What I Read When I'm Not Feeling Well #books #amreading

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Today's topic: What I Read When I'm Not Feeling Well

There are always two authors that I turn to whenever I'm feeling down in the dumps or if I'm sick and in dire need of some cheering up. If I'm caught up with all of their books, then I'll go back and reread them. But, these two authors are guaranteed to make me smile and laugh which is a definite cure for whatever is ailing me at the time.

Janet Evanovich

Her Stephanie Plum books are hilarious. The cast of characters outrageously funny. Each book is guaranteed to make me laugh. Stephanie is a bounty hunter usually in need of money to pay her rent. In order to do that, she has to bring in the skips who've jumped bail for her cousin, Vinnie. There are a variety available from those committing petty theft to more violent crimes. With her on her quest is Lula, who adds a unique flavor to every book installment. I love Lula! She takes no nonsense from anyone. She's also a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it! Then there's Grandma Mazur, who is well known for wanting to see an open casket at the local funeral parlour and if there isn't one, she'll find a way to take a peek anyway. Another reason to keep reading these is to find out just who will Stephanie finally settle down with, Joe Morelli, the sexy cop who she has an on again, off again relationship with, or Ranger, the drop-dead gorgeous man of mystery who often sweeps in to save the day. It's also fun to see how many cars Stephanie accidentally destroys in each book.

   

Julia Quinn

Oh, the Bridgertons! I fell in love with this family since I first picked up Colin's story. I had to go back and read from the beginning, although Colin remains my favorite. The entire Bridgerton clan has a book each. She also branches off to continue other stories for some of the characters populating the world she created in Regency England. These books are humorous and sweet and so emotional that I can go from laughing to crying within a page. The stories are compelling and addicting. I will read these again and again. They're guaranteed to make me smile and help make me believe that there is always love and hope in this world.

   

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I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

FIRE & ICE

Fire and Ice...they are two of the most powerful elements known to man.

From the tiniest sparks to a blazing inferno, fire is an intense energy that can consume anything in its path.

Ice is it's unrelenting and frigid counterpart that can startle your senses and make you shiver. When put together, you'll find a force that is stronger than anything you'll ever encounter.

If you love the paranormal and can't get enough of romance, then this set is exactly what you need in your library.

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Can't Wait to Read Books #BookBlogExpo #Giveaway

Day 3 - Most Anticipated Books and Giveaway Day

One of the things that I really, really, really LOVED about working at a bookstore was that I was privvy to all the New Releases coming out. I knew the dates for all the Pre-Orders and Street Dates for the titles getting released. And I even had the chance to take a peek at the books before any customers saw it!

Well, with the exception of the Harry Potter books. For those books, we weren't even allowed to open the shipment boxes before Release Day! That was Top Secret stuff!

Nowadays, with the vast expanse of the internet, I find I have a difficult time keeping track of all the new books getting released. There are so many new authors and new books out every single day that if I think about it too long my brain implodes.

That's why I think it's soooo important for readers to talk about the books they're reading. Tell people about them, otherwise that special book might not get seen by other readers!

That being said, there are a select few of my most favorite authors that I'll pre-order on Amazon when I discover they have a new book coming out. These are my must-have books! The books and authors that I just can't live without!

And check out the Giveaway below!

The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Release Date - Tuesday, November 20, 2018

If you know me at all, at some point in our relationship you've heard me talk about Julia Quinn. She is one of those authors who continues to impress me with each book she writes. She's an amazing author who writes some of the most humorous and emotionally touching books I've ever read. Seriously, if you enjoy reading Regency-era romance, you must read her Bridgerton series. I got a sample of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and I was so hooked that I bought her whole backlist of books and read them like a fiend!

The Cajun Persuasion by Sandra Hill

Release Date - Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Here's another romance author with laugh-out-loud moments. Sandra Hill writes romantic comedy like no one else. She has a Cajun series, a Viking/Time Travel/Navy Seals series and a Viking/Vampire/Angel series. And now, I see she has a Christmas romance which strikes me as a Christmas Beach Read scheduled for release, too! The woman is clearly a mad genius.

