Review: STILL PHOTO by @kimharnes

 

STILL PHOTO

Kim Harnes

 

Evernight Teen

Upper YA Contemporary Suspense Romance

62,760 words

 

Evernight Editor's Pick!

"This story is absolutely brilliant.  It is the best thing I've read as a fiction editor."  -- JC Chute

 

 

 
Jess Waterford's mother is evil.  Since she took off seven years ago--just days after Jess's ninth
birthday--without so much as a wave goodbye, Jess has always wondered what happened to her.  And despite the end of her mother's mental and physical abuse, the memories and the scars still remain.  Jess conceals the hurt within by practicing her photography, and by spending as much time as her dad will allow with her baseball star boyfriend, Brody Campbell.

 

 

Determined to make use of her new camera, Jess dives into photographing everything in sight.  But periodically the resulting prints are flawed, ever so slightly;  a smudge on a tree trunk; a blemish in the bus window.  These imperfections are not as random as they may seem, however, and Brody and Jess soon discover together that each of these pictures combine to form another image--the grisly image of a murder scene, with Jess's mother as the victim.

 

 

As the new photograph takes shape, Jess's desire to complete it consumes her, and Brody's health begins to deteriorate.  Torn between her quest to reveal her mother's killer and her continued worry over Brody's failing health, Jess finally finds the last piece to the puzzle, and the answer sends her world spiraling into depths from which she may never recover.

 

 

Evernight Teen     Amazon    Print    ARe    BookStrand

 

 

 

 

Review: (my apologies for posting late, oh the demands of a freshman in high school)

When I first read the blurb for this story, I knew I had to read the entire thing and I swear I was on the edge of my seat throughout!  Jess is such a complex character and so guarded but her photography helps to get her away from it all.  I think the whole dad relationship was also a really cool aspect to add to her complexity.  Most stories I've read tend to center on the mother/daughter relationship and don't get me wrong, I love my mom relationships (being a mama's girl :)) but this dad/daughter scenario totally captured my eye as well as my heart. 

Now there's Brody.  You know how people in general say boys are trouble?  Well he's definitely mastered that talent but telling you why might just give away more than I want to because you need to read it to find out :)  I really think he has to be the perfect boyfriend for Jess and he's totally terrified of her dad which is too dang cute!  I totally have a crush on him and I think our real-life world needs a few more of Brody.

This book is a real killer, insanely brilliant.  I couldn't put it down.  I finished it in a day if even that.

Still Photo is sure to hit best seller status and such an amazing debut novel for Kim Harnes.  I recommend this highly to any and all high schoolers my age, you won't be sorry !!!

an easy 5 leaves  ~

xx 

Taylor

 

 

Excerpt:

(14+ for violence, sexuality, and adult situations)

Brody’s temple began to pound with each beat of his heart and he tried to push the pain away with his fingertips. Try as he might, the throbbing continued to grow and he unwillingly exhaled an agonized moan.

“Are you okay, Brody?” Miss Wolfe, who probably didn’t want to witness a second apocalyptic episode in as many days, approached his desk.

Her voice was barely audible to Brody. The pain had grown rapidly and it was now so intense it pulsed bright screams across his forehead and down his neck. “Oh, God,” he mumbled and pressed his face against the desk. “Oh, God, what is happening to me?” He stood, but his head protested and his vision blurred. “Make it stop. Please make it stop.” He pleaded to anyone who would listen to put him out of his misery. His head shrieked again. Or did that noise come from him? “Please,” he begged. “Can’t somebody please make it stop?” Brody stammered and stumbled aimlessly, positive his head would soon explode and end his suffering. His leg banged into someone’s desk. He didn’t feel it, but it was hard enough to move it several meters across the floor. He vaguely heard someone protest as he stepped on her foot.

“Jessica.” Someone whispered her name. He didn’t know who’d done it or where they were but it sounded as if it were inside his own throbbing head. “Jessica.” Was he calling for her? Was someone going to get her? Would she be coming to help him? And could she make him better?

Just when he thought the pain couldn’t get any worse, another squeal of hurt detonated within his left eyebrow and buckled his knees. “Can’t someone please make it stop?” He implored one last time to anyone who may still be within earshot. He crawled across the linoleum, oblivious to anything but the searing sting like a white-hot sword twisting in his temple.

Exhausted and spent, he curled into the fetal position on the floor and waited for death to come and mercifully take him away, because he was sure that was the only thing that would release him from this torture.

His skull opened and whiteness entered.

The warm, bright light comforted him and he reached for it.

 “Jessica,” his head whispered again.

 

 

 

About the Author:

 

Kim Harnes learned to read at the age of two and never looked back.  Growing up as an avid lover of horror novels, campfire stories, and the obsession with ghost towns and cemeteries, it only made sense that her own writing would incorporate the paranormal, the bizarre, and the unexplained.  She is an award winning songwriter, an Active member of the SCBWI, and lives with her family and numerous pets in Sparks, Nevada.

 

 

Website        Facebook        Twitter   

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Review: A LONG TIME COMING by Heather Van Fleet *giveaway*

Blurb:

 

Abigail Orson has a problem. A love problem to be precise; and she has absolutely no idea how to go about fixing it.

For years now, she has been chasing her best friend’s brother—demanding things from him that he’s never wanted to give. For one? A real relationship that surpasses well beyond that dreaded ‘just friends’ zone. You see, David Anderson is her idea of perfection to a T. The one and only guy who has ever had the ability to make her heart beat faster; make her toes curl with the simple blink of his long, girly lashes. But David is also a recovering amputee, and the only thing he really wants from Abigail is to be left alone. Abigail is a fighter though, and losing the one guy who has ruined her for every other is no longer an option.

A guy with one leg who has lost his motivation to live—to love—to actually be a man. David believes he’s a waste of space. If only the beautiful girl of his unattainable dreams would get that through her perfect, blonde, stubborn head! He’s not the right guy for Abigail. He’ll never be worthy of what she deserves. However, staying away is almost impossible, especially when he’s just as in love with her as she is with him. But Abigail has a life ahead of her, one that’s definitely livable without a nineteen–year–old gimp like him holding her down. What makes her want to stick around is beyond questionable to David’s mind.

Choices will be made. Lines will be drawn. And together, they will face challenges that nobody saw coming. David and Abigail may have had almost fourteen years to fall in love, but the thing is, timing and love have never exactly worked in their favor.  

It has been years in the making, and definitely A Long Time Coming

for David and Abigail. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up before they

actually have the chance to get it right…

 

 

Buy Links:

Smashwords    ARe    Sunshine Press    Amazon    B&N

Book Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKcgfuqZVU


 

 

My Review: 

 

I can say that this is now my favorite book.

 

I adore Heather's writing, I could read it all the time. This book took me 7 hours flat to read,  I didn't want to put it down. I read it while eating. Ha.

 

This book has the perfect amount of everything between David and Abigail. They are both so stubborn that they fight everything.  As much emotion as I felt during this book, it's just really hard to write everything.   I fan-girled, cried, screamed and screeched through out this book.

 

I love how Heather incorporated characters from the first book in this series, which I loved as well! But I think Ms. Van Fleet out did herself with this book. I have butterflies and I'm all giddy from reading.   I really can't express enough, my love for this book.

 

There are twists and turns that I didn't expect, which made me fall in love with it even more! Gahh! Everyone seriously needs to read this book and own a copy. This was seriously worth the wait. I can say that my life is now complete. Thank you for making me an even bigger hopeless romantic . Perfect Christmas for any reader of any age on your list.

 

Thank you for this phenomenal book, Heather, definitely worth 5 leaves!! And a huge hug!! :)

 

xx Taylor

About the Author:

Midwestern native Heather Van Fleet lives in a small town on the Iowa/Illinois border. She’s a wife to her hubby--and high school sweet heart--Chris, as well as a mom to her three little girls, Kelsey, Emma and Bella. When she’s not obsessing over her fictional book characters, cooking dinner, or running around chasing her crazy kiddos, you can usually find her with her head stuck in her Kindle, sucking down White Chocolate Mochas like they're water.

 

 

Author Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18365239-a-long-time-coming

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

Twitter @HLVanFleet

Website: www.heathervanfleet.com

 

 

Giveaway:   Heather is doing a Tour wide giveaway of 5 ebooks of

 A Long Time Coming  and a $25 Amazon GC

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Unexpected Forever by Marissa Dobson

Unexpected Forever

A Clearwater Novella

by

Marissa Dobson

Pregnant…

The stick turned blue and Tessa Bradley’s world fell apart. But unplanned turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Add a marriage of convenience to her best friend and unplanned just might give her the happily every after with the man she’s always loved.

Deployment…

Gunny Cameron White devoted his life to God, country and the Corp. Marriage has never been a blip on his radar. When his best friend—a woman he’s always loved—turns up pregnant and alone, he throws out the rule book and commits to her like a Marine.

Marriage…

Can two people overcome the choices of their past when an unplanned baby gives them the chance of an unexpected forever?

Buy links:

Sunshine Press ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Smashwords ~ All Romance Ebooks ~ Kobo

My Review:

 

Hmmm, how to start this review...I loved it, what a fantastic book, it made me cry more than once... I could go on and on.

