April 30, 2014

RIGHT CLICK Cover Reveal

Love. Marriage.  Infidelity. Parenthood. Crises of identity. Death. Cupcakes. The themes in Right Click, the third and final installment in the Click series, couldn't be more pressing for this group of friends as they navigate through their 30's. Another six months have passed since we last eavesdropped on the hilarious, poignant and often times inappropriate email adventures of Renee and friends. As the light-hearted, slice of life story continues to unfold, relationships are tested and some need to be set "right" before everyone can find their "happily ever after."

My Reviews of Click: An Online Love Story and Double Click

Right Click will be released in mid-May. Without further ado...here is the cover reveal.

**drumroll please**

 

April 29, 2014

The Medea Complex


"Lady Stanbury's crime is widely viewed as the worst a woman could ever commit." ~ pg. 22

Based on a true story taken place in 1885, Anne Stanbury wakes up in a strange bed, calling out for the familiar then realizes she's been placed in a lunatic asylum. The voices she overhears claim she is unfit to stand trial for a crime of which she is indicted. Edgar is her grieving husband torn between helping his wife recover her sanity and seeking revenge on the woman who ruined his life. Dr. Savage is the chief medical officer who holds Anne's future in his hands.

Reading from the alternate points of view made it more mysterious. Was I to trust the main character Anne? Was Dr. Savage right to believe that behind Lady Standbury's smile is the diseased mind of a lunatic? Is Edgar using money and influence to get anything he wants done? One thing was for sure. In using real dialogue and notes, the author kept this fiction novel as close to fact as possible.

What possesses us? What drives us to insanity? What actions affect the human psyche? These are all questions explored in The Medea Complex. I appreciate historical fiction and am a recent fan of psychological thrillers, but never did I think the two genres could successfully be combined. Kudos to author Rachel Florence Roberts for taking a chance and writing outside of the safe zone. Exceptionally done for a debut novel!

"Love, passion, and hope can drive us to insanity." ~ R.F.R.

The Medea Complex takes places in an era when mental illness was misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated. This fact alone made the novel an interesting deep read. Then add in the haunting book cover that grabbed my attention. It is a psychological historical thriller that pulled me in from the first line and didn't release me until the end. Watch the book trailer below and follow The Medea Complex on its official website, Facebook and Twitter pages. I recommend you visit the asylum!


DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the author for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: The Medea Complex
Author: Rachel Florence Roberts
Published: November 2013
Pages: 339
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

April 27, 2014

Series Sunday: Heart of Gold

(Blessings #5)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.


"That's why the Spirit gives us youth, so we can do dumb stuff, learn from it, and move on." ~ pg. 46

My Series Sunday pick is Heart of Gold, the fifth book in the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins. This is my fifth visit to Henry Adams and oh, have I missed this little fictional town. These kids have come a long way. Just as a reminder, Zoey had been homeless in Miami, Amari was a young car thief in Detroit, Preston was in the foster care system. So much going on in this novel. Crystal ran away. Devon is acting different. Zoey's parents are separating. Bernadine's mean-spirited sister unexpectedly visits. A battle with a neighboring town starts. And a bag of gold is left to one of the kids. Drama, right?!

These former foster kids continue to amaze me. They are wise beyond their years. Despite how unfair life is sometimes, they deal with it—sometimes better than adults would. I love how the author equally focuses on the growth of the children, adoptive family and the town.

"She has a heart of gold, and a head hard as concrete." ~ pg. 157

Read Heart of Gold if you are looking for a story of friendship, genuine love and family. Beverly Jenkins (Aunt Bev in-my-head) is one of the most talented authors. She writes historical fiction and romance like none other. The characters in the Blessings series are realistic. Visit www.beverlyjenkins.net for excerpts and more info.

I still feel like the nosy neighbor watching all the town folk. Never a dull moment in Henry Adams, Kansas. I suggest you pull up a chair and join me on the porch.

Title: Heart of Gold
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Published: April 2014
Pages: 210
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

April 25, 2014

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s). (Read during my break)
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"What I really want to know is how the bastards did it."

The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Coma. There's something innocuous about the word, soothing almost in the way it conjures up the image of a dreamless sleep."

~ Before I Wake by C.L. Taylor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Nothing lasts, not forever. Not laughter, not lust, not even life itself. Not forever. Which is why we make the most of what we have."

House of Cards by Michael Dobbs

April 24, 2014

Catching Air


"This was the ending she'd been yearning to rewrite all along." ~ pg. 259

Catching Air is the story of thirty-somethings and their tangled relationships. The setting is a bed-and-breakfast (B-and-B) located in snowy Vermont. Kira and husband Peter step into a new life co-owning the B-and-B with Peter's brother Rand and his wife Alyssa. The sisters-in-law have their own reasons for starting over in Vermont. The quiet place helps Alyssa recover from the news that she can't bear children. Kira is tired of working as a lawyer. And it seems that employee Dawn is not only hiding something but also hiding from someone.

