Review: What Lies in the Darkness by Jessica Sorensen

Title:  What Lies in the Darkness
Author:  Jessica Sorensen
Genre:  YA Mystery
Release Date:  September 1, 2016
File Size/Pages:  1608 KB/132 pgs.
Source:  Sorensen's Stars

My Rating:  5/5

Summary:  In the mostly wealthy town of Shadow Cove, nothing is what it seems…

When Makayla’s older brother, Sawyer, is found dead, the police rule his death a suicide. But her father, a reporter for the local paper, believes Sawyer was murdered and begins his own investigation to prove it.

Eight months later, he vanishes without a trace, and Mak is left trying to live a normal life in a town that ridicules her family. And it doesn't help that every time she gets too stressed, she starts seeing the ghost of her brother.

All Mak wants is a little bit of normalcy, so when an opportunity arises to participate in the local skateboarding charity event, Mak grabs onto the chance to do something she used to enjoy doing.

In order to pay the pricey entry fee, Mak decides to call a number on a reward poster for a lost laptop, figuring she’ll be able to make use of the mystery-solving skills she picked up from her father.
With the help of her three best friends, she begins searching for the missing laptop. But what starts out as a simple case, ends up turning into a mystery full of twists and turns that show a darker side of Shadow Cove.

Follow the four friends as they discover the secret societies and deadly games hidden in the glamorous side of Shadow Cove.

A YA Mystery series with a splash of paranormal.

Review:  I received this novel in exchange for my honest opinion and HOLY SMOKES! I've been on a reading hiatus for a while now due to being bogged down by work, but I'm happy to say that this novel put an end to that hiatus. This novel tells the story of Makayla and her three friends trying to figure out the mysteries linked to Shadow Cove, mainly what really happened to Mak's older brother, Sawyer, and Mak's father. As soon as I started reading the first chapter, I was hooked. I felt like I was in a throwback episode of Pretty Little Liars, when it first came out, and everyone was trying to figure out the secrets and A's true identity. I love the fact that even though Mak was the main character in this novel, each of the girls were very well developed. This story was short, mysterious, and incredible. I can't wait to read the rest of the stories in this series.

Welcome Back!!

Thinking about bringing reviews of books I read personally back to the blog!

Review: Wedding Haters by Melissa Baldwin

Title:  Wedding Haters
Author:  Melissa Baldwin
Genre:  Chick Lit
Publisher:  n/a
Release Date:  March 4, 2015
File Size/Pages:  539 KB/243 pgs.
Source:  CLP Blog Tours

My Rating:  4/5

Summary:  The exquisite dress, the dazzling menu, the family drama . . . It’s the day every girl dreams of, and Madison Wales is no exception. Her wedding plans seem to be going perfectly thanks to her very talented wedding planner, Sienna Harris. That is, until her grandmother and her two overachieving, bullying cousins suddenly want to become very involved in her big day. But . . . why?
Madison’s perfect wedding dreams are dashed as things slowly start to unravel. With family drama in her midst, she wonders if her cousins are behind each disaster or if she has truly become a paranoid bridezilla.
Will Madison be able to withstand all of the pressure and finally stand up for herself? The idea of eloping with her fiancé, Cole, is looking better everyday, even if it means leaving her dream wedding behind. Will she make the right choice?

Review:  I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion, and it was an enjoyable read. Although this is the second novel in the Event to Remember series, and I've never read the first book, it didn't affect my rate for Wedding Haters. Melissa Baldwin does an amazing job painting the picture of what life is like for Madison Wales. She's a hairdresser, her fiancé is a comedian, and her best friend is an amazing wedding planner. So what could go wrong with planning her wedding, right? Wrong! First, she's put on the spot by her grandmother, telling her she needs to put her cousins in the wedding. Her cousins bullied her when they were younger, but of course the grandmother always took their side. Then, things start going awry with the once perfect wedding. Although this was a light, fun read, I love the slight suspense that was also present in the novel. It was a little hard for me to get invested in Madison's story at first, but once I finally did, the story was actually an enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to readers.

Interview with Savannah Page

Savannah Page is the author of the seven-novel When Girlfriends collection, heartfelt women's fiction that celebrates friendship, love, and life sprinkled with drama and humor. When she isn't writing, Savannah enjoys a good book with a latte and jazz tunes, Pilates, and exploring her home of Berlin as an American expat.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Josie Ann! It’s been a lot of fun touring with you through the series. Readers, don’t forget to enter the BIG Rafflecopter giveaway below!

Q. What inspired the plot for "When Girlfriends Find Love”?

For the When Girlfriends series I knew straight away that I wanted to have each of the six girls tell their story individually. Sophie opened the series with Break Hearts, and since I love the concept of full circle (and it was about time that girl got her broken heart taken care of!) the rest of Sophie’s story would close the series. Her various romances were a lot of fun to orchestrate from one novel to the next, so come Find Love I was very ready to give her that happily ever after. The big inspirational piece for this particular novel was the final chapter. From there I built backwards and had a lot of fun with this one!

