Release Day Blast: Tempted by a Touch by Kris Rafferty

I am thrilled to be celebrating the release of an amazing romantic suspense read! Tempted by a Touch by Kris Rafferty immediately throws you into the action, and the ride is a total rush. You won't be able to keep yourself from reading from beginning to end in one sitting. Pick up your copy today! About Tempted by a Touch People keep dying around Harper MacLain. Try as she might, she can’t stop bad things from happening to those she loves. When her closely guarded secret lands her in the middle of her ex-boyfriend’s investigation, she’s in over her head. She hates that Detective Lucas Sullivan is in her life again, tempting her to fall back into bad habits…and his bed. When Harper left him, Lucas tried not to care, burying himself in his job instead. Then Harper became the job. Now they’re on the run, and all he can think about is keeping her safe…and his hands off her. Lucas knows she's the key to solving his case, if he can keep them alive long enough to do it. And that's the trick...because falling in love can kill you. Find it online Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads Series Order: Book #1 Betrayed by a Kiss Book #2 Tempted by a Touch About Kris Rafferty Kris Rafferty was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After earning a Bachelor’s in Arts from the University of Massachusetts/ Boston, she married her college sweetheart, traveled the country and wrote books. Three children and a Pomeranian/Shih Tzu mutt later, she spends her days devoting her life to her family and her craft. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Newsletter

Release Day Blast! Three Simple Words by A. J. Pine

I am so excited to be celebrating the release of Three Simple Words by A.J. Pine! Three Simple Words is the perfect addition to the Kingston Ale House series, and the perfect nod to romance readers and the community in general! Get your copy of this romantic and sexy read today! About THREE SIMPLE WORDS She's holding out for a happy ever after. Annie I know where to find my happily ever after—between the pages of a romance novel. It’s why I sell books, why I blog about them, and why I’ll never get disappointed by love. So what if my brother’s best friend from high school is now a bestselling author? Or that he just blew back into town on a Harley, filling out a pair of jeans like he never did before? Or that he’s agreed to do a signing at my bookstore on such short notice? Because despite all his adoring female fans, I kind of hated his book. Wes  The last time I saw Annie Denning, she was a senior in high school, three years older than me and way out of my league. Now I’m her last-minute date to a wedding, and what started as a night of pure fun has turned into something more real than either of us anticipated. Annie is my muse. When I’m with her, my writer’s block fades away, and the words finally flow. The only problem? She wants the fairy tale—her very own happily ever after—and anyone who’s read my book knows the truth. I just don’t believe they exist. Find it online: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads Each book in the Kingston Ale House series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order. The Kingston Ale House novels by author A.J. Pine: Book one: The One That Got Away Book two: Six Month Rule Book three: Three Simple Words About A.J. Pine AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, the books she writes have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes). And a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. You’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago ‘burbs. AJ Pine is the author of the If Only series, the Only You series, and the current Kingston Ale House series. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter

ARC Review: Just Fine with Caroline by Annie England Noblin

Title: Just Fine with Caroline Author:  Annie England Noblin Publisher/Publication Date:  William Morrow; Oct. 11, 2016 Source/Format:  Publisher; Galley Genre:  Fiction Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Goodreads   Book Summary... Twenty five year old Caroline O’Connor is doing just fine. Four years ago and two semesters shy of her college degree, a little thing called life upended her carefully laid plans to leave small town shenanigans behind, and she found herself right back in the place she vowed to escape: Cold River, Missouri. Helping to care for her mother ailing with Alzheimer’s, and coping with her father—the beloved local doctor frustrated he can’t cure his own wife—Caroline’s only escape are the hours she steals away at the local fishing hole. That is, until her secret retreat is discovered. Noah Cranwell has a chip on his shoulder. Seeking solace from his nomadic career in the Navy, he returns to his boyhood home, the one place he ever felt at peace: Cold River, Missouri. Focused on repairing the family’s general store, and his heart, Noah finds himself drawn to Caroline—and her mostly deaf, three legged dog Yara—for support. Soon their relationship starts to blossom into something more, making Caroline realize there could be much more to life than being ‘just fine.’ Yet Cold River isn’t without its closeted skeletons and sometimes life’s greatest surprises happen closest to home...  Praise for Annie England Noblin... “Readers of Debbie Macomber will enjoy poet and nonfiction author Noblin’s first novel. It’s an enjoyable story full of laughter, tears, and just plain fun.”— Library Journal on Sit! Stay! Speak! “Noblin’s fish-out-of-water story combines food, family, suspense, and romance into one delightful read. [... ] a comfort read that’s perfect for a summer night. A cozy read that’s full of dogs, romance, and small-town charm.”— Kirkus Reviews on Sit! Stay! Speak! “Full of southern charm and colloquialisms, Noblin’s first novel explores the curious bond between man and beast. A warm, emotionally grounded story that will delight fans of Mary Kay Andrews and contemporary women’s fiction.”— Booklist on Sit! Stay! Speak!­­ My Thoughts: Just Fine with Caroline by Annie England Noblin has a serious tone as Caroline is tasked with helping her father take care of her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease. It was a story centered on the lives of several characters and takes place in a small town with small town values where everyone knows everyone; yet, there are secrets that won’t stay buried as the story unfolds—Secrets that resulted in Caroline questioning everything she believed to be true. I liked the fact that Noblin included real life issues in the story, which resulted in tremendous character growth in the end. Noblin excels at depicting the relationships between the characters, which was everything from the bonds between family and strained relationships. She also does a good job of depicting the emotional turmoil felt by Caroline, a young adult, dealing with caring for her mother while trying to navigate life. Overall, I enjoyed Noblin’s style of writing. She managed to set up mostly plausible situations that resulted in an engaging story that had me rooting for the characters along the way. Rating 3.5/5 I received an ARC of  Just Fine with Caroline from the publisher in exchange for an honest review! Find the author online... Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

ARC Review: You Can't Touch My Hair (And Other Things I Still Have to Explain) by Phoebe Robinson

Title:You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain
Author: Phoebe Robinson
Publisher/Publication Date: Plume; October 4, 2016
Genre: Nonfiction; Essays; Autobiographical 
Source/Format: First to Read; eARC

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A hilarious and affecting essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from celebrated stand-up comedian and WNYC podcaster Phoebe Robinson...

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comic, which means that, often, her everyday experiences become points of comedic fodder. And as a black woman in America, she maintains, sometimes you need to have a sense of humor to deal with the absurdity you are handed on the daily. Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: she's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of "the black friend," as if she is somehow the authority on all things racial; she's been questioned about her love of U2 and Billy Joel ("isn't that . . . white people music?"); she's been called "uppity" for having an opinion in the workplace; she's been followed around stores by security guards; and yes, people do ask her whether they can touch her hair all. the. time. Now, she's ready to take these topics to the page and she's going to make you laugh as she's doing it.

Using her trademark wit alongside pop-culture references galore, Robinson explores everything from why Lisa Bonet is "Queen. Bae. Jesus," to breaking down the terrible nature of casting calls, to giving her less-than-traditional advice to the future female president, and demanding that the NFL clean up its act, all told in the same conversational voice that launched her podcast, "2 Dope Queens," to the top spot on iTunes. As personal as it is political, "You Can't Touch My Hair" examines our cultural climate and skewers our biases with humor and heart, announcing Robinson as a writer on the rise...

My Thoughts:

I like nonfiction and have read a handful of books this year, everything from history to rain, and even a book on architecture. Interestingly enough, though, I haven’t read a collection of essays before Phoebe Robinson’s You Can’t Touch My Hair (YCTMH). I liked this collection. Robinson did a good job of articulating her thoughts into a series of interesting essays ripe with serious subjects, valid and thoughtful critiques and insights, and humor.

YCTMH is probably one of my top favorite books this year. I seriously enjoyed reading it. Robinson got real with her personal experiences of growing up, discovering herself, her passion in life, and later being a comedian. Robinson dished out opinions on race, hair (yes, hair, which was among my favorite essays), gender, stereotypes, and equality—which are extremely relevant topics in 2016. There was also a lot of reference to pop culture sprinkled throughout; however, the synopsis pretty much states that—so, it wasn’t unexpected to say the least. I also really liked Robinson’s sense of humor. It really came through in YCTMH.

So, to end this review, I’ll start by saying that YCTMH was definitely insightful and worth the time it took to read it. Finally—just one more thing before I call it a day—there was so much about the book that I genuinely liked that if Robinson writes something else, I would definitely give it a try.

Rating 5/5

This copy of the book was provided by First to Read (Publisher) for this review, thank you!