Bookish News: all the interesting things I’ve learned while on hiatus

Good morning, stars! It’s me, the book blogger – sorry if you expected the moon, our lady is asleep right now. I was organizing my e-mail this weekend and realized there are TONS of bookish news I’d like to share and comment with you, but mostly are from my hiatus (a.k.a. old news). As a journalist, I can’t sell you this information as fresh, because mostly aren’t. Also, I’d totally spam your inboxes with so many things I wanted to tell you all, so I decided to do a huge post (spoiler alert?) with all the top news I’ve learned and squealed over during my recluse days.

On the future, I plan to transform this into a weekly deal. While we wait for that particular miracle, I’m going to ravish about all the good stuff I’ve learned through the past two or three months =) To make navigation easier, I wrote this post in topics, sorting the authors alphabetically by their first name! #ocd #sorrynotsorry

This post has news about: Anne Renwick, Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon, Elaine Ashford, Helen Harper, Jeff Adams, Jordan L. Hawk, Linda Oaks, Mark C. King and Melissa Foster!

Anne Renwick

• The Silver Skull (The Elemental Web Chronicles #2)

I’ve stumbled upon Anne Renwick’s books a couple of weeks ago and signed up to her newsletter. I’m crazy about newsletters of any kind, so I had to add hers to my collection ❤ Last Friday, she revealed the final cover for the second book in  The Elemental Web Chronicles, coming out on January of 2017: The Silver Skull!

As you can see, I’m in love already and we haven’t even reached the blurb, haha! The book doesn’t have a profile on goodreads yet, but you can take a look on the first volume here and visit the author’s site here for more information on the series =)

Lady Olivia is not all she seems.

Trained for marriage to an assigned political target, her skills lie in programming household steambots to serve tea, dress her hair… and sound the alarm while she picks locks and listens at doors. Humiliated by a failed assignment, she decides to redeem herself by tailing a suspected double agent.

Lord Rathsburn must flirt with treason.

Struggles to cure a horrible disease have met with unexpected complications. The cells he engineered can make a man’s bones unbreakable, but the side effects are fatal. He believed the research terminated… until his sister was kidnapped by a German count. Her ransom? A cure.

Piloting a stolen dirigible, he uncovers an unlikely stowaway, Lady Olivia.

Arriving together at a crumbling castle, an impossible task is set before them: cure the count’s guardsmen. Amidst their fake marriage, a very real growing attraction, dying guardsmen and escalating hostilities, Lady Olivia and Lord Rathsburn are thrust deep into the world of international medical espionage from which there may be no return.

 

Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon

• Delaney and the Autumn Masque (Victorian Holiday Hearts #4)

My divas released their newest book on October 3^rd! Delaney and the Autumn Masque is the last book in the Victorian Holiday Hearts series, with a steamy gay romance for each special holiday of the year! I already own books one and two, but I have failed my goddesses and haven’t started the series yet. #shameonme But I shall and soon, as their books are too good for me to go without =)

A spicy harvest treat from Devon and Dee.

Delaney, former pickpocket and now a member of the Andrews theater clan, performs magic tricks as Billbo the Magnificent. Hired to entertain at a fancy dress ball, the magician is struck by the lurking, dramatic figure of the Grim Reaper. He follows Death to a quiet room for a glorious, lustful encounter.

With his identity hidden, impoverished gentleman Bartholomew Bancroft dares to indulge in an out-of-character moment to quench his forbidden yearning for another man’s touch. But in the light of day, he can’t dismiss his memories of the mysterious magician or a craving to see him again.

Bartholomew enlists the dexterous conjurer to teach him to pick pockets. His plan: to retrieve his hand-crafted jewelry taken by a vengeful ex-lover. During the lessons, Bartholomew and Delaney yield to desire, certain their affair will last only until they retrieve Bartholomew’s stolen work.

At another costume ball, the gentleman and the magician work together to foil the thief, but when all masks are abandoned at last, can lasting love remain?

• The Mighty Have Fallen {coming soon!}

Bonnie told me about her new solo work on our last e-mail exchange (yes, most of my favorite authors have to put up with me being a pain in the ass on their inboxes) and now we have a blurb! =D The Might Have Fallen will be published through Dreamspinner Press on January of 2017. We don’t have a cover or a Goodreads page yet, so I’ll just leave this killer blurb here and, if you want to stay tuned on Bonnie’s news, sign up to her newsletter on her website =)

Theater headliner Trevor Rowland is at the peak of his career when disaster strikes. In one fell swoop, he loses his eyesight, his fame, and his boyfriend, who absconds with most of his money. Trevor must take on a flat mate, hardworking East Ender Jack Burrows, to afford rent. Anger and bitterness have taken up residence in his heart—but Jack shines light into the shadowy corners with his relentlessly sunny disposition.

Jack introduces Trevor to a local drag club and convinces him he can enjoy the stage again. Trevor’s defenses slowly come down as Jack becomes much more than a barely tolerated roommate.

But will Trevor’s fragile trust be destroyed when it appears he’s been manipulated yet again by a man he’s come to care for? Will he reclaim his life or crawl back into a shell of defeat? Trevor must learn to trust not only a man, but himself, once more.

 

Elaine Ashford

• Bodyguard Boyfriend

I’ve stumbled upon Elaine Ashford quite by accident by the end of March. I still hadn’t the chance of reading her books until this week, but she touches my guilty pleasure with her works: sugared gay romances. She released two books during my moping time, the first being Boyfriend Bodyguard, on Sept. 26^th through Lovelight Press. A hot bodyguard and a secret relationship? COUNT. ME. IN.

A business relationship…

Pop star Adrian needs a new bodyguard as soon as possible, and the hottie the agency sends is exactly his type. At least visually. But Rob isn’t as dull as he seems and there’s a softer side to this ex-military man that Adrian didn’t expect.

