Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Kissing Eden by T.A. Foster

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Kissing Eden by T.A. Foster. Check out my review of this cute contemporary and enter the giveaway.

Kissing Eden

Author: T.A. Foster

Publication Date: March 6, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC via Inkslinger PR

~Synopsis~

Have you ever thought of taking a vacation alone? I mean step on a plane, check into your hotel, and lie on the beach completely and utterly alone. No? Me either, but then right before senior spring break I got dumped.
Something about break ups makes you do things you didn’t want to do, and try things you didn’t know you were capable of.

That’s how I ended up at the Palm Palace.
That’s how I met Grey.
That’s how my spring break turned into the most unforgettable week of my life.

 ~Review~

Kissing Eden was a very cute contemporary romance and I really enjoyed reading it. I like T.A. Foster’s writing style and I think she comes up with some very creative plot lines that make reading one of her contemporary novels fun and exciting. With all of the new adult and contemporaries that I read, it is refreshing to find something that grabs your attention.

Eden is headed to Texas for her spring break and she’s going alone. After her boyfriend for the past year breaks up with her 3 days before their spring break trip, she decides to go on it alone. When she gets to the booked resort and finds out her ex took the room, she is forced to stay at the dilapidated hotel down the road. Just when it seems like she’s about to have the worst week of her life, she meets the gorgeous, young hotel owner, Grey, and sparks fly.

I really liked Eden a lot and felt like she was a very strong character. She really knows how to handle herself and she doesn’t let tough times get her down. Instead, she always picks herself up and makes the best she can out of a crappy situation. I also really liked her confidence with Grey. She feels the chemistry between them and she isn’t afraid to pursue it. I also liked Grey as well but he definitely had a chip on his shoulder and I hate when guys are hot and cold, which he sometimes was. He has a lot on his plate and with all he’s been through, it is understandable that he would be overwhelmed but was moodier than a teenage girl on her period and that makes me crazy. I also felt like both he and Eden over-reacted to a couple situations they found themselves in and I wanted to slap both of them for their reactions. Eden is such a strong woman so I felt like her over-reaction was a bit out of character. Grey’s reaction to his situation was definitely something I would expect from him but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

There was real passion and chemistry between Eden and Grey and I could feel the sexual tension between these two characters. Grey is so closed off and Eden opens him up and really brings a little bit of life back to him. In turn, Grey shows Eden what real love is and really helps her see that her ex was never right for her. She could do so much better and Grey showed her what that was like. I really liked the way they worked together and the way Eden helped Grey with the hotel. She didn’t want to admit that she loved Grey, but by the end of the week, it was definitely obvious. Ultimately, Grey made the grand gesture and I loved it. It showed true growth in him and that might be my favorite part.

Overall, this was a light, fun and romantic read. I really liked that there wasn’t a lot of angst or clichés and it is definitely a great spring read. It really made me wish I was on a beach somewhere and I am definitely antsy for some warm weather now.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Link:   http://amzn.to/1hCXkkv
B&N Link:  http://bit.ly/NKhAGi

Smashworks:  http://bit.ly/1dcvQB5

T.A. Foster's Bio:
T.A. Foster once spent a monthlong spring break on South Padre Island, where she soaked in the Texas sun, beach, and learned what real Texas country music is. Sometimes fiction does spring from reality.

She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children, and two canine kiddos. 

T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

Author Links:
Blog: http://www.tafosterauthor.com/ 
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tafosterwriter 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TAFosterauthor 
Author Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7164289.T_A_Foster

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Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: One Wild Night by Magan Vernon

Today, I have the tour for One Wild Night by Magan Vernon, hosted by Inkslinger PR, on the blog. I love this series and now it's Valerie's turn. Check out my review and enter the giveaway below.

One Wild Night

(Forever Wild #1)

Author: Magan Vernon

Publisher: Beautifully Broken Books

Publication Date: December 5, 2013

Genre: New Adult

Source: eARC from publisher via Inkslinger PR

~Synopsis~

One Wild Night- EPISODE 1 in the first season of the Forever Wild Serial. (This is a six part series with one book releasing every 3 weeks)

One Wild Night Can Change Everything

Valerie Wilder doesn’t do serious relationships. She also doesn’t usually wake up in Vegas next to a male stripper…

A male stripper who happens to be her new husband.

A quickie divorce seems like the answer, but the Nevada legal system doesn’t think so. When her new husband suggests flying back to Chicago with Valerie she accepts, wondering if one night in Vegas could turn into something much more.

~Review~

One Wild Night is the first episode in a six part serial novel and I really enjoyed it. Valerie is Melanie’s sister and we meet her in The Only One. I really liked her a lot so I was excited that she was getting her own story. This first episode really gives us an idea of who Valerie is and I liked getting to know her more.

Valerie is super self-conscious and has some self-esteem issues. She is a curvier girl and this has always made her feel like she wasn’t good enough. She feels like the woman that men just want to sleep with but don’t want to be seen with. Because of this, she has never really had a serious relationship. I think she just doesn’t give herself enough credit and she allows men to use her for the physical stuff because she doesn’t feel worthy of anymore. I think Valerie is funny, smart and deserves so much more.

Wes is sex incarnate and when Valerie meets him at a “hottest abs” contest, the sparks fly. Mix alcohol, insane sexual chemistry and bad ideas and what happens? You end up married in Vegas. I was dying laughing when Valerie woke up and realized Wes was her husband. I wasn’t sold on Wes, though, and I’m still not sure about him. He’s a musician on his way to LA to make it big and he’s working as a stripper in Vegas and getting married was his idea. It seems like he thought Valerie was a big marketing exec in Chicago and he seemed a bit disappointed when he found out she’s just a low-level worker starting out. This gave me the gold digger vibe and I kind of wanted to punch him in the face. However, he grew on me towards the end because he definitely seemed to genuinely have affection for Valerie.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas right? Not when you can’t get a divorce in Vegas. It would seem that Valerie has run out of luck and this just seems to fit perfectly with how her life is going. However, I think it may turn out to be a good thing for her. The sexual chemistry between these two is HAWT and there is definitely some steam there. I really like Magan’s writing and she doesn’t disappoint in this one. There is still a lot of development left to this story by since this is a serial novel, I don’t feel like I can really judge that yet since obviously full development isn’t complete yet. However, this episode was a really good start and I was left wanting more by the end.

~IPOD Picks~

“Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard

“Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1bIeb4F

B&N: http://bit.ly/1dPSDoF

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media. You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com.

Website: http://www.thepunchingbagfightsback.blogspot.com/ 

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Magan-Vernon/215620155165079 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaganVernon 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5237606.Magan_Vernon

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Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa

Today, I have the tour for Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa, hosted by Xpresso Book tours, on the blog. Check out my review below.

Covert Assignment

(Covert #1)

Author: Missy Marciassa

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: December 1, 2013

Genre: New Adult

Source: eARC via Xpresso Book Tours

~Synopsis~

Covert Assignment is a New Adult, Coming of Age Novel with a strong romantic element. Elle is ready for graduation and full-fledged adulthood: no more living like the leftover of her parent’s divorce. She’s about to graduate with her degree in Information Science (the 21st century term for Library Science) and has a ten-year plan as well-designed as any model for analyzing metadata: earn her JD/MBA, enjoy a couple of years as a single professional, then marry her college sweetheart, Adam, and start her own family. 

Yet Elle feels like she returned to an alternate universe her final semester. There are pictures of Adam with a classmate who must be surgically enhanced, but he insists he wants Elle. CIA recruiters show up on campus, and they aren’t just interested in recruiting Elle for future employment: turns out she’s already working for them since they’re funding her thesis. Hot operative Preston Raddick is tasked to work with her. Preston isn’t just hot: he’s hot for Elle, but is he offering happy ever after or happy for right now? A fling with Preston could be the beginning of a new life plan, which is exciting and scary, especially with espionage thrown in. Elle needs a predictive model to tell her which decisions have the greater likelihood for happiness…

Covert Assignment is about the unexpected turns life can take when making “adult” decisions.

~Review~

Covert Assignment was a really fun and enjoyable read. I liked the steam in the romance as well as the intrigue within the plot. I was actually quite hooked from the beginning and while I felt like there were a few parts that could use a little more development, I was generally very happy with this book.

