Books and Swoons

Reread Blog Tour + Giveaway: Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton

Hi there Swooners!

In preparation for the final book in the Wild Aces series, On Broken Wings, by Chanel Cleeton, Berkley reached out to me about participating in a reread blog tour. I got to pick Into the Blue, Thor and Becca's story, because they were my favorite of the bunch. So today I am going to be sharing some of my favorite swoony Thor moments! But before I do, let's see what the books are about.

Fly with Me (Wild Aces #1)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

From the author of the Capital Confessions Novels comes the first in the steamy Wild Aces Romance series.

U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller—call sign Burn—loves nothing more than flying hard and fast. When he meets a gorgeous and sassy woman while partying in Las Vegas, he immediately locks on to her.

Jordan Callahan owns a thriving clothing boutique, but her love life is far less successful. Her luck changes when six feet, two inches of sexy swagger asks her to dance and turns her world upside down.

One scorching weekend becomes an undeniable chemistry that they can’t leave in Vegas. But the long distance relationship and their different lives threaten to ground their romance. And when the dangers of Noah’s job become all too real, Jordan learns being with a fighter pilot means risking it all for a shot at love…

Into the Blue (Wild Aces #2)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

Eric Jansen—call sign Thor—loves nothing more than pushing his F-16 to the limit. Returning home to South Carolina after a tragic loss, he hopes to fix the mistake he made long ago, when he chose the Air Force over his fiancée.

Becca Madison isn’t quick to welcome Thor back. She can’t forget how he shattered her heart. But Thor won’t give up once he’s set his sights on what he wants—and he wants Becca.

Thor shows Becca that he’s no longer the impulsive boy he used to be, and Becca finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But will Thor be able to walk away from his dream of flying the F-16 for their love or does his heart belong to the sky?

On Broken Wings (Wild Aces #3)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Berkley

The author of Into the Blue and Fly with Me returns with the newest, hot and high-flying Wild Aces romance...

A year after losing her husband, Joker, the squadron commander of the Wild Aces, Dani Peterson gets an offer from his best friend, Alex “Easy” Rogers, to help fix up her house. Dani accepts, and their friendship grows—along with an undeniable attraction.

Racked by guilt for loving his best friend’s widow, Easy’s caught between what he wants and can’t have. Until one night everything changes, and the woman who’s always held his heart ends up in his arms. Yet as Easy leaves for his next deployment, he and Dani are torn between their feelings and their loyalty to Joker’s memory.

But when Dani discovers something that sends them both into a spin, the conflicted lovers must overcome the past to navigate a future together…

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It seems like my entire adult life had been spent either running to or from this one girl. She was the compass when I was lost I couldn't find my way. - Into the Blue, Chanel Cleeton

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And here's one of Becca taking a nice appreciative glance at our boy.

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About the author:

After years spent studying international politics in London and a stint in law school, Chanel Cleeton found her passion crafting smart and sexy contemporary romances and thrillers. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she's happiest curled up with a book, her three dogs lounging beside her. Chanel is a lover of big sunglasses, irresistible handbags, food covered in sprinkles, and pint-sized pups with larger-than-life personalities.

She is published by Harlequin and Penguin and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, Assassins, and Wild Aces series. Chanel also writes historical fiction as Chanel Dolz Cleeton. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram / Tumblr / Pinterest

Be sure to check out On Broken Wings when it releases on January 3, 2017. I'll be hosting a blog tour stop on January 9th, so be sure to stop by then. Now, it's time for the giveaway! Rules are pretty simple, you must 13 years or older and you must resides in the US. Just enter the required information onto the rafflecopter. Giveaway ends on December 19th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swoony Boy of the Month: Perry from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Swoony Boy of the Month is our feature where we spotlight a favorite and/or swoony boy from the books we have read.

Today's Swoony Boy of the Month is Peregrine aka Perry. Perry is a rebel with heightened senses! He is definitely rough on the outside but also sweet and tender on the inside. Perry makes my heart melt over and over again!

“What I was trying to say,” he whispered, “is that I see you in everything. There isn’t a word for you that means enough, because you’re everything to me.”
~Veronica Rossi, Into the Still Blue

“Come back with me, Aria. Be with me.”
~Veronica Rossi, Through the Ever Night

“She'd been right. It had been easier with her. Perry placed his right hand on hers.
"Are you all right?" he whispered. It wasn't what he wanted to know. Of course she wasn't all right. What he wanted to know was if the together part still mattered to her. Because even though he was confused and sorry and angry, it still mattered to him.
She looked up and nodded, and he knew she agreed. Whatever else came, they'd face it together.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

“It's not far. Another week. Doesn't matter. I'll get you better shoes this time. And I'll carry your rocks for you. I'll even answer your question.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

“I've been watching you and Roar. Wanting it to be me training with you." His shoulders came up. "I don't want to do it now."
"Why?" Aria's voice was high and thin.
He smiled, a flash of shyness, before he leaned close. "There are other things I'd rather do when I'm alone with you.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

Check out Perry in the Under the Never Sky series!

