Friday, February 28, 2014

Book Review+Book Blitz: Shadows of Scars and Sorrow (#2 Sorrow Series) by Mary E. Palmerin


Title: Shadows of Scars and Sorrow (#1 Sorrow Series)
Author: Mary E. Palmerin
Genre: New Adult

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Synopsis

Everett Brown has secrets. Secrets that Lyla has been waiting for him to tell her for months. He has successfully evaded them, but Lyla is becoming impatient.

With the vicious attack of his beloved still fresh in his mind along with the painful loss he feels, his emotions play a battle against one another, testing his strength and his ability to hold himself together.

Will the secrets that he keeps jeopardize his relationship to the woman who has his heart? Or will he learn to cope with memories that resurface with a vengeance and move on to the next phase of his life… marriage.

In this second novel of this beautifully tragic series, Everett Brown will face the family he thought he knew, a past he tries so desperately to disassociate himself from, and the potential for his life to be turned upside down again. But is he strong enough to make it through another nightmare?

With Michael Thomas and Davis Moore still free, justice has yet to be served. In this whirlwind contemporary erotic romance novel, this young couple’s relationship will be tested with several wicked curveballs and twists that even they aren’t prepared for.


**Graphic content, not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen**

Book Review

Find this Review at Taryn Lee's Book Blog

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just a note, this is the third book in The Sorrow Series. This is not a standalone so don't even think about reading this without reading the other two.

This book is mostly Everett Brown's point of view. We see a few scenes that are in the third person, but it's mostly Everett. Everett is so in love with Lyla Harper. And he deserves to be. But he's got to overcome some deep troubling issues he has. This novel shows us more about Everett's step father and his cruelty.

Like the first book, we see a lot of physical and mental pain. But we see our hero and heroine not letting the past get them down, trying to live every day like it's the last, and just loving each other. This story does end on another major cliffy, which I was super bummed about because I NEED to know what's going to happen!

Overall, I'm giving this story 4 STARS out of 5 STARS. I think it's a compelling story, and this book really shows us how many different pieces there are to this puzzle. Everyone plays a part in this game and when that buzzer starts all hell is about to break loose. Truly a story worth sharing.

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Read by Taryn Lee on February 27, 2014
Reviewed by Taryn Lee on February 27, 2014
Taryn Lee's Book Blog on Facebook



Buy Links

AMAZON US  ~  KOBO  ~  iTUNES  ~  B&N

About the Author

Mary E. Palmerin is twenty-six-years-young, is married and the mother to two small boys, and currently resides in Indiana where she is hard at work completing the Sorrow Series. She has been writing short stories and poems since she was a young girl, scribbling fairy tales down, writing poetry and short stories, all of which she has kept.

She loves to read and write. Every reader was a writer first. She enjoys telling tales that are emotional, raw, real life, and tragically beautiful. Mary strongly believes in evoking feelings through her stories and leaving a lasting imprint on her readers.

When she isn’t busy chasing after her boys and being a wife, her nose is stuck in a good book. She is a hopeless dreamer, appreciator of all literature, coffee addict, and tattoo lover. She enjoys traveling, red wine, HEA, and many fictional men.


Author Links:

FACEBOOK  ~  WEBSITE  ~  GOODREADS  ~  TWITTER

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Release Blitz: Hero by Leighton Del Mia... GIVEAWAY!

Title: Hero
Author: Leighton Del Mia
Release Date: February 27, 2014
Genre: Dark Erotic Romance Standalone

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Synopsis
Calvin Parish
They call me Hero.I defend.I protect.I ask for nothing in return, and that makes me good.Doesn’t it?
That which makes me the ultimate predator also feeds dark impulses I’ve learned to control—until I bring her too close. For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.
Cataline Ford
I work hard.I play by the rules.I’m content.My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.Doesn’t it?
One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.
And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him.
 Buy the Book!




About the Author!

Leighton Del Mia lives behind large sunglasses and under massive headphones. She can usually be found behind and under these things at any Starbucks on the West Coast, which is where she writes twisty books between sips of black coffee.

TWITTER  ~  WEBSITE  ~  FACEBOOK  ~  GOODREADS






Giveaway!




