Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman

Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodbye Nothing tells the story of Cain. He had the seemingly perfect life, everything anyone could ever want; he was a man who was going places. But he learned that everything can be lost in the blink of an eye. After a car accident, Cain is no longer himself. In just a few seconds, he lost who he was and became something…different. On a quest to fill the emptiness inside of him, Cain will stop at Nothing to bring back his soul and his life.

I have been reading horror ever since I can remember – starting with R.L. Stine's Fear Street series so many, many years ago, and moving on to King and Koontz. There is just something about being scared by a book that brings it to life for me. Once again Sherman pulled out an engrossing, original horror story that is easily comparable to my favorite authors. Though a bit more dark and gory than I am used to, Goodbye Nothing was fast paced and engaging. The Sherman has an amazing imagination and knows how to capture that in words.

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


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Now and Then by Brenda Rothert

Now and Then by Brenda Rothert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma has been in her sister's shadow her whole life. Having always felt like she was in second place, Emma is finally in a place in her life that she is happy with – she has a job that she loves, good friends, and great family. What more could she ask for? After a chance run in with her high school crush, Emma's feelings of awkwardness and longing all come rushing back. Until Cole makes it clear that he no longer sees her as the young girl she used to be.

I really like Emma. I can completely relate to her, having two older sisters of my own who were seemingly perfect. Like Emma and Layla, I never felt I could live up to them and their accomplishments. Emma eventually learned she had to find her own place in the world, and once she did she blossomed into a strong, independent woman. Her fear of Layla not supporting her decisions was hard to watch, especially because of how close they were now that they were grown up. Like them, my sisters and I are closer now that we are older, and I like to think they would supportive of me and would want to see me happy, no matter what. To come right out and say it, Layla was a bitch. Sure she had her moments, but I hated her and the way she treated Emma.

Told in the present with bits of the past thrown in, Now and Then is a sweet, sexy story. The flashbacks were a great addition to the story, as they showed the way the characters' past experiences molded them into who they are in the present. Throw in some angst and hair pulling catfights, and it was a great story. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan

Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a sweet story about love, but not your typical girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy live happily ever after kind of love. Rather Heartbeat is the story of what could be (hope) and what might have been (regret).

After a chance meeting, Katie and Adam continue on with their own lives like they would normally do with any other person. The only thing is, each cannot stop thinking about the other. I think what I liked most about this book is the author made Katie and Adam seem realistic. Real people do not fall in love at first sight (well, not usually anyway), and that did not happen with these two. Rather, they were captivated and curious about each other. Adam berates himself for not saying hello to Katie when he passed by her in the hospital and for not asking for her number when he had the chance, and he spends his time wondering if she thinks he's good looking, or if she's thinking of him at all. Likewise, Katie is confused about Adam – does he think I'm pretty, should I say something to break this awkward silence, why am I thinking of him at all after one short meeting? These are thoughts real people have. Remember that awkward stage after first meeting someone and wondering what they are thinking, wondering if there is a chance there could be something more? The author got that stage down perfectly in this book, and through her writing we learn about Katie and Adam as individuals before they ever meet up again.

When Katie and Adam do meet again, that connection is there, and it is beautiful. They don't know each other well but are willing to risk everything to be together, to take a chance at love even though it may just end up in heartbreak. That's really all I'm going to say about this book because anything else will give too much away. Though, I do have to mention the ending. I will admit that I read some other reviews before deciding to read this book, and some people have no problem with giving away everything about a book (ever hear of spoiler tags people?), so I knew what to expect. Still, even with knowing, I was floored with the ending. It did not really happen like I expected it to. It was heartbreaking and beautiful and a bit confusing. What really happened?

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


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Healing Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart

Healing Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Healing Rain picks up right where Saving Rain left off. In the second story of this series we get a lot more of Raina and Kas, which is definitely a good thing. Raina is a good strong female lead. She is not perfect. She comes from a dark past but is doing her best to overcome that. She makes mistakes, but she is learning as she goes and is slowly learning to trust again. Raina shows that you don't always have to be "fine," that sometimes it's okay to cry. Kas is a pretty amazing guy. He stands by Raina through everything and does his best to show her how loved she is. I loved watching their relationship evolve over the course of the two books to where it is right now. I also love Kas's FBI team. The guys are just awesome, and their characters add so much fun to the story.

This book gets more into the human trafficking aspect of things, which can be a really hard subject to read about (and I'm sure write about), but it is handled very lightly and the story comes across as sincere and legitimate. There are no gory details, but you still get the feelings through the characters to make it seem real.

