Lore by Alexandra Bracken (Coming Jan 5th, 2021)

 

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Publisher: Disney Hyperion (January 5, 2021)

Year Published: 2021

Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Fantasy 

Started: November 25th

Finished: December 28th

Rating: A+/5 Stars

Seriously when you look at this cover, it screams butt-kicking heroine!

A Gorgon! Medusa in all her glory! This cover alone would be putting in my request to get my hands on Reader's Copy. 

I was given a copy through Netgalley for my honest opinion. Here comes my honest opinion. GET THE BOOK!

Lore is a girl, who grew up knowing she was destined for something great, and all that was taken from her. As we follow Lore and her crew, we find out what happened on the worse night of her life. Who is playing who? Who will come out the victor? 

I think my favorite part of this book, was when Lore called out a goddess on her B.S. For favoritism for the other sex. Her punishments she doled out, to those who should have been protected. Her reply to it all. 

Lore is an entertaining read, I highly recommend reading it at any age. My Youngest teenager is looking forward to the audiobook when it releases.  

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Teaser Reveal: Reputation By Adriana Locke

 REPUTATION by Adriana Locke

Release Date: January 5th

Goodreads & Preorder

Coy Mason is a jerk.

If there is one truth that Bellamy Davenport knows, it’s that. Hands-down. (Well, that and the fact that she didn’t mean to hurt him. Physically. Coy can’t be hurt emotionally because he doesn’t have a heart.)
Coy is not just the small-town, literal boy-next-door. He’s a heartbreaking, womanizing, mischief-making (and delicious) man and was all of those things well before he became a hot-shot country music sensation.

He’s a dream standing in her doorway with no shirt, messy hair, and a ‘Do you wanna?’ grin. But he’s also a nightmare for her heart and she knows it.
Their enemies-to-lovers relationship always ends the same way—heavy on the enemies, light on the lovers.

So why is she still standing there?

USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her pocket.

Website:  https://adrianalocke.com

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/booksbyadrianalocke

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke

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Pretty Monsters by Kimberly Carrillo

 

Pretty Monsters by Kimberly Carrillo

Publisher: Kimberly Carrillo

Year Published: December 1, 2020

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Started: December 1st, 2020

Finished: December 12th, 2020

Rating: A+/5 Stars

When this book dropped in my emails for me to read before release.  I had not noticed it until after it had released.  I had completely forgotten that Carrillo was releasing a book soon. With getting back into the swing of work after being home quarantined with COVID-19. I was not sure if I was going to get it to read it. So, I reached out to Carrillo and let her know what was going on. She was super awesome and still was interested in my review.  (I love when an author says this, it is my crack) 

Now the true test was my brain up for the challenge.  I gave myself to the 11th of December to read and review it. I was just a day off…….Many more at getting my review up. 

With the first chapter, I felt I might have overstated my ability to read this by said date. Before I knew it, I had a couple of days left on my time frame. So, I started putting 30 minutes before work to read it. Then I realized I was reading longer than my so-called 30 minutes.  Sneaking pages in between getting home, dinner, and bed. I was curious about how this would go. 

We get to a point in the books that Raven gets to show off that she did something else besides sit around in private schools. I enjoyed that a lot. More so when she tried something different for her, and not available at her private school, she had to practice and work at being better. I felt this did great for her character development had kept me progressing in the book. 

The relationships and discoveries that are made, has me itching to get my hands on the second book in the series. One happy reader, I highly recommend this book and author. 

Book in 5 Words: DAMN, Hot, Yass, Suspenseful, Dark

Welcome to Devil’s Crossing, where monsters dwell. Here we don't hide in the shadows.

I am vengeance wrapped in a pretty package, but you can call me Sin, everyone else does.

I’m a weapon and as such I live for one thing only, to bring death where I’m aimed. That is until the night she walks into the moonlight.

Raven Blackthorne taunts me with her beauty and innocence. She doesn’t belong in my world, even if it is her father who’s trapped me here. I’m not good for her, but maybe I’m exactly who she needs to help her escape it.

Unless I break her first.

Getting to Know Becky Andersen

Becky Andersen is the oldest of six children in a close-knit and fun-loving family. She never went to one school two years in a row until her junior and senior years in high school, and then ended up marrying her high school sweetheart at age 20. For thirty-seven years they lived a life full of fun and laughter with two daughters until the sudden and unexpected death of her husband.

Fast forward several years later: She survived widowhood, was put on an online dating site by her children, married her cyber sweetheart, and has now published two books. "We're Not Sixteen Anymore" is the true-life, laugh-out-loud account of dating as a senior citizen - when the last time Andersen had dated, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were first walking on the moon.

Her second novel is a fiction book about widowed sisters who take a bus tour to try to "find themselves" while finding something to do other than to sit around and grieve. It's called "The Widsters" and is a sometimes funny, sometimes tearful, compelling and engaging read. While fiction, Andersen again uses some of her own experiences to provide a true-to-life glimpse into the lives of older, but young-at-heart women.

Becky is now the grandmother of nine wonderful children. She enjoys reading, writing stories for her grands, gardening, walking, tennis, traveling, and is currently trying to figure out where all the free time disappears that was supposed to come with retirement.

We asked Becky Andersen 10 Questions, that we the readers love to know. She was lovely enough to join in on the fun and answer them.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

    In 4th grade, I had a teacher write on a paper I’d turned in “You should be a writer someday.”  Uh, right! Not gonna happen. And yet that stayed with me for years and years (I’m 68!!). One job I had almost 40 years ago, I was the “editor” of a Farm Bureau page that went out to the Iowa division of Farm Bureau members. “Editor” meant writer, and after I managed to get my first page out, I got a lot of positive feedback for my tongue-in-cheek writing. From then on, I loved to write articles, stories, and finally a book!

How long does it take you to write a book?

     I don’t have a definitive answer for you. I’m not one of those authors who can churn out book after book. I wish I were! Not Sixteen was a story that ended itself naturally. I didn’t have any type of deadline, but I think I worked on it for two or three months – NOT every day, nor long periods of time. But I’ve also written a fictional novel and it took me about six months to complete because I did research and then let the story tell itself. 

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

    Schedule?  Are we supposed to have a schedule??? Eek!  Maybe it’s because I’m retired I haven’t had much of a schedule, but I AM definitely a morning person, so when I am writing, I try to get up, showered, dressed, and then down to my computer for about 4-5 hours. I confess that may not be every day in a row!

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

    Besides having to have a can of Diet Mountain Dew available at all times, I guess my quirk is that I would rather write long-hand on paper – at least to begin with. There’s a fantastic satisfaction after about three or four pages of written work in a spiral notebook, ripping them out, wadding them up and trying to see if I have high school girls basketball skills left when I throw them into a garbage can! Plus if I don’t end up throwing them away to start over, I make notes on the side, number and circle  paragraphs and draw arrows up to a blank spot I think might be a better place, and maybe use different colored ink to write different things. In other words, I waste time doing what I could do just the same on the computer, only faster.  I never thought that was a quirk. Now I do. Jeepers!  I better change!!!

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

    In my case, it’s LIFE. My own experiences, although I’ve written three books just for my grandchildren, and they were total imagination, which I loved – and fortunately, they did, too!

When did you write your first book?

    My first book, We’re Not Sixteen Anymore, was written shortly after I married my second husband. He was still working, and I was retired. We both had been widowed, and our kids put us on Match.com. I’d posted on Facebook about some of my dates and very naive attempts at navigating cyberdating since it had been 40 years since I’d last dated. I had so many people wanting me to expand my stories that I decided to write.  BQB/WriteLife Publishing accepted my story in 2015 and it was published June 2016.

hat do you like to do when you’re not writing?

    I love to take walks, garden, read, and see family and friends. During this pandemic, the last two have been almost non-existent (I have kids who live in Europe and Florida – both places foreign to this native Iowan!!!) SO I’m now into genealogy! And scanning the thousands, and I’m not kidding about that number, of photographs of my childhood, youth, marriage, motherhood and now old age. Thank heaven for photoshop when it comes to whitening teeth and erasing wrinkles!!!

What does your family think of your writing?

    What any good, loving family thinks: I’m brilliant, talented and funny. Oh, and I need to mention my family is also well-trained not to hurt my feelings….  ;

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

    You know, I’ve told so many people this, but it took me writing a book to realize that I never once - in all the years of being read to as a baby and reading as soon as I could for over 60 years now – never once did I stop to think how an idea in someone’s mind got from inside their head to the shelves of a library or bookstore! Talk about it takes a village.  What an education in creating, editing and publishing a book this has been!

Which book that you have written is your favorite?

    I’d have to say my first one. It was like having a baby!  I enjoyed writing “We’re Not Sixteen Anymore” and even more so, I enjoy the feedback I get from readers. I am thrilled to death when someone reviews Not Sixteen and says they laughed out loud while reading it. Life can be very serious and sad sometimes. Laughter is good for the mind and the soul – and I know this for a fact!

Thank you Becky for all your wonderful answers, they sure put a smile on my face. 

If you like to know about Becky Andersen please follow her on Facebook or Instagram. Don't forget to stop by her site https://www.beckyandersen.com/ and take a stroll through all the blog posts. I promise you won't regret it :)

Getting to Know Harriet Hodgson

 A freelancer for 39 years, Harriet Hodgson is the author of thousands of articles and 44 books. She loves writing so much she even writes in her sleep! Her work focuses on a variety of topics: nutrition, sexual harassment, Alzheimer's disease, aging, grief reconciliation/recovery, and caregiving.

We asked Harriet 10 questions that we the readers would love to know. She was kind enough to answer these. So let's get to know Harriet a bit more!

      

  

 When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

When I was about 8 or 9 years old and handmade books for friends. (Now that is a GIFT)

 

How long does it take you to write a book?

I worked on one book for a dozen years and just wrote a book in a week.

 

What is your work schedule like when you are writing? 

I start early, around 5 a.m., write all morning, and revise in the afternoon.

 

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I love writing so much I write in my sleep. When I wake up, I immediately go to the computer and make corrections or new copy.

 

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Most of my books come from my life and have lengthy resource lists. As a nonfiction writer, I am always in research mode.

 

When did you write your first book?  1979

 

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I do Japanese Enso painting (circles), Doodle Art (I illustrated my latest book), read a variety of books, and cook.

 

What does your family think of your writing?

My husband is my biggest fan. All family members think of me as an experienced author. Today, I’m the author of 42 published books.

 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I learned I am stronger than I realized. (I love this so much!)

 

Which book, that you have written, is your favorite?

I have many favorites, including Affirmations for Family Caregivers, So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids!, The Grandma Force, and my two forthcoming books, Ready, Set, Lead! and Grief Doodling: Bringing Back Your Smiles.

You can Follow Harriet on Facebook and Twitter. Don't forget to check out her other amazing books on Amazon.

Take A Number by Amy Daws

 

Take A Number by Amy Daws
Publisher: Amy Daws LLC
Year Published: 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Started: October 10th, 2020         
Finished: October 10th, 2020        
Rating: A+/5 Stars
 

 Some books come along and take you out of whatever funk you might be in. Take A Number is one of those books for me. I have not sat down with a book and read it from cover to cover in one day in so long I forgot how it felt. The moment I knew I was not putting the book down anytime soon, was Amy Daws's vivid descriptions of a sugar crash, at the very beginning of the book. I was laughing so hard I had to tears running down my face, and I was struggling to breathe.  This was not the only time I busted a gut. I am sure the husband was contemplating having me committed.  When I was not laughing, I was debating on putting the book down to take a cold shower. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a steamy rom-com.

Book in 5 Words: Funny, Witty, Sass, Sweet, and HOT

Fake dating the cute owner of a bakery Dean is an investor in sounds kind of messy…but messy can be fun.

Norah Donahue wants bakeries not babies, but her matchmaking mother won’t stop trying to play Cupid.

Dean Moser is a cocky stock market savant whose friends are all settling down, leaving Boulder’s infamous ladies’ man all alone.

When Norah needs a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, her new silent investor is the perfect guy for the job. It seems like a foolproof plan…

That is until Norah decides to break her biggest rule and lock lips with Dean in the middle of the party to spite her meddling mother.

Turns out that Dean and Norah’s chemistry is sizzling hot, and mixing business with pleasure could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.

Or maybe they can have their cake and eat it too. 

New Release: Take A Number by Amy Daws

Cover Reveal: Take A Number by Amy Daws

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Fake dating the cute owner of a bakery Dean is an investor in sounds kind of messy…but messy can be fun. Preorder Now

Title: TAKE A NUMBER Author: Amy Daws Genre: Romantic Comedy Release Date: October 15, 2020 Cover Designer: Amy Daws Cover Photographer: Wander Aguiar Cover Model: Philippe Belanger

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  Fake dating the cute owner of a bakery Dean is an investor in sounds kind of messy…but messy can be fun. Norah Donahue wants bakeries not babies, but her matchmaking mother won’t stop trying to play Cupid. Dean Moser is a cocky stock market savant whose friends are all settling down, leaving Boulder’s infamous ladies’ man all alone. When Norah needs a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, her new silent investor is the perfect guy for the job. It seems like a foolproof plan… That is until Norah decides to break her biggest rule and lock lips with Dean in the middle of the party to spite her meddling mother. Turns out that Dean and Norah’s chemistry is sizzling hot, and mixing business with pleasure could turn out to be a recipe for disaster. Or maybe they can have their cake and eat it too

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Preorder Here

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If you’re looking for laughs…this series of waiting room meet cutes is the perfect escape. Binge these standalones in Kindle Unlimited in preparation for October 15 release of Take A Number!

