Month: July 2013

OK I’m an idiot – but you could benefit!

Are you a fan of Woods?

THEN LEAVE A REPLY ON THIS POST

WoodsBlackTee_250 (1)

No not Woods as in Tiger Woods, he is a cheating manwhore and I for one am certainly not a fan.

No, if you are a fan of Abbi Glines then you need no explanation of who Woods is.

Anyhoo…
I saw a link on Abbi’s twitter one day to these fabulous T-Shirts and I just had to have it. I cringed a small bit at the postage then said SCREW IT. I have decided I want to start a collection of my ‘Book Boyfriends’ T-Shirts. So cos I am all the way over here on that patch of grass the size of a football field that we lovingly call Ireland it took 3.5 weeks to get here. When it did I almost kissed the postman. Almost.

I ran up to my room and went to put it on. It was 3 sizes too small. I furiously searched my emails and found that I did indeed order it 3 sizes too small 😦 There is no point in sending it back.

What I have decided to do is give it away. All you have to do to be in with a chance to win it is comment on this post. Remember it is size small, US size if that makes a difference. Get your friends to comment too, especially if they are commenting to try and win it for you.

So thats it. If you want to win an I<3Woods T-Shirt in size small then just comment on this post. A winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, August 6th. Good Luck.

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Searching for Beautiful – Cover Reveal

Today Nyrae Dawn and Entangled Teen are revealing the cover for Searching for Beautiful, which releases on March 4, 2014. Also enter below for a paperback of the book or an eBook!

On to the reveal!

Blurb

Before, Brynn had a group of best friends, a loving boyfriend, a growing talent for pottery. She had a life. And after…she had none.

When Brynn lost the boyfriend who never loved her, the friends who feel she betrayed their trust, and the new life just beginning to grow inside her, she believes her future is as empty as her body. But then Christian, the boy next door, starts coming around. Playing his guitar and pushing her to create art once more. She meets some new friends at the local community center, plus even gets her dad to look her in the eye again…sort of.

But can Brynn open up her heart to truly find her life’s own beauty, when living for the after means letting go of the before?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

Christian looks at me. I wait for a smart-aleck reply or a smile but get neither. Just his blue eyes sucking me in like a whirlpool. “That’s what I thought you would say. So you just have to keep fighting for it. Keep fighting to get it back.”

My eyes won’t leave his and his won’t leave mine. And he’s cute. God, he’s so cute, I just want to focus on his cuteness. I want that to be all that matters. When his hand comes up and cups my cheek, I gasp. He brushes his thumb under my eye and licks his lips and I’m frozen and on fire and close to having a heart attack and anxious all at the same time.

Slowly, he leans forward and I know he’s giving me time. And my heart is leaping and I want to feel his lips. This is Christian. The boy who asked me to dance. The boy I ran to my mom about and told her that I loved. And now he’s my friend. The first person who has made me feel normal since everything happened.

But I’m so scared. Scared of messing it up. Scared he’ll decide he doesn’t want me. Scared of losing him. Of getting hurt.

He gets closer and I smell his sweet, sugary scent. See his mouth and wet lips and that hair I want to touch.

See the one person besides Emery who I have. The one person I can’t lose. “Wait,” I say and Christian stops moving. He’s still close. So very, very close that his lips are only an inch away from mine. “I’m scared,” I admit.

“I won’t hurt you.”

And I swear a part of me believes him. Maybe all of me. But how do I know if that’s the right decision or not?

He runs his hand down my face and touches my hair. Love that he’s not nervous to do it the way I am with him and I watch his fingers, brown against my red hair.

“Go out with me, Bryntastic. Let’s go do something this weekend. Don’t keep running. I won’t even try to kiss you again unless you tell me to. Or I’ll wait for you to do it. Just let go. Live.”

His words are what I want. I want them so badly and they sound so perfect that it’s hard not to just scream, “Yes!” right now. “Why?” I ask him. “Why are you so nice to me?”

I love his strength. Love that he doesn’t even hesitates before saying, “Because you were my first crush. Because I used to watch you conqueror anything and used to listen to you laugh with your friends. You were happy and I loved your smile. Because I had to work up the courage to ask you to dance and I did, and then I left and the one thing I missed was that smile. I watched my sister lose hers and watched my family fall apart and when I came back here? I wanted to see your smile again. Because you’re beautiful when you smile and you’ve lost it now. I want you to conquer this because what the hell is the purpose in it all if the first girl I ever danced with loses her smile?”

I don’t realize I’m crying until Christian wipes my tears. “You think I’m beautiful?” 

About Nyrae Dawn

Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn’s passion. There have been times in her life where she wasn’t able to chase that dream the way she desired, but she always found her way back to telling stories.

One of her loves has always been writing about teens. There’s something so fresh and fun about the age that she loves exploring. Her husband says it’s because she doesn’t want to grow up. She doesn’t think that’s such a bad thing and luckily for her, he doesn’t either.

Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she’s a total romantic at heart and proud.

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids.

When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her.

She writes for Entangled Publishing, Grand Central Publishing and is self-published.

Nyrae is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Down to You

Down to You

The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not. Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white. But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.

Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?

OK I have had this book in my reader for so long. I kept saying I was going to read it but something would come up and I would forget. I would see Michelle Leighton pop up on Facebook or Twitter and i would think “oh yeah, I HAVE to read that!” A friend of mine, Ruth, keeps saying Tan read it you will love it. SO…. I was on Facebook (a rarity ;)) on Friday morning and I see THAT picture. I’m no prude but I think I blushed! I had just finished reading a book and although I had another lined up to start and review, well there was no way I could ignore the urge to read Down to You and Up to Me after that!

You didn’t see it? Mmmmm I suppose I could show you. Ready for it?

(Totally robbed from Facebook, not my work. I stole it from LipSmackin GoodBooks)

THAT pic

See what I mean??

The book did not disapppoint either!!

How do you make the impossible choice? One boy is everything you think you want and the other is everything you think you need. When she is with Cash her heart is telling her he is the one she wants, his every touch is sending her into a frenzy. If only he could be a little more like Nash. When she is with Nash her head is telling her that he is the one she needs, if only he were a little more bad boy like Cash. If only she could melt the two of them and roll them into one!

This is the best love triangle I think I have ever read. Normally you are rooting for one boy over the other but not this time. Michelle Leighton has done such a good job that we fall in love with both boys and root for both of them. We want them both to win, we want Olivia to have the best of both worlds. If only it were possible..

As I said I started to read this on Friday morning and finished it on Friday evening. I wasn’t just glued to it I was welded to it. I couldn’t even hold a conversation with Brian in the car as I had my head in the reader. A compulsive storyline with a hell of a lot of sexy thrown in!

I just started Up to Me this morning, again I have had it for a while. I don’t think it will be long before I have that review popping up!

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Do You Remember?

Do you remember

First Love. First Loss. Last chance?

2005 was the most traumatic year of Emma Barron’s life. It was the year her mother died and the year she met Guy Duval. Eight years on, she’s an English teacher with a doting boyfriend and a young son. Life’s been hard but now it’s comfortable. She’s settled and content…so why would she risk it all for another chance with the man that broke her heart?

Guy’s an international renowned footballer newly signed to a top UK team. But behind the confident facade is a man determined to drown the horrors from his childhood with fame, success and money.

Unable to confide in her best friend, Ally, Emma tries to hold her life together as her heart is pulled apart. Did she turn her back on love too soon?

Neither of them know what really happened on 5 September 2005 and as events are slowly revealed can anyone cope with the truth?

First of all I would like to say congratulations and happy release day to Mandy Baggot. Do You Remember? is the latest release for Mandy (available from today) and I have to give it my full endorsement. I started reading yesterday and have just finished and I loved every minute of it.

It is almost like two stories in one. We are going through Emma and Guy’s present situation while learning at the same time of what happened in that summer back in 2005 when the pair first fell in love.

We all have things that have happened in the past that we wonder, what if? What if we had gone down a different route, would our lives have turned out better or worse or maybe we would have ended up in the same place just with a bit of a detour. I am a firm believer in ‘Everything happens for a reason’. I believe that when life throws its shit at us we either put our chins and and say screw you and keep going or we can lie down and wallow in self pity. Only one of these things is going to get you anywhere! Chin up.

Mandy displays this brilliantly in Do You Remember? Life hasn’t been plain sailing for either Emma or Guy. Both have had more than their fair share to handle. When Emma met guy she was grieving and struggling to cope after her mother dying and Guy had a very troubled home life. What started as a summer romance quickly escalated and the pair fell madly in love, making plans for the future. In one split second it all fell apart.

8 years later and Guy has made his name in the Football world and Emma is teaching her beloved English. A chance meeting throws the pair together and old feelings and animosities are brought to the surface.

A lot happened that summer in France with the pair but a lot happened for each the individuals that the other had no clue about so when they are asking Do You Remember? I am asking how do you remember something you never knew in the first place, and when you do know will you be able to forgive?

This was my second book from Mandy Baggot and I am delighted to say it is far from my last. You know me, I love to discover an author with a back catalogue to dive in to. Extrememly well written and very detailed. I loved how she was so knowledgeable about football and even tweeted her the same. Turns out we both support the same football club, Tottenham Hotspur. I knew I liked her ;D

Do You Remember? is not just a fluffy romance novel but a compelling tale. Dealing with a lot of emotional and deep issues and giving them their due sensitivity Mandy did an excellent job of delving into her characters innermost secrets and how they have been affecting them in the years since happening. It is a must read for all those that love a well written story!

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Are you excited? I’m excited

It is less than 4 weeks until the release of Playing With Her Heart, you might remember I already took part in the cover reveal well I thought I would bring you something a little bit special, courtesy of The My fictional Boyfriend & Book Whore Facebook Page ( great name, could so be me!)

Fictional Boyfriend Quote Pic

How cool is that!!

And sure what the hell, here is another one – just to keep you going 😉

Playing With Her Heart Kissing Quote pic

If you want to read about other characters that will pop up in this book from the Caught Up In Us series ten Caught Up In You is currently on sale for .99c. Go Go Go what are you still doing here?

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If you are still here and would like to read an interview Lauren kindly gave to me click HERE

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Blackthorn series

Blood Shadows

blood shadows

Gifted with the ability to read the shadows of ‘third species’ beings, Caitlin Parish is the Vampire Control Unit’s most powerful agent. Despite that, her mission to hunt down Kane Malloy – a master vampire – comes with a death wish. Many have tried but few have survived.
For Caitlin, tracking Kane is about more than just professional reputation. With her parents both mysteriously killed seven years apart to the day, Caitlin knows that without Kane’s help she is next.
She has four days to make a deal with the wicked, the irresistible, the treacherous Kane Malloy.
The vampire who despises everything she stands for.
Or die.

What Aimée thought:

I’m a lover of all things fanged and Kane didn’t disappoint. When the paperback of Blood Shadows arrived I devoured the whole thing in the space of 24 hours. It’s fast paced, has sexual tension that easily beats Fifty Shades and its action packed, suspenseful and has a brilliant twist in the tale I didn’t see coming. The only complaint I had was when it ended because I really didn’t want to say goodbye to Kane, though I hear we’ll see more from the bad ass vamp. The first chapter of Blood Roses is at the end and made me long for more from the sexy, dangerous and irresistible third species men. I’d move to Blackthorn in a heartbeat.
The world Pryor has created is more dark and gritty. Life isn’t all sunshine and the characters make decisions that wouldn’t usually be acceptable or defendable in our time, but that’s what makes this book fantastic, and as the series goes on it only gets darker.

Available from all major retailers including Amazon

Blood Roses

blood roses

“She was supposed to kill vampires, not save them. Those were the rules. That was the lore.”

A rare and powerful witch whose blood is lethal to vampires, Leila has always viewed her serryn abilities as a curse. After seeing her mother slaughtered as a child, Leila longs for a safe, quiet life.

That wish is shattered by Caleb Dehain – a vampire with a dark past and a darker heart. The most feared serryn hunter of his generation, Caleb now needs the help of one of the witches he despises to save his dying brother.

A serryn who has no reason to help him. Except that he has her sister.

Caleb and Leila are each other’s worst nightmare – but the slow-burning spark of attraction between them is undeniable. Will Leila’s blood be his damnation? Or could her kiss be his salvation?

What Aimée thought;

I feel like I should give this a warning. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the book and the more I visit Blackthorn the more addicted I become, but people this book is dark. I thought Kane was a badass vampire but he’s no Caleb.
Leila and Caleb are the worst kind of enemies. He pretty much kidnaps her after she goes to Blackthorn to save his brother, not trusting that she hasn’t put a holding spell on him fearing as soon as she leaves, his brother will die. She’s torn because her sister is in love with Caleb’s brother, so a holding spell never crosses her mind.
There’s mild torture, on both parts. Huge attraction that only confuses them more, but underneath the dark and gritty, Leila and Caleb are made for each other. Both are vulnerable in their own ways and while Caleb can act horribly, he has his redeeming moments.
Trust is something neither can offer each other, but in the end will they learn to love and believe in each other?
As always, Pryor leaves us with another whopping teaser that will have you anxiously waiting for the next in this series.
Would highly recommend the Blackthorn series to fans of JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, Pamela Palmer and Lara Anderson.

Available from all major retailers including Amazon

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Edible

edible

Edible, delicious, delectable.

Rachel Langley is more than familiar with those three words in her line of work. After all, she spends her afternoons and evenings creating desserts so divine that your mouth will water and your taste buds will tingle.

They aren’t, however, the words she would have ever expected to think of when she locks eyes with a certain lawyer she knows only as Cole.

With each encounter, the infuriatingly persistent man becomes more impossible to resist, and edible is the exact word that comes to mind.

Crave, demand, covet.

Cole Madison knows exactly what he wants, and Rachel Langley is it. From the moment he spotted her at Whipped, he knew he wanted to grab hold and take a bite.

However, the woman has enigmatic moves, avoiding him at every turn.

But not for much longer.

Rachel’s time is up, and as far as Cole is concerned, he’s waited too long for a taste of what he desires. Nothing, including the woman herself, will stop him from consuming what he hungers for.

The only question left is: Who will take the first bite?

(For my reviews of Exquisite and Entice click HERE)

Well well well. Ella Frank is back with everything she promised and so much more. Along with her we welcome back Rachel, Cole, Lena, Shelly and the delectable Mason and Josh. To say Edible is tasty is nothing short of a serious understatement. We knew Rachel and Cole’s story was going to be off the radar but well, wow. Hot is not strong enough a word. I have read and reviewed all of Ella Frank’s books. I love this Exquisite series and i have done since the first chapter in the first book – Exquisite.

Rachel Langley is feisty and will let no one walk over her. She has a spine made of steel and a look that could kill. This we know from the previous books. We also know she has been nicknamed Super Domme by Shelly and Lena. What we get in this book is an insight as to why Rachel is the way she is, why she likes her trips to her fetish club ‘Whipped’ and really it probably isn’t for the reasons you are thinking of at all.

Cole is the uptight, serious lawyer. Impeccably dressed and very straight laced. Or is he? Cole Maddison has his sights set on Rachel and as a man with extreme patience he is prepared to get her. When he forges a meeting between them is Rachel prepared so actually ‘see’ Cole?

Ella Frank takes us on a whirlwind romance full of highs, lows and sex. Lots and lots of sex. Rachel and Cole’s story is complex and I really enjoyed getting to know both characters and just what drives them. How meeting someone can change the course of your life and what you were prepared to give and take from it is something I am sure we all think about often, how if you didnt go to a particular bar on a particular night your life wouldn’t be what it is now. Something most of us should be thankful for.

Funnily enough Mason and Josh aren’t so keen on this romance and things get a bit heated. We love to think about these boys heated regardless of the reason! Cole though isn’t that easy to scare off, thankfully.

I also very much enjoyed meeting Logan and I am very excited to read his story in the Winter!

Way to go Ella Frank, you just keep on getting better!

To read my reviews of Exquisite and Entice along with an interview with Ella Frank click HERE
To read my review of Blind Obsession click HERE

P.S DO YOU LIKE CARAMEL?

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Playing With Her Heart – Cover Reveal

I am very excited that http://www.afterthefinalchapters.com has been afforded the opportunity to be involved in the cover release of Playing With Her Heart by the ever wonderful Lauren Blakely. I am really looking forward to reading this book and catching up with the characters from the previous books in the Caught Up In Us series as well as Chris and McKenzine from Trophy Husband. So without any more delay, here is the cover from the up coming Playing With Her Heart;

lauren Blakely cover reveal

ABOUT PLAYING WITH HER HEART:

When you’re acting the role of a lifetime, how can you know if love is real—or all just a part of the show?