Rob doesn’t care what his new boss thinks: he just wants him to be more careful. Adrian’s recklessness with strangers is going to get him in trouble, and make Rob’s job more difficult than it has to be. But Adrian’s sunny personality doesn’t turn off when it’s just the two of them in a hotel room, and this young star might be more charming than Rob knows what to do with.

Becomes more than a job…

Just because Adrian flirts like it’s breathing doesn’t mean Rob has to be any less professional on the job. Somehow, it’s happening anyway. When a couple of fan encounters go sour – and heart-pounding – Rob has to admit that he cares more than he thought.

Tumbling into bed together isn’t the problem, it’s figuring out how to date out of the public eye.

But how far can that go?

Falling in love means Rob cares more than ever about keeping Adrian safe. But not all dangers are so easy to spot. This time, it’s not some crazed fans: it’s a family matter. And Adrian wants Rob to keep out of it. Are Rob’s protective instincts going to drive them apart? Or is there a real danger out there, and will Rob be in time to save the one he loves most?

 

• Junior Jolt (Straight College Guys #3)

Her second book released during these hard times actually went live on Monday, Nov. 21th, and you’ll see a review for it sometime in the next days. Miracles do happen and, somehow, Elaine included my name on her ARC readers list, so I find myself with a copy on my hands that I just finished last night! Despite this being the third volume in the series, they can be read as standalones. I’m sure I’ll end up buying all her books with the Amazon credits my relatives give me this Christmas, haha!

Stepping up…

Hockey captain Parker Gagner is straight. Isn’t he? He’s always thought so, but there’s something so compelling about Eli Martin’s pleading eyes that it makes him step into an argument between Eli and Eli’s asshole ex-boyfriend without thinking. Pretending to be Eli’s new man is only supposed to be a protective gesture, until spending time together becomes more important than pissing off Eli’s ex.

Holding back…

Eli isn’t sure what to do about his growing attraction to Parker. They’re doing a lot of fake dating, and he can’t help wanting more. Making a move is out of the question, though, unless he wants to risk destroying their friendship.

Crossing lines…

An unexpected late-night encounter leaves both men conflicted and avoiding each other. Can they find a way to talk about their feelings before it’s too late, or have they ruined their chance to really be together?

 

Helen Harper

• Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)

I’ve met Helen Harper last year when I received Gifted Thief to review from the publisher, via NetGalley. It was love at first read and, almost a year later, Integrity Aidar’s journey reaches an end on the fourth book of the Highland Magic series: Last Wish. The book will be released on December 1^st and Helen was awesome enough to provide me with an ARC, so you can expect the conclusion to Integrity’s adventures soon here too! Spoiler alert: I already finished the book, haha!

It’s not easy pretending to be dead – especially when it feels as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Between an unfulfilled prophecy, the demon-occupied Lowlands, the continuing power of murderous Aifric Moncrieffe – not to mention her constant yearnings for Byron – Integrity Adair has a lot to worry about.

Still, how hard can it really be to save Scotland, maintain her morals, get the guy and keep her sense of humour?

This is the fourth and final book in the Highland Magic series.

 

• Eros (Olympiana #1)

Another wonderful news is that Helen and other 12 authors put together an awesome box with 13 books, called Urban Mythic: Thirteen Novels of Adventure and Romance, featuring Norse and Greek Gods, Demons and Djinn, Angels, Fairies, Vampires, and Werewolves in the Modern World =D Helen’s contribution was the first book in the series Olympiana, Eros. As you can imagine, it’s a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche and she was awesome enough to believe in me and send me a copy despite my offline struggles. Besides being grateful to the end of the world, I can assure you all that the book is great, as I already read it as well, haha! Now I only need to read the other 12 stories… Oops!

William Shakespeare once wrote that, “Cupid is a knavish lad, thus to make poor females mad.” The trouble is that Cupid himself would probably agree…

As probably the last person in the world who’d appreciate hearts, flowers and romance, Coop is convinced that true love doesn’t exist – which is rather unfortunate considering he’s also known as Cupid, the God of Love. He’d rather spend his days drinking, womanising and generally having as much fun as he possible can. As far as he’s concerned, shooting people with bolts of pure love is a waste of his time…but then his path crosses with that of shy and retiring Skye Sawyer and nothing will ever be quite the same again.

Also, you can find the Urban Mythic box here!

 

Jeff Adams

• Love’s Opening Night

On more recent news like, in today’s fresh news, author Jeff Adams, whom I just met this week through a Big Gay Books Giveaway, just shared with his readers the final cover for his new book, Love’s Opening Night! The book will go live on December 28^th through Dreamspinner Press =)

Can an onstage love story lead to a real-life romance?

 Jeremy Steele is a veteran Broadway performer. For his latest role, he’s dancing alongside a man he’s fantasized about for years, TV star Ty Beaumont. Jeremy knows better than to get involved with a castmate, but when Ty has trouble learning the complicated choreography, Jeremy offers to lend a hand. When a rehearsal kiss turns into something more, Jeremy can’t help but wonder what a celebrity like Ty could ever see in a Broadway chorus boy like him. Will a relationship with his crush make it past previews, or can it become a long-running hit?

 

 

Jordan L. Hawk

• Hexmaker (Hexworld #2)

Jordan was very busy as I moped around those few months: she released the second volume on the Hexworld series, Hexmaker, and I can’t tell you all how happy I am! I was dying for a sequel – too bad I have to wait until Christmas to buy the book. I had to settle for her other release, also in the Hexworld for now, haha!

[Click here to read my review for Hexbreaker, Hexworld #1]

A straight-laced policeman. A lighthearted thief. A murdered millionaire.

Fox shifter Malachi steals for one of the biggest crime rings in New York City. But when he witnesses the murder of a millionaire, the only person who can keep him safe is Dr. Owen Yates, forensic hexman for the Metropolitan Witch Police—and Malachi’s witch.

