Naomi's Reading Palace: August 2015

My Skylar by Penelope Ward ~ Audiobook Review & Quote-tastic

This book was fantastic! It was emotional rollercoaster, I tell you! Mitch and Skylar's journey was emotional and hard fought!

Title: My Skylar

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: June 12th 2014

Buy Now - Amazon | Amazon Audible | B&N

From the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling romance, Jake Undone, comes a friends-to-lovers story of longing, passion, betrayal and redemption……with a twist that will rip your heart out.

Skylar was my best friend, but I secretly pined for her. One thing after another kept us apart, and I’ve spent the last decade in fear of losing her forever.

First, it was the cancer, but she survived only to face the unthinkable at my hands. Because of me, she left town. For years, I thought I’d never see her again.

But now she’s back…and living with him.

I don’t deserve her after everything I’ve put her through, but I can’t live without her. This is my last chance, because she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life. I can see it her eyes: she doesn’t love him. She still loves me...which is why I have to stop her before it’s too late.

My Skylar is a STANDALONE novel and a companion to Jake Undone.

**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+

Where to start with this book! It was such a beautiful book to listen to. The story line was not always easy, as the characters dealt with issues that affect everyday lives. I was swept away in the story, and my heart would swell with love for these two, just to shatter again and again.

Skylar and Mitch met at a young age. They became friends over one summer before Mitch returned home. A few years later, he’s back and after a rocky start, their relationship starts to grow again. Being young they deal with a lot of issues like normal teenagers, but have to grow quickly when life throws in curve ball after curve ball! This part of the story really crushed me, just when things were looking good between them as well. The insecurities they both harboured didn’t help either, and soon they were torn apart. This here was the first part of the story; there is so much more to Skylar and Mitch’s lives, which I don’t want to spoil for you. They each continued to grow, dealt with the hurdles they came across and loved one another fiercely.

I really enjoyed the journey that these two went on. Skylar was such a strong girl, she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, unless it was telling Mitch her true feelings. Mitch was such a nice guy, but made a lot of dumb decisions at times. I could see he loved Skylar and would do anything for her. They both grew into adults along the way and their love never died.

I really enjoyed how Casey Jones & Piper Goodeve narrated the story. The alternating point of views were done well by each author and I felt I was getting the inner workings of each characters minds. I could feel the emotion of both of these characters: the love, loss and heartbreak.

I thought that Penelope Ward did a remarkable job with Skylar and Mitch’s stories. There was so much emotion from both characters and at times I just wanted to hug them. Skylar and Mitch’s happily ever after was not easy to get to. I loved how the author showed us the details, getting my hopes up only to shatter them again and again. I thought that this was a remarkable story and Penelope showed me why she is a master at creating emotional and heartbreaking love stories.

I spoke over her lips. “Have I ever told you how much I love your lips, Skylar?”

She smiled through our kiss and moaned into my mouth. We both pulled back suddenly when someone knocked on the door.

She rubbed her mouth. “Come in!”

Oliver opened the door. “I’m sorry, Mitch. We’d better head out so you don’t miss your train.”

“Okay. Be right down.”

We just stood there staring at each other. My stomach filled with dread as I heard him start his car outside to warm it up.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. Our foreheads were touching as I said, “I may be walking out of here, but there’s not a piece of my heart that’s coming with me.”

Kindle Loc 1970

Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers. She spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family friendly career.

Penelope lives for reading books in the new adult genre, coffee and hanging out with her friends and family on weekends.

She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 8-year-old boy, both of whom are the lights of her life.

Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.

She is currently working on her fifth novel and loves friend requests from readers!

Other reviews featuring Penelope Ward
Step Brother Dearest
Jake Undone

Naomi’s Weekly Wrap Up 152

This week I had limited internet... So I have a few reviews to schedule next week but I managed to get some reading done.

My youngest was sick on and off this week, he did one full day of school, which was Friday!

Today I'm playing in my final for netball, if we win we are straight into the grand final in a fortnight. *fingers crossed*

Newly Exposed by Meghan Quinn ~ Review & Quote-tastic
Tough Love by Lori Foster ~ Review & Teaser Tuesday
Waiting On Wednesday #155 – Before We Were Strangers / Dreamland
In the Dark by Monica Murphy ~ Review & Swoon Thursday
Find Me by Laurelin Paige ~ Excerpt & Giveaway

My Skylar by Penelope Ward ~ Audio Review & Quote-tastic
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas ~ Review & Teaser Tuesday
Waiting On Wednesday #156
Prick by Sabrina Paige ~ Review & Swoon Thursday
Uncharted by Claudia Burgoa ~ Review

Bad Romeo was free, The Good Girls just 99c and I grabbed Maybe This Time on Audio.
Bad Romeo (Starcrossed, #1)

Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1) by Leisa Rayven
The Good Girls by Teresa Mummert
Maybe This Time (Maybe #1) by Chantal Fernando

Falling for Danger (Capital Confessions #3) by Chanel Cleeton

Stanton Adore (Stanton #1)
Stanton Unconditional (Stanton #2)
Stanton Completely (Stanton #3)
by T.L. Swan

Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) by Abbi Glines
Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

Naomi’s Weekly Wrap Up is a combined meme with the Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Bought, Borrowed and Bagged hosted by Braine @ Talk Supe and Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

read more "Naomi’s Weekly Wrap Up 152"

Find Me by Laurelin Paige ~ Excerpt & Giveaway

Today I have an excerpt for you... oozing with sexual tension! I love the sound of Gwen and JC. While you are here, check out the giveaway!

