Naomi's Reading Palace: October 2015

Naomi’s Weekly Wrap Up 161

This week was another busy one! My 8yo had a scan for his teeth, and then we were off to the dentist again for a filling, coating on teeth and a clean... but the 8yo needs to go to an orthodontist, because his top teeth are over crowded! His adult teeth that aren't even coming down yet are turning and coming down twisted... sigh...

The blog is up to date... I'm almost scheduled through December and I've started to lock things into 2016! I can't believe it's just around the corner!

Happy Halloween everyone! Even though we don't celebrate Halloween in Australia, the kids at school organised a party and had a dress up day. Here are my kiddos!

The Queen by Tiffany Reisz~ Early Review & Quote-tastic
Reckless Abandon by Jeannine Colette ~ Release Day Review & Teaser Tuesday
Surviving Ice by K.A. Tucker ~ Review
Waiting On Wednesday # 164 – Tough Enough / Soundless
Manwhore +1 by Katy Evans ~ Review & Swoon Thursday
Wicked Restless by Ginger Scott ~ Excerpts, Teasers & Giveaway

A Shot of Sin by Eden Summers ~ Review & Quote-tastic
Tough Enough by M. Leighton ~ Release Day Review
With Visions of Red (Box Set ) by Trisha Wolfe ~ Release Day
Waiting On Wednesday # 165
Reap the Wind by Karen Chance ~ Review & Swoon Thursday
Still a Bad Boy by Ada Scott ~ Excerpt & Giveaway
(Dis)Content by Melissa Haag ~ Excerpt & Giveaway

99 c Purchases that I picked up this week!
Perfected (Perfected, #1)

Perfected (Perfected #1)
by Kate Jarvik Birch
Verum (The Nocte Trilogy #2)
by Courtney Cole
Kian by Tijan

Reckless Rendezvous (Reckless Beat #4.5)
by Eden Summers

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.

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Wicked Restless by Ginger Scott ~ Excerpts, Teasers & Giveaway

You know how much I love a good romance, and I think this one will be great! I haven't read anything by Ginger Scott before, but I'm dying to know more about Andrew Harper!

Title: Wicked Restless

Author: Ginger Scott

Series: Harper Boys #2

Genre: Very Mature YA Contemporary Romance

Published: October 20, 2015

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

Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life’s pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb…and isolated.

Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew’s life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and color, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole.

But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he’s willing to go for the girl who owns his heart.

Cuts are deep.

Scars are left behind.

And revenge beckons.

When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don’t really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before.

Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it's too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?

Ginger's Favorite Quotes from the Wicked Restless

QUOTE 1

“I don’t know her name, and I’m not sure I’ll like her when she speaks. But I know I’ll never forget her. Her smile, however fast it comes and goes in this moment, coincides with the first full breath I’ve taken in years.”

This is a little inner dialogue Andrew has the first time he lays eyes on Emma. I love it because it isn’t insta-love. But it is insta-whoa. I think that’s what we really go through in high school. We’re too young to really understand what the attraction is we feel to someone, and we don’t know what to call it or how to quantify it. But damn do we feel it.

QUOTE 2

Her sound fades as her eyes open and her gaze meets mine.

Inches. There are inches in life. Inches that make the difference between a race, that determine your height or pants size, that might mean you make it to the train on time.

I’m living in inches right now, inches and breaths.

Beautiful inches.

“I like you, Emma,” I say. My heartbeat fills my throat; I swallow and feel the heat take over my chest and arms and hands.

She doesn’t answer with words, instead letting her lashes sweep shut while I take in the dusting of freckles along her cheeks. Her lips part with a shallow breath, her bottom one trembling.

“Andrew,” she breathes out my name. It’s a whisper. Like I’m a secret.

Maybe I am.

So this is more of a really short passage, but it’s one of my favorites. I love this little moment that only lasts a handful of seconds. It practically wrote itself. I had the thought of how time passes and how close they were, and the vision of how everything looks when you’re so close to someone, about to kiss someone, but you lack the courage to do it. Inches. Slow eyelash sweeps. Lips parting. If I were filming this, the close-up would be beautiful. I swear.

