RELEASE DAY BLITZ - Runaway Heart by Sonya Loveday & Candace Knoebel (Review & Giveaway)

Runaway Heart by Sonya Loveday & Candace Knoebel

(A Game of Hearts #2)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 21st Dec 2015

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IX03Gj

One Hurricane. Two Strangers. No Rules.

Hannah Adamson was immune to relationships. Swearing men off long ago, she buried her painful reasons under her feisty independence and a passion for roller derby. Until she met Ed and was swept away by the tall, witty, sarcastically sexy best man who might just be the one to have the antidote for her runaway heart.

Ed Alcott wasn’t looking for love, especially not after a particularly nasty breakup left him with a shattered heart in desperate need of repair. 

Taking shelter together when a hurricane bears down on Rum Cay, Hannah and Ed find they can't fight their growing attraction. It was supposed to be simple. Easy. A weekend of passion with no strings. But how do you forget the one who stripped away all your layers, and haunts your dreams? 

Can Hannah keep the scattered pieces of her heart in check, or will the promise of Ed’s love be enough to mend them back together?

4/5

Another fantastic book from two awesome authors. I enjoyed this book so much! It was so intense and emotional. And the characters were great. I adored Ed in Love Always, but I fell in love with him in this one. He was so funny! And such a sweetheart! I want one lol! Hannah I had a harder time connecting with, I'm not sure why exactly, but I did feel sorry for her and what she has gone through. The authors tackled such a difficult issue with great class.

Ed and Hannah had amazing chemistry. These two were perfect together. While it could be classed as insta-love, it never felt like that. Their relationship blossomed beautifully. They had so much in common and had such a wonderful connection.

Even though I enjoyed Love Always, a bit more, I still really liked this one. Such a moving story with a powerful message of no matter how broken you may think you are, there is always hope.  A compelling and engaging read, I highly recommend this one!

About the Authors

Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to purchasing her first laptop in 2009, and publishing her first novel, Casted, in 2013. In early 2014, Sonya expanded Casted and then went on to publish Spelled, the sequel to Casted in March, wrapping up the series, and her stint with Paranormal Romance. For now. Not long after the completion to the Casted Series, Sonya tried her hand at Contemporary Romance. Thusly, The Six Series was born with The Summer I Fell, which released at the end of July 2014. To date, Sonya lives in Central Florida with her husband, and two kids, and is currently working several projects to be announced in the upcoming months. 

Author Links: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonyalovedayauthor 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sonyaloveday 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sonyaloveday/ 

Website: www.sonyaloveday.com 

Email: sonya.loveday@gmail.com 

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7060433.Sonya_Loveday

 

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.candaceknoebel.com 

Blog: http://candaceknoebel.wordpress.com/ 

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

Twitter: www.twitter.com/candaceknoebel 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6458922.Candace_Knoebel

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BLOG TOUR - The Queen B* and the Homecoming King by Crista McHugh (Review & Giveaway)

The Queen B* And the Homecoming King 

by Crista McHugh

Series: Queen B* #3

Genre: YA Contemporary

Date of Publication: December 1, 2015

Blurb:

The Queen B*, Alexis Wyndham, has only three rules when it comes to dating that star quarterback, Brett Pederson:

1) No obligations to spend every waking moment with each other.

2) No public displays of affection while at Eastline High.

3) And absolutely, under no circumstances, will she ever go to the Homecoming dance.

But as her life is completely upended time and time again, she begins to wonder if some rules are meant to be broken.

I'd never greeted a Monday morning with dozens of giddy butterflies in my stomach. Usually, I reserved my most dramatic sighs and biting comments for Mondays because—let's face it—they suck. But this Monday morning was different.

I, Alexis Wyndham, was officially Brett Pederson's girlfriend.

But I still wasn't ready to announce that to the world.

As we floated in a canoe among the water lilies in Lake Washington yesterday, I lay down a few ground rules to help me ease into this unprecedented (and unimaginable) situation. After all, it's not every day the Queen B* and the Quarterback become a couple. Dropping that bomb on our classmates could cause a rift in the space-time continuum.

Or at least cause my nemesis, Summer Hoyt, to have one very public and dramatic meltdown.

Rule number one: I refused to be one of those disgustingly cute couples that were joined at the hip between classes. We were dating, not merging our lives and identities into a single life-form. Brett had his group of friends and I had mine, and until recently, they never intertwined because I despised most of the in-crowd. If I hadn't gotten to know the real Brett during a class project, I would've continued to write him off as a dumb jock.

Lesson learned, but still…

Rule number two: no public displays of affection at school. Not that I had any problem with PDAs with Brett. I liked kissing him. But I also had been known to lose control when I was with him…and lose articles of clothing. And after having that awkward run-in with my mom and her boyfriend's PDA on our living room couch last week, I'd rather not make a spectacle of myself in front of everyone. It opened up the doors to ridicule.

Rule number three: I wouldn't go to Homecoming with Brett. I'd made it this far through high school without plunging into that cheesy sea of balloons and crepe paper while wearing a silly sequin-laden dress, and I wasn't going to cross that line during my senior year.

Buy Links:

Amazon (Kindle) / Barnes & Noble

About Crista McHugh:

Crista McHugh is an award-winning author of fantasy and romance who writes heroines who are smart, sexy and anything but ordinary. She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends. 

She is an active member of the Romance Writers of America (including the Greater Seattle Chapter and the Seattle Eastside Chapters), and Romance Divas. 

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she's had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant. 

And she's also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days) 

Find Crista McHugh Online:

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter

4/5

It's not over is it?? I don't want it to be over! I am enjoying this series so much, I just want it to keep going. Alexis really is a fantastic character. She has come a long way since book one and I loved watching her grown and learn to let Brett in. They make an awesome couple and even though they still have obstacles to overcome, they come out stronger than ever.

Another thing I really like about this series though is how it doesn't just focus on the realtionship between Alexis and Brett. There are so many secondary stories going on that I was never bored. McHugh explores so many different topics and tackles them all brilliantly. The series as a whole deals with all the highs and lows of teenage life in a very realistic way.

I really hope there will be more books. I'm not ready for this series to be over yet. A definite must read!

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BLOG TOUR - The Queen B* Strikes Back by Crista McHugh (Review & Giveaway)

The Queen B* Strikes Back by Crista McHugh

Series: The Queen B* #2
Genre: YA Contemporary
Date of Publication: September 29, 2015

Blurb:

Alexis Wyndham isn't quite sure what to think about her "friendship" with star quarterback, Brett Pederson. Sure, he has more brains than the entire football team combined. Not to mention that fact he's a great kisser. When he asks her to help him with his college admission essay, she isn't sure if he's doing it to spend more time with her or if he's just using her for her intelligence. But after her nemesis, Summer Hoyt, makes it clear she's not finished chasing after Brett, the war is on, and the head cheerleader will find out that hell hath no fury like a Queen B*.

Buy Links:

Amazon (Kindle) / BN (Nook) / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

4/5
Ahh this book was just as amazing as the first one! Picking up right where we left off, Alexis is still trying to fight her feelings for Brett, while Brett is still trying to convince her that they would be good together. These two have fantastic chemistry and they really would make a brilliant couple. I can understand Alexis' hesitation though. She was hurt badly in the past and has put a wall up around her heart to prevent her ever getting hurt again. But Brett is slowly but surely taking down that wall brick by brick. Alexis grows a lot in this book. There is a lot more to her than being the Queen B* and I like that she is started to let her softer side show. And I loved Brett. He is such a sweet heart and I just kept wishing that Alexis would give him a chance. I did want to knock some sense into him though when it came to his blindness towards Summer and what she was doing. I feel like there is something we're missing regarding her though, but that doesn't make her any less of a bitch.