Q. Who would you cast as the girlfriends in the series?

Not an easy task, but I’ll try my best. I usually don’t have an actor in my mind when creating a character, but for Sophie, Claire, and Jackie I did. A 1980s Paulina Porizkova (Her Alibi) is definitely Sophie. Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) is Claire. Jackie’s a young, bleach-blonde, pixie-cute Kirsten Dunst...just more tanning-bed-orange. Jenna Fischer would be a great Robin, and Jennifer Garner could be Lara. Emily’s a really tough one, but Ginnifer Goodwin could probably be a good match. She’d just have to go for the dreadlocks now and then and show her wild side!

Q. Back in our last interview, you said you could probably most relate to Sophie. Would you say that you still relate to Sophie the most, or has that changed?

Absolutely. For all her OCDness, love of control and plans and schedules, and eagerness to keep things together (including friendships that she maintains from across the globe), Sophie’s my girl. We’re not carbon copies, that’s for sure, but when I created her character and wrote the first chapter of both Break Hearts and Find Love I found myself nodding a lot and thinking, “Yes, I totally get her!” (Now if I can just bake like her…)

Q. Describe your writing process when it came to writing this series.

Before I created a single character I knew I wanted to do a large series about a group of six eclectic best friends during those out-of-college years. I was inspired by my own group of girlfriends, all of us slowly moving away from our college town, but still keeping up those friendships. Taking on such a large series with so many main characters, and having that real-life inspiration from my own female friendships really helped me complete the series relatively quickly. While writing one novel I would collect ideas for the subsequent ones, keeping track of dialogue and scenes I’d use either in the next chapter or up to two or three novels later. Kind of like writing one gigantic story. It was a blast—but a lot of hard work—creating such a long narrative. But boy have I really come to know these six girls!

Q. Would you say that you're more of a plotter or a pantser?

Definitely a plotter! I go crazy with Post-Its all over the floor and walls when I piece together the plot.

Q. Out of all the books in the series, which book did you enjoy writing the most?

I’ve got a soft spot for Jackie. She’s wonderfully insane, a lovely damaged character with so much drama. How can I not have fun writing from her perspective? Her story (Let Go) was a lot of fun concocting. But of all seven novels Find Love was so much FUN! I got to go to Paris; got to hang out with my male character crushes; I was surrounded by delicious desserts and coffee; and the romantic, sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of scenes in this novel? What’s not to love about that?

Q. What were some of your favorite things to snack on while writing this novel?

Almonds and pistachios are probably my biggest writing snacks, but I’m not a big snacker when writing, honestly. All that yumminess is a bit distracting. I do, however, have a good three or four drinks at the ready when I’m writing. I never realized I’m obsessed with beverages until one of my ex-co-workers said she never saw anyone before me who was never without either a beverage in her hand or on her desk…and so many of them. Variety’s the spice of life, right?

Q. What can your fans expect next?

This spring I came out with my first stand-alone novel, a women’s fiction piece (A Sister’s Place) that I think is my best piece of work. It’s definitely the one that stole my heart! Right now I’m working on an entirely new project that I am very excited (and nervous) about. It’s a trilogy and it’s a New Adult Contemporary Romance. Something very new, tons of fun, seriously dramatic, and a collection that I hope my readers will enjoy. I’m also planning on revisiting the Girlfriends but I’m not sure when, how, or what! You’ll just have to wait and see...

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

"Keep on writing, no matter what” is a classic, hard and fast rule. But you’ve probably already heard that. So my favorite and best piece of advice? I once heard Sophie Kinsella say that an author should always write the book she wants to read. I couldn’t agree more! Not everyone will like everything you write, that’s a guarantee. Your fans won’t even like everything you write, that’s okay. Some books and characters will be more favored than others, totally normal. But so long as you stay true to the story and write the book that you really want to read, you can’t go wrong. When I wrote Lara’s book (Make Choices) I knew I’d make many readers angry with the married-man-cheating scenario, but that story hit me like a brick and I was driven to write it, no matter what. It was the story that was inside me, that I had to tell, and the one I really wanted to read! Helpful and experienced criticism and tips should not be ignored, and aiming to please readers is definitely important (especially your awesome fans), but always, always stay true to your story above all else. (Plus, writing the book you want to read is just so much fun!)

Social Media Links:

Website & Blog: www.savannahpage.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SavannahPageAuthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/savannah_page

Twitter: www.twitter.com/savannah_page

 

Sophie Wharton is in control. Whether life is going according to plan or throwing her for a loop, Sophie is determined to remain calm and in charge. It's no wonder she's the successful owner of one of Seattle's most charming cafés, The Cup and the Cake. Her lemon meringue cupcakes, petite French treats, and cappuccinos always leave customers coming back for more. Naturally, her camaraderie of college girlfriends are still thick as thieves a decade later. And it should come as no surprise that she has her own cozy apartment in the hip part of town and grand goals for her future.