QUOTE 3

“Everywhere, Emma. I. Hurt. Everywhere.”

When Andrew says this, it’s really the first glimpse he gives Emma into what’s happened to him—both physically and emotionally. It’s such a simple proclamation, but even saying it hurts him. It’s about him trusting her, but still walking this line where he blames her and can’t align the fact that perhaps he shouldn’t. It’s about more than bruises and cuts. It’s about the stuff she can’t see.

QUOTE 4

“You have no idea how you bewitch me, Emma Burke,” he says, his teeth dragging his bottom lip, his tongue caught in their snare next. “No idea.”

His eyes wander around my face, and in that instant I see it—Andrew Harper is worshiping me.

Ahhhh, that word. This quote I love simply for the word ‘bewitch.’ I stared at this moment on my screen for a good long while before the right word hit. This is a lot like that first time he saw her, but he’s older, he’s been through a journey, as has she. This moment between them needed to be more than a crush, more than just a boy thinking a girl was cute. It’s that moment on the way to being in love. Bewitched.

QUOTE 5

I spend most of the time at home alone pacing my room before leaving to pick up Emma, switching out my dark gray T-shirt for a long-sleeved black one and slipping on my gray jeans. I look like Owen when I wear this, and I think there’s a part of me that feels his confidence in my veins when I resemble him.

I love this little moment where a young Andrew is getting ready to take out a girl. He isn’t overt about how much he idolizes his brother, but he does. He admires his older brother so very much. I wanted that to come out in small hints and glimpses. He sees his brother as confident and strong, and he wants to emulate him. Sibling relationships are so vital to many of my stories—but none more than in this story.

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

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Manwhore +1 by Katy Evans ~ Review & Swoon Thursday

This was a great sequel to the first book. I am a fan of Katy's writing and cannot wait for more!

Title: Manwhore +1

Author: Katy Evans

Series: Manwhore #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: July 7th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N

Billionaire playboy? Check.
Ruthless businessman? Check.
Absolutely sinful? Check.

Malcolm Saint was an assignment. A story. A beautiful, difficult man I was supposed to uncover for a racy exposé.

I intended to reveal him, his secrets, his lifestyle—not let him reveal me. But my head was overtaken by my heart and suddenly nothing could stop me from falling. I fell for him, and I fell hard.

Malcolm Saint is absolute Sin, and I've become a hopeless Sinner.

Now that the assignment is over, Saint wants something from me--something unexpected--and I want this wicked playboy's heart. But how can I prove to the man who trusts no one that I’m worthy of becoming his plus one?

I jumped straight into Manwhore +1 once I finished the first book, because that ending was courageous, sad and heartbreaking. I needed to know what Malcolm thought of Rachel’s article and whether he could forgive her so they could get together again. It wasn’t an easy journey; it was intense, emotional and still scorching hot!

Malcolm summons Rachel to his office in the beginning of this book, and both her and I were shocked about what happened. I was expecting some kind of showdown, not what actually occurred. I’m glad she continued to chase what she wanted, rather than caving to his suggestions just to be close to him again. After that, they continued to see one another, mainly through business gatherings, but the sexual tension between them continued to rise! The wine tasting… OMG! and more trips on The Toy, it wasn’t surprising that their feelings would surface again.

I loved watching the relationship between Rachel and Malcolm grow and strengthen once again. I can see how perfect they were for one another, and so could their friends. They both took the falling out hard, not functioning well without the other piece of their hearts. I love how ruthless Malcolm was, but some little actions made me swoon. Rachel kept baring her soul to Malcolm, and he could see that she was all in, but it was hard for him to fully trust her after everything.

Malcolm’s father has a bit of an impact in Manwhore +1 as well, trying to use Rachel to manipulate his son. I would’ve liked to see this particular thread expanded on, and although it was mentioned here and there throughout the story, a bit more drama would’ve been some entertaining spice!!

Manwhore +1 was a great sequel to the first book and I enjoyed how Malcolm and Rachel worked to regain the connection they once had. They were able to let each other past their well constructed walls to understand each other’s insecurities and why they were so closed off. They were great together, it was romantic and they were sizzling when it came to the sex! I’m looking forward to more from this world, particularly in the novella Ms Manwhore, and hopefully a story for Tahoe and Gina too!

Complimentary copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an honest review.

Mmmm... this scene made me swoon!

I open my lips, but he drags his mouth up the side of my face and exhales slowly, ﬁsting a hand in my hair as he holds me to his chest. I don’t move a muscle. If he’s giving me time to protest, I can’t. I just can’t. I missed him so much, a ball of emotion is forming in my stomach and my throat and my heart.
His delicious scent is killing me. So familiar I'm high.
His hair tickles the side of my face as he goes to the other corner, and I can smell his soap, and when he sets his lips fully on mine, I quiver. He slips his tongue lightly into my mouth, as if testing my resistance.

Paperback Page 123-4

Hosted by YA Bound

Katy Evans grew up with books and book-boyfriends until she found a real sexy boyfriend to love. They married and are now hard at work on their own happily ever after. Katy loves her family and friends, and she also loves reading, walking, baking, and being consumed by her characters until she reaches “The End.” Which is, hopefully, only the beginning…

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Other reviews featuring Katy Evans
Manwhore series
Manwhore #1

Real series

Real #1

Mine #2

Remy #3

Rogue #4

Ripped #5

Surviving Ice by K.A. Tucker ~ Review

Surviving Ice is now out! If you haven't jumped on the K.A. Tucker train... you should do so now! I'm late to the party, but love her work and am looking forward to going back and reading more of her work!

Title: Surviving Ice

Author: K.A. Tucker

Series: Burying Water #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: October 27th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and Burying Water—which Kirkus Reviews called “a sexy, romantic, gangster-tinged page-turner”—returns with a new novel packed with romance, plot twists, and psychological suspense.

Ivy, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is finally looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have found it in San Francisco, but all that changes when she witnesses a terrible crime. She’s ready to pack up her things yet again, when a random encounter with a stranger keeps her in the city, giving her reason to stay after all.

That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter wasn’t random. Not at all…

After reading my first K.A. Tucker book, Chasing River, I knew that I was hooked to her work and eager to read Surviving Ice to get Ivy’s story. She was a bit of a free spirit in the previous book, going to Ireland to work in her cousin’s tattoo shop before moving back to America. She was working in her Uncle Ned’s shop and had felt comfortable for the first time since she was a child. But I soon learned that things were about to change for her in a matter of moments.

After the fallout of what happened at the tattoo shop, Ivy had to pick up the pieces on her own. She worked hard to clean up and felt that she didn’t need help. A local bikie came by and offered assistance, and a broody stranger that wanted a tattoo done that slowly worked his way under her skin. He helped in the shop and Ivy worked on his tattoo after he continued to come around. He had his own agenda, as I soon found out, and he was looking for what he was assigned to do, but I could see him falling for Ivy.

I liked watching the relationship between Ivy and Sebastian grow. For Sebastian it started as just work, but I could see the sparks growing between them. He was becoming protective of her and was hopeful that she didn’t know what was going on. Ivy thought she finally found someone who understood her and slowly let her walls down around Sebastian. I could see them both falling hard, but the secrets put a bit of distance between them.

There was an element of suspense to the story, too, as you didn’t know whether or not Ivy was in danger. Obviously, Sebastian is there for a reason and what happened to Ned has slowly filtered over to Ivy, even though she doesn’t realise! This was a thrilling element in the story that kept me on edge!

This was another mesmerising read by K.A. Tucker. I love how she takes aspects that have occurred and entwined them into her stories. All these characters feel real and you just want to jump in there to help or offer comfort when needed. I liked the addition of the secondary characters; Bobby and Dakota were great support for Ivy and helped her find her way. This was a great final book in the series, and now I need to go read more of Tucker’s work!

Complimentary copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an honest review.

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons.

She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit.

Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

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Other reviews featuring K.A. Tucker

Burying Water series

Chasing River #3

Waiting On Wednesday # 164 – Tough Enough / Soundless

I have been dying for the second book in the Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series! And I'm very excited about Richelle Mead's new book.

Title: Tough Enough

Author: M. Leighton

Series: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication: November 3rd 2015

He’s a fighter who never loses, but is he tough enough to win her heart?

There was a time when I had everything–a wonderful family, a bright future. Love. But all that was taken away in a single night, torn from me like flesh from bone. Since then, I’ve hidden away in my second-choice job as a makeup artist. But I prefer it that way, actually. I’m comfortable in the shadows, where no one can see my scars.

Kiefer Rogan literally took my breath away the moment I met him. MMA champion-turned-actor, notorious playboy, charming to a fault—he’s everything I vowed to avoid.

But he just wouldn’t stop until I opened up and let him in. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to resist him. Maybe I shouldn’t have fallen in love with him. Because I, of all people, know that everyone has secrets. Scars. And that they’re usually ugly and painful and destructive to the people we love most.

I just never guessed that they could be deadly, too.

Title: Soundless

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: YA Fantasy

Expected Publication: November 10th 2015

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...

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.

Reckless Abandon by Jeannine Colette ~ Release Day Review, Giveaway & Teaser Tuesday

I read the first book, Pure Abandon, and loved this brand new author! I was dying to read Jeannine Colette's next project and I loved it too! She has now become one of my must have authors! If you are looking for someone new to try, pick up Reckless Abandon now!

Title: Reckless Abandon

Author: Jeannine Colette

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Published: October 27th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N

A heart-wrenching breakup, an accident… a loss.
Stretching out my right hand, I am reminded of the worst year of my life and all the dreams that faded in one awful weekend.
For six months I was numb.
And then I met a man.
An intense, complex, emotion extracting, sinful man.
If there's one thing I notice it’s the piercing gaze he is giving me.
So piercing because of Golden Eyes.
But what my heart doesn’t know…is he here to save me or is he the one who needs saving?

After reading Pure Abandon, I was dying to read the next book by Jeannine Colette. Reckless Abandon features one of the characters from the previous book, but it can be read as a standalone. Reading the first book would show you what he went through and you’d understand why he has trouble trusting people and letting them close, but is not at all necessary.

Emma… her story made my heart ache! The prologue shocked me and I had to keep reading to see what happened and whether or not she would come back from that. She had scars on the inside as well as the outside, and seemed to be coasting through life. The trip to Capri with her sister was the beginning of change for her. She met a guy who showed her that it’s ok to take risks again and how to open up to another person. They shared a passion for music, and I could see that it was the beginning of something amazing!

But of course there were twists thrown in! Misunderstandings, lack of trust and misdirected blame pushed them apart. I watched as they tried to repair what they had. Emma tried to keep her distance because her heart had broken, but the sweet things that happened would’ve had me caving for sure! The accident was a pivotal aspect in regards to Emma, on how she healed and every detail I learned about it caused tears to well in my eyes numerous times, and one scene in particular almost brought me undone!

This is the second book that Jeannine Colette has written, and she has continued to rock my world! If her early work is this good, she is going to be huge in the future. The emotion she wove into this story made my heart to ache, the passion the characters had for one another was off the charts, and how music continued to bring them back together was magnificent! It was an incredible read that I didn’t want to end… What are you waiting for? GET THIS BOOK, NOW!

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

I have a couple of short tasers for you today that I loved from this book. There are so many more I could've put in there too!

“You’re talented. You’re feisty. You’re mesmerizing. You’re captivating. And you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”

Kindle Arc Loc 1530

Walking hand in hand through the streets of Capri I got to know him. On a boat in the middle of the ocean I let him into my heart. Playing the strings of a cello I fell so deep for him I have been trying to claw my way back to the top ever since.

Kindle Arc Loc 3340

Hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm

Jeannine Colette is a television producer, writer, mother, and philanthropist.

A graduate of Wagner College and the New York Film Academy, Jeannine went on to become a Segment Producer for television shows on CBS and NBC. She currently freelances in the television industry while attending to her children and pursuing her writing career. She lives in New York with her husband, the two tiny people she adores more than life itself, and a rescue pup named Wrigley.

Jeannine and her family are active supporters of The March of Dimes and the Hearing Health Foundation.

Connect with Jeannine on social media: