pam-review

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Wife Number Seven by Melissa Brown @LissaLou77



Title WIFE NUMBER SEVEN
Author: MELISSA BROWN
Released: July 21st
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Rating: ★★★★★ +++

Lipstick. Bright, red lipstick. Nothing but lipstick. Even though it’s against our faith to wear a color that screams of sexual promiscuity and deviant behavior, I’m not allowed to protest. But, I want to. So badly.
You see, there’s more to me than the braid that spills down my back. More to me than the layers of heavy fabric that maintain my modesty. And so much more than the oppressive wedding band that adorns my finger–the same band that each of my sister wives wear. So much more. To protest would be sinful. I must keep sweet, that is my duty.
So I’ll wear the lipstick. I’ll do as I’m told. And I’ll do my best to silence the resistance within me, to push him from my mind. If only my heart would do the same.

“I always knew I would share my husband…My existence is a lonely one. Lehi relieves that loneliness for the twenty-four hours when I pretend I’m the only one he lays with. And I do pretend. Every waking hour.”

Born into the polygamist life, Brinley is screaming to be heard. Surrounded by many but drowning in loneliness she is slowly learning that more love means less Brinley. 

“The voices in my head started as disjointed whispers, so unconnected that they didn’t make any sense. But, those whispers were coming together, becoming more cohesive, clearer and louder in my head than ever before. From a whisper to a scream… I was waiting for the scream.”

Everything happens for a reason and in a life that prides its self in God’s words, Brinley is looking for her place in this world. Performance, Brinley’s daily performance is done through masked eyes until that mask is pulled away. Porter. The boy who stole more than a backpack has transformed her less than perfect world into one of more. More life, more love, more acceptance and more independence. 
Porter sparked an already gas socked fire in Brinley. The key element on her path to self-discovery, Porter presented her with a world of possibilities. Teaching her that life on the opposite side of the wall, while not perfect, is worth the fight. 

“And you’re not damned. If anybody’s damned to fucking hell, it’s the one everyone calls the Prophet. He’s a sick fuck who plays with your lives for his own twisted purposes. He controls every single one of your lives. It’s disgusting.”

Porter finds the home he has been lacking, while she finds the woman who was locked away. The compound becoming a jail with less perks and now Brinley is shedding her forced identity and learning about the uniqueness she had all along. 

“I told you, you’re my heaven. If I burn when I die, that’s fine. I’m a selfish man and I want my heaven now.”

Melissa has proven that no matter the topic or genre you are promised no less than a well-crafted story with emotion, strong main characters and a cast of ancillary characters that scream, loudly, for their own story. Melissa has done her homework on this one. Diving deep into the polygamist lifestyle, she has presented an honest look into life in the compound. Wife Number Seven is a story of hope. The hope that one day you can find your own personal happiness. I am reminded of one of my favorite, non Melissa Brown quotes…

“You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” -Glinda The Good Witch of the North

Brinley, like Dorothy went on a journey in search of more and learned that the power to change is within. Along the way you will be guided by loved ones but in the end the power is your own. Porter guided her with smarts, courage, and a heart of gold. Their story is not a one easy but a life worth living never is.

Melissa Brown was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois and is the mother of two fantastic kids. She’s an avid reader who enjoys making handmade gifts for her family and friends, as well as baking and painting. She speaks fluent movie quotes from the 1980s and ’90s.Her romance titles include Bouquet Toss, Champagne Toast, Picturing Perfect and Unwanted Stars. She is currently developing a Young Adult series called Sorority of Three.

BOOK REVIEW: MAYBE MABY BY WILLOW ASTER




TITLE: MAYBE MABY
AUTHOR: WILLOW ASTER
RELEASED: JULY 13TH
Buy from Amazon | B&N
Rating: ★★★★★

Mabel Armstrong is on the verge of giving up. But just when things feel bleakest, there seems to be a shift in the universe. People come out of the woodwork. Her ex won’t leave her alone. An old friend finally tries to become more. Even the cute guy at the coffee shop starts paying extra attention.
Maybe Maby is a heartbreaking, and at times, hilarious story about coping with loss, finding love in New York, and learning to recognize hope in the middle of it all.

Pushed to her limit, Maby learns that the only way to rebuild is to breakdown. Dealing with the loss of her mother and her mental state, Maby fights daily for stability. 

“I shake my fist at the universe, careful to not anger God in the process. I’m pretty sure he knows I’m crazy, so it’s probably okay.”

Numbers. They are never wrong. One plus one will always equal two. For a damaged person the control in numbers equals power. Maby pulls herself into a world of controlled chaos but what she is lacking is a sense to belong. To love again when it was pulled from her, leaving her blindsided. 

“Sometimes the loneliness is so thick, it threatens to choke me.”

Old love clouds her loneliness, menacing an already unbalanced life. Work and the daily pressure to just survive allow Maby little to no time to live. It is only when she looks with clearer eyes that she finds Coen, everything she needs but is afraid to take. 

“I have enough fear for the both of us.”

In passing Coen has been part of Maby’s life for close to two years, offering a smile and a kind word. Now Maby has to believe that she is enough, worth the fight. 

“I can see why you’re so special,” I tell him. “You’ve been adored your whole life, but also challenged to do something with yourself…no time for being spoiled, except with love.”

Please do yourself a favor and read this book. Maybe Maby is a reading experience that you don’t want to miss. Seeing so much of me in a main character was hunting and a little scary. Willow allowed me to relate to Maby’s issues, transporting me into the story. I felt as if I was interacting with them. The raw pain of love, loss, confusion and fear brought Maby to life. Maby was inspiring. Struggling to find herself in spite of her issues and working through them even when they threated to overcome her. Life is about learning from our mistakes, taking that knowledge and applying it as we move forward. Maby’s journey isn’t easy but Willow made it feel effortless.

Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story, In the Fields, and Maybe Maby. She lives with her husband and two kids on a tropical beach in paradise. Well, at least part of that is true … the rest is Story Lala Land, where Willow spends most of her time.

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie Mcguire @@AtriaBooks @JamieMcGuire



TITLE: BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION
AUTHOR: JAMIE MCGUIRE
RELEASE DATE: JULY 1ST, 2014
Rating: ★★★★★

The Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster phenomenon continues in the first heart-pounding new adult romance in The Maddox Brothers series.

Fiercely independent Camille “Cami” Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.
Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt. 
Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red. 
As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.
In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.
Maddox lover for life! I will take them anyway I can. So far we have the fighter and now the tattooed

dream boat! Ok, dream boat sounds like something my mother would say but it’s totally legit. Jamie has pulled together a story that rivals Beautiful Disaster. OMG did I just say that?? Yep! Upon finish, I messaged a friend that also read Beautiful Oblivion and let’s just say that there may be some kind of underground tattoo/MMA fighter training camp that we A) run and B) hope to one day supply the world with a Mini Maddox Army. Perfect world right! Nothing beats a ball busting alpha male. 

Both Trenton and Cami lead a life of Beautiful Oblivion. Coasting through life, existing not living, accepting the norm. The persistent Trenton causes Cami to reexamine her present situation. In his one man journey Trenton is forced to deal with his own issues. 

“I was just thinking now was as good a time as any to acknowledge that you’re perfect and it wouldn’t suck if you fell madly in love with me anytime soon.” 

Cami can only fight for so long. As her walls come crumbling down some obstacles may prove to be too much. Will she find the happy ending every girl dreams of? 

“I’ve had a lifetime of wrong. You’re the only thing that’s right.”

Here is what you need to know…if you loved Beautiful Disaster you will love Beautiful Oblivion. As with Beautiful Disaster, this story has a little something for everyone. Love, angst, struggle, misunderstanding, and at the core beauty. Timed side by side with Travis and Abby’s story, Cami and Trenton offer a different view on already know events while spinning a new story that will keep you guessing till the end. Jamie has created solid characters, a touching story, and proof that when it comes to Maddox one is never enough. Grab a snack and snuggle up for this one because for the next five or so hours you will be booked.

Jamie McGuire is the New York Times bestselling author of Red Hill, Walking Disaster, Beautiful Disaster,and The Providence trilogy. She and her husband, Jeff, live with their children just outside Enid, Oklahoma, with three dogs, six horses, and a cat named Rooster. Please visit JamieMcGuire.com
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BLOG TOUR REVIEW: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE BY KELLY ELLIOTT


Title: Unconditional Love

Author: Kelly Elliott
Rating: ★★★★ 

Lark Williams leads a fast-paced life, always on the edge of danger. Running from his past and fighting to keep his present life a secret, he keeps his heart out of reach from love. The walls he built around himself come crumbling down when he meets Azurdee Emerson.

Azurdee lives a peaceful life in the small town of Wimberley, Texas. Her tame world quickly becomes heated as she begins to fall in love with Lark. He’s everything she has vowed to stay away from—dark and mysterious, and not to mention, sexy as hell and full of secrets.

Just as Lark and Azurdee give in to their feelings of love, Lark’s present life threatens the safety of the one person he would sacrifice his own happiness for. When Lark finds history repeating itself, he makes a decision that will forever change both of their lives, leaving one heartbroken and lost and the other fighting to survive.

“Guardia mi corazon siempre…Guard my heart always.”

The pain behind these words is heartbreaking. As we learn the story of our mysterious man, Lark, we find that behind the pretty face is a painfully damaged soul. Fighting with his past Lark uses women, holding them at bay. After meeting Azurdee he finds that she has gotten under his skin, staking claim on this lost boy. 
Once again Kelly intertwines a cast of favorites into a story that is funny, hot, sweet and heartwarming. The Kelly sass I come to love is front and center. I have been waiting for this story and found that both Lark and Azurdee balance each other out, helping each other to see that love has the power to heal. For Lark the hardest mission is a personal one, and when the mission becomes more than he bargained for, Lark learns how far he is willing to go for love. For any Kelly Elliott fan this is a must add for the collection.
Kelly is married to a wonderful Texas cowboy who has a knack for making her laugh almost daily and supports her crazy ideas and dreams for some unknown reason…he claims it’s because he loves her!
She’s also a mom to an amazing daughter who is constantly asking for something to eat while her fingers move like mad on her cell phone sending out what is sure to be another very important text message.
In her spare time she loves to sit in her small corner overlooking the Texas hill country and write.
One of her favorite things to do is go for hikes around her property with Gus….her chocolate lab and the other man in her life, and Rose, her golden retriever. When Kelly is not outside helping the hubby haul brush, move rocks or whatever fun chore he has in store for her that day, you’ll find her inside reading, writing or watching HGTV.
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