Review: Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home.

ALMOST JUST FRIENDS by JILL SHALVIS

Series: Wildstone #4

Genre: women's fiction

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: January 21, 2020

Synopsis:

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

Purchase your copy:

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Praise for Almost Just Friends:

"Shalvis unites two people healing from emotional trauma in this tender contemporary...Believable, realistic characters are at the heart of this novel. Shalvis will immediately grab the reader's attention with a strong heroine and caring connection between two wounded souls."

-- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. 

Look for Jill's latest, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold. 

Visit Jill's website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

You can find her on:

Twitter | Instagram | Website | Goodreads | Facebook

REVIEW

Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the story of two families and how they learn to overcome tragedies and challenges together. Piper is the oldest sibling of the Mannings, and soon after their parents' untimely death, she quickly stepped into the role of raising her brother and sister. Ill equipped to deal with the emotional wounds they were collecting, the family has been slowly rotting at their roots. Pushing down feelings of grief, guilt, and resentment, there was no healing for anyone. On the outside, everyone appears to have their lives under control, but on the inside, everything is one step away from ruin.

Piper is stubborn, messy, anti-social, and bossy. She also has the most giving heart of anyone you'll ever meet, she's tenacious when it comes to things that matter, and would carry the weight of the world on her own shoulders if it meant her family was lighter because of it. Through the years she has sacrificed a lot, but now a new path is finally within her grasp. Selling the family home will allow her to go back to school and pursue a different career path somewhere new. Of course things don't go at all as planned. Winnie and Gavin arrive in town for a visit and it doesn't take long before things start to unravel.

Secrets are a huge part of the conflict in the story. For me, I think that the Mannings' worst fault was their inability to be honest and communicate with one another. Many times I was yelling through the screen of my kindle, wishing I could penetrate some sense into their thick skulls. I don't think Piper was given enough credit by her brother and sister because they always feared the worst possible reaction from her. Rather than come clean, they all became expert level at ignoring the elephant in the room. This didn't seem fair to me at all, because despite her penchant for bossiness, she was never anything but unconditionally supportive. I would say that was my one frustration with the story, the amount of time they spent dancing around the truth and keeping her in the dark out of fear. Winnie also pulled Cam unwillingly into her deception and because of his sense of honor he felt obligated to keep silent.

Camden Reid is in Wildstone to spend time with his father during some down time from his job in the DEA and the Coast Guard Reserve. Like Piper, his family is broken and currently a big hot mess. Growing up, he had to deal with his parents' divorce, his mother's mental illness, and now he must find a way to build a new relationship with his father as they grieve together. A sudden loss in the family has him reeling with devastation. Not only is it bad timing to be meeting Piper at this point with both of their lives so messy, she's commitment shy even on a good day. Naturally, they both try to ignore, then fight their attraction for one another. There are a million reasons why pursuing a romance couldn't work, leading to more heartbreak. Cam shows her with his actions that he's there to be her partner. To be there for her to lean on when she feels lost and tired, something she hasn't experienced in a very long time. She's so used to trying to solve everything on her own, that she doesn't quite know what to do with it.

There were multiple threads to the story that weave together cohesively into one. It alternates between Piper, Winnie, Gavin, and Cam and they learn how to be a strong family unit. I love Jill Shalvis' women fiction titles because they have a heavy element of romance, and this was no exception. We also got her trademark humor to keep things light as the Mannings and Reids tackled things like grief, recovering from addiction, and unplanned pregnancy. This was a great addition to the Wildstone series and one I would recommend wholeheartedly.

    Even when she was an unlovable mess, he looked at her in a way that stole her breath every time. He was her person.

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Blog Tour with Excerpt and Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

A fresh, irresistible rom-com from debut author Emma Lord about the chances we take, the paths life can lead us on, and how love can be found in the opposite place you expected.

TWEET CUTE by EMMA LORD

Series: Standalone

Genre: YA romance

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: January 21, 2020

Synopsis:

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

Purchase your copy:

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Praise for Tweet Cute:

"Tweet Cute delivers in every possible way: a perfect enemies-to-lovers romance, a whip-smart plotline, and endearingly real characters. I devoured it.” - Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters

"Sweet and fun! An adorable debut that updates a classic romantic trope with a buzzy twist." - Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately and Serious Moonlight

“A witty rom-com reinvention for the Twitter age, Tweet Cute pairs delicious online rivalry with deeply relatable insights on family pressure and growing up. This fresh, funny read had us hitting ‘favorite’ from page one.” - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of Always Never Yours and If I’m Being Honest 

EXCERPT

JACK

     “Look.” I glance into the classroom, where Ethan is thoroughly distracted by Stephen and no longer keeping an eye on us. “I may have . . . overreacted.”

