Photo Theme Thursday – Books that Changed Me

This is the first time ever I am bringing a photo theme Thursday to my blog. I should be doing it every week, but I am single minded… haha. There are so many books that have changed my life. I only picked a few that were on my shelf. This list doesn’t include digital copies of books, maybe a second photo for that one at another time. 

Some of these reasons are surface reasons, not really opening a full disclosure of why these books changed me. What can I say — I am writing this like I write my book reviews, short, to the point, and not giving too much away. 

(Reasons in order from bottom to top and you get to see my lovely fascination with trees)

The Good Daughter – Karin roped me into thrillers. And my life suddenly changed in sick and twisted ways. 

Steady as the Snow Falls- a beautiful challenging read, I learned to wrap my head around something I knew little about. It’s also a topic that isn’t discussed a lot in the romance community. 

Loved Hacked – I read this book at a time in my life I needed it the most. The plot hit close to home. It helped bring me back down from depression and reminded me to love again. 

Life Among the Savages- Shirley Jackson is a phenomenal writer. This collection of short stories once published in Women’s Magazines blew me away with parental anecdotes and timeless pieces of marriage humor. Being a parent and married, those types of books always have room in my heart.

November 9 – The first book signing I attended. 

The Bell Jar – I read this book when I was fourteen. It was the first book that I read on mental illness in fiction form. 

Love Letter to Whiskey – I don’t really do sappy and poetic romances, but this book is too darn beautiful, the story and Kandi’s writing. It also made me like Whiskey! LOL!

Practical Magic – The first book that brought me into the world of how magic lies in a fictional world. 

 

I would love to see your own Photo Theme Thursday and the books that changed you! 

 

 

 

 

New Release – The Optimist Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert

The Optimist Guide to Letting Go

Amy E. Reichert 

Release Date: May 15th 2018

If you like good books about secrets, family, and gooey grilled cheese’s The Optimist Guide to Letting Go is for you. I really loved this book. You can find out why in  my review. 

About: 

Three generations. Seven days. One big secret. The author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake unfolds a mother-daughter story told by three women whose time to reckon with a life-altering secret is running out.

Gina Zoberski wants to make it through one day without her fastidious mother, Lorraine, cataloguing all her faults, and her sullen teenage daughter, May, snubbing her. Too bad there’s no chance of that. Her relentlessly sunny disposition annoys them both, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, Gina finds order and comfort in obsessive list-making and her work at Grilled G’s, the gourmet grilled cheese food truck built by her late husband.

But when Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine’s kept hidden for forty years. In the face of her mother’s failing health and her daughter’s rebellion, this optimist might find that piecing together the truth is the push she needs to let go…

 

Follow Amy E. Reichert Goodreads and  Amazon

Buy, Buy, Buy Amazon / Nook / ibooks / Kobo / googleplay

 

Next Five Reads for the Month of May

Like reaching for the imaginary stars, I am still reaching for that goal of eleven books during the month of May. I must say, I am still going strong… just wait until finals week though, I might be huddled in the corner twitching from coffee overload and lack of fiction book stimulus to keep me going! 

 I have a few Netgalley ARC’s I have been putting off and two other books I have been wanting to start for a couple of weeks as well. And there is no order to my chaos, because that isn’t the type of person I am. 

 

Title: Dirty Exes

Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Release Date: June 5th, 2018

About: 

They’re serving up some red-hot revenge. A sizzling series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel van Dyken.

Blaire has never quite gotten over Jessie Beckett, the ex–NFL star whose kisses were hot enough to ignite the entire Eastern Seaboard. When he chose work over her, Blaire was left brokenhearted. Why else would she have married a skeezy two-timer, just to divorce him less than a year later?

Now Blaire is getting even by becoming one half of Dirty Exes, a PI firm fully committed to humiliating cheating jerks. If only the new jerk she’s been hired to uncover wasn’t Jessie Beckett himself.

Exposing Jessie isn’t going to be easy, especially when she still daydreams about his sexy smile. Further complicating matters is Colin, Jessie’s best friend. He’s gorgeous, a little bit cunning, and willing to help Blaire get the inside scoop on Jessie—for a price.

Now caught between two men—one totally right and the other totally wrong—Blaire will need to decide just how much she’s willing to risk…and whom she’s willing to risk it for.

Add Dirty Exes on Goodreads        Pre-order Dirty Exes Amazon

 

Title: More than Words

Author: Mia Sheradon 

Release Date: June 12th 2018

About: 

No one lays open the heart and soul quite like New York Times bestselling author Mia Sheridan in this new standalone contemporary romance.