Twenty-three year old rising theatre star Jill McCormick has built a life out of pretending. Pretending she’s happy, pretending her long-distance crushes add up to something real, pretending she’s not haunted by the dark secret that shattered her world six years ago. Cast in her first Broadway show, she desperately needs to keep her façade intact, but that’s before she comes face to face with her devastating new boss…

Hot-shot director Davis Milo knows the first rule of directing: never fall for your leading lady. Captivated by Jill’s raw talent, he fights his feelings, but watching Jill on-stage with another man is more than his jealous streak can take. Keeping things professional isn’t an option. He wants all of her.

Soon the ingénue and her director are staying late in the empty theatre, their private rehearsals spiraling into new, forbidden territory. Caught up between fiction and reality, Jill struggles to find the truth in all their staged kisses. But how can she be sure that what she feels is real, and not a part of the play? And when two people spend their lives pretending, what happens after the final curtain falls?

EXCERPT:

He glances down at the black pumps. “Nice shoes.”
As I follow his eyes, I realize my hand is on his shirt, my fingers
fisted around the cloth, clutching it. I should let go. But I don’t.
Because I can’t help but notice he has that clean and freshly showered
smell that makes any woman want to lean in and lick a guy’s neck.
Close her eyes. Inhale, and trail a tongue all the way to his
earlobe, enjoying the sound of a low groan.
“Nice shirt,” I say softly, running my index finger across one smooth
button. Then I look up to find him staring down at me. His dark blue
eyes aren’t cold anymore. They’re not keeping me at bay. Instead,
they’re heated, searching mine.
It’s hypnotic the way he looks at me. Completely hypnotic, as the
room goes quiet, the air between us charged.
I press my teeth against my lips, and I think, but I’m not entirely
sure, because thought has vanished, that I nod briefly, almost as if
I’m giving him permission. Then he bends towards me, and my breath
catches. Before I even process rationally what’s happening, his lips
are on mine, and my pulse is racing. It’s a barely there kiss, just
him brushing his soft lips against mine, but I want more. So I pull
him closer and deepen the kiss. He groans, and then suddenly his hands
are in my hair, and he’s twining his fingers through my long, blond
strands, and tugging me close. I thought I was leading this kiss, but
I’m not anymore, because he’s claiming me, tracing his tongue across
my top lip, then nipping at the bottom lip, then kissing me so deeply
and with so much heat that I shudder. That only makes him kiss me
harder, and everything else falls away because this is a kiss I can
feel in every single cell in my body. Deep, and fevered and
possessive.
It makes me feel things I’m not supposed to want.
My heart pounds wildly as he presses closer, so dangerously near to
me that I want him to slam me against him. Let him touch me all over.
His lips own me, his hands want to know me, and I swear I might
combust from this kind of electric contact.
He breaks the kiss and I’m not honestly sure where I am anymore. Or
who I am. I look at him, at Davis, but everything is so hazy right
now, that I don’t know what to say. I don’t think he does either,
because he doesn’t speak for a moment. He shakes his head, and
swallows, collecting himself. As if he doesn’t know how that happened
either.
“I’m sorry,” he says, then steps back, pushing his hand roughly
through his hair. He looks away from me, staring at some distant point
on the wall. “That was a mistake,” he says quietly.

ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:

Lauren Blakely is an unabashed fan of clever jokes, toast, and good guys in novels. Like the heroine in CAUGHT UP IN US, she thinks life should be filled with movie kisses and coffee drinks. Lauren lives in California with her husband and children, and spends her days writing both true stories and make-believe ones.

For the chance to win a signed copy of Playing With Her Heart enter the competition at Rafflecopter. Good luck.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

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Mad About You

Mad About You

There are a lot of things that can put a marriage under the microscope and test the foundations on which it is built. Emma and James Hamilton have been married for ten years. In those years they have endured their fair share of trials and tribulations including infertility, adoption, pregnancy and the premature arrival of a baby. Add to this job loss and an uncertain future – well it’s fair to say that things have become strained in the Hamilton household. The have gotten through it though and believe that as a couple they are now stronger.

Packing up everything you own, leaving everyone you love and moving countries for your husbands job cannot be easy. In fact for Emma it is downright lonely. Emma tries her best to fit in but is fighting a losing battle. As each day goes by she is seeing her husband less and less and is feeling more and more isolated. When strange texts start arriving to her husbands phone, sinister parcels delivered to her followed by viscous text messages the strain becomes too much. Even the strongest marriage would struggle to plough through.

