Quick Pick: Love at First Flight, by Tess Woods

Opening lines: Mel: Looking back on it now, I can see it was instant. No question about it. The second we locked eyes. Boom. Just like that. The me I had spent a lifetime perfecting began its disintegration from that moment. I had no idea at the time of course....

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Killing Lessons, by Saul Black {ends 12/18}

Her mother's eyes opened. "Run to Sadie's. I'm going to be all right, but you have to run." There was the sound of furniture moving upstairs.  "Now!" her mother gasped. She sounded furious. "Go now! Quick!" Something moved much closer. In the living room. Her mother...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Palest Ink, by Kay Bratt {ends 12/14}

Review by: Rachel Gonzales “What if all your life you lived with the belief that you were special, then suddenly someone or something came and took it from you?” Kay Bratt is a child advocate and the author of both fiction and nonfiction, including the acclaimed memoir of...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Food Whore: A Novel of Dining and Deceit, by Jessica Tom {ends 12/15}

And I looked up those acronyms I'd seen on Jake's reservation sheet, to see what lay on the other side: LOL: Lots of Love SFN: Something for Nothing. Typically an appetizer or dessert. Bubbles: Champagne upon Arrival. WFM: Welcome from Manager. And then, the term that encompassed...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: I'm Happy For You (Sort of ... Not Really), by Kay Wills Wyma {ends 12/7}

*Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Witch's Market, by Mingmei Yip {ends 12/1}

Review by: Karen Doerr As I stared into the water, I felt myself slipping into a trance. Minutes later, I sense a presence surrounding me. Now I was scared, and froze in place, not daring to move even my lashes and quieting my breathing. Gradually from the surface of the...

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Book Review & GIVEAWAY: Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester {ends 11/30}

They went straightaway, after changing in the darkness of the attic out of their pajamas and into street clothes. When they emerged into the brisk air, the sky was just beginning to lighten in the east, like a large blue blanket whose corners had caught flame. Max had always...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Nuts, by Alice Clayton {ends 11/20}

Fired. Fired? Fired. F O R. B U T T E R. I sat in my car outside Mitzi's house, tucked high up into the hills. I'd packed up my knives, plucked my last check from her perfectly manicured gel tips, then trudged to my 1982 Jeep Wagoneer. Fired. Over butter. I should...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The House, by Christina Lauren {ends 11/17}

Delilah's breath grew trapped in her throat, and the old protective fire flickered to life between her ribs. He was the same, but not. His shirt was black, jeans were black, and shaggy black hair fell into his eyes. He was so tall he must have been pulled like taffy. When...

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Double Book Review: Rebel Belle (#1) and Miss Mayhem (#2), by Rachel Hawkins

Review by: Rebecca Schweitzer “Shouldn't I get to fly? Or at the very least, shoot laser beams out of my eyes? Feeling like a complete moron, I stood up and focused as hard as I could on my closet door. No matter how hard I stared, no laser beams. I even tried muttering “laser”...

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Quick Pick: Surviving Ice, by K.A. Tucker

Opening lines: Ned pauses to stretch his neck and roll his right shoulder once ... twice ... before lifting the needle to his customer's arm again, humming along with Willie Nelson's twang, a staple in Black Rabbit for as long as I can remember. After all these years, the...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Not That Easy, by Radhika Sanghani {ends 11/3}

"So, this must be the famous girlfriend," said Chris. I looked at him weirdly. Why was he talking about Holly like that? "Ellie, right?" I stared at him. He was smiling at me, waiting for an answer. I turned to look at Nick. He was smiling too. What the fuck? Why wasn't he...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Smoke, by Catherine McKenzie {ends 10/26}

I take a ragged breath, but all I get is smoke for my troubles. "Aren't I, though? Everyone wants to blame the hoemowner. I could leave it at that. I should leave it at that." "But you don't think it's him?" "It might be, but maybe not." "You have to do what's right." ...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: In His Keeping (Slow Burn #2), by Maya Banks {ends 10/20}

Review by: Rachel Gonzales Maya Banks is the author of over fifty novels, including multiple New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. In His Keeping is the second novel in her “Slow Burn” series of romances with “psychic elements.” Official synopsis: Arial knows the rules...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen, by Katherine Howe {ends 10/19}

"Do you think ...," Wes says, and I can feel his pulse thrumming fast under his skin. "Annie. Do you think it's possible to love more than one person?" I stare long and hard at him. That word hangs in the air between us. Did he say it? Did I hear it? Or is it what I...

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Book Review: The Fire Sermon, by Francesca Haig

Review by: Rachel Gonzales It was midharvest when they came. I felt it first. Had been feeling it, if I were honest with myself, for months. But now I sensed it clearly, a sudden alertness that I could never explain to anybody who wasn’t a seer. It was a feeling of something...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: History of the Vampire (Vanderlind Castle #4), ends 10/17

"I need you to think very closely about what you've seen here today," Mrs. Denkler said. "I need you to think about your relationship with Jessie Vanderlind. I understand that he's a very handsome young man and I'm sure he can be charming when he chooses, but I hope you also...

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Quick Pick: The Royal We, by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Opening lines: (Prologue) I don't know what to do. The calls and texts are starting to pile up, relentless and suffocating. I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't give him what he wants, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I do. The TV isn't soothing my nerves, given...

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GIVEAWAY: You'll Be Thinking of Me, by Densie Webb {ends 10/9}

Author Densie Webb (you read that right - Densie, not Denise) has a new book out, and two of my lucky readers will win a copy. Official synopsis: A chance encounter with a celebrity, an impromptu video, and a shiny new espresso machine. It all added up to a juicy tale...

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GIVEAWAY: Becoming Famous, by Natalie Scott {ends 10/7}

Becoming Famous is the sequel to Rules for Riders, and was released in August 2015. You can win yourself a copy here! Official synopsis: Bebe Barkley has never released a sex tape. She’s not America’s Next Top Model. She didn’t get pregnant at 16, and has never auditioned...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, by Camille Pagán {ends 9/29}

"I'm sorry, Libby. I was only trying to be helpful when I said you should see someone. You should, you know. You're not acting like yourself." "The Libby you know is dead, Tom," I said. "And by the way, I changed the locks. Until I get back and hire an attorney, you'll need...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Dark Wild Night, by Christina Lauren {ends 9/22}

I rarely take a day off - in fact, I haven't taken an entire day away since the store opened four months ago - but I need it today. I sleep in, have coffee on the back porch, and watch a mourning dove build a nest in my eaves. I run a few miles along the water, to Cove Beach...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper, by Hilary Liftin {ends 9/16, 2 winners!}

I had married a blank slate, a hollow man. Our love was an invention scripted by a stranger, the elusive Emil. And yet Rob was exactly who he seemed to be: the best actor in the world. In a way I understood him better than I ever had. But I didn't love him. Not anymore. Not...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Memory Painter, by Gwendolyn Womack {ends 9/13}

Review by: Rachel Gonzales “I am here now. I’m here now. I’m here now. I’m here now.” Bryan Pierce chanted the words over and over with desperate intensity, keeping his eyes squeezed shut as he rocked his body back and forth in a soothing motion. But then just as suddenly,...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Black-Eyed Susans, by Julia Heaberlin {ends 9/7}

Thirty-two hours of my life are missing. My best friend, Lydia, tells me to imagine those hours like old clothes in the back of a dark closet. Shut my eyes. Open the door. Move things around. Search. The things I do remember, I'd rather not. Four freckles. Eyes that aren't...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Sustained (The Legal Briefs, #2) by Emma Chase {ends 9/4}

I've heard people talk about anxiety. Nerves. But that doesn't happen to me. I don't get nervous before an opening statement or a closing one, not when my boss calls me to his office for a meeting, and sure as hell not before a hookup. I guess I just never cared about anything...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Off the Page, by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer {ends 8/26}

A fairy tale is a snapshot too. You never know what goes on post-happily-ever-after. It's simply a frozen minute, and the only one we seem to remember. The difference is, in a fairy tale, the story can't be altered. The prince and princess will never have a fight. You'll never...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Idea of Love, by Patti Callahan Henry {ends 8/22}

"That's enough?" Mimi asked. "Really? You dream your whole life of having a real wedding dress design. You sketch and draw and devour magazines and books. You do research and read and have natural talent, and that's enough? Whoever told you that crumbs were enough? Who the hell...

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Book Review: White Gardenia, by Belinda Alexandra

Review by: Sarah Blanchette  I spent hours perched on the rim of the bathtub, peering in the mirror at the stranger I was becoming. I was both exhilarated and depressed about the changes in me. Each step towards womanhood was a step closer to Dimitri and a step away from...

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Quick Pick: This is Where It Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp

Opening lines: The starter gun shatters the silence, releasing the runners from their blocks. Track season starts in a couple of weeks, but no one has told Coach Lindt about winter. He's convinced the only way to get us into shape is to practice - even when my breath freezes...

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Status of All Things, by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke {ends 8/14}

The truth of her words strikes me hard. I think of Courtney and her big day at Max's company. Her new job that I'm indirectly or directly responsible for, despite my best efforts to keep her away from Max. My mom was right, I needed to hang on to him. But I couldn't get the...

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Quick Pick: The Martian, by Andy Weir

Opening lines: I'm pretty much f--ked.That's my considered option.F--cked.Six days into what should be the greatest two months of my life, and it's turned into a nightmare. Reason I picked up the book: I had heard a lot of good things about it, and the movie...

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