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What I'm Reading Wednesday

I’m Reading Trouble by Samantha Towle and 10 Years Later by J. Sterling

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I knew it was going to happen, and this week I hit the wall: I ran out of reliable NA romances to keep me occupied between the time I stop writing at night and the time the Kindle hits me in the head as I fall asleep.

Sigh. #FirstWorldWriterProblems

So I tried out Trouble by Samantha Towle. It was decent. The story wasn’t easy to read; the main female character suffers abuse at the hands of her father and her first boyfriend, and as a result, she’s also bullemic. That’s not light-hearted fare; it’s a long way from ‘I’m tutoring the hot football/hockey star and even though I’m not popular, I think we’re in love.’ Still, the writing was good, and the male character was both lovable and flawed. Their slow dance toward each other was interesting and realistic, and I enjoyed it, as well as the twist I hadn’t expected. The supporting characters were also likable and well-drawn. I’d read more from this author.

Once I’d finished the first book, I decided to take a chance on one I’d seen in my suggested reading from the ‘zon for quite some time. The premise was promising: two people who clearly had some kind of high school history are about to reconnect at their ten-year reunion. The female lead has a cool career, working for a popular radio show in LA, and the male lead is an undercover cop. Lots of promise.

Unfortunately, the promise didn’t pay off. There was a lot of trite build-up, quite a few situations that could’ve led down intriguing paths but which the author never pursued. We eventually find out what went on between the two in the past, and the payoff was a little anti-climatic. Part of that could’ve been that the flashbacks were way too much telling and not enough showing. There wasn’t enough dialogue or action therein, and it didn’t make me care about the characters. Honestly, I was a little bored, which was really too bad, because again, the characters could have had so many dimensions. This book almost felt like a short building up to the real story.

So now I’m back in the same place, looking for the next read. Cora Carmack’s All Played Out releases in less than a month, but I’m not sure I can wait that long. I’m open to suggestions here.

Friday Free For All

Five From Lyssa Layne

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Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Lyssa Layne

Q: In the middle of a busy week, suddenly everything you had planned for one day falls away and you have twelve hours of unstructured time—no responsibilities, no plans, no requirements. What do you do with that gift of time? (And writing cannot be the answer!!)

A: Wow! How can I make this happen for real??? If I couldn’t write or do author tasks then I’d probably find myself at Cardinals’ game with my family and being a tourist in my own great city of St. Louis.

Q: Your fairy godmother grants you the gift of being one character in one of your own books for the day. Who will you be and why?

A: Well, Jules from Everybody’s After Love is actually loosely based around my husband and me so I know what her day to day is like. So if I had to pick, I’d probably choose Mia from Fear of Striking Out. Hello, hot hubby in baseball pants! Not to mention, she’s incredibly strong and such a sweetheart.

Q: Five chefs from The Food Network are coming to your house for dinner tonight. What will you prepare for them to eat?

A: My hubs was saying I make a pretty delicious meatloaf so I’d probably do that and just pray it wasn’t raw in the middle. :-/ And of course, we’d have to have Fat Man’s Delight for dessert!

Q: The zombie apocalypse is upon us. You have a full tank of gas. . .where will you go to hide and/or make your stand?

A: My husband (man, he’s a character himself!) already has our basement stocked and our pantry full so we’d probably stay where we are… and run to the grocery store to buy all the Twinkies I could get my hands on.

Q: You’re at the society event of the year, and the most eligible bachelor in the room wants to buy you a drink. What’ll it be?

A: Electric lemonade please!!!

***

re edit 19-1Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Follow Lyssa here: Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Amazon/Goodreads/Barnes and Noble

 My Favorite What If

One year after Jacob “Smitty” Smith is stood up at the altar, his good friend Jules encourages him to redeem his honeymoon favoritewhatif_1600x2400package before it expires. Reluctantly, he agrees, and finds himself sitting beside free spirit Sloan Talbott, who is attending her sister’s destination wedding at the same resort. Both have been hurt. Neither is looking for love. Will one week in paradise be a fling to remember or could it possibly lead to something more?

Amazon US/Amazon CAN/Amazon AUS/Amazon UK/Barnes & Noble/Kobo/Goodreads

Other Books by Lyssa Layne

Love is a Fire

Burst Into Flame

The Right Pitch

Fear of Striking Out

Everybody’s After Love.

Boxed Sets

Heroes to Swoon For

Spring Into Love

Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin’

Next Release

Lyssa’s next release Until You Fall In Love and will debut June 9 and is available for only 99 cents!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I’m Reading Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott and The Ivy Years by Sarina Bowen

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When you’re a reader-connoisseur of a certain genre of books, you tend to develop a sixth sense about those books. I can usually tell from a blurb–either how well it’s written or its content–whether a book is for me or not. Sometimes, though, I choose to read a book despite its blurb. At times this works out, and others it does not.

This week, I read three really excellent books that fell into this category. I wasn’t enthralled with any of the blurbs, but I went for it anyway and was pleasantly surprised.

The first book is Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott. I’d read four of her other books; the first two were really excellent (This is Falling and You and Everything After–LOVE those titles), and the other two were only so-so. I’m happy to say the newer books were the better one, so it was clear Ms. Scott’s writing has been evolving. But on the basis of those first two, I bought Wild Reckless even though it seemed to be a little YA.

