[Review] *Blog Tour* Heart's Desire by TJ Kline

Heart’s Desire 
Healing Harts # 1

By: T.J. Kline

Avon Impulse

Synopsis 

TJ KLINE’s brand new Healing Hart's series kicks off with HEART'S DESIRE

If you could have anything, do anything… what would it be?

Jessie Hart has a soft spot for healing the broken, especially horses and children, but her business is failing and bankruptcy is looming. The one man who can save Heart Fire Ranch is the last man she wants to take advice from - financial expert Nathan Kerrington - the same man who broke her heart eight years ago.

Nathan Kerrington has it all, except the one thing he’d wanted most - Jessie. Now that he’s finally freed himself from his corrupt family, he wants to make amends. When he’s called in to save Jessie’s ranch, he sees his chance to win her back - if only he can prove to her that she can trust him with her heart…

My Review

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

I'm so incredibly jealous of Jessie and was throughout the whole book. She's living on a horse ranch and rehabilitating horses; I'd love to be able to do that! I grew up with horses and absolutely loved them. Then life got in the way and we had to sell them. It was so sad, but the right thing to do at the time because we didn't have the time to devote to them. I really wish I could have horses again, but I don't think it will happen any time soon... 

But back to the book. This is my first book by Kline and I really enjoyed reading it. She has a talent for writing romance, and I can't wait to read the rest of the stories. Nathan and Jessie had a hot, summer fling when he came home with her brother during a college summer. But that was 8 years ago, and they haven't spoken since that time. When the Hart family needs financial help, Jessie's brother calls Nathan. You can feel the chemistry and tension between Jessie and Nathan right away. Jessie is pissed at him for leaving; but Nathan soon realizes he wants her back, for good. Trying to convince her of that is another story. Throughout the book we watch their relationship regrow and it's so fun! They have a really great relationship and Jessie learns she can rely on Nathan when she needs help. 

I definitely encourage everyone who enjoys a good romance to grab this book. You'll speed through it because the characters draw you in and don't let go. There's also a little bit of suspense in this one that I really enjoyed. I'm curious to see how the next book in the series plays out! 

Link to Follow Tour:  

http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/03/hearts-desire-healing-harts-1-by-tj.html

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23285837-heart-s-desire?from_search=true

Goodreads Series Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/series/146550-healing-harts

Buy Links:  

Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

About the Author

T. J. Kline was raised competing in rodeos and rodeo queen competitions since the age of 14, She has thorough knowledge of the sport as well as the culture involved. She has had several articles about rodeo published in the past in small periodicals as well as a more recent how-to article for RevWriter. She is also an avid reader and book reviewer for both Tyndale and Multnomah.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway 

(Digital Download Bundle of the RODEO Series by T.J. Kline, Including: RODEO QUEEN, THE COWOY AND THE ANGEL and LEARNING THE ROPES)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[DNF Review] Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publishing Date: January 28, 2014
Format: audiobook, library
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom—all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him.

Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

My Review

I was really excited to listen to this book when I got it from the library. I fell in love with the cover and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. However, this one didn't live up to my hopes. Maybe it was because I was listening to it rather than reading it, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. I don't want to say I found it boring... but I kind of did. It didn't hold my interest and I kept waiting for something to actually happen between Nyx and Ignifex. I think I got through CD 7 out of 9 before I gave up on it. Hope others enjoyed it more than I did! 

It finally feels like spring!

So, I started writing this post last weekend when it was gorgeous here! Then I'm pretty sure I jinxed the weather because it got crappy... like really crappy. It was raining and almost snowing! Ahh! But thankfully, it's starting to look a little better, so I was reenergized to finish this post (:

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite things about spring! I really love this season and I'm so happy its getting a little warmer.

Flowers! I love seeing  everything go from brown and dying to green and pretty! And this year, I finally have my own yard, so I get to start a lot of landscaping pretty soon :) It's going to be a lot of work I think, but definitely worth it. 

Reading outside. Seriously. One of my favorite things ever. I finally have a deck to sit out on and a pretty big backyard. Plus, there's this cute family of three little kids whose house it behind mine and I love seeing those little kid outside playing and laughing! So sweet!

Yard games! I'm pretty sure my husband and I have almost all the yard games available! Ok, so maybe not all, but we're pretty darn close! We love playing these outside with our friends! We just made a Harry Potter theme Bean Bag Toss (we used it at our wedding) so we'll finally be able to actually use it outside!

And finally, fires. Sitting outside at night around the fire is so incredibly relaxing. I love just listening to the fire and the crickets and thinking about a lot of nothing. And the smell of fires is pretty darn wonderful, too!

What are you favorite things about spring?

Book to Movie: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks 

Gah! I love Nicholas Sparks' books! Say what you want, but he knows how to write a romance and make women swoon! I loved reading The Longest Ride (see my review here) and I couldn't wait to see the movie when it came out! My friend came down to visit me this weekend and we went to see this together. It's been our plan ever since we found out it was going to be a movie. 

I was a little worried when the movie started because it was quite different from the book. My friend was pretty upset at first, but the more we watched the less upset we were. The way the movie is set up really works well and we talked about it after the movie ended. I think it would have been difficult to follow and maybe confusing if the movie had been exactly like the book. 

One of the differences I noticed was I felt more connected to Sophia and Luke's story when reading the book, but when I was watching the movie, I loved Ira and Ruth's story much more. Sophia wasn't quite what I imagined her to be, so that might have had something to do with it. Or it could have been that the flashbacks were easier to visualize for Ira and Ruth's story in the movie. Regardless, I loved this movie! I laughed...I definitely cried... and Scott Eastwood is incredibly hot! 

Cast

 Scott Eastwood as Luke Collins

 Britt Robertson as Sophia Danko

Alan Alda as Ira Levinson

Jack Huston as Young Ira Levinson

Oona Chaplin as Young Ruth Levinson 

Trailer

The 8th Confession by James Patterson

The 8th Confession by James Patterson 
Series: The Women's Murder Club, #8
Publisher: Grand Central
Publishing Date: 2009
Format: purchased, paperback
352 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis 

As San Francisco's most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching--waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city's most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it's the perfect murder. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home. 

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed--a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women's Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built? The exhilarating new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, The 8th Confession serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revelations as only James Patterson can. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

My Review

I always look forward to picking up another book by James Patterson. I'm a huge fan and love how fast his books are to read! I'm slowly building up my library to own all of his books and I'm making good progress! In the mean time, I actually need to read them all :) I was in the mood for a quick read and a mystery, so I knew I had to pick up one of Patterson's. 

This book, like most of his others, was a really quick read. I love the short chapters because I feel like I'm always telling myself, just one more chapter... and then 5 chapters go by... Lindsay is a great character. I think she makes a really good detective and she's not willing to settle on a case until she can solve it. I also really like the addition of her partner Rich Conklin. He's been in a few of the books so far and I think he's a great addition. I really like Jacobi and I'm glad he's still part of the books, but Conklin is fun. I know some people are frustrated with Lindsay in this book since she can't seem to make her mind up about the men in her life, but I think that can sometimes be common in real life. While you may not want to be with a certain person, you like the attention they give you and don't necessarily want to give that up. I think she made the right decision and I'm curious to see who their relationship will play out in the next books. 

I liked this book and it was interesting to see how it all played out. It probably wasn't my favorite of this series, but I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to The 9th Judgment! 

Stacking the Shelves 4.19.15

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course, ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog! 

-----

Bought

Blue Water by Manette Ansay

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Stacking the Shelves 4.12.15

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course, ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog! 

-----

Bought

I went to a few garage sales yesterday with my husband and was lucky enough to grab a few good books! I was pretty happy with my haul since I probably only spent $5 total on all of these (: 

Emma by Jane Austen

1984 by George Orwell

Tick Tock by James Patterson 

National Geographic Traveler - Greece

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag

Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb 

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline

Accused by Lisa Scottoline

I also went to Bookbub.com and downloaded a bunch of their free books from Amazon! There's way more than I can count at this time and it would take me a while to go back through them, so I'm not listing them all today (: But I would definitely suggest people check out their website for free or cheap ebooks!