Book Spotlight: Dream Maker by Kristen Ashley

Two broken hearts find love and healing in each other in this sexy contemporary romance spin-off from the New York Times bestselling author of the Rock Chick and Dream Man series

DREAM MAKER by KRISTEN ASHLEY

Series: Dream Team #1

Publication date: May 26, 2020

Published by: Forever

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Evie is a bonafide nerd and a hyper-intelligent chick who has worked her whole life to get what she wants. Growing up, she had no support from her family and has only ever been able to rely on herself. So when Evie decides she wants to earn her engineering degree, she realizes she needs to take an alternative path to get there. She takes a job dancing at Smithie's club thinking this would be a quick side gig, where she can make the money she needs. But with her lack of dancing skills and an alpha bad boy who becomes overly protective, Evie realizes this might not be as easy as she thought.

Daniel "Mag" Magnusson knows a thing or two about pain, but the mask he wears is excellent. No one can tell that this good-looking, quick-witted, and roguish guy has deep-seated issues. Mag puts on a funny-guy routine so he can hide his broken heart and PTSD. But when Evie dances her way into Mag's life, he realizes that he needs to come face-to-face with the demons of his past if he wants a future with her.

Purchase your copy now!

Amazon | iBooks  | B&N | Kobo | Google Play 

Praise for Dream Maker:

"I don't know how Kristen Ashley does it; I just read the damn books and happily get lost in her world."―Frolic on the Dream Man series

"Kristen Ashley's books are addicting!"―Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author

"[Kristen] Ashley captivates."―Publishers Weekly

"When you pick up an Ashley book, you know you're in for plenty of gut-punching emotion, elaborate family drama and sizzling sex."

―RT Book Reviews

"Kristen Ashley books should come with a warning that says, 'You may become addicted to KA books.'"―Night Owl Reviews

"Any hopeless romantic would devour everything Kristen Ashley has to offer!"―Fresh Fiction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Follow her:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Read More

Release Day Blast: Varsity Heartbreaker by Ginger Scott

We're celebrating the release of Varsity Heartbreaker (The Varsity Series, Book 1) by Ginger Scott! This is the first book in a new mature YA romance series! One-click yours now!

Varsity Heartbreaker (The Varsity Series Book 1) by Ginger Scott

Photograph by Wander Aguiar Photography http://wanderaguiar.com/

Cover Designer: Ginger Scott

Purchase Varsity Heartbreaker

Amazon US —> https://amzn.to/3aSWik0

Amazon UK —> https://amzn.to/2XwPRi4

Amazon AU —> https://amzn.to/2TL6VzP

Amazon CA —> https://amzn.to/2X54ave

 GOODREADS

Head over to Goodreads and vote for Varsity Heartbreaker as a May 2020 Most-Anticipated Romances!

Varsity Heartbreaker

Book 1 in The Varsity Series by Ginger Scott

Lucas Fuller is a lot of things.

He’s the boy next door.

He’s the first crush I ever had.

He was my first kiss.

He’s also the only person who has ever broken my heart.

For two years, I’ve wondered what happened to the us I used to know.

We were best friends, and then suddenly…we weren’t.

I tried to run away from it. I even changed schools just to make the hurt disappear.

But no matter how hard I tried to not think about Lucas, I just couldn’t stay away from the high school quarterback with perfect blue eyes and so many secrets.

I’m back. We’re seniors now. We’ve grown—all of us. And Lucas Fuller might be different, but I’m different too. This is my time to take risks, to experience life and to fall in love for real.

I want Lucas Fuller to be a part of my story, but I know for that to happen, I need to know the truth about our past.

EXCERPT:

There’s a camera crew on the field—a real one, not our student-run Internet show. They’ve positioned camera guys on either side of the banner being stretched out by a tower of cheerleaders. When the team trickles out, everyone in the student section—which has basically grown to be two-thirds of the stands—gets on their feet to scream. Abby is standing in front of me and she turns, catches me not doing my part, and points in that threatening way she has.

“Fine,” I mouth, cupping my hands around my lips and shouting, “Go Eagles!” as loud as I can. The sheer volume of my own voice, the togetherness of this moment, all of it—it infects me. My smile quits being pretend, and I get caught up in my role. I have a part to play, albeit probably not as important as everyone thinks, but for the next three hours, I will be a superfan. For the next three hours, nothing matters more than winning this game and destroying some school from South Bend.

The young men on the field shout in unison, growling with testosterone and pounding into each other, smacking helmets to helmets and gripping at facemasks to amp up their game faces. They explode through the banner, confetti covering the corner of the field as it’s fired from a few cannons held by some of our cheerleaders. Lucas is the first to break through, holding an American flag as he sprints straight down the center of the field, his co-captains running behind him with two Eagles flags.

My All-American boy.

He was so much younger the last time I saw him run like this. He was a leader that seemed too small to lead, but now—now he’s the guy with the V that cuts down his abs and whose arms completely fill out the sleeves of his jersey; whose neck doesn’t seem so pencil-thin anymore. His sweaty hair is swept to either side, and the black lines swiped under his eyes somehow make him seem like this superhero.

A hero who abandoned me when he got popular and when my life fell to shit, I remind myself.

The team captains are met by one of the coaches at the fifty-yard line. He takes their flags to fold them while the boys huddle up to pray. It’s such a blatant disregard for the separation of church and state, yet it seems nothing could be more important than this bonding happening in front of us all. More than the quiet power of the moment, though, is that Lucas is the one leading the prayer. Arms over shoulders, circles standing within circles, these boys who I’ve seen do the most unchristian-like things give respect to his words. I wish I could hear him or be close enough to read his lips. Some of the boys look up to the sky, a few of them holding their helmets high while their heads lower. Lucas’s eyes are closed, and there’s an innocence in his features, that much I can see from here. They all start clapping and an echoing “Amen” accompanies their formation of a tighter circle until the clapping becomes thunder and soon . . . fuel.

Lucas is the last to walk away from this private spot on the field. His head down, I recognize the familiar invisible weight on his shoulders. Even as kids, he always felt so damn responsible for everything and everyone. Especially for me. He rode his bike through rain to sneak me my favorite candy bar when my parents were fighting downstairs. And he insisted we fall asleep still on our phone call to each other if I felt scared or off. He sensed things when I didn’t share. He took burdens from me, whether I wanted him to or not, and shouldered them until he was sure my smile was real again.

I miss him. I miss him so fucking much.

I press my palms into my eyes while my friends aren’t looking, and manage to stop myself from feeling all of this somewhere so public. In less than a minute, the game takes over and distracts me from anything other than the anticipation and hope that brews in my belly every time Lucas throws the ball. He’s gotten better. I understand why his opportunity window is so big. There’s an easiness to the way he moves, and it’s more than instinct. He has plenty of that, though, after throwing the ball down our street to his dad every night—a million which ways and for hours on end. They haven’t thrown since freshman year, but that’s probably because Lucas has outgrown what his dad can give him.

Pre-Order books two and three in the series here!
Varsity Tiebreaker - https://amzn.to/2zluA2u
Varsity Rulebreaker - https://amzn.to/3bgh7pN

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Read More

Review: Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James

A shy wallflower meets her dream man--or does she?--in the next book in New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James' Wildes of Lindow series.

SAY YES TO THE DUKE by ELOISA JAMES

Series: The Wildes of Lindlow Castle #5

Publication date: May 26, 2020

Published by: Avon Romance

Genre: historical romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Miss Viola Astley is so painfully shy that she’s horrified by the mere idea of dancing with a stranger; her upcoming London debut feels like a nightmare.

So she’s overjoyed to meet handsome, quiet vicar with no interest in polite society — but just when she catches his attention, her reputation is compromised by a duke.

Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, will stop at nothing to marry Viola, including marrying a woman whom he believes to be in love with another man.

A vicar, no less.

Devin knows he’s no saint, but he’s used to conquest, and he’s determined to win Viola’s heart.

Viola has already said Yes to his proposal, but now he wants her unruly heart…and he won’t accept No for an answer.

Purchase your copy now!

Amazon | iBooks  | B&N | Kobo | Google Play 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.

Eloisa...on her double life:

When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.

When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.

So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.

One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.

Follow her:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Bookbub | Facebook | Instagram

REVIEW

Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    Her show of courage. Her cure. It was love. Love had changed everything.

This is only my second foray into The Wildes of Lindlow Castle series, because unfortunately the first book failed to hook me. It wasn't bad, but it didn't wow me either. Then I spotted this book, and the synopsis sounded so perfect for me that I decided to give the Wildes another whirl. I'm so, so happy I did because this romance was everything I needed right now! In fact, I'm now eager to go back and catch up on some of the previous titles.

Viola is a shy wallflower who was raised in a prestigious family. She's surrounded by bold and talented people, people whom are respected by society. However, as a mere stepdaughter to the Duke of Lindlow, she feels inferior to his full-blooded, aristocratic children. She senses the silent judgment of others and knows that they ultimately find her lacking in every way possible. After all, she's short, forgettable in looks, and so unsettled at social gatherings that she's developed a tendency to get sick from nerves. What she doesn't see about herself is that she may have a tender heart that needs to be handled with more care, but she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. When put to the test, she can hold her own with even the most austere snobs. Even Devin Elstan, Duke of Wynter, the most sought after catch of the season.

These two had the best first meeting ever. Devin was giving me all of the best Mr. Darcy proud and snobby vibes. Viola was in the wrong place at the right time, and overheard him saying unforgivably rude things about her. The way she bravely confronted him and turned the tables on him proved that this wallflower had some fire smoldering in her that made fantastic sparks. Devin is utterly, reluctantly, beguiled. Suddenly, his unemotional search for a wife has taken a turn, and he's relishing the hunt with Viola in his sights. The only problem? Her affections have already been claimed by someone much more classically handsome and generous of spirit than he. A Duke in competition with a vicar??

    He had found a treasure in the Lindow library, and he merely had to win it away from a vicar. How hard could that be? Even given the fact that his treasure had made it clear that she had no interest in his courtship, his title, or his person.

Oh, how the mighty was humbled...I couldn't get enough of his attempts to win Viola's attention. And eventually her heart. The man is nothing if not confident and he knows how to turn on the charm when it suits him. When Devin pursues her he's like a force of nature. Viola starts to wonder if her feelings for the good Vicar are superficial and childish in nature. She had this naive side to her when it came to matters of the heart. Hilariously clueless about his attempts to impress her when everyone around them watched with knowing grins. Otis and Joan in particular took great joy in seeing their battle of wills when they faced off against each other. One of the highlights of the story for me was the entire group of secondary characters. The whole family had such a tight bond. It was kind of reminiscent to Julia Quinn's Bridgertons' playfulness. There was also another story arc in the second half with the ever-suffering vicar and his repulsive fiancé. As much as you grow to love the Wildes, Miss Pettigrew is someone you'll love to hate.

Viola flourishes before your eyes. She comes out of her shell and grows in confidence on each page under Devin's tender affections. The cool, cutting Duke who doesn't know how to get close to people learns what it is to love. But there's a shared event between them just waiting to be unearthed. He lives in fear of a past mistake ripping everything away at a moment's notice.

At a time when there isn't much to smile about, these characters swept me away for a few hours and made me giddy with happiness. I can't recommend this book enough, and I see a Wilde family binge read coming on very soon. Historical romance readers rejoice: you found your next five star read right here.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Cover Reveal: Beyond the Sea by L.H. Cosway

A Gothic Romance set in Modern Times

BEYOND THE SEA by L.H. COSWAY
Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 9, 2020

 

Synopsis:

On a lonely cliff beside the vast blue sea there is a house.

In the house there lives a girl, and in the girl there lives a dream.

Soon she'll be as free as the fishes that swim beneath the water. But until then she bides her time and lives quietly, her every move ruled over by an uncaring, heartless stepmother.

The hope for freedom is all she has to hold onto. So close she can almost taste it. But when her stepmother’s estranged younger brother comes to stay, he presents a mystery that lures her in.

The girl doesn’t understand that beneath the allure of the unknown sometimes all we find are horrors. And in searching for the truth, her heart is in danger of falling like a rock to the bottom of the deep dark sea.

 Preorder Coming Soon!

About the Author

 
L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.

Follow her:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Twitter 

Read More

Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

BEACH READ by EMILY HENRY

Series: Standalone

Genre: romance, women's fiction

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: May 19, 2020

Synopsis:

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Purchase your copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play 
 BAM | iBooks | Kobo

Praise for Beach Read:

“Once I started Beach Read I legit did not put it down.”—Betches

One of…
Oprah Magazine’s most anticipated romance novels of 2020
Betches’ 20 Books to read in 2020
Shereads’ Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020

“Reader, I swooned!  Beach Read is a breath of fresh air. My heart ached for January, and Gus is to die for – a steamy, smart and perceptive romance. I was engrossed!”—Josie Silver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December

“This is a touching and heartfelt book about love, betrayal, grief, failure, and learning how to love again. I adored going along on Gus and January’s journey, and I closed this book with a satisfied sigh.”—Jasmine Guillory, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Proposal

“Beach Read is original, sparkling bright, and layered with feeling. Has trying to see the world through your long time crush/rival’s eyes ever been this potent and poignant? If whipcrack banter and foggy sexual tension is your catnip, you’ll adore this book.”—Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine

“Beach Read is exactly the witty, charming, and swoony novel we always want; it also happens to be the unexpected wallop of emotional wisdom and sly social commentary we need right now. I adored it.” —Julia Whelan, author of My Oxford Year

“Beach Read by Emily Henry has everything the title promises–a romping plot, family secrets, and the thrill of falling in love, all set on the sweeping shores of eastern Lake Michigan. I cannot wait to read what Henry writes next.” —Amy E. Reichert, author The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go

“Delightfully romantic and slyly poignant, Beach Read is brimming with crackling banter and engrossing prose. It has every flavor of booklover catnip: rivalry, creative struggle, family secrets, and the sweet head-over-heels tumble into love. Emily Henry’s Beach Read is 2020’s perfect anywhere read.”—Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners

“If you liked Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game and Linda Holmes’s Evvie Drake Starts Over, you will definitely be into this, which feels like their spawn. (No one asked me to say this, by the way. I’m just high on that happy-sad feeling of finishing a book I enjoyed, that I wish wasn’t over.) Well played.”—Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, best-selling authors of The Royal We

“Readers are sure to fall hard for this meta, heartfelt take on the romance genre.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A heartfelt look at taking second chances, in life and in love.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This will still sweep readers off their feet. January’s first-person narration is suitably poetic and effervescent, the small-town beach setting is charming, and the romance is achingly swoony.”
—Booklist

About the Author

Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies. 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW

Beach Read by Emily Henry
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


To some, Beach Read may have the appearance of a light rom-com, perfect for easy summer reading. I was pleased to discover that underneath the humor that it delivered, each main character had a wonderfully complex emotional conflict to work through. The emotionally deeper plots are the kinds of romances that I'm attracted to the most. You really get a chance to dig into the characters' minds and hearts so that even if you don't necessarily agree with everything they do, you understand what influences them. There were some common, recognizable tropes found in your typical contemporary romance, but Emily Henry managed to infuse new life into them and make the story feel fresh and real.