It is to my shame, as an avid reader, that this is the first Sinead Moriarty book that I have read. I know, I can hear you. I have been seriously missing out. Before starting to read Mad About You I read that she had been likened to Marian Keyes. Well that’s always going to be a good start. I have to disagree, I mean no disrespect to Marian Keyes ‘cos we all know she is awesome, but for myeand my tastes Sinead Moriarty is better. Agree or disagree but thats how I feel.

It’s well known that I struggle a little with paperbacks. I still read them but it takes me so much longer than a digital book. Why? I really have no idea. From the moment I sat down to read Mad About You I was instantly sucked right in to the story. I could not put it down. My poor children were neglected and I had my head stuck in the prettiest pink book.

I was immediately transported into the lives of of Emma and James Hamilton. I felt so many emotions when reading this book. That’s what the author wants, right? To make us feel when reading. I found myself laughing at so many bits and Babs is just a tonic. My husband kept tutting at me as i was reading – I was disturbing some ridiculous DIY programme that he must have missed a second of the last ten times he watched it! Anyway, I was so gripped in the story line that I was shouting at Emma (in my head of course, i’m not completely mad) to open her eyes! I even snapped the book closed this morning because I didn’t want to read what I knew was coming next. About 5 seconds later I had it reopened and back engrossed in the story line.

There was not one point of this book that I felt was getting a bit boring and I would put it down for a while. When I did have to do silly things like housework or cook dinner I almost had to have it pried out of my hand!

It is a fantastic story of real life. No frills. This is how real people live. Like Emma and James that is – not so much Poppy. You will understand when you have read it! How losing a job and dealing with all the upheaval that comes with it. Moving countries and feeling lonely, finding new jobs and childminders. Not to mention the pure horror that the kids prefer the minder to you!

And….just what can happen when someone sets that seed of doubt in your head that your husband hasn’t been entirely faithful to you!

The best thing is Sinead has a back catalogue of 8 other books that I am now dying to read!

Mad About You is on sale August 1st

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Lover at Last

In the first of our new Paranormal features Aimée Duffy will review Lover at Last by J.R. Ward.

lover at Last

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another….

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: it seems Qhuinn has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young. It’s hard for Blay to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. And Qhuinn needs to come to terms with some dark things before he can move forward…

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

The title, Lover at Last, is apt for the buzz that has surrounded the release of the newest instalment of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. As always, J.R. Ward doesn’t just give you one story, but several all rolled into a massive book I devoured in forty-eight hours. The story follows not only the Quay relationship that has intrigued fans worldwide, but also introduces new characters, follows Wrath’s struggle to keep hold of the throne, delves into the queen’s craving for a child, has an interesting insight to the Shadows, and reveals a new edge to the war between the vampires and the lessers.
I would have preferred the story to focus more on the relationship between Quinn and Blay, but the side stories were fast paced enough that I didn’t want to skip them. At the beginning of the book Quinn has impregnated the chosen, Layla, but there are problems with the pregnancy which were really touching. Not only does J.R. Ward keep the story moving fast, but she also has a skill of using her characters (all of them!) to pull on your heartstrings.
On the other side of the love affair, Blay is splitting from his long term lover, although this is something he neglects to mention to Quinn. He’s under the apprehension that he’d never be more to Quinn than a quick ride, even though the two have been best friends forever. I could accept his anger, and understand the need Blay had to keep his feelings hidden, but…
Personally I felt the conflict between the two as far as Blay being involved with someone else could have been resolved with a simple conversation, and there wouldn’t be much to create tension after that. However, there were some personal issues that came into effect for Quinn about half way through the book that added to the will-they-won’t-they-omg-I-can’t-stand-the-waiting.
The breaking down of Quinn as a character during the last few books in the series was very emotional to me. He’s not only having to deal with worry about his future young, the on-going war with the lesser, a surprise nobody expected (even though re-reading John’s story I can see it was quite clearly hinted at by Lash, but shhh *spoilers*) and another threat against the throne. The fact that Blay was there through it all with him, wanting but knowing he can never have, made Lover at Last one of my favourite in the series. And did I mention hot? And not just in the main plot either.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet I highly recommend that you do. Dark Lover, Wrath’s story, is book 1 and the best place to start IMO :o)

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