Owen is horrified to discover his familiar is an uneducated thief. Even worse, Malachi threatens to unleash Owen’s deepest desires…desires Owen can’t act upon, as he’s destined for an arranged marriage to secure the Yates family fortune

Their agreement: Malachi will be Owen’s lover as well as his partner, until the day of the wedding. But as their hunt for the murderer carries them from teeming slums to Fifth Avenue mansions, Owens begins to realize Malachi commands his heart as well as his body.

With dark forces drawing ever closer around them, Owen must decide whether to bow to the demands of duty, or to risk everything for the man he loves.

 

 

• A Christmas Hex (Hexworld #2.5)

And this one I have already bought! Jordan wrote a lovely short story inside the Hexworld for a Christmas collection and released it as an independent volume on the end of October. I’ll be reading it soon enough, as it’s been too long since my last book from her ❤

Roland knows he will never find love. Everyone views wolf familiars like himself as dangerous beasts, unable to rein in their savage impulses. He’s resigned himself to his fate—or so he thinks, until he meets the dashing Augustus Cao. His witch.

Gus is on the trail of a gang of thieves, and Roland holds an important clue. Even though they can never bond, Roland can’t pass up the opportunity to spend a night with his witch.

Can Roland conceal his secret, while helping Gus catch the thieves? Or will the handsome detective be the one to steal his heart?

 

 

Linda Oaks

• Fighting for a Chance (The Chasing Series #4)

I’ve met Linda through a fellow bookstagrammer last year, as soon as I started blogging and it was friendship at first e-mailing, haha! I’ve been eagerly following The Chasing Series since the first volume and I’m preparing a surprise to Linda: I’ve bought my e-copy of Fighting for a Chance and I’ll surprise-review it for her! =D It’s the least I can do for her to start repaying all the e-mails she already had to endure from me and to show her how grateful I am to have her friendship on my life and her books on my shelves. Can’t wait to tell you guys more about this baby ❤

It all began with a secret. A cross of paths that altered a life.

Iris Malone had a plan of revenge. She searched for the man known as “The Savage.”

Chance Logan was one of the most promising heavyweight contenders on the planet. Her plan was simple, to make a savage fall to his knees. She would break his heart like he’d broken so many countless others before her.

But sometimes even the best laid plans can begin to unravel.

What happens when you fall for the enemy? When you’re in danger of losing your heart to the man you promised to make suffer?

When lines are crossed, and it’s too late to turn back, you have no choice but to live with the decisions you make.

Will Iris’s plan for revenge ruin the chance at a love of a lifetime? Will she fight for a chance to love a savage or will she lose everything when the truth is finally revealed?

Someone was going down. Someone would pay.

Do you care to place your bets as to who will be standing at the end of the final round?

 

 

Mark C. King

• Tomb of Hannu (Sigmund Shaw #3)

My friend Mark has been very busy; not only he released the third standalone book in the Sigmund Shaw series, he’s already working on his next book! How do I know all of this? Simple, my darlings: I’m one of his beta-readers =D I haven’t started the new story yet because I’m so lame, but I can’t wait to! Mark has such a magical way with words that he makes me float as I read his books ❤

Be Careful What You Wish For…

Sarah Clarke, fifteen-year-old niece of Sigmund Shaw, had never had any adventure in her life – outside of books. When her friend, Charlotte Merrihail, a reporter for the Strand Magazine, asked her to come along on an assignment in Egypt, Sarah thought she could finally experience something that was not just in her imagination. What ensues is far beyond her dreams…or nightmares.

A threatening curse, an impossible prophecy, and violent secret societies, are only the beginning of what Sarah will find herself up against.

 

 

Melissa Foster

• Tempting Tristan (Harborside Nights #3)

Melissa Foster actually is known for her spicy heterosexual romances, so you can guess how surprised and curious I was to learn she had released a gay romance on Oct. 19^th, right?!! I just need to read this! And before you ask, nope! I haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of her books yet, but I’m sure starting through Tempting Tristan ❤ This is another series filled with standalones =)

Fresh off the heels of yet another bad relationship, Tristan Brewer is taking a break from men to try to figure out where he keeps going wrong. He knows his biggest fault—he leads with his heart, not his head—and that’s never going to change. But after several introspective weeks, he’s beginning to get a handle on things. That is, until badass heartthrob Alex Wells walks into his bar…

Alex has spent eight years in the army, months in a hospital bed, and far too long hiding his sexual identity. He’s guilt-ridden, damaged, pissed off, and up for a Silver Star for the incident that nearly cost him his life—and kept him from his grandmother’s funeral. But all he wants to do is live the life he’s always dreamed of and forget his stint with the institution that allows but doesn’t necessarily accept.

The chemistry between Tristan and Alex ignites from the moment they meet, and the more time they spend together, the hotter the flames burn. But the closer they become, the more Alex’s walls go up, and when the two walk onto a military base, Tristan finds out Alex’s physical scars aren’t the ones that run the deepest.

 

 ~*~

WHOA, that was a huge post! And I’m sure I missed many more good news, tho. Ugh. Next thing to start December with my right blogging foot is to make a resumed list of new releases I want to see under my Christmas three, haha! #daring #delusional

Thanks so much for reading this post! Tell me a bit about the best bookish news you’ve received on those last three months =D

Until another time and love you all,

Top 10 Tuesday: Books that made me cry

Hi, there! Good AFTERNOON! I DID IT, IT IS ON TIME AND EARLIER! I DESERVE A BIG HIGH FIVE!

Ahem.

It’s Tuesday, so it’s Top 10 Tuesday day! This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and my theme today is Books that Made me Cry because I can’t seem to follow everyone else and do the right theme of the week lol

So, I’d like to start this post by saying that I usually don’t cry reading. No, I haven’t got an heart of ice or anything like that. I just purposefully avoid reading books that I’m sure that will leave me utterly miserable and struggling to keep breathing between my sobs.