Oh, and I just have to mention the ending. Lucky for me, I have the next book (After the Rain) already loaded onto my Kindle just waiting for me to finish writing this review so I can go pick up where the story left off…otherwise I might go crazy waiting to find out what happens!

I had some trouble with the lack of transition in changing of points of view in the first book, but in Healing Rain those issues had resolved; though the same writing voice was used, I thought this book was a bit smoother, the transitions more distinct, and I very much enjoyed the story. Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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Sorcery and Scholarships by Ian Isaro + Giveaway

Sorcery and Scholarships  
(The Dying War #1)
by Ian Isaro

Everyone wishes the ancient prophecy would go away. Pixies commute to work and sirens make mp3s of their songs, yet antique forces stubbornly persist. They want to bring about a war between Light and Darkness in an era when most people just want to cash in on the merchandising.

Aki is struggling to make ends meet and hopes her scholarship can at least earn her a better apartment. Blake refuses to believe he could be something so cliché as a Knight of Darkness. Keisha is pursuing a career in law when she's told she has no choice but to serve the forces of Light. All of them will be attending the same university, whether they like it or not.

It's hard to think about dark omens when there's a term paper due, much less a party that night. But they'd better relax while they can, because after college is only the real world, which is stranger and more dangerous than they could possibly imagine.

ebook, 172 pages
Published January 12th 2012

Buy Sorcery and Scholarships!  Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Smashwords

Q & A with Ian Isaro

Q: Thank you for joining us today Ian!  Tell us a little bit about your main characters from Sorcery and Scholarships.
A: Aki is the one who never forgets how awesome magic is and also the first to call out the world when it's being ridiculous. Blake is cheerfully evil, keeping life at bay with what he hopes passes for wit. Keisha is the most grounded in reality, even when reality is literally coming apart. Sometimes they balance one another, sometimes their personalities combine into things that none of them would have done alone.

Q: What do you love about writing?
A: The balance between creativity and structure. At the beginning of the process you can do absolutely anything you want, but what I really enjoy is the process of that raw creativity becoming structured into the best story you can write. Structure itself brings ideas together in ways you might not have considered and creates something that's ultimately satisfying.

Q: What is the best advice you have been given?
A: The most meaningful advice will vary from to person to person, but for me it was this: be mindful of your cognitive biases, especially as they relate to thoughts and emotions about life. Humans are very good at tricking themselves, and emotions adapt to our circumstances. Better to step back and look at your life seriously than to follow vague feelings and end up trying to convince yourself you aren't unhappy.

Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: Video game designer, mostly because that was the medium where I saw the most creativity (I didn't read very broadly until I was a little older).

Q: If you could be on one reality TV show, what would it be?
A: Hard to say, since this is one of my blind spots. Is Mythbusters reality TV? No? Wouldn't you at least be interested in seeing what that would look like?

Q: I actually love Mythbusters!  One last question today...what book are you reading now?
A: Dividing my time between A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge and Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.

Find out more about Ian Isaro and his books:

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Visit us on Goodreads for the full blog tour schedule:  https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1485756-sorcery-and-scholarships-by-ian-isaro-october-7th-13th#comment_number_28

Pieces of Me by Ann Garner

Pieces of Me
by Ann Garner 

For Delaney Roberts, moving across country and away from everyone who knew her darkest secrets, was the last chance she had at normal. When she starts her freshman year at Cedar Mountain University, she isn't focused on making friends or falling in love. She just wants to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and fit them back together the best she can.

Cole Marsh hadn't settled down since getting his heart broken three years before. But one look at the sexy brunette with the sad blue eyes and he’s lost. But can he convince her to trust him enough to put the past behind her?





Kindle Edition, 221 pages
Published August 3rd 2013
New Adult Contemporary Romance

Pieces of Me on Amazon

Pieces of Me on Goodreads

I'm super excited to introduce author Ann Garner!  Ann is the author of Pieces of Me, a new adult contemporary romance that earned 5/5 stars from me.  

Thanks for taking time out for us, Ann.  I know your busy, so lets get down to business...

Q:  Tell us a little bit about Delaney and Cole.
A:  Delaney is a broken girl struggling to find a way to put herself back together. Trying to escape a past that is defined by a tragic event she moves across the country in attempt to pull together a life for herself, but what she gets is so much more than she ever hoped for. Cole Marsh is the bad boy who isn’t bad and from the moment he meets Delaney he knows that he is the one who can help her heal if she would just give him a chance.

