(Repost) Review: Linked by Judy Serrano

Linked
by Judy Serrano


Published by: GMTA Publishing
Released on: May 9, 2024
Paperback
Pages: 334
Rating: 4/5



*Please note, this review was based from an ARC*






  I was pleasantly surprised when Judy Serrano contacted me to review the first novel in her newest series. I love her work so I wanted to be surprised going into it and did not read the blurb. What I discovered was shocking and left me desperate for answers. Fast paced, action packed, and romance laced, Linked will have you mesmerized.

   Daphne is a fill-in substitute teacher that just wants a stable job doing what she loves. Trying her hardest but working with teens, she thinks she's doing rather well until she gets notification that one of the parents wants a conference with her. What she expected to walk through the classroom door is not what she received. Not in the least.

   Charlie Cross is total eye candy and there is an instant connection between the two. Honesty is laid out on the table, he admits to his unhappy marriage and the separation. Daphne can deal with this. It's all good. At least, that's what she thinks. Surprise characters rise to the surface causing delight and much trouble.

   When Daphne realizes that there's more to Charlie than she ever thought possible, he acts out on it all and takes advantage. She thought she could get used to the idea but Charlie isn't letting that happen. Luckily, there's another man willing to accept Daphne with open arms. Heathcliff is special in his own way but it's something they can work on together. When you become "linked" it makes all the difference in the world.


Received for review from the author.

Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

The Book of Broken Hearts
by Sarah Ockler

Published by: Simon Pulse
Released on: May 21, 2024
Hardcover
368 Pages
Rating: 5/5


*Please note, this review was based from an ARC*





  I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The synopsis is great but holds nothing to what is inside. Sarah Ockler has filled it with such a strong and powerful story that is so unlike so many out there. I bonded easily with the characters and fell deeply into the story line. The Book of Broken Hearts is a definite read by all.


  We learn that Jude is the youngest of all her siblings. Living in a household full of sisters has definitely taught her a thing or two but what she's about to embark on throughout this summer, nothing could've prepared her for. I loved how strongly bonded all of the sisters were, but still felt kind of sorry for Jude. She is the last one in the house and never got to bond as much as the others. More importantly, she was never properly inducted into the Book of Broken Hearts.

  Jude had many plans for the summer but when her Papi started showing more frequent signs of his illness, she knows that he is her number one priority. Throughout the summer and her Papi's growing illness she meets Emilio Vargas. He comes to be everything that Jude needs through this difficult time. He's also the one thing that will cause her much trouble.


Received for review purposes from Simon & Schuster.

Review: The Program by Suzanne Young

The Program
by Suzanne Young

Published by: Simon Pulse
Released on: April 30, 2024
Hardcover
416 Pages
Rating: 5/5




*Please note, this review was based from an ARC copy*






   Let me start by saying that The Program has demanded it's way into by top 10 for 2013. I read many books every year but when you get one that screams when opened, I know it will be added to the list of favorites.
   My copy is an ARC so I'm not too sure if the published copy is like this, but there are three parts to the story and every part begins at page one, so it's like three stories inside. This is the first I have seen of this and really found it interesting.

   The story is about a time when a massively high amount of youth suffer from severe depression and thus, commit suicide if given the opportunity. There has been much work into helping save the kids and close observation is made for everyone. If signs are showing, they are whisked off to a place that everyone in their right mind fears. A place that alters your state of mind, making the children lose their memories and allowing them to return back to their lives as someone that they are not. Someone incredibly different than who they were because they have lost that person along the way. The children are said to be recovered, but anyone in their right mind knows better.

  Sloane has had many friends and family that have committed suicide. She has all eyes on her now and can't even get the time she so deserves to grieve for her lost loved ones. She knows that the life she lives will end up getting disrupted and makes quick decision to hide her past so her future won't be left blank. Her journey is far more unpredictable than anyone could imagine.




Received from Simon & Schuster for review purposes.
 

Escaping Darkness Book Blast ($50 giftcard and ebook giveaway)

Escaping Darkness is the second book of The Stone Legacy series. Written by Theresa McClinton.
A long time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa began her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and feature articles to delve into the whimsical world of young adult and new adult paranormal and contemporary romance.

Since then, Theresa has been married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and was repeatedly guilt tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having traveled to over a dozen countries and explored dozens of U.S. states—including an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. But wherever life brings her, Theresa will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.