You see, when I was 14, I had a severe case of depression due family problems. One of the things that helped me going back on track and learning how to cope with my mind was reading – a pastime that has accompanied me since my birth, may I add. Ever since, I started to avoid obviously sad books like The Fault on Our Stars and such. It’s nothing personal, it is just one of the things I had to do to keep myself sane at the time and it is a habit that stuck up. I can deal with some depressing parts in a book, sad moments and deaths. But downward tragedy all the time hits too close to home, so no, thanks 🙂

All that being said, I still cry in books, a lot! And not only tears of sorrow, so I divided by ten books by type of crying – because I’m that much of an organizer freak 🙂

Sad tears

 1) The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

This was the only purposeful sad book that I read knowing that it may end badly and I don’t regret it. I read it on 2007, when I was 12 or 13, and it was a recommendation of a sales’ guy from one of my favorite bookstores at the time, so I loved it. I don’t see myself re-reading it, though.

 2) The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson #5)

You know, the series was ending, one of the most awesome characters died and I was feeling too overwhelmed by all the twists and awesomeness. And I still didn’t know that The Lost Hero was a kind of sequel to Percy Jackson series lol

 3) Daughter of Darkness, by L. J. Smith (Nightworld #2) [REVIEW HERE!]

Again, the fault is on the twist in the end. There isn’t anything downward sad about this book, but I thought the choice of the protagonists so tragic, brave and beautiful that it got me tearing up a bit for their destiny. Again, no deaths, no tragedy. I JUST FELT LIKE CRYING, I’M A REBEL!

Agony tears

Since I watched Into The Woods, I was DYING to use this gif, haha!

4) All In With The Duke, by Ava March (Gambling On Love #1) [REVIEW HERE!]

Yes, you have read it correctly. My diva, my muse, made me cry. I just couldn’t see a happy ending for Max and Tristan in the first time that I read this book and I WAS DYING. Sometimes, I still cry near the end, haha!

5) Cambridge Fellows series, by Charlie Cochrane

Honestly? I don’t even know why I kept reading this series for so long. Despite being an historical gay romance series, the writing style wasn’t my cup of tea, the characters were pretty shallow and the drama got heavier and heavier. I lost count of how many times I was reading this as I was on my way to college and I started to weep in pure agony for the main couple. I just wanted to grab Charlie by her shoulders and shake her until she came back to her senses and stopped that madness, haha!

Frustration tears

Fun fact about me: when I’m very sad, I grow quiet and simply won’t speak or do anything. I become numb. When I’m angry or frustrated to hell, I cry like there is no tomorrow. Therefore, these next books got more tears than the sad books did, haha!

 6) What Lies Within, by James Morrison [REVIEW HERE!]

I really liked this book, but I was so overwhelmed when I got to the end and there were some mysterious lose ends that I broke. I started crying and screaming and swearing, haha! After a calming shower, I couldn’t stop saying to whoever wanted to hear how good and awesome and badass this book is, haha! Strong emotions lol

7) The Heir, by Kiera Cass (The Selection #4) [REVIEW HERE!]

I almost began crying in frustration in the middle of chapter one, when I realized how Eadlyn and I wouldn’t get along. AT. ALL. And yet, Kiera Cass was forcing me to put up with the brat using my love for The Selection and for America as an excuse. Eadlyn drove me so mad that there were a lot of scenes that I read while tearing up in pure and simple frustration. I can’t wait for the nightmare to be over in The Crown…

Beauty tears

8) Chasing Rainbows, by Linda Oaks (The Chasing Series #1) [REVIEW HERE!]

This book was Linda’s debut and my first from her. I was so surprised to see her beautiful writing style, so impressed to see how much Linda seemed to understand me and how much I connected with Addie, the main character, that I found myself emotional in like 60% of my reading time. I took notes of quotes and felt tears down my cheeks. Super cheesy and super true. Just read this book – or any of Linda’s works, really – and you will understand.

9) After Death, by Jacqueline E. Smith (Cemetery Tours #3) [REVIEW HERE!]

Jacqueline’s writing is a piece of art by itself, but there was a scene near the end of this book that was my undoing. It was so emotional, beautiful and meaningful that I started crying and wouldn’t stop, haha! I just wanted to hug my iPad and never let go 🙂

Last, but not least…

PERFECTION TEARS

I searched my brain aka my goodreads read shelf for another case of perfection tears, but I think it only happened once so far.

And the Oscar goes to…

10) CARRY ON, by Rainbow Rowell! [REVIEW HERE!]

This was the first and only time that I cried because of over perfection. And I’ve read my fair of books for someone of only 21. I scared my best friend, her maid and her mom with my crying crisis and book hangover after Carry On was over. I simply couldn’t, I needed more, that was too perfect to end. AND I SWEAR THAT THE END IS SWEET AND HAPPY AND CUTE! I’m the weird one that cries over… Perfection, as it seems.

I know, I know. That’s why I’ll just thank you for reading and stop writing now, haha!

Do you also categorize your types of crying over books? 🙂

The Way Home, from Linda Oaks (The Chasing Series #3)

Hi, there! The moment finally arrived and here we have my review for the third book in The Chasing Series by Linda Oaks: The Way Home! My copy was sent to me by Love Affair With Fiction team in exchange for an honest review ❤ As if I would pass on a Linda Oaks book! She’s, like, a goddess or something! ❤

Nate Lucas knows first-handed how much life can suck. How hard life quick’s your ass when you’re already down. His existence wasn’t ever something easy or full of love and laughter, but he was happy once. He was happy with Natalie, his high-school sweetheart.

After losing her and their unborn child to a stupid car accident, Nate lost himself. He didn’t care about anything anymore; his heart froze in the pain and grief. The only thing that kept him alive was the desire of punish himself for allowing Natalie to drive alone to school on that fateful morning. Nate swore he would never go back to Crawley, to the place that once held his world and his happiness.