Elle has her whole future planned out and she is 100% focused on that future. When she returns from winter break for her final semester of her senior year, all of her plans are turned upside down, starting with her boyfriend cheating on her. I liked Elle and thought she was a really strong character. She adapted well to change and she didn’t just forgive Adam because he fit into her plan. She really tried to forgive him because he genuinely seemed sorry and they had been together for so long. However, Preston opened her up a little to the idea of experiencing something different and when Adam screwed up again, she allowed him to do just that.

Elle had some really good friends in Marni and Tina and I loved how they supported her. They were like Yin & Yang, the angel and the devil and it was good that she had them always with opposite views because she was never pressured one way or another. No matter what advice they reaped upon her when it came to  her career and her love life, it was always her decision. I was always really happy she had them as friends because everyone else who was supposed to love her just let her down. Adam cheated and lied and really hurt her. He was such a dick too because he tried to justify his actions and really thought so poorly of Elle that she would just forgive and forget like she couldn’t do any better. Her parents were also a piece of work and their lack of interest in Elle’s life unless it was what they wanted made me really sad. I was really proud of Elle for standing up to them in the end however and finally realizing that she’ll never please them so why bother trying.

One of my favorite things about this book was the chemistry between Elle and Preston. I was so hot and leaked off the pages. They are working together but they can’t help be attracted and what they are doing is exciting and a bit thrilling and dangerous. This definitely brings out the sexual tension. Elle is still a good person though and never acts on her attraction while trying to give Adam a chance. However, when he breaks her trust again, she doesn’t hold back and she lets Preston show her what real passion is. While Preston never did anything to hurt Elle, I still got the “player” vibe from him and I was worried that she would get too attached and he would inevitably break her heart. They had some sexy, sexy times though and being with Preston opened up a new side to Elle that made her a better, stronger person.

While I found the plot to be a little far fetching, it was still intriguing and fun. I actually understood that the book is more about being open to change and allowing yourself to grow and mold. Elle had plans but she was also open to new opportunities that came her way. 

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON

AUTHOR BIO

Missy Marciassa loved getting lost in novels from the time she could read, so it’s no surprise she wanted to write. Her very first “novels” were re-writing the books she read to get the endings she wanted in second grade. Missy continued to read and write through grade school and high school.

After becoming rather disillusioned with fiction after writing literary criticism as an English major in college, however, Missy focused on her enjoyment of learning about people and studied psychology. Reading fiction fell to the wayside with all the reading and writing required for college and graduate school, but once Missy became a doctoral candidate, she rediscovered her love of fiction. Then she started getting the urge to write, an urge that wouldn’t go away (she refuses to diagnose it as a compulsion). Covert Assignment is the end result of that urge.

Links:

Website: http://marciassa.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7254740.Missy_Marciassa

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MissyMarciassa

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Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: A Risk Worth Taking by Heather Hildenbrand

Today, I have the tour for A Risk Worth Taking by Heather Hildenbrand, hosted by Inkslinger PR, on the blog. I am super excited to share a review for this new contemporary romance. Check it out and enter the awesome giveaway!

A Risk Worth Taking

Author: Heather Hildenbrand

Publisher: Accendo Press

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary

Source: eARC via Insklinger PR

~Synopsis~

When 22-year-old Summer Stafford’s parents split halfway through her senior year at college, Summer’s world is rocked. Everything she thought she knew—heck, everything she thought she wanted for her own life—feels like a lie. The truth is love is a risk. And the true kind, the kind that lasts, might even be a fairy tale. 

Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.

Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations.

Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy. 

When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.

~Review~

I was interested in this book the moment I saw the cover and read the blurb. I definitely wasn’t disappointed. I really liked the characters and the plot was sweet and heart-warming. I liked that there wasn’t much angst and it was more of just a love story.  This is always a nice reprieve.

I liked Summer and I felt like she was a fairly strong character. She has just graduated college and come home to help her dad run his successful farm after her parents have divorced and her mom is gone doing her own thing. Summer holds a lot of anger and resentment towards her mother and this has changed her outlook on love and relationships. I can understand why she would feel this way since she has put her parent’s marriage and relationship up on a pedestal so to see if fall definitely alters her whole world and perspective. Meeting Ford definitely makes her question everything.

