Blog Tour Schedule: That First Kiss by J.C. Valentine Sept 23 – 29

That First Kiss is on tour!

The wonderful ladies over at Literati Author Services has put together one heck of a tour filled with reviews, excerpts, and fun facts. There is a giveaway, too! The tour starts today and runs through Sunday. Click here for a full list of stops and easy entry into the giveaway.

 Monday, September 23, 2013

• Book Fanatic ~ Review
• A Novel Affair [book blog]  ~ Promo
• Cruising Susan Book Reviews  ~ Review
• A Cauldron of Books  ~ Promo
• Busy Moms Book Reviews  ~ Review
• Reading is my Time Out  ~ Promo
• Babu’s Bookshelf  ~ Review
• Nette’s Bookshelf Reviews  ~ Promo 

**That First Kiss will be ON SALE for only $0.99 for the duration of the tour!!** 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Review of Beauty and the Feast by Julia Barrett

Eva Raines grew up as a simple farmer's daughter with a passion for food. After moving to Napa, she uses her culinary skills to help busy families and people in need as a rising talent in the ATAP business.When the very wealthy Gabriel Abbott hires Eva to cater a romantic dinner for two, the outcome for the evening is vastly different than either of them could have imagined.

Food is the central focus here, and the sensuality of it when applied to the right situation. Eva's passion for her job shines, but so does her warm and endearing personality. Everyone likes her. Gabriel, who is basically in danger of becoming what his sister termed a "Lothario" certainly isn't immune to her charms either. In fact, he is pulled right in from a simple phone call.

This book was listed as a comedic romance, but to me it was romance through and through. There was a touch of humor, yes, but no more than any other book I have read. The connection between the characters (all of them) was strong and well-developed, easily believable. It had just the right amount of passion, romance, drama, and touching moments to make a well-rounded story come alive. I loved the food moments almost as much as I love the steamy moments. I just can't find anything to complain about. This was a very satisfying read, and when you couple that with the recipes for all those delicious meals and deserts that made your mouth water throughout the book, well, that just elevates it to superstar status, IMO!

Beauty and the Feast enjoys a 4.3/5 start rating and is available on Amazon.

Review of Shaken (Mind Reader Series #1) by Susan Hatler

Kylie is just your average girl trying to maintain her perfect GPA, crushing on the one boy she can even talk to without suffering metal distress, and being a good friend. Raised by her father after mother died when she was four, Kylie in under the assumption that this is as bad as her life can get, until she opens the door one morning and can suddenly read minds. Now, Kylie is privy to all kinds of information she wasn't meant to know, which doesn't make life as easy as one might think.

While trying to get a handle on her new ability, Kylie is drawn into a kidnapping mystery that only she can solve. Her father is telling lies, and the detective's cousin, Trip Williams, is hot on the case, digging up information that wasn't meant to be found, and Kylie finds herself right in the middle of it all. Suddenly, the life she thought she knew is turns upside down, and Kylie learns that not everything in life is black and white.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up, but I had a good feeling about it. I ended up really liking it. From the first page I could tell it was solid writing and the tone was just right, making the characters likeable and about as true to life as you are going to get with a paranormal novel. I was never sure how Kylie's ability was going to play out--how much trouble would it get her into, who the kidnappers were, what her father was keeping from her, etc. The plot was really good and well thought out, and it held my attention all the way to the end.

The only thing that kept me from giving it a solid five stars was the predictability and how long it took the character, Kylie, to catch up to where I already was. Once I figured out something fairly obvious and self-explanatory, it took her a page or two more to make the same connections, which just made her appear slow. Other than that, I had no problems with anything. There were even some surprises toward the end that I couldn't have predicted--ever--because the information was never given until that point, and even then, it was played out well, which I really enjoyed.

I am glad this is a series, because I plan to find out what happens between all these characters. I want justice! I want in your face confrontations, and most of all, I want love.

 Shaken has a 4.9/5 star rating. You can pick up your copy here. 

Expanding My Horizons

I have been reading like crazy lately. For those who know me, that really doesn't come as a surprise. It's what I do. But I got stuck in a rut--the romance rut. What I mean to say is, I picked up a romance novel about a year or two ago, and that was it. Nothing else has managed to get through since. It had been every romance novel under the sun since that fateful day. Be it vampires, werewolves, CIA, ARMY, or Other, I have been devouring it. Until one day my husband said, you really should try something else. Expand.

Interesting concept. Expand... I rolled it around in my brain a while, let it fester and grow roots, and then I started my plan of attack. There are a ton of places to find free Kindle books, but I have one in particular, aptly named Free Kindle Books from Ereader News Today that sends me the top listings from various genres via email. Now I grab up anything and everything that looks interesting (more romance novels anyone?!). I have found some great ones, and some not so great, but recently I found a GREAT one, that I thought I would share.

Breaking Twig by Deborah Epperson took my breath away. It's a lengthy read, but I plowed through it in a day. A coming-of-age, historical fiction set in 1960s South during and after the Vietnam War, this is a story of heartache and abuse that pulls at the heart strings (Unless you're cold and unfeeling, in which case, you shouldn't be reading this!). I could attempt to put this into words, except I know I wouldn't do it justice. Instead, here is the blurb:

Set in rural Georgia in the 1960s, BREAKING TWIG is a coming-of-age novel about Becky (Twig) Cooper, a young woman trying to survive the physical and emotional abuse of her mother, Helen, a beautiful, calculating woman who can, with a mere look, send the meanest cur in Sugardale, Georgia running for its life.

Not even Twig's vivid imagination, keen wit, and dark sense of humor is enough to help her survive the escalating assaults of Helen and a new stepbrother, but help comes from an unexpected source--Frank, her stepfather. Sometimes, having one person who loves and believes in you is all a girl needs to keep hope alive.

Often raw and irreverent and sprinkled with all the Southern flavoring found in a good bowl of chicken and dumplings, BREAKING TWIG, is about finding love where we least expect it, destroying lives with easy lies, and realizing each of us determine our own truth.

This is the type of book that I love. It spans so much time, I am sure Epperson could have easily made it into a series, but I don't think she really needed to. Plus, it wouldn't have done it justice. It's perfect the way it is. As a reader, you get to grow with the character, learn where she comes from and go through everything with her, so you are really invested in the character and what happens to her along the way. I will say that, although it isn't graphic, it is the type of story that can be a bit disturbing if you are at all sensitive to children and matters of abuse. I know I am, but I found this to be riveting. I wanted to protect Becky (Twig) as much as I wanted to shake her into realizing that she was so much better than this. I rooted for her to stand up for herself, and I cried (CRIED!) when something, I won't tell what, tore apart her world. I saw it coming a mile away, but she didn't, and that's what made it so terrible. Becky is young and naive and lets her heart rule, which isn't always a bad thing, but isn't always good either. I wish the ending would have been everything I wanted it to be, but it wasn't. It went off in a different direction, and that was good. Life should be full of the unexpected, and the ending here worked well. It's just not what I would have wanted, and I am sure the readers will all agree. But happily ever afters are rarely in the cards, and sometimes bittersweet is the most you can ask for.

This is definitely a young adult read. I would recommend 18+ for adult content and subject matter. I highly recommend it. Try it. Now. Go. Then come back here and tell me how much you loved it too.

                             Breaking Twig is available on Amazon for just $2.99.
                                              Pick up your copy today!