tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89644837894064705382024-02-07T19:24:41.604-05:00Beckstar Reviews & EditingLauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-14459632019308322882019-08-24T11:18:00.004-04:002019-08-24T11:18:31.837-04:00Review: Pricked by Scott Mooney<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1bxhQNNLVL4RxM5iiTGCR744bPbF4LbxrR3hhFoXpSmm1gH7Im4iky8jIipTBwkRMr0Mws3Ses-QsqhmJp_haWok02faMDR4V_na4EUpAUf5mgBUYirLaJVt8RUZKwp93ksEpqc4CsyJ/s1600/61MtI6G6e0L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="880" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1bxhQNNLVL4RxM5iiTGCR744bPbF4LbxrR3hhFoXpSmm1gH7Im4iky8jIipTBwkRMr0Mws3Ses-QsqhmJp_haWok02faMDR4V_na4EUpAUf5mgBUYirLaJVt8RUZKwp93ksEpqc4CsyJ/s400/61MtI6G6e0L.jpg" width="258" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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Briar Pryce has the power to change the emotions of others by handing them a rose. It is a talent that has done surprisingly little for her, besides landing her a dead-end enchantment delivery job and killing any chance she had with her childhood-crush-turned-roommate. Worst of all, her ability might be responsible for getting her best friend transformed into a cat via a cursed muffin basket. Needless to say, Briar is nowhere near happily-ever-after. But that’s just life as a twenty-something in the Poisoned Apple, New York City’s lost borough of fairy-tale wonder and rent-controlled magic.<br />
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When Briar reluctantly agrees to help find a princess’s kidnapped boyfriend in exchange for reversing the curse on her friend, she gets the heroic quest she never really wanted. Unfortunately, the life of a noble heroine is not all it’s cracked up to be – the hours blow, and Briar suspect that the Royal family employing her might be evil, Republican, or both. To complete the suckage, a killer smoke magician is stalking Briar as she searches both the Poisoned Apple and Manhattan for the missing boy. As tensions between the Poisoned Apple royalty ignite and civil war looms, Briar must figure out how to write her own happy ending--or she’ll just be ending.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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It is so refreshing to pick up a book with a strong female protagonist, that was written by a man, passes the Bechedel test, and isn't a completely ridiculous take on women and how they view themselves (check out #menwritingwomen on Twitter). To top all that off, this was an incredibly fun story that kept my attention through to the end, and I finished it in one sitting.<br />
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Pricked is an Urban Fantasy novel, taking place in The Poisoned Apple, a parallel dimension of Fey, and NYC. Briar is hired by a member of the court to find his daughter's kidnapped boyfriend to stop a war between two different Fey courts. Obviously, not everything is as it seems, and there is oodles of shady dealings happening behind the scenes that Briar and her hired Knight are kept in the dark from.<br />
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There is a small love triangle, but I use that for lack of a better term. There are a few errant thoughts spattered here and there throughout the story, but it is not the focus. Briar's character is strong and most definitely not one-dimensional. She is relatable and likable. She has her flaws, but they're not overly done.<br />
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Pricked is full of angst and laughs. Laugh out loud moments were abundant, and Mooney was delivered some of the best names for places and things that mirrored our own world. Briar shopped for groceries at Troll Foods. I wish I would have thought to highlight all those little nuances while I was reading to refer back to, because that small aspect of the story really pulled things together. It really is the small things that can make or break the success of a novel, and Mooney is clearly a master.<br />
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My favorite aspect of the story is that it can be enjoyed by all: men, women, children, and teens. It is PG13 and not too campy (just the right amount of campy). It seems to be marketed toward adults, but it is more a mature YA. I'm assuming the target audience is adults because of the 90's pop culture references scattered through the story. The characters aren't fresh out of high school, but they are young (Briar is 21), and they all definitely have to room to grow. But that works because this is the start of a new series.<br />
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All-in-all, I absolutely loved this fresh take on fairy tales and fey, and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. Scott Mooney's writing style is unique and entertaining, and he has a new fan for life.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Grab a copy of Pricked <a href="https://amzn.to/2KQB6S4" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-35605957914965082282019-08-22T10:43:00.000-04:002019-08-22T10:43:29.117-04:00Review: The Arrangement by Robyn Harding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-ssF8e3qfxHfQ0gHrSIXHGZ6p02tCfJg48McU1nfrp0grcoDg8ZzCB-_RfXyk2j26ChAHlVDmkm22AftYUkqETptVTiF18SLH2TFU5yaVVn0spgui3TzA3OpciSaGghiHIjCJUcBLGe8/s1600/the-arrangement-9781982110499_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-ssF8e3qfxHfQ0gHrSIXHGZ6p02tCfJg48McU1nfrp0grcoDg8ZzCB-_RfXyk2j26ChAHlVDmkm22AftYUkqETptVTiF18SLH2TFU5yaVVn0spgui3TzA3OpciSaGghiHIjCJUcBLGe8/s400/the-arrangement-9781982110499_lg.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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<b>A <i>Pretty Woman</i> tale turns toxic and deadly in this provocative thriller of sex, obsession, and murder from Robyn Harding, the “master of domestic suspense” (Kathleen Barber) and the <i>USA TODAY</i> bestselling author of <i>The Party</i> and <i>Her Pretty Face</i>.</b><br />
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Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favors are optional.<br />
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Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.<br />
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So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.<br />
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Emotionally powerful and packed with page-turning suspense, The Arrangement delves into the sordid, all-too-real world of shadowy relationships between wealthy, powerful men and the young women who are caught in their web.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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The Arrangement is a dark tale in the vein of Pretty Woman with a Fatal Attraction twist. Nat is an art student in college, who is barely scraping by financially. She loses her job and needs money fast, so her friend introduces her to the world of Sugar Daddies. Basically, she would be paid arm candy for powerful men. This was perfect for her because she didn't want any kind of relationship with anyone, so how hard could it be? <br />
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I won't go super into detail because I don't want to spoil the end, but it is obvious by the synopsis that lines were blurred and things did not go as Nat planned. Gabe lied about multiple aspects of his life to Nat - he was divorced, blah blah blah. Nat finds out and spirals so out of control that she targets Gabe's daughter to be closer to him. The suspense from the point that Gabe ends his and Nat's arrangement to the end of the novel was beautifully written. Nat's unpredictable personality kept me from guessing what was going to happen and how things would end.<br />
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I loved Harding's writing style. She didn't focus specifically on the relationship between Nat and Gabe in the sense of a romance. We got to see both Nat and Gabe's points of view, so there wasn't a need to spend the time building up something false or believable. She also didn't spend pages upon pages describing every detail, letting the reader fill in the blanks how they saw fit. My only disappointment was that I feel like she could have gotten more into Gabe's mind. He genuinely was a predator, and I don't feel like that came across as much as it should have.<br />
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All in all, it was a fast-paced story that kept me rapt with suspense until the very satisfying end.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Grab a copy <a href="https://amzn.to/2L8cTG2" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-42160147602865588642019-07-19T21:47:00.002-04:002019-07-19T21:50:01.402-04:00Review: Little Girl Missing: DCI Rachel Hart, Book 1<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDx8dFv1u5ZACuZZJN5Cz6DU-irlWo7xWSHepce6oPw6D9Y9bpMVEBnDOI5qInNHpbi2rZ50O-zzpjzbUiXFdLRLnQK6TlVyDX-Qxnc2DHUcdop5wHs8enG62oDLD713hXIH-SVtgGl4f/s1600/45438966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="302" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDx8dFv1u5ZACuZZJN5Cz6DU-irlWo7xWSHepce6oPw6D9Y9bpMVEBnDOI5qInNHpbi2rZ50O-zzpjzbUiXFdLRLnQK6TlVyDX-Qxnc2DHUcdop5wHs8enG62oDLD713hXIH-SVtgGl4f/s400/45438966.jpg" width="253" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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How can a little girl vanish into thin air?<br />
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Five-year-old Cassie Bailey's mother tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight. This morning she's missing, her unicorn bedcovers are empty, and her parents are frantic.<br />
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DCI Rachel Hart knows that the first few hours after a child goes missing are the most crucial, and that the Baileys are living every parent's worst nightmare. Rachel knows, because as a child her family lived through it too, when her sister was taken.<br />
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The days are ticking by with no sign of Cassie, and the cracks in the Baileys' marriage are beginning to show. But are the holes in their stories because they're out of their minds with panic - or because they're lying?<br />
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Rachel's convinced that Cassie knew the person who took her, but can she find the little girl before she's lost forever?<br />
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A gripping thriller for fans of Close to Home, The Couple Next Door, and Behind Closed Doors.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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There are some good and negative aspects about this books, and I'm going to mention the most obvious because what I don't particularly care for might be what someone else loves! To get the negative (for lack of a better word) out of the way, I didn't really like the narration. I was in too many people's heads, and it made it hard to really connect with any of the characters. There wasn't enough time with one person before we were moved onto the next. This series is centered on D.C.I. Rachel Hart, and she didn't get as much time as the other characters. That isn't to say I didn't like her character, because I do. She is complex, and I want to know more about her. But that is the problem. I should already know what I need to know about her by the end of this book, and I was left feeling like something was missing.<br />
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Because the narration takes place with every character of importance in the story, there is really no suspense until the very end (we're talking the last 15-20 minutes of reading). That was a bit of a disappointment. I really enjoy being inside the head of a psychopath while reading a good suspense, because it isn't revealed who they actually are until it is revealed that they are the Big Bad. Even in an audiobook, the narrators change their voices up so as to not give away which character is doing some shady sh*t. So that really took away from the experience you get while reading this genre.<br />
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I'm seriously shocked that this book was compared to Behind Closed Doors because that book is a VERY dark read, and while Little Girl Missing is a good story, and Roberts has some great potential expanding in this genre, the writing and the story are not on the same level. This story is not going to stick around in my head the way Behind Closed Doors has. I think this would be better classed as a procedural as opposed to a thriller/suspense. Going into this book with the expectations that it was comparable to Behind Closed Doors (I have been looking for books like this for ages, and even libraries have fallen short helping with this) is probably part of the reason for the slight disappointment.<br />
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All that said, what I loved about this book was the bait and switch a little less than half way through the book. I am one of those readers (and watchers) that always figure things out before you're supposed to, to the point that it's almost annoying. I was 100% certain I knew what happened to Cassie by 20% into the book. And then at 42% that was confirmed. But then, I was scratching my head because why in the world would this be resolved so early on? Because it wasn't. It was a trap, set to give us a false sense of know-it-all, and I fell for it. Well played, Roberts. Well played.<br />
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All in all, it was a decent book, and I would more than likely pick up the next book in the series because I do want to know more about Hart's past with her sister and how she ended up where she is today. I also think that because this was Roberts' first time writing in this genre that the next book will be better, and I'm looking forward to watching that growth. There is something about reading a book by an author, and seeing that happen that is so satisfying, you know?Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-82052050275978690802019-07-19T21:06:00.001-04:002019-07-19T21:06:27.648-04:00Advance Review: The Wives by Tarryn Fisher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEHk-Rk4MJn-aNRZia9DXvtHK4eWKk5ofXIlcd1cKTKBV2lLqrtIaqP7z0adqb_b-t5m7mLlXT5LJrbJrm6ejL6KlOlhHjqZsis_b-2rX2NN37Kxdg6JxLUPefJO8r52AypWkeZMAFTE8/s1600/41E7ysOPrFL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEHk-Rk4MJn-aNRZia9DXvtHK4eWKk5ofXIlcd1cKTKBV2lLqrtIaqP7z0adqb_b-t5m7mLlXT5LJrbJrm6ejL6KlOlhHjqZsis_b-2rX2NN37Kxdg6JxLUPefJO8r52AypWkeZMAFTE8/s400/41E7ysOPrFL.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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<b>Imagine that your husband has two other wives.</b><br />
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You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.<br />
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But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.<br />
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You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then, Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.<br />
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Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?<br />
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And who is his mysterious third wife?<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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I don't know how many of you have read any of Tarryn's previous work, but The Wives is definitely in the vein of Marrow and I Can Be A Better You (though I prefer the original title of Bad Mommy), in that it is really dark and twisty. But it is a different level of Tarryn Fisher than her other work. You don't realize how dark it actually is until about half way through, and then HOLY SH*T that's the end?!<br />
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I'm not going to go into detail on the plot because you've already read the synopsis. However, I will say that you end up questioning your own sanity during this adventure. Back and forth. Back and forth. Is she crazy? Am I crazy? Is this such a devious gaslighting situation that I, myself, am being gaslighted, too?<br />
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Reading The Wives, after having ready literally all of Tarryn's solo authored books (as well as the series she wrote with Colleen Hoover - highly recommend that mind f*ck), I feel like this has raised her writing to a whole new level. As amazing as Mud Vein (my favorite book ever) is, and Marrow and Atheists Who Kneel and Pray, this book was a little different. It had me questioning my own morals and how far I would be willing to push my own boundaries if I were in the same situation.<br />
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Exciting, breathtaking, and nerve wracking, The Wives is my top read of 2019.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-27955228808549706452019-05-24T13:20:00.000-04:002019-05-24T13:20:50.565-04:00Advance Review: Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixD75AQJiMq9jAtsdWsAlraIC2Nua8yM569-Np1BB18ptCR5vIPwe4fIWA8UheB-9VgPTGN7Q1EpHMy9IFDds3SRqOE3KnUMu-IBXynzudgiLl2KpRbIEfpFdN7VbNFBx1HakcgpGbEP9p/s1600/9781984819062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="298" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixD75AQJiMq9jAtsdWsAlraIC2Nua8yM569-Np1BB18ptCR5vIPwe4fIWA8UheB-9VgPTGN7Q1EpHMy9IFDds3SRqOE3KnUMu-IBXynzudgiLl2KpRbIEfpFdN7VbNFBx1HakcgpGbEP9p/s400/9781984819062.jpg" width="263" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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<b>Chief Jim Hopper reveals long-awaited secrets to Eleven about his old life as a police detective in New York City, confronting his past before the events of the hit show Stranger Things.</b> <br />
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<b>Christmas, Hawkins, 1984.</b> All Chief Jim Hopper wants is to enjoy a quiet first Christmas with Eleven, but his adopted daughter has other plans. Over Hopper’s protests, she pulls a cardboard box marked “New York” out of the basement—and the tough questions begin. Why did Hopper leave Hawkins all those years ago? What does “Vietnam” mean? And why has he never talked about New York?<br />
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Although he’d rather face a horde of demogorgons than talk about his own past, Hopper knows that he can’t deny the truth any longer. And so begins the story of the incident in New York—the last big case before everything changed. . . .<br />
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<b>Summer, New York City, 1977.</b> Hopper is starting over after returning home from Vietnam. A young daughter, a caring wife, and a new beat as an NYPD detective make it easy to slip back into life as a civilian. But after shadowy federal agents suddenly show up and seize the files about a series of brutal, unsolved murders, Hopper takes matters into his own hands, risking everything to discover the truth.<br />
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Soon Hopper is undercover among New York’s notorious street gangs. But just as he’s about to crack the case, a blackout rolls across the boroughs, plunging Hopper into a darkness deeper than any he’s faced before.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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This heart-pounding mystery (sort of - you'll see) is a tie-in to the wildly popular Netflix hit <i>Stranger Things</i>. This was my first time ever reading a book that was written about characters from an already built world, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it. Have you ever watched a movie that was based on a book, and then tried to read the book, but because you knew the ending it was spoiled for you? Probably not. I'm weird; I know. But this is why I ALWAYS read a book before I watch the movie or TV show. And I am not generally one to be massively disappointed, because I compartmentalize (thanks therapy!) and keep the book separate from its on-screen counterpart. Darkness on the Edge of Town is different, though. It isn't a retelling of the show we have already seen. What's more, we get some really fun backstory of one of our beloved secondary characters, Jim Hopper.<br />
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The story takes place after season two. It is Christmas, and El finds a box with old files and evidence from one of Hopper's cases back in New York. So, the story takes place in the "current time" (Christmas in Hawkins in 1984) with Jim telling her the story about this particular case back in New York (Summer 1977), during a disgusting heat wave with residents already on edge because of the Son of Sam.<br />
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The title of the book shares the title of Bruce Springsteen's 4th album that was recorded during the summer of 1977. Not sure who all noticed that, but felt it deserved mentioning. Adam Christopher DID HIS RESEARCH for this book. As an editor, I am in the habit of Googling random things I come across in books if I don't already have a base knowledge of them, just to be sure it is accurate. Sure, this is fiction, but it also needs to be believable. You can't just use a rag with chloroform to knock someone out, contrary to what people think based on shows and movies showing that for dramatic effect. I actually spent an hour one evening searching how to quickly knock someone out to effectively kidnap them. I don't even want to know what kind of watch lists I'm on. I randomly Google the phrase "I'm researching for a book" and hit search, just in case.<br />
