a nice relaxing romantic comedy is in order for my next read.

Empress DJ

Don't miss the awesome giveaway for the Pieces of Us release! It's the first two books from the Confessions of the Heart Series + Kindle Fire + Polaroid Camera + All the Goods! 

Ahhh I can't wait for you to experience this story! I'm so insanely proud of it! I can't wait to hear what you think!

xoxo ~ 

Amy 

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, and FIGHT FOR ME novels. Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, PIECES OF US, the third stand-alone novel in her brand-new CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART series.

If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson - Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

Connect with A.L.

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Spotlight: The Mister by E L James

Beautiful and mysterious she possessed little more. . .

Than a dangerous and troublesome past.

THE MISTER, the highly anticipated new love story from #1 New York Times bestseller E L James is available now!

London, 2019. Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he’s never had to work and he’s rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family’s noble title, wealth, and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It’s a role he’s not prepared for and one that he struggles to face.

But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who’s recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she’s an alluring mystery, and Maxim’s longing for her deepens into a passion that he’s never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? And can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he’s been hiding secrets of his own?

From the heart of London through wild, rural Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.

Download your copy today:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2T0zMwJ

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2HjnVsb

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheMister

Nook: http://bit.ly/2T3CzWb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2O0pYC6

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2HixZSr

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2TzCEWE

Audible: https://amzn.to/2u3HU5x

ABOUT E L JAMES

E L James is an incurable romantic and a self-confessed fangirl. After twenty-five years of working in television, she decided to pursue a childhood dream and write stories that readers could take to their hearts. The result was the controversial and sensuous romance Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. In 2015, she published the #1 bestseller Grey, the story of Fifty Shades of Grey from the perspective of Christian Grey, and in 2017, the chart-topping Darker, the second part of the Fifty Shades story from Christian’s point of view. Her books have been published in fifty languages and have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. 

E L James has been recognized as one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World” and Publishers Weekly’s "Person of the Year.” Fifty Shades of Grey stayed on The New York Times Best Seller List for 133 consecutive weeks. Fifty Shades Freed won the Goodreads Choice Award (2012), and Fifty Shades of Grey was selected as one of the 100 Great Reads, as voted by readers, in PBS’s The Great American Read (2018). Darker has been long-listed for the 2019 International DUBLIN Literary Award.

She co-produced for Universal Studios the Fifty Shades movies, which made more than a billion dollars at the box office. The third installment, Fifty Shades Freed, won the People’s Choice Award for Drama in 2018. E L James is blessed with two wonderful sons and lives with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Niall Leonard, and their West Highland terriers in the leafy suburbs of West London. 

 

For more information about E L James, visit:

Website: https://www.eljamesauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELJamesAuthor/

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2XTO0TM

And Instagram: http://bit.ly/2TO6vdd

Spotlight, Giveaway: Colel - The Mistress of Bees by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Colel, The Mistress of Bees

(Stand Alone)

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Synopsis:

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a Standalone, Romantic Comedy a la Paranormal.

COLEL

Book #5, the Immortal Matchmakers, Inc., Series

WARNING:

This book contains foul language, gratuitous sex against a truck, outrageously rude immortal warriors in leather pants, snow, pigheaded gods, a sexually frustrated goddess, a very hot and hunky florist guy with a bad attitude and a big secret, Brutus bubble baths, a sneaky invisible unicorn, unrequited love, bees, bees, and more bees, and chocolates.

SOMETIMES LOVE BITES AND SOMETIMES IT STINGS.

Colel, the Goddess of Bees, has been looking for Mr. Right for over seventy thousand years. So when she meets the hunky owner of a small-town flower shop and explodes with flutters and tingles, she’s almost certain that he’s the one.

Only two problems: her tiny black-and-yellow army suddenly won’t let her anywhere near him, and…is that a freaking epinephrine pen in the fridge? “Dear gods! He’s allergic to bees? Say it isn’t so.”

If simply dating the guy will kill him, how will she ever know for sure if he’s really the one?

Colel has a solution, but it’s drastic. Even for her. And what if he says no?

BUY LINKS

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU | AMAZON Other

KOBO/Walmart | iBOOKS | NOOK  | PAPERBACK

About the Author

MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling romance author with over a million books sold worldwide. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dream. Mimi lives with her Latin Lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and the rat terrier duo, Snowflake and Mini Me, in Arizona. She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.

