Book Details:
Remote by Lisa Acerbo Publication date: December 24th 2018 | Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult Synopsis:When technology fulfills every dream, reality is a nightmare. Below the streets of New State, the Grounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. When dusk falls, Wren risks her life by entering the capital city as a raider to secure resources for the rebellion. Each step further inside puts her life in jeopardy from New State’s deadliest weapons – Phantoms. More machine than human, tortured until devoid of emotion and caring, Phantoms have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision. Wren is good at her job as a raider and committed to the cause until she meets Codex, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Wren feels for Codex is very real. And it’s punishable by death. As she and Codex grow closer, Wren convinces him to leave New State for the underground. But unrest between New State and the Grounders escalates, and Phantoms move in to destroy her world. Nothing goes as Wren planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Wren’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever… Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon 
AUTHOR BIO:
Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and adjunct faculty at the University of Phoenix. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, two dogs, and horse. When not writing, she mountain bikes, hikes, and tries to pursue some type of further education. Author links: FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | GOODREADS | 
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 SYNOPSIS: A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup from author Laurie Boyle Crompton, Pretty in Punxsutawney tells the tale of a girl willing to look beneath the surface to see people for who they really are. Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say…after it’s too late to say it. She’s addicted to romance movies—okay, all movies—but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again. Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings. MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10) In the manor of "Groundhog Day", Pretty in Punxsutawney is a humorous tale of a young woman's experience of being "stuck in time"... The worst day of her life being lived over and over! The author has put a "quirky twist" on the events, that it is lightly entertaining and teenager will especially enjoy. In the beginning, the dialogue felt slightly repetitive of past films, but as the plot unfolded, it became quite inspirational,, to a degree. The whole story "flowed" smoothly and was written very well. It kept the reader's interest. The Book Cover is eye-catching and depicts the story well. Although the Title is "fitting" to a degree, I feel it could have been better chosen. All in all, I still feel it deserves a Four Stars rating. *This book was gifted me with no request for a positive review. This is my honest review.   About Laurie Boyle Crompton Laurie Boyle Crompton is the author of, BLAZE, THE REAL PROM QUEENS OF WESTFIELD HIGH and LOVE AND VANDALISM (Sourcebooks 2013, 2014, 2017), ADRENALINE CRUSH (FSG/Macmillan 2014, Square Fish 2016), and the upcoming PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY (Blink/HarperCollins 2019). Laurie graduated first in her class from St. John's University with a BA in English and Journalism. Since then, she's written for national magazines like ALLURE, survived a teaching stint at an all-boys high school, and appeared on Good Day New York several times as a Toy Expert. And yes, a 'toy expert' is an actual thing that people sometimes get to be. She has lived in places like Orlando, Florida where she and her husband spent all of their spare time and money visiting theme parks before moving to the Cotswolds in England for six months, which was every bit as cool as that sounds. The Cromptons are now back in New York where their two children resent never getting to visit Disney or the Cotswolds. You can visit Laurie at lboylecrompton.com or check out her anti-eating-disorder artwork at dreamer-girl.com. Laurie Boyle Crompton’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:Monday, January 14th: Bookmark Lit Tuesday, January 22nd: 100 Pages a Day Wednesday, January 23rd: Book Fidelity Thursday, January 24th: Blooming with Books Friday, January 25th: @katielmae Monday, January 28th: From the TBR Pile Wednesday, January 30th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom Thursday, January 31st: Kahakai Kitchen Friday, February 1st: Books a la Mode Saturday, February 2nd: @love_my_dane_dolly Monday, February 4th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts Tuesday, February 5th: Write Read Life Wednesday, February 6th: Helen’s Book Blog  
Book details:
The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh Published by: Swoon Reads | Publication date: January 22nd 2019 Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she’s been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita. But then everything changes. When Lacey sees first-hand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls’ restroom. But things with Theo become complicated quickly, and Lacey is soon not just keeping everyone else’s secrets, but hers as well. Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | 
AUTHOR BIO:
Olivia Hinebaugh loves all stripes of literature for children. When she isn’t writing fiction, she can be found writing freelance, making art, discovering new songs on Spotify, texting her writing buddies, or folding laundry. She lives near Washington, D.C. with her spouse, three kids, a dog that looks like a coyote, and a one-eyed cat. The Birds, The Bees, And You And Me is her debut novel. Author links: Website | Goodreads |Facebook | Twitter | 
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All Is Fair by Dee Garretson Published by: Swoon Reads | Publication date: January 22nd 2019 Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult Synopsis: Lady Mina Tretheway knows she’s destined for greater things than her fancy boarding school, where she’s being taught to be a proper English lady. It’s 1918, and war is raging across Europe. Unlike her father and brother, who are able to assist in the war effort, Mina is stuck sorting out which fork should be used with which dinner course. When Mina receives a telegram that’s written in code, she finally has her chance to do something big. She returns to her childhood home of Hallington Manor, joined by a family friend, Lord Andrew Graham, and a dashing and mysterious young American, Lucas. The three of them must band together to work on a dangerous project that could turn the tide of the war. Thrilled that she gets to contribute to the war effort at least, Mina jumps headfirst into the world of cryptic messages, spycraft, and international intrigue. She, Lucas, and Andrew have to work quickly, because if they don’t succeed, more soldiers will disappear into the darkness of war. Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iBooks |Kobo | 
REVIEW by VICKIE:
(To be posted later, do to uncontrollable circumstances ) 
AUTHOR BIO:
Dee writes contemporary, science fiction and historical adventure stories for a wide range of ages. Her books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections, the Scholastic Book Club, and have been nominated for numerous state awards lists. In addition to books published under her own name, she also writes for the Boxcar Children series. Connect with her on twitter at @deegarretson or find out more about her books at deegarretson.com Author links: WEBSITE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | 
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Girl with all the Pain (Aliens, Tequila & Us #4) by Michael Herman Publication date: February 23rd 2018 Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult Synopsis: Sometimes an ugly duckling becomes more than just a swan. In the streets of Santiago, Chile, a young homeless girl named Isabel screams a scream of rage that is the last sound the gang tormenting her ever hears. Deep within the city, a family feels her cry and sets out to find her for their sake as well as hers. Never straying far from Isabel, Skunk Mountain, a homeless pile of walking filth, visible to only the neighborhood kids, maintains a guardian presence that is key to her survival in a world where, beneath the very ground they walk, a dark ancient intelligent entity prepares to unleash forces that will devastate Chile. Sometimes that swan has claws and teeth.
AUTHOR BIO:
When he isn't doing construction or creating 3D simulations for the AEC industry, Michael Herman writes from his small urban hillside farm in California where he types away to the sounds of chickens, coyotes, the occasional fox and his household pets. Author links: Twitter | Facebook ||Website | Goodreads |
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Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams, #1) by Allie McCormack Publication date: January 15th 2019 | Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance Synopsis: Centuries ago in plague-struck Italy, Julian DiConti cast a powerful spell in desperation to have the magical power to be able to help his people who were dying in horrific conditions. The spell goes spectacularly awry, leaving Julian enslaved to a Djinn bottle, bound to grant three wishes to each Master of the bottle until the spell can be broken. More than anything, Julian longs for a normal life – for a home, and a family. After six hundred years, however, he has begun to despair of ever being freed from the spell. Enter Alessandra Taylor, a young woman who has followed her calling to help others, in the face of vociferous disapproval from her family, particularly her controlling father. Working at a shelter for battered women, she’s thrilled to meet the reclusive Julian DiConti, whose collection of garments from third world countries has provided funding for shelters across the country. When Julian turns out to be a Djinn from the old bottle she found in her attic, she hears his story and empathizes with his despair. Although she’s willing to free him, he can’t tell her how. As time goes by, their initial attraction blossoms into a love that both realize is doomed. Once she has made her third wish, the magic of the bottle will whisk Julian away and out of her life forever… unless she can somehow figure out how to free him. But one by one, she’s forced to use the precious wishes to help others. Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon 
AUTHOR BIO:
A career medical transcriptionist, Allie McCormack is now writing from home full-time. Allie has traveled quite a bit and lived many places all over the U.S., and also a year in Cairo, Egypt as an exchange student, and a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under contract to a hospital there, plus a short stint with NATO while she was in the Army. As a single mom, she raised a wonderful daughter who's recently married and there are plans afoot for grandchildren. A disabled veteran, Allie now lives in the beautiful Sorona Desert in southern Arizona with her two rescue cats and writes full-time. Allie says: "A writer is who and what I am... a romance writer. I write what I know, and what I know is romance. Dozens of story lines and literally hundreds of characters live and breathe within the not-so-narrow confines of my imagination, and it is my joy and privilege to bring them to life, to share them with others by writing their stories." Author links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads |
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Book Details:
Book Title: Melding Spirits by Michael E. Burge Category: Adult Fiction, 371 pages Genre: Literary fiction , Mystery, Coming of age Publisher: Michael E. Burge Publishing | Release date: June 2017 Content Rating: PG-13 (The book alludes to criminal acts and deviate behavior, but does not provide graphic description.) Book Description: Twelve-year-old Evan Mason’s life has been turned upside down by the sudden death of his father. His mother isn’t home much, the insurance office during the day, waiting tables at night. Evan is spending a great deal of time alone. Now he finds himself on a Greyhound bus headed for a small town on the Wabash River where he’ll spend the summer of 1958 with his loving grandmother. Evan soon meets his new neighbor, Katie Dobbins. She’s a feisty blue-eyed girl with a ponytail, the type of girl Buddy Holly might sing about on American Bandstand. Evan is instantly enamored with her. It seems the perfect summer is underway—but strange things are happening in the woods surrounding the Ghost Hill Indian Mound. There’s a dark cloud lingering over the Wabash Valley—It won’t be long before it erupts into a raging storm. Buy the Book: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ KOBO ~ iBooks ~ Indigo ~ IndieBound, ~ Add to Goodreads Read the first few chapters...
MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10)
Melding Spirits is a coming of age story, a mystery/thriller with a touch of romance. This is a story of a young man named Evan, who lost his father and tried to make it as easy on his mother, while she worked and struggle to support them. His mother received an opportunity to rain for a promotion, so took Evan to live with his paternal grandmother for the summer. He remembered her as being "cool" so didn't mind. He just hated leaving his friends. At his grandmother's house, he quickly made a few friends of various ages and with very unique personalities. Although the towns were small in the area where his grandmother lived, there was evil lurking though the various communities. The description of the scenes and characters are very vivid, allowing the reader to feel a part of this tale. The book Cover is passable but I feel the title is not a great fit. There is a lot of suspense, adventure, companionable compassion, and inspiration in this one story. There are also nostalgic scenes which leads one to reflect on past memories. ^^This is a YA genre but there are parts, I personally feel are inappropriate for YA reading. (^^ I stand corrected! I wrongfully assumed this was written fro YA but it is, in fact, written for Adults, so disregard that portion of my review.) BEWARE: There are crude references and sexual situations, plus, some profanity. I offer a Four Stars rating.
GUEST POST: “Mr. Sharp” Michael E. Burge One of the questions authors hear repeatedly is, “How do you come up with your characters?” I’m sure the answer varies from one writer to the next, but I would have to say, aside from the main characters in my story, many of the secondary characters were born out of necessity. For example, during one of the scenes in Melding Spirits, the children see Zachary Aiken rolling down the street with a wagon hitched to the bumper of his car. The wagon is similar to the one Professor Marvel used to flimflam his way across Kansas in The Wizard of OZ, except it is beat- up and weathered. Everyone is gathered around, inspecting the old wooden relic when thirteen-year-old Katie looks at Mr. Aiken and says, “What kind of wagon it is , Mr. Aiken?” When I was writing the scene, I honestly didn’t know Katie was planning to ask that question. As a writer, those are the sort of surprises you often get when you let the characters drive the plot. I had to come up with an answer to Katie’s question, so I invented a new character. Zachary explains it thusly: “Belonged to a guy folks called Mr. Sharp, a negro gentleman. He had two gray mules hitched to this thing. Traveled all over the valley sharpening knives, saws, axes, and anything else that needed an edge. He was also a bit of an artist. He crafted some beautiful knife handles.” “His name was Mr. Sharp?” Katie said. “That wasn’t his real name. His real name was Mayberry . . . Oscar Mayberry,” Zachary said. “Been dead for twenty years. This old wagon was stashed way back in the corner of an old barn up near Bargetown.” I’m not exactly sure how Zachary came up with that little bit of history, but it seemed like a reasonable reply to Katie’s question. Of course, there was substantially more to the scene, but in essence, that was how the character, Mr. Sharp, was hatched. When you’re a writer . . . an active imagination is a good thing! 
Meet the Author:
Michael E. Burge grew up in the Chicago suburbs and a small town on the Wabash River in Southern Illinois. In the late sixties, he left college to serve on a U.S. Navy destroyer out of Norfolk, Virginia. Upon leaving the service, he transitioned to a career in the burgeoning computer industry, positions in product management and marketing. He is now pursuing his lifelong interest in writing, publishing his debut novel, Bryant’s Gap, in 2015 and his second, Melding Spirits, in 2017. Michael also plays piano, paints, and is an avid golfer. He and his family currently live in Illinois. Connect with the Author: Twitter ~ Facebook 
Prizes: Win Melding Spirits by Michael E. Burge. Two winners will also get a $20 Amazon.com gift card (open to USA & Can / 7 winners total)
(ends Feb 7, 2019) 
A Friend in Paris by Jennie Goutet
Friendship between a talented young artist and her handsome French neighbor is a promising start—until it’s not enough. April promised her dying father she would study painting in Paris, but friends are few, her budget is tight, and her landlord increasingly won’t take “no” for an answer. Then she meets Victor. Victor is as chivalrous as he is wealthy, and if it weren’t for him, April would have already left the City of Light behind. Too bad Victor still has eyes for his ex-girlfriend, who is now back on the scene and wants to get married. Although April and Victor swore to remain just friends, magical Paris seems to weave a different spell. The more their connection deepens, the more it becomes difficult to keep a proper distance. Or to remember why they should. Add to Goodreads 
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Penelope peeked into the hallway. “We’re about to play poker. Who wants in?”
“Me,” April said. “But I need a refresher for the rules. It’s not for money, right?” “Nope, just for chips. Hey, Victor,” Penelope said, “Are you able to take April back to your grandmother’s apartment tonight after you bring Margaux home? She probably won’t ask for help, but we’re afraid Lucas is following her, and we want to make sure she doesn’t get stalked.” “Sure.” Victor turned to her in consternation. “Another thing you’re not telling me, April. Please tell me these things.” A flash of anger came over April, and she replied without thinking. “Don’t expect me to tell you everything. It’s not like I’m your girlfriend. I don’t owe you explanations, or details, or anything.” “Er…let me see how the game is going.” Penelope turned, whisking away a smile. “What are you talking about, April. We’re friends. Friends talk.” “Victor,” April hissed. “It’s like you expect things from me you don’t even expect of your own fiancée. You want me to come to you for help and tell you everything. But you don’t even know what Margaux was doing that whole year in Monaco. You don’t know what brought her back or…or whether the baby is even yours.” There. I said it. April’s pulse pounded in her temple. “Victor doesn’t ask me these things, because he already knows the answer.” Margaux’s cool voice came from where the living room joined the hallway. “And, since he is satisfied, I don’t see what business it is of yours.” Margaux managed to communicate all her disdain in two sentences. April’s face was crimson. She could feel the heat of shame emanating from her. She’d let everyone know how she felt about Victor as plain as if she’d announced she was in love with him at the dinner table. It’s not like I’m your girlfriend. And what was even worse was that she was completely in the wrong attempting to sow seeds of doubt. She was not the type of person to try to break people up. She was not “the other woman”. It was not her style. If a man wasn’t free to love her, she had absolutely no interest in him. So what had happened? How had she gone so wrong? Victor’s eyes were fixed on hers. He hadn’t answered, but now he looked toward Margaux and the crowd that was gathering behind her. “Hey guys, could you give us a minute? Margaux, I’ll be right there to take you home. I imagine the baby needs you.” Margaux folded her arms and planted her feet. So Victor took April’s arm and pulled her into the first room he saw. It was the toilet, and they had only enough room to stand face to face. He fumbled for the light, and when it went on, April wouldn’t look at him. He grabbed her by the arms. “April, I need to say this fast so no one gets the wrong idea about us being in here together.” They were standing in a tiny cubicle, nose to nose, and his words brought on an insane desire to laugh. She needed to get a hold of her emotions. He’s not available. “I think one of the biggest regrets of my life,” Victor said, “will end up being that I wasn’t free to follow my feelings in this instance. But I’m not. I’m a father, and that comes first.” I am a great fool, April thought, and any wisp of humor over the situation fled. To complete her shame, her eyes filled with tears. “If I could’ve followed my feelings…” He stopped short, looking at her eyes, her lips…They heard only the sound of their breath. Then Victor dropped his arms, turned in the tight space, and opened the bathroom door. “Margaux and I need to get going. Penelope, do you think one of you could see April home safely?” “Sure,” Penelope said. She handed the pack of cards to Auriane and slid past Victor to where April was. “You guys go ahead and play.” 
Once I began to read I couldn’t put it down until I finished. The characters are well developed and I easily identified with their struggles and triumphs. A wonderful story you will want to read again
A Friend in Paris is rich with everything a romance needs and more – drama, plot twists, characters you’ll fall in love with…and some you’ll love to despise. The setting of Paris and the wonderful descriptions are added bonuses! I devoured this book in two sittings. Really enjoyed this read! I was completely absorbed into the Paris setting. Felt like I was there! The hero and heroine are interesting, believable, and their chemistry was natural and lifelike. Nothing felt contrived. The supporting characters were intriguing too. Highly recommended. 
Author Jennie Goutet
Jennie Goutet is an American-born Anglophile, who lives with her French husband and their three children in a small town outside Paris. Her imagination resides in Regency England, where her upcoming romance, A Regrettable Proposal, is set. Jennie is the author of the sweet, contemporary romances, A Friend in Paris and A Noble Affair, as well as the award-winning memoir, Stars Upside Down. A Christian, a cook, and an inveterate klutz, Jennie writes about faith, food, and life—even the clumsy moments—on her blog, aladyinfrance.com. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Page | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter | 
Giveaway Details
$25 Amazon Gift Code or $25 in PayPal Cash Ends 2/4/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, BookBub, Instagram, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader & Clean Wholesome Romance and is sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. |
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