Future Tour: Untimed by Andy Gavin
Andy will be on tour July 8-22 with his YA/time travel romance novel Untimed Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, his…
On Tour: Geoducks Are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott
Daisy will be on tour June 10-17 with her novel Geoducks Are for Lovers Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back on her feet…
Author Profile: Karen Stivali
Author Name: Karen Stivali
Website: http://karenstivali.com/
Bio:
Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.
Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm and sexy details.
Karen has published three erotic romances with Ellora’s Cave: Marry Me (June 2012), Long-Distance Lovers (co-written with Karen Booth, March 2012) and Always You (Passionate Plume First Place Novella Winner, RWA 2012).
Karen’s women’s fiction stories, published with Turquoise Morning Press, include Meant To Be (August 2012) and its sequel Holding On (November 2012). Both full length novels are currently available in e-book and paperback. A prequel to these novels, the short story All I Need, appears in the Foreign Affairs Anthology (August 2012). Another short story, White Wedding, which takes place between Meant To Be and Holding On, will be in an anthology due out in June 2013.
Also coming in 2013 Karen will have two contemporary romances releasing from Samhain Publishing. The first of these, THEN, AGAIN is due out on May 23, 2013. LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON will be out in November/December 2013. A new erotic romance novella will release from Ellora’s Cave in Spring 2013 and JUST IN TIME, a follow-up to Meant To Be and Holding On that will focus on Justine, will release from Turquoise Morning in January 2014.
Connect with Karen!
http://karenstivali.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenstivali
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenstivali
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005KWSFGO
Bio retrieved from CLP Blog Tours
Book Review: The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen
I received a copy of The Repeat Years by Andrea Lochen in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Everyone has days, weeks, even months they wish they could do over—but what about an entire year? After living through the worst twelve months of her life, intensive care nurse Olive Watson is given a second chance to relive her past and attempt to discover where she went wrong…
After a year of hardships, including a messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend Phil, the prospect of her mother’s remarriage, and heartbreaking patient losses at the hospital, Olive is ready to start fresh. But when she wakes up in her ex-boyfriend’s bed on New Year’s Day 2011—a day she has already lived—Olive’s world is turned upside down.
Shouldering a year of memories that no one else can recall, even Olive begins to question herself—until she discovers that she is not alone. Upon crossing paths with Sherry Witan, an experienced “repeater,” Olive learns that she has the chance to rewrite her future. Given the opportunity of a lifetime, Olive has to decide what she really wants. Should she make different choices, or accept her life as she knows it, flaws and all?
Review:
I’m always up for a book with a bit of complex, almost magic-like quality, and The Repeat Years fit just into that. I love to question myself along with the characters, wondering what I would do if I were in their situation. Olive was great to take this journey with, as she was ready to start afresh in the New Year only to be forced to relive it – and try to decide if she should make different decisions along the way. What would we do if we got that chance? A very intriguing concept, a well-written story with well-developed characters, and I think The Repeat Years should make it on your to-read list!
4 stars
Future Tour: Royal Secrets by Kathleen Irene Paterka
Kathleen will be on tour July 22-August 12 with her women’s fiction novel Royal Secrets The Royal Wedding Chapel of Las Vegas Where dreams come…
On Tour: The Blasphemy Box by Mandy Behbehani
Mandy will be on tour June 10-July 1 with her novel The Blasphemy Box “You know that nightmare you’ve always had? The one where you…
Book Review: The Way Back to Happiness by Elizabeth Bass
I received a copy of The Way Back to Happiness by Elizabeth Bass in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
From the acclaimed author of Miss You Most of All comes a heartfelt, wonderfully affirming novel of sisterhood, healing, and new beginnings.
No one could blame Bev Putterman for becoming estranged from her sister. No one but Bev, anyway. Growing up, Diana was difficult and selfish yet always their mother’s favorite. And then came the betrayal that took away the future Bev dreamed of.
Yet if Diana caused problems while alive, her death leaves Bev in a maelstrom of remorse. She longs to provide a stable home for Diana’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Alabama. But between her commitment-phobic boyfriend and her precarious teaching position, Bev’s life is already in upheaval without an unruly teenager around.
All Alabama knows about Aunt Bev is what her mother told her–and none of it was good. They clash about money, clothes, boys, and especially about Diana. In desperation, Alabama sets out to find her late father’s family. Instead she learns of the complicated history between her mother and aunt, how guilt can shut down a life–and most important, how love and forgiveness can open a door and make us whole again. . .
Review:
I have also reviewed Wherever Grace is Needed from Elizabeth Bass and absolutely adored the book, so it was no surprise that it took me just about a day to get The Way Back to Happiness read. The characters she creates easily transports readers to their world, and won’t let you back out until well after you’ve turned the last page. The relationships felt very realistic, especially the one between Bev and Alabama. There are a lot of tough situations in this story and I shed a few tears, but it was a wonderful read and one I recommend. I hope to read more from this author.
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Still Life in Brunswick Stew …
Larissa Reinhart is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Still Life in Brunswick Stew
Summary:
Cherry Tucker’s in a stew. Art commissions dried up after her nemesis became president of the County Arts Council. Desperate and broke, Cherry and her friend, Eloise, spend a sultry summer weekend hawking their art at the Sidewinder Annual Brunswick Stew Cook-Off. When a bad case of food poisoning breaks out and Eloise dies, the police brush off her death as accidental. However, Cherry suspects someone spiked the stew and killed her friend. As Cherry calls on cook-off competitors, bitter rivals, and crooked judges, the police get steamed while the killer prepares to cook Cherry’s goose.
Review:
What a fun read! The only disappointment I had with this book is that I hadn’t yet read first one – not that hindered my experience – but I loved Cherry from the first page and know I now I need to get my hands on Portrait of a Dead Guy, the first in this series. This novel is fun, fast-paced, suspenseful, and just an all-around good time. Even though it is the second in a series, I never felt like I was missing information or was lacking anything, I just jumped right into Cherry’s life and had a blast. I enjoyed the bit of a cliff-hanger between her, Luke, and Todd, and would love to see who she ends up with, because I truly have no idea! I always enjoy a bit of mystery in my reads, and this one should land on your to-read list!
4.5 stars
Author Profile: Trisha Leigh
Author Name: Trisha Leigh
Website: http://trishaleigh.com/
Bio: Raised by a family of ex-farmers and/or almost rock stars from Northeastern Iowa, I’ve always loved to tell stories. After graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in Film, I began to search for a way to release the voices in my head. IWhen I attempted my first YA novel, which would become Whispers in Autumn, I was hooked. I knew then my heart lay with telling stories about and for young adults, and for anyone who loves to read and recapture those fleeting “first” moments.
My spare time is spent reviewing television and movies, spending time with my large, loud, loving family, reading any book that falls into my hands, and being dragged into the fresh air by my dogs Yoda and Jilly.
Visit Trisha’s tour page!
See my 4 star review for Whispers in Autumn!
Connect with Trisha!
http://www.trishaleigh.com
@trishaleighkc
trishaleighkc.tumblr.com
http://pinterest.com/trishaleighkc/
Facebook
The Last Year – Facebook
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