Blog Tour | The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak | Review

April 13, 2021April 13, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

For fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Mary Kay Andrews, comes New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s newest standalone work of women’s fiction, a big, sweeping novel about family and the ties that bind and challenge us. In this novel, three generations of women from the same family share a house and work together at a bookstore in Colonial Beach over the course of a summer.

How do you start a new chapter when you haven’t closed the book on the last one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers—she still has no idea where he went or why. After being happily married for twenty years, she can’t imagine moving forward without him, but for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort by working alongside her mother and aunt at their quaint bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a life change neither of them saw coming and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into Quinn Vanderbilt—the boy who stole her heart in high school—old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

I was very excited about the premise of this book when I read it, let’s be honest almost anything featuring a bookstore could pull me in, but I finished this one with a feeling of wanting more and yet, also wanting less. It felt like there were too many different plots and sub-plots to be able to concentrate on any of them fully, and in some instances it felt like there were holes. It would have been nice to have some backstory on her missing husband, since he’s already missing at the beginning of the book. While I did enjoy the story overall, I would have liked some things to be paired down and refined, while I would have liked more from the ending. That being said there were a lot of things I did enjoy in this book, such as the characters and some of the threads being woven in the plots. It was an enjoyable read overall.

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Bookbuyer’s Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit http://www.brendanovak.com.

SOCIAL | Twitter @Brenda_Novak | Facebook @BrendaNovakAuthor |
Instagram @authorbrendanovak | Goodreads

Happy reading!

Cover Reveal | Worn Out Places by R.H. McMahan

April 12, 2021April 12, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Worn Out Places
R.H. McMahan
Publication date: September 1st 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

I can’t answer that question. I can’t tell him I’ve spent my whole life trying to disappear. I can’t tell him that I was born a drug addict. Or that I’ve been in foster homes so terrible I wished I didn’t exist. And I can’t tell him that last year ended any ambition I had to make it somewhere better in this world.

Drug addict parents. The foster care system. Living on the streets of New York City.

Zoie Cruz is used to an unflinching world that takes without giving back. But at seventeen she isn’t used to Northern Michigan, a family that wants her to succeed, and sobriety.

Everything changed on Christmas morning last year. Her social worker calls it a tragedy and her weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting wants her to open up. All Zoie wants is to be left alone to get high.

When she meets local golden boy Dean, he’s determined to pull Zoie out of her darkness. And she’s determined to keep her walls sealed shut.

In a whirlwind struggle to stay clean, Zoie’s secrets can only stay hidden for so long.

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:

R.H. McMahan a.k.a. Mickie is a Puerto Rican and Irish YA/NA author. She was born and raised in Chicago – and yes she thinks it’s important that you know that. In June of 2020, she graduated with a BA in English Lit and Creative Writing and is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing.

Mickie dreamt of becoming an author since she started telling stories on the playground in first grade. Ever since then it is rare to find her without a notebook and a pen. Her book baby, Worn Out Places, debuts on September 1st and she cannot wait to share it with the world.

If she’s not writing she’s doing other creative things like singing, dancing, and drawing.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Review | The Medusa Quest by Alane Adams

April 11, 2021April 11, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Phoebe Katz is back on a new mission to save Olympus and undo the fallout from her first visit. Damian has troubling news—the epic mythology stories in the books are changing. Instead of Perseus slaying Medusa and becoming a hero, the books now say he’s turned to stone. Worse, thanks to Phoebe slaying the Nemean lion and the Lernean hydra to complete the Eye of Zeus, Hercules failed his first two trials—which means he’s not the immortal hero he’s supposed to be. After speaking with the oracle who brought her to New York, Phoebe learns that without great heroes, the entire fabric of Greek mythology is in peril. She must go back to Olympus and right the history she wrecked. To do that, she must embark on a quest to collect the items she will need to help Perseus defeat Medusa, including the curved blade the Argus Slayer, the winged shoes of Hermes, and Hades’s Helmet of Invisibility, and convince Hercules to complete his new trials without giving up—despite the efforts of a powerful force that will stop at nothing to see the demi-god children of Zeus destroyed. Can Phoebe collect the items she needs and save Olympus once again?

