Saturday, June 7, 2014

Author Spotlight - M.R. Joseph

As any of my followers know, I am a HUGE M.R. Joseph fan.  I mean, seriously - I love this woman and her mind.  So naturally I'm going to be a big promoter, and I love to feature her on my blog as often as possible.  In cooperation with Silver Lining Events in promotion of her newest cover reveal and release day party - set for June 27th at 9 p.m. EST (you NEED to be there!!!!) - I'm going to let her tell you a little bit about herself in her words. 


I'm a book nerd turned writer who loves the 'Happily Ever
After' mixed with a bit of suspense, drama, and the
occasional cliffhanger! My Kindle is glued to my hands most
of the time, but I still love the look and feel of a paperback
book. My love of books brought me on my writing journey. I began writing my first book in July 2012 and since that time I
have created 2 series. The first series 'The Reunion Series'
debuted in November 2012 and two books followed, those
being stand alone novels. My new series 'The Shore Series'
released in March 2014. The first book is entitled 'Giving In'
and four books will follow in that series. When i'm not
writing, you'll never see me in front of the T.V. Curled up
with a good book id where you'll find me. I am huge Indie
Author fan and supporter.




Connecting with Joseph is simple! Here's how:
http://www.amazon.com/M.R.-
Joseph/e/B00E7TME2C/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1401391785&sr=1-1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reunionbookseries?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6936575.M_R_Joseph
Twitter: @redkar_m
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/missyreds/


Reunion (Reunion Series Book 1)

Savannah Garrett had always had a good head on her
shoulders. She was well-educated and had a fantastic teaching job
at a prestigious school in Boston. Her life was just where she wanted
it to be until she returned to her home town in the suburbs of
Philadelphia for her 10 year class reunion.
Seeing old friends and reminiscing about her high school days was
expected. Seeing her first love after five years was not. Can she
handle seeing Sam Reynolds after all this time and could she get
through the hurt and pain their past relationship had caused?
Can there be a second chance for Savannah and Sam or would a
deep, dark secret destroy their chances of happiness?


You Belong With Me (Reunion Series Book 2)


What happens when a man falls in love with his best friend? How does he convince her to love
him in return if she has no idea that his feelings run so deep?
Carter London has everything a man should want, a blooming
career as a sexy rock star, a loving family, women who adore his
model-perfect looks, and great friends. What he doesn't have is
the love of the girl who stole his heart nine years ago.
Casey Colbert is the converse-wearing epitome of the girl next
door. She's smart, beautiful, and best friends with Carter London.
She knows all there is to know about her sex-on-a-stick best
friend, except the well-guarded secret of her holding the key to
his heart.
Carter returns to his hometown of Indian Shores, Florida for his
ten year college reunion, to profess his love to Casey.
Unfortunately, he discovers her heart is already spoken for by
none other than Jordan Reid, who is gorgeous, sweet and insanely rich.
Carter vows to use his time back home to win over the one woman who can set his world on
edge with just a glimpse of her smile. Will Casey see the love that's right in front of her eyes? Or
will the mistakes of his past and his obsession with loving her overwhelm the girl who already
has it all?


Letters To Luca (Reunion Series Book 3)


The course of true love never did run smooth~ Shakespeare
Leighton Parks~
I only wrote the love letters to my high school crush for fear if
he truly knew my identity, I would be rejected. I wasn't the
most confident girl in my school, and he was well... he was
Luca Ferro. How could he ever be interested in a shy, book
worm like me? That's why I wrote them. To tell him all the
feelings I had for him. When I stopped writing the letters, I
never imagined that 10 years later they’d come back to change
my life, forever.
Luca Ferro~
I always believed in soul mates, finding that one true love. And
I found her, my letter girl, but never knew who she was. She
was a mystery. Her letters, her words, meant more to me than anything. I searched for her,
thought of her day and night, but never found her. I gave up on the idea of finding the missing
piece to my puzzle—that is until she walked right into my life and I didn’t know what hit me.
A chance encounter brings Luca and Leighton together ten years later at their high school
reunion. Will past secrets threaten to destroy their futures,
or will love be written in the stars for them just as it was in
Leighton’s letters?