But life always kicks you when you’re down.

Nate is forcefully back in town and soon enough everyone in the little place has already recognized him and the gossip are back in its fullest. Nate couldn’t care less about all this shit.

Until he met Miley, one of the waitresses of his new restaurant/bar.

Will Nate be able to let go of Natalie and allow Miley in or will the past and lies be stronger and pull Nate back to his grieving hole?

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

Leave behind all hopes for an impartial review. I love Linda Oaks to the core, I love her writing style, I love her soul and I’m very proud of calling her a personal friend. I helped Linda with The Way Home as a beta reader and it is so beautiful to see it alive and ready to be loved! ❤ I fell for Nate since his mysterious small appearance in Finding Forever – all books in The Chasing Series can be read as standalones, as one story doesn’t impact the other 🙂 – and just knew his book would be awesome. And guess what: IT WAS! And the funniest thing is that Linda’s romances have spicy scenes, are all first person narratives and contemporary romances. Yes, all things I usually don’t like. AND YET I LOVE THEM ALL! That’s why I said she was a goddess: she makes me love all the things I usually don’t. It’s black magic!

Without further ado, I can’t give this book any less than five big proud stars and a voucher to a free hug for Linda *–*

As mentioned, the narrative style is first person from Nate’s point of view during the whole book and that was a change of scenery; both Chasing Rainbows and Finding Forever had female narrators (Addie and Kara, respectively). It’s like Linda innovates with each book and I really like that about her! Chasing Rainbows was a YA contemporary, Finding Forever was a New Adult contemporary and now The Way Home follows the New Adult contemporary with a male main character 😀

The plot was simple and complex in its simplicity. A couple trying to work pass their ghosts to be together is never something simple, yet there is no big mystery involved in the book. I really like Linda’s writing style, as it is fluid, involving, heart-warming and has that refined humor to it, as we are always on the main character’s heads ❤

The characters are always the best part on Linda’s works. Nate and Miley are both broken before they meet (or should I say re-meet? Hmmm) and their relationship makes them stronger without being needy and lovey-dovey with each other ❤ Okay, maybe a little, but Nate is not the lovey-dovey 100% of the time type when in love, so that helps. It’s a healthy lovey-dovey deal. I’ll stop saying lovey-dovey now.

The hardest thing about being a fangirl is that you tend to overlook flaws and have nothing bad to say about the things you love or to love it so much that you criticize every single detail that you don’t like. The Way Home falls in the first category with me: I HAVE NOTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT IT, OMG! I simply can’t see it, sorry guys. You’ll have to read the book and tell me the flaws that I overlooked, haha!

Overall, if you like lovely contemporary romances, really hot and dangerous guys, funny and smart girls and a heart-warming book, I’d say you need to read ALL Linda’s books and not just The Way Home ❤

Thanks so much for reading my review! As I already did a huge book birthday for The Way Home on this post – you can check there info about where to buy The Way Home, Finding Forever and Chasing Rainbows, meet Linda Oaks and participate in a lovely giveaway. The prize? A signed paperback copy of Chasing Rainbows! Hurry up and enter it, it is worth it!!

ps: Here you can check my reviews for Chasing Rainbows and Finding Forever!

*OAKS, Linda – Chasing Rainbows, The Chasing Series #1 (review here!)

*OAKS, Linda – Finding Forever, The Chasing Series #2 (review here!)

BOOK BLITZ: The Way Home, by Linda Oaks (The Chasing Series #3)

Hi, there! Welcome to the book birthday of The Way Home, third book in the standalones series The Chasing Series, by Linda Oaks, a beautiful and tallented soul! ❤ This birthday blitz is hosted by Love Affair With Fiction 😀

The Way Home
The Chasing Series #3
Linda Oaks
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing

“Not everyone you love is going to leave you…but what if they do?”

For Nate Lucas, this was his reality.

When he lost her, he was left with no choice. Life was impossible in Crawley without her. He couldn’t live with all of the memories or her ghost.

He vowed to never return again.

It was business that brought him back and the chance to right a wrong, but then she needed him; his best friend’s little sister. Her life and her child’s were in danger.

It was an arrangement until it became more.

He vowed to never love again; to never allow the past a chance to repeat itself, but sometimes you’re left with no choice.

When the walls around your heart are finally breached, do you run and save yourself or stay and fight for the chance to love again?

When you lose your way, how do you find the way home?

**The Way Home is an Interconnected Standalone in The Chasing Series. Each book features a different couple.**

At the moment, you can find The Way Home [haha] in ebook format only, but I’ll update this detail on my review – YES, THERE WILL BE A REVIEW ON THURSDAY!! *–*

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | iBooks | B&N | Kobo

Yes, we have an excerpt of one of the hottest scenes in the book ❤ How do I know? I was one of the proud beta-readers in Linda’s team! So this book is beyond special to me ❤ But enough chit chat and here’s the excerpt:

“You didn’t get too hot, did you?” she asked, her expression filled with concern.

“Nah, I’m fine,” I muttered, scratching my beard. I turned away and slammed the car’s hood down, and then I took a deep breath to try to gain control of myself.

I would not touch her.

I would not.

A soft hand landed on my shoulder at the same time a splatter of rain loudly plopped against the car’s hood. A few drops landed on my skin. It was cold, but I could have sworn I heard them sizzle since her touch had set me on fire. Need coursed through my body overriding my senses. Overhead, the clouds were heavy and dark. In the air there was the overwhelming scent of rain mixed with the sweet scent of the woman standing behind me.

I couldn’t fucking take it.

