Loving Amber - Tour & Review

Loving Amber

by Roya Carmen

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Torn by tragedy. Reunited by love.

Two years ago, I lost my husband and my brother to the same tragedy. To this day, I hold only one person responsible—Aiden Rogers, the beautiful boy I’ve known forever, the misfit I’ve both loved and hated, the one who always got to me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the only one to blame.

Now he wants to be part of my life again—when I can finally see a future for my son and myself. I’ve found the perfect man in David, someone I can start over with, a man who will be the perfect father figure for Trevor. I have a plan. At last, I see the light, and I know I can make this work.

I will not let Aiden Rogers drag me back into the darkness.


Author's note: contains sexual scenes and some coarse language.

This is the first book of the Riverstone Estate Series and can be enjoyed as a standalone read.

***
The Riverstone Series: A beautiful estate. Three unforgettable love stories.

Following the sudden passing of their father, Amber, Ruby, and Flynn Riverstone inherit the family estate and find themselves facing new challenges, growing closer, and discovering love along the way.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Loving Amber is a story of friendship, tragedy, betrayal, love and moving on. As you can probably tell from the synopsis, Amber has a complicated history with Aiden. Ranging from childhood enemy to sometimes friend, she now sees him as a reminder of everything she lost, and holds him responsible for the deaths of her husband and brother.  

Amber has experienced a lot of loss and grief over recent years, but although she faces a constant battle to move on, I never really saw her as a victim. Yes, she's really sad and overprotective, but she works so hard to give her son a happy family life.

One of my favourite parts of the story were the little insights into the characters and their shared past. Roya Carmen includes some really sweet childhood memories then juxtaposes them with moments of heartbreak. 

I had my doubts about one of the characters pretty early on so I didn't celebrate being right. I'm not sure how I would have handled certain revelations but it definitely would not have been in a calm manner. I'm still undecided how I feel about it but in the end it was all part of Amber's story.

I have to admit I have read a few similar themed stories recently but nevertheless I appreciated Amber's struggle. In Loving Amber Roya Carmen produces a detailed look at the heartache caused from one moment of stupidity. It's not all doom and gloom as we see Amber trying to move on and to ignore a certain someone but some sassy naughty scenes...

3.5 Charming Stars in my Sky!

Excerpt:

“The dress will need to come off,” I tell her with a playful smile—I want her to feel at ease.

She turns to the side and unzips herself, reaches for the skirt of her dress, and pulls it over her head. She’s wearing a sexy pink lace bra and matching thong. I wonder if she slipped those on thinking of me. Or David? I wonder how long it would take me to rip it all off. She peeks at me through her lashes, still shy but aroused. Her gaze finally reaches mine, and it’s pleading, begging me to come to her.

I kneel in front of her. I desperately want to kiss her—she’s just so beautiful. But I know that if I kiss her, I’ll get lost in her and I’ll want to make love to her. She and I together is a very bad plan. Too much history there, and even after all we’ve been through, I can only see her as Paul’s girl. But right now, she’s just a woman who desperately needs to touched, and I’m the man who desperately wants to touch her. I trace the lacy edges of her bra with my finger. She’s breathing so hard her chest is heaving. I pull the fabric with a finger and tuck it under, revealing her breast. Wow. 

Author Spotlight:

Busy mom, naughty writer, comic-addict, artist & designer, book-aholic, nature lover, and hopeless romantic.

When I’m not writing, I can usually be found hanging with my family, reading, camping and travelling, painting, yoga-ing (very ungracefully), shooting pool, or at my favourite bookstore café with my book friends.

A Northern French-Canadian gal, I now live just near Toronto where it’s much, much warmer!

For all the latest updates, sign-up for my newsletter or friend me on Facebook or Twitter!

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The Deviants - Tour & Review

The Deviants by CJ Skuse

What they say: When you set out for revenge, dig two graves

Growing up in the sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, the fearless five – Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane – were always inseparable. Living up to their nickname, they were the adventurous, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast. But when Max’s beloved older sister Jessica is killed, the friendship seems to die with her.

Now years later, only Max and Ella are in touch; still best friends and a couple since they were thirteen. Their lives are so intertwined Max’s dad even sponsors Ella’s training for the Commonwealth Games. But Ella is hiding things. Like why she hates going to Max’s house for Sunday dinner, and flinches whenever his family are near. Or the real reason she’s afraid to take their relationship to the next level.

When underdog Corey is bullied, the fearless five are brought back together again, teaming up to wreak havoc and revenge on those who have wronged them. But when the secrets they are keeping can no longer be kept quiet, will their fearlessness be enough to save them from themselves?

