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Monday, June 30, 2014

Blog Tour: Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire


Series: Maddox Brothers #1
 
 
 
Welcome to my stop on the Beautiful Oblivion blog tour! Visit the Beautiful Oblivion page for all the tour stops, as well as giveaway details. Thanks for stopping by!
 
 

Genre: Contemp Romance
Beautiful Oblivion (Maddox Brothers, #1)
Series: Maddox Brothers #1
Genre: Contemp Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 7/1/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars
 

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series. 
Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year. 
Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.  
Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.  
As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart. 
In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.
 
 
My Review
 
I sometimes write my reviews as I'm reading, adding little tidbits or thoughts as I go, so I won't leave out important details. I did this with Beautiful Oblivion, I had lots of little notes. But then... I got to the end and pretty much wanted to scrap it all because really, this book was so good. I loved Trenton so hard and I loved Cami despite her persistent evasiveness. BUT for me, the clincher, what truly seals the deal and made Beautiful Oblivion a knock-out read, is a part of the story I can't even discuss: the epic twist, the moment that makes every single one of Cami's vague thoughts and words make sense. For that moment alone, Beautiful Oblivion is worth your time. And honestly, it made me want to pick that book right back up and start over from the beginning, comb my way through to pick up the hints. That moment makes the rest of this review pretty much irrelevant in my mind. Yes, it was that good.

If anyone is a perfect match for a Maddox brother, it's Camille Camlin. She's a tough, hard-working, smart girl from a dysfunctional family that's neck-deep in drama. She has a boyfriend she never sees and barely gets to speak to on the phone. There was something that appeared to be verrrry shady going on, so of course I wanted to know what was up with that. She has an awesome friend in Raegan, who has guy drama of her own (great side-story, there!) Cami alson has Trenton Maddox, who quickly becomes her best friend, protector, and confidant. Cami also has a secret. Something that she believes makes her not good enough for Trent, will make him hate her. WHAT IS THIS SECRET, CAMI? Seriously, what could possibly be that hard to get past, right? That's what I thought, and dude, I was so wrong. I love being so wrong about something so good.

Trent was just...yeah. He's a Maddox boy. And I just want to make a quick aside here, about this family. Yes, these boys are hotheads, quick to fight each other and anyone who pisses them off, threatens them and theirs, etc. They are overprotective, and assuming, and yes, a bit possessive. And yes, don't always deal with situations in an ideal manner. BUT. There is an always underlying sense of devotion and responsibility with these boys. A sense of love. I happen to be from a family not unlike the Maddox family. In fact, I would bet, back in the day, my dad and his brothers made the Maddox brothers seem very sweet and charming. And you know what, they all grew up to be good men. So, there's that.

Back to Trenton, he was pretty fantastic. Nice, but could get his snark on in a hurry. Thoughtful and generous in ways that might surprise some readers. He's a big handsome teddy bear, really. Trent is persistent towards Cami in a way that can only be described as playful and genuine. Not about bagging the hottest girl around, but about getting the girl of his dreams to pick him. So endearing, and honestly, I can't think of one bad thing to say about Trenton.

Beautiful Oblivion's timeline runs concurrent to Beautiful Disaster, which was a fantastic touch, in my opinion.. I had no idea Trenton had this going on while Travis was losing his mind, and his heart, to Abby. Actually, from an outsider's perspective, namely Cami's the "Travis Moments", in which you see this poor boy so confused and upset by the fact he's falling in love with Abby, who's making him work for it so hard, were so much fun. That was brilliant!

So now that I've discussed all the important (to me) details, I really need to re-emphasize that while I loved Beautiful Oblivion, what really punched me in the heart was that ending. That moment when every.single.thing comes together and I was left sitting on my couch saying "What. The. F---? Did I just read that? How did I miss this? Holy crap this is awesome!"

Beautiful Oblivion just may be my favorite Jamie McGuire book yet. Wait, no, it is definitely my favorite yet. 
 
 
Favorite Quotes

  I was pretty damn smart. Smart enough to have kept my distance from Trenton all these years. I'd seen him flirt, seduce and evade since we were kids. There was absolutely no trick Trenton Maddox could play that I wouldn't be ready for.
 