She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy-just fearless.
Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian-who everyone has gone to fight.
Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared.
He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…

Find out what the Paranormal Romance Guild had to say here!  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Stone Guardian

Book 1 in the Stone Legacy series 

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First Kiss by Ann Marie Frohoff Cover Reveal + Giveaway

Author, Ann Marie Frohoff, reveals the cover for her debut novel, FIRST KISS, book one in her edgy hard-hitting trilogy, Heavy Influence. You can find out more information on her book website at www.facebook.com/heavyinfluence.  FIRST KISS is due to release June 11th, 2013. You can get hooked on the series by downloading her prequel novella, SKID OUT, on Goodreads for FREE at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12641062-skid-out.

It was all about the band, until the girl next door. Her innocence is tempting. A sexually charged coming of age story set in the throes of stardom.
About an up and coming teenage rocker on the verge of stardom, when the girl next door becomes something more; they're forced to face the harsh realities on his road to fame and the expectations of their friends and family. Sacrifices are made as everything changes as they know it.

Release Date: June 11, 2024

Pages: 483

Find it: Amazon & Goodreads

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Ann Marie ("Annie") Frohoff grew up in sunny Southern California. As a teen and young adult she spent her time frequenting and living in nearly every beachside city up and down the coast.

The first installment in her Heavy Influence Trilogy, FIRST KISS, is tentatively set to release June 11, 2024 — The series is a story about young, reckless love between a rising rock star and his younger muse, spanning 10 years of their tumultuous and passionate relationship. Each book in the Trilogy will come with a soundtrack of original music, of which the lyrics will appear in the pages of the books.

Annie is now settled in the South Bay area of Los Angeles with her family.

Facebook: Heavy Influence

Twitter: Ann Marie Frohoff

Goodreads: First Kiss (Heavy Influence Trilogy, #1)

Goodreads: Skid Out (Heavy Influence, #0.5)

Website: Ann Marie Frohoff

Amazon: Skid Out - Kindle Edition

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Sirens by Janet Fox~Blog Tour + Giveaway

Be sure to check out all the stops during this tour and check out the giveaway!

8th @ Alice Marvel

9th @ The Mod Podge Bookshelf

10th @ Rebecca's Book Blog

11th @ Chapter By Chapter

12th @ ReadingTeen

13th @ Little Library Muse

14th @ Mundie Moms

15th @ Fire & Ice

16th @ The Book Rat

17th @ Pieces of Whimsy

Sirens is the third novel in the Faithful series. 

When Jo Winter’s parents send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s death. But all that glitters is not gold..
Caught up in the swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them— Jo soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and their molls. Jo would much rather spend time the handsome but quiet Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family.
Can her newfound power buy her love? Or will it to ruin Jo, and everyone around her?

Janet S. Fox (Janet Fox) is a writer, mom, and former high school English teacher. Her first young
adult novel FAITHFUL (Speak/Penguin, 2010), was a 2011 Amelia Bloomer list pick, and is set in Yellowstone National Park in 1904. FORGIVEN, a companion YA novel (Speak/Penguin, 2011) set in 1906 San Francisco at the time of the Great Earthquake, was a Junior Library Guild selection and WILLA Literary Award finalist. Janet's third YA, SIRENS, a "noir romance" set in 1925 New York, is available now. GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT is her award-winning middle grade self-help book for kids (Free Spirit Publishing, 2006). Janet is a 2010 graduate of the MFA/Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and has been a Regional Advisor for the SCBWI. Janet currently lives in the mountains of Montana. The family loves dogs and is ruled by an elderly Basset hound.

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Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite
by Kiera Cass

Published by: HarperTeen
Released on: April 23, 2024
Hardcover
336 Pages
Rating: 5/5


*Please note, this review is based from an ARC*






  Oh, how glad I am that I decided to read this series. The Elite has delivered such an amazing and gripping storyline. I wasn't too sure as to just what was going to happen and was so delighted by the outcome. Yet, the last few chapters totally caught me by such surprise, I couldn't stop reading until finished. Nervous and on edge as to what was to happen, and what was going down. This series is so addicting and compelling. Whether you are into princesses or strong willed people, this series will succumb you!


  America holds onto her beliefs in the second book of this series. We see unexpected events occur that would've never thought possible. America's heart is broken, only to find out the true feelings of others around her. Not to mention, the feelings that others have for her. We see more girls sent away by Prince Maxon and Aspen holding onto America. Both men are there for her. It's her decision on what will happen and the events that go down might have heavy influence on her choices she makes.



Received for review purposes from HarperCollins.