Making A Move: anovelglimpse.com

Hi friends,

Today, I sort of impulsively decided to move my blog over to www.anovelglimpse.com. I said to myself, why not just go for it? I’m hoping the switch will go smoothly both for me and for my followers. *crosses fingers*

I’ve migrated all of my followers over from anovelglimpse.wordpress.com. My email subscribers will continue to receive emails when I post, but my WP followers will need to sign up to follow by email if you would like to continue to receive updates when I post. You’ll still see my posts in your WP Reader, even if you don’t sign up to follow by email.

I have to admit that I’m kind of freaking out right now! Lol.

Deanna

Day 2: 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge (Round 3)

Thank you to Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf for tagging me for the 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge. If you would like to read her quotes, check out her post here.

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The Rules:

*Thank the person who nominated you.

*Post a quote for three consecutive days.

*Nominate three new bloggers each day.

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Quote #2:

“Don’t judge each other. We all have our own shit. Keep your eyes on yours and your nose out of everyone else’s unless you’re invited in. And when you get the invitation, help, don’t judge.”
― Kim Holden, Bright Side

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This is something I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older. Everyone has a story. Everyone has feelings. There is a way they’re the way they are. We just don’t always know what it is.

I know this tag has been going around a while, so I’m going to tag some newer to me bloggers and hope they haven’t done it yet or want to do it again. 😉

I tag:

Joyce @ BOOKSHOARDERGAL

Ann: The Girl With The Books

Millie @ Millie’s Compendium

 

WWW Wednesday: March 16, 2016

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading but is now hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So here we go…

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Currently reading:

Screwdrivered is still waiting…

I doubt you remember, but a while back I started All of It. I wasn’t really into the storyline, so I set it aside for a while. Now, I’m doing a buddy read of it, so I hope that helps me get excited about it.

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Recently finished:

Thankfully, I got all of the books at the top of my TBR list read. I stayed up way too late several nights this past week to get it done, but it’s done! 😉 It was worth being tired. I had one book that had to go back to the library, two I agreed to read for authors, one book I won from Goodreads a while back, and a Goodreads buddy read to do. I was still able to fit in one book just for fun, too. Crazy, I know. Luckily, two of them were pretty short and quick to read.

Here are the books I read:

Glass Sword

Sex Lies & Fruit Flies

Dancing on a Moonbeam Part 3

Porn Star

Extraordinary Means

Kissed By a Cowboy

You can read their reviews by clicking on the titles. The rest of the reviews will be coming soon!

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Reading Next:

After I finish my buddy read of All of It, I am going to read Beathe, Annie, Breathe. It’s one of the library books I have that need to go back soon.

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What are you reading next?

Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword

Series: Red Queen, #2

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads Synopsis:

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

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3 / 5 Stars

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A while back I answered a book tag question that asked whether I thought books were character or plot driven. I answered character driven because, for me, the main character is one of the pieces of the puzzle that either makes or breaks a book. If I’m reading something through a character’s eyes who is boring or annoying, it can ruin or make a book less satisfying for me. That’s kind of what happened with Glass Sword.

Mare Barrow was so annoying in Glass Sword that at times I wanted to put the book down. Her self-centered outlook and trust issues drove me crazy. There’s only so many times you can read “Anyone can betray anyone.” and not want to hurl the book against the wall. Even the author must have felt this because it was pointed out to Mare more than once during the story.

As for the storyline, at times it was amazing and action packed. Other times, it was slow going and boring. It couldn’t seem to find a happy medium. The new characters were exciting and added a lot of interesting things to the story. The old characters continued to entertain me and keep Mare on her feet.

In my opinion, what made Glass Sword worth reading was the ending. I didn’t see it coming at all. Victoria Aveyard gets an A++ in cliffhangers because, after struggling through most of Glass Sword, I still desperately want to read the next book.

 

Day 1: 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge Tag (Round 3)

Thank you to Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf for tagging me for the 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge. If you would like to read her quotes, check out her post here.

I’ve already done this tag twice, but I love quotes and there’s always new favorites popping up. I hope you enjoy!

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The Rules:

*Thank the person who nominated you.

*Post a quote for three consecutive days.

*Nominate three new bloggers each day.

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Quote #1:

“Just when you think you know someone, they change. Or you change. Or maybe you both change. And that changes everything.”
― Kim Holden, Bright Side

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This is so true. People are constantly changing. In relationships, you’re either changing together or apart.

