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Future Tour: Masterpiece of Murder by Evelyn Cullet

Evelyn will be on tour August 12-19 with her romantic suspense novel Masterpiece of Murder Heartbroken art student Charlotte Ross, intent on locating her errant…

Blog Tour Sign Up: Killer Image by Wendy Tyson

Wendy will be on tour in October with her mystery novel Killer Image. I am looking for book bloggers to post reviews, guest posts, interviews,…

In My Mailbox: Week of June 16

Title: Thirty-Two Going on Spinster

Author: Becky Monson

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Julia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her job, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.

With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.

But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?

Title: Lake Como

Author: Anita Hughes

Received: From Anita Hughes

Synopsis: Hallie Elliot has a perfect life. She is an up-and-coming interior designer in one of San Francisco’s most sought after firms, and has just recently become engaged to Peter, a brilliant young journalist. But when she stumbles upon Peter and her boss in what seems to be a compromising position, her trust in her perfect life is shaken.

So Hallie escapes to Lake Como, Italy to spend time with her half-sister, Portia Tesoro, an Italian blueblood dealing with the scandal of a public estrangement from her cheating husband. While staying in the Tesoro villa, Hallie falls in love with the splendor and beauty of Lake Como, and finds work designing the lakeside estate of a reclusive American tech mogul. The caretaker of this beautiful estate is a handsome man named Angus, and Hallie finds herself drawn to his charm and kindness, despite hints of a dark secret in his past.

But just as Hallie is beginning to find her footing on Italian soil, she uncovers a family secret that upends all the truths she’s believed about herself, and calls into question the new life she’s built in Lake Como.

Sisterhood, family, career, and sumptuous descriptions of Italian life fill the pages of this newest offering by Anita Hughes. Lake Como is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, self-discovery, and the quest for truth.

Title: Being Me

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Received: BrookTrib

Synopsis: Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

Title: Undeclared

Author: Jen Frederick

Received: From Jen Frederick

Synopsis: For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

Book Review: Walking with Elephants by Karen S. Bell

I received a copy of Walking With Elephants by Karen S. Bell in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Suze Hall is at a crossroads. Her nemesis at work, Wanda, has been promoted and now will be her boss. Her husband, Bob, is leaving her and the three kids for a six-month sabbatical down under. To top it off, her best friend, Marcia, is missing in action—playing footsie with some new boyfriend!

Adding to this disaster stew, David, the gorgeous hunk who broke her young-girl’s heart has coincidentally popped back into her life and has something she desperately needs to keep her job.

Walking with Elephants, a lighthearted slice-of- life story, brings to the table the serious work/family issues facing women today. It explores the modern dichotomy of a workplace that is filled with homemakers who still must cook, clean, carpool on nights and weekends, shop for prom dresses, and “create” the holidays—such as Suze. But it also is filled with women who have the same drive as men, have no family responsibilities, and will do what ever it takes to get ahead.

So step into the shoes of Suze Hall and commiserate over workplace politics, titillate your sexual fantasies, ride the wave of a working mother, and fall-down laughing.

My Thoughts:

I really, really enjoyed this book and found the story very relatable and thought it was literally just like something that would happen to one of my girlfriends. Suze is a really great literary character that I was instantly drawn to and I really enjoyed watching her tackle every day tasks. Karen speaks from the heart and it is easy to see why so many people enjoy this book and why it is so highly rated on Amazon. If you are looking for a quick, light and enjoyable read, then this one is for you.
Rating: 4 stars

On Tour: Tainted Love by Erin Cawood

Erin will be on tour June 17-28 with her novel Tainted Love Is it possible for a heart to survive twenty five years of abuse…

Book Review: Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller

I received a copy of Tattered Innocence by Ann Lee Miller in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

A tale of passions indulged, denied, and ultimately forgiven:

On the verge of bagging the two things he wants most—a sailing charter business and marrying old money—Jake Murray’s fiancée/sole crew member dumps him. Salvation comes in the form of dyslexic, basketball toting Rachel Martin, the only one to apply for the first mate position he slapped on craigslist.

On a dead run from an affair with a married man, Rachel’s salvation is shoving ocean between her and temptation.

Rapid fire dialogue and romantic tension sail Jake’s biker-chick of a boat through hurricanes, real and figurative. A cast of wannabe sailors, Rachel’s ex, Jake’s, a baby—go along for the ride.

The many-layered story weaves together disparate strands into a seamless cord. Mother and daughter look eerily alike—down to their lusts. Their symbiotic bond, forged in the blood of childbirth on the kitchen floor and cemented by their secrets, must be cracked open. A son must go home. Sin must be expunged.

Tattered Innocence is for anyone who’s ever woken up sealed in a fifty-gallon drum of their guilt.

My Thoughts:

Over the past year, I have become a big fan of Miller and her writing, and this book is no exception. In short, this book is about forgiveness and I absolutely loved the way the story conveyed such a powerful message to the reader. Jake is a torn character and I really enjoyed watching him grow and come to. This story is layered and complex and definitely isn’t as simple as you might imagine while reading the synopsis. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really appreciated the value of forgiveness that it conveys, especially because it is not only an aspect applied to others but to ourselves as well. Overall, very well done! I can’t wait to see what Ann Lee Miller comes out with next!
Rating: 4 stars

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Eleusis by Genevieve Fairbrother

Genevieve Fairbrother is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Eleusis
Summary:
Macy needs a break to sort out her life. Her parents are dead and now a moody trespasser has set up camp on the property she has inherited. When the stranger confesses himself to be an ageless sea-god and tells Macy she has been guarding a secret she never knew existed, her simple life takes a drastic turn. Just when she thinks it can’t get any stranger, a back door to the Underworld opens up and it’s time to run like hell.

This fast-paced adventure romance novel explodes as the dark forces tracking Macy surface to capture her. In the transatlantic chase that follows, she learns of her forgotten past and an ancient connection to the sea-god who helps her escape.

As events challenge Macy, she must come to grips with her past, determine what she wants in life, and become a force in her own right. Family betrayal, sinister plot twists, and unlikely friends fill this exhilarating story of one woman’s journey to forge her own path as she learns her true identity.

She soon realizes that to gain real freedom and become legend, she must reject her assigned place in history and risk everything in the process.
Review:
I like stories that seem unique and original, and that is why I was drawn to Eleusis. Clearly there is a lot of plot points and story to work through, and I think if you read this book with an open mind you can really enjoy it. There are some beautiful descriptions in the book, along with an interesting love story, a fantasy twist, and a strong heroine with a chance to be a legend. Sometimes the dialogue was a bit choppy almost and there were parts I had to re-read to make sure I was understanding everything, but intriguing concept for a book overall!
4 stars

Blog Tour Sign Up: Front Page Fatality by LynDee Walker

LynDee will be on tour in July with her mystery novel Front Page Fatality. I am looking for book bloggers to post excerpts for this…

On Tour: Aggravated Circumstances by Michele Shriver

Michele will be on tour June 17-June 24 with her novel Aggravated Circumstances A family can be torn apart in an instant. Putting it back…