Harlequin October Reads – The Greek’s Billion Dollar Baby

Author: Clare Connelly

Genre: Romance

Harlequin Imprint: Presents

Publication Date: October 1st, 2019

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

*Thank you Harlequin Presents and Amber’s Book Reviews for the opportunity to review this story!*

Where to Buy
Goodreads Link  

Synopsis

The man with the iron will… Meets the woman who will change his life!

All the money in the world couldn’t save Leonidas from the pain—and guilt—of losing his loved ones. Since then, he’s forbidden himself all pleasure in life. Until he meets enchanting innocent Hannah at a lavish party in Greece… Reeling from the discovery of her fiancé’s infidelity, Hannah is determined to swear off men. But her instant chemistry with Leonidas is undeniable. And for one night, they break all their rules, indulging in red-hot oblivion—with inescapably powerful consequences…

Review

After a devastating betrayal from her fiance, Hannah sets off to Greek. During that time, she bumps into a handsome stranger. One things leads to another and Hannah is making a decision to just have one night of passion with the stranger names Leonidas. Leonidas is a frequent New Years Eve hotel guest. After the death of his wife and son by the hands of his father’s misdealing with the mob, Leonidas ventures to his hotel to mourn. this one night stand for him is just that because his love for his dead wife is something he can’t let go of.
After of the night of passion, Leonidas is filled with guilt and leaves Hannah alone to wake up alone. Hannah leaves and goes back to her home. Months later she discovers she pregnant with Leonidas’s baby and must inform him. Once the news is out Leonidas decides that marriage is the only way that will keep Hannah safe but that he can never actually love Hannah because his love is only his dead wife and son. Throughout the story, I was bothered by how much he mentions his deceased family. I wanted him know it wasn’t his fault.
I have to say I admired Hannah. He wasn’t taking being taken as an ultimatum and shows that when she leaves before the wedding. I was cheering her on and hoping she got her happy ending. Leonidas is a character that I saw as damaged and on a road to recovery. Hannah was the one person he least expected to be that sign for him to go through that journey. I was okay with this story because Hannah was not one to back down when she knew what she wanted. Although the story line was predictable, I enjoyed it. It was a romance that had me rooting for Hannah’s fairy-tale ending and for Leonidas to find piece with himself. Other than the odd resemblance his deceased had with Hannah, the two were different. A part of me was yearning to understand the love Leonidas had for his first wife because I would have been able to understand more of his guilt, his hurt and his inability to let himself free. The setting of Greece is magical as you can get. Add in those riches and well you get a dream. The early arrival of his baby makes Leonidas realize that his love for Hannah is there and he rushes to London to be with her. Overall, this book was a quick and easy romance that you can read on cool rainy days.

About The Author

Clare Connelly writes romance that will set your soul on fire. She is the best-selling writer of more than fifty indie romance novels and in August 2017 published her debut novel for Harlequin Presents, and has a title coming out with Harlequin Dare in February 2018. She reads and writes romance voraciously, and lives in a small bungalow by the sea with her lovely husband, two small children and a hard-working team of MacBooks. http://www.clareconnelly.com for more!

Author Links

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

Blog Tour: Forgotten (House of Night Other World #3)

Forgotten(House of Night Other World #3)
Authors: P.C. Cast&Kristin Cast
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: October 29th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 Stars!

*Thank you The Fantastic Flying Book Club and Blackstone Publishing for a finished copy to review and the opportunity to be on this tour!*

Synopsis

Before he was freed by Neferet, Kalona was imprisoned within the earth for centuries because of the Darkness in his heart. But what happened to the Other World’s Kalona? It’s as though he’s been forgotten, or maybe he never existed at all…

In the present, Other Neferet may have left her House of Night, but she has far from given up her goal of immortality and world domination. As she operates in secret to gain access to Old Magick, the new High Priestess, Anastasia Langford, works toward peace and acceptance for the vampyres of the Other World. But just as Other Kevin’s broken heart will take time to heal, peace in that world will also take time and work—and not all of the Other World vampyres want peace. After all, why should they return to being shunned by humans, especially when they’ve had a taste of how it feels to be in power?

Meanwhile, Zoey is desperate to help rid the Other World of Neferet once and for all, and not knowing what’s going on over there is eating away at her. But, as the Nerd Herd warns, it’s far too dangerous to call on Old Magick time and again. As a distraction, she throws herself into her work and attempts to bring the humans and vampyres of Tulsa closer together with the first human-vampyre swim meet in history! It’s too bad that something always seems to go wrong whenever the stakes are high.

What happens when worlds clash and powers that should be left alone are awakened?Can Other Kevin and his world heal from the wounds Neferet continues to inflict?Can Old Magick ever truly be harnessed and used for good? Or will Darkness extinguish Light and leave our heroes broken, hopeless, and as forgotten as Kalona of the Silver Wings? Don’t miss this second to last volume in the House of Night Other World saga!

Review

As a long time fan of the House of Night Series, it was obvious I would love this book. I know, I’m a bit biased towards the series, but trust me it was good. The third book in the Other World series continues where the second book left off. SPOILER WARNING: Nyx gives the red Vampyres from the other world their humanity back, Zoey enters the Other World, Other World Neferet has been ’embarrassed’ and now is seeking revenge. Oh, and Old Magick is both powerful and takes an awful lot to possess even a small amount of it. Alright, now back to book three. In the Other World Neferet is undefeated and is on her journey to become immortal. But that’s not all. Imagine a world where Kalona wasn’t the fallen immortal Zoey and her nerd herd knows him to be and is actually on good terms with NYX. However, imagine him still buried in the ground because he selflessly gave his immortality towards the creation of a perfect mate for his brother. Yep, it was good and I did not see that coming.

Forgotten was a fast paced, action intriguing novel that kept me yearning to know more and gripping at the book to figure out whether or not Other World Neferet would have justice served on her by Zoey, her Nerd Herd, her red Vampyre brother Other World Kevin and a slew of Other World characters ready to end the Vampyre-Human war happening in the Other World. I was here for every moment of this action. While the action was great, I continued to enjoy each character’s journey. However, to be honest, Neferet became the thorn in your side that you wanted gone. P.C. and Kristin created a true villain in Neferet whose drives was solely based on her own selfish needs. When you think about it, Neferet was the perfect villain for this story. I enjoyed seeing Kevin’s character arc develop throughout the story. His bravery, grief, and emotions throughout the book added a raw perspective. When he was hurting, he was hurting but he was also serving his part to take down evil.

It takes great authors to create an different world within a world and series they have written. Forgotten, along with Loved and Lost provides a new what if world that is refreshing, thriving, and still plays homage to the original world and series. In Forgotten, you have romance, mystery, action, Other World Loren Blake, who if you know from the original series is still a jerk. We also get the story I’ve always wanted for Kalona and phenomenal world building.  I can’t wait to see how this story concludes but I am also not ready for it.

Favorite Quotes

“Joy isn’t easy or inherent. It is a choice,
and not always an easy one–not at first.”

“Her life is a key,
Humanity locked within.
Open at your peril.”

“Yes, despair is more in your brother’s nature ­– anger is
more in yours … You should know that both emotions
are allies of Darkness. Both will eventually destroy
Light if left unchecked.”

About the Authors

P.C.
PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 3, FORGOTTEN, releases October 29th, 2019. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

Kristin

Kristin Cast is a #1 NY Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author who teamed with her mother to write the wildly successful HOUSE OF NIGHT series. She has editorial credits, a thriving t-shirt line, and a passion for all things paranormal.

When away from her writing desk, Kristin loves going on adventures with her friends, family, and significant other, playing with her French Bulldogs (Grace Kelly and Sir Laurence Olivier), and discovering new hobbies. This year she’ll work on handstands, gardening, and taking her new puppy (Baloo) to puppy classes.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

TOUR & INSTAGRAM SCHEDULE

GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win (1) of (2) HOUSE OF
NIGHT OTHER WORLD bundles: a copy of
LOVED, LOST and FORGOTTEN by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast and some swag (US Only)
Starts: 23rd October 2019
Ends: 6th November 2019

 

Release Blitz – Shifting Gears

BASH. IS. HERE!!! Shifting Gears by Janine Infante Bosco is AVAILABLE NOW!

US → https://amzn.to/303OqvF
UK → https://amzn.to/2KV4rei
CA → https://amzn.to/2HFtSP5
AU → https://amzn.to/2zjUdgZ

BLURB:

They’re called one-night stands for a reason. If you’re lucky, there’s a lot of mind-blowing sex and then you never have to see or speak to the person again. It’s fun and uncomplicated. In my case, Bash hightailed it to the airport the next morning so I definitely never expected to run into the former prospect for the Charon MC again. But when his mother passed, he dragged his pipes all the way from Texas to New York, and now he’s crashing at the Satan’s Knights clubhouse. Which also happens to bewhere I work and the scene of our one-night crime. If I thought forgetting the orgasm champ was hard before, it just became damn impossible.

Grief can shake a man, make him question his whole damn life and have him taking chances he never thought he’d take. Chances like moving to Staten Island, New York. Chances like prospecting for a new club. Chances like being around a certain fiery bartender who has been in my head since we shared one incredible night. Even though I should be completely focused on earning my colors, there’s a part of me that wants to chance chasing Lydia Gallo for more than one night. I want to break down her walls and uncover every one of her secrets…patch be damned.

*Editorial note: Shifting Gears is the first book in the Satan’s Knights Prospect Trilogy and is a spin-off from Khloe Wren’s Charon MC universe. It can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.*

About Janine

Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Janine writes emotionally charged novels with an emphasis on family bonds, strong willed female characters, and alpha male men who will do anything for the women they love. She loves to interact with fans and fellow avid romance readers like herself.

She is proud of her success as an author and the friendships she’s made in the book community but her greatest accomplishment to date would be her two sons Joseph and Paul.

Find Janine Online Amazon → https://amzn.to/2GPQxHS
BookBub → http://bit.ly/2XYCjuR
Facebook → http://bit.ly/2WQaEj2
Goodreads → http://bit.ly/2WU2AxI
Instagram → http://bit.ly/2Y0UArg Pinterest → http://bit.ly/2ZEEnZr
Twitter → http://bit.ly/2x26DJ4

Website → https://www.janineinfantebosco.com

Blog Tour – The Never Tilting World by Rin Chepuco

Title: The Never Tilting World
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication date: 15 October 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating

Goodreads Link

*Thank you Harper Collins and Caffeine Book Tours for an e-arc to review and for the opportunity to be on this blog tour. The review is filled with my honest thoughts and have not been influenced by anyone. *

Synopsis

Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and a Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched by an unrelenting sun.

While one sister rules Aranth—a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea —her twin inhabits the sand-locked Golden City. Each goddess has raised a daughter, and each keeps her own secrets about her sister’s betrayal.

But when shadowy forces begin to call their daughters, Odessa and Haidee, back to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses —along with a powerful healer from Aranth, and a mouthy desert scavenger —set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

Review

The Never Tilting World is a fantasy that is gripping, intense and magical with a focus in family, relationships and how power can be a corruptive force. The family focus is very crucial  in understanding the split worlds the characters reside in as well as their journeys.  Similar to Rin Chupeco’s other brilliant novels, The Never Tilting World did not disappoint.

Let’s first talk about the world-building. It was complex and left so much to the imagination. Now, you’d think this would be bad, but it worked so well for this story. Minus a few confusing points of course. It worked for me as a reader because this story was very character driven, which I enjoy so much more in novels that I read. The setting is a split setting. Due to the event called the Breaking, the world has stopped spinning. This meant that half of the world was in total darkness with very cold nights, while the other side is full of night and is a vast desert filled with sandstorms. It is the extreme of two very different climates. The story focuses heavily on environmental change and Rin does a great job connecting it to the real world events. It felt almost like a call to action because an extreme like this, although maybe not totally possible, is still something that could happen. The one intriguing part of the world that I wish we knew more of were the  ‘gates’. The ‘gates’ are something only seen through people’s eyes and few have the ability to view those gates. The gates also play a very crucial role in the magic system.