     Pepper shakes her head. “I told you. I get it. It’s your family.”

“Yeah. But it’s also—well, to be honest, this has been kind of good for business.”

     Pepper’s brow furrows, that one little crease returning. “What, the tweets?”

     “Yeah.” I scratch the back of my neck, sheepish. “Actually, we had a line out the door yesterday. It was kind of intense.”

     “That’s . . . that’s good, right?”

The tone of my voice is clearly not matching up with the words I’m saying, but if I’m being honest, I’m still wary of this whole overnight business boom. And if I’m being honest, I’m even more wary of Pepper. If this really is as much of a family business as she claims it is—to the point where she’s helping run the Twitter handle, when even I know enough about corporate Twitter accounts to know entire teams of experienced people get paid to do that—then she might have had more of a hand in this whole recipe theft thing than she’s letting on.

     The fact of the matter is, I can’t trust her. To the point of not knowing whether I can even trust her knowing how our business is doing, or just how badly we need it.

     “Yeah, um, I guess.” I try to make it sound noncommittal. My acting skills, much like my breakfast-packing skills, leave much to be desired.

     “So . . .”

     “So.”

     Pepper presses her lips into a thin line, a question in her eyes.

     “So, I guess—if your mom really wants you to keep tweeting . . .”

     “Wait. Yesterday you were pissed. Two minutes ago you were pissed.”

     “I am pissed. You stole from us,” I reiterate. “You stole from an eighty-five-year-old woman.”

     “I didn’t—”

     “Yeah, yeah, but still. You’re them, and I’m . . . her. It’s like a choose your fighter situation, and we just happen to be the ones up to bat.”

     “So you’re saying—you don’t not want me to keep this up?”

     “The way I see it, you don’t have to make your mom mad, and we get a few more customers in the door too.”

     Pepper takes a breath like she’s going to say something, like she’s going to correct me, but after a moment, she lets it go. Her face can’t quite settle on an expression, toeing the line between dread and relief.

     “You’re sure?”

I answer by opening the container she handed me. The smell that immediately wafts out of it should honestly be illegal; it stops kids I’ve never even spoken to in their tracks.

     “Are you a witch?” I ask, reaching in and taking a bite of one. It’s like Monster Cake, the Sequel—freaking Christmas in my mouth. I already want more before I’ve even managed to chew. My eyes close as if I’m experiencing an actual drug high—and maybe I am, because I forget myself entirely and say, “This might even be better than our Kitchen Sink Macaroons.”

     “Kitchen Sink Macaroons?”

     Eyes open again. Yikes. Note to self: dessert is the greatest weapon in Pepper’s arsenal. I swallow my bite so I can answer her.

     “It’s kind of well-known, at least in the East Village. It even got in some Hub Seed roundup once. I’d tell you to try some, but you might steal the recipe, so.”

     Pepper smiles, then—actually smiles, instead of the little smirk she usually does. It’s not startling, but what it does to me in that moment kind of is.

     Before I can examine the unfamiliar lurch in my stomach, the bell rings and knocks the smile right off her face. I follow just behind her, wondering why it suddenly seems too hot in here, like they cranked the air up for December instead of October. I dismiss it by the time I get to my desk—probably just all the Twitter drama and the glory of So Sorry Blondies getting to my head.

     “One rule,” she says, as we sit in the last two desks in the back of the room.

     I raise my eyebrows at her.

     “We don’t take any of it personally.” She leans forward on her desk, leveling with me, her bangs falling into her face. “No more getting mad at each other. Cheese and state.”

     “What happens on Twitter stays on Twitter,” I say with a nod of agreement. “Okay, then, second rule: no kid gloves.”

Mrs. Fairchild is giving that stern look over the room that never quite successfully quiets anyone down. Pepper frowns, waiting for me to elaborate.

     “I mean—no going easy on each other. If we’re going to play at this, we’re both going to give it our A game, okay? No holding back because we’re . . .”

     Friends, I almost say. No, I’m going to say. But then—

     “I’d appreciate it if even one of you acknowledged the bell with your silence,” Mrs. Fairchild grumbles.

     I turn to Pepper, expecting to find her snapping to attention the way she always does when an adult comes within a hundred feet of disciplining her. But her eyes are still intent on me, like she is sizing something up—like she’s looking forward to something I haven’t anticipated yet.

     “All right. No taking it personally. And no holding back.”

     She holds her hand out for me to shake again, under the desk so Mrs. Fairchild won’t see it. I smile and shake my head, wondering how someone can be so aggressively seventeen and seventy-five at the same time, and then I take it. Her hand is warm and small in mine, but her grip is surprisingly firm, with a pressure that almost feels like she’s still got her fingers wrapped around mine even after we let go.

     I turn back to the whiteboard, a ghost of a smirk on my face. “Let the games begin.”

About the Author

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, grilled cheese, and a whole lot of love. Her sun sign is Hufflepuff, but she is a Gryffindor rising. TWEET CUTE is her debut novel. You can find her geeking out online at @dilemmalord on Twitter.

Follow her: Twitter | Goodreads

REVIEW

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Tweet Cute was just as the cover suggests: exceptionally cute! If a book had the proverbial chubby baby cheeks I'd be pinching them like an insufferable relative. I had quite a few disappointments with the adorable illustrated covers last year, but this was one of the cases where I was just as enchanted with the inside as the outside. The writing was comparable to one of my favorite YA authors, Ginger Scott who I've been reading for many years. It was such an impressive first offering for a debut author, and I'll definitely be looking out for what she has to offer in the future.

This is a YA rom-com with an enemies to lovers trope. Jack and Pepper are both students at Stone Hall Academy, an elite private school in New York. While they share many classes together, that's about all they share in common-at least that's what they think. On the surface, they couldn't be more different. She is that student who sits at the front of the class, has a perfect GPA, leads the swim team, and is laser focused on making it into Columbia. Her family is well off, and they own a rapidly growing fast-food chain called Big League Burger. Jack doesn't take life too seriously, and takes great joy in provoking Pepper's ire with his playful "pepperoni" nickname. Although he picks on her a bit, it's all in good fun and never mean spirited. His family also owns a restaurant, but it's a family run small business that's currently not bringing in much profit.

Jack has a reputation for being a carefree jokester, but in reality no one really knows his talents or dreams extend beyond his family's expectations. With high school graduation inching closer, he feels the weight of his future pressing down on him. His father has made it abundantly clear that he would be the perfect candidate to take over the reins of Girl Cheesing, and his altogether perfect twin will have the freedom to move onto bigger things. He secretly feels inferior to Ethan-the popular one whom he's always mistaken for. Instead of being his mirror image, it's more like Ethan is the sunlight and he's the shadow. So he keeps his talents, ambitions, and dreams locked up tight and never lets on that he's hurt inside. Probably the biggest thing he's hiding? The fact that he's the creator of the social messaging app, Weazel his whole school is using.

    Jack is the kind of person who fills silences. The kind of person who doesn’t necessarily command attention, but always seems to sneak it from you anyway.

Through Weazel, he's unknowingly been chatting with none other than Pepper. They have a great rapport through their anonymous conversations and feel comfortable telling each other things they can't with the most important people in their lives. I loved their sassy banter back and forth, and enjoyed the irony that they were getting along so well with the person whom they verbally spar with in a whole other way. On twitter, they both fall into a combative, competitive mud slinging match after Big League Burger seems to steal Girl Cheesing's sandwich idea.

I have to admit that for most of the book I was really annoyed at Pepper's mother for not only her nonchalance over their theft of a competitor's recipe, but pushing her daughter into a childish game online. Not only was she selfish in not caring about the effect it was having on her grades, but she made it clear she was never really comfortable doing it in the first place. I couldn't understand why she would be so obtuse as to ignore her daughter's needs in order to tarnish the reputation of a family and their livelihood. However, her mother is hiding some things that shed a whole new light on the entire situation and I ended up sympathizing with her some in the end.

The twitter battles become an all-out war, but both agree that whatever they say online won't affect their real-life growing relationship. Their attraction grows slowly right alongside their mystery friendship on his app, and neither have any idea the two people each were crushing on were the same person. It was a very sweet and innocent romance tangled up in a lot of outside conflict. As they start to fall for each other, a secret will come out about their families that may keep them apart for good. Jack and Pepper must both have the courage to stand up to their parents, and stand up for themselves. There is dirty laundry to be aired, and damaged relationships to finally be mended.

    She turns her head so slowly to look at me that for a moment I am stricken with the weird unfamiliarity of being seen—no, not seen. Recognized.

These two were just delightful. Their relationship was so quirky, and their names utterly perfect for the cheesy (in a good way) theme of the book. I mean, come on! Their couple name is Pepperjack!! I also really adored Jack's sassy grandmother and would've loved to have seen a little more page time from her. My reasoning for giving this a four instead of a five was that there were sections of the book that I felt that the plot wasn't moving forward much. I think some of the page count could have been cut out and it would have made for a smoother paced read. But overall, this was a solid, well-written debut by Emma Lord!