Wait With Me (recently optioned for film by Passionflix) When romance novelist, Kate Smith, finds her long lost writing mojo in the customer waiting area of a tire store, the complimentary coffee isn’t the only things that’s hot. But sexy mechanic, Miles Hudson, is just up for a friendly test-drive of her new book idea. At least, that was the agreement... Read Now

Next In Line What happens when the cute mountain man you made out with in an ice fishing shack turns out to be your brother’s best friend? Read Now

One Moment Please That awkward moment your ER doctor has to tell you that you're pregnant...with his baby. Read Now

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Check out Amy's Facebook page for an awesome giveaway!

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Amy Daws is an Amazon Top 13 bestselling author of sexy, contemporary romance novels. She enjoys writing love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond in England. When Amy is not writing in a tire shop waiting room, she's watching Gilmore Girls, or singing karaoke in the living room with her daughter while Daddy smiles awkwardly from a distance. For more of Amy's work, visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com

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Cover Reveal & Release: The Grip Trilogy by Kennedy Ryans

"Kennedy Ryan writes straight-up poetry.” —L.J. Shen, USA Today bestselling author

The Grip Trilogy, the acclaimed series from USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is bundled into a box set for the first time and has gorgeous new covers AND NEW CONTENT!
99¢ Sale Release Week Only!
Available FREE in Kindle Unlimited.

The Grip Trilogy charts the course of rising star Marlon "Grip" James and his manager Bristol Gray. From the beginning, attraction ignites between the struggling musician and his best friend's ambitious sister. It starts with a kiss at the top of a Ferris Wheel when they're young, combusts into a tumultuous love affair, and matures into an epic love that defies each odd and defeats every obstacle. Discover why Buzzfeed selected Grip to its list of books that will change the way you see the world.

3 Books
2 Decades (Nearly!)
1 Love of a lifetime

This enhanced box set includes:
All 3 books of the groundbreaking trilogy, Flow, Grip & Still
(2) Grip Short Stories! Brand new scenes!
Audio bonus content EXCLUSIVE to the ebook!

Download your copy for ONLY 99¢ today!
Regular price will be $9.99
FREE IN KU!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kWg57W
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TheGripBoxSet

Add Grip Trilogy Box Set to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2EK9XAa

Get Your Grip Box!
To celebrate the Grip Trilogy box set and new covers,
Kennedy is offering a Limited Edition Grip Box filled with signed paperbacks and items inspired by the most meaningful moments from the series.
Pre-Order from October 1 to October 14.

Pre-Order Your Grip Box Here:
http://bit.ly/GripBox

About Kennedy
A RITA® Award Winner, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Kennedy Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.
Kennedy and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Oprah Magazine, TIME and many others. As an autism mom, she has a special passion for raising Autism awareness. The co-founder of LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has appeared on Headline News, The Montel Williams Show, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for ASD families.
She is a wife to her lifetime lover-husband and mother to an extraordinary son.

Connect with Kennedy
Never Miss A Release! Follow Kennedy on BookBub: http://bit.ly/2HcRuee
New Release Text Alert: Text Kennedy Ryan to 797979
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Website: http://kennedyryanwrites.com

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Publisher: William Morrow
Year Published: 2013
Genre: Fantasy
Started: Sept. 1, 2020
Finished: Sept. 22, 2020
Rating: 5 Stars/ A

This has been on my list to read for many moons. I was excited to see the audiobook was readily available with Libby. My Mornings and chores for the over the couple weeks were a bit more interesting. Neil Gaiman doesn't leave you disappointed at all. Keeps you guessing all the way to the end, on who are all the key players. Who, what and why? When you finally get to the end of the story. You're left sitting there with your mouth hanging open. Going ... REALLY?!?

This is literally my favorite feeling. Gaiman always leaves me just sitting there at the end of a book, needing more. He is one of the few that can actually have me looking one way the entire time and pull a rabbit out of his coat pocket and leave there going what just happened? I can never truly guess what ride I will be going on.

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.