[Review] Blame it on the Kiss by Robin Bielman

Blame it on the Kiss by Robin Bielman 
Series: Kisses in the Sand, #2
Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Bliss
Publishing Date: June 9, 2015
Format: ebook, ARC
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

The one guy she shouldn't want...

Honor Mitchell has lived with guilt and regret for a long time, so when she promises to do the things on her dying best friend's wish list, she's determined to follow through and do something right for a change. But when she's thrown together for wedding duties with the one man who complicates her vow--just by looking at him--she has to put her faith in Bryce Bishop's pledge to help her, no strings attached.

Bryce's near one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend's best friend a few months ago might have been a mistake, but helping the beautiful, free-spirited Honor with her promise isn't. His trust in women is shot, but he can't help but play his best man card to his advantage and help Honor tick off the items on his ex's list, even if it puts him in a no-win situation. Because his assistance might get Honor what she wants, but suddenly being the do-good guy puts his plans--and heart--in serious jeopardy.

My Review

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

I was so excited to get a copy of this ebook from Ms. Bielman! She's easily become one of my favorite romance writers! I always know that I'll get a great story from her and she's proved that again with this story. 

Honor has a list from her best friend who passed away months before. Her mission is to complete all the items on this list before she's 25. And she's well on her way to doing this when she meets Bryce. But things become complicated when they start falling for each other. Nevertheless, Bryce tries to help her accomplish the items on Honor's list from Payton. 

This book is so much fun to read! Bryce is a good guy trying to act like a bad boy. Unfortunately  for him, that's not working out to well because his good guy side keep showing through. He character is a lot of fun to read about and I like the relationships he has with his friends and family. And Honor is really sweet. She's been hurt pretty bad in the past and doesn't think she is good enough for Bryce. But he tries his best to prove her wrong! 

If you're looking for a fun romance, look no further. This book has it all: hot, steamy scenes, heartache, a lot of laughter, great friendships, and a really cute couple. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of this book - and all of Ms. Bielman's other books as well! You won't be disappointed! 

Tell Me Something Tuesday 6.23.15

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings. Each week a new question is presented. Check out Heidi's blog for all the details :) 

This week's question: What books or genres do you tend to avoid?

Hmm, I have to say this is a hard question for me! I like to give all books a chance and as a general rule, and don't avoid any genre in particular. I've read some non-fiction books, but I don't read them very often. I wouldn't say I avoid them... but it has to really intrigue me to pick it up. I would say the same goes for science fiction. While I really like some, it's not a genre that I'm drawn to. 

I know this isn't a very descriptive answer, but it's all I can come up with! I really try not to avoid certain genres and give all types of books a chance. But sometimes science fiction and non-fiction books aren't my favorite. 

[Review] The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber

The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber
Series: Those Manning Men, #1-2
Publisher: Mira
Publishing Date: Aug. 1, 2008
475 Pages
Format: paperback, purchased
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Synopsis 

Rich Manning and Jamie Warren have always been friends; and nothing but friends. However, that changes when she asks him to father the child she so desperately wants. Rich agrees; if she'll marry him. Because he thinks their Marriage of Inconvenience could become a real marriage instead.

Paul Manning, a grieving widower with three small children, turns to Leah Baker for help and comfort. When that comfort begins to grow into something else, Paul discovers that he wants more than a Stand-In Wife.

My Review

I've always been a big Debbie Macomber fan. I started reading her books when I was younger and she was one of the first authors to introduce me to the world of romance novels. I fell head over heels in love with her characters, so every time I come across one of her books, I love picking it up. 

Both of these stories were good and a lot of fun to read. Rich and Jamie have been friends for years. She asks him to be a sperm donor because she wants a child so badly. Their relationship takes a different road once this happens and they both realize how they feel about each other. Paul is leaning how to move on after his wife dies, and her sister, Leah, helps him cope with being a new single dad. 

I enjoyed reading these stories. Both were relatively quick and light reads. These weren't my favorites of hers, but nonetheless, still fun. 

[review] Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publishing Date: April 7, 2015
352 Pages
Format: ebook, ARC
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis 

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.

Praised for writing that “explores the resilience of the human spirit” (The San Francisco Chronicle), Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at its core.

My Review 

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

Just like Still Alice, this book completely drew me in. Genova takes on another serious, but taboo, neurological disease. Huntington's Disease affects roughly 30,000 people in the united states. It doesn't sound like a lot compared to many of the other disease in this world, like breast cancer and Alzheimer's. But nevertheless, it's incredibly serious and deadly. But no one wants to talk about it. 

Genova introduces us to the O'Briens; Joe, his wife Ruth, and their four children: JJ, Meghan, Katie and Patrick. When Joe finds out he has HD, his children are left with the choice of finding out whether they are gene positive or gene negative. JJ and Meghan find out, but Katie and Patrick don't. The book takes us through finding out Joe has HD, to watching his disease slowly take over his body. And throughout this, Katie struggles with whether she wants to find out if she's HD gene positive or negative. 

I really liked how this book went back and forth between Katie and Joe's perspective. We watch Joe struggle with his growing symptoms and learning how to cope. And Katie struggles with her decision to find out about her future. The entire family copes with the disease so differently and I think it really shows how this disease can affect so many different people in different ways. No one is the same and the disease doesn't necessarily affect people the same. 

Genova is definitely a new favorite author of mine. I loved Still Alice and Inside the O'Briens lived up to my expectations. I can't wait to read her other work and I continue to recommend her books to my friends. I can't say enough good things about the awareness she is bringing to these terrible diseases. 

*Blog Tour* All the Right Places by Jenna Sutton

All the Right Places
Riley O’Brien & Co. # 1

By: Jenna Sutton  

Releasing June 2, 2015

Berkley

Synopsis 

The first in a brand new contemporary romance series starring the men and women who are determined to keep the billion-dollar denim dynasty, Riley O’Brien & Co, on top, but aren’t about to let success stand in the way of love…

Amelia Winger is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a successful designer. So when she gets a gig designing accessories for denim empire Riley O’Brien & Co., it’s a dream come true. Amelia can handle the demanding job, but she isn’t quite prepared for sexy CEO Quinn O’Brien. She’s doing her best to keep things professional, but the attraction sparking between them makes it personal. And so does the secret project she's working on behind his back...

Quinn’s not interested in the new accessories, but he is interested in the woman designing them. Amelia is smart, sexy, and talented, and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since they met. Mixing business and pleasure isn’t wise, but that doesn’t stop him from coming up with excuses to spend time with her. He thinks he understands the risk he’s taking when he gets involved with Amelia. But he doesn’t know he’s risking a lot more than his heart.

Excerpt 

Derrière. Ass. Back porch. Badonkadonk. Rump. No matter what you called it, the butt was Quinn O’Brien’s favorite part of the human body.

Yes, he had the typical male appreciation for the female form, but truly, most of his interest was professional. In fact, some would say it was part of his DNA. He was the fifth generation of O’Brien to be involved in the family business, Riley O’Brien & Co., proud designers and manufacturers of blue jeans since 1845.

“Pay attention to how our jeans conform to the wearer’s body, especially the butt,” his father had schooled him and his younger brother when they were kids. At the time, Quinn hadn’t realized scoping out every backside within sight might cause problems, especially when he stared just a bit too long at a crooked seam on a stranger’s rear.

And right now, that’s exactly what he was doing—staring at a stranger’s ass hard enough to make his eyes cross. Who could blame him, though, since it was right at eye level above him on the escalator? And oh, what an ass it was—high and tight, yet still nicely rounded.

He sighed. The woman in front of him might have a great ass, but she wasn’t wearing Rileys. That was a big mark against her in his book.

Shifting his gaze from her curvy backside, he reviewed the brown leather belt encircling her slender waist. Embellished with beads and intricate stitching, it was eye-catching, not gaudy at all.

But it wasn’t nearly as eye-catching as the red corkscrews of hair that fell down her back almost to her waist. They glinted with gold and amber from the early morning sun shining through the skyscraper’s windows. Her hair was so curly it kinked in some places, creating sharp angles that made him want to pull on a strand just to see how quickly it would recoil.

The woman stepped off the escalator into the reception area of Riley O’Brien & Co.’s global headquarters, cutting his perusal short. Unlike most high-rises in downtown San Francisco, Riley Plaza’s first floor was filled with retail space, including the requisite Starbucks and a small shop that sold Riley merchandise. From the first floor, an escalator brought visitors and employees to the mezzanine level, where they checked in with reception or headed to their offices.

He pulled his gaze from the woman in just enough time to avoid tripping over the escalator lip and crashing onto the floor. Yeah, ogling asses could be hazardous.

As the redhead made her way to the reception desk, Quinn held up a hand and called out a greeting to the security guard posted by the double doors that led to the executive offices.

“Hey, Frank, did you see the new commercial last night?”

Riley O’Brien & Co. had recently launched a new advertising campaign featuring several well-known male athletes. The first commercial highlighting Quinn’s best friend, Nick Priest, had debuted last night during Sunday night football.

Priest and Quinn had played football together at the University of Southern California. While Quinn’s football career had ended when he graduated from USC, Priest had gone pro. He was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and his talent transformed every team he joined.

“Yeah, I saw it,” Frank answered. “If you wanted to make women all over America lust after Priest even more than they do now, you succeeded.”

Quinn laughed. “So, you thought Priest looked hot?”

“Hell, no,” Frank barked. “But the wife couldn’t take her eyes off the TV while he was on-screen.”

“Who can blame her? She’s had to look at your ugly face for more than thirty years. She needs a break.”

Frank grinned and shot him the bird. “Get to work, son.”

Link to Follow Blast: 

http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/04/all-right-places-riley-obrien-co-1-by.html

Link to Follow Tour:  

http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/04/all-right-places-riley-obrien-co-1-by_23.html

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398750-all-the-right-places?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/series/139126-riley-o-brien-co

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher

About the Author

Jenna Sutton spent most of her career as an award-winning journalist covering business-related topics including healthcare, commercial real estate, retail, and technology.  Nowadays she writes about hot, lovable guys and the smart, sexy women who make them crazy. It’s the culmination of a lifelong dream, and she feels so lucky to be able to do it.

Jenna has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Texas Christian University and a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.  

Jenna and her husband live in a 103-year-old house in Texas.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Giveaway 

($50.00 eGift Card to Jeans Retailer of Choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Review] Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Series: Sky Fall, #1

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publishing Date: Jan. 1, 2013

404 Pages

Format: paperback, won

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis 

Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past - except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.

Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian - Vane's guardian - and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them.

My Review

I won this book in a giveaway last year from Simon and Schuster, and unfortunately, it had been sitting on my shelf ever since. But I've decided to make an effort to read book that I've had for a while, or slowly start to get rid of them. I'm a bit of a book hoarder, so this is going to be difficult. But at least I started and picked up this one from my piles! 

Audra is Vane's guardian and has been watching over him for the last 10 years, without him knowing. Her job is to protect Vane and eventually teach him about his past and how to learn about the wind. Vane is a bit cocky, which is kind of funny since he apparently hasn't had a girlfriend or a successful date. And Audra is all work and no play. She's determined to teach Vane what he needs to know, but can't let herself become involved with him. 

This book is an interesting concept and something I wasn't sure how I'd feel about. I've picked it up a few times thinking I'd read it next, but then picked something else. But I set my mind to it this time and read it. The writing is well done and the characters are pretty well developed. You can tell how much they care about each other by the way they interact. However, this wasn't my favorite book. Just something about it didn't hold my interest as much as I hoped. 

Others in the Series

[Review] I Do (But I Don't) by Cara Lockwood

I Do (But I Don't) by Cara Lockwood
Publisher: Downtown Press
Publishing Date: Aug. 31, 2004
384 Pages
Format: paperback, purchased
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 3 stars

Synopsis 

"She creates perfect days."

In spite of her incorrigible curly hair, Lauren Crandell is a neat-freak and organizational guru, qualities that make her the perfect wedding planner. But when two weddings in one day go haywire, and hunky firefighter Nick Corona comes to the rescue -- twice -- Lauren realizes there are a few important details in her own life she hasn't been tending to since her divorce. Namely, her sex life.

"She lives lonely nights."

Sweet and sexy Nick seems hell-bent on fanning the flames between them, and Lauren definitely feels sparks flying. But she's scrambling to plan nuptials for her most challenging client yet -- a beautiful, cunning, and certifiable Psycho Bride. With the big day rapidly approaching, a series of misunderstandings, mishaps, and mistaken identities threatens to ruin not one, but two happily ever afters. But with her career and her love life on the line, the wedding planner just might learn that you can't plan "everything, " least of all true love.

My Review

I love romance stories. Some are cheesy, some are hot and steamy, and others are fun. This one was a little bit fun and a little bit cheesy. Lauren meets Nick with her troublesome clients. She gets the wrong impression and things become complicated. I figured out right away what was going on, but it felt like it took Lauren FOREVER to realize it. I was getting a little annoyed with her and wished she would just figure it out. But still. It was a cute book and the characters were fun. Lauren seems a bit eccentric in some aspects of her life. This wasn't the best book I've read and it didn't suck me in as much as some others will, but it was still cute and a fun read.