Title: Find Me

Author: Laurelin Paige

Series: The Found Duet #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: August 25th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon US | Amazon UK

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Gwen Anders came to The Sky Launch to begin fresh, away from the horrors of her past. She fit in quickly, becoming good friends with her co-manager, Alayna Withers and the owner of the club, Hudson Pierce. Though the circumstances that brought her here were not the best, she's never felt more at home.

But starting a new life means letting go. And there are some things she doesn't want to leave behind - like JC, the man who taught her how to let loose. The man she wasn't supposed to fall in love with. The man she doesn't want to lose.

Now, with the reason she ran still a threat, Gwen fears she'll never be able to move on completely. And if she does, can she still hold out hope that JC loves her enough to come and find her?

I grabbed my cell and checked the time. It was six-twenty-nine. I threw it in my purse and turned back to the mirror to give myself a pep talk. “We will not have sex. We will not have sex. We will not have sex.”

Jesus, I was so horny already, and I hadn’t even seen him yet. I’d thought about taking care of myself before JC got there but wasn’t sure if that would make things better or worse. By the time I’d decided it would make it better, Ben was there, and now JC was ringing my buzzer.

“You look incredible,” he said when I opened the door.

I blushed as I gave him a onceover. He was dressed in khakis with a fitted shirt and a lightweight jacket. Lots of buttons, I thought. Which was a good thing, considering how damn good he looked. Had he always been that buff? “You do, too.” My thighs felt hot. Good thing I’d changed out of my pants.

I really should have pulled out my vibrator earlier.

“You brought flowers?” I’d been so taken by him I hadn’t noticed the small bouquet in his hands. Three red roses dressed with some smaller white bell-shaped flowers I couldn’t identify were wrapped in a red ribbon. I hadn’t expected it. “I didn’t know you were the kind of guy who brought girls roses.”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “I’m trying to impress you. I have a feeling this date is a test of some kind, and I want to make sure I pass.”

“Not a test,” I said dismissively. Though, wasn’t that what this was? A test to see if we got along as well outside the bedroom as we did inside? “But thank you. You do impress.”

I shifted my weight to one hip and flitted my glance between JC, still standing on the other side of the threshold, and the flowers in my hand. “I should put these in water.” But I wasn’t sure I was ready to invite him in. Because in meant we’d be closer to my bed. And my couch. And my kitchen counter. All of which were locations that could be tempting.

Really, I just shouldn’t be anywhere alone with him.

Either JC felt the same way I did or he could read my mind. “You can do that later. The plastic containers on the stems should last until we get back. And we should get going.”

“Perfect.” I set them on the console table behind me, relieved and nervous all at once. I took a deep breath, grabbed my purse, and turned back to him. “Let’s go!”

In the hallway, he offered me his hand. I took it, then, there it was—the shock of his touch as his fingers weaved with mine. I let out an involuntary sigh, and with it bricks of tension fell from my body. Release. It shuddered through me as electricity sparked up my limb from where we were connected and spread throughout my body, and I wondered if this was what it felt like to melt. What it felt like to be frozen for so long and then, finally, to have the sun brush against cold ice, transforming it into something more fluid, something entirely different.

I glanced down to where we were joined, so overcome by how right it felt to be touching him in this simple way. When I looked back at him, I found his eyes pinned on me. His expression said he’d felt it too.

“You messed up, you know,” he said, as we started toward the elevator. “You were supposed to wear something that I didn’t want to rip off of you.”

My cheeks heated—actually, I wasn’t sure they’d ever cooled from the first blush he’d caused. “You said it would be impossible for me to wear anything that wouldn’t elicit that response. The only other choice was to go naked.”

“That would have been an excellent choice.”

“But not very practical.”

“I’ve never been a fan of practical.” He pushed the call button and the elevator doors opened immediately, the car likely still there from when he’d arrived.

We stepped inside, our hands still molded together. The doors closed, and I so badly wanted to turn and kiss him.

Instead I delivered the short speech I’d practiced since I’d woken up that afternoon. “I think I should tell you, I don’t have sex on first dates.”

“Wow. That’s...surprising. Considering we had sex before we’d ever even been on a date.” He squeezed my hand. “But, after you left me with blue balls this morning, I already figured out you’d turned into a prude.”

I laughed. “I’m not a prude. I’m cautious. And that’s nothing new. That’s always been me.”