Pushed beyond my control, I spun around to face her. For the rest of my life whenever I smelled the scent of honeysuckle, I would always think of her. When her pink tongue darted out to briefly skim her lower lip, I lost all train of thought. She was teasing me. My body automatically gravitated to hers. Sultry eyes full of want stared back at me with a heat that matched my own. I reached out a hand and cupped her jaw, then slid my hand along her neck where I was able to tangle my fingers in her thick hair in order to draw her closer. My other arm encircled her waist, and I pulled her flush against me. All of that softness and those curves melding into mine turned my brain to mush.

She felt like fucking  heaven and the answer to all of my prayers.

“Nate,” she whispered, and the tortured sound of my name slipping past her lips was downright unbearable.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a split second where sanity tried to return. Maybe, I should let her go. The sky chose that exact moment to open up. A torrent of summer rain washed all of that damn nonsense straight from my head. My lips crashed down onto hers, sinking into all of that sweetness. I devoured her whole. Never had anything tasted as good as the woman in my arms. She was fucking addictive.

Linda was such a sweetheart – which is no surprise, as she always is a sweetheart – and put together the perfect playlist for The Way Home! Have an account on Spotfy? Then grab my hand and come with me to the dancefloor!

Chasing Rainbows – The Chasing Series #1

Review here!

Chasing Rainbows is available in both paperback and ebook formats 😀

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Finding Forever – The Chasing Series #2

Review here!

Finding Forever is available in both paperback and ebook formats 😀

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Linda Oaks has always had a passion for books.  At the age of five, she was a book of the month club member.  Her love for books eventually led her to a love of writing. She resides in Eastern Kentucky with her husband, two children, three dogs and a pet rabbit named Dozer. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Instagram.  She can be also be reached by mail at authorlindaoaks [@] gmail.com.  She loves connecting with her readers.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads

One lucky winner will take home a SIGNED paperback copy of Chasing Rainbows! 😀

To join this awesome giveaway and have a beautiful book in the inside and out, just click here and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

I’m just not competing this time because I already have my beautiful signed copy winking at me on my shelf ❤ If you follow me on Instagram, you know just how much I show it off, haha! ;D

That’s it! Once again, happy book birthday to Linda and thank you for reading my post!

COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY: The Way Home, from Linda Oaks (The Chasing Series #3)

Hello, there! It’s with the highest pleasure that I present to you today, along with Love Affair With Fiction, the final cover for The Way Home, third book in The Chasing Series, from wonderful Linda Oaks ❤

 

Title: The Way Home
Author: Linda Oaks
Series: The Chasing Series
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing

Releasing: April 12th, 2016

And here we have the paperback version:

 

Cover Design by Jena Brignola

“Not everyone you love is going to leave you…but what if they do?”

For Nate Lucas, this was his reality.

When he lost her, he was left with no choice. Life was impossible in Crawley without her. He couldn’t live with all of the memories or her ghost.

He vowed to never return again.

It was business that brought him back and the chance to right a wrong, but then she needed him; his best friend’s little sister. Her life and her child’s were in danger.

It was an arrangement until it became more.

He vowed to never love again; to never allow the past a chance to repeat itself, but sometimes you’re left with no choice.

When the walls around your heart are finally breached, do you run and save yourself or stay and fight for the chance to love again?

When you lose your way, how do you find the way home?

**The Way Home is an Interconnected Standalone in The Chasing Series. Each book features a different couple.**

This is a very special book for me, as I was a beta reader for it! I can’t wait to read the final version of the story, omg! I’m a huge fan of Linda’s work since Chasing Rainbows, book one, and it’s so awesome to see her being recognized for being awesome ❤

You can already pre-order The Way Home at our usual book buying places!

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Calm down, you can have a sneaky peek bigger than this one, haha!

We’d spent Sunday celebrating with her family never even managing to have a moment alone until the end of the night when she’d walked me out to my truck to say goodnight. The sky had been splattered with stars, thousands of them piercing the darkness above us. The tiny pinpoints of light were not nearly as captivating as Natalie; nothing was. We walked with her tucked against my side, gazing up at the sky. Her face had been radiant as she pointed out the constellations. In her excitement, she’d stumbled, dragging my attention away from Orion’s Belt and back to her. I’d only looked away because she’d insisted. I’d much rather have looked at her. I’d gripped her close. Both of us laughing. I could still recall the expression on her face. Her smile had shined brighter than any star I had ever seen.

The promise ring I’d saved six months for had been sitting proudly on the fourth finger of her dainty left hand. My birthday gift to her, and I hadn’t given two shits if her parents had liked it or not. Natalie was mine. She’d smiled at me, peeking up shyly through her lashes before sliding her hands into my hair and tugging my head closer to hers. My girl had loved to tease me. So in tune, I’d known exactly what she’d wanted and had fitted my mouth against hers while pulling her body close to mine. She’d fit me perfect.

That had been our last kiss. Thinking back on that day, I’d wished I’d held her a little tighter and had kissed her a little longer. Instead, I’d taken it all for granted; thinking we’d have tomorrow, our whole lives ahead of us. I wished I’d taken the opportunity to memorize every single fucking detail no matter how small. Now, my last memory of her was measured in a single moment in time, and selfishly, I wanted every second, every minute, and every hour of it back just to spend it with her all over again.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know how I usually am not a contemporary reader, but Linda Oaks does art with her words. I’ve fallen in love with both Chasing Rainbows and Finding Forever, the previous books on The Chasing Series, so it was only natural for me to fall hard again for The Way Home ❤ You need to read these books, haha!