Giving In (The Shore Series Book 1)

Raphael Cruz doesn't do it. He just doesn't. Cruz doesn't fall
in love. He's a "get in and get out" kind of guy. Ladies love
him and fall all over him for his swoon worthy good looks and overwhelming sex appeal. He
knows how to talk to them and tells them exactly what they want to hear. When he's done
making them scream his name, he shows them straight to the door. The meaning of the word
love doesn't exist in his world. But that could all change with a wink of a girl's eye... And one
hot-as-hell romp in a bar bathroom.
Harlow Hannum is your typical girl-next-door. She has the brains, the beauty, and the money.
What she doesn't have is the luxury of being someone's first choice in the game of love. She
always comes in a distant second place, leaving her guarded with her feelings. Lies, betrayal,
and secrets of her past follow her wherever she goes, no matter how hard she tries to hide
them. That is until she's reunited with the one guy who can ignite the spark in her heart that's
been extinguished for so long.
With sunny days, heated nights, and love lingering in the air in the beach town of Sandy Cove
anything can happen. Especially when fate steps in for Harlow and Cruz. Will their blossoming
friendship turn into unexpected love or will the collision of their opposing worlds be the end of
what could have been?


Second book in The Shore Series coming soon!

Cover Reveal Party on Facebook brought to you by Silver Lining Events
June 11th at 8:00 PM EST
https://www.facebook.com/events/525901120868888/

My name is Raphael Cruz. I was once a man made up of only flesh and bone. Never feeling, just
existing. I indulged in the pleasures that others gave to me, and those I gave to them. That's all
it was—pleasure. Physical pleasure. No emotions, no attachments. I didn't need all those
feelings, didn't want them. There was no longing for love, no longing to let anyone in. Until I
found her. And I gave in.
Harlow Hannum showed me what love was all about. I savored it and held it close, not even
knowing I really wanted it in my life. She made me feel loved. She made me accept love. She
taught me how to love in return. My heart was open to it all. My heart was hers. It belonged to
her. But, she never knew. And then lies, deceit and betrayal forced me to lose the one thing
that made me more than a man who just existed.
I should have told her I loved her when I had the chance. I should have told her I gave in to all
the powers that love possess.
Will I ever have the chance to tell her? Will my past mistakes never give me that chance?
I need her to know.
I want her to know...
I'm in...
Always

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Red Hill - Jamie McGuire

Kricket's Chirps : 4 out of 5 

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?


I'm the type of reader that devours a book in 24 hours.  I've never pushed myself to finish any book that I couldn't get into in that amount of time.  Until Red Hill.

The concept of this story terrified the living daylights out of me.  It was my love for Jamie McGuire's writing in Beautiful Disaster, and the peer pressure of my two book besties, that convinced me to give this novel a chance.  I shamefully admit getting this one down took me longer than a month.  When I did finally reach the end, I was left wondering WTH?!?!?!

Jamie is brilliant.  I'm envious of her imagination, but frightened of what actually goes through her mind.  Not only was there fictitious horror in this story, but there was everyday horror that we either overlook or pray it never touches our lives - if we're lucky enough not to relate to it.

So many times I found myself crying with the characters throughout this book, and also trying to find the predictability factor.  When I would think I had it figured out, the rug was pulled out from under me.  The end was not what I expected it to be at all.  When I mentioned it to my BBs, one of them outright said "She never promised a happy ending."  The other "It wasn't necessarily a HEA, but it was happy."

Here's what it was for me.  DISTRESS!!  I don't want to spoil anything, but I will explain this about me for those that are wanting to read this one.  I cannot watch end of the world movies without thinking of the aftermath.  World ends in upheaval = who's gonna clean up that mess?  Small town left to repopulate the human race = is the ratio of non-related men and women favorable?  

That said, if you're the type of person who enjoys zombies, or someone who would like to step out of their reading comfort zone, this is the book to do it with.  It was engaging, suspenseful, and descriptive.