Maybe it’s news. Weather. Sports. Crocheting tips.

It’s there.

You know it, too.

How do I know?

Of course I have mine.

I have a whole list of them in fact.

Go ahead and roll your eyes. I do it to myself. But the more I look at it, the more I see it’s the same series of sites … social stuff first, books second, news headlines to keep up with current events. Do I read everything on all the pages?

Never. I skim headlines, posts, fees, whatever it is to get a general feel or sense for what’s going on.

I might spend 10 seconds or 10 minutes on the site and I click off … my addiction need ‘met’.

Only to have it rear its head again later. I can be in the middle of a project – thinking about my work, my writing, my kids play and a desire to know what’s going on … with my friends, my family or even just the world will over take.

One click and I’m back.

Now, I will say, the busier I get, the less frequently I visit these sites … but if I’m bored, I could spend hours going from one to the other, refreshing 8000 times wondering if something new is going to be posted.

Thinking about it logically … this is all kinda stupid. I mean, seriously? It’s like the need for a cigarette and while physically healthier, I’m not sure it’s mental healthier.

At least I’m not spending my day clicking on porn sites. (No, really, I’m not).

I think I have a solution for my problem and this is where my question comes in. I need more sites to ‘love to go to’ so that I have so many I ‘love’ that I don’t have time to visit them all. You see … when I have too many interests, they all take a back seat, so this is my personal reverse psychology on myself.

Think it’ll work?

Yeah … me neither.

But hey … at least we can be in each others’ company as we visit site after site.

So … want to know my biggest web habits?

• Goodreads (duh)
• Twitter via TweeDeck
• Facebook (most addicted for long-term consumption)
• Emotion Thesaurus (Yes, seriously)
• My own website statistics (sounds dumb, but I love seeing how many people visit and from where they come – remember, I’m a nerd)
• J Taylor Publishing (as if something would be new there, too)
• Amazon (obvious reasons)
• Fox News (Gotta skim headlines)
• WRAL.com (Gotta skim local headlines)

And lately, these sites have come into my ‘Top sites’ list (as developed by my browser from the sites I visit way too often:

• Boxers or Briefs
• Scribophile

I’ve visited 1000s of websites but these are ones I stick to. I think because they give me the most information fast. But hey … what can I do? And no, ‘turning off the Internet’ is not an option.

How about you?

—–

Darkness & Light by J.A. Belfield

About the front:
I LOVE this new cover. Granted I liked the old cover because of the mystery, but knowing the story, this cover totally steals the thunder from the old one. There’s mystery, there’s curiosity, there’s darkness, there’s light. The wolf is a huge element in Darkness & Light and the running girl in the back could reflect Jem running from the wolf (which she does) or into the forest (which she does) or away from the bad guy(s) (which she does) … or so many things. I love the colors, the deep blues and blacks and that one brighter spot in the back. Is that the proverbial ‘light at the end of the tunnel?’

It’s my understanding that this cover was changed to be more in line with Blue Moon and future covers, so I’m all for the change. I think it seriously rocks and reflects the story even better than the old cover.

Now let’s look at what the back says:

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?
Since I already know this story, this little tie-in part will be more to see if word by word, there’s a connection.

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.

Jem. Werewolf. Escape. I see it all.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.

Sean. Werewolf. human. Woman. Not meeting. I see all these elements.

Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.

I’m glad that the wolf and girl are separate and not even facing each other. If they were (or worse, if she was petting him or something) it would totally ruin the moment they come together.

When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

All these things are great ‘what if he doesn’t’ elements and with her running away, it makes me think he might just fail.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Inner wolf too buried… another ‘running away’ connection.

Will I read it?
I already have. Twice. In this case, I might just read it … again!

Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!

—–

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

About the front:
When I first saw this cover, the middle section where it’s ‘exploded’ really caught my eye. Add in the yellow of the inside and I had to know what was in there. So I clicked and brought up the cover and saw the people on the rock. So now there are people inside this exploded/burst center. Then, I noticed the bottom with the people running. My eye went from one place to the next, up, down and over trying to figure out how they all fit, but being totally entranced by that center.

It makes me want to get really really close and squeeze my eyes really tight to try and see more. It’s like what’s behind there is being kept from me and all I have to do is rip the pieces back a little bit farther and I will get to see more.

That, of course, is what the book should do… give me more.

Now let’s look at what the back says:

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

What a great opener. I’m intrigued. Being told what NOT to do is so contrary to what TO do. Then, of course falling in love … with one of what??? Based on the cover, I’d have thought everyone people. So … I read on!

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

OOh! So, the opposite of normal. Not the vampires being the minority, but humans. That’s cool! (To me at least)

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Um … wait. So Gene is a human but people think he’s a vampire? Hmmm…. And the humans are going to figure that out? But the girl … is she human or not? No? If he’s faking being a vampire, what do hunters hunt? People? Vampires? So what side is he on?

I can’t tell if this is a convoluted mis-match trying to clarify the plot or a deliberate action to make me confused, but boy am I. Also, this looks like a romance based on the blurb, but the cover in no way reflects a romance … well … I guess the two on the rock in the center could be the romance. But is it a true romance like the blurb reflects or is it, as I’d suspected, an urban fantasy? If it’s UF … what’s the actual plot? Because right now it sounds like a 100% romance.

Will I read it?
I’m a little torn. While I loved the cover, the confusion with the blurb turns me away. So I’m just not sure right not.

Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!

—–

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Depending on your interpretation of ‘spring fling’, you could be thinking a dance party, outside, in the evening, in the warmth of spring.

Or … you could be thinking it’s about time to have a ‘spring fling’ … a one-night-stand, a little extra rendezvous.

Or … a spring fling equals spring cleaning and it’s time to empty out that over-full closet.

For me, anytime I think of spring, I go straight to the warm nights, the greening grass and trees … the feel of the world coming back to life. This is a time weddings get planned, parks are great for family portraits and reading may even slow because we’re spending more time outside (which is good for ya!).

Sometimes, though, especially where I live … spring goes back and forth and back and forth between hot and cold! Some days the temperature can drop or increase by 20-30 degrees! Shorts to pants. Windows open to air conditioning on, to heat and blankets!

It’s crazy and here in the south, ‘spring fling’ is a great way to describe … the weather! It flings ya around one day to the next. Kinda like love. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. Up one day. Down the next. Up. Down.

There’s no difference in our fictional characters lives either. They have to be ‘flung’ around in order to really reach their happily ever after.

So today, all I want to know is … which of these couples, do you think, will have the hardest time getting to their happily ever after? Just read the blurb and take a guess!

First up … Hide & Seek!

Lie, cheat or steal, no one can catch Tripp Fox. Except one woman.

Lexi Shepherd’s knack for finding whatever is asked of her isn’t sheer luck. It’s a gift from the Greek god Zeus.

That Lexi doesn’t use her ability to search for “Mr. Right” comes from one of many personal rules she has set for herself. Number one is not to let fate dictate her future.

Falling in love with Tripp breaks all the others.

Despite her principles, Lexi’s unable to stay away from the bad boy, and she finds herself toeing the grey line of the law for him.

Zeus, though, didn’t give Lexi and Tripp their talents to make their relationship a simple, easy alliance. He designed it to be exactly the opposite. Impossible. Always.

With their separation, Lexi expects Tripp to forfeit love in favor of destiny. He, on the other hand, intends to beat Zeus at his own game. With a plan in place, Tripp challenges Lexi to take the one action no one else can.

Find him.

The question isn’t can she … but will she?

Dying to read this right now? You can buy it … or keep on scrolling…

Next up … Little White Lies!

When the government needs a body double for a covert operation, they hire shape-shifter Charley Randall. For two centuries, she’s played every part from foreign dignitary to office drone. The role she wants most, though, is one she’s denied herself three times already.

FBI Agent Wyatt Moreland believes Charley’s photographic memory is the key to his latest assignment. He’s oblivious to the true extent of her abilities, but he can’t deny the sense of déjà vu at their introduction.

Unlike Wyatt, Charley knows this isn’t their first meeting.

It’s their fourth.

The girl he vowed to love, sixteen years before, stands in front of him in her true form — one he’ll never recognize.

With each reconnection, Charley loves him more though she realizes this is her last chance to explain. Only absolute truth can bring them happiness, but can Wyatt forgive her deceptions? Or will lies tear them apart forever?

Dying to read this right now? You can buy it … or keep on scrolling…

And finally … Surrender! Cael and Lily’s story!

Face the past or look to the future? Both will hurt. One could kill her.

All her life, Lily Crane has supressed her childhood memories, masking the signs of abuse with a variety of looks. From brunette to blonde, tall to short — as a Mimic, changing shape is her gift. Her right. Her achilles heel.

It’s Lily’s latest likeness, chosen simply by accident, which threatens to repeat a history she’s desperate to forget. Worse, she must do so without the one man who takes all her pain away: Cael Aldridge.

Cael has no intention of leaving Lily on her own. He never has. Now, with the woman he loves in the hands of a predator who wants Lily for her genetics, Cael will do everything he can to bring her home.

Alive.

He can only pray he isn’t too late.

Since this one comes out in September, you’ll have to wait just a little bit to get it right now. But you can at least add it to your Goodreads list!

So … who’d have the hardest time reaching their happily ever after?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

—–

Reaper by L.S. Murphy

About the front:
I love this cover! L.S. Murphy is a fellow author and today is her reveal day! How cool is that? So … of course, I just have to review this cover. What do I see? A girl. I pretty girl with a sheepish look. She’s standing on her shoes as opposed to wearing them and is holding, of all things, a scythe! Now why would an obviously young girl be holding a scythe? I’ll assume she’s THE Reaper that the title suggests. And she’s in what? high school? What does that mean for a girl her age? It would suck, I think and maybe that’s why she looks so solemn. I imagine that little line up there “Death calls at the most inconvenient times,” relates right to her, too. As this is tagged Urban Fantasy, I can see how it fits … high school, grim reaper, someone fashionable and cute … seems like someone has a nice conundrum to deal with.

Now let’s look at what the back says:

There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?

There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

So she’s young, she IS fashionable and she has attitude. I can see that from just this one line.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Ah … a game. A game with death? That can’t be fun. And Death with a capital ‘D’ so Death is someone? Hmmm….

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Ooooh! So there’s a guy involved. Will he be a bigger piece in this story than Death? Or is Death the key?

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Ah, so there’s a point to Death’s presence and, of all things, those shoes, car and attitude are going to grow up a little.

Where I’d read it
I’ll go with anywhere. This sounds like a fun, contemporary, urban fantasy … with a guy (romance?)

Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!

—–

Still, there’s this twinge of guilt that seems to come whenever I hear of a friend who’s getting divorced or separated. Moreso when I know there are children involved. It makes my inner guilt-o-meter spring up.

Why is this?

What is it about me?

I feel bad for my friends, for their children, for those involved. I wish, without even knowing a bit of the details, that I could have done something. That’s a stupid feeling because I know there’s nothing I could ever do to ‘fix’ someone’s relationship especially, when I don’t even know there’s something wrong.

It’s just that when I find out two people are no longer happy with each other it makes me wonder:

- why?
- what happened?
- why can’t they work it out?
- did he do something? did she?
- why get married in the first place?
- why have kids?

And then I start to think:

- what am I doing right? Is it simply luck? Is it my faith?
- what do I need to do to keep going on the right path?
- where we destined to be together? (this one comes up because of our youthful ages when we met)

Sure, these are all rational questions, but in context, they almost seem out of the ordinary. Why do I even worry or feel this way at all?

I am happily married. More than happily in fact. I should be ridiculously proud of making it through the tough years, of having the strength in our relationship to want to keep working through things.

You know?

I should say those things.

But it feels like gloating. And therein comes the guilt.

My friends are hurting and nothing I will say can help. I can’t say ‘been there done that’ and empathize. I can’t commiserate. I can barely sympathize because in my heart of hearts, I’m thinking “What did you do wrong?” when I know (in the logical side of me) that sometimes, there’s nothing ‘done wrong’. Otherwise, 50% of marriages wouldn’t end in divorce.

And so, I just feel guilty for saying only “I’m so sorry.” and leaving it at that.

Because there’s nothing more I can do except wish for a solution. Hope for the best. Say a prayer on their behalf and hug and kiss my husband because even just last night, he said, “You know, in another 40 years, we’re going to be in this drive through, ordering these sandwiches at the senior citizen discount for $8 instead of $30 to feed our 5 right now.”

And just the thought of another 40 years stirs my heart, makes me smile and almost brings a tear to my eye. Yeah … that’s how much I love him and could never, ever, ever dream of a life without him.

So to my friends who are struggling … if I sound unsympathetic or don’t say the right thing … it’s simply because I don’t know how. This is an area I can’t even explore and for that, for you, I’m sorry.

Am I crazy?

Share in the comments!

—–

Author Claire Gillian

If you were to be eaten by cannibal, how would you like to be prepared?
I’d like to be humanely killed first because terror in the final moments of life taints the flavor of the meat. That being said, just throw me in a tandoori oven and season me with lots of Indian spices—cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, ginger and cardamom. Yum, yum. If I weren’t the main course, I’d ask for a nibble.

If that doesn’t get you interested in this brand new author, check her out at all these other places:

Wouldn’t it be fun to chuck it all and go live on a sailboat?
Not on a sailboat. How would I get internet??? What if my laptop got wet?? I love the sea but as a place to visit or live near not on.

Do spelling and grammer mistakes annoy you?
If you spelled grammar wrong in the question on purpose, then my answer is obvious, since I zeroed in on it and had to address it. And that second question is a trick question I refuse to answer. But one day perhaps I’ll reconsider.

Have you ever had your heart broken?
No. The heart can’t be broken. It can be bruised, battered and stomped on emotionally. It can be clogged until it ceases to function, like a toilet, but I wouldn’t say that’s broken. That’s destroyed. See, I’m one of those annoying nit-pickers who takes things too literally sometimes. I told you I was a curmudgeon!

Now, before we get to the last question, let’s look at Claire’s book …

The PURE by Claire Gillian

No one ever said Gayle Lindley’s first job would be a killer.

Fresh out of college, Gayle’s career path should follow the yellow brick road straight to the top. Thanks to a menial errand gone wrong, a wayward tongue, and a randy supervisor who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Gayle’s stuck in corporate hell.

Discovering a company secret only turns up the heat.

The one part of her life not going down in flames is her friendship with the gorgeous, but intensely private, Jon Cripps. Jon would make the perfect consolation prize for Gayle’s pity party if dating a co-worker wasn’t career suicide. Then again, with all Gayle has been through, maybe falling in love is the lucky break she needs.

Hitting the cool sheets with Jon soothes her mind and body, but it also enrages whoever’s behind the smokescreen she’s uncovered at work. Someone is willing to kill to protect their secrets, and Gayle and Jon are the targets.

With both her heart and livelihood at stake, Gayle’s early career-limiting moves could turn into life-terminating ones.

Claire says she wrote The PURE because she was once that naive new hire trying to fit into corporate America for the first time only to discover that a high GPA coupled with lots of wining and dining during the recruiting phase meant absolutely NOTHING! Nothing? Yes, nothing! Well that sucks. Too bad for her main character.

Favorite 6 sentences from the book

“The elephant in the room trumpeted for attention. The kiss. My lips on his. Did I use my tongue? Oh God, I don’t even want to think about it.

I shrank in my seat as fresh brain cells replaced their fallen comrades, the memories coming into sharper focus.

Buy it now … I did.
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads

But before you go, one last question …
What is the most annoying thing that someone could do to you?
The most annoying thing someone can do to me is ask me what I find most annoying and then DO that thing to me. So…not taking any chances here. You look like a nice lady but…

So … let if asking you what the most annoying thing is is annoying, I presume I have succeeded in annoying the curmudgeon.

Congratulations, Claire! Good luck with The PURE!

Share your answer to Claire’s last question and you could win an ebook copy of her book The PURE which released April 16, 2012! Get your answer in by April 30th at 5:00 pm ET. One person from all commenters will be randomly selected!

—–

Some of you will probably cringe at that.

Others will probably go … I don’t either.

It doesn’t mean the sentiment isn’t true. Does it? I mean, I only said my vows once, do I need to repeat them over and over to make them still relevant?

I DO love my husband. But I don’t need to say those three words to make how I feel real. I show it through laughter, time together, intimacy, shared activities, support … among a huge variety of other activities.

Just like my vows. I don’t repeat them, but I honor, respect, cherish, plan to do so ’til death-do-us-part, etc. I just don’t say them out loud.

Often.

As a matter of fact … a LONG time ago, I almost thought the use of “I love you” became overused. Like we said it too often and it no longer had that ‘punch’.

Now, though, when one or the other of us does say those three words, they make my heart swell. My face gets all hot and I actually get all smiley and nervous-like. Those words mean one or the other of us had a ‘moment’ where the memory of why we fell in love in the first place really hit us. Or, at least, that’s why ‘I love you’ is said by me.

What about those vows?

I remember, almost-24-years-ago, that I was super excited about saying those words. About sharing in that sentiment. About telling my soon-to-be-husband that I meant every word. I’ve often wanted to renew our vows, but as my husband says … “Why? I still mean them. Why do they need to be said?”

That’s a great question. He’s right. I’m just one of those that likes things like this.

Hope Community Church

My husband and I have been together for 24 years this August (18 married). Personally, I have to say I can’t wait until my kids are grown. I love my kids, don’t get me wrong, but I enjoy their independence. Why beyond the obvious of no diapers and less cost? In the last 2 years, hubby and I have had even more time … together. In fact, on Friday night, we had our date night which included one errand and one great dinner.

You see … I LOVE spending time with my husband. He’s my best friend. My everything. And now that our kids are happy staying together every once in a while, we’ve started to enjoy our time together. I look forward to years 25-50 with him because we can be ‘us’ again. More mature. Still friends. Still with plenty of problems, but that’s par for the course.

So this weekend fit right in with our awesome evening out because at the end of the presentation, our pastor gave all married couples a chance to renew their vows!

Yup!

And we did!

We got to kiss, too.

Standing with our 14 year old son as our ‘witness’, we faced each other, held hands and repeated words we’ve only said one other time … August 13, 1994. He first. Me second. We might have giggled a little at it and even altered a few words here and there in our repetition, but we did when we married, too. Me because I was so freakishly giddy at getting married (I was 20) and he from nerves.

Even though it was impromptu, it reminded me that I meant those vows so long ago. And I mean them now, too. Yes, yes, yes, I do! And I know he does.

Because I love him. Always have. Always will.

And this is why I love writing romance.

How about you? If you had a chance to renew your marriage vows … on the spot … impromptu … with a couple hundred other people (or not) … would you?

Share in the comments!

—–

Showers of Books

Thank you, up front, to “I Am A Reader, Not A Writer”, and One A Day Y.A. for hosting this awesome hop!

Since I’m a romance writer, and this is an april showers blog hop, my first thought was … “what book did I write with a kiss under the rain?” Well … I did! But it’s a book that’s not published yet. Boooo! So then I thought through all my first kiss scenes … in all my current novels and thought …. ooh! I’ll just share them! Yippee!

So it’s a shower of … first kisses! And here you go! After you read them, I hope you’ll tell me which is your favorite!

First up … Hide & Seek!

Tripp leaned his head down toward hers. “We have no idea where this could lead us. It might be dangerous, exciting—”

“Or totally boring,” Lexi said. “Or—”

He laid his lips against hers—soft, gentle—keeping his hands at his side. As he pressed forward, Lexi fell into the kiss. Her hands slid up his chest, careful to avoid his arm. She snaked her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him down as their tongues sought each other.