My only complaint with these books is that they are too short! I want more!! I really hope the 3rd book isn't gonna be the last one because I am not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet. I highly recommend this serious if you are looking for a fun, quick, and highly enjoyable read!

About Crista McHugh:

Crista McHugh is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING author of fantasy and romance with heroines who are smart, sexy, and anything but ordinary.

She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.

And she’s also a recovering LARPer, (she blames it on her crazy college days).

Find Crista Online:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter 

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BLOG TOUR - This Is One Moment by Mila Gray (Review & Giveaway)

This Is One Moment by Mila Gray

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Publication Date: 10 September (Paperback release date)

Synopsis:

A forbidden romance. A wounded Marine who thinks he’s beyond saving. A girl who’s determined to prove him wrong. 

Didi Monroe’s waited her whole life for the type of romance you see in the movies, so when Hollywood heartthrob Zac Ridgemont sweeps her off her feet, Didi believes she might finally have met the one.

While Zac’s away filming for the summer, Didi begins her internship at a military hospital in California. There, she meets wounded Marine Noel Walker. Frustrated on the outside and broken on the inside, Walker’s a pain-in-the-ass patient who refuses all help. Yet Didi can’t help but be drawn to him, and though he’s strictly out of bounds it soon becomes impossible to ignore the sparks flying between them.

As the attraction simmers into dangerous territory, Didi finds herself falling hard for a man she knows is going to break her heart. Because Walker doesn’t believe in love or happy ever afters. So what possible future can there be? Then tragedy hits, shattering both their worlds, and Didi is forced to choose between fighting for love or merely falling for the illusion of it.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depository

Author Bio:

Mila Gray is the pen name for young adult author Sarah Alderson.

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and tutu-wearing daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home.

After almost a year spent wandering around India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb. She finished her first novel Hunting Lila just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel, Losing Lila, on the beach in India, and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they reached Bali. Since then she has published a further four novels and several short stories.

The contemporary thriller The Sound, was published in the US in May 2014, while Out of Control, a thriller with a focus on human trafficking, was released in May ’14 in the UK and May ’15 in the US. Her first adult novel Come Back To Me was released in the summer 2014 by Pan Macmillan in the UK and became an instant bestseller. It will be released in the US in December 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Foreign rights have been sold to Brazil, Australia, US, Canada, Italy and Portugal.

Sarah is also a screenwriter. She adapted her first novel Hunting Lila for the screen (currently in pre-production) and is working on several other screenplays (multi-tasking is one of her favorite things).

Her first adult novel, Come Back To Me, was published in June 2014. The second, This One Moment, will be out in August 2015.

Sarah has co-written the Hunting Lila screenplay, which is currently in the early stages of production, and continues to blog about her life and travels.

Author Links:

Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Website

4/5

(I'm sorry but I don't think I can write this review without spoilers so fair warning!)

This was such a great read. I was so happy when I heard that there was a follow up to Come Back To Me. I loved Didi and couldn't wait to read more about her.
This was such an emotional and heartbreaking read, with a great cast of characters. I loved the chemistry between Didi and Walker. I loved how the relationship progressed, and the fact that Walker fell in love with Didi's personality first instead of her looks. The whole blindness aspect added a really interesting twist to the story. Walker was a fantastic love interest and my heart broke for him and what he had gone through. I detest war and all that comes with it and I thought the author did a good job at portraying what the soldiers have to deal with when they come home.
Zac on the other hand I did not see what Didi saw in him. I really did not understand why she stayed with him for so long. Didi is a romantic and I know she thought she had found her happily ever after with him but it was so obvious that he was not the one for her.

I was all set to give this book 5 stars, I was actually enjoying it more than the first book, but then in the last 20% it all changed and I got so annoyed with the characters. There was just really unnecessary drama added and it all could have been so easily avoided. It was the whole people not communicating problem and it was all so childish. I got really annoyed with Didi in particular. She just made such a ridiculous choice that I could not understand.

Apart from the ending this was still a brilliant read. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. Definitely recommend it to all you romance lovers out there.