Speaking of the magic system, Rin created something so unique and enticing that I wished the magic system existed in the real world. Imagine you are a person who can see gates through a person’s eyes. Those gates contain energy, which if you are one of few can absorb that energy and use it. Sounds cool, right? Well, it was something I’ve never read in a YA fantasy and I was here for all of it! The people that posses this power are called Cateyes.

The story is told in 4 perspective, with each perspective reflecting a main character in the story [Odessa, Haidee, Arjun, and Lan]. Being a fan of multiple POV’s I was excited to dive into this story. The interesting part about this was that Rin created the perspectives all in the first voice. You are getting pieces of the world as each character lives it rather than focusing on one character’s story and using the other perspectives as background knowledge. The story felt cohesive with 4 POVs and added more excitement to a story because you didn’t know at times what to expect next. Each character added to their unique perspective while developing their individuality in the story.  The story is also detailing their journey. If you are into the adventure storytelling, this is the book for you. I enjoyed following the characters as they were heading towards their destination and heading towards answers they needed.

Odessa and Haidee are twin goddesses, born into a lineage of goddesses whose responsibility is to bring balance in the world, they have a lot on their shoulders. After the Breaking, they were separated. Odessa is now goddess of the night world and Haidee, Goddess of the day world.  To not spoil anything, let’s just say, before the breaking, their roles weren’t as defined to the worlds they live in. You’ll know more once you dive into the story. We also meet Lan and Arjun. Lan a Catseye and loyal soldier to Odessa, is dealing with the struggle of her troubled past. She also develops a relationship with Odessa. Arjun is a nomad bent on revenge of towards the goddesses. Along the way, he goes form hating one of the goddesses Haidee to kind of digging her and figuring out a greater purpose in which he can help. Haidee and Odessa are both strong in their own unique way. But the character development that sold me was Odessa. She went from a character I was feeling meh about to one of the strongest characters in the story.

Overall, The Never Tilting World was a page turning, fantastical read. It battles current events in ways that a person unconsciously becomes more concern about something without realizing. That kind of writing is masterful.

The Never Tilting World comes out today [Happy Release Day!], so go out there and grab a copy or borrow from your local library.

Where to buy: Barnes & Noble | Books of Wonder | Amazon | Book Depository

About the Author

Rin Chupeco has written obscure manuals for complicated computer programs, talked people out of their money at event shows, and done many other terrible things. She now writes about ghosts and fantastic worlds but is still sometimes mistaken for a revenant. She is the author of The Girl from the Well, its sequel, The Suffering, and the Bone Witch trilogy.

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

Author website | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Giveaway!

Prize: Signed ARC of The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
Open to Philippine residents only

Rafflecopter Link

Follow the Tour!

Blog Tour – The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

Author: Sara Faring
Pages: 464 pages
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Imprint
Release Date: September 24th, 2019
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Where to buy: Barnes & Noble |Amazon

*Thank you Sazon Book Tours and Imprint for a review copy in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour*

Synopsis

Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist.

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored.

One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.

Review

In The Tenth Girl, we are introduced to Mavi, as she flees from the military regime and lands in the newly re-opened school for the brightest and wealthiest girls in Argentina. Mavi, as a character is weirdly complex. I think this is due to how the story was written to have so much mystery tied to it. At time, I couldn’t grasped Mavi’s Arc and struggled with investing in a character I knew little about. However, although this wasn’t a strong point for me in this book, I really enjoyed other elements. The setting was probably my favorite part of this story. An old haunted house turned boarding school for the elite. I may still be catching up to YA tropes but this was pretty unique to me and this was the element that kept me most invested. The backdrop of the story set the eery, yet thrilling story full of mystery and suspense. The setting was written to feel realistic. I, at times, felt as if I was there with Mavi feeling the same uneasiness. 

The plot of the story dragged at times and although the ending was unexpected, I wanted to have more of a buildup then it did. That ending was something I never saw coming and makes me want to read more. The story is promising and if written as a series can work out well. The story is fascinating, and beautifully written. the twists are unexpected and often executed well leaving me on the edge of my seat swiftly turning the next page to know more.  Overall, I think this book is a polarizing read and can cater to some, while be jsut okay to other. I think it was a pretty spooky read and I can’t wait to read more. 

About the Author

Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles. After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business.

She currently resides in New York City.