This is an enemies-to-lovers romance of sorts. January and Gus have known each other since college when they attended writing classes together. He was the grumpy unapproachable hero, and she was the optimistic romantic who was ready to conquer the world. Their life experiences and world views were so completely different that a barrier was erected between them. And so began a competitive streak that carried into the present time. January still grits her teeth at the mention of his name and success story. He was that guy that always rubbed her the wrong way and got her hackles up without even trying. When her life is falling apart at the seams, she discovers that her new neighbor is none other than her nemesis, Augustus Everett.

January's entire outlook on life and love has been shattered by a secret unearthed about her father after his death. One year later, she's still trying to come to grips with her disillusionment and heartbreak over his betrayal. Unfortunately this upheaval has translated into a hardcore case of writer's block. How could she possibly write a love story that her readers have come to expect with hearts and flowers and a happily-ever-after when she's not sure she believes in them anymore? She's twenty-nine, flat broke, and living in the house that brings all of her hurt and pain right back up to the surface.

    I’d started publishing romance because I wanted to dwell in my happiest moments, in the safe place my parents’ love had always been. I’d been so comforted by books with the promise of a happy ending, and I’d wanted to give someone else that same gift.

When she realizes Gus is next door, she goes on the defensive and they immediately start throwing snark back and forth. What she doesn't know is that they currently have more in common than she thinks. Writer's block has struck him as well, and he's just as desperate to get the words flowing. An idea is proposed: what if they both stepped in the other's shoes and tried to write from the other person's perspective? She would write a dreary, tragic literary novel, and he would write a romance with a happy ending. It starts out as a game to prove their versatility and talent to each other, and becomes so much more.

January never bothered to truly get to know what was underneath Gus' gruff exterior, and made snap judgements on surface appearances. Now she was discovering his soft underbelly, his vulnerable side that not many are allowed to see, and she realized that they actually make a surprisingly strong team. They were having fun again, and learning that when people weren't what they seem, it isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes it's a gift. In finding each other, they found their way back to themselves again, but stronger than ever.

I really enjoyed the bantering between these two characters, and the gradual path to them discovering love when they least expected it. I can't put my finger on what held me back from giving a full five stars. While I enjoyed the concept of the plot, and the excellent characterization of both main characters, for some reason I didn't feel butterflies in my stomach, heart-pounding excitement for the romance. Regardless of that, I thought the writing was fantastic and this is most definitely worthy of a read for those who are looking for a romance with some really relatable, weighty themes. Without a doubt I'll be reading more from this author in the future.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Book Spotlight: The Silence by Susan Allott

Combining the emotional power and dual narrative style of 'Before We Were Yours' with the nuanced, layered, and atmospheric mystery of 'The Dry', a powerful debut novel revolving around a shocking disappearance, two neighbor families, and shameful secrets from the past that refuse to stay buried.

THE SILENCE by SUSAN ALLOTT

Series: Standalone

Publication date: May 19, 2020

Published by: William Morrow

Genre: thriller

 

SYNOPSIS

It is 1997, and in a basement flat in Hackney, Isla Green is awakened by a call in the middle of the night: her father phoning from Sydney. Thirty years ago, in the suffocating heat of summer 1967, the Green's next-door neighbor Mandy disappeared. At the time, it was thought she fled a broken marriage and gone to start a new life; but now Mandy's family is trying to reconnect, and there is no trace of her. Isla's father Joe was allegedly the last person to see her alive, and now he's under suspicion of murder.

Isla unwillingly plans to go back to Australia for the first time in a decade to support her father. The return to Sydney will plunge Isla deep into the past, to a quiet street by the sea where two couples live side by side. Isla's parents, Louisa and Joe, have recently emigrated from England - a move that has left Louisa miserably homesick while Joe embraces his new life. Next door, Steve and Mandy are equally troubled. Mandy doesn't want a baby, even though Steve - a cop trying to hold it together under the pressures of the job - is desperate to become a father.

The more Isla asks about the past, the more she learns: about both young couples and the secrets each marriage bore. Could her father be capable of doing something terrible? How much does her mother know? What will happen to their family if Isla's worst fears are realized? And is there another secret in this community, one which goes deeper into Australia's colonial past, which has held them in a conspiracy of silence?

Deftly exploring the deterioration of relationships and the devastating truths we keep from those we love, 'THE SILENCE' is a stunning debut from a promising literary star.

Purchase your copy now!

Amazon | iBooks  | B&N | Kobo | Google Play 

Praise for The Silence:

“Emotionally spry, smartly suspenseful, Allott’s arresting debut novel vibrates with Hitchcockian atmosphere."
- Booklist (starred review)

"Susan Allott's THE SILENCE is a rare, expertly crafted first novel. Nothing is as it seems in a dark past where secrets are meant to stay buried forever -- nor in an unsettling present where they have not -- and debut author Allott juggles a wonderfully complex plot and dual timelines like a seasoned pro."

- New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Allott is from the UK but spent part of her twenties in Australia, desperately homesick but trying to make Sydney her home. She completed the Faber Academy course in 2017, during which she started writing this novel. She now lives in south London with her two children and her very Australian husband.

Follow her:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Read More

Blog Tour with Excerpt: Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab

Expansive, romantic, and powerful. Gayle Forman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way

BREATH LIKE WATER by ANNA JARZAB

Series: Standalone

Publication Date: May 19, 2020 

Genre: YA romance
Publisher: Inkyard Press

Purchase:
 Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Google Play | iBooks 

 Add to Goodreads

 

Synopsis

This beautifully lyrical contemporary novel features an elite teen swimmer with Olympic dreams, plagued by injury and startled by unexpected romance, who struggles to balance training with family and having a life. For fans of Sarah Dessen, Julie Murphy and Miranda Kenneally.

Susannah Ramos has always loved the water. A swimmer whose early talent made her a world champion, Susannah was poised for greatness in a sport that demands so much of its young. But an inexplicable slowdown has put her Olympic dream in jeopardy, and Susannah is fighting to keep her career afloat when two important people enter her life: a new coach with a revolutionary training strategy, and a charming fellow swimmer named Harry Matthews.

As Susannah begins her long and painful climb back to the top, her friendship with Harry blossoms into passionate and supportive love. But Harry is facing challenges of his own, and even as their bond draws them closer together, other forces work to tear them apart. As she struggles to balance her needs with those of the people who matter most to her, Susannah will learn the cost--and the beauty--of trying to achieve something extraordinary.

     

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE
1,063 days until US Olympic Team Trials

FINA World Aquatics Championships
Budapest, Hungary
Women’s 200m Intermediate Medley Finals


The water is breathing. At least, that’s how it seems. I’ve always imagined it as a living thing, benevolent and obedient and faithful. A gentle beast at first, like a pony, but over time something faster. A thoroughbred, maybe. A cheetah sprinting across a flat, grassy plain.
​
But, of course, the water isn’t breathing—it’s rippling, with the echoing wakes of eight elite swimmers as they poured themselves into one last swim, one final chance to grab the golden ring. Now they’re gone, and in half a minute, I’ll be right where they were, reaching for my own shot at glory.
This is my first international competition. I turned fourteen in May, so I’m the youngest member of Team USA. In January, nobody knew who I was, but by my birthday I’d broken the women’s 200 IM record in my age group twice and finished first in the same event—my best—at World Championship Trials. My summer of speed earned me a lane here in Budapest. All I have to do now is not screw it up.

Earlier, in the semifinals, I clocked my fastest time ever in this event, and I’m coming into finals seeded third overall. I have to beat that by almost a second if I want to win.

The announcer introduces me over the loudspeaker. I wave to the crowd but my mind is far away, already in the pool, charting out my swim. I shake out my limbs and jump to get my blood pumping, then climb onto the block. I adjust my goggles, my cap, my shoulders. These little rituals feel solid and reliable. The rest is as insubstantial as a dream you’re aware of while you’re dreaming it.

“Take your mark—”

The signal sounds and I’m in the pool. My mind lags half a second behind my body, registering every breath, stroke and turn only after it happens.

First: butterfly, arms soaring over the water, fingertips skimming the surface.

Then: backstroke, concentrating on the lines in the ceiling while waves boil around me.

After that: breaststroke, stretching, pulling, kicking, gliding.

And finally: freestyle, bursting off the wall like a racehorse released from a starting gate.

I go six strokes without taking a breath and snap into my highest gear for a mad-dash last push, coasting along the razor’s edge of my perfectly timed taper. No thinking, just doing. No drag, only flight.

My hand touches the wall, and my eyes begin to burn. It’s over. Instinctively, I look for my coach. Dave’s on the sidelines, frowning, and I think: I blew it.

He notices me watching and breaks into a rare grin. Hopeful, I turn to the board. I can’t find my name, so I force myself to look at the top spot. There it is: RAMOS. Number freaking one.

I whoop and blow kisses at the people in the stands. They’re on their feet, chanting, “USA! USA!” American flags billow like sheets.

It cost my parents a fortune to fly themselves and my sister all the way to Europe on such short notice, credit cards stretched to their limits. I can’t even see them in the crowd, but I know they’re somewhere in that jubilant crush of people. My heart feels so full it’s like a balloon about to pop.

As soon as I’m out of the water, Dave wraps me in a bear hug.

“How do you feel?” he asks.

“Great!” I sigh and shake out my arms. “Tired.”

“Gold, Susannah,” he says. His voice is tight with something like awe.

Gold. It doesn’t feel real yet—won’t, until that medal hangs around my neck, until I can hold it in my hands while the national anthem blooms through the natatorium speakers with patriotic brio. Maybe not even then. I could have more wins here, but right now, this seems like more than enough.

“You’re a world champion,” Dave says. “Next, I’m going to make you an Olympian.”


Excerpted from Breath Like Water by Anna Jarzab, Copyright © 2020 by Anna Jarzab. Published by Inkyard Press.

About the Author

Anna Jarzab is a Midwesterner turned New Yorker. She lives and works in New York City and is the author of such books as Red Dirt, All Unquiet Things, The Opposite of Hallelujah, and the Many-Worlds series. Visit her online at annajarzab.com and on Twitter, @ajarzab.

Connect with the Author:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Read More

Review: By the Book by Amanda Sellet

Rom-com meets Masterpiece Theatre in a tale of

new friends, old books, first love, and second chances.

BY THE BOOK:
A Novel of Prose and Cons 
by AMANDA SELLET

Series: Standalone

Genre: romance, young adult

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Synopsis:

As a devotee of classic novels, Mary Porter-Malcolm knows all about Mistakes That Have Been Made, especially by impressionable young women. So when a girl at her new high school nearly succumbs to the wiles of a notorious cad, Mary starts compiling the Scoundrel Survival Guide, a rundown of literary types to be avoided at all costs.

Unfortunately, Mary is better at dishing out advice than taking it—and the number one bad boy on her list is terribly debonair. As her best intentions go up in flames, Mary discovers life doesn’t follow the same rules as fiction. If she wants a happy ending IRL, she’ll have to write it herself.

Purchase your copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

Praise for By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons:

"In this refreshing first novel, Sellet manages the large cast of characters well, while portraying the protagonist’s big family, her small circle of friends, and her first romance with considerable wit and insight. As Mary struggles with the practical and emotional troubles arising from her many mistakes, her rueful, self-deprecating narrative is sometimes impossible to read without laughing out loud. A smart, engaging romance."
—Booklist, STARRED review

"A sweet story with a focus on family and friendships."—Kirkus

"Put in the hands of readers who love a smart and precocious cast of characters, reminiscent of Amy Heckerling’s film Clueless." —School Library Journal

About the Author

Amanda Sellet has strong opinions about books, movies, and baked goods, which led to a previous career as a professional critic. Now she channels that saltiness into YA novels about smart girls who still have a lot to learn.

On the comedy/tragedy question, she is team comedy all the way.

 Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website

REVIEW

By the Book by Amanda Sellet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was desperate to read this book the minute I saw it. I'm a sucker for bookish heroines so it seemed like this story had my name written all over it. Undoubtedly, Mary's love for books was her most admirable trait for me. She seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of classic literature characters, which is rare for someone her age. Though it's not beyond the realm of possibility, considering the fact that both of her parents are professors. She grew up going to a non-traditional school on her parents' campus where she was surrounded by academics. She'd always felt at home there, but her life is about to be turned upside down when her parents inform her that she'll be starting a new school for her sophomore year. At Melville High, she'll only know two people, but at least she has that to cling to. Until she doesn't. She gets "dumped" by her friends-publicly no less. To say she's off to a rocky start is an understatement.

Mary sees herself as rather unremarkable, without any talents or interesting qualities that would find her a clique to fit in with. She doesn't let it discourage her, and she isn't too hard on herself for having to figure herself out a little bit.

    Just because I wasn’t a theatrical impresario or star athlete didn’t mean I had nothing to offer. It was taking me longer to find my niche, that was all.

Everything turns around for Mary when she impresses a trio of girls who allow her into their fold. A chance meeting convinces them she would be a valuable new member of their group when she gives them inside information on Alex, whom she labels the most dastardly of roguish rakes. (i.e: a player) Her new calling is found: using her book smarts on classic lit characters and applying what she learned to real people. Unfortunately, people are rarely what they appear on the surface, and placing simple labels on people is doomed for failure.

    The purpose of the Scoundrel List isn’t to point out the obvious villains: guys who steal your inheritance or lock you in a tower or invite their mistress to move into the guest room. It’s about finding the ones who conceal their treachery behind a smiling façade. That’s the kind of nefariousness you have to watch out for.

The book is close to 400 pages, and I think condensing the page count would have been ideal. We see Mary enjoying life in the "popular world" and relishing new experiences. Going to a big party, cruising the mall, and socializing while on the hunt for the perfect dates for the winter formal. More focus was put on this rather than developing the romance arc. During this time, she struggles to maintain the pretense that she's a worldly girl with all of the answers. Her new friends are so impressed with her ability to peg people at a glance, but what would they do if they knew she wasn't always so confident? Who better to help her pick out potential "suitors" for her friends than Alex the serial dater?

Alex was a pretty sweet guy, and I realized almost immediately, completely misunderstood. He wasn't the bad boy looking to score every girl in sight, and had a habit of showing up in places where Mary was going to be. Anyone with the smallest amount of experience with the opposite sex would see that he was trying to flirt with her, but fifteen-year-old Mary has zero street smarts. As the book dragged on, I kept waiting for the realization to hit her, and see some sort of internal dialogue as she sorts it all out. We get nearly three quarters into the book before there's any hint of romance between them.

I feel like there was a wasted opportunity here. I was honestly anticipating some sort of inner struggle as she fought her feelings for the person she warned her friends away from. She would realize her growing feelings and be backed into a corner, unable to show him how she feels. He continued to flirt, it continued to fly right over her head up until the point we went for it and kissed her. Which totally shocked and confused her. Then she screws up big time, both with Alex and her friends. Finally we get some introspection going on at this point, but the resolution on both fronts was pretty rushed and easy in my opinion.

This is a light coming of age story that doesn't fall on the high end of the YA spectrum, as it explores pretty simple themes. By the Book wasn't without charm, however it did fall short of an exhilarating teen romance. I enjoyed Mary's large and opinionated family, most especially her siblings who were well drawn and distinctive from each other. The heroine's group of friends were sweet, and not at all the cliche mean girl popular group which was refreshing. I just never quite reached the excitement for Alex and Mary I was hoping for. However, if you're a huge classic literature buff, there's quite a lot to enjoy and this could very well be the perfect book for you.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More