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First, Christopher nailed Eleven. Her mannerisms and quirkiness - perfection. I can't say whether he fully grasped Jim Hopper as he's seen in Stranger Things, because he is technically a secondary character, but I have to say I adore this version and hope he is portrayed similarly in July when season three drops on Netflix. I think I just have this still-grieving father stuck in my head and that's all I can associate with him. So I'm actually really thankful Adam Christopher was given this opportunity to shed more light on who Jim Hopper, The Man, actually is.<br />
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The flashbacks were good, but I have to say I preferred the scenes with Detective Rosario Delgado. That isn't to say it was only a sub-par story, I just really like the procedural aspect of mysteries/thrillers. Because we know that Jim and Rosario (though we weren't sure about her until about half way through the story) make it through okay, or at least alive, it was hard for me to stay focused through certain parts of the story - that knowledge takes away from the mystery for me. I caught myself skimming some of Jim's repetitive inner monologues.<br />
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Now what I want to know is, are we allowed to have another book with Rosario as our main character, after she leaves for D.C. to work for Special Agent Gallup? Because that would be a fun book (or three). I mean, she isn't <i>technically</i> a Stranger Things character, so... Probably just wishful thinking. But I'm sure I won't be the only one wanting some more Detective Delgado in our lives come Tuesday, when this hits the shelves.<br />
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All-in-all, this was a very fun whodunit that was easy to read in one sitting, and managed to give me all the feels about Hopper and El as a family unit. Now excuse my while I go raid the bookstore for some of Christopher's backlist, because I really enjoyed his writing style and story-telling.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Grab Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town, Tuesday, May 28, 2019!</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42790782-darkness-on-the-edge-of-town" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/2Et4ESo" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-70764308035201011792019-05-20T14:21:00.002-04:002019-05-20T14:21:49.486-04:00Review: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd1-3eNpSezYMSEHGg5wpxl50AsIs8TKer4SPGNRGOyTdqPiR2ETdJVFmqFmzgI7HcpF6aG3GPWSPNlSYB0fig5FXU-MwvySE8OI_Z99YBMa9IpzQmF6QOfKLJbsweLXebYJId35GaLp0/s1600/81e0u0%252ByQtL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1031" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd1-3eNpSezYMSEHGg5wpxl50AsIs8TKer4SPGNRGOyTdqPiR2ETdJVFmqFmzgI7HcpF6aG3GPWSPNlSYB0fig5FXU-MwvySE8OI_Z99YBMa9IpzQmF6QOfKLJbsweLXebYJId35GaLp0/s400/81e0u0%252ByQtL.jpg" width="257" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span><br />
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<i>Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.</i><br />
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The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.<br />
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Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.<br />
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Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span><br />
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Without Merit is a book chock full of quirky characters and a very atypical family dynamic. It's so absurd, yet utterly relatable. They're complex and confusing, along with the story. But that's what's to be expected from Coho at this point, right? No two of her novels are alike, and it is one of the reasons I love her prolific writing.<br />
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Hoover is known for writing about difficult subjects, playing Devil's Advocate, causing the reader to pause and put themselves into these difficult scenarios, and wonder how they would handle these perplexing situations. In that respect, Without Merit is no different.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-34776072197108690072019-05-14T09:42:00.000-04:002019-05-14T09:42:54.868-04:00Advance Review: The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDPbXc3dZpby1tzTr_Ozuc_23gpPr95VR784cmi8uGKCQw9aXQGHXXGNMOWYLlZFmdCHAuzEhli5kpA20gS3ngv1LBdMGAycqsOh4XhAm7INxBgMMWJnsTvY3vTyFyJM9pFZT0xz46o6p/s1600/the-last-house-guest-9781501165375_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDPbXc3dZpby1tzTr_Ozuc_23gpPr95VR784cmi8uGKCQw9aXQGHXXGNMOWYLlZFmdCHAuzEhli5kpA20gS3ngv1LBdMGAycqsOh4XhAm7INxBgMMWJnsTvY3vTyFyJM9pFZT0xz46o6p/s400/the-last-house-guest-9781501165375_lg.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span><br />
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Littleport, Maine is like two separate towns: a vacation paradise for wealthy holidaymakers and a simple harbour community for the residents who serve them. Friendships between locals and visitors are unheard of - but that's just what happened with Avery Greer and Sadie Loman.<br />
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Each summer for a decade the girls are inseparable - until Sadie is found dead. When the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can't help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie's brother Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they're saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name before the facts get twisted against her.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span><br />
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The Last House Guest was a good story, that started out great, but started to fizzle out for me about half way through. I caught myself just skimming over some unnecessary inner monologues, and there was quite a bit of telling versus showing. However, I did still really enjoy the story and read it in one sitting.<br />
<br />
The characters weren't very redeemable. I know, that's generally a turn off, but this really worked well for the story. It made it so the reader keeps second guessing different scenarios and perspectives, and helped to keep the mystery through to the big reveal. But seriously, these adults are the most immature group of people. Other than one person (Luce), none of them are even the least bit self-aware, or attempt to work through their issues in therapy. It is a hot mess and the drama surrounding it made for interesting quirks and hope that there would be some sort of growth with them.<br />
<br />
The killer is not who you think it is. I know I have said this a few times, but I can generally call it in the first quarter of the book. So, any time I am surprised by the outcome I get excited. I also wanted to kick myself because I should have seen it coming, but Miranda made it so easy to just skim right over the idea and move onto the next.<br />
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Miranda did a phenomenal job of world building in this novel. As shady as the people are, I still want to go to Littleport. Honestly, the people are part of the charm. It reminded me of Castle Rock or Haven from Stephen King novels.<br />
<br />
All in all, The Last House Guest is a fun suspense with plenty of twists to keep the reader involved and turning the pages.<br />
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*Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me an advance copy to review before publication.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-6213987777029658182019-05-10T23:03:00.001-04:002019-05-10T23:03:35.898-04:00Review: The Good Daughter by Karen Slaughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD7Si4s06FPOowtCt8zg2odMNq_5JGPeOjlMGotoYeEA1v2N-ZmSbQLAmzmvlmmyTb0AiSBqqHYZWs2RMkYm07fPMY22Nxcefh144hA1ba5796AfhRPtvm9H8rMkcTYERNCSGCifq-uvR/s1600/9780062696298_p0_v4_s550x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="269" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPD7Si4s06FPOowtCt8zg2odMNq_5JGPeOjlMGotoYeEA1v2N-ZmSbQLAmzmvlmmyTb0AiSBqqHYZWs2RMkYm07fPMY22Nxcefh144hA1ba5796AfhRPtvm9H8rMkcTYERNCSGCifq-uvR/s400/9780062696298_p0_v4_s550x406.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></div>
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Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind…<br />
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Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father — Pikeville's notorious defense attorney — devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.<br />
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Twenty-eight years later, and Charlie has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself — the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again — and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized — Charlie is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever…<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></div>
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It is no secret to most who know me that Karen Slaughter is one of my favorite authors. She recently has written some fairly dark stories that have blown her older series out of the water.<br />
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The Good Daughter is not your normal procedural suspense. It touches on very dark subject matter, including child rape and a school shooting. As hard as that may be to read for some people, it made this story more realistic. There isn't a subject (so far) too taboo for Ms. Slaughter to tackle in a tactful and real world way.<br />
<br />
I loved the flawed characters in this book. A lot of times in this genre, the main characters are less than relatable and often two-dimensional. Because this book takes place in the past and the present, the characters' personalities can be vastly different from one page to the next, depending on where you're at in the story. But that isn't a negative aspect for me, because they're written in a way that shows their growth as people based on the events from the past, and you get to see why they are the way they are. It really helps you to understand them on a deeper level, and even empathize with a character that would normally be off-putting.<br />
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I think what I liked best about this specific novel by Slaughter is how we get a glimpse into particular characters in both the present and the past, letting us see how memories can be deceiving and that not everyone remembers the same event in the same way. What's better is that didn't make it harder to follow, but even more interesting. I caught myself questioning which version of events was true, only to learn that everyone's version is true, at least to them. We are also reminded that not everything is as it seems, even when we see it with out own eyes.<br />
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With plenty of twists and turns, The Good Daughter was an unputdownable page turner that will keep you guessing until the very end.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-87910653400931338582019-05-08T21:12:00.000-04:002019-05-08T21:16:46.369-04:00Review: The Wife by Alafair Burke<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-NBWxbGwCA2P2x-Fq64MbjOwuNVYGTC7ZnfNwOQvlKkDLPTQ5tRkPP6nd0bZVv6FIUgQPRHDfK0EQiIG5eFB_GGrqUrS3khLLr-ikfih2LMpcV-gHbEPRDvYeD-KPSfkfCOG6CfleW8r/s1600/the-wife-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-NBWxbGwCA2P2x-Fq64MbjOwuNVYGTC7ZnfNwOQvlKkDLPTQ5tRkPP6nd0bZVv6FIUgQPRHDfK0EQiIG5eFB_GGrqUrS3khLLr-ikfih2LMpcV-gHbEPRDvYeD-KPSfkfCOG6CfleW8r/s1600/the-wife-199x300.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></div>
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<b>His Scandal</b><br />
<b>Her Secret</b><br />
<br />
From New York Times bestselling author Alafair Burke, a stunning domestic thriller in the vein of Behind Closed Doors and The Woman in Cabin 10—in which a woman must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself.<br />
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When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.<br />
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Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.<br />
<br />
This much-anticipated follow-up to Burke’s Edgar-nominated The Ex asks how far a wife will go to protect the man she loves: Will she stand by his side, even if he drags her down with him?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></div>
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I grabbed this book because I thought it would be the light, beach read romance version of suspense based on the description, and I didn't have much time to commit to a heavier book. I did nothing for a solid 7 hours. I forgot to eat, I didn't go to the bathroom, I drank one cup of coffee (only because I had it when I started). Thankfully it was a Saturday and my children were at their dad's, otherwise I would have forgot they even existed. I was completely sucked into the world that Burke created.<br />
<br />
Perfectly timed, The Wife touches on sexual harassment and assault in a way that I haven't really come across before. And that ending? Masterful.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-32755519794004073982019-04-19T10:15:00.000-04:002019-04-19T10:15:10.205-04:00Review: Bright Side by Kim Holden<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4RCEJ_Xh6USnNpkkhaBuHruM__ROkRf_9pfAzcN5NE0nUsm5f12Dxeq2ZTwSsiAppKZRGWUgv83ZEiLGF6-pUb9MpfXe4ZAOPaQO9Mya71grh7TrDXE8QGzayJatvakfLdP4AebbLLqv/s1600/bright+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4RCEJ_Xh6USnNpkkhaBuHruM__ROkRf_9pfAzcN5NE0nUsm5f12Dxeq2ZTwSsiAppKZRGWUgv83ZEiLGF6-pUb9MpfXe4ZAOPaQO9Mya71grh7TrDXE8QGzayJatvakfLdP4AebbLLqv/s400/bright+side.jpg" width="250" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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Secrets.<br />
Everyone has one.<br />
Some are bigger than others.<br />
And when secrets are revealed,<br />
Some will heal you ...<br />
And some will end you.<br />
<br />
Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. She’s endured hardship and tragedy, but throughout it all she remains happy and optimistic (there’s a reason her best friend Gus calls her Bright Side). Kate is strong-willed, funny, smart, and musically gifted. She’s also never believed in love. So when Kate leaves San Diego to attend college in the small town of Grant, Minnesota, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with Keller Banks.<br />
<br />
They both feel it.<br />
But they each have a reason to fight it.<br />
They each have a secret.<br />
<br />
And when secrets are revealed,<br />
Some will heal you …<br />
And some will end you.<br />
<br />
Note from the author: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is recommended for mature audiences.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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For fans of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Bright Side makes you feel all the feels through the grieving process.<br />
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I can count on one hand the number of times a book made me cry. Weird, I know, because everything makes me cry. It is my body's response to basically everything in life. Angry? I cry. Sad? I cry. Happy? I cry. Wash, rinse, repeat.<br />
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I started this book late in the evening the day I bought it, and I didn't put it down until I was finished. I woke up hours later with a swollen face, not from lack of sleep but the ugly crying that started about half way through the book until I went to bed. There is not a single book that has conjured such a physical reaction from me.<br />
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I still haven't read the follow-up, Gus, because it scares me. I don't care that everyone I've spoken to says it is healing. I heard the same thing about Me After You, and I'm still not recovered from that. Eventually, I'll read it. But 4 years later, here I am.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-79830345313569197152019-04-19T10:00:00.000-04:002019-04-19T10:00:37.353-04:00Review: All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRweZu9x2FUFkwJgE9huHpUrq9_SHunasDkV5C4iAx68ivgRX4xeGlLjCCqZvj3GAoQTUII-9PwuoOnNlEXUJau8QuNS6WsVr8Ih6nwKDyVTJRaX2PjyCH86xiNtSYi5WzwfbQYhOTW8Nc/s1600/all+the+little+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRweZu9x2FUFkwJgE9huHpUrq9_SHunasDkV5C4iAx68ivgRX4xeGlLjCCqZvj3GAoQTUII-9PwuoOnNlEXUJau8QuNS6WsVr8Ih6nwKDyVTJRaX2PjyCH86xiNtSYi5WzwfbQYhOTW8Nc/s400/all+the+little+lights.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire comes a riveting tale of first love that starts young but runs deep.<br />
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The first time Elliott Youngblood spots Catherine Calhoun, he’s just a boy with a camera, and he’s never seen a sadder and more beautiful sight. Both Elliott and Catherine feel like outcasts, yet they find an easy friendship with each other. But when Catherine needs him most, Elliott is forced to leave town.<br />
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Elliott finally returns, but he and Catherine are now different people. He’s a star high school athlete, and she spends all her free time working at her mother’s mysterious bed-and-breakfast. Catherine hasn’t forgiven Elliott for abandoning her, but he’s determined to win back her friendship…and her heart.<br />
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Just when Catherine is ready to fully trust Elliott, he becomes the prime suspect in a local tragedy. Despite the town’s growing suspicions, Catherine clings to her love for Elliott. But a devastating secret that Catherine has buried could destroy whatever chance of happiness they have left.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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I have read nearly all of Jamie McGuire's novels. She's one of the first few indie authors I had been introduced to when I started this journey in the book review world. So, when I grabbed this book, I already knew it was something I would genuinely enjoy. What I didn't know is how much it would make me feel.<br />
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We read this book in the first person point of view of our main character, and we understand that she has a very difficult reality at home, but you can't quite pinpoint what exactly makes her keep her home life so close to her chest.<br />
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This coming of age story sheds light on what it is like to live with someone close to you who struggles with severe mental illness. You feel for her in a way that is indescribable, and causes your chest to literally ache for her.<br />
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I recommend this book to anyone who has a mentally abusive mother who suffers with mental illness. All the Little Lights is a thrilling read for teens and adults that will grip you from start to finish.<br />
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Thank you for making me feel normal, Jamie. You have no idea what that means to me. Or, maybe you do.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-66876427497617205622019-04-19T09:47:00.000-04:002019-04-19T09:47:14.499-04:00Review: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5ln1qUe9ydhYjU46yyMG1A9wOnImL6Gb6dNdhTLHlc7vn5f8M2vPDNcFC5kA0evaxF0P6O0rxktPjDzav1d3dszbgVX_hrc79XuXoQt0x2VIM0vkGO5Uxj6bO-tjIMl9ehHPCCLHSjcQ/s1600/jar+of+hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5ln1qUe9ydhYjU46yyMG1A9wOnImL6Gb6dNdhTLHlc7vn5f8M2vPDNcFC5kA0evaxF0P6O0rxktPjDzav1d3dszbgVX_hrc79XuXoQt0x2VIM0vkGO5Uxj6bO-tjIMl9ehHPCCLHSjcQ/s400/jar+of+hearts.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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<b>This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years....</b><br />
<br />
When she was 16 years old, Angela Wong - one of the most popular girls in school - disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.<br />
<br />
But 14 years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser - now a detective with Seattle PD - finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.<br />
<br />
To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed. For 14 years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For 14 years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.<br />
<br />
While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong. How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
<br />
Ever since reading Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter I have been looking for books that were comparable, and finally, FINALLY, I've found it.<br />
<br />
Disturbing and grisly, Jar of Hearts grabs you from the first pages and holds on tight right through the chilling end. And while you know whodunit from the start, I can confirm that you will not figure out what is fully going on in the past or the present.<br />
<br />
I checked out other works by Hillier after reading this novel, and the difference between her past works and this book is phenomenal. Her growth as a writer is palpable, and I am so excited for the release of her next book.<br />
<br />
Trigger warning: there is detailed rape, incest, and dismemberment of dead bodies. I mean, what's not to love in a psychological thriller?Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-50741156841493301702019-04-19T09:29:00.000-04:002019-04-19T09:30:08.073-04:00Review: Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLHB0lTGVV0QnmJXOLyRGk03GsNeNjw7uc2FtzumIDj1GmzcvA7SBWqXD7LVleKzvVySywxPryCD9JvPbMOaA4A7QF1xpWtAGSHipyBqkSml2IxJXaiadp1hgg564R1Z_hLwhGCc8fYi6/s1600/pretty+girls+dancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLHB0lTGVV0QnmJXOLyRGk03GsNeNjw7uc2FtzumIDj1GmzcvA7SBWqXD7LVleKzvVySywxPryCD9JvPbMOaA4A7QF1xpWtAGSHipyBqkSml2IxJXaiadp1hgg564R1Z_hLwhGCc8fYi6/s320/pretty+girls+dancing.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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Years ago, in the town of Saxon Falls, young Kelsey Willard disappeared and was presumed dead. The tragedy left her family with a fractured life—a mother out to numb the pain, a father losing a battle with his own private demons, and a sister desperate for closure. But now another teenage girl has gone missing. It’s ripping open old wounds for the Willards, dragging them back into a painful past, and leaving them unprepared for where it will take them next.<br />
<br />
Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Mark Foster has stumbled on uncanny parallels in the lives of the two missing girls that could unlock clues to a serial killer’s identity. That means breaking down the walls of the Willards’ long-guarded secrets and getting to a truth that is darker than he bargained for. Now, to rescue one missing girl, he must first solve the riddles that disappeared with another: Kelsey Willard herself. Dead or alive, she is his last hope.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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Pretty Girls Dancing is not so much a thriller as it is psychological and slightly suspenseful. The story is told from five different points of view, reminiscent of The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner.<br />
<br />
As opposed to speed reading this novel to find out who the supposed killer was, I took my time. Brant gave us an inside look at how everyone connected to the victims were affected by their tragedies, and that is what made this book unputdownable. We learn how the individual family members were before and after the girls' disappearances, and how wrapped up in the lives of the families the people who try to solve these cases get. They were all very interesting perspectives, and some quite heartbreaking.<br />
<br />
All that said, the best aspect of this story is how well Brant kept the identity of the kidnapper under wraps. There were times when I was sure I knew who it was, and I was completely blown away once it was revealed and I was way off base.<br />
<br />
This book made me a forever fan of Kylie Brant, and I plan to make my way through her entire backlist.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-67770987117175435792019-04-19T09:07:00.000-04:002019-04-19T09:07:34.353-04:00Review: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7rjY_ksPAvrxfjlEjIdWocjQZAtakHCK7A0KqzxgivC9_6T0RMvsIDcL3YKTXJlL5L5Sq6heiMmxtDtgg0MMtwpMmNK4vxdJ_Mjxan8Q5nYJwzmcNv7BlsrNKYZd6TJjiB17d17LKBj8/s1600/behind+closed+doors+baparis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7rjY_ksPAvrxfjlEjIdWocjQZAtakHCK7A0KqzxgivC9_6T0RMvsIDcL3YKTXJlL5L5Sq6heiMmxtDtgg0MMtwpMmNK4vxdJ_Mjxan8Q5nYJwzmcNv7BlsrNKYZd6TJjiB17d17LKBj8/s400/behind+closed+doors+baparis.jpg" width="262" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.<br />
<br />
But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.<br />
<br />
Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.<br />
<br />
Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.<br />
<br />
From bestselling author B. A. Paris comes the gripping thriller and international phenomenon Behind Closed Doors.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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I once reviewed a book that graphically described torture. It was disturbing and grotesque, but still a great book. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris was more unnerving than that.<br />
<br />
People like to assume that torture and abuse is mostly physical and a little psychological, but woman (and men) who have been in emotionally abuse relationships know that it's the unseen punches that cut the deepest.<br />
<br />
Paris wrote the perfect psychological thriller for single mothers because she hones in on our deepest fear: not being able to protect our children. This book gave me nightmares. Honestly, I recommend this book to anyone who will listen, but I have a few friends who I've told to stay as far away from it as possible.<br />
<br />
As the reader, you know everything going on. This isn't a procedural crime drama or whodunit, and only partially a whydunit (meaning the story is focused on the motivations of the Big Bad as opposed figuring out the identity of the Big Bad), and I think that is why this is such a phenomenal novel.<br />
<br />
The reason serial killer documentaries are so popular is because people in general are so enthralled with the inner workings of their minds; we want to understand their thought processes and what makes them tick, and we get that here.<br />
<br />
Behind Close Doors is disturbingly addictive, and probably the darkest book I've ever read. I don't know that anything will ever come close to the visceral reaction this story caused for days after I finished reading it.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-90653853309347968552019-04-18T18:34:00.001-04:002019-04-18T18:36:11.179-04:00Review: Marrow by Tarryn Fisher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-kt3foKcUyCjWucIXncqOpNgs1sPqe6lbja5AOLfLLg5HPPnOqIuypUhsQKFN33v8Q-k7QTirsdnnyFHDHIRYaPDwcJAgH2KvUor2fbhynKUas4D0RWqcA4oGHjByfzOEJ5noe_63xNA/s1600/marrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-kt3foKcUyCjWucIXncqOpNgs1sPqe6lbja5AOLfLLg5HPPnOqIuypUhsQKFN33v8Q-k7QTirsdnnyFHDHIRYaPDwcJAgH2KvUor2fbhynKUas4D0RWqcA4oGHjByfzOEJ5noe_63xNA/s320/marrow.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Blurb</b></span></span></div>
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<span id="freeText5414947836771328822" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">In the Bone there is a house.<br /><br />In the house there is a girl.<br /><br />In the girl there is a darkness.<br /><br />Margo is not like other girls. She lives in a derelict neighborhood called the Bone, in a cursed house, with her cursed mother, who hasn’t spoken to her in over two years. She lives her days feeling invisible. It’s not until she develops a friendship with her wheelchair-bound neighbor, Judah Grant, that things begin to change. When neighborhood girl, seven-year-old Neveah Anthony, goes missing, Judah sets out to help Margo uncover what happened to her.<br /><br />What Margo finds changes her, and with a new perspective on life, she’s determined to find evil and punish it–targeting rapists and child molesters, one by one.<br /><br />But hunting evil is dangerous, and Margo risks losing everything, including her own soul.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"> </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Ra ta ta taaaaa.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I think it is safe to say we've all been there. In that place where you feel vigilante justice is warranted and... justified? Margo is the girl we all wish we could have been. Though, maybe, slightly less stabby.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I think one of the things I loved most about this book is that the house is its own character. You can feel it, as if it is a living, breathing thing. It gives you chills.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I have to say, it took a second time reading this book, and a discussion with a complete stranger, before I figured out if Judah was really real or not. Spoiler: I'm not going to tell you. ;)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Read this book when you're feeling especially social justicy, and go ahead and grab yourself a pink Zippo.</span>Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-59615606275426841952019-04-18T18:25:00.005-04:002019-04-18T18:25:59.942-04:00Review: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0WDKZ3NJWOUexd_Awd74iq3HL5MZw5rhBtDwMWMF6YVsQek1-o18y41FYC2lPE31FIZC9kelocA6Kmyu0alSa7Hhk-cILlmcc8f88UZhCUVIsjgptCdKBX487KVJlrVXXCmqtUc2R33e/s1600/mud+vein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0WDKZ3NJWOUexd_Awd74iq3HL5MZw5rhBtDwMWMF6YVsQek1-o18y41FYC2lPE31FIZC9kelocA6Kmyu0alSa7Hhk-cILlmcc8f88UZhCUVIsjgptCdKBX487KVJlrVXXCmqtUc2R33e/s400/mud+vein.jpg" width="258" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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<br />
When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat... and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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There are things in your life that genuinely speak to your soul. Mud Vein was one of them for me. Probably *THE* one. When people ask you what your favorite movie or TV show is, your mood generally determines what comes to mind. When someone asks me what book is my favorite, it is always Mud Vein.<br />
<br />
I was broken when I read it. Hell, I'm still broken. I'm just a more self-aware broken who is working to be less broken. I think that is why this book resonated with me the way it did. You get to look inside the head of a woman who is broken, and you watch her understanding of herself grow. It is weirdly inspiring.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-5518236668414311352019-04-18T18:18:00.001-04:002019-04-18T18:18:37.113-04:00Review: The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOUHUCTeZTCzwBdZ8IJ8zDbKcZzGdnnMUv20OpUa3A4KMxBWMOoS3lppUAghm-skKyLzjgiLenMHPfIlz5c8ep6vfguetJPmsl631UtSqzucJ4aOCUtOXIwWqnbqE05mDFGPL0URFVP9J/s1600/the+girl+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOUHUCTeZTCzwBdZ8IJ8zDbKcZzGdnnMUv20OpUa3A4KMxBWMOoS3lppUAghm-skKyLzjgiLenMHPfIlz5c8ep6vfguetJPmsl631UtSqzucJ4aOCUtOXIwWqnbqE05mDFGPL0URFVP9J/s400/the+girl+before.jpg" width="262" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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<b>In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman's seemingly good fortune and another woman's mysterious fate through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Ron Howard.</b><br />
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Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.<br />
<br />
The request seems odd, even intrusive - and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.<br />
<br />
Emma<br />
<br />
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant - and it does.<br />
<br />
Jane<br />
<br />
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street, she is instantly drawn to the space - and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home's previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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I really liked the concept of this book. People lease a rental property that is fully furnished, with a lengthy set of rules that have to be followed or they get evicted.<br />
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First, I didn't guess who the Big Bad was in this suspense novel, but I knew it was not who the author wanted us to believe it was. Delaney made it far too obvious that's what she wanted.<br />
<br />
There were very slow points in the story where I either put the book down or had to force myself to read. I caught myself skimming through multiple parts of the story to get to something ACTUALLY happening.<br />
<br />
Overall, it was a decent and unique story, but I feel there was too much fluff.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-41238279348414829932019-04-18T17:49:00.001-04:002019-04-18T17:49:30.373-04:00Review: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeC4aJKLO8Ll68YZFLnsI7R6skoBZAjNvsXo1hXDC2zlb4-ls-8ydj4TCUmoldFWfYKYuO_kX4UxeOlPi_Dfx_FVcKNyXuOqEuFAjhp8NOc_lstml8GVMEOiI1yfcTwy1MHzL36GPHdPi/s1600/into+the+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1061" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeC4aJKLO8Ll68YZFLnsI7R6skoBZAjNvsXo1hXDC2zlb4-ls-8ydj4TCUmoldFWfYKYuO_kX4UxeOlPi_Dfx_FVcKNyXuOqEuFAjhp8NOc_lstml8GVMEOiI1yfcTwy1MHzL36GPHdPi/s400/into+the+water.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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The author of the number-one New York Times best seller and global phenomenon The Girl on the Train returns with Into the Water, her addictive new novel of psychological suspense.<br />
<br />
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.<br />
<br />
Left behind is a lonely 15-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from - a place to which she vowed she'd never return.<br />
<br />
With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying listen that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present.<br />
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Beware a calm surface - you never know what lies beneath.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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I read The Girl on the Train before reading Into The Water. I've been on a suspense kick for about a solid two years now, and was so excited to get another book from Paula Hawkins.<br />
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She has a similar writing style to Karin Slaughter (I am fairly certain I have read all of her backlist up through Pieces of Her), and the more dark and twisty the story the better.<br />
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From what I've heard, I am one of the few who actually preferred this story to The Girl on the Train. You could see the improvement in Hawkins' writing and storytelling.<br />
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While it is your slightly typical suspense/thriller (your basic whodunit), it did have its own unique paths that lead to the big reveal at the end. I also was not able to guess, which was very refreshing. I almost always have most things figured out before I'm half way through the book.<br />
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I'm excited to read more from Paula Hawkins!Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-50254087702110010252019-04-18T17:22:00.004-04:002019-04-18T17:22:51.958-04:00Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkrpeDQqDNDhfa8MNX9tpK9u9MH9OgQF4RzQzlrq7fb4GiMLJ628ZaxWHkjXY3YwY9kYrKElvPqRbI46S_eEJo7pW3o54OPj9cPaaUUhGAEe-aNLRNJ3MrgJ8F0Z76F2hiCtGyAs1CHZA/s1600/verity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkrpeDQqDNDhfa8MNX9tpK9u9MH9OgQF4RzQzlrq7fb4GiMLJ628ZaxWHkjXY3YwY9kYrKElvPqRbI46S_eEJo7pW3o54OPj9cPaaUUhGAEe-aNLRNJ3MrgJ8F0Z76F2hiCtGyAs1CHZA/s400/verity.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.<br />
<br />
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.<br />
<br />
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.<br />
<br />
A standalone romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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I really wish I would have started reading this the day after I bought it, but I was stupid and started it at 8pm. On a school night. And stayed up until 3am. I had to get the kids up at 6am. I did not take a nap after I dropped them off at school, I finished reading the damn book!<br />
<br />
Now, I already had a love/hate relationship with CoHo because of her whole Devil's Advocacy, and I went into this story without reading the synopsis expecting the same sort of story. I didn't read any reviews, and picked this up months after it had actually released. I don't know how I managed to avoid literally ANY spoiler, but I did. <--- at="" bed="" clock="" ended="" going="" how="" i="" in="" is="" morning.="" o="" p="" stupid="" the="" this="" to="" up=""><br />
This is NOT a normal CoHo book. In fact, this is probably the best writing we've seen from her. Most of her books have a suspenseful element to them, but on different levels. This one went off the damn chart. This book makes you think you're crazy for agreeing with the main character. It makes you question your damn sanity AND look over your shoulder.<br />
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I'm not going to say anything else about Verity, because I think the absolute best way to read it is as I did: Completely blind. Go. Read. This. Book.</--->Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-56179116477115411642019-04-18T17:09:00.002-04:002019-04-18T17:09:39.703-04:00Review: I Can Be A Better You (previously Bad Mommy) by Tarryn Fisher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r1Mmh4vSd0HJtOink-ZYPjGSrWBp9S5UzLMq8jl1BXkN1rNvJc0_WE0uT7DB6naWXLtNSqQkQc1Z3v2tFjyeoqXM6Mbd1MHzINkULZlwTM6netAAPFs-LNeatJdz5Q_taVdJz2KRl-u0/s1600/I-Can-Be-A-Better-You.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9r1Mmh4vSd0HJtOink-ZYPjGSrWBp9S5UzLMq8jl1BXkN1rNvJc0_WE0uT7DB6naWXLtNSqQkQc1Z3v2tFjyeoqXM6Mbd1MHzINkULZlwTM6netAAPFs-LNeatJdz5Q_taVdJz2KRl-u0/s400/I-Can-Be-A-Better-You.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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When Fig Coxbury buys a house on West Barrett Street, it's not because she likes the neighborhood, or even because she likes the house. It's because everything she desires is next door: The husband, the child, and the life that belongs to someone else.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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The Psychopath, The Sociopath, and The Writer. These are our main characters, told in their first person POV, and they're all pretty damaged. Some more than others. But because of this unique style, this is almost like a three-for-one book. More on that shortly. There are spoilers, sorry. I'm having a hard time writing a coherent review without laying some of them out there.<br />
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Full disclosure: I read this book back when it was still Bad Mommy. I'm just really behind on posting all my reviews (that mom life, amiright?).<br />
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Let's talk about Fig, the psychopath. Did you know she actually is married and has a living, breathing husband? You don't learn that until later in the book. She just really dgaf about him, so he doesn't take up any space in her head. Reading her part of the story made the reader believe he wasn't around anymore.<br />
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Next is the sociopath, Darius. Darius is married to Jolene (the writer, more on her in a minute) and he was treating Fig in therapy. Oh yeah, Fig is in therapy because she is batshit crazy (not getting down on people in therapy - I go to therapy). Anyway, Darius is a sex addict, unbeknownst to his wife, and is having an affair with Fig. But while actively sleeping with his wife's frenemy, he is constantly trying to get Jolene to stop being friends with her because of her batshit craziness. He points out her obsession, and Jolene chooses to ignore it.<br />
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It is hard to describe the level of obsession Fig has for Jolene. She literally tries to live her life - copies her social media posts, keeps track of what she does via her FitBit, sleeps with her husband, tries to steal their child... Jolene put up with a LOT of red flags before finally getting her act together and putting a stop to it.<br />
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Tarryn Fisher has this way with words that I clearly never will. She knows how people operate and she translates that to paper flawlessly. <br />
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This story doesn't end the way you think it will. Some things that happen are expected, and some are not. But, the way the story ended, there could be a part two. Can there PLEASE be a part two?Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-85681200833944983042019-04-18T16:20:00.000-04:002019-04-18T16:20:24.061-04:00Review: Three Heart Echo by Keary Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QjzZ1Spzm9gRCw5R04uopE2D-aNVXGWVedYJx5MJxuGvsDDZrdo2Rqh_yFXPSeZMDPlZY7IG9eEzl_Tnx61159Yw2P9fMScsxbC1HGLiFJcHoJlFlxbiBKee3bYN9oWf5eJfuUcL8edc/s1600/Three+Heart+Echo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QjzZ1Spzm9gRCw5R04uopE2D-aNVXGWVedYJx5MJxuGvsDDZrdo2Rqh_yFXPSeZMDPlZY7IG9eEzl_Tnx61159Yw2P9fMScsxbC1HGLiFJcHoJlFlxbiBKee3bYN9oWf5eJfuUcL8edc/s320/Three+Heart+Echo.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></div>
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Welcome to Roselock, where the ground bleeds, and the night screams.<br />
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After the senseless murder of her fiancé, Iona Faye can’t move on. There was no happily ever after, and no goodbye. Desperate for closure, she goes to see Roselock’s one and only reclusive inhabitant.<br />
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Sully Whitmore has lived a life of seclusion, with one hand on the gate to the other side, and a family curse binding him to the town his ancestors founded. When Iona demands he speak to Jack for her one last time, he knows something is wrong. She paints a picture of love and devotion, but Sully sees something else: a story of possession. A story of lies. A story of two faces.<br />
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But it’s too late now. Sully has opened the gate. And he will help Iona find the truth about Jack, if it’s the last thing he does.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmOM0i2ge91fRBxYKnd16g4Da1qM5f6yDfoWBOhggFlM2h4-55biUi26sHUFT5E0XV75dFYJN6pPSentCGiscDknhbecKQMuQt1nSyXgV6aOe4WvUQ10dAN52nvMctxhjQqoVLGIEtvD7/s1600/Three+Heart+Echo+Audio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmOM0i2ge91fRBxYKnd16g4Da1qM5f6yDfoWBOhggFlM2h4-55biUi26sHUFT5E0XV75dFYJN6pPSentCGiscDknhbecKQMuQt1nSyXgV6aOe4WvUQ10dAN52nvMctxhjQqoVLGIEtvD7/s320/Three+Heart+Echo+Audio.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This is by far my favorite book by Keary Taylor. It is her best writing and her best story. I'd have to say this is in my Top 5 books of all time.<br />
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There is nothing more off-putting than a two-dimensional lead, but both main characters are dynamic.<br />