Of course Sophie has had her share of rough times, and recently some unexpected surprises have emerged. Her best friend Claire has moved across the state, the demands of her café are mounting, and some major changes among her circle of friends are shaking things up. But it's nothing Sophie can't handle.

When it comes to her love life, however, Single Sophie's at a loss. She approaches it the way she does nearly everything in life--by trying to call all the shots. But love doesn't work that way, and as Sophie examines her past relationships--thinking back on romantic trysts in Paris; college mistakes; the relationship responsible for the Year of Heartbreak--she must come to accept that love is an unpredictable, untamable, and often unexpected force.

This is the witty and heartwarming conclusion of the When Girlfriends collection, a novel about examining the past, moving forward, and following your heart. It's a story about friendship, relationships, acceptance, and learning to love again. About what happens when girlfriends find love.

Buy Links:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/When-Girlfriends-Find-Love-Savannah-ebook/dp/B00K1PDIYY

Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Girlfriends-Find-Love-Savannah-ebook/dp/B00K1PDIYY

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-girlfriends-find-love-savannah-page/1119391861?ean=2940149262694

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/when-girlfriends-find-love

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/when-girlfriends-find-love/id871127670?mt=11

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Cover Reveal: No Interest in Love by Cassie Mae

Because I love GIFs, and my main character in this book, Jace, is obsessed with How I Met Your Mother, we're gonna do the cover reveal with a series of HIMYM GIFs :D

There's this guy; this actor...

And his balls are so very blue.

He wants that problem rectified. And he has his chance when his agent... this girl here:

...lands him an audition for the next big Rom Com with an A-list actress who is known for really getting to "know" her co-stars. 

The audition's on set in Alabama. He's in LA. Flights are grounded, car engine gets flooded, and the fecal matter pretty much hits the fan. 

Now he has to get across the country with the girl who drives him nuts. 

A girl who doesn't know how to chill out.

A girl who doesn't understand that he's not interested in a relationship now... or ever. 

A girl who---as he spends more and more time with her---goes from this:

To this:

And now he has a few more roads in front of him. Play it safe and keep heading toward Casual Fling Lane...

Or take a chance on the unfamiliar feelings that lead down Relationship Avenue. 

And *plays drum roll* here's the cover for it! 

Also the official blurb ;) 

Readers of Emma Chase are sure to fall for bestselling author Cassie Mae’s All About Love series! In No Interest in Love, Hollywood’s hottest young actor hits the road to chase his big break—and gets caught in a steamy love triangle.

When Jace Carver snags a minor part in his buddy’s zombie flick, he suddenly starts getting noticed all over the place. Even Hollywood megastar Carletta Ocean—known for her extensive “research” with her leading men—wants Jace for her new rom-com. The role could be a game-changer . . . if Jace nails the audition.

As Jace’s agent, Shaylene Kwak is all business—and isn’t about to let her favorite client blow this opportunity. Ever since college, Shay has been immune to Jace’s charm and rock hard body. But long hours in tight company have a way of wearing down even the best defenses. And when their platonic teasing turns into serious flirting, Jace and Shay are no longer able to resist what’s been right in front of them the whole time.

Shay knows Jace’s love-’em-and-leave-’em history with women. She’s not about to be just another notch in his belt. And it’s true, Jace has never wanted more than a one-night stand—until now. But at the end of the line, he’s got a choice: sleep with Carletta and seal the deal . . . or risk his career for a shot at true love with Shay.

Praise for Cassie Mae

“Clever, romantic, and entertaining . . . Cassie Mae is a natural storyteller.”—USA Today bestselling author Tiffany King, on Doing It for Love
“Cassie Mae is awesome! The perfect balance between laugh-out-loud funny and achingly poignant, The Real Thing is the ultimate escapist read. I didn’t want it to end!”—Lauren Layne, USA Today bestselling author of Crushed

“Cassie Mae’s writing is fresh and original!”—Rachel Morgan, author of the Creepy Hollow series
“A fabulous author who tugs on your heart strings as if she owns them.”—Jade Hart, author of Coffee and Cockpits

Cassie Mae (who dons the name Becca Ann on occasion) is the author of a few hundred—okay, maybe not that many—books. Since writing her bestselling debut, Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend, she has published books with Random House, Swoon Romance, and Tulip Romance. She has a favorite of all her babies, but no, she won’t tell you what it is (mainly because it changes depending on the day). Along with writing, Cassie likes to binge-watch Teen Wolf and The Big Bang Theory. She can quote Harry Potter lines quick as a whip. And she likes kissing her hubby, but only if his facial hair is trimmed. She also likes cheesecake to a very obsessive degree.

Comes out December 22nd, but you can pre-order now!