Sarah Pekkanen is an international bestselling author for good reason. Whenever I see a book written by her, I add it to my reading list with no hesitation. Catching Air has the same formula as Skipping a Beat, These Girls, The Best of Us and The Opposite of Me. It is relatable and delves into issues that most women encounter in their lives like fertility, job security and heartbreak. Do not pass up this good-for-lounge-chair-reading chick lit novel. Catching Air is available in bookstores everywhere on May 6, 2014.

To author Sarah Pekkanen: Please keep penning these heartwarming deeper than the average chick lit novels for my reading pleasure. I hope to see these characters make a cameo in a future book(s).

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Catching Air
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Published: May 2014
Pages: 276
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

April 23, 2014

April eMags

I am Living La Vida NOOK with these April eMags:



MacLife ~ Apple's Next Big Things: iWatch, iTV and iPad Pro

Vogue ~ Keeping Up With Kimye; Mindy Over Matter

Ebony ~ After An Affair...Love or Leave?

Essence ~ Nia on Keeping It Sexy After 40; Pearl Cleage Shares Her Secret Diaries

Entertainment Weekly ~ Summer Movie Preview

Marie Claire ~ Divergent's Shailene Woodley Fresh, Fun, Unfiltered

Elle ~ The 14 Books Every Woman Must Read

April 6, 2014

Series Sunday: Insurgent

(Insurgent #2)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

"Insurgent. Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as a belligerent." ~ pg. 264

My Series Sunday pick is Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. Beatrice "Tris" Prior lives in a futuristic Chicago. The city is divided into five factions (groups formed to seek a single-minded goal):


  • Abnegation (the selfless)
  • Amity (the peaceful)
  • Candor (the honest)
  • Dauntless (the brave)
  • Erudite (the intelligent)

Tris' initiation day should have been celebratory. Instead, the day ended with a war among the factions in this second book of the series. Tris tries to save friends, family and even her enemies all while learning to embrace her divergence. The romance between Tris and Four still played a backseat role in this book.

How can I put this? I would be super pissed if I waited one year for this sequel. How was Insurgent a Goodreads Choice 2012 winner? Who voted for this? What in the entire fuck was this book about?! It is 300 pages of confusing action. I thought factions were realistic after I finished reading the first book of this trilogy, Divergent. I can totally see the world being divided into personality groups and controlled by the government. But if the chaos and disorder described in Insurgent is any indicator, I want no parts of it. What a disappointment. I barely want to finish this trilogy now.

WARNING: The book trailer below may fool you too.


Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: May 2012
Pages: 305
Edition: eBook
Rating: ♥♡

 

April 4, 2014

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.


"Today I'm five. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra. Before that I was three, then two, then one, then zero. 'Was I minus numbers?'"

~ Room by Emma Donoghue

 

April 2, 2014

The Memory Child


"This was a perfect moment. In the silence, with the hint of dawn peeking through the curtains, where promises of a better day were offered." ~ pg. 241

Brian and Diane's marriage has lasted 13 years. Brian is elated when he finds out his wife, Diane, is pregnant. Finally they will become parents. But Diane is nervous because of her family's dark past and the timing of the pregnancy. One year later, the tides have changed. Diane is overjoyed with baby Grace. However, Brian has not returned from opening a new office in London. Everyone around Diane is treating her delicately as if all is not as it seems.

A couple chapters in and I was sure I knew what was going on. Deeper into the book and I still thought I had it figured out. I've read enough family drama novels to piece together how a dark past collides with the present. Silly me. I was partly wrong.

This is my first book read by Steena Holmes. Her Emma series has been in my TBR pile for a while. So it was a perfect opportunity to review an advance copy of her new release The Memory Child. Oh, am I glad! Steena Holmes is an author that can grip me from the first pages, force me to keep reading and forget my real-life responsibilities for the day.

It is a challenge to write about contemporary issues like postpartum psychosis. Kudos to the author for clearly doing her research and penning a fiction novel that belongs in the best of family drama genre.


DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: The Memory Child
Author: Steena Holmes
Published: March 2014
Pages: 244
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

April 1, 2014

Too Blessed to be Stressed


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

The Bible Promise Book: Too Blessed to be Stressed edition is full of inspiring Bible promises to revitalize your spirit. Each featured scripture is encouraging to the modern woman who is busy, stressed yet blessed. This unique edition is full of promises we can trust and help us get through the day. Topics include coping with loss, faith, dealing with difficult people, finding peace and living gratefully. This book is great for those still searching for a devotional. The format allows you to easily find the passage you need at a particular time. The paperback releases today (April 1, 2014). Don't be a fool and leave this on a bookshelf.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: The Bible Promise Book: Too Blessed to be Stressed Edition
Author: Debora M. Coty
Published: April 2014
Pages: 177
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