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Blog Tour with Review, Excerpt and Giveaway: Reverend of Silence by Pamela Sparkman

A coming of age story about faith, love, and overcoming society's prejudices during the American Antebellum period.

In 1810, Lucy Hallison suffered from a severe illness at the age of three, and later recovered, a deaf-mute. Unable to relate to the world in which she lives, she’s often ignored and sometimes treated with cruelty. Until a boy, Samuel Burke, steps into her life at the tender age of seven, coloring her world and showing her what it means to be seen, to not be invisible, to be understood.

The two become inseparable childhood friends, and as they grow and mature, there is the promise and hope of something more that also grows between them. But the hope of something more is put on hold so she can attend The American Asylum at Hartford for the Deaf and Dumb, the first of its kind, requiring her to leave the only home she’s ever known and the only boy she’s ever loved.

But while she is away, tragedy strikes, and Samuel is now the one unable to relate to the world in which he lives, unable to find his own voice, and withdrawing from everyone and everything he’s ever known.

When Lucy returns home from school, she has one goal in mind—to put color back into his world the way he had once put color into hers.

Because Samuel Burke had been her voice when she had needed him most.

Now, she is determined to be his.

Note: Inspired by real people and true historical accounts.

About the Book

REVEREND OF SILENCE by PAMELA SPARKMAN

Series: n/a; standalone

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Independent

Publication Date: January 14, 2020

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  iBooks

Add It to Your To-Be-Read Bookshelf Today!

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EXCERPT

REVEREND OF SILENCE

© 2020 Pamela Sparkman

“Mama, I’d like you to meet Samuel Burke, Reverend Burke’s son.” Noah beamed like he was introducing royalty to his mother. Lucy slid in behind her brother, her lunch pail loosely held by her fingers, nearly forgotten, stealing glances between us. “Samuel, I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Hallison. My sisters are around here somewhere, I imagine. And my father and brother will be along shortly.”

“H-Hello, Mrs. Hallison,” I said. “Y-You have a very nice home.” I found that I stuttered a bit whenever I was nervous, a detail I’d never realized about myself.

Mrs. Hallison stepped forward and smiled. Hers wasn’t as soft as my mother’s. My eyes instantly cut to Lucy, and I wondered where her smile had come from.

“Samuel,” she said. “I’m pleased to meet you. Your father speaks highly of you.”

“He does?”

“That surprises you?”

“No ma’am. I mean . . . I suppose I never thought about it.”

She gestured toward the box sofa. “Would you care to sit?”

Noah nudged me forward. “Of course he would. I want him to meet everyone.” Before I could take a seat, however, his sisters entered the room. They were much older than Noah and Lucy. They looked very much like ladies, old enough to get married soon.

“Oh, there you two are,” Noah said. “I’d like you to meet Samuel Burke, my new friend. Sam, these are my sisters, Celia and Louisa.”

“Hello,” the redheaded one said softly. “I was just on my way to bring in more wood.” She dipped her head. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Celia, I can do that. Go sit,” said Noah. “I’ll be right back, Samuel.”

I found myself seated between Mrs. Hallison and Noah’s other two sisters, feeling a bit like a sandwich. Lucy perched herself on one of the matching chairs, all by herself, her feet not even reaching the floor, and I compared it to the space I had, which was to say none, and I found I was extremely jealous of all the space she had to herself. My leg bounced nervously.

Mrs. Hallison asked about where I grew up and I answered. She asked about school and I answered that as well. When the side of my face grew warm, I knew . . . knew . . . Lucy was staring.

But when my eyes found hers, I found she was . . . laughing . . . though she tried to hide it. Her hand covered her mouth, her eyes crinkled around the edges, and there was a sparkle in them that wasn’t there before. I leaned forward a bit to look around my seat companions, who were speaking among themselves now. I wanted to know what she thought was funny. However, that seemed to make her eyes sparkle more until she had to turn completely away from me. I leaned back, confused.

What was so funny?

When she turned her head my way again and she glanced at my bouncing knee, I saw her biting back another smile.

She was laughing at my being uncomfortable, wedged between her mother and sisters. I willed her to look at me so I could scold her with my eyes. I knew how to do it. My father had given me the look enough, I was ready to give it to her when she finally lifted her eyes to mine. But instead of being reprimanded, her smile only brightened. Perhaps I wasn’t as good at giving the look as I’d hoped. Or . . . maybe . . . I was a sucker for her smile. Either way, something in me weakened and I found myself smiling, too, even laughing at my own situation.

“Something funny?” one of the sisters asked. Louisa, I think.

“No,” I said. “Just thinking of something that happened today.” I looked away from Lucy. I had to or else I’d laugh again.

“Hello?” a tall, broad-shouldered man said, entering the room, wearing a topper, tan pantaloons, and a linen shirt. The floorboards creaked as he walked across them.

“Oh, there you are, Jasper,” said Mrs. Hallison. “This here is Samuel Burke. Noah brought him home from school—to meet the family,” she finished.

“Burke,” he said, removing his hat. “Reverend Burke’s boy?”

Right away, I could see where Noah got his looks from—his father. Dark hair, dark eyes. He had a stern set to his jaw. I recalled how Noah had stood up to Fredrick that day in the schoolroom and how stern his jaw had been. And he would grow to be huge. I swallowed. “Y-Yes, sir,” I answered, standing to shake his hand, remembering my manners.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said. “We saw Noah gathering wood when we were coming inside. James is helping him. They’ll be in in a moment.”

I nodded and reclaimed my seat.

“James is our other son,” Mrs. Hallison explained. “He and Mr. Hallison make and repair saddles and sell them down on the wharf.”

I noticed Mrs. Hallison’s appearance then, not having paid much attention to it before, other than to notice she seemed tired. Even her brown hair seemed tired, hanging around her face, having fallen out of its pins that were holding it up. While Mr. Hallison wore fine clothes, she wore a faded dress that had been patched and sewn several times.

“All done,” Noah said, re-entering the room, seating himself in a chair by the window. “We stacked the wood where you said to, Papa.”

Mr. Hallison had taken the other matching seat across from Lucy, his hat resting on his knee. James leaned against the doorframe after he’d introduced himself. He, too, had the look of his father. The sisters, Celia and Louisa, I guess I could see a little of both of their parents in them.

As for Lucy, to me . . . she just looked like . . . Lucy. I didn’t see either parent in her.

“How was your day, Jasper?” Mrs. Hallison asked.

Mr. Hallison and James spoke about the saddles they made. I had to admit, I was wholly fascinated by what they did. I even thought it might be something I’d want to do. Everyone needed a saddle, after all.

Soon everyone else began to talk about their day. The ladies spoke of their knitting and food preparations. Noah discussed his lessons at school. I discussed mine when asked of them. But no one engaged with Lucy. Not even to smile in her direction. She just sat there, like a piece of furniture, an object in the room no one paid attention to.

I looked around at her family as they chattered on about this and about that. It was Noah who finally observed his sister had left the room.

“Where did Lucy go?” he asked.

“She left,” I said, throat so tight, I had to push the words out.

“When?”

I shook my head and stood, feeling like I might crack down the middle. “Half an hour ago. Mr. and Mrs. Hallison,” I said, “I must be going now. It’s getting late. I told my mother I’d be home in time for supper.” It wasn’t a lie, and for that I was grateful, but that was all I was feeling grateful for at the moment.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Noah said.

“I know my way out.” I was upset and wasn’t sure who I needed to be more upset with—Noah and his family, or the illness that’d made Lucy lose her hearing, or the stupid kids at school, or the world in general. So I said I’d see him tomorrow and slipped out the door before words I’d regret later could slip out of my mouth.

I was halfway home when I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned, expecting to find Noah. Instead, I found Lucy.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, feeling outside myself. Lucy stopped, her eyes dropping to my mouth, her eyebrows pleating together. I realized my folly and moved toward her while pointing toward her house and then toward the sky. It was getting dark. She should be home. Not out here, chasing me through the fields. “Go back, Lucy.”

She stood there for a moment, looking at me, doing nothing else.

“Lucy?” I whispered.

And then I realized—she wasn’t looking at me. She was wanting me to look at her.

“Honey,” I murmured. “Your eyes are the color of honey.” The golden color I couldn’t name before. “I wish they didn’t look so sad.”

She looked over her shoulder, at the house she called home. A tear slid down her cheek.

“Lucy,” I whispered again. I knew she couldn’t hear me, but saying her name was more for me. I inched forward, touched her hand, same as I had before, caressed her fingers, and promised her that it would be all right. Whatever it was . . . it would be all right.

I’d thought being stared at was the worst thing for someone to be exposed to. I was wrong. Being invisible was. And Lucy Hallison had been invisible to mostly everyone.

But not anymore.

“I see you, Lucy. I promise I do.” I squeezed her hand. “Go,” I said, and pointed to her house. “It’s getting dark.”

She squeezed my hand back and left me standing in the fields between her house and mine.

I watched her until she was safely home before making my own way home again.

Later that night, after I crawled into bed, I wiped my own tear from my cheek, thinking about Noah’s story—how Lucy had toddled after him, calling out his name, and for a split second, when I’d heard her run up behind me, I’d almost thought Lucy was going to call out my name.

Sam, Sam, Sam!

I punched my pillow, and then I punched it again, because I knew she would never call out my name.

And, oh, how I wanted her to.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Another tear fell, tracing a path to the whorl inside my ear. I stared at the ceiling until my eyes grew heavy. But before I drifted off to sleep, I asked God one burning question:

“Lord, am I old enough to have a broken heart? Because I think Lucy Hallison broke mine tonight.”

I fell asleep before I heard His answer.

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of REVEREND OF SILENCE by Pamela Sparkman, we're giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Pamela Sparkman.  Giveaway ends 1/31/2020 @ 11:59pm EST.  

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

About the Author

PAMELA SPARKMAN grew up in Alabama. She became an avid reader at a young age. The written word has always fascinated her and she wrote her first short story while still in elementary school. Inspiration for her stories always begins with a song. She believes music is the pulse of life and books are the heart of it.

When she isn't writing, however, she's spending time with her family and taking one day at a time.

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Reverend of Silence by Pamela Sparkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    “If I was your warmth and your refuge, you were my shining ray of light in an otherwise dark world.”

Where do I even begin in trying to explain the beauty of this story? It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Pamela Sparkman's work, but she has really outdone herself with Reverend of Silence. It's easily in my top three favorites of hers, and I only say that because I don't think I could ever pick a top favorite story. Each one is very special to me and occupies a little space in my heart, never to be replaced. Sam and Lucy will bring you with them through a lifetime of new beginnings, friendship, first love, as they face prejudice and hatred with faith and courage. There are so many things I want to say about these two extraordinary families and what they overcome, and I hope I can do them justice in this review.

It's upsetting to imagine a time when the deaf were treated with prejudice simply for being different. As a human race, we've treated many groups of people as if they are undeserving of compassion or love. Ignorance breeds hatred, and people fear what they don't understand. Samuel Burke learns this difficult lesson soon after moving to Bridgeport Connecticut, in the year 1814. Sam meets a young girl in his new class named Lucy Hallison, and she makes an immediate impression on him. For someone who has become accustomed to being invisible in a crowd of people, she doesn't quite know what to make of this boy's direct attention.

"I see you, Lucy. I promise I do."

Lucy fell ill at a young age and as a result lost her ability to hear. She was the same person before this event, however, she was now an outsider. Within the city and even her own home, no one bothered to open the door to real communication with her. In fact, no one believed she could in the way that non-hearing impaired people are. Imagine a time when there was no formal schooling or language for the deaf. It's almost impossible in the modern world we live in. There were rudimentary "home signs" for simple words or phrases, but to be able to read and write is a whole other world of expression that was closed off from Lucy. Sam meets her and possesses something no one else does: empathy. The ability to understand her feelings without words. Pamela Sparkman did a wonderful job bringing the reader this same level of understanding simply through body language in the beginning of the book. Although there are alternating POVs, Lucy's does not come until a solid portion into the story. When it does, you feel as if you've just been given the gift of a flood of information from this strong-willed, tenacious, and gentle girl's heart and soul.

Although there is a love story in this novel, the story of these two families is central. It's about the bond they create as Sam and his family encourage the Hallisons to give Lucy the same opportunities as everyone else. Sam, Lucy, and her brother Noah become best friends as they grow up together. An inseparable, unified family that encourage each other through every challenge in life they face. Reverend Burke is the town's pastor, and it's easy to see where Sam's strength of character was formed when you see what a warrior he is for justice on Lucy's behalf.

    I remember telling my father once, “The people didn’t know what they were getting when you came to town, did they?” And you know what his response was? “They saw me coming, Son. They knew what they were getting. What they didn’t see coming was you.” I shook my head. “No, Papa,” I said. “It was Lucy they never saw coming. It was always Lucy.”

As friendship between Sam and Lucy blooms gradually into feelings of love, they take tentative steps towards changing the dynamic of their relationship. But Sam must put aside his own wants and desires so she may have the freedom to learn to fly. An opportunity to attend the first school for the deaf in the US would give her unparalleled knowledge. How could he possibly hold her back? They go from sharing their lives every single day, to long distance communication for many years. Your heart is heavy for everyone involved as they struggle to adjust to such a drastic change. Even as they're all hurting, they never fail to lift each other up with words of inspiration.

    Time, it seemed, was a cruel albatross around the heart of those who loved and couldn’t have. Time always seemed to be saying . . . not yet . . . wait . . . wait . . . wait.

Mr. Clive is a wealthy, influential man in town who uses his power to fan the flame of hatred towards the Hallisons. He is a morally bankrupt person who feels spite towards anyone he can't control. So called God-fearing churchgoers have long been under his influence, but these two courageous families aren't afraid to stand up for what's right and just. As often is the case in real life, that doesn't come without devastating consequences. Just as you grow to love the main characters, you will despise the antagonists in equal measure.

This is a compulsively readable book, pulling you into their lives effortlessly and refusing to let go until these characters find peace and healing. Along the way, you step inside another time and place that isn't always comfortable to be in. But while it can take only one person to amplify hatred, the same can be said for love and acceptance. Redemption, faith, and hope are tested to the limit, and these two families must continue to shine their light when they are at their darkest. I cannot recommend this book enough! It was exquisitely written with relevant underlying themes that we could all benefit from in modern society. If you love historical novels inspired by real events or people, don't miss out on this one. I learned about a piece of American history that I'm sad to say I never spent much time thinking of in the past. I feel privileged that I was able to experience what this book has to offer, and I'm better for having read it.

 

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Release Blitz: Glass Half Full by Katia Rose

Glass Half Full
Katia Rose
(Barflies, #2)
Publication date: January 8th 2020
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

You win some, you lose some.

Back at home with half a college degree after the fiasco of the century sent her packing, it’s safe to say that Renee Nyobé is losing some. She’s a hot mess, and not the cute kind. No, if hot messes had categories, hers would be ‘littering the stairs of the metro station with your sweaty underwear because you were too busy rushing to the job interview you’re already late for to zip up your yoga bag.’

A job—any job—is just what she needs to get her life back on track, and it might as well be at Montreal’s most famous dive bar, Taverne Toulouse.

Dylan Trottard is winning some. As Taverne Toulouse’s new manager, he’s got one rule for himself: don’t screw up. Following that rule gets a lot harder when the woman he’s spent the past three years trying to forget starts working behind the bar.

They were never supposed to want each other, and they sure as hell aren’t supposed to want each other now. She’s the girl that got away before he even had her, and he’s the guy she didn’t think would ever give her a second glance.

Now they can’t keep their eyes off one another, and the stakes are even higher than before. There’s a lot to lose, but as the pull between them gets harder and harder to ignore, Renee and Dylan start asking how much winning is worth.

Glass Half Full is part of the Barflies series, a set of standalone romantic comedies that chronicle the lives and loves of the staff at a Montreal dive bar.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“I always wondered something,” she continues when it’s clear I can’t speak. “That night, did you…Were you…Did you want to kiss me?”
I wanted to do more than kiss her. I wanted to breathe her in. I wanted to inhale her.
“It would have been a bad idea,” I manage to get out through my clenched jaw. She’s staring up at me through those damn eyelashes, and all I can think about is her mouth, her neck, that inch of her gorgeous bare shoulders I can see before they meet with the edge of her coat.
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
Everything grinds to a halt.
Shit, shit, shit.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she repeats, “because I wasn’t ready for you to kiss me then, not like I am now.”

Author Bio:

Katia Rose is not much of a Pina Colada person, but she does like getting caught in the rain. She prefers her romance served steamy with a side of smart, and is a sucker for quirky characters. A habit of jetting off to distant countries means she’s rarely in one place for very long, but she calls the frigid northland that is Canada home.

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Review: You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

Acclaimed author Colleen Oakley delivers a heart-wrenching and unforgettable love story about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and the man fate has chosen for her, in a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.

YOU WERE THERE TOO by COLLEEN OAKLEY

Series: Standalone

Genre: women's fiction

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Synopsis:

Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.

Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?

Purchase your copy:

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Praise for You Were There Too:

“You Were There Too is a surprising and incredibly satisfying story of chance and fate. From the book’s enticing first pages to its startling and electrifying conclusion, Colleen Oakley knocks it out of the park.”—New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid

“A beautifully woven story of love, grief, and the power we do and don’t have to choose our fate, You Were There Too brought me to tears. I read it in one long gulp and didn’t want it to end.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Santopolo

“Hypnotically beautiful, You Were There Too delves into the chasm between the life we have and the life we imagine for ourselves. Unique, lyrical and thoughtful.”—New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins

“A rare gem of a novel. Colleen Oakley checks all the boxes with this one: exquisite, careful writing, beautifully drawn three-dimensional characters, and a twisty plot that defies premonition. This is a book about connections, and discovering that why we are connected to each other is a lot less important than the fact that we are. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, while at the same time hated for this lovely book to end. This is the kind of book we all long for, one to read and savor, and then read again.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of Dreams of Falling

“I have been a fan of Oakley since her debut novel, but with this book, she has risen to a new level. You Were There Too took me through the gamut of emotions–confusion, anticipation, grief, hope. Oakley’s writing is taut, fresh and doesn’t waste a single word. I devoured this novel in three sittings but I will be thinking about it for much, much longer. A slam dunk bestseller for sure.”—Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law

“A heartbreaking and thought-provoking exploration of fate, love, and choice sure to bring on a few tears.”—Kirkus

“There is a splendid blend of humor throughout Oakley’s alternately romantic, idiosyncratic, and foreboding love-conquers-all tale that easily engages new readers and will please the author’s fans.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Fans of relationship fiction that explores women’s inner lives and choices by Jennifer Weiner or Amy Hatvany will be unable to put this book down.”—Booklist (starred review)

About the Author

Colleen Oakley’s novels BEFORE I GO and CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH have been named best books by People Magazine, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and both were long-listed for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Formerly the editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness and senior editor of Marie Claire, her articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her third novel YOU WERE THERE TOO will be published by Berkley/Penguin in January 2020.

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REVIEW

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What initially appealed to me about this book was the metaphysical dream element. The meeting of souls through the dream world and the possible meaning behind it. Could two people know each other before they ever really meet? Are we predestined to be drawn to one person over any other in our lifetime, or is everything purely circumstance and chance? The idea of a married woman having a bizarre connection to a mystery man in her dreams was highly intriguing to me! You Were There Too was masterfully choreographed to its heart-pounding ending by Colleen Oakley with perfect precision. When I flipped the last pages, not only was I a soggy mess, I was turning over how and why we got there and managed to feel at peace with it. Without spoiling things, the ending of this is pretty difficult to read. But it's a mixture of happy and sad tears because she wrote a lot of beauty in that pain.

Mia and Harrison are a married couple who just moved to a small town from Philadelphia. They needed a change of pace and scenery, but now that they're starting fresh it's been difficult for them to acclimate and adjust. On top of having a new home to furnish, a new town, and new job for Harrison, they tragically dealt with miscarriages. This has been a heavy blow to their otherwise seemingly healthy relationship and your heart really goes out to both of them for the pain they're going through. The author does a phenomenal job helping you to know each character in an insightful way. Almost from the very start you feel as if you understand what sits so heavily on their hearts and minds. You care for what happens to them without having to try.

Mia is floundering to find her creative inspiration as an artist, and trying to make her new house become home. But after their horrible losses, she becomes fixated on finding a way to carry a healthy baby to term. She once wasn't sure she ever wanted children, and now isn't sure can live without one. She goes through many stages of emotions: devastation, helplessness, hope, and depression. When a couple isn't on the same page about having children, it can be a ticking time bomb for the marriage. In Harrison and Mia's case, the fissures start early and crack a wide gulf that they struggle to bridge. There is a huge lack of communication on his part as he internalizes his guilt and pain, which makes it hard for her to be the support that she needs to be. On the other hand, she was stuck in her own confusion and heartache that she often failed to see the signs that he needed her.

Despite the faults they each had, I loved them both equally. I rooted for them, I ached for them, and shed lots of tears. They had a natural camaraderie of two people who've been together for years and know each other's idiosyncrasies. The banter between them, and revisiting those moments they cherish in their relationship journey were really special. It brought some much needed levity and heartwarming moments. I loved his dry sense of humor and how he was as solid as a rock for her when she needed him. She was under an unbelievable amount of stress, and always managed to try to see the positives in her situation. To keep putting one foot in front of the other and face hard circumstances in life, head-on. They were, in a word, special.

Enter Oliver. A figment of her imagination, until he waltzes into her life in the flesh and her emotions go into a tailspin. Even stranger, not only has he dreamt about her too, but they share a specific dream. They are both noticeable shaken and confused, determined to make sense out of a mystifying situation. As they race to find answers, you feel as if you're running downhill on unsteady legs. Trying to reach the final destination as quickly as possible but not sure you can make it there without falling. You just know you're heading for heartache, but you have to know.

    It feels a little dangerous. Not deadly dangerous, like swimming with sharks, but mildly dangerous, like touching a candle flame on a dare. Although, sometimes, I guess, it only takes a tiny flicker to burn an entire house straight to the ground.

I don't want to give too much away about the plot and spoil the experience for anyone. What I will say is that if you're on the fence about reading this one, worried that it may not be the book for you, I urge you to at least give it a chance. This is one talented author and I'll definitely be revisiting her work in the future. It's not often that a book rips my heart out the way this one did, and for me to have that reaction she did her job well. I was worried that the ending might feel manipulative for emotion's sake, but that wasn't the case at all. Looking back, everything happened for a reason, and the sacrifices were not senseless or in vain. This is on the heavier side, but so worth the difficult moments. This was my first read of the year, and I really started things out with a bang.

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