Q:  Do you have a favorite scene from Pieces of Me?
A:  I wanted to make this story about more than just Delaney and Cole and their relationship. There are so many other important relationships in life. Growing up my best friend and I had such a special bond, and I wanted to be able to capture that same bond between Delaney and Grace. So for me, writing the majority of the scenes with Grace was like talking to an old friend. And I’m having a lot of fun delving even more into Grace in the book I’m currently working on.

Q:  In your opinion, what makes a good, strong female lead?
A:  They need to be able to stand on their own, or learn to stand on their own through the course of the story. Having a whiny, needy, co-dependent lead female character can ruin a book in my opinion.

Q:  Do you have any plans for future books? If so, can you give us a hint as to what you're working on?
A:  I’m actually right in the middle of a follow up book to Pieces of Me. I don’t want to go into a whole lot of detail at the moment as the story is still taking shape but I thought I could share just a couple lines….

“You don’t believe me. Why? You’re a gorgeous girl, Grace.”

“I doubt you’re that shallow that you would date a girl just because you find her pretty.”

That dimple flashes again with his smile and I grab up the salt shaker again to keep from reaching out and touching the small indent of skin.

His voice is soft, sending goose bumps dancing over my skin when he says, “Oh, I can be shallow like everybody else. And I said gorgeous. Not pretty.”

Shit, that’s a good line. I might just melt into a puddle of goo at his feet.

Q:  What is the best advice you have been given?
A:  So technically this isn’t advice, but this is one of those moments that I’ll never forget, and that encouraged. Last year I was having a conversation with my seven year old about what he wanted to be when he grows up. In typical Mom fashion I told him he could do and be whatever he wanted, that as long as he worked hard and didn’t give up anything was possible. He asked me if I was doing what I had always dreamed about doing, and I couldn’t say yes. From the first time I’d been asked to write a short story in the sixth grade I had wanted to be a writer and I couldn’t help but wonder where along the line I had given up on my dream. So I decided that I was going to show my son that I wasn’t lying, that anything was possible, and I started writing Pieces of Me the very next day. So even if I never get to quit my day job (because we’re pretty fond of eating in my house) I know I can look at both my children and tell them that I didn’t give up on my dream of being a writer, it just took me a while to get there.

Q:  If you could be on one reality TV show, what would it be?
A:  I am shamelessly addicted to reality television shows! I’m actually listening to the Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion in the background right now! I don’t know that I’d ever want to be on one though, at least one of the ones I watch!

Q:  What do you do to keep busy when you are not writing?
A:  Finding time to write with my busy schedule is my problem! I have two incredibly active little boys who keep me hopping, and a husband who I swear has more energy than the two of them combined. The majority of my writing is done in the middle of the night when the house is quiet and everyone else is asleep. Which explains why I have to spend a chunk of time the next day correcting all my misspellings and grammatical errors.

Q:  What book are you reading now?
A:  Since I just got back from vacation I actually got to mark several books off my to-read list! I finally got caught up on The Covenant series by Jennifer Armentrout, Slammed by Colleen Hoover, and both books in The Losing It series by Cora Carmack.

To find out more about the author:  

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Saving Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart

Saving Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Saving Rain is such a great story. Raina was abused as a child and now as a young adult, despite careful choices and the determination not to be a victim ever again, has fallen into the same pattern with the same type of guy as her father. Through one of her college classes, Raina has the opportunity to work with the FBI, where she meets Kas, the first guy in her life who does not try to hurt her. Kas will do anything to help Raina, but he quickly realizes he is way out of his league. He does his best, but it is not always enough.

I think one of the things I loved most about this book was Raina and Kas' relationship. They felt an instant attraction to one another, but there was no insta-love (I actually hate that term, but I see it used a lot). Their relationship was given time to simmer and develop slowly. Raina does not fall immediately in love with Kas and trust him with everything she has. If it had happened that way, the story would have been ruined. Raina was abused and, as such, she has a hard time trusting anyone, including herself. She is not weak or a victim, though she has been made to see herself in that way, and it is going to take more than one man, no matter how patient and caring he is, to change that.

While there are dark issues in the story, it is well written and the violent scenes/topics are handled carefully. The issues of abuse, rape, and human trafficking are very real, and the author does not pretty them up, nor does she give explicit descriptions that would be a turn off to many people. I have read many books where the characters were abused, and I believe (in my humble opinion) that this is one of my favorites, just because of the way the characters dealt with their issues. Rather than turning to drugs, alcohol, or aimless sex, Raina tried to make herself a better person, someone worthy of love.

My only issue with this book was that there were many times in Saving Rain where the thoughts would switch from one person to another without any transition or warning, and it was very confusing. I found myself re-reading sentences or paragraphs after realizing the POV had changed suddenly. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of her book.


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