I know this tag has been going around a while, so I’m going to tag some newer to me bloggers and hope they haven’t done it yet or want to do it again. 😉

I tag:

Jennifer @ Wonderland Review

Sheri @ Read in a Flash

Jacquie @ Rattle the Stars

Top Ten Tuesday: I Need To Read These Books Like Now!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is Ten Books On My Spring TBR, or as I like to call it I Need to Read These Books Like Now! All book blurbs are courtesy of Goodreads.

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 1. Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer

What if you discovered that Kurt Cobain is not only alive, but might be your real father? This nuanced and bittersweet YA debut will keep you guessing until the end.

Nico Cavan has been adrift since her mother vanished when she was four—maternal abandonment isn’t exactly something you can just get over. Staying invisible at school is how she copes—that and listening to alt music and summoning spirits on the Ouija board with her best friend and co-conspirator in sarcasm, Obe. But when a chance discovery opens a window onto her mom’s wild past, it sparks an idea in her brain that takes hold and won’t let go.

On a ferry departing Seattle, Nico encounters a slight blond guy with piercing blue eyes wearing a hooded jacket. Something in her heart tells her that this feeling she has might actually be the truth, so she follows him to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest. When she is stranded there by a winter storm, fear and darkness collide, and the only one who can save Nico might just be herself.

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 2. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love’s death. She doesn’t believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

In a starred review for Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Kirkus Reviews declared: “Expect this truly one-of-a-kind series to come to a thundering close.”

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 3. When We Collided by Emery Lord

Meet Vivi and Jonah: A girl and a boy whose love has the power save or destroy them.

Vivi and Jonah couldn’t be more different. Vivi craves anything joyful or beautiful that life can offer. Jonah has been burdened by responsibility for his family ever since his father died. As summer begins, Jonah resigns himself to another season of getting by. Then Vivi arrives, and suddenly life seems brighter and better. Jonah is the perfect project for Vivi, and things finally feel right for Jonah. Their love is the answer to everything. But soon Vivi’s zest for life falters, as her adventurousness becomes true danger-seeking. Jonah tries to keep her safe, but there’s something important Vivi hasn’t told him.

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 4. Fellside by M.R. Carey

The unmissable and highly anticipated new literary thriller from the author of the international phenomenon The Girl with all the Gifts.

Fellside is a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. It’s not the kind of place you’d want to end up. But it’s where Jess Moulson could be spending the rest of her life.

It’s a place where even the walls whisper.

And one voice belongs to a little boy with a message for Jess.

Will she listen?

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 5. One with You by Sylvia Day

Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.

Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.

We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws … and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.

But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free … or break us apart.

Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire® saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.

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 6. Good Girl by Lauren Layne

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.

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 7. The Season of You & Me by Robin Constantine

Cassidy Emmerich is reeling from a sudden, humiliating breakup. The last thing she wants to do is stick around and be reminded of her ex everywhere she goes. On impulse, she decides to spend the summer with her father and his family at their Jersey Shore bed-and-breakfast. A different scene and a new job working as a camp counselor seem like the perfect recipe for forgetting Gavin as quickly as possible—not to mention for avoiding him until he leaves for college.

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with a girl and have her put her head on your shoulder. Last year he made one false move—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. But this summer, he’s back at his camp job and is determined to reclaim his independence—and his confidence.

Cass is expecting two months of healing her broken heart.

Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.

Neither is expecting to fall in love.

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8. Elastic Hearts by Claire Contreras

Victor Reuben.
Most sought out divorce attorney in LA.

Nicole Alessi.
Soon to be ex-wife of Hollywood’s biggest star, Victor’s latest client and his boss’s daughter.

In such a high profile divorce, they can’t afford any extra drama. Luckily, neither one of them has anything to hide.
Unless you count the mind blowing sex they had…
Once…
Twice…
Three times all those years ago.

As long as they leave the past where it belongs, they’ll be fine. But with her wearing those tight dresses and him giving her those heated glances, keeping their hands to themselves is proving to be more difficult than either one of them realized.

It won’t be long before the paparazzi start to smell smoke, and where there’s smoke…

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 9. Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis

SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN…

After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.

Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She’s broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy who’s now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob’s dark intensity makes her want to tease—and tempt—him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.

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 10. Porn Star by Laurelin Paige and Sierra Simone

You know me.

Come on, you know you do.

Maybe you pretend you don’t. Maybe you clear your browser history religiously. Maybe you pretend to be aghast whenever someone even mentions the word porn in your presence.

But the truth is that you do know me.

Everybody knows Logan O’Toole, world famous porn star.