Don’t believe me.  There’s a beautiful book trailer for it to prove my point:

Chasing Rainbows – book one

from my Instagram

My review

 

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Finding Forever – book two

My review

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Bellow, you can get to know more about this wonderful author that also happens to be a very good and close friend and one of the most lovely human beings that I’ve ever met ❤

Linda Oaks has always had a passion for books. At the age of five, she was a book of the month club member. Her love for books eventually led her to a love of writing. She resides in Eastern Kentucky with her husband, two children, three dogs and a pet rabbit named Dozer. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Instagram. She can be also be reached by mail at authorlindaoaks@gmail.com. She loves connecting with her readers.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads

And yes, we have a giveaway! Five lucky people will win an Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Way Home!! Just click the link bellow to enter 😀

• Five ARCs of The Way Home!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That’s it! Thanks you so much for reading ❤ I can’t freaking wait to put my hands on this book!!! Oh, and thanks to Love Affair With Fiction team for this awesome cover reveal! (yes, I’m looking at you, Jill! <3)

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Covers, in which I cheat and present all my favorite ones from 2015

Good day to you! Our day starts with Top 10 Tuesday 😀 This meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and as if I wasn’t a rebel before, now I reached a whole new level, haha! Besides choosing to show you guys my 10 favorite covers within my 2015 reads, I also made it 18 covers because it was IMPOSSIBLE to narrow this down, haha!

Lest’s go:

1. Venom, from Kristin Middleton

2. The Gentleman and The Lamplighter, from Summer Devon

3. Sanctum, from Madeleine Roux

4. All In With the Duke, from Ava March

5. Fellowship of the Ring – I have the complete edition, so it is shiny and beautiful ❤

6. Chasing Rainbows, from Linda Oaks

7. The Need, from S. L. Hannah

8. Shattered Blue, from Lauren Bird Horowitz

9. The Heir, from Kiera Cass

10. Secrets and High Spirits, from Lou Harper

EXTRAS

11. What Lies Within, from James Morris

12. The Tutor, from Bonnie Dee

13. The Night Clock, from Paul Meloy

14. Misunderstood, from Anya Valentino

15. Convincing the Secretary, from Ava March

16. After Death, from Jacqueline E. Smith

17. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, from Anne Rice

18. Night World vol. 1, from L. J. Smith

 

I’m a cheater, I know lol But how was I supposed to narrow this down to only 10?! So may pretty covers ❤

Thanks for reading, haha!

November’s Wrap Up, Book Haul and December TBR!

Hi, there! Omg, December is really here! I am sooo happy! ❤

November was a slow reading month for me, as I finished my dissertation and had my finals, but I got to read something 🙂 December will be a better month, as I’ll be on vacation after December 04^th, haha!

WRAP UP

I’ve read 8 books, 4 mangas and 1 comic book in November.

BOOKS

• A Arte de Editar Revistas, by Fatima Ali (Brazilian Portuguese book meant for my dissertation, so I won’t review it)
• The Complete Essays, by Michel de Montaigne (college reading, also won’t be reviewed even that it was very good)
• Em busca dos contos perdidos: O significado das funções femininas nos contos de Perrault (Searching for the lost tales: the meaning of the female functions in Perrault’s fairy tales), by Mariza B. T. Mendes (review here!)

• Finding Forever (The Chasing Series #2), by Linda Oaks (review here!)

• Introduction to Sociology, by Theodor W. Adorno (college reading, won’t be reviewed)

• Misunderstood: Secrets of a Teen Queen, by Anya Valentino (review here!)

• The Night Clock, by Paul Meloy (review here!)

• Renoir (Os Impressionistas), by Aldo Pereira (review coming soon!)

MANGAS

• Castle Mango, by Muku Ogura & Narise Konohara (review here!)

• Eerie Queerie!, by Shuri Shiozu (review here!)

• Ten Count, by Rihito Takarai (review here!)

COMIC BOOK

• My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, by Ted Andersen and Katie Cook (review here!)

BOOK HAUL

My haul for this month was almost non-existent again. My family has been going through difficult times, so I’m trying not to be a burden, haha! I got some freebies from Amazon and won a giveaway, so this is my haul:

• Devil’s Breath, by Jon P. Wells
• The Legend of the Blue Eyes (The Blue Eyes Trilogy #1), by B. Kristin McMichael
• Sachael Dreams (The Mine #1), by Melody Winter
• Widdershins (Whyborne & Griffin #1), by Jordan L. Hawk
• Daughters of Darkness – The Anthology (4 Paranormal Romance Novels), by Chrissy Peebles, Kristen Middleton, W.J. May and C.J. Pinard
• Red August, from H. L. Brooks (the book I won and already talked about here)

DECEMBER TBR

I’m still working on my December TBR, but I can tell you that I WILL FINISH EMMA, mwahaha mwahaha! ❤ What I’m sure for now:

• Shielded Past, from Patti Morelli (currently-reading) [UPDATE: review here]

• Emma, from Jane Austen (currently-reading)

• Night World, vol. 1, from L. J. Smith [reviews: book 1, book 2 and book 3]
• The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, from Anne Rice (By the way, I already talked about this book here) [review here]
• Cemetery Tours series, from Jacqueline E. Smith [reviews: book 1, book 2 and book 3]
• Braver With You, from A. Hart [review here!]
• The Carnelian Legacy, from Cheryl Koevoet
• Roses of The Angel, from Kalee Marshall [review here!]
• Alice’s Adventures in Underland: The Queen of Stilled Hearts, from DeAnna Knippling

I always end up reading unplanned books in the middle of my selected TBR, so I’ll start the month with those and let’s see how it goes, haha!

That’s it! Thanks for reading! What is your first read for Christmas month??

Summertime Madness Book Tag!

Hi, there! I was tagged FOREVER ago by my friend Ellen, from the Eveningreads, to do the Summertime Madness Book Tag and I finally did it! Yay! And it is actually summertime on my country, so I guess I’m not that late, LOL! Thank you so much for the tag and for being my friend, Ellen! ❤

Let’s go:

1. Show a book with a summery cover:

Surprising Lord Jack (Duchess of Love #2), by Sally MacKenzie. I’m totally feeling the summer in this cover ❤

2. Pick one fictional place that would be the perfect destination for a summer holiday.

I thought about going with the Middle Earth on this one, but I bet it is more pleasant on Spring time, haha! So, I’ll go with Regelence, a dystopian planet created by J. L. Langley. To see all the Townsends to fall in love personally would be awesome – besides, their palace is amazing, haha!