Keep Me (A Hero Novella)

“I will disappoint you. I will hurt you. If I could be different, I would. But I don’t think I can.”
Declarations and sacrifices have been made. After three years, a better life is finally on the horizon. But when the past leaves marks that are both painful and permanent, is there ever such a thing as starting over? Can memories be replaced or forgotten—and should they be?
Keep Me is a follow-up novella for Hero readers who want a glimpse of life after breakfast. It is only intended to be enjoyed after Hero and is not a standalone. It is entirely optional and not essential to the original plot.



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Book Review+Blitz: Crashing Back Down (#1 Crashing) by Kristen Hope Mazzola



Title: Crashing Back Down (#1 Crashing)
Author: Kristen Hope Mazzola
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: November 4, 2013
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SYNOPSIS

Mags McManus has just become a war widow in her mid-twenties. Her late husband, Randy, left for the Army right after their wedding. Instead of celebrating his homecoming and living in marital bliss with her soulmate, Mags finds herself living in constant agony. Dealing with the guilt of still living without Randy, are Randy's best friends and parents.

Rising from the ashes of this tragedy, Mags starts to learn how to love and trust again, finally being able to find happiness. But sometimes things really are too good to be true and again Mags learns how cruel the world can be as she crashes back down.
**18+ for sexual situations, cursing and adult content**
A portion of all royalties from Crashing Back Down are donated by the author to The Marcie Mazzola Foundation.

Book Review
Crashing Back Down (Crashing, #1)Crashing Back Down by Kristen Hope Mazzola
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Find this Review at Taryn Lee's Book Blog

I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book centers around war widow Mags McManus. She married her college sweetheart just a couple months before he deployed with his best friend. We get a lot of grief, anger, and confusion from her. Why would her husband be taken from her? When he's so young? When they had so much to look forward to in life?... These are questions Mags will never get the answer to. But maybe she will get the chance to smile, laugh, and even be happy again. And that's all thanks to Walker, her late Husband's best friend.

Walker is a ray of sun when there's too much fog to see ten feet in front of you. He brings so much hope back to Mags, but Walker's got secrets too. Mags just doesn't know it. This book ends in a major cliffy, so be warned now. It's kind of a typical husband dies, heroine shacks up with the best friend, but something major happens at the end that makes you go Where did that come from?.

Overall, I think this is a a pretty average book for me. I think the ending is what caught my attention out of the whole book, but that's not always the best thing when you're reading a 300 page book. I would have liked to have been sucked in from the first or second chapter, but I really wasn't. I wonder if it was all the grieving that was in the air because I just felt so somber the whole time. I've got mixed feelings about this one. Thats why I'm giving this book  3.5 STARS out of 5 STARS.

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Read by Taryn Lee on February 17, 2014
Reviewed by Taryn Lee on February 26, 2014
Taryn Lee's Book Blog on Facebook



View all my reviews

Purchase Links


CRASHING BACK DOWN WILL BE ON SALE FOR 99c FOR THE BLITZ
Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo  ~  iTunes  ~  Smashwords

Author Bio
Kristen Hope Mazzola is an up and coming independent author from sunny South Florida. Crashing Back Down is her debut into the literary world. Kristen is currently working on the rest of her Crashing Series, which will include a sequel, Falling Back Together, and a prequel, Walking Away. She even has a few more tricks up her sleeve, with more characters to introduce and more twists to unravel, so keep your eye on this talented young author!

When Kristen is not driving a pen into paper, she enjoys reading all different genres and fishing. “There is just something so magical about water and the calm it brings to my life,” says Kristen. Even though writing is not her only career she is pursuing, Kristen hopes to one day be a full time writer. Having a day job and a busy life, makes finding time for writing difficult, but anything worthwhile in life is difficult. Loving life, writing, and fishing basically make up her world.


Author Links
Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads

Giveaway!!
There is a giveaway for a signed paperback of Crashing Back Down and 2 ebooks






Book Review+Book Blitz: Succumbing to Scars and Sorrow (#1 Sorrow Series) by Mary E. Palmerin


Title: Succumbing to Scars and Sorrow (#1 Sorrow Series)

Author: Mary E. Palmerin

Genre: New Adult

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Synopsis

Lyla Harper is sure she will be alone for the rest of her life. After she leaves Kansas for college in Chicago, she hopes she will never have to face her dark secrets again. Four years later, Lyla lands an internship at a prestigious firm, hoping to plant her roots and close the door to her past forever. Unfortunately, Lyla is about to learn that the past has a way of finding her, no matter how well she hides.

After she is assigned to assist a marketing millionaire and notorious jerk, Lyla attempts to overcome her pessimistic view of the world and move on with her life. But after she lays eyes on her drop-dead gorgeous neighbor, Everett Brown, her secrets begin to resurface, prompting her to regress into her old coping ways. Led by curiosity and an undeniable attraction, Lyla pursues a passionate relationship with Everett and slowly beings to feel like a woman again. Now all she has to do is decide whether to tell him the truth.


In this contemporary erotic romance, only time will tell if a young woman’s new lover will be able to save her from herself as her past emerges from the darkness to confront her once and for all.  

**Graphic content, not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen**

Book Review

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Find this Review at Taryn Lee's Book Blog

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is another beautiful story in Mary E. Palmerin's emotional Sorrow Series. I'm not sure how I can describe the beauty of the pain that is Lyla Harper, but I'm going to try. Lyla, who we met in the novella Secrets of a Broken Girl. Lyla has finally escaped her small town life. Fresh out of college, she is ready to take this city by storm and she's going to do it even though her weasel of a boss is a full on dirtbag who gives off some really creepy vibes. It's like waiting for a car crash you know is coming. But can we all just give a huge high five to Everett Brown.

  "I wanted Everett to love me so badly that I realized what I had to overcome. It wasn't my past events; those were just bumps in the road. I had to overcome my insecurities. I had to love myself, and I did."  -Lyla


Lyla truly believes she doesn't deserve love, but then Everett appears in her life and he shows her what makes her special. He loves her for her. And I love him for that! Oh god this book. This Book. It's crazy but Mary E. Palmerin just gets straight up into my tear ducts and forces those droplets out! There is a particular scene that just tore my heart out... So thanks for that Mary.

Overall, I'm giving this book 4.5 STARS out of 5 STARS. It's so emotional, so real. Mary knows how to write reality. And I think that scares me a bit because how many girls are out there in the world who deal with abuse daily and self deprecating feelings? It really makes you think not just about Lyla and Everett and the supporting characters, but of our lives and how we pass by people everyday and we never see the grief, the sadness, nor do we see the pain. It's a lot of food for thought.

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Read by Taryn Lee on February 18, 2014
Reviewed by Taryn Lee on February 26, 2014
Taryn Lee's Book Blog on Facebook




Buy Links

AMAZON US  ~  KOBO  ~  iTUNES  ~  B&N

About the Author

Mary E. Palmerin is twenty-six-years-young, is married and the mother to two small boys, and currently resides in Indiana where she is hard at work completing the Sorrow Series. She has been writing short stories and poems since she was a young girl, scribbling fairy tales down, writing poetry and short stories, all of which she has kept.

She loves to read and write. Every reader was a writer first. She enjoys telling tales that are emotional, raw, real life, and tragically beautiful. Mary strongly believes in evoking feelings through her stories and leaving a lasting imprint on her readers.

When she isn’t busy chasing after her boys and being a wife, her nose is stuck in a good book. She is a hopeless dreamer, appreciator of all literature, coffee addict, and tattoo lover. She enjoys traveling, red wine, HEA, and many fictional men.


Author Links:

FACEBOOK  ~  WEBSITE  ~  GOODREADS  ~  TWITTER

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Book Review+Book Blitz: Secrets of a Broken Girl (#0.5 Sorrow Series) by Mary E. Palmerin

Title: Secrets of a Broken Girl (#.05 Sorrow Series)
Author: Mary E. Palmerin
Genre: New Adult
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Synopsis
Lyla Harper’s life has always been shadowed. With her childhood full of unpleasant memories that she tries to tuck away and forget about, she succeeds at putting on a happy front and convincing those around her that she is content. But she isn’t.

Meet Lyla Elizabeth Harper, a teen whose journey is less than ideal. She experiences heartache, loss, and bullying, but though it all she strives for hope. She counts down the days until she has the chance to start over in a new city unaware of her past. A city far away from the recollections that have scarred her physically and mentally.

In this prequel novella to Succumbing to Scars and Sorrow, you will be faced with the ghastly and horrendous events that plague Lyla, starting on the day of her eighteenth birthday, a day that changed her forever. Lyla thought that she was broken before, but she was wrong. Davis Moore, a twenty-two-year-old handsome cop and also Rigdon’s golden boy, steals something that is irreplaceable from Lyla on that fateful night on Brownsmith Road.

Others will challenge her will and strength, testing her and pushing her to the brink of giving up.

Will Lyla be able to trudge through the deep rut that she is stuck in to move to Chicago and start her life over? Or will the evil events consume her and leave her grounded, unable to lead a life free of pain?


**Graphic content, not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen**

Book Review

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I need to just put this out there because this book changed a piece of me. And I'm not sure if it's a positive change or negative change. All I know is this book is a gut wrenching emotional beginning to one of the best series I have ever read.

I've read a lot of gruesome romance novels. Some that I fell in love with others that I detested, but I have never read a book like this. It's a gut wrenching 65 or so pages of what teenager Lyla Harper deals with in her small town. She has such a deploring image of who she thinks she is that substance abuse, bodily harm and sexual harm play a heavy hand in how she forms from teen to adult. We start off in her last year of high school and all Lyla wants is to get to graduation so she can leave this small town and those who tortured her behind... but life is never that easy. We always have road blocks, but Lyla's are more like mini tsunamis... each one as deadly as the last to the point that you wish you wouldn't survive them, but they keep coming and you've got to hold on.

Lyla is a survivor. I don't care how anyone else wants to put it but that phrase sums up how I feel about her. The way she describes her emotional and physical pain had me cringing at times. There were so many times when I had to stop, put my iPad down, and wipe the tears that had escaped. I wanted to take away all of Lyla's pain in any way I could. I felt her to my core.

Overall, I'm giving this novella 4.5 STARS out of 5 STARS because Mary E. Palmerin writes emotion like I have never seen. She made me feel so much during this book. It's one of a kind and I will never forget this book. The next book Succumbing to Scars and Sorrow is going to be just as amazing, I know it!

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Read by Taryn Lee on February 18, 2014
Reviewed by Taryn Lee on February 25, 2014



Buy Links


About the Author

Mary E. Palmerin is twenty-six-years-young, is married and the mother to two small boys, and currently resides in Indiana where she is hard at work completing the Sorrow Series. She has been writing short stories and poems since she was a young girl, scribbling fairy tales down, writing poetry and short stories, all of which she has kept.

She loves to read and write. Every reader was a writer first. She enjoys telling tales that are emotional, raw, real life, and tragically beautiful. Mary strongly believes in evoking feelings through her stories and leaving a lasting imprint on her readers.

When she isn’t busy chasing after her boys and being a wife, her nose is stuck in a good book. She is a hopeless dreamer, appreciator of all literature, coffee addict, and tattoo lover. She enjoys traveling, red wine, HEA, and many fictional men.

Author Links:

FACEBOOK  ~  WEBSITE  ~  GOODREADS  ~  TWITTER

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Book Tour Goodies: Forever by Mary A. Wasowski

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Forever Amazon GR SW-2
Title: Forever (Forever #1)
Author: Mary A. Wasowski
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: February 18, 2014

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Synopsis

Following her larger than life best friend to NYU was a dream come true.
Modeling part-time to pay the bills, while she earned her teaching degree, Reese Mitchell never imagined her Nana’s prediction of finding her future husband could be possible. Then she met…HIM! Walker Reed, her handsome stranger. He was sexy as sin and one look from him, she was hooked.

Loving Walker was effortless. He captured her heart with one touch making Reese lose herself in him. From strangers to lovers, they became two hearts…one love. Outside forces conspire to tear their love apart leaving her to wonder if two people from different worlds should stay together?

When promised “Forever” from the man who loves her, Reese is left with only one thing to do. She trusts the promises made. She believes in the happily ever after.

She believes in…FOREVER.

Buy the Book



About the Author

1098164_385678098200333_2124098918_nMary Wasowski is the queen of mastering many tasks. I call New Jersey my home where I share my life with my husband, and our three amazing sons. Writing was my way of expressing my words that sometimes I couldn't say. My journals were filled with the rants of a teenager finding her way, and eventually they turned into poems, and short stories. Joining the Indie community of so many talented writers has been a wonderful experience. I am so thankful for all of the love and support I have received. Life can take you down many different roads, but I truly believe this is where I am suppose to be now. I want to inspire my boys to never give up on your dreams. I never did, and here I am. I am officially an Author. Write what you love. Love what you write. Believe in your story. You have many chapters to write on your journey... XOXO...Mary

Monday, February 24, 2014

Book Review+Release Blitz: Unbearable Guilt (#2 Breathe Again) by Emma Grayson...GIVEAWAY




Title: Unbearable Guilt
Author: Emma Grayson
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 24, 2014


Synopsis:


Kane Archer hasn’t always been full of rage or torment, he hasn’t always hated life or himself, and he hasn’t always lived in a world riddled with so much guilt that it consumed him. There was a time when his life was complete, when he smiled and laughed, made electrifyingly passionate love, and breathed happiness.

Until the unthinkable took it all away from him.

Now, still reeling from his fiancée’s death two and a half years later, and with the promise he made to find the men who killed her and bring them to justice –regardless of the cost– Kane returns to Camden, the one place he swore he’d never go back to.

Numb, afflicted by guilt, and haunted by the events that led to Aimee’s death, the last thing Kane wanted was to meet someone he felt connected to; who made him feel again.

As Kane gets closer to the ones responsible for Aimee’s death, he’s thrown a curve ball when he discovers a secret so devastating it not only rocks his world, but threatens to destroy any chance at happiness.

Whitney Jareau packed up her life and left everything behind when tragedy struck her family. Finally able to get away from her persistent and domineering family who wanted her to do the one thing she couldn’t, she found her solitude in Camden.

Now, two years later, her family wants her home and will go to any lengths to get her there. With her heart on her sleeve for Kane Archer, a man so gorgeous it hurts to see the pain he carries, Whitney fights her family and refuses to return home to carry out their wishes.

Can Whitney stand strong without succumbing to the demands of her family?

Can Kane let Aimee and the past go in order to move forward with the woman who brought him back to life?

Or will he walk away from her and only ever feel the burden of UNBEARABLE GUILT

Book Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had no idea going to get a super badass alpha male with such an emotional story. It's dual POV and Emma Grayson does it exceptionally well!

Kane Archer is still reeling over the loss of his fiancee two years after she was kidnapped and taken from her. Now he's all about finding the man that took her from him. He's repressing his feelings by pushing them aside because he doesn't want to lose Aimee. But then he meets the beautiful barista at the local coffee shop, Whitney Jareau, and suddenly, he's having feelings that he never thought he would have again in his lifetime. And he's not the only one affected. Whitney has finally found someone who she loves, but family will come in the way to destroy what she and Kane have worked so hard for.

  "No man has ever inflicted such thought, such antagonizing curiosity, and such twists of my nervous system before. To be honest, I didn't know if I liked it so much." -Whitney


I thought this book was one of the better books I've read in a while. I like the way we get not only the action but the gut wrenching emotions coming from both characters. Whitney is living a life she wants even though her family is forcing her back home. And when she meets Kane, she feels the connection right away. Kane feels it and as hard as he tries to not fall in love with her, his feelings for Whitney are inevitable.


  "Kane was like a piece of that perfect chocolate cake [. . .] He was going to be delicious, making me come back for seconds, thirds, and probably fourths, until there was no going back and I was making chocolate cake for the rest of my life." -Whitney


Overall, I'm giving this standalone novel 4 STARS out of 5 STARS for the emotional toll it put on me. The climax is intense but amazing, and the ending is superb! The supporting characters are fabulous! Especially Basil... And when you come across her, you'll understand why I love her and hope she gets her own story! I cannot wait for the next book by Emma Grayson.

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Read by Taryn Lee on February 21, 2014
Reviewed by Taryn Lee on February 23, 2014
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Buy Links:

AMAZON ~ BARNES&NOBLES ~ KOBO

About the Author:

Emma Grayson is a Canadian author who resides outside of Edmonton, Alberta with her family and five year old son. 
She is currently working on Take it All, book one in her new series, Blinded by Love, as well as Unbearable Guilt, book two in her Breathe Again series.

When she’s not writing she enjoys time with her son, going to movies, reading, or enjoying Starbucks latte’s with her girlfriends. She’s the lover of music, television, all things purple, Oilers hockey and doesn’t leave the house without her iPhone, Kobo, flip flops or a pack of gum.

Author Links:


Giveaway:



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