I loved this story. The characters are amazing, three-dimensional, well-rounded and well-written. There is a lot of angst and trauma, but none of it is manufactured or dwelt on too long. It’s just the sucky stuff that happens in some lives and how we move on from those situations, living past them without letting them define us.

Owen and Kensington had terrific chemistry, and their story developed at the perfect pace. I really enjoyed this book, and I’d love to read more in this world. (Hint, hint, Ms. Scott!)

After finishing Wild Reckless, I started reading The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen. I wasn’t sure about this. The main female character was in a wheelchair, and I wasn’t sure how that would be handled. As it turned out, I was impressed that while the challenges of Corey’s condition certainly were not ignored, again they did not define her. They were part of the situation that allowed her to meet Hartley, and they added some complications, but they only made the ultimate coming together sweeter. Again, well-written characters set into a plot that didn’t have too much contriving.

I enjoyed it so much that I went directly into the next book, The Year We Hid Away, and I loved it, too. Possibly even more! I even read the novella The Blonde Date, and found it wonderful. I highly recommend The Ivy Years books.

And now I’m looking for a new read. Any thoughts? Ideas? Books that are making you sigh?

Friday Free For All

Five From Layla Wilcox

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Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Layla Wilcox

I met Layla when we were part of a promotion last February. We’ll also be working together in a box set this summer. I’m thrilled that she stopped by for a quickie. Or rather. . .for five of them. 😉

 

Q: Mulder or Scully?

Mulder. I was so pleased to see that the series is being brought back for another six episodes! Almost as exciting as the similar short, updated run of “24.”

Q: Your fairy godmother offers you a choice: a week in an English manor or a week on the beach in Maui. Which would you choose?

Tough choice! Probably a week in an English manor because I lived in a tropical environment for a long time (not as nice as Hawaii, but sometimes beach is beach, and I haven’t been to the UK).

Q: One of your books is being put on film. Would you prefer a feature film or a television series?

Oh, a TV series, especially if it could be adapted to a season’s worth of shows!

Q: You win a contest and can have either unlimited books from Amazon or unlimited coffee from Starbucks. Which one?

Amazon. I don’t even like Starbucks coffee. I’d much prefer to brew my own while reading my unlimited supply of books 😉

Q: Which movie star from before 1980 would you want for a night of. . .fun?

I gave this one lots of thought because… well, so many possibilities. After much consideration, I choose…Steve McQueen.

***

LaylaCroppedLayla Wilcox is a native New Yorker. She writes about strong women who like all things hot: weather, food, and men–and not necessarily in that order. When not writing erotic romances, Layla enjoys watching entire seasons of old television series on Amazon Prime while eating homemade vegan pizza, followed by dark chocolate.

Follow Layla: Facebook/Twitter/Google+/Newsletter/Blog

***

Satisfying the Billionaire Collection.

(Note: price will be reduced to 99cents as a Kindle Countdown on the date of this post.)satisfy-collection

This Collection includes all four books in the SATISFYING THE BILLIONAIRE series.

A billionaire is driven by the need for more. Her one job is to satisfy him.

Barely out of high school, young Kelsey has a demanding job–keeping her middle-aged, billionaire husband Donovan James sexually satisfied.

Continually being prompted to raise the stakes in the bedroom, Kelsey dresses up for role-play games as his nurse, maid, cook, and naughty schoolgirl. But the insatiable Donovan pushes for more and sends her to act out her sexual fantasies with the help while he watches from a hidden location.

The pressure remains on Kelsey to run the show even when Donovan can’t be present. She must figure out how to record her sexual escapades as well as continually find new partners to seduce in front of the hidden cameras.

Sometimes even the best plans go awry, and the results can be devastating–or divine. Kelsey finds the future of her marriage hangs in the balance.

This steamy collection contains explicit sexual content and is intended for readers 18+ years of age.

Amazon US/Amazon UK

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I’m Reading The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

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Today, I’m continuing my string of New Adult romances with terrific characters in The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan. I’m a little shocked that this was Ms. Callihan’s first contemporary romance (I guess she’s written some paranormal). Frankly, I was a little miffed because I want more NOW.

Again, the plot of this story isn’t anything earth-shattering. Boy meets girl. . .and in this instance, boy and girl feel instant attraction. Boy is willing to pursue, girl wants nothing to do with boy because he’s the BMOC (is that a thing anymore? It was in my day.) Dude’s a football star, 2-time champion and Heisman trophy winner. Anna Jones is the type to fly under the radar after getting shunned by the popular crowd during high school.

But Drew Baylor doesn’t take no for an answer. Not in a stalker, creeper way, but in the sense that he’s taking advantage of every opportunity he gets to see and talk to Anna. When they finally hook up, she lays down some rules in her own head (which is something else I liked: she doesn’t tell Drew the rules, it’s just understood, which I think is so much more realistic): no kissing on the lips. No telling anyone. No staying the night. No falling in love.

Of course it becomes more. You know it will, I know it will . . . so why do we get hooked by hook up stories? Because it’s about falling in love. It’s about two damaged characters who are fighting being together until the absolute senselessness of it makes being apart impossible.

The only problem I had with this book was that I want the next one NOW. Yesterday. And there’s not even a release date. I’m a little bitter.

I think I might need a 12 step program for new adult contemporary romance.