Books and Swoons

Quotes (#162)

Morning Swooners,

I am excited to be on vacation this week! I had a great weekend with the family. I am looking forward to being off for the rest of the week. Now on to our quotes.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”
~Anna Quindlen

“If you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen.”
~Conan O'Brien

“There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.”
~Countee Cullen

“Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn't what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You...Be Free...Share.”
~Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
~Bil Keane

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
~Helen Keller

I hope you have a great week!

Review: Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton

Into the Blue (Wild Aces #2)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Format: eARC
Source: Berkley
Review by: Jenn

From the author of Fly with Me and the Capital Confessions Novels comes the newest in the sexy Wild Aces Romance series.

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?

3.5 stars out of 5 stars

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher, however, it does not influence this review in any way.*

1- I totally enjoyed Into the Blue. Chanel Cleeton hooked me with this second chance love story and with our hero, Thor. I’m married to a law student so it was fun having a female heroine lawyer because I can understand the pains and concerns she has over her and Thor’s relationship and her commitment to her job.

2- I loved the relationship dynamics between Thor and Becca. I found it so interesting how they fought against each other but were honest and upfront about what they needed from each other. Both are older and know what they want and what they can and cannot live without. I loved how Cleeton showed how Thor grew up. How he came to realizing what his passion was and how to become a better man. And I liked how Becca learned and realized that Thor needed to leave to become a worthy man for her. Even if the decision hurt both of them, in the end, they managed to find themselves again.

3- I can't wait for book 3 of the series. I'm definitely curious to see what Easy gets himself into and how he will face his demons.

Cover Reveal: Every Little Thing by Samantha Young

Every Little Thing
(Hart's Boardwalk #2)
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: May 2017
Publisher: Berkley

Hartwell, Delaware—the perfect place to get away from it all, and find what you never knew you needed…

Bailey Hartwell has many reasons to feel content—her successful business, a close circle of friends, and her steady boyfriend…even if their romance feels staid after ten years without a serious commitment. The only challenge in her life comes in the form of sexy businessman Vaughn Tremaine. She thinks the ex-New Yorker acts superior and that he considers her a small-town nobody. But when Bailey’s blindsided by a betrayal, she’s shocked to discover Vaughn is actually a decent guy.

Vaughn admires Bailey’s free spirit, independence, and loyalty. As his passion for her has grown, his antagonism toward her has only worsened. Every little thing Bailey does seduces him. But when Vaughn’s painful emotional past makes him walk away in fear he will hurt her, it opens an old wound in Bailey, and she uncharacteristically retreats.

Once Vaughn begins to realize he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he has no choice but to fight like he’s never fought before to convince Bailey that the love they’ve found together only comes around once in a lifetime.

But before we get Bailey and Vaughn's story, we’re looking forward to the first book, The One Real Thing, that goes on sale September 6th! Pre-order the first book in the Hart’s Boardwalk series today!

The One Real Thing
(Hart's Boardwalk #1)
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…

While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.

Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her. Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for…

About the author:

Samantha Young is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series, including Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Echoes of Scotland Street, and Fall from India Place, as well as the standalone novel Hero. She resides in Scotland.

Author Links: Facebook / Twitter / Website / Instagram

Quotes (#161)

Morning Swooners,

This past weekend was my daughter's fifth birthday! I can't believe I have a five year old already! It seems like it was yesterday that she was born. My whole weekend consisted of birthday celebration or preparation for the celebration. Alas, Monday always comes around and I need a coffee IV STAT!

“We're inches apart yet worlds away.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“He can’t take his eyes off the stars, but I can’t take mine off his face.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“What do you know of souls and hearts and how they break here? You don't know me at all.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“Maybe we wouldn’t even like each other if we weren’t fighting for our lives every second of every day.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“...But I've felt your grief, your loss. And though your species is capable of horrors, it's capable of beauty, too. To end it now would be no better than taking your dreams away; to bring death robs your species of the chance to heal.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“You’re the most important thing in this universe. You; this vessel; the people of this planet; lovers, warriors, artists, leaders, dreams more numerous than stars. Each mind unique, each thought created for an instant and then broken apart to form new ones. You don’t understand the unbearable beauty of being you.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

“It's not that he's choosing me, a girl he met less than a month ago--he's choosing a world in which no one has to die.”
~ Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner, This Shattered World

Have a great week!

Let's Chat Non-Bookish Edition: Moving Back Home

So my husband got into a more prestigious law school and we’re in the process of moving. We’re are basically moving back to the same city were we came from and will be moving in with my parents in the meantime. We’re both stressed because while we’re happy in being closed to our friends and loved ones, the pressure is on for the husband to do well in an even harder school and it back to job hunting for me.

After job hunting last year for three months, I’m stressing the fact that it’ll be ten times more difficult in getting a new job in a bigger city. Also, after gaining the privacy of my own place, moving back into my parents’ home doesn’t seem as appealing. One small 8x10 room for two people is claustrophobic. However, I am very grateful that parents are willing to take me and their son in law in. I’m hoping that this job hunting won’t take as long as last time and since we won’t be paying rent, we can be saving up money and be able to move out in a couple of months.

Basically, I just wish I could dig my head in the sand for the next few months and pop out when everything is back to normal. Or to get back to a new normal. So with that, I’m going to go read.

Swoony Boy of the Month - Razor from Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

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

Happy August Y'all! This month the boy that has us drooling is: Thomas "Razor" Turner from Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry. He's a bad boy that's a little off kilter but is super smart, and sensitive under his tough exterior. I love his protectiveness and good heart. The bad boy vibe he has going on doesn't hurt either!

Source

“Hey, Breanna.”

I glance over my shoulder. “Yes?”

“Be safe.”

Those are two enticing and lovely words. “I will be. I have you protecting me, right?”

Maybe I’m misreading Razor, but his eyes travel my body like he might toss me onto the bed of the truck and kiss me in a way I’ve never been kissed before. “Don’t worry. I completely have your back.”

~ Katie McGarry, Walk the Edge

“Because somebody out there fucking loves you and doesn't deserve the type of hurt you jumping would have caused. Killing yourself doesn't solve your problems. It just hands them to somebody else.”

~ Katie McGarry, Walk the Edge

“…as I attempt to release her, she squeezes my hand and offers a shy smile. Something within me shifts. No, I don’t get nervous, but Brenna transports me to all sorts of new places. It’s not her physical proximity getting to me, it’s the fact that she makes me feel.”

~ Katie McGarry, Walk the Edge

"I'm in love with you. This isn't a memory, but a promise, do you hear me?"

~ Katie McGarry, Walk the Edge

“I love you', I tell her. 'I don't have fancy shit inside me or other pretty words to say, but know that, no matter what, I love you.”

~ Katie McGarry, Walk the Edge

*Swoons* For more Razor check out Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry.

Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #2)
Author: Wendy Higgins
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss / HarperTeen
Review by: Jenn

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.

3 stars out of 5 stars

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher but it did not influence this review in any way.*

1- Good story. I like the plot of how a king who married for love and was going to do the same for his kids and had to go back on his word in order to save the kingdom because of beast going around killing people. I was curious to see where Wendy was going to take the story.

2- I liked the characters, to an extent. Aerity is naïve and Paxton is an ass. Paxton is mean and crude to Aerity just because he feels that everyone is kissing up to her. Aerity in turn, dislike how he speaks to her but find him attractive even after the fact. It really doesn’t compute for me, which it explains why I had such a hard time liking either of them. I also really didn’t see the attraction they both shared towards each other so I had a hard time picturing them together.

3- I am looking forward to the next book and learning how the story wraps up. Hopefully Paxton learns to be a bit nicer and Aerity grows more of a backbone and tells Paxton to shove it when he is crude to her.

Quotes (#160)

Source

Morning Swooners,
Dory does a great job of depicting how my brain is working this morning. I was supposed to be more productive this weekend, but I wasn't... Now, I'm in a panic over all of the things I have to accomplish before Friday for my little girls birthday! Also I can't believe today is the first day of August!! How did it get here so fast? Any who, here are our quotes for today, enjoy!

“One of the biggest favors that you can do for yourself is to accept your loved ones for who they are, and not be constantly disappointed because they are not who you think they should be.”
~ Jennifer O'Neill, Inspirational Quotes

“You would not want to be responsible for someone else’s happiness, so please do not hold someone else responsible for yours!”
~Jennifer O'Neill, Inspirational Quotes

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
~Albert Einstein

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.”
~Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”
~John Green, Looking for Alaska
“We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”
~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~Margaret Mead

Have a great week everyone, and an even better month!