Buy links:

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I received a copy from HQ Young Adult in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I find it ridiculously intriguing when I discover a book with really contrasting early reviews. This instantly makes me want make up my own mind to see who I agree with or not.

The Deviants is extremely raw and emotional. Although there are a few early hints about whats to come, I wasn't entirely prepared for the onslaught of feels headed my way. I was expecting the usual YA teen drama and angst, but CJ Skuse delivers so much more.

I was intrigued by Ella and wanted to know what she was hiding. It took me a while to decide whether Max was a good guy. I really liked Corey who always made me smile and Fallon reminded me of my teenage best friend (I can't tell you why as it's a spoiler). I think we've all experienced a Zane in some form or another, but it was the mystery surrounding Jessica that had me fascinated from the start. 

The book covers some pretty dark issues so I'm going to label with one with a trigger warning. These issues are covered in a really sensitive manner and I found myself crying along with them after certain revelations.

The tone is intensionally almost awkward in parts. There's a purposeful disconnect with certain characters but as the story develops it becomes clear why. I never felt entirely comfortable with all the characters but I really didn't feel as though I was supposed to. I felt the distance and nostalgia surrounding the fearless five. I'm sure a lot of readers will empathise with how difficult it is when friendship groups change as we grow up. In this sense it's a real coming of age story, except it's far from typical.

4.5 Stars in my Sky!

Author Spotlight:

C.J. Skuse was born in 1980 in Westonsuper-Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels, works as a freelance children’s fiction consultant and lectures in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. 

Find CJ on Twitter!

Watching the Sky Cry - Release Blitz

Watching the Sky Cry

New from J.B. Hartnett!

Watching the Sky Cry is a beautifully written,

emotional story and is NOW AVAILABLE

& Free on Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US * Amazon UK

Ten years is a long time when you’re thirty-two. We’d seen our share of ups and downs, but I could honestly say, they were mostly up. That’s the thing about happiness though. It lulls you into a false sense of security.

Neither one of us ever thought we’d ever be touched by crippling loss or immeasurable grief. But not all stories have a happy ending, and I knew, better than anyone, that sometimes, one of you won’t make it till the end. One of you has to go first. And one of you will be left behind to pick up the pieces.

That one is me.

But starting over isn’t what I thought it would be. I need escape from the memories that plague me, remind me. So I went back to where it all began. To the town where I was born. To the place whose beauty could pierce my pain. Where I experienced my first kiss, where I fell in love, where a man was my earth. And I…

I was his sky.

Author Spotlight:

Julie is a southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably a romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin)and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers).

She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she might be a singer/songwriter. The 'writer' part is that one that stuck.

Julie is obsessed with Pi...the equation and the food. She's allergic to cats, cantaloupe and hates mushrooms. So if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure.

She currently lives with her romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

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Cover Reveal - The Sophisticates

The Sophisticates Trilogy (box set)

by Christine Manzari

Genre: YA Dystopian

Release Date: October 17th 2016

After a terrorist attack that caused more than 29 million deaths in the US, the government created the Sophisticates—genetically modified children designed to become the perfect soldiers. The Sophisticates were given abilities that made them faster, smarter, and stronger. The only thing they weren’t given was freedom.

But is anything ever truly perfect?

Seventeen-year-old Cleo has been a Sophisticate her entire life. When she begins to exhibit the ability to cause things to explode with merely a thought, she’s sent to the Academy to develop her deviation. She soon learns that there are other Sophisticates like her, Deviants with lethal skills.

Immersed in a deadly game of supernatural powers and dubious motives, Cleo doesn’t know who to trust. Ozzy, the golden boy of the Sophisticates program, insists that Cleo should abandon training her deviation. His fierce interest in Cleo only makes her more determined to avoid him.

As Cleo is pulled deeper into her role as a human weapon, all she truly wants is to be free, but there's more danger than she ever realized. There are some things that even the government doesn’t know and when the mistakes of the past are revealed and the Deviants start fighting back, no one is safe.

Fans of X-men and The Darkest Minds will enjoy this dystopian trilogy.

Individual Books in the Series (click on images for Goodreads links):

  

Author Spotlight:

The first thing Christine does when she's getting ready to read a book is to crack the spine in at least five places. She wholeheartedly believes there is no place as comfy as the pages of a well-worn book. She's addicted to buying books, reading books, and writing books. Books, books, books. She also has a weakness for adventure, inappropriate humor, and coke (the caffeinated, bubbly kind). Christine is from Forest Hill, Maryland where she lives with her husband, three kids, and her library of ugly spine books. 

     

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