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Their back stories aren't dropped on us all at once, which help to add to the suspense. There is a paranormal element, but it honestly doesn't even feel like a paranormal story. You just get wrapped up in the bond that slowly grows between Sully and Iona, almost like tunnel vision.<br />
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A forewarning - this does NOT have a happy ending. It is dark and sad and just so phenomenal. This story will gut you. It will feel your soul and then rip your heart out.Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-7262011625322436532019-04-18T15:52:00.005-04:002019-04-18T15:52:52.524-04:00Review: Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eyRb7ynVzJUOvehiF1KgUcO-IDT57WtGcWLRmu-yb8hyooa0ZNBUng3hdySsgf5-G7GZGm5vMpjduFHNiukWIMugsVNP482odfpcgKBi3BazPmxsRkJ53CZgoPZgb5yHgjkMF236RJ_I/s1600/jane+doe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eyRb7ynVzJUOvehiF1KgUcO-IDT57WtGcWLRmu-yb8hyooa0ZNBUng3hdySsgf5-G7GZGm5vMpjduFHNiukWIMugsVNP482odfpcgKBi3BazPmxsRkJ53CZgoPZgb5yHgjkMF236RJ_I/s400/jane+doe.jpg" width="266" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blurb</span></b></b></div>
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<b>A double life with a single purpose: revenge.</b><br />
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Jane's days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She's just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes - meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.</div>
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But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven's bringing out the worst in her.</div>
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Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven's bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It's time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.</div>
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Just as he did to her.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></b></div>
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This book is one of the best I've read in a while. I listened to the audio (because who has time to sit and actually read read?), and the narrator was phenomenal. </div>
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Jane Doe is about a sociopath whose best friend committed suicide. This was the only relationship she ever felt real love from, and she needs vengeance. </div>
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Jane (her actual first name) is wealthy and extremely intelligent, and creates a fake identity to work as a temp for the man who drove her friend to kill herself. She plans to get close to him, find out all his dark and dirty secrets, and them out him to his entire community. Steven is an abusive bastard, and very easy to hate, so surely this won't be hard.</div>
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The character was scarily relatable. Who would have thought a person so empathetic that puppies farting makes her cry could find such a connection to a character who barely has any sort of real feelings other than anger? It also had me thinking about all the men in my life, comparing them to Steven and hyper-analyzing everything they do. The paranoia was real! I especially loved that Jane knew exactly who she was and embraced her darkness.</div>
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If you're into books a bit more dark and twisty (think You by Caroline Kepnes), and with a strong, independent woman lead, then this is definitely a book for you.</div>
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Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-60801086804776474762018-03-26T09:22:00.001-04:002018-03-26T09:23:39.502-04:00Cover Reveal: Crown of Ruin by Keary Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Crown of Ruin</span></b> <span style="font-size: large;">by Keary Taylor</span></div>
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Publish Date: June 5, 2018</div>
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Paranormal Romance</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DoPtD6vSIvqvJxRSIgnnyYCNA9RL1HCuRH_d1DLaE9c9kivhyduzh0buYEcXDeQCAGcgGfypFOwFTD1APZzXfqm4fX3IGQgCSlQDTGl7AcEXUvei-9J4-5WX4kMx-3YlNs3miYDXzS75/s1600/all+hail+the+queen+banner+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DoPtD6vSIvqvJxRSIgnnyYCNA9RL1HCuRH_d1DLaE9c9kivhyduzh0buYEcXDeQCAGcgGfypFOwFTD1APZzXfqm4fX3IGQgCSlQDTGl7AcEXUvei-9J4-5WX4kMx-3YlNs3miYDXzS75/s640/all+hail+the+queen+banner+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Check out the cover of the third book in Keary Taylor’s explosive continuation of the Blood Descendants Universe! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for the chance to win a signed paperback of CROWN OF DEATH and CROWN OF BLOOD or one of 5 Kindle copies of HOUSE OF ROYALS or 1 audiobook of HOUSE OF ROYALS!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkikAf3g1as5lcwoNP1x1OFYVoqeTMBB1BarSpDqeD0w0zF0CaBmzLHcLGesCH_oZCnsCUyoCLzDqZLqQiBIXdeUHA1gbUg15hTEtEIqzmrc7aAlfMPC_fszMdg6cFc_lSDpvYsekayZi/s1600/Crown+of+Ruin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkikAf3g1as5lcwoNP1x1OFYVoqeTMBB1BarSpDqeD0w0zF0CaBmzLHcLGesCH_oZCnsCUyoCLzDqZLqQiBIXdeUHA1gbUg15hTEtEIqzmrc7aAlfMPC_fszMdg6cFc_lSDpvYsekayZi/s640/Crown+of+Ruin.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">SYNOPSIS</span></b></div>
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<i>Logan has returned to Roter Himmel. Once a peaceful haven for the Royals, it is now a kingdom of chaos and distrust. The people may love their queen, but she has never ruled them on her own.</i></div>
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<i>Sevan has seen Cyrus work miracles long ago, and learned his methods herself. His curse has sustained stronger than death before but the visage of Cyrus’ demise is undeniable. Still, Logan refuses to believe this is the end. Cyrus keeps appearing to her in strange dreams, rambling that she must prepare—that the day is coming when night will rule the day. </i></div>
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<i>While the entire world of vampires watches, Logan will take on the weight of the crown, the certainty of impending change, and the threat of war. </i></div>
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<i>They all should have known better than to test her. She’s had multiple lifetimes to prepare for this…</i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">All hail the Queen.</span></i></b></div>
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<b>Pre-order Crown of Ruin</b></div>
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<b>Follow Keary Taylor</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/kearytaylor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/kearytaylor" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.bookbub.com/authors/keary-taylor" target="_blank">BookBub</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/authorkearytaylor/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/BloodDescendantsUniverse/" target="_blank">Join the Blood Descendants Universe group on Facebook!</a></div>
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<b>Enter the Giveaway</b></div>
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<br />Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-16990836317567549882016-05-19T04:00:00.000-04:002016-05-19T04:00:25.222-04:00House of Judges Cover Reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3GVqTzszViwUNpPpB2MueYJd178_8VH9DFgD5E6gQbZh2xfbK-_5cEAraGYe8ynmJqpYiB6DE3RNwRfJqel3SnWQPZk2883x0GtD7KokFhYhksMRmIJS2vUZk6wWjtvtRr59NvUUpRaL/s1600/series+cover+reveal+tour+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3GVqTzszViwUNpPpB2MueYJd178_8VH9DFgD5E6gQbZh2xfbK-_5cEAraGYe8ynmJqpYiB6DE3RNwRfJqel3SnWQPZk2883x0GtD7KokFhYhksMRmIJS2vUZk6wWjtvtRr59NvUUpRaL/s640/series+cover+reveal+tour+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today is the day! We've seen all of the beautiful new covers for The House of Royals series, and now we are so excited to share the HOUSE OF JUDGES cover! HOUSE OF JUDGES releases June 28, 2016!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is the cover for HOUSE OF JUDGES!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEawz8t2pME6FYjSMYQasMc98Lx9FsA4ctHzZzvQuvsy0XyZbO-w-0WsF2vM-TCumo5kfDAcgdPiKwem4hbEawEhMW-_AHOeVjU0GnYQE3HPnURfjXC_VktmHwAeKMWu4kqF8rMuGPUYS/s1600/HOUSE+OF+JUDGES+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEawz8t2pME6FYjSMYQasMc98Lx9FsA4ctHzZzvQuvsy0XyZbO-w-0WsF2vM-TCumo5kfDAcgdPiKwem4hbEawEhMW-_AHOeVjU0GnYQE3HPnURfjXC_VktmHwAeKMWu4kqF8rMuGPUYS/s640/HOUSE+OF+JUDGES+new.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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Alivia once led a House full of immortal vampires, but now everything has been stripped away. Her friends have turned their backs on her, convinced she betrayed them and their Born kind. Taken prisoner to the King’s Court, she awaits her trial. But the sins of her father threaten to blacken her chances of clearing her name.<br />
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Alivia toyed with King Cyrus’ heart—and now, he’s going to make her pay. Perhaps with her life.<br />
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Hidden in the belly of the castle, truths will come to light, and the surface of the King’s brutality and the horrors of the castle have barely been scratched.<br />
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Prepare to be judged…<br />
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Pre-order HOUSE OF JUDGES for only $3.99!<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1SjTFHH" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1UzLNbz" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="http://apple.co/22HJXJV" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1S7XzcA" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/25POgBW" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1WUQRoc" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1UqNoQA" target="_blank">Google Play</a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Excerpt</span></b></div>
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“Royal lineage and rights or not,” a woman from the crowd says. “Treason is treason.”<br />
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I can barely concentrate on the conversation being had. I’m so hungry. My eyes dart around the table, drooling over those sautéed mushrooms. Dying for a taste of that buttered asparagus. <br />
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Suddenly, Ian stands and stalks over to me. To my great relief, he has a plate in his hand, filled with different foods. He sets it down in front of me.<br />
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“And who gave you permission to do so?” X demands, practically spitting fire.<br />