The moment she met Callen Hayes, eleven-year-old Jessica Creswell knew he was a broken prince. Herprince. They became each other’s refuge, a safe and magical place far from their troubled lives. Until the day Callen kissed her—Jessica’s first real, dreamy kiss—and then disappeared from her life without a word.

Years later, everyone knows who Callen Hayes is. Famous composer. Infamous bad boy. What no one knows is that Callen’s music is now locked deep inside, trapped behind his own inner demons. It’s only when he withdraws to France to drink his way through the darkness that Callen stumbles into the one person who makes the music return. Jessica. His Jessie. And she still tastes of fresh, sweet innocence . . . even as she sets his blood on fire.

But they don’t belong in each other’s worlds anymore. There are too many mistakes. Too many secrets. Too many lies. All they have is that instinctive longing, that need—and something that looks dangerously like love.

Add More Than Words on Goodreads                      Pre-order More Than Words Amazon

Title: Bring Me Back 

Author: B.A. Parris

Release Date: June 19th 2018 

About:

THE NEW TWISTY, GRIPPING READ FROM B. A. PARIS, THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING NOVELS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND THE BREAKDOWN

“We’re in a new Golden Age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back, and I for one am loving it.” —Lee Child

“[An] outstanding Hitchcockian thriller.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

She went missing. He moved on. A whole world of secrets remained—until now.

Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They’re driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone—never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story.

Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him…even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her.

Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla—hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla’s past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen’s house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive—and on Finn’s trail—what does she want? And how much does she know?

A tour de force of psychological suspense, Bring Me Back will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax.

Add Bring Me Back on Goodreads                       Pre-order Bring Me Back on Amazon

Title: The Wedding Date

Author: Jasmine Guillory 

About:

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in this fun and flirty multicultural romance debut.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other… 

They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…

Add The Wedding Date on Goodreads                   Purchase The Wedding Date on Amazon

Title: My Time in the Affair

Author: Stylo Fantome

About: 

~Mischa~

I made a conscious decision to cheat on my husband.

Now, before you judge me, hear my story. Hear how much I’m like you, how similar my thoughts are to your own. Yes, I’m a horrible person. Yes, I’ve done horrible things. Yes, I don’t deserve forgiveness. Yes, bad things happened because of my actions.

But I’m willing to bet I’ve done things that maybe, just maybe, you have thought of doing.

Maybe, just maybe, you’re not as innocent as you’d like to think.

Or maybe I’m not so guilty …

Add My Time in the Affair on  Goodreads             

Purchase My Time in the Affair on Amazon

Reviews – King and Tyrant by T.M. Frazier

King | Tyrant

T.M. Frazier 

Rating:  | 

I loved King, but not as much as I loved Tyrant. 

I wasn’t looking for an alpha male read, but this book called to me. “Open me, Alex.” “Devour King, Alex.” And so I did. The call was strong, but the reward also ended up leaving me in suspense and irritated. 

King – the alpha male who doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s aggressive — like way aggressive. His temper is off the charts and his attitude screams, “Don’t fuck with me or else I am going to fuck with you.” Very protective, very egotistical. I am not used to reading characters like this. You know, the ones who aren’t sorry for the crap that they say or don’t use sappy words to fix the problem. In alpha male books, sex fixes the problems. Sex brings the characters closer together instead of pulling them farther apart. 

King and Pup were oddly cute together. Their personalities clashing, fighting for existence as their hearts pulled them together.  Fucking alpha male King has a heart! A heart that made the wrong decision, but a heart nonetheless. 

The synopsis to King included some hefty trigger warnings, but I didn’t feel them in this book. The way T.M. writes, descriptive and intense, I was looking forward to reading the suspenseful scenes to gain a better sense of King and Pup, only for them to fall flat. The final fight scene wasn’t even written in the book and it left a gaping hole in my reading heart. 

Fucking Preppy…. why T.M. WHY!?! That was just wrong on so many bow ties. 

If I never left my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have read King or Tyrant. I am also glad I didn’t read them until now. I don’t think I could have waited for Tyrant to be released.

The second book was way better than the first. Because ANSWERS! King left off with a lot to be desired. Tyrant swooped in with a lot to be digested, more drama, more to the story, just more! 

Where King centered around the man himself, Tyrant showed us more about Doe and her family. Her past and new suspenseful present. Tyrant isn’t a book you can give too much away. Its one of those book you have to read for yourself… because ANSWERS! 

 

Follow T.M. Frazier on Goodreads and Amazon

Add King on Goodreads

Add Tyrant on Goodreads

Buy, Buy, Buy King  and  Tyrant on Amazon