“Yes, it has.” The short phrase was full of subtext, and I knew he was remembering how uptight I’d been when we’d first met. Icy. Frigid bitch.

“I’m better than I was,” I assured him.

He nodded. “I know. Otherwise you wouldn’t have given me even this much of you. And if you want to wait, then I can too.”

What I wanted was to push him against the wall and devour him.

But that was an in-the-moment want, and long-term, I wanted a relationship that was real and lasting. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

He leaned in close and, though we were alone, whispered in my ear. “I’m not going to say that I’m not dying to have you under me, Gwen. Because I am. But I’m dying to just be with you more.”

Despite the descent of the elevator, his words sent me floating. “You’re really good at that impressing thing.”

He gave me my favorite grin. “Who knew?”

Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there's kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

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In the Dark by Monica Murphy ~ Review, Giveaway & Swoon Thursday

The second book in Monica Murphy's The Rules series has now been released. If you loved Gabe in the first book, you need to see him in his own book!

Title: In the Dark

Author: Monica Murphy

Series: The Rules #2

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Published: August 25th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they’re spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling…

Lucy isn’t what she seems. She doesn’t live next door—she’s the girl who’s been hired to house sit for the summer while the family goes on a worldwide vacation. If Gabe wants to believe she’s a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she’ll never see him again.

They don’t count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl—and it’s exhausting. She knows she’s falling in love with Gabe and she’s scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?

After reading and loving Fair Game, the first book in The Rules series, I knew I had to snap up the next book and meet the woman who would tame Gabe. He couldn’t understand Shep’s obsession with Jade and planned on staying single… until he met Lucy.

In the Dark was basically told in two parts; the first part was the summer holiday fling where Gabe and Lucy met. It was funny at first because Gabe seemed to be a bit of a creeper… watching Lucy from his balcony, but it didn’t take long for him to find the courage to act. Lucy enjoyed having the eyes of the hottie next door watching her every day; she puts on a show soaking up the rays and swimming in the pool. She seemed so confident, but in reality, she lacked experience when it came to men. I liked seeing Lucy come out of her shell and the flirty banter she exchanged with Gabe. She may have been attracted to him, but she didn’t hold back when Gabe was a jerk, quick to send him on his way.

The second part was when Lucy and Gabe head back to university. They had their memories, but had to move on to start their lives again. To find out that they are at the same university is a huge shock for both of them, and Lucy finds it hard to keep up her charade. They were still attracted to one another and soon the infatuation took hold again.

I loved both these characters; they were passionate and determined to get what they wanted. They both had a few problems with their families; Gabe’s parents are rich and have a certain plan for him and Lucy’s mother is adamant that boys are the devil (kind of like the mum from the movie The Waterboy!). I liked seeing all the characters from the previous book again too. Gabe would seek advice from Shep for his girl problems, which was amusing, and Lucy’s roommate Gabi was someone that she could rely on.

In the Dark was another entertaining and sizzling read by Monica Murphy. She is a master at building the intensity and sexuality between her characters. They were perfect for one another and were willing to fight for each other. I missed the illegal casino that the guys had in the first book, as it was shut down for the summer, and was slow when it reopened. I could see that Tristan wasn’t dealing well with his guys becoming tied down… I know I’m going to enjoy his story, for sure!

Complimentary copy provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review.

There were a few nice moments, but I though this was a sweet one that made me swoon... Gabe is an old fashioned guy at times! *wink*

“I’m going to do this right.” His hand drops from my mouth and he releases his grip on my other hand. I frown at the loss. There’s nothing better than having Gabriel Walker touching you, trust me. “Starting now.”
“Do what right?” I ask as he stands and offers his hand to me.
“Properly woo you, of course.” He grins.
I think I’m in serious trouble.

Kindle Arc Loc 2938

Hosted by YA Bound

New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She's a workaholic who loves her job. When she's not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

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Other reviews featuring Monica Murphy

The Rules series
Fair Game #1

Waiting On Wednesday # 155 – Before We Were Strangers / Dreamland

Second chance loves are always sweet reads, so I'm excited to read Before We Were Strangers. And a book about dream travelling! Yes please!

Title: Before We Were Strangers

Author: Renee Carlino

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication: September 1st 2015 in Australia

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.

To the Green-eyed Lovebird:

We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.

You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.

We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.

Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…

I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.

After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?

Title: Dreamland

Author: Robert L. Anderson

Genre: Fantasy

Expected Publication: September 22nd 2015

Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never questioned her mother, not about the rules, not about the clocks or the mirrors, not about moving from place to place to be one step ahead of the unseen monsters that Dea’s mother is certain are right behind them.

Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town and Dea finally starts to feel normal. As Connor breaks down the walls that she’s had up for so long, he gets closer to learning her secret. For the first time she wonders if that’s so bad. But when Dea breaks the rules, the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate. How can she know what’s real and what’s not?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where I have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases that I’m eagerly anticipating.