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I don’t wait for someone to rip the plate away; I’m digging in with my hands, ravenous.<br />
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“You expect her to defend herself when she can barely think straight from starvation?” Ian manages to defend me in a calm manor. “You let her rot with nothing for a month and then expect her to perform in front of a jury? Carefully, your royalnesses. You’re starting to look like you don’t want this to be fair, at all.”<br />
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“You will-”<br />
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“Now, now,” Dorian interrupts X. “This man has been cleared of any crime, released from prison. His presence here makes him a guest. Perhaps we will treat him as one.”<br />
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At once, she gains her composure back, throwing her hair over her shoulder, her eyes dropping to the table in silence. She may be the King’s chancellor, but she was just put in her place.<br />
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“Before we begin,” Cyrus moves on, “I must warn you all. Lady Conrath here is quite the actress. She, for some time during my visit to the States, made me believe she truly was Sevan, our beloved queen, returned to me after so long. While in the shadows, she was spending some very intimate time with our most decorated spy. I had no idea for some time. She hid her true feelings well. So please, let us keep that in mind as she tells us her tales.”<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About Keary Taylor</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOgmsfDhGgZ4ygTYGaBPCUHO2di2SW2IrBgq2F0zGIbcXr0qKrNlDVLSAlibHqKb7yTiwCmbBRMDM365FgHe8jAbdpBBZOe-a081IPCuNFk7LOzrIMYMKjzpIoHzLoRdEmwBVWRHfUlr3/s1600/kearyauthor_20110829+%252828%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOgmsfDhGgZ4ygTYGaBPCUHO2di2SW2IrBgq2F0zGIbcXr0qKrNlDVLSAlibHqKb7yTiwCmbBRMDM365FgHe8jAbdpBBZOe-a081IPCuNFk7LOzrIMYMKjzpIoHzLoRdEmwBVWRHfUlr3/s320/kearyauthor_20110829+%252828%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over a dozen novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.<br />
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In 2009, after being rejected by over 100 literary agents, Keary decided to give self-publishing a try. Since that side of the industry had yet to really blossom, Keary had a lot of learning to do since she didn't know anyone else who was self-publishing and made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. But she continued to better her work and her means of publishing and it paid off in a big way. She hit the USA TODAY bestsellers list in 2016. In 2011, she was listed in The Wall Street Journal as a “Self-Published Bestseller;” every one of her books has made it into a top 100 category, and her books have had over a million downloads. She now makes a very good living continuing to self-publish.<br />
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<i><b>Stalker Links</b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.kearytaylor.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="http://on.fb.me/1P972xZ" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1LPNR8l" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1l7yqQj" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1MyNfkS" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964483789406470538.post-17494588529491407502016-05-18T04:00:00.000-04:002016-05-18T04:00:18.208-04:00House of Kings Cover Reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3GVqTzszViwUNpPpB2MueYJd178_8VH9DFgD5E6gQbZh2xfbK-_5cEAraGYe8ynmJqpYiB6DE3RNwRfJqel3SnWQPZk2883x0GtD7KokFhYhksMRmIJS2vUZk6wWjtvtRr59NvUUpRaL/s1600/series+cover+reveal+tour+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3GVqTzszViwUNpPpB2MueYJd178_8VH9DFgD5E6gQbZh2xfbK-_5cEAraGYe8ynmJqpYiB6DE3RNwRfJqel3SnWQPZk2883x0GtD7KokFhYhksMRmIJS2vUZk6wWjtvtRr59NvUUpRaL/s640/series+cover+reveal+tour+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The House of Royals series is getting a facelift! Stay tuned over the next few days, as we explore each of the first four books in The House of Royals series. There will be an excerpt from each book and prizes to win, including a Keary Taylor eBook of your choice, a signed Keary Taylor paperback of your choice, and two Amazon gift cards!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The new HOUSE OF KINGS cover is here!</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeAKMKFRXNYyroFp1ymgiqnNtQ6EoBw_eJH3AAjku972rd8vjJYpP6cvpVywNK74GNuJBs7-GkBOZgW8-Hqlp6CwZZ5Q39wRPqzSYE4Kxl98M27LanxtRzcOcQwdFiIazUJq5-HDDG6qm/s1600/HOUSE+OF+KINGS+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeAKMKFRXNYyroFp1ymgiqnNtQ6EoBw_eJH3AAjku972rd8vjJYpP6cvpVywNK74GNuJBs7-GkBOZgW8-Hqlp6CwZZ5Q39wRPqzSYE4Kxl98M27LanxtRzcOcQwdFiIazUJq5-HDDG6qm/s640/HOUSE+OF+KINGS+new.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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Alivia’s father left her a letter before he died, begging her to stay away from the King and the Royals. But it was a plea made in vain. She never could have run from this life, not when she might be Cyrus’ resurrected queen. The King has arrived in Silent Bend and with him, he brought the end to Alivia’s mortal life. </div>
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Uncontrollable bloodlust and an ever-shifting world rule her nights now. These twisted politics are deadly enough, but now her heart is the newest battleground. There’s no hiding from the one who hates everything she was born to, a spy who embraces everything she’s become, and a King who vies for someone she may soon remember. </div>
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The games have begun. The House of Conrath is growing. Blood will be shed, the bodies will fall. Alliances will be tested and old enemies look like harmless children compared to the new ones rising from the shadows. </div>
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HOUSE OF KINGS is available for download for only $3.99!</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1YYNz50" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1SoIsZP" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> | <a href="http://apple.co/1OQLepW" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1RIAcUD" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1T6ewUq" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/23tzksb" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/216MJ5l" target="_blank">Google Play</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Excerpt</b></span></div>
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The details blur away and whoever it is doesn’t get a second to scream before my fangs sink into a soft neck. They go numb and I grab them tightly to keep them from collapsing to the dirty, cold floor.<br />
“You are a most excellent hunter,” Cyrus says. “In that, you are indeed like Sevan.”<br />
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But his words are background noise. I pull. One long drink after another.<br />
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“And you certainly have picked a beautiful specimen,” Cyrus says approvingly. He walks around the two of us. And as my belly fills with the blood of this person, the heady fog fades from my brain. I feel my animalistic side begin to ebb. The predator is satisfied. And the humanity in me returns once more.<br />
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My fangs instantly retract. The individual I’m holding onto collapses to the ground as I let go and take five horrified steps away.<br />
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It’s a woman. She’s young, probably no more than a year or two older than myself. Her eyes are closed, blood running down her neck from the two puncture wounds. Her face is beautiful yet intimidating. Harsh cheekbones, a square, sharp jawline. Long brunette hair, lighter than my own, falls around her in soft waves. <br />
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“You need not feel ashamed, my dear,” Cyrus says as he crosses to me and pulls me into his arms. “This is what our kind does. It is our instinct and without following it, we experience something worse than death. Do not be regretful for what you are.”<br />
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But my eyes stay staring at the woman, wide and horrified. This is my third victim. And I can’t seem to help it. My thirst takes over and I kill.<br />
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I kill innocent people.<br />
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I watch as all the color leaves the woman’s face, she grows white and her lips look blue.<br />
“Come,” Cyrus says. He releases me, but holds onto my hand and pulls me toward the door once more. “Let us finish the delicious meal you prepared for us and think of this no more.”<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>About Keary Taylor</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOgmsfDhGgZ4ygTYGaBPCUHO2di2SW2IrBgq2F0zGIbcXr0qKrNlDVLSAlibHqKb7yTiwCmbBRMDM365FgHe8jAbdpBBZOe-a081IPCuNFk7LOzrIMYMKjzpIoHzLoRdEmwBVWRHfUlr3/s1600/kearyauthor_20110829+%252828%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOgmsfDhGgZ4ygTYGaBPCUHO2di2SW2IrBgq2F0zGIbcXr0qKrNlDVLSAlibHqKb7yTiwCmbBRMDM365FgHe8jAbdpBBZOe-a081IPCuNFk7LOzrIMYMKjzpIoHzLoRdEmwBVWRHfUlr3/s320/kearyauthor_20110829+%252828%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over a dozen novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.<br />
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In 2009, after being rejected by over 100 literary agents, Keary decided to give self-publishing a try. Since that side of the industry had yet to really blossom, Keary had a lot of learning to do since she didn't know anyone else who was self-publishing and made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. But she continued to better her work and her means of publishing and it paid off in a big way. She hit the USA TODAY bestsellers list in 2016. In 2011, she was listed in The Wall Street Journal as a “Self-Published Bestseller;” every one of her books has made it into a top 100 category, and her books have had over a million downloads. She now makes a very good living continuing to self-publish.<br />
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<i><b>Stalker Links</b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.kearytaylor.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="http://on.fb.me/1P972xZ" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1LPNR8l" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1l7yqQj" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1MyNfkS" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Giveaway</b></span></div>
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Lauren Dootsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13714671570908739591noreply@blogger.com0