3. You’re about to go on a flight for your summer holidays, but you want to read a book that lasts the whole flight. What Novella do you choose?

That would highly depend on the flying time, haha! If it was a 40 – 60 minute flight, as the ones I actually do during vacation, I would go with one of my tbr books like Alice’s Adventures in Underland, from DeAnna Knippling.

If it would be a very long flight with more than 4 hours, it would be Game of Thrones.

4. You have a case of summertime sadness. What happy book do you pick up to shine a smile on your face?

To be honest, any book, haha! I’m that kind of person that uses reading for everything: for a break, for happiness, for concentration, for escape of reality, for information, as a weapon… So I just keep reading the one that it’s my current read, haha!

5. You’re sitting at the beach all alone… Which fictional character would be your beach babe?

Damon Salvatore because I would have this by my side:

Someone call 911 because I am on fire LOL

6. To match your ice cream you want an icy cool sidekick! Which fictional side kick do you pick?

Hmm, that’s a tough one! I guess I would choose Kara from Finding Forever (review here!) because she is fun and flirty, two things that go very well with summer, haha!

7. Share the Summertime Happiness! Who do you TAG?

Anyone that wishes to play along! ❤

That’s it, people! Thanks for reading and this was very fun, thanks again for tagging me, Ellen! ❤

Finding Forever, from Linda Oaks (The Chasing Series #2)

Hi, there! I’m alive and free from my dissertation for now – I still have to defend it on Dec. 4^th, but after writing, defending it will be the easier part, haha! Now I only have to get passed by my finals next week and college is OVER!! Mwahaha, mwahaha!

However, enough about me! Today’s book is Finding Forever, the second on The Chasing Series, by Linda Oaks! Linda sent me a copy in exchange for an honest review as I already reviewed the first one. Thank you again, sweetie! Now let’s head down to the second 😀 It is important to state that, despite being on a series, Finding Forever can fend itself as a standalone, as none of the previous events from Chasing Rainbows is necessary for a good comprehension of the book 🙂

from my Instagram ❤

The Story

Kara never found herself the weak woman type, but that was exactly how she was behaving since her break up with her high school boyfriend, Devon. Years passed and Kara couldn’t bring herself to move on and of course that having to face her ex during her best friend’s wedding wasn’t helping at all, but Brandon would kill her if she ditched the party over Devon.

As Kara expected, seeing Devon again had a catastrophic effect on her and both made out when she was drunk at Brandon’s wedding party. Kara got crazy when she found that out on the following day and her discussion with Devon was even more confusing: he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. But why did Devon ended everything?

Now, Kara has a week to find out if her time with Devon means to truly say goodbye or finally finding her forever.

The Analysis

I’d like to start this review stating that I am very partial to Linda’s works and that with Finding Forever it didn’t go differently. I loved the first book, it was amazing and now the second proved to be just as wonderful. I loved the end, Devon, everything! Overall, it was a 5 stars book for me (and behold, as I’m not a real fan of contemporary romance) and Linda did a great job on this sequel.

As it went with Chasing Rainbows, the narrative on Finding Forever is first person style, always from Kara’s point of view. The good thing was that I didn’t have any major issues with her, so I was okay with the first person thing. I still maintain my opinion that you leave holes on the story by writing it only from one point of view, as it happened here, but there weren’t any important loose ends on Finding Forever. Oaks obviously evolved from one book to another in this aspect and I’m very proud of her!

The plot was very simple, but it worked just fine for me. I was hoping for a happy ending for Kara, but was prepared to everything, you know? There were several moments where I just didn’t know what would happen to her because at one time, Kara seemed to handle things well and on the other, she was desperate (only comparing bad situations to write this passage). What I really liked is how Oaks showed that, sometimes, you can’t make a truthful feeling win if there is no transparency on the relationship. Kara and Devon always loved each other, but they fought every time that Devon held information – and you see, Kara isn’t even the stalking type.

It is funny how things change once we learn about what is happening. On Chasing Rainbows, I thought Kara a very superficial and unrealistic character and I said so: her romance with Devon sounded so artificial at the time, as the spotlight was on Addie (whom we see again on Finding Forever, yay!). On this book, I already saw her differently: besides seeing her as an adult now, I could understand Kara’s head and the extension of her relationship with Devon. It then became obvious that they always had problems, but their love was bigger and that was what made Addie think them the perfect couple. I got angry with her anyway, as her lack of sexual control disappointed me. I understand that you have chemistry with Devon, but for God’s sake, grab a hold of yourself and think a little about consequences, if you please? Thank you. I just won’t bitch much over this because Kara surprise me in the end and I have to show some respect to her now, haha!

Devon was another problem. I loved him as his type is totally mine: tall, dark and handsome with black hair and icy blue eyes (cof Bomerhalder type cof). But omg, he needs a serious workshop on how to work out a relationship. He was so bipolar at times that I wanted to punch him in the face and I wish Kara had done so, honestly. It was nice to see Addie and Jake again, I got very curious about Nate’s suddenly appearance (he was Addie’s dead sister boyfriend), and am still confused about Clyde as a whole. I mean, did he dislike Kara or his problems with her were due whose daughter she was? I wish I could be sure, haha!

I wasn’t really mad about Finding Forever’s sex scenes, but at least they were not vulgar; Oaks used them more as an illustration of the power of the desire between Kara and Devon, that was cool, haha!

Overall, I think it is a very good contemporary romance, very real without being boring. Oaks did a good job here and grew a lot as a writer. And Devon was hotter than the twins and Jake combined, sorry boys.

That’s it! Thanks so much for sending me this, Linda! It meant the world for me! How do you guys like contemporary romance?