Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Review for Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison


Good Girls Lie: A Novel by  J.T. Ellison 

publication: December 30th 2019 by MIRA
Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets. 

My Thoughts…

I am a fan of J.T. Ellison, reading her books as soon as they come out.   Good Girls Don’t Lie is my favorite so far.    I started the book and finished the book within 24 hours and was sad that it was over but I loved each and every word of the book!    It is at the top of my favorites of 2019. 

The story is of a girl who has lost both her parents and is now in the US at an all-girls elite boarding school.   She is watching her step, keeping her story to herself, and just trying to get the education she really wants.    But as with any school, there is a set of unwritten rules that she has to be careful of.   I loved how real it was watching her maneuver the hierarchy of the student population, knowing which students are really her friends and which she should watch out for.   And then, of course, there is the secret she must keep.     Gossip spreads, odd events start happening, and I knew the twists and turns were just starting.
J.T. Ellison is phenomenal as a thriller author.    She is a must-read and a guaranteed winner with each book.    The stories are all unique and not easy to forget.    Each time I pick up one of her books I wonder what wonderful, twisted story I will get pulled into this time and am never disappointed with where she takes me. 

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on AMAZON

                                                                                                

Monday, December 30, 2019

Pre-Release Blitz for Keystone by Katie Delahanty with a Giveaway

Today we have the excerpt blitz for Katie Delahanty’s KEYSTONE! Check out the excerpt and be sure to pre-order your copy of it today!!

Title: Keystone

Author: Katie Delahanty

Genre: YA Scifi

Release Date: January 7th

About Keystone:

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high profile “Influencer” isn’t what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.   But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.   Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are trained to seal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.   Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

About the Author:

Katie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, twin daughters, and son. Growing up in Pittsburgh, she loved old movies and playing dress up, but never considered telling stories of her own until she was asked to start a blog for the sleepwear company she worked for. Unsure what to say about lingerie, she wrote a fictional serial about a girl chasing her costume design dreams who fell in love with a rock star along the way. And that’s when Katie fell in love with storytelling. That blog became The Brightside Series and she’s been waking before dawn to write ever since.

Connect with the Author:

Instagram | Bookstagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Enter the Giveaway:

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Friday, December 27, 2019

Review for Anything for You by Saul Black


Anything For You by Saul Black 


Published November 12th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Critically acclaimed author Saul Black returns with a heart-racing thriller in which a brutal murder forces one woman to reckon with her own past--and her future.

On a hot summer night, a watchful neighbor locks eyes with an intruder and unwittingly alerts the police to a vicious crime scene next door: a lavish master bedroom where a man lies dead. His wife is bleeding out onto the hardwood floor, clinging to life.

The victim, Adam Grant, was a well-known San Francisco prosecutor--a man whose connection to Homicide detective Valerie Hart brings her face-to-face with a life she's long since left behind. Adam's career made him an easy target, and forensic evidence points towards an ex-con he put behind bars years ago. But while Adam's wife and daughter grapple with their tragic loss, Valerie uncovers devastating clues that point in a more ominous direction. Lurking in the shadows of the Grants' pristine life is a mysterious blonde who holds the key to a dangerous past.

As Valerie struggles to forge a new path for herself, the investigation forces her to confront the question: can we ever really leave our pasts behind?

My Thoughts…

If you are looking for a good thriller book this is the book for you.   I’ve had it on my shelf for a little bit and picked it up a couple times only to move onto something else.   I am now sorry that I waited so long to read this book.     Anything for You is a book that I picked up, read, and am still talking about.    

There are many triggers in this book that could make it difficult for readers.   There is rape/incest/child abuse.  But I felt that all of that lead to the story.   The reason for the characters to be the way they are.  

While it was harsh at times and difficult to read, I chose to not focus on that part of the story and instead try to figure out who the elusive blonde is.    I had guesses and I have to be proud of myself for figuring it out before it was given away in the book.   The twists and turns kept me doubting myself but I loved following all the clues.   

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Blog Tour For Love by Chance by Kacy Cross with a Giveaway

Today we have the blog tour for Kacy Cross’s LOVE BY CHANCE! Check it out and be sure to grab your own copy today!

Title: Love By Chance

Author: Kacy Cross

Genre: Contemporary Romance

About Love By Chance:

She thinks meeting him must’ve been fate. It wasn’t. Claire, a pastry chef struggling to make her restaurant succeed, is too busy to pursue romance. That doesn’t stop her loving but meddling mother, Helen, from setting her up on dates. Even after Helen promises to stop her matchmaking efforts, she can’t help herself. She convinces Eric, a pediatrician, to meet Claire at a gallery event.   Eric and Claire feel an immediate connection, and their meeting becomes a magical first date. But the longer Eric and Claire see each other, the less comfortable Eric feels about hiding the fact that Claire’s mom set them up. Meanwhile, Claire loves to talk about how she trusts Eric, and how they met by chance. How will she react to the truth?   This witty, sweet romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Claire’s Coconut Lime Tarts.  

Get Your Copy Today:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target

About Kacy Cross:

“I write romance novels starring swoon-worthy heroes that you can share with your daughter, the ladies at church, and your grandmother. I live in Texas, where I’m raising two mini-ninjas alongside the love of my life who cooks while I write, which is my definition of a true hero.   Come for the romance, stay for the happily ever after. My books will make you laugh, cry and swoon–cross my heart.”

Connect with Kacy:

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Bookbub

Enter Kacy’s Giveaway:

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Tuesday, December 24, 2019

For the month of December, I am going to post about some of my favorite books, favorite authors, and books I just can't forget about.    These are all books I'd recommend purchasing for Christmas gifts or for your own enjoyment.

If you are a thriller reader, J.T. Ellison is the author for you.    She is absolutely amazing!    Her books are guaranteed to pull you in and not stop until you read that last page.   Even when you finish the book you will continue to think about the story you just read.    I've read many of her books and am always thrilled with them.   



Good Girls Lie is available on December 30th but is available for pre-order now.   I highly recommend going and ordering this book, I could not put it down.  Head to AMAZON now. 


Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.




The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on; she wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

In No One Knows, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows. 









They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair's idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.










J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 critically acclaimed novels, including TEAR ME APART, LIE TO ME, and ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, and coauthored the "A Brit in the FBI" series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. J.T. is also the EMMY® Award-winning co-host of the television series A Word on Words.
With millions of books in print, Ellison’s work has been published in 27 countries and 15 languages. Her novel THE COLD ROOM won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original. Her novels FIELD OF GRAVES and WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE were each a RITA® nominee for Best Romantic Suspense. She is also the author of multiple short stories.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Cover Reveal for Just A Little More by Allie York



Cover Reveal for Just A Little More
by Allie York

We are so excited to share the cover for JUST A LITTLE MORE by Allie York, the first book
in the second season of 425 Madison Avenue. Check out this amazing cover for a must-read
accidental pregnancy romance! 



Just A Little More by Allie York
Release Date: 1/13/20
Series: 425 Madison Ave, #10
Genres: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis: 

Piper
Dream career - check.
Amazing luxury apartment - check.
Stable relationship (with the sexiest man ever) - check.
I finally have my life together. Or I did until the universe decided to throw one heck of a
curveball. 
Nothing could prepare me for the rollercoaster I’ve boarded.

Derek
Move from Alabama to NYC - check.
Job at the hottest restaurant in the city - check. 
Stable relationship (with the sexiest woman ever) - check.
Five years after my last heartbreak and I’m finally living my best life. 
Everything is perfect, until the surprise of a lifetime. 
My future and my past collide, turning my world upside down -when I’m finally starting to get
things right. 

Piper and Derek are in for just a little more - after all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall
in love!


Add to Goodreads!


Don’t Miss Just Swipe Right by Allie York from the first season of
425 Madison Ave.

"This is a super cute, fun book. Light-hearted, sweet rom-com that will have you just waiting for these
two to call it official." —Let's Read Romance on Just Swipe Right.


Only on Amazon + Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited 

About the author 

Allie is a mom and dog groomer by day. At night she is posted at her laptop writing or reading in a
cozy corner. She has a soft spot for gooey romance, over-creamed coffee, and anything cute and furry.




About the 425 Madison Series


Welcome to 425 Madison Ave the perfect place to fall in love. Nine delicious romances set in
fast-paced & sexy NYC just waiting for you to read.

This season will feature some new authors as well as some of season one's favs. Back for season two
is Allie York, Leigh Lennon, MK Moore, Aubree Valentine, Lauren Helms, and Katy Ames. Plus a warm
welcome to KC Enders, Jennifer Rebecca, and Marcie Shumway! 

Not only do we have a sexy mix of new and returning authors, prepare for pages packed with new
romances, characters, and tropes all from the same well-loved high-rise apartment building in NYC. 

Make sure to follow the 425 Madison Avenue Facebook page for more on release dates, cover reveals
and author spotlights. For exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and news subscribe to our 425 Madison
newsletter!


Newsletter ➝ http://eepurl.com/gaz8fL


Check out the Season One and get caught up today! You can read all nine books for FREE with Kindle Unlimited ➝ https://rebrand.ly/425MadisonAmz








This series and all promotional events are brought to you by Forever Write PR - Forever your source
for all your writing needs. https://www.facebook.com/ForeverWritePR/

For the month of December, I am going to post about some of my favorite books, favorite authors, and books I just can't forget about.    These are all books I'd recommend purchasing for Christmas gifts or for your own enjoyment.

Today I'd recommend Beatriz Williams.   She is an amazing historical fiction author that has taken me on journeys to places from long ago.  I've met amazing characters and visited historic settings that I've only read about in history classes.   Her characters and settings come alive and makes the reader feel that they are really in that place.     



New York City, 1998: When Ella Gilbert discovers her banker husband is cheating on her, she loses both her marriage and the life she knew. In her new apartment in an old Greenwich Village building, she's found unexpected second love with Hector, a musician who lives upstairs. And she's discovered something else, just as surprising—a connection to the mesmerizing woman scandalously posed in a vintage photograph titled Redhead Beside Herself.

Florida, 1924: Geneva "Gin" Kelly, a smart-mouthed flapper from Appalachia, barely survived a run-in with her notorious bootlegger stepfather. She and Oliver Anson, a Prohibition agent she has inconveniently fallen in love with, take shelter in Cocoa Beach, a rum-running haven. But the turmoil she tried to leave behind won't be so easily outrun. Anson's mother, the formidable Mrs. Marshall, descends on Florida with a proposition that propels Gin back to the family's opulent New York home, and into a reluctant alliance. Then Anson disappears during an investigation, and Gin must use all her guile and courage to find him.

Two very different women, separated by decades. Yet as Ella tries to free herself from her ex, she is also hunting down the truth about the captivating, wicked Redhead in her photograph—a woman who loved and lived fearlessly. And as their link grows, she feels Gin urging her on, daring her to forge her own path, wherever it leads. 
My Thoughts…
The Wicked Redhead picks up right where The Wicked City left off.   I believe you could read The Wicked Redhead without reading The Wicked City but I can see how the book would be more enjoyable if you knew the history of the characters and the reasons on why they were doing what they were.   Although, Beatriz Williams does do a good job of filling in the holes as she tells the story. 
I enjoyed catching up with characters that I already was familiar with.   I got caught up quickly on what had happened in their lives and was excited to see where they were heading.   I LOVE Ginger.   She has a quick wit and a strong will that women of 1924 were not always able to let out.    She stood her ground, thought through most of her decisions, and helped Oliver when it was needed.    Ella was also a great example of a strong and willful woman.   She didn’t let her cheating husband walk all over her, she made decisions for the good of her, and let her heart open for a healthier relationship.       
Beatriz Williams is very talented in her writing.   She takes two eras, has two stories, and then ties them together perfectly.    The characters are enchanting and realistic, the settings are true to the time and marvelous, and the stories are so captivating that the reader can’t help but be pulled right in.    She is a must-read author for anyone who loves historical fiction.  
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble


May 2013
Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915
Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself. 
My Thoughts…
A 400-page books seems daunting but The Glass Ocean is an exception.    I couldn’t believe that after just an hour of reading I was already ¼ of the way through the book and was looking for more time to pick up the book and read another chapter or two.      There were times I thought I’d just read a chapter and then found that an hour later I was still reading.  
Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White are all authors that I have read separately and I was intrigued by how they would come together to write one book.      The Glass Ocean has three different timeframes.   2013 is the story of Sarah Blake who is a struggling author looking for information about the Lusitania.    1915 tells the stories of Caroline and Tessa.   Each of these ladies gets their own chapters to tell of their time on the Lusitania.      I was not familiar with the story of the Lusitania but the authors combined to give the history of this amazing ship and the people on it that I am looking forward to reading more from them.    
I loved all three characters.     Sarah’s persistence while researching the Lusitania was perfect.   She knew there was a story to tell and was only willing to tell the entire story.    I loved that she didn’t give up and write half a story, she only wrote what she knew to be true and left some questions unanswered.      Caroline was privileged but she was still respected those who worked for her, those who would be seen as a lower class citizen, and she still had flaws.    It was great to see that she wasn’t perfect and that she had problems just like everyone else.    Tessa had a rough upbringing.   She was always looking for the next scam and lived a tough life.  
Reading how these three ladies stories come together, how their lives intertwine all while taking what was supposed to be a relaxing cruise.    
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy at Barnes and Noble or Amazon

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.
 

My Thoughts…

In true Beatriz William’s style this book had everything that I look for in a good book.    There was a historical event with WWI, romance, family, and a strong female character.     Virginia is the main female character.   She was strong in keeping herself safe while she was driving an ambulance during WWI yet feminine enough to trust a man (Simon) to take care of her.      Simon was a different type of character.   I felt like he was shady.    From the first meeting he seemed suave, too smooth, and up to something.    As I learned more about him, when I could decipher truth from the lies, I just never learned if I could trust him.   While I didn’t trust him, as a character I liked him.  He had charisma,  he had a plan, and he did love Virginia.   

The book went back and forth between 1920’s in Florida  and 1917’s and WWI.    The era’s were portrayed wonderfully.    The wartime story wasn’t graphic but it was easy to picture the roads, the rain, the pop-up hospitals, and the soldiers of the time.     I was able to understand what Virginia and Simon were living through during this time.   The 1920’s story was not quite as interesting to me.    There was a lot going on with the plantation, the shipping company, Aunt Clara, Simon, and Samuel.   I wasn’t sure who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.   

Beatriz William is a go-to author for me.    I  would recommend picking up your own copy of Cocoa Beach and falling back in time. 

Book Links
Goodreads   |   Barnes and Noble   |   Amazon   



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, BEATRIZ WILLIAMS spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons before her career as a writer took off. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore.