Blog Tour: ARC Review: Fighting to Forgive by JB Salsbury

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Title: Fighting to Forgive (Fighting #2)
Author: JB Salsbury
Publication date: November 19th 2013
Source: eARC received from Stacey Blake for blog tour (Thanks, JB, Stacey and Promotional Book Tours!)
Pre-order the book: Amazon



What do you do when everything you avoid, turns out to be exactly what you need?

Easy and predictable, just the way he likes it, Blake Daniels flies through life the way he burns through women: on his terms, no regrets.

With his fighting career in full swing, he's on the threshold of title contention. But when his training is compromised by injury, the stakes grow impossibly higher. The rage that fuels his punches also chips away at his focus, and he risks losing everything he cares about.

He won’t let that happen. Not again.

Layla’s through with men. After a marriage that never should’ve happened, she hopes to reclaim the pieces of the woman she lost years ago.

Emotional abuse has left her insecure and terrified. A master at faking what she’s not feeling, she masks her self-doubt in false confidence.

She’ll never let another man hurt her. Not again.

Chased by shadows of the past, Blake and Layla know what they don’t want, but their hearts have a different plan. As a web of lies and betrayal threatens to destroy them, they’re forced to make a choice.

Is love enough to heal even the deepest wounds?

Or will they be left Fighting to Forgive?

Review:

I really, really enjoyed Fighting for Flight (and so did my mom) and I was so ecstatic to have been chosen to be a part of this tour because oh. My. Word. Reading Fighting to Forgive is just... cray. In a good way. If you fell in love with Jonah, you’ll love Blake. I couldn’t not feel anything reading this book. Reading about both Layla and Blake’s pasts will really impact you in a big and shocking way. Seriously. So shocking it’ll feel like someone suckerpunched you in the face, hard. You won’t even come close to guessing what their “secrets” are because they’re really so unexpected. Trust me, they are.

Layla is a great character. Right from the very get-go, she already gives off that cool mother vibe. She genuinely loves her daughter and it was so sad reading about what she went through. I can say, without bias, that she didn't deserve anything that happened to her. It was inspiring seeing how she didn't lose her spirit in the midst of all the chaos that was happening around her. Layla seriously needs to go on  vacation for the next five years or something because she just works so hard for her and her daughter. And I'm sure we all know how hard it is to take care of a teenaged daughter. Yup. So kudos to Layla for being such a patient, hardworking and amazing mother, friend and person in general.

I adored Blake. Like, seriously. Usually those super cocky player type of guys turn me off but I loved Blake. You already get a glimpse of him in Fighting for Flight and you know how he is with the ladies but you get to know him in a much deeper level in this book. His "secret" was the most... interesting one in the story, depending on how you look at it. I loved all of Blake's pick up lines because let's face it, it wouldn't be a book about Blake if it didn't have his infamous pick up lines. I never doubted it but I was definitely shocked to see the sweet side of Blake. He does have a caring side and it was great finally seeing a different aspect to his personality. And it was cute how he always referred to Layla as "Mouse" because of her size. Haha! I didn't know Blake was into pet names...

One thing I will tell you is that this series only gets better and better. The characters get more and more interesting and the drama more intense. I don't doubt that I'll love the next book in this series because wow, wow, W-O-W. JB Salsbury just knows what her readers want, and what they didn't know they wanted till she gave it to them. Fighting to Forgive will grip at your heartstrings and tug hard, it will make you cry, laugh, get pissed, swoon and it won't stop till you've felt everything single emotion this book has to offer which is a lot. Another great book from the lovely JB Salsbury, cheers!

Rating:

.5

About the author:

Bestselling author JB Salsbury lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and two kids. She spends the majority of her day as a domestic engineer. But while she works through her daily chores, a world of battling alphas, budding romance, and impossible obstacles claws away at her subconscious, begging to be released to the page.

Her love of good storytelling led her to earn a degree in Media Communications. With her journalistic background, writing has always been at the forefront, and her love of romance prompted her to sink her free time into novel writing.

Fighting for Flight is her first novel in the MMA romance series.

You can find her here:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Blog Tour: ARC Review + Giveaway: Mine by Katy Evans

Title: Mine (Real #2)
Author: Katy Evans
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: November 5th 2013
Source: Received from publisher for review (Thanks, Gallery Books, Enn, Katy and The SUBClub Books!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



He's mine, and I'm his. Our love is all-consuming, powerful,
imperfect, and real...

In the international bestseller REAL, the unstoppable bad boy of the Underground fighting circuit finally met his match. Hired to keep him in prime condition, Brooke Dumas unleashed a primal desire in Remington "Riptide" Tate as vital as the air he breathes... and now he can't live without her.

Brooke never imagined she would end up with the man who is every woman's dream, but not all dreams end happily ever after, and just when they need each other the most, she is torn away from his side. Now with distance and darkness between them, the only thing left is to fight for the love of the man she calls MINE.

Review:

Whoa. There's something to be said about great sequels and Mine is definitely one of them. If you've already read Real, then you know how crazy exciting Brooke and Remy's life is but what till you get ahold of Mine, because as far as sequels go, this one is pretty great!

Right from the very beginning of the book, you can already feel the tension between the characters (the thing Brooke did in Real is still very much an open wound) and everyone is affected by it. Especially Brooke. She was still obviously recovering from what happened and is even more insecure about herself because of what happened with Remy. Honestly, I didn't think she'd be able to cope with the pressure and expectations of being with him but she did, and I am amazed. Brooke has definitely grown from the naive and innocent physical therapist to a strong, no-nonsense but playful woman. I was happy to see her grow into a great character and that made reading this book all the more exciting because nobody wants a boring protag, and Brooke is far from boring.

Oh, Remy, Remy, Remy. When will I ever be immune to your charms (I hope never) because you always manage to continuously amaze me. Which is completely true. While Brooke may have been the protag, I have always thought that Remy was the star of this series. Maybe it's because of his "problem" or because he's Brooke's love but there's just something about Remy that screams "Look at me!". And not in a bad way. I love that even though he's this cocky badass fighter, he still has a sensitive and sweet side that shows whenever he's with Brooke. And oh. My. Golly. Whenever he gets all protective and brings out the full force of Remy, I die just a little bit. While Remy still has his "problem" I'm glad he has people to take care of him while he goes and takes care of Brooke. Haha! I need my own Remy...

But Mine isn't all about romance and steamy, steamy scenes. There's A LOT of crazy stuff that happens in this book and Katy Evans has definitely brought out all her guns. There were literally times when I just wanted to fling my phone across the room because I was getting so angsty that I didn't want to read anymore. Mine almost killed me, seriously. Seriously.

I suggest that you be prepared for anything when you're reading this book. Mine is exactly what a person looks for in a sequel: exciting, exhilarating, hot and most of all, engaging. Katy Evans really upped the stakes with this one and knowing her and her books, you should expect that Mine will be one hell of a ride. Yeehaw!

Rating:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Hey! I’m Katy Evans and I love family, books, life, and love. I’m married with two children and three dogs and spend my time baking, walking, writing, reading, and taking care of my family. Thank you for spending your time with me and picking up my story. I hope you had an amazing time with it, like I did. If you’d like to know more about books in progress, look me up on the Internet, I’d love to hear from you!

You can find me here:

Website: www.katyevans.net 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katy-Evans/521052267929550 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorkatyevans

Email: authorkatyevans@gmail.com

Review: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Title: The Chaos of Stars
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: September 10th 2013
Source: Received paperback from publicist (Thanks, Megan!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Review:

It's interesting to read a mythology book that isn't centered on the Greek or Norse gods/legends/etc. The Chaos of Stars gives an insight to the different gods there are in the Egyptian mythology and well, they're still incestuous/vain/power-hungry but insanely entertaining. Who knew that the Egyptians had that much drama in their lives too? It's like watching a Latin soap opera minus the Latin and the actually watching of the show. It all ties back to the family, you know?

Isadora gives a whole new meaning to having family issues. Like, seriously. Isadora is a likable character but her inherent need to be introverted and not let anyone in sort of blocks her appeal. I feel bad for her because she had to go through all that, and add in the fact that she's the only mortal in her family, she's got it pretty rough. She always feels like she's expendable and that her family will one day abandon her when there's a new child and I understand where the insecurity is coming from but I highly doubt her parents will leave her for dead. I think it's all about communication; that's the only way for her and her family to be able to properly convey what they feel and think. Other than the familial issues thing, Isadora's a pretty cool gal. She's an awesome interior designer and her designs sound amazing. It was interesting reading about her stay in the United States because I can just say, culture shock x100!! Her interactions with the people and her need to try to be normal was really cute. I also loved Isadora's wittisms and her love for the stars. It was pretty sweet.

Oh. My. Gosh. RY. RY. RY. He is such a sweeeeeeeet guy. I love that he writes poems and that even though he's insanely good looking and swoony, he's modest about it... okay, maybe not too modest. Haha! But yeah, Ry is a great guy (book boyfriend material) because with him, less is more. He doesn't say much but when he does, it's like a burst of sunshine and happiness... for me, that is. I actually felt really sorry for him because right from the get-go, Isadora friend-zoned him. Yes, she went there. It's mostly because she doesn't believe in love and everyone in her life is going to betray/abandon her so she told him they couldn't be more than friends... Ouch. (It's okay, Ry, I'm single!!) But everything is not what is seems, I don't know if you'll notice it but I did so I won't mention it but you'll know what it is when you see it. I am not being vague at all. *flies away*

There were literally times when I couldn't figure things out and I was left thinking, "Whuuuuut". It's good that there were unpredictable moments to battle out the parts that were sort of predictable because that just makes things more exciting. I loved that Kiersten White included Isadora's dreams because it really gave us an insight as to what might happen and they act as both a hint and a curveball. It all depends on what you make of it. Good luck, friends!

The Chaos of Stars shines with classic Kiersten White humor and wittiness that will draw not only entice you to keep reading but will also get you to join in on the laughter. While the romance aspect of the book was pretty evident, it was great that it was not the main focus of the story. The book was still mainly about the premonitions Isadora and her mom were having that will lead to something insanely crazy and exciting in the latter part of the book. Trust me, you will not see it. Unless you do... #Awkward I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait for more of Kiersten White's books.

Rating:

Stacking the Shelves (27)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews! It's where bloggers can share what they got for review, bought, borrowed, won or gifted (both physical and eBooks may be included! :D)

It's been a long time since I last posted a StS so here's the books I got over the weeks:

For review:

When the World was Flat by Ingrid Jonach (Goodreads)

*ARC* White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout [*DIESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*] (Goodreads)

Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful Bastard #1.5) by Christina Lauren (Goodreads)

Blood Family by Anne Fine (Goodreads)

*not pictured* Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (Goodreads)

White Trash Beautiful (White Trash #1) by Teresa Mummert (Goodreads)

Ultraviolet Catastrophe by Jamie Grey (Goodreads)

The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1) by Mindee Armett (Goodreads)

*not pictured* Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake (Goodreads)

*ARC* Sick by Tom Leveen (Goodreads)

The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1) by Sherry Thomas (Goodreads)

The Bitter Kingdom (Fire and Thorns #3) by Rae Carson (Goodreads)

How to Love by Katie Cotugno (Goodreads)

Lost in Babylon (Seven Wonders #2) by Peter Lerangis (Goodreads)

Deception (Defiance #2) by C.J. Redwine (Goodreads)

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White (Goodreads)

Into the Deep (Into the Deep #1) by Samantha Young (Goodreads) (Review)

Bought:

Bully (A Fall Away Novel #1) by Penelope Douglas (Goodreads)

*not pictured* Never Too Far (Too Far #2; Rosemary Beach #2) by Abbi Glines (Goodreads)

*not pictured* Forever Too Far (Too Far #3; Rosemary Beach #4) by Abbi Glines (Goodreads)

Tangled (Tangled #1) by Emma Chase (Goodreads)

Untold (The Lynburn Legacy #2) by Sarah Rees Brennan (Goodreads)

*signed* Wait for You (Wait for You #1) by J. Lynn (Goodreads)

One Week Girlfriend (Drew + Fable #1) by Monica Murphy (Goodreads)

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young (Goodreads)

The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never #1) by J.A. Redmerski (Goodreads)

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen (Goodreads)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (Goodreads)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (Goodreads)

Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads)

The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott (Goodreads)

Frozen (Heart of Dread #1) by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston (Goodreads)

*not pictured* Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth (Goodreads)

Thank you sooooooo much to Tashya + Harlequin Teen, Tina + A&C UK, Gallery Books, Jamie Grey, Alexis + Tor, Megan + HarperCollins International,  Random House UK, Samantha Young, Ingrid, Caroline + Strange Chemistry, National Book Store, Fully Booked and always, my parents! <3 You all rock!!

What did you get in your mailbox? :) Leave us a comment and we'll check it out!

Blog Tour: ARC Review + Giveaway: Off Chance by Sawyer Bennett

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Title: Off Chance (Off #5)
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Publication date:
Source: Received eARC from AToMR Book Blog Tours (Thanks, Andrea and Sawyer!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



He is seeking absolution.

Flynn Caldwell has a hero complex and it’s one of the reasons he joined the New York City Fire Department. He has spent his entire professional career trying to atone for that one person he failed to save. Because, if he can do that, then perhaps he can be worthy of love again.

She is seeking escape.

Rowan Page’s life is nothing short of a disaster. Always immersed in trouble, she has only herself to depend on. She’s determined to pull herself out of this mess and make something of her life, despite the hard years she has lived on the streets of New York.

Together, they have the chance to become complete.

Flynn and Rowan’s worlds exist miles apart, but when a chance meeting brings them together, neither of them can deny the instant pull that connects them to each other. What starts as a tiny spark eventually flares into a fire so hot, it refuses to be extinguished. 

For it to work, both of them will need to jump feet first into the flames to see where it takes them, despite the risk of being burned.

Review:

I am a big fan of the Off series (I keep reminding myself to review the other books but darn procrastination! One day...) and I am really sad to see it end. It was a great ending, by the way. You get a glimpse of what happens in the future and while it may not have been perfect, it was fitting to the story and to the rest of the characters. What I love about these books is that Sawyer Bennett always manages to give each character such distinct and unique qualities and personalities that really differentiates them from one another. No two characters are the same and it's so amazing that she is able to do that because it makes her books all the more interesting. And this one was no exception...

Off Chance was burning hot and no pun intended. It was smoking out so much steam I expected Sean Kingston to bust out and start singing "Fire Burning". Not kidding. It isn't even because Flynn is a fireman and a Caldwell (which is more than enough) or that they met because Rowen almost got burned alive, nope. And it's definitely not just because their chemistry is so intense even I need to cool myself off. No, it's because of the amount of emotion and vulnerability that this book has. Right from the very beginning, you already know that you have a set of characters that are imperfect and slightly broken but that didn't mean that they couldn't mend themselves because they did, with each other.

Flynn kind of has a hero complex, he always wants to help everyone out but after all of that, he's usually the one who needs saving. (Someone really needed to stage an intervention. Haha) But seriously speaking, Flynn is a great guy but I think that he gives people the benefit of the doubt too much and it ends up hurting him instead. He was the more vulnerable of the two because he was easy to accept his emotions compared to Rowen, who was still harboring some abandonment issues...

If there's one person who managed to keep a tough exterior throughout most of the book, it would be Rowen. There would be times when you would think that she was starting to lower her walls but they were still up there. Their story is kind of like Ever and Linc's it started off one-sided but managed to progress in the end. Rowen, like Ever, just didn't know how to trust people because she's always been let down by the people around her. And I totally understand where she was coming from but the key is to always take things into stride and not let it change you. I think Rowen did what she could in her circumstance that she was in.

Sawyer Bennett has created a couple that has become worthy to end the Off series and one that manages to shine as bright as the others. The Off books have never been one of those cheesy romances. Nope, they are classy and will melt all that cheese off because they are just so steamy... and sweet. I seriously need to get in on this... Are there anymore Caldwell relatives left?

Rating:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weakness but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

You can find her here:

Website / Twitter / Facebook