Sign up for Mimi’s mailing list for giveaways and new release news!

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Other books in the series

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. (Book #1)

** CURRENTLY FREE ON ALL PLATFORMS ** 

AMAZON US | AMAZON  UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU

iBOOKS | KOBO | NOOK

Tommaso (Book #2)

BUY LINKS

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iBOOKS | KOBO | NOOK | WALMART | PAPERBACK

God of Wine (Book #3)

 

BUY LINKS

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KOBO | B&N | iBOOKS | WALMART | PAPERBACK

Goddess of Forgetfulness (Book #4)

 

BUY LINKS

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 KOBO | B&N | iBOOKS | WALMART | PAPERBACK

Book Review: Trust Me (Lies and Misdirection #4) by K. J. McGillick

Trust Me 

(Lies and Misdirection #4)

by K. J. McGillick

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA  

Sex. Power. Murder.

Dr. Gabriel Blackwell and his wife Sandra Blake have it all. He’s a brilliant thoracic surgeon. She’s a high-powered attorney with family money. Their lives are as loving as they are glamorous.

Or are they?

When a nurse Dr. Blackwell works with is brutally murdered, the questions fly. Who would want to kill this woman and why? When an autopsy reveals the woman was pregnant, all signs point to Dr. Blackwell. Just what was her relationship with him?

Whispers about a scandalous sex club surface. How many other lovers are there? Are any of them safe? How far would he go to protect his reputation?

Tragedy strikes again as Sandra Blake is found dead floating in their pool. Dr. Blackwell now finds himself on trial for two murders. Facing life in prison, Dr. Blackwell will grasp at any straw to preserve his freedom.

Any straw.

Is anyone innocent? Is anyone safe?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:



The practice of law came down to which lawyer was a better actor, whose clients lied with more finesse, and who could put out the fires the quickest when your case exploded in real time.



At some point, I would have to ask Mary if I could look inside her bottomless bag. And maybe even set up a duplicate one for me. Weapons and candy, every girl’s dream.



These are times I wish I could get the hang of meditation or maybe comfortable enough to keep a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in my drawer.



I’m always disappointed when a liar’s pants didn’t catch on fire.

My Review:

I am shocked to realize I had started feeling sorry for these surprisingly likable lawyers. I will admit to considering their general ilk a necessary evil in navigating the justice system (emphasis on the evil), and rate close to loan sharks in my level of esteem. However, this boutique law firm of feisty ladies set out to be of a different sort as actually had principles and standards about whom they chose to represent. Although determining a client’s guilt or culpability can be a difficult judgment call, one made even more complicated when unknowingly dealing with sociopaths. And unfortunately, for them, they seem to have landed in a nest of vipers with bizarre happenings quickly mushrooming from bad to worse.



The storylines were complex yet interesting, twisty, and intriguing. As with her previous books in the series, Ms. McGillick shrewdly tucks and folds levity and ironic wit in among the tension and suspense to balance out the strain of uncertainty and distressing revelations. My favorite cunning and spry octogenarian, Mary, was back with her infamous handbag, stylized weapons, and wry wit. New members were added to the legal team who were required to hit the ground running with the sudden unexpected influx of complicated cases. The new attorneys couldn’t have been more dissimilar; I enjoyed them both but was totally enamored with the rigid and robotic Mr. Martin’s computer-like brain and cataloging of obscure information, he was a well-dressed and well-seasoned Sheldon Cooper. The most compelling characters were the various nightmarish clients and their questionable lifestyles, as well as their victims. I am gleefully looking forward to the next book in the series as Ms. McGillick promised to provide more of the oddly peculiar Mr. Martin.

Empress DJ

About The Author
 
K. J. McGillick was born in New York and once she started to walk she never stopped running. But that's what New Yorker's do. Right? A Registered Nurse, a lawyer now author.

As she evolved so did her career choices. After completing her graduate degree in nursing, she spent many years in the university setting sharing the dreams of the enthusiastic nursing students she taught. After twenty rewarding years in the medical field, she attended law school and has spent the last twenty-four years as an attorney helping people navigate the turbulent waters of the legal system. Not an easy feat. And now? Now she is sharing the characters she loves with readers hoping they are intrigued by her twisting and turning plots and entertained by her writing 

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Kathleen McGillick 

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