A bolt of lightning cracked the sky.

Lexi jumped back from Tripp.

“Do it again.” He urged her back against him.

“Do what? That was coincidental. A storm’s coming.”

“I don’t think so.” One side of his mouth curled. “Kiss me.”

Dying to read this right now? You can buy it … or keep on scrolling…

Next up … Little White Lies!

Charley closed her eyes, committing the moment to her mind—his touch, his cologne, the blue of his shirt, how she fit in his arms. Their closeness would be only a memory in a matter of days.

She met his gaze with absolute clarity. She would not make her choice permanent until Wyatt could accept the truth about her.

He drew a quick breath before he tugged and drew her face up to his, tilted his head in the opposite and pressed his lips to hers. Charley pushed the kiss forward, separated and let her tongue slide against his.

Wyatt reached through curls as Charley fumbled, grasping at

his back. Their tongues continued to tease each other. He shifted. She reached—their movements choreographed—as natural as if they’d been together forever.

Dying to read this right now? You can buy it … or keep on scrolling…

And a little sneaky surprise!! Surrender! Cael and Lily’s story!

[Lily] stared into Cael’s eyes, the color shifting to a deep grey—a storm cloud of emotion tainting the otherwise brightness. “Thank you.” A rise up to her tiptoes and her hands took his face like he had hers. Butterflies took flight. Her throat constricted as her chest tightened.

His hands slid to her waist as his breath hitched.

A tug brought him closer.

She leaned in, added a soft touch of her lips to his. “Thank you, Cael.” Parted but within a breath’s distance, Cael angled up and laid a kiss to her forehead.

His hands held her still, their chests moving in and out as opposites, so close they could have been one body, but he didn’t press them forward. He’d pulled back, not taking her lips as she expected.

What were you thinking? He’s your friend. One past experience does not change what you already know.

Awe … was that mean? Did you think I’d really give away their first-first-first kiss? Well … I would have, but this one is such a tease! And since it comes out in September, you’ll have to wait just a little bit. But you can at least add it to your Goodreads list!

So … what’s your favorite scene from those above? Answer in the comments and register to win through the widget below!

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Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan

So let me start off with the book blurb:

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont.

Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.

Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse, and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary.

Newcomers to Mill River — a police officer and his daughter and a new fourth grade teacher — are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O’Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps — one that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever

Now, the review:

Issues
Yes, I have some serious issues with this book. Big ones. Serious ones.

- It was way to freaking long. Wow. All I can say is description could have been cut in half and it *still* would have been too long. I started skimming paragraphs (which means I read the first and last sentence and scan what’s in between) around page 20. Now most who know me would say, then how in the world did you keep going? You’ll see. But geez louise, this one was an epic. I gauge how long a book is by seeing how many pages it takes my Kindle % record to update. Normal books are 1-3 clicks. This one had to be 8 clicks per % (or that’s how it felt). I put the thing down 4-5 times because I was like, ‘okay … enough description already’. Yeah. It’s that long.

- There are arcs (side stories) in the story that have no bearing on the overall premise. The story is about Mary and her life. 100%, the focus is Mary. But there is a Kyle-Claudia-Rowen-Leroy arc that at the end of the story has no closure. Everyone else has some ‘link’ to Mary at the end, but these four do not. It’s like it’s own story within the story but with no particular reason why these four had a story to be told at all. Could it have been cut to shorten? Actually, no. These guys made the story interesting. Really. Kyle was a very strong character and the rest were either conflict, issue or support. But … it ended without them having more detail where it concerned Mary.

This one is a SPOILER. You have been warned.
- The revelation at the end that Daisy was Mary’s daughter was too covenant and obvious. Throughout the story, Mary is keeping ‘a secret’ but the problem is … she tells us ALL about everything else that happens and when we find out Daisy is Mary’s daughter in the last 2% of the book, there’s no time for us to learn how that TRULY affected Mary. We know where her anxiety comes from and it’s pre-Daisy. Despite the length of the story, this little blip would have been so nice to see … to understand … to FEEL. This entire book is so over-descriptive, but even if you skim you can FEEL these characters and this is SUCH A HUGE issues and we never got to feel it. I’m very disappointed in this mystery solved without letting us feel it like the rest of the story. This was just so underdeveloped, but such a CRITICAL piece of the story that it was just … ::sigh::

- Leroy’s conflict seemed inserted just to have a bad guy. He had nothing to do with Mary. That’s probably my biggest issue with all story arcs that didn’t show a direct relationship. If there was any sort of a relationship with Mary other than the one time they met when he was a teen, I would have understood it’s inclusion, but without that, it’s like this 2nd story just going along with the real one.

- So many perspectives makes it hard to really get into any one character’s head. I will say Father and Mary though were by far the most defined as we were in their POV MOST of the time. However, we were in so many others that we never fully understood what made them them. Sure we got back story, but just to the point we’d move on to another character.

The good part!
Moving on, I’m going to switch gears a little bit. Yes, I had issue, but if I have issues while reading, and those issues aren’t negated by something awesome, I don’t keep reading. Period. And I did read all the way through to the end on this.

- Mary’s tragedy of a life is a perfect backdrop for this book. It’s a conflict made for a book and it’s a conflict we can all understand. There is absolutely NO paranormal in this book (surprise to my readers! LOL). But part of the story is set through the 1900s until ‘today’ and we get to experience a lifetime in one book. Ha! That’s probably why this is so freakin’ long.

- Mill River is the perfect setting for this story. The house, the town, the people — all perfectly set and staged. We have the rich, the middle class and the poor. People act like people. They love, they fight, they hate. They are just one big group of people being … people.

- Watching the town from above (which is what Mary does) and ‘reading about the town’ from the book made me think/feel *I* was Mary. We both had this outsider’s view. Since we had a lot of time in her perspective, I wonder if this was deliberate. I mean she was a recluse who only watched and learned little bits and we did too. If so, bravo! That was genius and worked very very well! If not planned, then well, kudos! It still worked!

- Even though the side stories didn’t tie together in a way I would have liked, they really added to the story. I’d start reading about Mary (in the past) and think I need a break only to change to Kyle or Claudia in ‘real time’. This back and forth kept me always looking for what was coming next and what would be revealed and wanting to know more.

- I really liked Claudia with her issues that so many of us face.
- Kyle is an awesome main male. I’d like to see a Kyle/Claudia romance book even!
- Father is awesome. He was more fully fleshed out than anyone in the story. Perhaps that’s because he’s the simplest of them and it didn’t take as much to make him ‘him’.
- Leroy was a good ‘bad guy’ but in a sense he was only the ‘bad guy’ because there needed to be one.

Character SPOILER
- Daisy was just cute. I will say I was lost about ages through much of the book. I thought she was young in part of the story. Then about 75% of the way through I learn she is in her 60s. Well, if Mary died at 85 (was it?) and she had Daisy at 16, that would mean Daisy was actually 69 when they ‘re-met’ and saying Daisy was in her 60s was a little pushing it. Yes, true, but still. If Mary was 82, then Daisy would be 65 which is more reasonable, but calling her ‘in her 60s’ with the character development that was built really threw me, though I knew, somehow they were related right from the beginning and was just waiting for confirmation.

- The rest of ‘the town’ helped define ‘the town’ which is a character in and of itself.

The verdict
With all these issues and all these likes, what do I ‘rate’ this book? It gets a solid 3 stars which means it had issue enough it wasn’t perfect (but I have to say most aren’t) but it’s also a book I could easily recommend to my literary fiction reading friends. Yes, it’s a good book. It’s a good, clean, solid, emotional, feel-good, feel-bad, love the characters, hate the characters book. I applaud Ms. Chan for her success (she self-published! You go girl!) and for taking the time to have/create a compelling cover, blurb and to have editing done on the book. As a writer, I had my issues, but none of them kept me from reading the book.

So yes, this one is recommended. Enjoy a good read.