Review: Unforgivable by Laura Griffin

Unforgivable (Tracers #3)
Author: Laura Griffin
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Pocket Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn

TRACING KILLERS IS MIA VOSS’S BUSINESS.
AND HER WORK JUST GOT PERSONAL.

At first, Mia Voss thinks it’s just bad luck when her already lousy day ends with a carjacking. But what seems like a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. A DNA expert, Mia has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. Suddenly, she’s become the target of one. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free.

Once, Mia trusted Detective Ric Santos. That was before Ric let his turbulent past ruin his chances with Mia, the sexiest, most intriguing woman he’s ever met. But he can tell when she’s lying—and when she’s scared. The key to catching a sadistic madman lies within a long-buried cold case that has haunted Mia for years. Only she can uncover the truth, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets . . . and her life.

3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Unforgivable captured my attention from the first page. Having met both Mia Voss and Ric Santos in the previous novels, I was excited in getting to know these two characters. In the previous books, we get the feel that there is something brewing between the two and so I was a little surprised to see that nothing really ended up happening. However, after reading the previous books in the series, I knew that Griffin would somehow rectify this.

The story follows Mia as she becomes of a victim of a carjacking, which in turns deadly and is part of bigger problems for Mia and her life. Ric becomes involves when he's assigned to her case and he battling a lot of emotions attraction towards Mia but also the reluctance to act it. The suspense aspect of the book had me turning pages at lightning speed because I was hooked and curious at who would want to hurt and kill Mia. I found it so interesting and worrisome at how Mia was being asked to destroy evidence and in turn how quickly it can kill her reputation and career.

The romance part of the story irritated me a bit, to be honest. There were some instances where Mia made some questionable choices, choices that in turn put her in danger and made me question her intelligence. Also, Ric is constantly manhandling her, expecting her to answer/do everything/anything he asked only to leave her with no look back, and he continually flipped his mood and emotions on how acted and felt towards her. So I definitely had trouble liking Ric and in liking how their relationship progressed. I would have been happier if Ric would have owned up to his reasons and told Mia why he was such a commitment-phobe at an earlier time instead of just brushing her off. It would have made him a better person and made things clearer with Mia.

Overall, I was happy with how the story progressed. The suspense part of the series is always my favorite parts of the book and that's because Griffin just knows how to suck in her readers into the story. I would have preferred a little bit more of an epilogue of some sort but I know I'll see these characters in some form in the next book of the series. I can't for more of these books!

Quotes (#178)

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Good Morning Friends,

It's finally December, my favorite month of the year!!! There are so many reasons why I love this month so much. Primarily, it's my birthday month *woohoo*! I also love the cooler weather and all of the merryment going on around this time. Christmas is also my favorite holiday of all time!

“People being tough with you doesn't mean they're villains.”
~ Anna Kendrick, Scrappy Little Nobody

“Having to fight for the thing you want doesn't mean you deserve it any less.”
~Anna Kendrick, Scrappy Little Nobody

“I gave up on being Nice. I started putting more value on other qualities instead: passion, bravery, intelligence, practicality, humor, patience, fairness, sensitivity.”
~Anna Kendrick, Scrappy Little Nobody

“I loved him more than I loved pralines and beignets, and that was hardcore, because my love of sugary, sweet things rivaled the most epic love stories known to man.”
~ Jennifer L. Armentrout, Torn

“I was not alone in any of this. I was only a little torn, but not broken. “Yeah,” I said. “I’ll be okay.” And I was brave.”
~Jennifer L. Armentrout, Torn

“But even things that heal leave scars.”
~Diana Gabaldon, An Echo in the Bone

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop. The line from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland drifted through my mind, and I smiled. Good advice, I supposed – but only if you happened to know where the beginning was, and I didn’t quite.”
~Diana Gabaldon, An Echo in the Bone

Happy December!

Mini Review: Unstoppable by Laura Griffin

Unstoppable (Tracers #2.5)
Author: Laura Griffin
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn

Forensic anthropologist Kelsey Quinn goes to a remote Texas border region to dig up ancient bones, but ends up unearthing a deadly secret. When Kelsey’s discovery jeopardizes not just her dig, but her life, she turns to US Navy SEAL Gage Brewer, who may be the only person brave enough—and lethal enough—to help.

3 stars out of 5 stars

Unstoppable was a quick novella where I met forensic anthropologist Kelsey Quinn. We’ve heard of her in the previous Tracers series book and so it was nice getting to know her in her own book. Unstoppable is a short novella, only 80 pages, but it filled with suspense, danger, and a hot Navy Seal. We meet Navy Seal Gage Brewer and boy oh boy is he an interesting one.

Gage and Kelsey are thrown together in a situation that puts them both in danger and it was so interesting seeing how they both leaned on each other. I'm curious to see if they continue the story line that was started in this book and if Laura Griffin will bring it into the Tracers' plot. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing these two again and really get to know them. A good and quick novella!

Review: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

This Adventure Ends
Author: Emma Mills
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Review by: Jenn

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

5 stars out of 5 stars

*I received an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

I LOVED this book. I loved the relationships that Emma Mills explored, the witty banter, the drama, the characters themselves, EVERYTHING. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma Mills' First & Then but this book made her an author to look for. I need to see more people talking about this book!

Sloane is super sarcastic, always has a smart retort in hand, loyal to a fault and I loved being in her head. I love her relationship with her family but more specifically with her father. I love how they seem to share this special bond and shared interests with the other and how easily she can depend on him.
The secondary characters! I love each and every one of them. Vera, Gabe, and Remy were some of the most interesting and awesome friends and I actually wanted more story time from them. I love their relationship with each other and how loyal they are to one another and to Sloane.
The actual story has this sort of slow, quiet feel to it but I think it works so well for Sloane and the characters. Since it kind of slow and tentative, the love story developed just like that as well. However, what I also loved about this book, it's that it is not just a love story, it's a story about friendships and family and how far you're willing to go for them.

I can't wait to see what Emma Mills writes next because I have definitely become a fan of hers. I am going to go around recommending her books to everyone I know because, gosh, they're just so good! Go pick up This Adventure Ends already!

Our Monthly Wrap-Up (#9)

Morning Lovelies,

This month started off strong but then it just went to the wayside. I'm totally blaming the US disastrous election for my lack of reviews and features. I've been so upset and consumed and also dealing with life that I've kind of just been hibernating. I have been binging on a new show on Netflix and I've picked up a book from the library from an author I used to read before blogging, Tami Hoag. So there's been some reading at least.

In November I read:

ON BROKEN WINGS by Chanel Cleeton

ASHES TO ASHES by Tami Hoag

Nahomi read:

THEIR FRACTURED LIGHT by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

I am currently reading:

DUST TO DUST by Tami Hoag

THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

I'D TELL I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter

EMPIRE OF STORMS by Sarah J. Maas

Reviews posted in November:

Features posted:

Queue up on my phone/iPad/laptop:

I started watching Supernatural and I'm HOOKED! I just started season 6 and since I'm so behind, season 12 is on right now, I'm being very careful in trying not to spoil myself.

I watched the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and you can read about my thoughts on the discussion post I wrote here.

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I recently discovered the band Anthem Lights and their covers of the Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars just to name a few, and I'm in love. I have them playing over and over as I type up this post, my job applications, my thoughts. Everything. Eventually, I'll listen to their original singles.

So, how was your November? What did you read? Watch any new show, listen to anything new or old? What did you think of the Gilmore Girls revival? And are you a Supernatural fan? Tell me what you did! Just as long as you don't give me any spoiler from Supernatural! See you down below.

Let's Chat Non-Bookish Edition: In Which I Talk Gilmore Girls Revival

So, I have many thoughts I need to get off my chest. I’m a HUGE fan of the show Gilmore Girls and if you may or may not have known, there was a revival called A Year in the Life that premiered on Netflix on November 25th. And after waiting almost 10 years after the original show ended, I was over the moon excited about this revival. I was counting down the days and it was a bright light after the disastrous election results (more on that later). However, after finally watching all four, 90-minutes episodes, it left a lot to be desired. So I’m going to talk about it and if you haven’t watched or don’t want to be spoiled, I suggest to look away because SPOILERS GALORE!

Luke and Lorelai:
While I am happy to see that they’re still together, Lorelai being all cute and refilling his salt shakers or picking up plates at the diner in order to help him and Luke just going along with her antics and allowing her to fill up the DVR with all the Lifetime movies, are you telling me that it took them 10 years to get married? That they never discussed getting married or having kids in the years they’ve been together? What exactly do they talk about? They used they excuse that they thought the other would approach it if they wanted to but honestly, that doesn’t really justify letting 10 years go by without talking about what they want from each other. It seems to me that the creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino (ASP), didn’t allow these characters to grow up after 10 years. I wouldn’t care if they hadn’t gotten married because they don’t believe in marriage, but they were engaged at one point in their relationship and had even discussed having kids. So seeing them get married in the revival was a little bittersweet because I thought it should have happened ages ago. I would have been more than okay with seeing flashbacks of the wedding or nothing at all because I know that they had been married already. I will say that Luke’s long ranting speech (like a true Gilmore, btw) melted my heart and Lorelai just easy breezy telling him that she already had the day picked for the wedding, and on a day that he’s able to get away from the diner, just gave me all the feels because they are so right for each other.

Richard’s Death:
One of my favorite things about the revival was how they handled Richard’s death. I cried every time he was mentioned because his presence was certainly missed. The grief that all three Gilmore women expressed for their missed companion/father was palpable. There were certain scenes that I could have easily pictured Richard’s smart and quick wit.

Emily’s story:
You can’t talk about Richard’s death and not mention Emily. Emily’s story was the one that I’m most content with. It was heartbreaking to watch her inner struggles of trying to cope with her grief of losing her best friend and partner of 50 years. It was made even harder to watch as she pushed Lorelai away (for reasons that are to be blamed on both women) because she was filled with such grief. But they were both in such pain that they didn’t know how to reach out for help or seek comfort in each other. However, seeing her close a chapter of her life, both personally and socially, it was still shocking for me seeing her attempt to move on by moving out of the home she shared with Richard. But in hindsight, I would probably do the same thing.

And finally, Rory:
Ok, this is going to be a long one so I’ll start with her career. Look, I love that she’s struggling in getting steady work. I love it because it’s realistic in today’s workforce. Print media has been struggling since before she graduated and the landscape was and still is changing, and in today’s world, some people her age are still struggling in finding their passion. Now, ahem, the relationships. I don’t like cheating. Like, it one of my most hated acts. Whenever I read/watch/hear about cheating, I get angry because I want to tell that person to put on their big girl panties or to grow a pair and end the relationship if you want to sleep with someone else. So seeing Rory fall into bed with my favorite guy for her and knowingly sleeping with him while they’re in a relationship with other people and he’s engaged! Like, what?! Didn’t she learn anything from the way she and Dean ended?? Like, I don’t fully get their reasoning in continuing the affair. Especially when you can tell that they both have feelings for the other but neither one of them is willing to broach the subject.

Which brings to two points, the last four words and ASP. Amy Sherman-Palladino said that she had planned these four words since the beginning and that it was always supposed to happen. Also, she has said that Logan was set up to be Rory’s Christopher. And I gotta tell you I am upset. Logan has surpassed Christopher in so many ways and so I resent that she’s still ended using that formula for him. I don’t necessarily care for the last four words, I prefer it wasn’t them but at least it didn’t happen when she had just graduated, but I hate what it’ll mean for Rory. ASP kept writing throughout the whole revival how it ends in “full freaking circle” but to me it kind of a cop-out; after everything Rory went through, all to end up like single-mom, Lorelai.

I don’t believe that Logan is Rory’s Christopher because he grew up and he’s older than when Lorelai and Chris were in that same situation. When Rory went to talk to Chris and asked him how did he feel about Lorelai raising Rory alone, I can take it to mean that she’s struggling to not tell Logan about the pregnancy or that she’s set on doing it on her like her mother. However, the Logan I have grown to know, he would step up to the plate and be the person that he needs to be. He loves Rory and you can see from the way he tried to take care her. With Rory, you can see from the way she struggled to give him up to his fiancé that she still loves him. However, I think she also knows that he is marrying for the benefit of his family so she doesn’t want to rock the boat. But SERIOUSLY! Cheating? Why???

My only hope is that if Netflix and ASP do decide to continue the show, that they’ll give Logan a fighting chance. Because if Logan is Chris, then Jess is Luke and to be quite honest, Rory and Lorelai might be eerily similar but their lives don’t need to be the same. Logan and Jess don't need to be the same as Lorelai's love interest. They're different people, so please ASP, let that idea go.

On a different note, it was so awesome being back in Stars Hollow and seeing everyone. Kirk was forever the lovable weirdo and seeing Paris was so fun because her character in How To Get Away With Murder is SO different. Michel was one my favorite in the revival and although we only got one scene with her, Sookie is still a favorite. And the boys! Dean, Jess, and Logan, forever gorgeous. They have only gotten better with age.

SO! What did you think? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Were there tears? What did you think of the four words? Do you want to do Wild? I kinda want to but not by myself. I’ll buy myself something cute to distract myself from that idea a la typical Lorelai move. Tell me what you thought! Comment down below.

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