The Forever Christmas Tree by Sandra Hill

Release Date - Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Release Date - Tuesday, November 13, 2018

I'm a little behind on the Stephanie Plum series, but I still buy all of her books on release day because I know I'll be in the mood to read about Stephanie's insanely quacky family and the on again/off again relationships she has with the two special men in her life.

The Demon Whisperer #3 by Ash Krafton

Release Date - To Be Announced

I really enjoy reading Ash Krafton's Demon Whisperer books about exorcist mage, Simon Alliant. These books are dark, gritty and emotional. Not for the faint of heart. I have no idea when the next book in this series will be announced, but as soon as it is, you can be sure that I'll pre-order that baby!

In the meantime, if anyone is interested, Ash Krafton is releasing Takin' It Back on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. This was originally part of a box set released last year which I read and loved! Definitely, check it out!

Which leads me to the last two books on my most anticipated reads list. I was fortunate to have two of my stories selected in anthologies that were recently released this year.

Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology 

A Wink and a Smile: A Read on the Run Anthology

The digital versions of both of these books are already available for purchase, but the paperback versions are scheduled for release this summer! I'm really looking forward to these paperback versions! Not just because my stories are in there, but because I'm looking forward to reading the other amazing stories by the authors selected for these anthologies. I prefer reading in paperback, so I'm waiting to get my hands on these!

In the meantime, for those who can't wait and would like to have a chance to read the digital versions now, I'm offering to giveaway these titles to one lucky winner!

Be sure to check out Girl Who Reads for more Book Blog Expo posts!

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Sharing Favorite Authors on International Authors' Day! #IAD

Normally, I love talking about books. But when someone asks who my favorite author is I get a little tongue-tied. There's no way I can pick only one favorite. It's worse if someone asks which is my favorite book of all-time. There are hundreds! No kidding! How could I possibly choose?

To celebrate International Authors' Day, I decided to share a few of the books written by some of my favorite authors. These are authors that I must read. When I hear they've published a book, I'll go buy it without even looking to see what its about because I know from experience it will be a great read!

 On Goodreads, I've tried to list all of my favorite authors (in no particular order). I know I might be missing a few and there's always more to add when I find a new author!

Wolf's Bane by Ash Krafton

Since becoming oracle to the demivampire two years ago, advice columnist Sophie has battled werewolves and survived a vampire attack (or two). However, not only was she powerless to save her lover Marek when he slipped to the brink of evolution, she also witnessed his transformation into a falcon, the symbol of Horus United.

Sophie’s quest to save Marek is further complicated when rock star Dierk Adeluf – who also happens to be the king of the Werekind – invites her backstage after a concert. Just when it seems she will find respite from heartache, Sophie is bitten by a werewolf and Dierk decides she is destined to be his queen.

Sophie is caught between the demivamps she loves and the Were who commands her to love him. Throw in his jealous wanna-be girlfriend and an ambush by witches, and there you have the big mess that Sophie calls her life. And, hello? Her soul mate is still a bird.

She’s supposed to be the girl with all the answers, but Sophie needs more than a little advice--she needs divine intervention.

~I'm currently reading this one!

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong’s legions of fans.

Whisper His Name by Elizabeth Thornton

Breaking the code to her heart...

Independent and stubbornly unmarried, Abbie Vayle has always been a little too smart for her own good. But she may have gone too far when she starts her own rare-book business--and accidentally acquires an antique book in Paris with a mysterious code scribbled in the margins....

Someone wants the book back--and is willing to kill to get it. The only trouble is, Abbie no longer has the book. It's locked away in the customs house in Dover. Now it's a race against time as Abbie stays one step ahead of her pursuers. The last person she wants to confide in is her best friend, Hugh Templar, whom she knows only as a formidable scholar who shares her passion for Roman antiquities.

But as Hugh keeps turning up where she least expects him, a few things begin to dawn on her....Not only is Hugh surprisingly--in fact incredibly--handsome without his glasses on, but he's strangely "professional" in how he handles her mysterious enemies.