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BLOG TOUR - Confessions of a Queen B* by Crista McHugh (Review & Giveaway)

Confessions of a Queen B* by Crista McHugh

(Queen B*, #1)

Publication date: July 28th 2015

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Alexis Wyndham is the other type of Queen B—the Queen Bitch.

After years of being the subject of ridicule, she revels in her ability to make the in-crowd cower via the exposés on her blog, The Eastline Spy. Now that she’s carved out her place in the high school hierarchy, she uses her position to help the unpopular kids walking the hallways.

Saving a freshman from bullies? Check.

Swapping insults with the head cheerleader? Check.

Falling for the star quarterback? So not a part of her plan.

But when Brett offers to help her solve the mystery of who’s posting X-rated videos from the girls’ locker room, she’ll have to swallow her pride and learn to see past the high school stereotypes she’s never questioned—until now.

Purchase:

Amazon /B&N

AUTHOR BIO:

Growing up in small town Alabama, Crista relied on story-telling as a natural way for her to pass the time and keep her two younger sisters entertained.

She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.

And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

For the latest updates, deleted scenes, and answers to any burning questions you have, please check out her webpage, www.CristaMcHugh.com.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

4/5

I really liked this book! It was such a fun and cute read and it had a great cast of characters. Alexis was a really cool protagonists. She was so snarky and feisty which I always love in characters. Of course she was so fricking stubborn at times that I wanted to give her a smack across the head but I still really liked her. 

And Brett I loved. He could put up with Alexis' bitchiness like no one else. The verbal sparring matchings these two got into were hilarious, I loved every moment they were together. And of course Brett isn't the "dumb jock" that she thinks he is. I loved learning more about him.

SPOILER!!

I am actually really happy with how the book ended. I think if Brett and Alexis ended up together by the end it would have been too soon. There's no denying the chemistry these two have but I'm looking forward to seeing them hanging out as just friends for a bit longer.

END OF SPOILER!!

This book really did end too soon so I am so excited that it is a series. I cannot wait for book 2! A quick, hilarious and superbly enjoyable read, this is one I definitely recommend! :)

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BLOG TOUR - Rebounding by Shanna Clayton (Review & Giveaway)

Rebounding by Shanna Clayton

Publication date: June 15th 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Goodbye.

Charlotte Hart will do anything to escape the life she once adored, even if that means moving in with a mysterious guy from her past.

Hello.

When the girl who saved Max Archer’s life shows up on his doorstep, he knows he can’t turn her away.

Neither of them can let go of their pasts. Both of them are living a lie. If they can’t figure out how to rebound, they’re destined to crash and burn.

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N

AUTHOR BIO:

I'm not sure if my mother predestined me to become a romance author when she named me after her favorite Kathleen Woodiwiss book, but that's what happened. Now I live and breathe all things books. When I'm not glued to my desk writing, I can be found eating too much chocolate, obsessing over Game of Thrones, and cyber stalking my favorite authors. Keep up with me on Facebook and Instagram. I love hearing from readers!

Author Links:

Twitter / Facebook / Website

4/5

Just as good as the first book, Rebounding was an emotional and highly enjoyable read. The book follows Charlotte, who we met in Pretending, and Max. I would definitely recommend reading Pretending before you read this so you can get the full story about what happened to Charlotte.

I didn't really like Charlotte before as she came across as a bit of a bitch but I began to like her in this. I really felt for her and what happened to her. I'm trying not to say what happened cause I don't want to spoil the first book for those that haven't read it. I really liked that she tried to gain some independence and get away from her family and her town. It took her a while but as they say, old habits die hard. 

Max I really liked. He tried to come across as distant and cold but really he was a sweetheart. My heart absolutely broke for him for what he has gone through and was still going through. The two of them had great chemistry, they were perfect for each other.

I did enjoy Pretending more because of the treasure hunting aspect but I still enjoyed this one too. A great series with a great cast of characters! Would defo recommend to all you NA contemporary lovers out there :)

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