Except then Devi Dare pops into my world, and pretty soon I’m doing things that aren’t like me—like texting her with flirty banter and creating an entire web porn series just so I can get to star in her bed. Again. And again.

With Devi, my entire universe shifts, and the more time I spend with her, the more I realize that Logan O’Toole isn’t the guy I thought he was.

So maybe I’m not the guy you thought I was either.

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Are of these on your spring TBR list?

 

 

 

Totally Should’ve Book Tag

Thanks to Joey, the genius behind Thoughts and Afterthoughts, for tagging me for the Totally Should’ve Book Tag. I’m totally excited to give my thoughts on what should’ve gone down with some of my favorite or not so favorite books.

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Totally Should’ve Gotten A Sequel

 This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I would like a sequel to The Spectacular Now. The ending was totally frustrating and I would like to find out how life turned out for both Sutter and Aimee.

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 Totally Should’ve Had A Spin-Off Series

Waiting on the Sidelines had a sequel (Going Long), but I would totally like to see a spin-off series about secondary characters Sean and Becky. I think it would be fun to watch their relationship unfold.

 

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 Totally Should’ve Ended Differently

Can we just turn back time and erase the last third of Daughter of Smoke & Bone so I can forget about Madrigal and enjoy Karou again? Maybe then I’d totally read the rest of the series.

 

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 Totally Should’ve Had A T.V . Show

Hello, Kurt Sutter, I think you totally need to adapt Nine Minutes into a T.V. show. It would make your next Sons of Anarchy-ish show. And if you could also cast Charlie Hunnam as Grizz, I would be soooo happy with you. Pretty please?

 

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  Totally Should’ve Had A Film Franchise

I think Mud Vein would be a totally killer movie. It’s would make a gritty thriller. I can already picture it all dark and disturbing.

 

 

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 Totally Should’ve Had One Point of View

One point of view I totally loved in Pivot Point. The other I hated. I get why both were written but I wish it had only had the one. It would have been much more pleasant to read.

 

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 Totally Should’ve Had A Cover Change

I don’t know if you can tell by the small picture, but the cover model has this totally weird smile on his face. It’s kind of creepy, part smirk or something. The smile just didn’t fit Reckless Temptations for me.

 

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 Totally Should’ve Stopped Reading

I totally should have stopped reading the beginning and just skipped to the end of Allegiant because the first two-thirds of it was so boring and drawn out.

 

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 Totally Should’ve Kept The Cover

I’ve seen a couple of other covers for Will Grayson, Will Grayson and none of them are as good as this one. They totally shouldn’t have changed it.

 

 

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 Totally Shouldn’t Have Pre-judged

And I’m back to Nine Minutes again! Look at this cover. It’s not the most eye catching. The description also didn’t necessarily make me want to read this book. I only did it because I was heavily encouraged to do so. Now, it’s totally my favorite psychological thriller series out there.

 

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I don’t know why I felt to include totally  in every answers. So silly.

Totally Tagged:

Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm

Arec @ Rainy Thursdays

Ashley @ What’s She Reading?

Beth @ Betwixt These Pages

Carrie @ Reading Is My Superpower

Claire @ Art and Soul

Kelly @ Kelly’s Rambles

Maren @ The Worn Bookmark

Maria @ Big City Bookworm

Raven @ Dreamy Addictions

Sara @ Freedom Library

The Orang-utan Librarian

and anyone else who would really, really wants to do this tag!

 

 

 

 

Blog Tour & Review: Reckless Temptations by Janine Infante Bosco

RECKLESS TEMPTATIONS

by: Janine Infante Bosco

Tempted #4

Publication Date: March 8, 2016

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

PURCHASE

Amazon

(#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS

RIGGS

Heart.

It’s what keeps you from being reckless. It’s what keeps you breathing.

Money, power and respect… they were my god given right, not the reason I joined the Satan’s Knights. I tied myself to my club and nothing else. Give me my bike, the open road and a different woman every night and I was happy.

My life was great.

Until the chaos exploded.

One night.

One reckless temptation and I finally found my reason for breathing.

I never saw her coming. The girl that would turn my world upside down and give me my heart.

Only it was too late.

One mistake can take it all away.

I’m about to lose my heart.

The thing that keeps me breathing.

The thing that keeps me from being reckless.

 

LAUREN BIANCI

Drop out of nursing school? Check.

Have no idea what you’re going to do with your life? Check.

Disappoint your family? Double check.

Meet a biker and have crazy sex against a wall? Check. Check. Check.

Get knocked up by said biker? Check.

I was always the good girl, the prodigal child, the girl who said and did all the right things.