I also really enjoyed Ford’s character as well. He is so laid back and very much about living for now. He doesn’t make plans and he wants to make sure he lives his dreams. I liked that he was hot and brainy. I’m a sucker for hot nerds and Ford was just that. He is also very ambitious and I really liked that but I felt like his ambitions blinded him a bit and made him a little narrow minded. He is so busy worrying about regrets regarding his dreams that he may ended up regretting decisions he makes about love. He never anticipated meeting someone like Summer.

I really liked Kasey, Summer’s childhood friend who is like a brother to her. He also becomes friends with Ford and I loved the way he helped both of them find each other. As an outsider, he could see the potential for great love between them and he wanted to see them both happy. I also really liked Summer’s dad and her “Uncle” Frank. They were supportive and protective of Summer and they saw the good guy in Ford. They were also pretty entertaining, especially Frank. He gossiped worse than a bunch of old ladies in a hair salon and it was hilarious.

It’s obvious Ford and Summer are attracted to one another the moment they first meet. Ford isn’t looking for a relationship and neither is Summer so it would seem like the perfect fling for both of them. Ford is all about having some fun and living for the now. Summer is a bit more of a planner and always looking to the future so she is a bit more hesitant about starting anything with Ford. In the spirit of starting over, she is convinced to try and just have a little fun with Ford and not think so much into life. I think falling in love was impossible to avoid because their connection was so much more than physical. They both opened each other up to new possibilities and really helped each other grow for the better. They had incredible passion and I really liked the way Summer opened herself up to Ford and put her heart on the line to ask him to stay. Ford has never wanted to change his plans before Summer and I could tell he was truly conflicted with the decision he had to make.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I really liked the writing and I was definitely swept up in the romance between Summer and Ford. I enjoyed the fact that there was no drama between the two of them and there was no sordid past either. They were two people just afraid to make a commitment for their own reasons until they walked into each other’s lives.

~IPOD Picks~

“Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan

“Give it to Me” by Sheryl Crow

“I Will Be” by Leona Lewis

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

About Heather:

Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.

Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.

Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

Website:  www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Heather.L.Hildenbrand

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherHildenbrandsFanPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherHildenbr

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4607856.Heather_Hildenbrand

Newsletter:  http://blogspot.us4.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=77abacb38959bc9c0f7b4e81b&id=739fdcef83

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*An eARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*

Blog Tour ARC Review + Excerpt: Embrace by S.E. Hall

Embrace

Evolve #2

Author: S.E. Hall

Publication Date: September 26, 2013

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

~Synopsis~

Evan Allen is a handsome, athletic, southern gentleman who now attends Georgia Southern University for no good reason.

After what he expected to be the romantic gesture of the century, Evan is looking at no friends, a year of ineligibility on the football team, and no girl.

He's starting over alone and doesn't know quite how to proceed. Certain members of The Crew refuse to let him face things by himself, taking him under their wing, and it doesn't take the ladies long to notice him, either. 

Sometimes life doesn't go as you had planned. Sometimes it goes better.

Embrace it.

Embrace, the second book in the Evolve Series by S.E. Hall, follows the characters from her debut New Adult romance, Emerge.

~Review~

This is a tough review to write without including a few spoilers from Evolve, book #1, in the series so if you haven’t read Evolve, you may not want to read this review.

Evan made a lot of changes and gave up his UGA football position to transfer to Southern for Laney. Only, when he got there, she had chosen Dane and had yet to inform him of it. I felt terrible for him and I was glad to see the story was going to continue so we could see if he would get his happy ending. I love happy endings and I wanted to see this for Evan since I knew Dane and Laney would get theirs.

Evan has just given up everything only to be thrown into sadness, anger and loneliness. Sawyer immediately steps in and takes him under his wing and I loved that. It shows the good side of Sawyer and it shows a lot more in this book. There is so much more to him than meets the eye. Evan has a lot of anger towards Laney and I can’t say that I blame him. While I never felt like Laney deceived Evan, she really hurt him and she wasn’t completely upfront with him right away. Had she been completely forthcoming with her feelings for Dane, Evan may not have given everything up.

Whitley is not given a fair shot in Evolve and she is portrayed as a clingy, snobby bitch. However, we get to see the real Whitley in Emerge and she is completely different than the original impression. The moment Evan meets her, he sees the real person inside and I loved that he gave her a chance and got to know her despite what Sawyer said and the fact that Laney didn’t like her. I think Laney was a bit immature when it came to her attitude towards Whitley and I was glad that she turned her attitude around and gave her a chance. I never saw Laney as a catty witch so I liked that she got over herself and gave Whitley a chance.

I really liked that the focus of this book was Evan finding himself and realizing that maybe he and Laney werent’ meant to be together like he thought. He really learned a lot about himself and even thought he may have regretted it at first, I think he was glad he switched to Southern in the end because he found everything he wanted and needed there. He became a part of “The Krew” too and he got his friendship back with Laney.  While this was mostly Evan’s story, I liked the added scenes from Dana and Laney’s POV so we still got a glimpse into the love and relationship they were building. Throughout the story, they experienced some tragedies and moments that solidified their friendships and the relationships they were building. It was really great to see.

Overall, I really liked this book and loved getting to know the characters even more. While this book was mostly about Evan and Whitley, we got to see more of Tate, Bennett, Zach and Sawyer and I know we are going to get their stories and happy endings in the future.

~IPOD Picks~

“Enchanted” by Taylor Swift

“Somebody that I Used to Know” by Boyce Avenue

“She” by Parachute

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON

~Excerpt~

Laney

“Hello?”

“Zach, don’t say my name,” I choke out, storming across the lot as fast as my shaking legs will carry me.

“What’s wrong? Where’d you-“ his voice comes loud and worried through the phone.

“Don’t say that!” I interrupt, God, how embarrassing. “Can you walk away from everyone and talk to me for a minute? Where no one can hear you.” My voice is nasally and obnoxious, getting on my own nerves.

“Yeah Mom, hang on.” Zach- not a great actor. “Okay Laney, I’m by myself now,” he whispers.

“I’m sorry I bailed on practice, and I’m sorry to bug you now, but I need a Zach of infinite wisdom fix real bad right about now.”

“Let’s pretend I don’t already know what’s up your ass and you go ahead. It’ll give you a chance to vent.”

Alright, so that almost makes me grin.

“Basically, he just hung on that bitch in front of me just to piss me off, and it worked! Seriously? I don’t do that shit to him! Nothing I did was to purposely hurt him. How long did I absolutely torture myself NOT to hurt him Zach, huh? A long ass time!” I come up for air, waiting for him to tell me how right I am while I climb in my truck.

“Laney, you know I love you, right?”

This can’t be good.

“Yes…”

“Then you know it’s with love when I say this.” Dramatic pause that makes my skin crawl. “Get over yourself! I don’t care if he fucked her on the field and asked you to film it. You may not have meant to, but you destroyed that kid. He’s here with no friends, no girl and a new team. Sound familiar? He’s just trying to put one foot in front of the other every day, just like you did. You got your happily ever after, so back the fuck off and let him try to find his.”

Well then. Zach-1. Laney-0.

It hurts, not even gonna pretend it doesn’t, but his words are honest…and absolutely dead on. It angers me at myself for being the cause of such sad, but true words, describing the crushing of my Evan. It’s a lot to think on and I have to do that now, before I cruise right out of control.

“You’re right Zach. That’s why I call you. I’ll always get the straight-up what I need to hear. Thanks.”

“I luv ya Laney. Don’t be mad at me, but much like yourself, don’t ask for my advice if you don’t want it.”

I chuckle, “God, if that isn’t the truth. You’re harsh, but right. I’m not mad, I swear. Now go coach! I’ll talk to ya later.”

“Later Laney.”

I hang up and stare out my windshield, pondering. Zach is right, I’m being a selfish bitch.

About S.E Hall

S.E.Hall resides in Arkansas with her husband of 17 years and 3 beautiful daughters. When not in the stands watching her ladies play softball, she enjoys reading YA and NA romance.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S.E.HallAuthorEmerge
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7087549.S_E_Hall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emergeauthor

*An eARC of this book was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*