 
  He walked away, and I huffed in frustration.
   "Yes," I called out to him. He turned, watching me expectantly. "We're friends."
  A small smile touched his lips, and then it spread into a full-blown grin. "I know."
  He shoved his hands into his pockets as he strolled across the parking lot like he owned the world. Once he hopped inside Kody's truck, my stomach sank. I was in trouble. Big, disastrous, Maddox trouble.
 
 
  [...] Just a few weeks with Trenton had changed all of that. Suddenly it was okay to want messy, and flaws, and uncertainly, so much of what Trenton embodied...everything I saw in myself that I thought I didn't like. Because even if we were struggling, we had goals. It didn't matter that we weren't there yet. What mattered is that we both experienced setbacks, and full-blown failures, but we got up, brushed ourselves off, and kept going-and were making the best of it. Trenton didn't just make all those things acceptable; he made getting there fun. Instead of feeling ashamed of where we weren't, we could be proud of where we were going, and what we would overcome to get there.
 
 
 
Purchase Links
 
 Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  BAM  |  Indie Bound  |  Kobo  |  Google Play
 
 
 

About Jamie McGuire
New York Times best selling author Jamie McGuire has penned the Providence series and contemporary romance Beautiful Disaster. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three children. She is an RT(R), a graduate of Autry and Oklahoma Northern College, and a full time writer.


 Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram








TEASER TUESDAY: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by SARAH MORGAN


  Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.
 
 
 
Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers, #2)
Series: O'Neil Brothers #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Publication Date: 6/24/14
 
 
 
 
Bestselling author Sarah Morgan delivers another irresistible hero in her O'Neil Brothers series who's more tempting than dessert and twice as sinful!

Fiery French chef Élise Philippe is having a seriously bad day. Not only have the opening day plans for her beloved café fallen apart, but Sean O'Neil is back in town, and looking more delectable than ever. Last summer, they shared an electrifying night together…and the memories have Élise really struggling to stick to her one-night-only rule! Her head knows that eventually Sean will be leaving, so all she can do is try to ignore her heart before she spontaneously combusts with lust.

Being back in Vermont—even temporarily—is surgeon Sean O'Neil's worst nightmare. For Sean, returning home to the Snow Crystal Resort means being forced to confront the reasons and the guilt he feels about rejecting his family's rural lifestyle years ago. But discovering that Élise has settled in Vermont and still sets his blood racing is a very welcome distraction! Thinking he can persuade her into a replay of last summer is tempting, but remembering how good they are together is going to make walking away more difficult than he could imagine…
 
 
 
My Teaser 
 
  "Wait--" he caught her arm "--I'll walk you back to your lodge."
  "I don't need your protection."
  "I was planning on using you for protection. For my suit, you understand. You're the one with the flashlight. You go first. That was if something goes squelch, you step in it first."
  "Such a gentleman." But he heard the smile in her voice.
  "You said you wanted a man to perform heroics. I was planning on finding something heroic to do on the walk." He let go of her arm and adjusted his pace to match hers. "You might want to stick around. You're about to see a tough, macho man of the forest in action."
  "Does a tough, macho man of the forest always choose to dress in a suit?"
  "A bear tore my loincloth when we were wrestling."
  "I can't imagine you in a loincloth."
  "Mine are custom-made. I have them shipped in from Milan."
 
 
 
I really enjoyed this! My review posts on Thursday.
 
 
 
 

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway: In Your Corner (Redemption #2) by Sarah Castille

Today I have an excerpt and giveaway for In Your Corner, from author Sarah Castille and Sourcebooks Casablanca. Thanks for stopping by and good luck!



In Your Corner (Redemption, #2)Series: Redemption #2
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casa
Publication Date: 7/1/14

 
"You have to go. I won't be able to control myself. I've wanted you so bad for so long and after I've been in the cage...I can't think straight." He gives a guttural groan and his fist clenches on my hip.

Primitive. Primal. His need speaks to me. I tighten my grip on his neck and rock up to kiss him. He takes over. His kiss is hard and demanding.

"Mine." His voice is raw, savage and for a moment I truly believe he may lose control.