After finishing The Eye of Zeus I almost immediately picked up the Medusa Quest as I was eager to see what Phoebe and her friends got themselves into this time. I liked the element of Phoebe having to face repercussions of her actions and it was great again to see her and her friends learning and growing as they went on their quest to correct things. I again really loved Adams’ writing style and the way the story flowed naturally. Yes there were immature moments, but that’s suitable for the age range this series is intended for. All in all I’ve really enjoyed both books in the series so far and will definitely read more from Adams.

Happy reading!

Kindle Deals | 4/10

April 10, 2021April 10, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! I figured it was time for some kindle deals so I wanted to share some great books with great prices! Please double check the pries before you buy as they could have changed or may be different in your region.

Aru Shah and the End of Time ($0.99) – Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this adventure by Roshani Chokshi about twelve-year-old Aru Shah, who has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

Hunted by the Sky ($2.99) – Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Tanaz Bhathena’s Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul’s mark is what caused her parents’ murder at the hand of King Lohar’s ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he’s just about ready to sign his life over to the king’s army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl—Gul—in the capital’s bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance—and discovers a magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king’s domain in Ambar Fort…a world with secrets deadlier than their own.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely ($3.99) – Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

The Shadows Between Us ($2.99) – “They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

Happy reading!

Review | Hopeless, Maine: Personal Demons by Tom and Nimue Brown

April 9, 2021April 9, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Trapped on an island off the coast of Maine, the people of Hopeless find life a little darker and more dangerous with every day that passes. The number of orphans rises continually, but who can say what happens to their parents? Plenty of the bodies are never found. This is not the stuff of happy, careless childhoods, it is instead fertile ground for personal demons. In Hopeless, the demons are not always abstract concepts. Some of them have very real teeth, and very real horns.

The island has been isolated for a very long time. Partly because of being small and forgotten, partly because the rocks and currents do not encourage visitors, Hopeless is surrounded by fog and overrun with nightmarish creatures, from small things with tentacles to demons and vampires. It’s a peculiar place. Here, almost anything can happen, from the weird and unsettling to the darkly funny. With a cast of freaks, nutters and the odd power crazed psychopath, life in Hopeless is seldom dull.

Hopeless is also about who you choose to be. The tale is a protest against apathy, and against the small evils that everyone takes for granted. The worst monsters frequently aren’t the ones with the obvious teeth–who are merely dangerous by nature–but the apparently ordinary people who choose to do hideous things.

As soon as I saw the coloring and art style of this one I knew I wanted to pick it up, that’s what instantly sucked me in. The styling is very gothic while at the same time having some paranormal and Lovecraftian touches. I did feel like this could have used backstory, or snippets here and there giving more of an explanation as there were definitely times I was a little confused. Still, I really enjoyed the imagery and mysteries that were slowly revealing themselves as I read. It intrigued me enough that I would definitely pick up the rest of the installments in the series.

Happy reading!

Review | Poems for the End of the World by Katie Wismer

April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

If you are underwhelmed by me
please just let me go

Poems for the End of the World is a coming of age collection and exploration of the confusing and disillusioning trek through young adulthood in a broken world. Divided into four chapters—waking up, growing pains, crushing realities, and disappointing beginnings—this collection covers everything from self-discovery and heartbreak to chronic illness and fresh starts.

I’ve been eager to get this collection since it came out and I finally got a chance. This poetry collection hit me pretty hard as I could identify with a lot of the themes that were featured. While Katie has full trigger warnings on her website I would definitely point out content warnings for sexual abuse, chronic illness and anxiety. She perfectly described some of the feelings and situations that went along with these topics, but also filled her words with impact and emotions. The language used was beautiful and succinct in getting the message across. There are poems that were hard to read because of the emotional impact, but others that I would love to read multiple times for the same reason. It’s a really strong collection that hits you hard and makes you think.

Happy readinig!

Giveaway Reminder | Birthday Month Giveaway

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! It’s halfway through the week which means my birthday month giveaway is half over! If you didn’t see my previous post about it or didn’t see my twitter then you’re missing out! I’m hosting two giveaways right now and they end on Friday!