Things like this didn’t happen to me.

Until him.

Until he smiled.

Until he tempted me to find out what made me happy.

Too bad it’s him.

We’ll never work, but, I can pretend can’t I?

Just for a little while.

Just until it’s over.

EXCERPT

PATCH PARTY

Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to leave. I wasn’t going to let her go anywhere. I reached for her and caught her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

“Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, home,” she sneered, tugging her arm free. I’d never seen her like this, so angry, so fucking hot. She turned toward Blackie, took his drink from his hand and threw the whiskey in my face before handing the empty glass back to him.

“Congratulations, you’re a dick with a patch,” she said, before turning and walking toward the door.

I sputtered whiskey from my mouth, lifting the hem of my t-shirt to dry my face, trying to ignore the surrounding chuckles.

“You better marry her because if you don’t I will,” Bones said, as he came up beside me and handed me a stack of napkins.

“Fuck off,” I shouted, throwing the napkins up in the air like confetti before I took off after her. “Lauren,” I shouted as I stepped outside. Scanning the grounds, I found her stalking through the parking lot.

I ran after her but Kitten had speed even in those heels she had on that threatened to take her down.

“Lauren, baby…Kitten,” I called.

She froze in her tracks and turned around.

Hallelujah!

Oh, shit!

She bent down, removing one of her high heels and swung it like a Cy-Young pitcher, aiming straight for my head.

“Are you fucking crazy?” I shouted, dodging death by a high heel.

“Oh, you think I’m crazy?” She asked incredulously, looking every bit crazy. No question about it. “Maybe I am crazy! I mean, I must be because I’m here, right? Standing here in my little black dress, against my better judgement, because well, tonight was a big night for you and I…” she let her words trail off. “…I am crazy,” she confirmed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Kitten,” I started, reaching for her.

She flicked my forehead with her fingers.

“Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?” I shouted, rubbing my forehead.

“There is plenty more where that came from, buddy!” She threatened, as she poked my chest with her finger. I had had enough of this shit. I grabbed her hips, hauling her up against me and maneuvered her legs to wrap around my waist. She didn’t like that at all and yelped as I held her in place.

“Riggs, put me down,” she yelled.

“You don’t really want me to put you down,” I ground out. My patience was gone, my nerves frayed. She kicked my back and I pinched her leg as I turned and slammed her up against the wall of the Dog Pound.

“Came here for a reason, Kitten, now it’s time to tell me what that reason is,” I whispered against her ear.

“It doesn’t matter,” she squealed, as I ran my hands up her thighs.

“I disagree,” I argued, glancing down at her legs locked around my waist. “I like your dress,” I said, sliding my hands underneath it.

“You should,” she sneered, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I wore it for you,” she rasped.

Sweetest fucking words I ever heard.

REVIEW

4.5 / 5 Stars

Wow. Reckless Temptations had me on the edge the entire time I was reading it. I felt like I was watching a spin-off of Sons of Anarchy the entire time I was reading Reckless Temptations! It was crazy!

Reckless Temptations wasn’t just another biker romance. While the romance was sweet, there was so much more going on. There was problems with rival gangs, club dealings and more. It was so intense! I was reading it while waiting for a doctor’s appointment and my blood pressure was actually higher than normal because I was so stressed by what was going on in the story!

The characters in the story were great. I loved Riggs and Lauren. Riggs was this motorcycle gang prospect who is willing to do anything it takes to get his patch. Not only is he handsome as hell and cocky, he’s got a crazy sense of humor. His plan is to ride for life. He doesn’t need anyone except his “brothers”.

Then, there’s Lauren. She’s the girl next door. She’s sweet, innocent and feisty. Lauren’s everything Riggs would want in a girl — if he wanted a girl. Of course, he doesn’t think he needs an “old lady”. It was fun watching Lauren convince him otherwise.

I also loved all of the Biancis and their funny antics. Lauren’s mom was my favorite. She was perfect for this story! Oh, and I can’t Riggs’ “brothers”. I especially loved Bones. He knew exactly what Riggs needed.

My favorite thing about Reckless Temptations was how the story unfolded. I have to admit, I wasn’t so sure I was going to like it after the Prologue. It made me worried for the characters before they even met! But I didn’t need to worry. It may have been super intense and suspenseful, but it was also a lot of fun. I would highly suggest it to readers who like a romance with a lot of intensity and don’t mind violence.