Seriously though, all of Marissa Dobson's books I have read have been great and this one didn't disappoint at all.

I have a thing for military guys :) and I loved Cameron literally from the very beginning.  He was one of those best friend kinda guys that you just wanna fall for.

This was a fantastic story with characters I felt like I knew so well.  They were descriptively well rounded and had an unbelievable amount of heart.  I swear my husband probably thought I was nuts when he saw me crying but I just couldn't help it.  Their real  situations were portrayed in such a way that I felt the joys and the heartaches right along with Cameron & Tessa.

I'm ready for a trip to Clearwater myself :)   Do yourself a favor and get this book, you won't be sorry !

Absolutely warrants my 5 leaves !!! 

Excerpt:

Pregnant? Tessa Bradley’s hand slid across her abdomen, was there really a little person growing inside her? Her doctor’s voice droned on, but she couldn’t hear him. She was twelve weeks pregnant without a father for her baby, and after today’s shift—an unemployed mother-to-be.

It can’t be…I was so careful.

She hit the end button on her cell phone, and slipped it back into her pocket. During the last nine weeks, she’d worked as the secretary for a law firm in town, while their permanent one was on maternity leave—talk about irony.

How was she supposed to be a mom when she didn’t even know how to take care of herself?

“Tessa, there you are.” Mr. Jacob smiled as he stepped into the office. “I wanted to give this to you before you left. It’s just a token of my appreciation for stepping into Bev’s shoes while she was on leave. I thought this might turn into a permanent position when I hired you, but Bev obviously has other plans. She wants to come back. If things change, you’ll be my first call.” He offered her a plain white envelope.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She accepted it with a small, honest smile. Mr. Jacob was a wonderful boss and a good lawyer. He truly cared about his clients and did everything he could to fight for them both inside and out of the courtroom.

“Very well, it’s Friday and we have no more clients booked for today. Why don’t you take off and enjoy your weekend?”

She grasped at the generous offer, especially after the doctor’s call. She needed to get out; maybe a walk in the park would help her clear her thoughts. Maybe then, she would have a better idea what to do about her situation. In a daze, she moved around the office and gathered her things.

“Thank you again for the job Mr. Jacob.” She called to him from the door as she slipped her purse over her shoulder, and let herself out for the last time.

The air felt cool against her flushed skin, and the wind tugged her long brown hair, but she didn’t care. Heading into the park, she made her way past the children’s playground.

One day I’ll be one of those frantic mothers watching from the bench praying my child doesn’t get injured.

The countdown to ‘one day’ ticked faster than she’d ever imagined.

“Tess?” He looped his arm around hers, startling her out of her reverie and pulling her to a stop.  “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Cameron White stood before her in his breath-stealing, damn-isn’t-he-good-looking crisp blue Marine uniform. The medals on his chest made her proud—and served as the steel fence between the future she’d wanted and the life he’d chosen fifteen years ago.  He was a fine specimen of manhood—over six feet, muscular from his military training and hours in the gym, and shoulders wide enough to carry the world.

Over the years, she’d nursed a long-standing fascination and attraction for Cameron, one he refused to acknowledge after he joined the Marines. She tried to supplant the desire, redirect it to someone else, but even Brian didn’t measure up to the yardstick she judged all men by. They weren’t Cameron.

Young Marines spoke of him with respect, edged with fear. She knew he was strict, and expected only the best from his men, but he was also fair. Whenever someone needed a helping hand he was there, helping, guiding, but he expected his men to learn from their mistakes—to pay for their mistakes with pushups, loss of leave, whatever it took to drill the message home. He pushed his men to the breaking point, making them the finest Marines he could and he wouldn’t stand for them to give less than one hundred and ten percent.

“Why are you in your dress blues?”

“I just left John’s wedding, they pushed it up so they could be married before he ships out. It was a nice ceremony by the lake.”

She heard him but it was as if his words came through a haze, distant and she couldn’t focus. Her legs felt heavy, and her head swam.

 “What’s wrong Tessa? Are you feeling okay?” He cupped a hand under her arm and guided her over to a bench.

“I’m fine…I just need to go home.” God help her it was good to see him. He was like a port for a ship lost at sea but she needed to wrap her mind around what she was going to do—and how could she tell him? She didn’t think she could bear his disappointment.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” Arm around her waist, he pivoted neatly and guided her toward the street.

“I’m fine. My apartment isn’t that far, I can walk. I’m sure you have other things you need to do before you have to go.”  Even to her, the words sounded flat and they wouldn’t convince him, but it was all she had left.

“You’re all that matters today. I was coming over once you got off work.”

Even if he didn’t believe her, he didn’t force the subject. Maybe all the years they had known each other had enlightened him to the fact that if he pushed she’d only shut down more. What am I going to tell him? She tried to think of something, anything as he led her towards his car. They only had a few days left together before his upcoming deployment. She didn’t want to ruin the time she had left with him by bringing up her mistakes.

Just the thought of another deployment was enough to send her into panic mode. Yes, he was career military and that was part of his job, but it scared the hell out of her every, single time. In truth, he married the Marines from the day he enlisted. He wouldn’t be there for their weekly movie date, or nightly chats. Selfish? Yes, but he was such a large part of her life, she didn’t know how to give it up—even for only a short time—without her heart breaking.

If she were honest with herself, she’d admit she was in love with him, and had been since they were sixteen. Fifteen years later nothing had changed, at least not for her. For Cameron, he’d chosen the Marines, and that loyalty was absolute. He left no part of himself free for a girlfriend, let alone a wife. No matter how much she’d always wished otherwise, Tessa had accepted they would never be anything more than friends. Cameron wouldn’t allow anything more. He said something else, but she didn’t really understand it, the world around her tilted and she swayed. Blackness swamped her vision and everything faded.

Review: One Bad Day by Edie Hart + Giveaway

       One Bad Day

by

 Edie Hart

Blurb:

Tessa is having one seriously bad day. After agreeing to dress as a cheesy mascot at a convention for her boss, her clothes get stolen, she gets chased through a sinister parking garage, and her apartment gets broken into and turned upside down.

Gray, an off-duty police officer, can’t resist the sexy legs he sees in costume at a hotel convention. When he catches sight of her running for her life through a dark car lot, he's determined to find out what her story is and ends up promising to keep Tessa safe...even if that means taking her home with him.

Buy Links:     Breathless Press     Amazon     All Romance    BookStrand

My Review:

For this being her debut novel, Edie Hart did a fantastic job :)  I liked the story from the very first page and had to finish it in one sitting, at oh about 4:30 in the morning lol. Novellas are my favorite and quick to read.  This one was so good, it left me wanting more! 

Ms. Hart created two really likable characters in Gray and Tessa but poor Tessa,to have the luck of dressing up like a mascot in lieu of her regular job, sounds like something that would happen to me.  I really did feel bad for her in those cute strappy stilettos, especially when she had to run for her life.  Bet she didn't know when she put them on they'd end up being a weapon. She also had spunk and determination.  And seriously?  Who could resist an adorable man who turns out to be a cop and also honestly wants to help her?  Gray just happened to be in the right place at the right time to turn his life upside down.  I loved the banter between the two along with Gray's inability to stay away.

I highly recommend this cute read and personally cannot wait to see what Ms. Hart puts out next.

Definitely a 5 leaves read!

Excerpt:

Gray stepped outside of the hotel ballroom hoping the air would be cooler out there. He hated stuffy gatherings. Hell, he hated weddings. How two people could think they'd love each other forever was beyond him. Gray didn't do love. Which was why he was stag at a co-worker's wedding. He'd originally planned to invite Monique, but several months back she'd become demanding and talked about moving into his place with hearts and flowers in her eyes. So he'd ended it. Deep down, he'd known that she didn't really want him. She wanted any warm body that would take care of her. She had slowly been trying to mold him into some GQ tycoon, telling him what to wear, how to act, and even going as far as telling him what he needed to do career-wise.

A loud crash on the other side of the hall caught Gray's attention. In the open ballroom across the way he saw legs. Glorious legs in strappy high heels. The beautiful legs were tangled on the floor and attached to an ass that was just as gorgeous. After taking a closer look, Gray realized that above the amazing ass was an enormous, white light bulb-shaped head with blue googly eyes. It had blonde hair and wore a glittery purple hat. The tangled-up legs and heels were flailing around in a pile of what looked like empty light bulb boxes. Several gentlemen nearby were quick to help Legs get her feet beneath her. From their smiles and laughter he could tell that they were all quite happy to be of assistance. Gray didn't blame them.

He watched Legs find her balance in those high heels, and with a little wiggle and tug of her skirt she went on her way.

About The Author:

Edie Hart was born in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, where she now resides with her husband, two children, dog, and three cats. After spending her childhood making up stories in her head, she finally decided to put them on paper. What came of it was her first novella, One Bad Day. Edie is a die-hard romantic and believes that everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally—both in print and real life.

Edie also admits that "Edie Hart" is a pen name and an alter ego to an otherwise boring wife and mother. Edie is 20 pounds lighter, loves to skydive, travels to foreign places, and is a total sex kitten as compared to the uninteresting other half who is none of those things.

In reality the counterpart of Edie is a lackluster 40-something-year-old, whose main goal is to keep The Big One (The Boy) from torturing The Little One (The Girl). This week he hit her in the head with a 12-pack of Juicy Juice. Last week he left ravioli handprints on the back of her white T-shirt. The week before that he told her she was adopted and she believed him.

To learn more about her, and find out what The Big One and The Little One are up to, visit her via her website, Facebook, or Twitter:

Website      Facebook      Twitter    

Tour Wide Giveaway !!

( Two Amazon Gift Cards & Handmade Jewelry)

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Review: Wolf at the Door by Sofia Grey

Wolf at the Door

Snowdonia Wolves # 1

 

by
 

Sofia Grey

 

Love can heal all wounds...
 

Pop star Lillian Hart is determined never to trust another man. She has no idea that the wolf at her door is anything other than a wounded dog, much less the Alpha of the Snowdonia Wolf pack. There's something about the wild creature that pulls at her. Then a man with her wolf's eyes starts to invade her dreams, and reality and fantasy merge in a way that has her hoping, against all odds, for dreams to come true.

 

Lillian may have sworn off men, but Jake's not just any man, he's a shifter, and he's about to shift Lillian's world to make room for him. He vows to claim her as his Mate, and when Jake makes a vow, he keeps it. But Lillian wants to take it slow and Jake is not about to waste any time.

 

In this battle of wills, both discover giving in and trusting their hearts can heal even the deepest of hurts.

 

My Review:

When I was first asked to read and review this book, I was game because it was a paranormal. Then I saw the cover, realized it would be a wolf book and I got super excited. I love paranormal/shifter wolves and romance. :)


It was later in the evening when I decided to start it to see how far I could get. Well by 1 a.m., I could barely keep my eyes open but was so torn because I seriously could not put this book down.


Congrats to you Sofia Grey, for writing a fantastic shifter story !!!!!


I love love loved it :) At 87 pages, it was the perfect length for me to read at one time but then at the same time it just wasn't long enough either because I didn't want the story to end.


I have to say I fell in love with Wolfie before the end of Chapter 1 :) His protectiveness was immediate for who he recognized to be his Mate and was impressed that he had respect enough to give her a little time to get used to him before he scared the crap out of her. And how cool to have the ability to invade someone's dreams? That was a trait I hadn't read in any books before so I really enjoyed that. I won't give you any more details though so you can experience it for yourself.


This is an erotic novella and the electricity between Wolfie/Jake and Lillian was instantaneous, powerful and simply hot !! I whole-heartedly believe there is such a thing as love at first sight, even though Lillian definitely fights it. She was a scarred popstar running away from a bad relationship to hide in the Snowdonia Mountains at Lupus Cottage to heal. With the simple gesture of taking in and caring for an animal she thought she'd hit with her car, she started a chain reaction that would end up having a profound healing effect on both of their lives.


I want to read this again....and again.....and can you please, pretty please... hurry with A Handful of Wolf (Snowdonia Wolves #2) :)


Absolutely, without a doubt 5 leaves !!! Kudos Ms. Grey !!!

Review: When It's Least Expected by Heather Van Fleet

When It’s Least Expected By Heather Van Fleet

 

 

When It's Least Expected wasn't at all what I expected but it is what the title says, 'when it's least expected', you read a book that throws you completely! I didn't used to be a YA reader but I am truly and thoroughly hooked. As an author, i know the feeling of that nail-biting pulling-your-hair-out having to wait for a review , not knowing if the reader will like it but our author, Heather Van Fleet shouldn't ever have to worry about this one again. 

 

 

What a great story and I loved Harley !!! I also truly believe that surfer boy Mason is her perfect match! ( my daughter would seriously be crushing on him :) The characters in When It's Least Expected were definitely well developed with depth, personal character and conflict. This story touched on alot of issues, a steady mix of that high school love/hate drama and actually what teenagers go through on a daily basis in their lives. Cause let me tell you, having a high schooler myself, lord knows I know drama. Ms. Van Fleet knocked this one out of the park for sure !

 

 

I hesitate to say too much because I want other readers to experience and fall in love with the book themselves instead of getting all the good stuff here but I will say that this story is now taking top ranks in my favorite YA books and i really hope that book 2 doesn't take too long.....

 

 

Heather, you ROCK !!! (oh and I LOVE the cover :))

 

Available now at ... Amazon

 

Highly deserving of my 5 leaves !!

 

 (I was given this book in return for an honest review)