So here are the details, one person will win a book of their choice up to $15 from Book Depository (or Amazon if the winner is in the US). This is available internationally as long as book depository ships to you. For the blog giveaway there are a number of ways to enter, for which I’ve set up a rafflecopter.

Click Here to Enter!

Now for the twitter part – I’m holding a second giveaway (for the same prize) on twitter! You can enter both giveaways, but there will be two separate winners. You can enter the twitter giveaway by retweeting the giveaway tweet AND following me on twitter (if you already follow that counts of course).

Both giveaways will end on 4/9 and I will contact the winners at that point.

Thanks so much and happy reading!

Review | Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

April 6, 2021April 5, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Seventeen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of romances like Love and Gelato, this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love.

I was kind of teetering between 3.5 stars and 4 stars for this one, but I bumped it up to a 4 because there were so many things I really did enjoy. First off, I felt we got a really good picture of Mia right from the beginning which was great. I think one of the best aspects of this books was the way it explored more than just her romantic relationship, but also her parental relationship and a friendship. I also really enjoyed all the details that were woven into the different places she went as they really did a good job of painting a picture of the ever romantic Paris. Personally I think me at a younger age would have probably given this book a higher rating, so I think it is perfect for it’s target audience. Overall I really enjoyed it and would definitely pick up more of the author’s books as I did enjoy her writing style and pacing.

Happy reading!

Blog Tour | The Path to Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne | Review

April 5, 2021April 5, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

She knows what’s best for everyone but herself…

With a past like hers, Jessica Clayton feels safer in a life spent on the road. She’s made a career out of helping others downsize—because she’s learned the hard way that the less “stuff,” the better, a policy she applies equally to her relationships. But a new client is taking Jess back to Cape Sanctuary, a town she once called home…and that her little sister, Rachel, still does. The years apart haven’t made a dent in the guilt Jess still carries after a handgun took the lives of both their parents and changed everything between them.

While Jess couldn’t wait to put the miles between her and Cape Sanctuary, Rachel put down roots, content for the world—and her sister—to think she has a picture-perfect life. But with the demands of her youngest child’s disability, Rachel’s marriage has begun to fray at the seams. She needs her sister now more than ever, yet she’s learned from painful experience that Jessica doesn’t do family, and she shouldn’t count on her now.

Against her judgment, Jess finds herself becoming attached—to her sister and her family, even to her client’s interfering son, Nate—and it’s time to put everything on the line. Does she continue running from her painful past, or stay put and make room for the love and joy that come along with it?

Though I’m relatively new to RaeAnne Thayne’s writing, I have been enjoying the titles I’ve picked up from her so far. Even though this book is within a series, it was nice to find that you really don’t need to have read the previous installment. I would definitely classify this one in women’s lit as the romance isn’t the main focus. Here we really focus on the relationship between the sisters as well as dealing with their personal struggles. It was very touching at points, but there were definitely sections of the book where the pacing felt like it slowed down a bit – not to the point of really being detrimental – but it was noticeable to me. All in all I really enjoyed this story and am glad that I got the chance to read it.

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

Happy reading!

Wrap Up | March 2021

April 4, 2021April 4, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! It’s time to talk about how March went for me this time around. It was a little disappointing as I would have preferred to pick up more physical books, but otherwise went by super fast. I’m enjoying just a few bullet points for my wrap ups, so if you want to see all the books I read and my ratings on books that I read that I don’t necessarily cover on the blog – you are more than welcome to add me as a friend or follow me over on Goodreads. There are some books that I don’t always write up full reviews for, but I always rate them over there.

For my TBR game I only ended up getting to two of my picks. I had really hoped that I would knock out more of them, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I am keeping a stack of the ones I don’t get to though, so I’m carrying them over.
I ended up reading two Nancy Drew books which were The Haunted Bridge and The Clue of the Tapping Heels.
I didn’t make any progress on the series that I want to complete in 2021 but I did manage to add the remaining volumes of Fruits Basket to my collection that I needed.

My favorite book of the month had to be Pet, but it also hit me very very hard. That is one heavy book that I definitely recommend people pick up. All in all I finished 22 books in the month, but I definitely had hoped to finish more.

Happy reading!