He rules in the ring

Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were going hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn't dull the pain of Amanda's rejection-until a chance encounter throws them together.

A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn't found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help...

But can he rule her heart?

Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda's not sure if she can stay in control, or if she's finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.
 
 
 
 
Visit all the participating blogs to read all eight of the exclusive excerpts.
 
 
 
23-Jun
Fiction Vixens
http://fictionvixen.com/
Excerpt One
24-Jun
Mama Kitty Reviews
http://mamakittyreviews.com/
Excerpt Two
25-Jun
Long and Short Reviews
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/
Excerpt Three
26-Jun
Ramblings from this Chick
http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/
Excerpt Four
27-Jun
BookHounds
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
Excerpt Five
28-Jun
Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh My!
http://www.booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com/
Excerpt Six
29-Jun
My Book Addiction
http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.com/
Excerpt Seven
30-Jun
Bookish Babes
http://www.thebookishbabes.blogspot.com/
Excerpt Eight
 

 




He is the only man who has ever had that effect on me. One touch and I’m gone. Just like the night we first met in his class. He put his hands on my hips to steady me while I was practicing kicks with a classmate and I almost melted into a puddle on the floor.
 
I jerk my hand away and smooth the papers on the boardroom table. Jake perches on the table beside me, his tight ass so close to the document I have to grit my teeth to stop my finger from wandering too far in the wrong direction. The richly masculine scent of his cologne makes my pulse race. And his heat…
My cheeks burn and a shiver of desire winds its way up my spine.
“Cold?” His voice cracks on the word, and I lift my gaze to his.
“No.” I try to cover up my body’s response by lightening the mood. “Badly drafted complaints give me the shivers.”
His gaze skims over my cheeks and then fixes on my eyes again, studying me intently as if he can see into my soul. His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly and he slides off the table and walks over to his backpack. “So, what’s the damage?”
“Uh…” Shaken by yet another rejection, I force my eyes to focus on the document. “You have thirty days to respond, so you have just over two weeks left. I’ll ask Mr. Farnsworth to arrange a meeting with the new associate as soon as possible and he or she can apply for an extension. You don’t want to miss the deadline, or Duel Properties will file for a default.”
Jake picks up his jacket and shrugs it over his shoulders, transforming himself in an instant from impossibly handsome to badass breathtaking. I return the documents to him, and he tucks them into his pack and grabs his helmet.
“You brought your motorcycle.” The inane comment falls off my lips before I can catch it. “Are you still riding the Kawasaki?”
“Nah. Changed a lot of things in the last few years. Replaced it with a Blackbird when I took over my dad’s company. Stopped training at Redemption, too. It’s a whole new me.”
Stopped training at Redemption? I have to bite my tongue to stop from asking why. When we were together, Jake lived and breathed Redemption, at that time an underground MMA club but now strictly legit. After he got off work every day, he taught classes, trained, fought, and ran the underground promotions for Torment. And when he was there, I was there, helping out where I could, sneaking into Torment’s office with him for a little lovin’ between classes and getting down and dirty in the gym after it closed.
“You seem the same.” But the words are true only in the sense that  he still takes my breath away.
His mouth tightens in a thin line, and for the briefest second I see the hurt beneath his steely gaze.
“Maybe on the outside.” He pulls open the door, and I grab my legal pad and follow behind him.
Looking back over his shoulder, he gives me the briefest of smiles. “I can see myself out.”
“It was nice to see you again.” My soft, wavering voice makes me cringe. But not as much as when he turns and walks away.
I guess it wasn’t nice to see me too.




 
 
 


About Sarah Castille
Sarah CastilleRecovering lawyer, karate practitioner, and caffeine addict, Sarah Castille worked and traveled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies. Her steamy, contemporary romantic tales feature blazingly hot alpha heroes tormented or tattooed for your reading pleasure.
 
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  GoodReads  |  Newsletter  |  Amazon
 
 
 photo AndreaSig_zps3f75055b.jpg


My Thoughts On: True by Erin McCarthy / Rush Me and Running Back by Allison Parr

True (True Believers, #1)
Series: True Believers #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: 4/1/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 235
Source: Purchase
Rating: 5 stars


GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  B&N



When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.
 
Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t seem to stay away from her, and even when Rory knows she should push him away, something about him makes it nearly impossible for her to resist--even though her heart is at stake...
 
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…
 
My Review
 
Because I'm literally the last of my close friends to read True, I'm going to be brief.
 
Now that I've read two books in the True Believers series, I will say that it is a fantastic series. No hesitation. I love that True was more than it seems from the description, that it wasn't simply the story of the bad boy and the virgin. It wasn't a sexual awakening or frivolous at all. True is a love story, pure and simple, of a two people who are near opposites, but fit together so very perfectly.
 
Tyler and Rory were not one-dimensional characters, defined by the sexuality or social standing. They both held many layers, and that complexity really bonded me to both. Tyler grew up in such turmoil, and works so hard to keep his brothers together. He wants more out of life, but doesn't know that he'll ever get it. Tyler has a tough exterior, but is vulnerable with Rory. He's cocky, yet not really conceited. He was brave, yet scared to give his heart to a woman whom he deems too good for him. I loved that he loved Rory exactly as she was.
 
Though I couldn't find any of myself in Rory, I connected with her deeply. I would say that is testament to McCarthy's ability to bring these characters off the page, make me love them. Rory was...she was just Rory. Logical to a fault, quiet and unassuming, always withholding herself and her emotions. I loved who Rory became with Tyler. That she wasn't afraid to push him, question him, and love him. Once Rory decided to open up to Tyler, it was like she became a better version of herself. She was still way literal, but she also joked more. Hugged more, allowed people to truly know her.
 
Oh gosh, I sound like a sap. And I am one when it comes to books such as this. I think what I love about this series is that it is just so real. The characters don't come packaged with the right words or decisions, they mess up and they grovel and they learn and grow. That sort of experience is what I love so much about reading.
 
There was a moment in True that struck me hard, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's when Tyler and Rory are discussing Streetcar Named Desire, and Rory just can't understand why these characters are behaving so illogically...
 
  "If they would just communicate with each other, they could resolve all their issues in ten minutes."
  "That's what makes the book so realistic," he told me dryly. "Real people don't discuss this shit with each other."
  He had a point. I didn't really discuss my emotions with anyone either. I had spent most of my life being a silent observer. "Oh."
  In one fell swoop, I got it. Literature wasn't intended to be about perfect people, it was about flaws, very real and very deep human flaws.
 
 
That is an excellent reminder, I think.
 
If you're looking for a deep, intense, sexy and fun New Adult series, True Believers is, without a doubt, one of my favorites.
 

Favorite Quotes
 
  I smiled. I couldn't help it. There was something really charming about him, I had to admit. It was like he knew exactly who he was, and he wasn't afraid to show himself to anyone. And while, yes, he was the bad boy who smoked and was tatted up and wouldn't hesitate to punch someone in the face, he also liked to read. I admired that.  
 
 
  I kissed him. I closed my eyes and guided my mouth up to his, pouring all of my emotions into the touch. I wanted him to understand that I understood, that I thought he was amazing for the way he dealt with his life. That the fact that he still found reasons to grin and laugh were testament to his true nature, that his desire to take care of his brothers spoke volumes about his character.
 
 
  ...I wasn't sure what to say, but for the first time, I realized that words don't always tell everything. That my fingers brushing across his hip, my lips caressing his jaw, could speak for me.
  "I don't ever want to be with anyone but you," he murmured into my hair, kissing my temple.
  I could feel my smile in the dark. "Are we Facebook official then?"
  "We're more than that. We're the real deal."
  "True. We are."
 
 
  Tyler had been right. I hadn't understood then that love and passion weren't logical, that you could stand outside and observe and say that someone was behaving ridiculously, but that when you were the one in the room, nothing made sense but the volcano of emotion that erupted when you were with your lover.
 




Rush Me (New York Leopards, #1)Series: New York Leopards #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: 4/8/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 272
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4.5 stars


GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  B&N


When post-grad Rachael Hamilton accidentally gatecrashes a pro-athlete party, she ends up face-to-face with Ryan Carter, the NFL’s most beloved quarterback.

While most girls would be thrilled to meet the attractive young millionaire, Rachael would rather spend time with books than at sporting events, and she has more important things to worry about than romance. Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school. Or her brother, who’s obliviously dating Rachael’s high school bully. Or that same high school’s upcoming reunion.

Still, when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday night dinners for half a dozen football players.

Over pancake brunches, charity galas, and Alexander the Great Rachael realizes all the judgments she’d made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love–even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.
 
My Review
 
After reading Imaginary Lines and falling completely in love with The New York Leopards series, I was so pumped to start Rush Me. Despite reading the last book first (as I'm prone to doing) and knowing how the characters end up, I wanted to know how they earn their happy ending. Given how loving and sweet Abe from Imaginary Lines was, I kind of expected the same thing out of Ryan Carter. Boy, was I wrong, but that's okay.

Ryan Carter is a veteran quarterback for the New York Leopards. Because he's a famous athlete in the one of the world's largest cities, Ryan is a bit jaded when it comes to women and relationships. When he accidentally meets Rachael Hamilton (nothing says awkward like stumbling into a bj session), who's most undecidedly not impressed by his celebrity status, Ryan is at first disbelieving, but then becomes intrigued. Rachael grew up with her face in a book, she doesn't notice athletes and assumes their all dumb jocks. After repeatedly insulting Ryan, who isn't quite sure she's not being coy and trying to manipulate him, writes him off as someone she could never take seriously. 

A series of coincidences, along with some really adorable teammates (especially Abe) keep Ryan and Rachael in each other's orbits. As they get to know one another, the two begin to see the real person behind that façade. Ryan is defensive and a bit insecure. Rachael can be really patronizing when it comes to athletics, not impressed by his money and refuses to let him treat her. All of this has him convinced that she believes he's not good enough for her. As for Rachael, she just doesn't see how the famous Ryan Carter, who's dated supermodels, could ever be seriously interested in her. These two had a hard road, and I won't lie, they frustrated me to the max. BUT. I love that Parr made these two into complicated, layered characters who had to learn to trust each other, and know that the other was for real. That frustration, the build-up, made the happy ending all the more worth it.

Loving this series!


Favorite Quotes


  As though he could read my thoughts, he smiled in satisfaction. Or maybe my face held no originality compared to all the others he had read. I thought, why not? We were alone. He didn't know that I didn't do one-night stands, that I didn't care for frat-boy jock types, that I wasn't that girl. And he was beautiful, and I was lonely, and maybe, just briefly, I could let down my walls and be carefree and reckless and young.
 

  He met my gaze, his bright and unflinching, a lake in August, sky at dawn, and my heart pitter-pattered. "Is this a game?"
  Shocked, I shook my head. "No. No, not at all."
  He let out a breath. Behind him, the guests moved slowly, a blurred sea of wool and sold, black and jewel tones. Ryan stood out, the one note of reality in the wash of strangers. "Because I don't think I could deal with that." 


  Ryan smiled a little tightly. "Hey."
  Andi, never known for tact, spoke loudly, as though she was double-checking. "Ryan Carter. The football player."
  "Yeah." He kept the syllable short, and his eyes sought mine.
   I leaned into him. "He's also a very talented crayon cartographer, punster, and he makes mean French toast."
 
 
 
 
Running Back (New York Leopards, #2)Series: New York Leopards #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: 10/1/13
Format: Kindle
Pages: 229
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4 stars


GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  B&N


Natalie Sullivan is on the verge of a breakthrough most archaeology grad students only dream of: discovering a lost city. Her research points to a farm in Ireland, but to excavate she needs permission from the new owner: the Michael O'Connor, popular NFL running back. 
On TV Mike seems so charming and good-natured that Natalie figures getting his cooperation will be a breeze. So she's not prepared to deal with the arrogant—and adamantly opposed—man she meets in person. Or the way one look from him sends shivers down her spine… 
Determined to kick-start her career, Natalie travels across the Atlantic and finds herself sharing an inn with Mike, who has come to Ireland in search of his roots. She tells herself her interest is strictly professional, but the more she gets to know him, the harder it is to deny her personal attraction to the sexy sports star. And when Mike confides why he refuses to allow the dig, Natalie must decide if she can follow her heart without losing sight of her dreams.
 
My Review
 
After enjoying the glimpses of charming Mike O'Connor in both Rush Me and Imaginary Lines, I was pretty excited to read his book. I just knew I would continue to love the red-headed, Irish-American running back. I did, but Mike also surprised me with the man behind the smile and easy-going nature. Running Back turned out to be quite different than the other books in the series, but I enjoyed it.
 
What really surprised me was how little the story revolves around Mike's team. This makes sense since it's the off-season and a huge part of the story involves the land Mike and his sisters inherit in Ireland. Land Natalie Sullivan wants to excavate in search of a rumored lost city. After a series of awkward, tense encounters about the excavation (a given, in this series), Natalie heads to Ireland in hopes of talking Mike into letting her team move forward with their plans.
 
As Natalie comes to know the land and the people of the land, she begins to fall in love, not only with her dream of a lost city, but of this place, exactly as it is. She also begins to fall in love with Mike, in Ireland for his uncle's funeral and to reconnect with his family. Natalie's feelings do not go unrequited. In fact, Mike O'Connor falls even harder with the determined, brilliant Natalie. The two have (spoiler alert!) issues, to navigate while falling in love. Mike's involve his family's troubled, secret history, and how he's run away from the issues for so many years. Natalie's skeptical about love, knows two people can fall for each other, but believes it never lasts. This belief in the fleeting nature of love has lead Natalie to a life of wandering, running from true connections. Mike wants make her believe in their love, and to take the beautiful life that's within her grasp. Oh...I loved, loved the ending to Running Back, full of swoons and smiles.
 
It's a struggle, Natalie's journey is very inward-focusing and what I love to see for women of her age in novels. Once again, we have a New York Leopard who knows who he want, what he wants. We have a young woman working her way through the world, looking for happiness and learning to see it, accept it.
 
I'm so happy I finally gave this series a try. If you're looking for a sports romance series with players who are even bigger heroes off the field than on, New York Leopards will fill that spot.
 
 
 
 
Favorite Quotes

  If I pulled up just the smallest bit, if I pushed up on my toes... I kissed him. His mouth moved against mine with the ease of long familiarity, as though we’d been kissing for years, as though this was a kiss that had been and would always be part of who we were.
  I could have stayed there forever, with the wind, the waves, the sun, Mike’s lips moving against mine.

  He kissed me. His hands slid along my back, pressing me closer and his tongue met mine in a slow, perfect dance and I no longer cared what was right, who we were. Not tonight, with a dome of fast stars blazing far above us. Not here, on this portal into a different world, a different reality, one that was just us and warmth and beauty.  I wanted to have him, for him to have me, to belong to each other here in this wild land on the edge of the world. So I packed my reasons for coming to Ireland away in a little box at the back of my mind, and when he lay down on the cold hard stone, I followed.
 
 
"Mike. Michael O’Connor. I love you. When I hold objects from thousands of years ago, I get this feeling, this glow that spreads through my chest and warms spots I didn’t know were cold, that makes me smile without realizing it—and it is nothing compared to how I feel around you."
 
 
  He lowered so his forehead rested against mine. In the shadows of our faces his eyes gleamed like amber. "You are not broken. You are not too much work. And I believe that we will be together until I die. I believe it enough for the both of us."
  "That's too heavy," I whispered.
  "Then I will change your mind. I will stay with you, and love you, until you know that this is not going to change, that we will not fizzle, that we are every single chemical out there and that they are bound together so tightly that they will keep us warm."


About Erin McCarthy

Erin McCarthyUSA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written almost fifty novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for New Orleans, tattoos, high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.









About the Allison Parr
Hi! I'm Allison Parr, author of New Adult romance novels. I'm also a chocoholic, a history buff, a reader. (I also like to marathon watch disaster movies). You can write me at allisonparrwrites@gmail.com and read my debut novel, RUSH ME, now!






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Review and Giveaway: Right Click (Click #3) by Lisa Becker

Right click (Click, #3)
Series: Fiction/Chick Lit

 
Series: Click #3
Genre: Women's Fiction/Chick Lit

Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 5/19/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 381
Source: Author
Rating: 5 stars


GoodReads  |  Amazon  |  B&N



Love. Marriage. Infidelity. Parenthood. Crises of identity. Death. Cupcakes. The themes in Right Click, the third and final installment in the Click series, couldn't be more pressing for this group of friends as they navigate through their 30's. Another six months have passed since we last eavesdropped on the hilarious, poignant and often times inappropriate email adventures of Renee and friends. As the light-hearted, slice of life story continues to unfold, relationships are tested and some need to be set "right" before everyone can find their "happily ever after."



 My Reviews
 
 
Review
 
In 2011, not long after I began reviewing books, I received a request to review Click: An Online Love Story. Though I wasn't aware of the terminology, I am a longtime fan epistolary novel format (told through letters, emails, journal entries, etc. ), and almost immediately became a fan of the Click series.
 
If you're not familiar with the Click series, let me briefly fill you in. The series centers primarily focuses on Renee, along with her circle of friends and boyfriend. The story is told through emails exchanged between the friends, as they fall in and out of love, date, marry, find and lose jobs and basically find their way. Despite the format, the emails give us the full accounts of their lives. We get the ups and downs, the happy emails detailing good dates and the making of plans, finding the right guy (or girl). We also get the not-so-happy moments, such as break-ups, losing a loved one, sadness, overwhelming life changes. You get puns, recounting of hilarious stories, break-ups, smackdowns, and lovey dovey moments. It's everything you hope for when picking joining a group of witty and fun West Coast friends as they go about their lives. What also makes the Click series fun is that we get the mess-ups that are inevitable with technology. For example, the accidentally cc'ing the subject of a scathing, sarcastic email, along with the hurt feelings and apologies. The format is fun because as you're reading these emails, you have no idea how quickly you're flying through the pages. I read Right Click, clocking in at nearly four hundred pages, in a little over two hours. It was just that good and that hard to put down.
 
For those familiar with this series, you probably understand why I enjoy it so. Being privy to so many big and small moments, I felt as if I knew them. I cared about Renee and Ethan, Shelley, Ashley and Mark. I loved their strong friendships full of sarcasm and love. I wanted them to each have their happy ending. The moment I finished, I had a long conversation with my best friend (also a fan), in which we discussed the characters and their lives and what she hoped would happen in the story, while I tried not to deal out spoilers. It's not often that she and I spend that amount of time discussing a series, but what it says is, it resonated with us both, and gave us each a nice slice of happiness.
 
Right Click was the perfect conclusion to the Click series. If you're looking for something different and fun that will leave you with so many happy feels, I highly recommend this series.
 
 
 
Favorite Quotes  (FYI, this was nearly impossible to choose)



From: Renee Greene - September 13, 2013 - 12:10 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Your talents needed

Hold on to your hat. Your unique and special talent of telling it like it is, not holding back and laying it all on the line is now needed. Mark is giving you the green light to--wait for it--tell [spoiler]  (or should I say [spoiler]) to leave him alone.

From: Shelley Manning - September 13, 2013 - 8:32 PM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Your talents needed

Finally Finlay is understanding the value I can bring to our friendship. Glad he's wised up and is ready to give that bitch what she deserves - a message from this bitch. Don't you worry, I will take care of it.

From: Renee Greene - September 13, 2013 - 8:35 PM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Your talents needed

I'm confident your brand of justice will be just what is needed to remedy this situation. Don't forget to bcc me.





From: Mark Finlay - January 9, 2014 - 10:02 AM
To: Renee Greene, Ashley Gordon, Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: THANK YOU

There's this saying that your life is filled with balcony people and basement people. Balcony people bring you up and basement people pull you down. You're our penthouse, Renee. We're just repaying the favor.

 
 
 
The Click Series


Click  Double Click  Right click (Click, #3)
(covers lead to GoodReads pages)
 
 
 
 
 
 
I love this series so much that I'm sharing the love with one of you. One winner will receive their choice of one ebook from the Click series.
Must be 18+ years of age; open Intl. 
 
 


About the Lisa Becker
 
Lisa BeckerLisa Becker had endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story and Double Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for you!