**I received an ARC of Reckless Temptations from IndieSage in exchange for an honest review.

#TAKETHEDETOUR

#TEMPTME

#GETRECKLESSWITHRIGGS

DON’T FORGET TO GRAB THE FIRST 3 BOOKS IN THE TEMPTED SERIES

#FREE WITH #KINDLEUNLIMITED: AMAZON

ABOUT JANINE INFANTE BOSCO

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.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Goodreads • Newsletter • Amazon

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: Dancing on a Moonbeam Part 3 by Kate Perry

Title: Dancing on a Moonbeam Part 3

Series: Bedford Falls, #3

Author: Kate Perry

Publication Date: March 9, 2016

Publisher: Firelight and Fairydust Unlimited

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

Goodreads Synopsis:

Eleanor Westwood and her neighbor Max have a deal to help each other—one they sealed with more than a kiss.

Which is a problem, because what was supposed to be a simple deal becomes so much more as Eleanor lets Max dance his way into her heart. It should be win-win, except Eleanor isn’t sure she can ever be triumphant in love…

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5 / 5 Stars

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Dancing on a Moonbeam Part 3 is the conclusion of Eleanor and Max’s story. (You can find reviews for Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) Eleanor is still trying to find herself. She thinks she wants to run a dance studio, but everyone else thinks she should be choreographing. Her relationship with her daughter Lily is still on the outs and she’s worried they’ll never reconnect. Eleanor’s also worried about giving her heart to Max, who she knows will be returning to L.A. soon.

Max’s dream to compose movies is about to come true. Only, he’s not sure if it’s what he wants anymore. He finds himself falling more deeply in love with Eleanor every day…and her daughter Lily, too. Will he be able to return to L.A. and leave them behind?

This mature second chance romance was sweet and inspiring. Max and Eleanor’s relationship felt real and was relatable. I loved the way Perry worked Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are into the story. It was perfect and suited her Max so well. Kate Perry couldn’t have wrapped up Dancing on a Moonbeam more perfectly.

**I received an electronic copy of Dancing on a Moonbeam Part 3 from the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Review: If You Can’t Take the Heat by Melissa Brown

Title: If You Can’t Take the Heat

Author: Melissa Brown

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads Synopsis:

Whitney Bartolina gets what she wants. At just thirty-four, she’s worked her way up from mailroom coordinator to casting director at a major Los Angeles television network and had a string of steamy flings, most recently with movie star Nolan Rivera. But when two of the contestants she casts on a new reality cooking show turn out to be as talented in the bedroom as they are in the kitchen, Whitney may have finally bitten off more than she can chew.

Conducting auditions across the country and looking for a bit of fun after Nolan, Whitney finds it in Chicago with Charlie Hutchins, a deliciously handsome British rugby-player-turned-chef whose spicy Szechuan beef is only the start of his sizzle. Then, in Montana, close encounters with sexy but mild-mannered cowboy and restaurateur Wes Rancourt leave her mouth watering for more.

Back in LA for filming, Whitney soon finds herself caught in a love square with Charlie, Wes, and Nolan, who’s stopping at nothing to win her back. Will she jeopardize her career by mixing business with pleasure, or can she turn up the heat without getting burned?

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3.5 / 5 Stars

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I liked If You Can’t Take the Heat, but I didn’t love it. The story had a lot of potential, but the main character Whitney was just…I don’t even know how to explain it in one word. Maybe disappointing?

Whitney was supposed to be this heartbroken, career driven 34-year-old. She was moving on from her famous, self-absorbed ex, Nolan, and given the opportunity of a lifetime at work. So she sets off looking for cooking show contestants, and immediately begins jeopardizing her career to hook up with not one but two contestants? Seems pretty crazy for someone who has been given their dream job. I had a hard time buying it, especially since she’s 34 and not 21. If it had been her first job, maybe. Her decisions were immature and drove me nuts. I just couldn’t connect with Whitney for most of the story.

The other thing that bothered me a little was how abruptly some of the chapters began. Some of them began mid-situation and it would take me a minute to figure out what was going on. It was especially hard the first few chapters, but luckily after that it smoothed out a lot.

But back to the potential in If You Can’t Take the Heat. I loved the love square. Even if it was a little disturbing the way Whitney was hooking up left and right, I liked what it did for the plot. As Whitney’s mom said, three different love interests gave her three different paths to choose from. Plus Nolan, Charlie and Wes all had surprises up their sleeves. When things got the most complicated, they got the most interesting.

Would I recommend this book to other romance readers? If you like a good love triangle (or square) and enjoy reality television, this one might be for you.

**I received a copy of If You Can’t Take the Heat from Amazon Publishing and Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.