Hugh is clearly not what he seems. And soon Abbie realizes that neither is she...as she discovers what it means to love with all her heart and soul.

Princess and the O by Felicia Forella

What’s a girl got to do?

Princess Acelin of Timoria is staring down the barrel of her self-imposed deadline to marry and grant her father’s wish, her thirtieth birthday is less than a month away. She has been wined and dined by royalty from England to Monaco and everywhere in between. And she has yet to meet her Prince Charming, the man who can give her the one thing she longs for…an orgasm. She’s beginning to wonder if she’s asking for too much.

Is he the man for the job?

Prince Nolan of Bermine is beginning his leave from the Royal Air Force when his father drags him to the birthday celebration of the woman dubbed “the Promiscuous Princess” by the press. And finds himself tied up in knots over her. Now he just has to exert enough control to prove to her that she can indeed it all.

A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

Anne Wynter might not be who she says she is . . .

But she's managing quite well as a governess to threehighborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge—in a singleweek she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playingan evil queen in a play that might be a tragedy (or mightbe a comedy—no one is sure), and tending to the wounds ofthe oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodgingunwanted advances, he's the first man who has truly temptedher, and it's getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.

Daniel Smythe-Smith Might be in mortal danger . . .

But that's not going to stop the young earl from fallingin love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family'sannual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that meansspending his days with a ten-year-old who thinks she's aunicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to seehim dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril,he will stop at nothing to ensuretheir happy ending . . .  

Frederica by Georgette Heyer

When Frederica brings her younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, she seeks out their distant cousin the Marquis of Alverstoke. Lovely, competent, and refreshingly straightforward, Frederica makes such a strong impression that to his own amazement, the Marquis agrees to help launch them all into society.

Lord Alverstoke cant resist wanting to help her

Normally wary of his family, which includes two overbearing sisters and innumerable favor-seekers, Lord Alverstoke does his best to keep his distance. But with his enterprising - and altogether entertaining - country cousins getting into one scrape after another right on his doorstep, before he knows it the Marquis finds himself dangerously embroiled... 

Photo courtesy of Michele Nelson

A little about me:

I'm an author of paranormal and gothic romance. Before the supernatural took possession of my pen I worked as an Assistant Manager and bookseller for Waldenbooks. After the store closed, I turned to writing as my next career choice. Now I write romance while taking care of my 3 young children. I live with my husband and 2 neurotic cats in the coal region of Pennsylvania.

I have a new book coming out at the end of this year called, The Witch's Kiss. It's Book 4 of The Merriweather Witches. If you haven't read the first three, you can get caught up now...





Buy on Amazon, Nook, or The Wild Rose Press

The Merriweather Witches (4 books)
by Tricia Schneider

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Review: Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn


Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child
C) not in love with her older brother's best friend
D) all of the above

Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) all of the above

Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love

It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is ...
D) all of the above.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Let me just say, I adore Julia Quinn's writing. Simply adore it! I fell completely in love with the Bridgerton family (Romancing Mister Bridgerton was my first introduction to Ms. Quinn and therefore will mostly likely always hold a special place in my heart!), so much so that I was conflicted with a mix of happy/sad feelings when that series ended. Now, however, I'm so pleased to see the Smythe-Smith's have a few stories to tell in this series that is closely linked with the Bridgerton's and takes place during the same timeline.

Marcus's and Honoria's story is filled with the same powerful emotions, snappy wit and dialogue, and laugh-out-loud fun that Ms. Quinn's writing has become famous for. This was a joy to read! Her characters are so well-written, they nestle close to your heart until what makes them happy, makes you happy...what gives them pain, gives you pain. I cried with this one, so I recommend tissues to those sensitive readers. It's a wonderful, powerfully emotional romance that leaves you smiling!

First line:
Marcus Holroyd was always alone.

Smythe-Smith Quartet:
Just Like Heaven (2011)
A Night Like This (2012)
The Sum of All Kisses (2013)

View all my reviews