Happy May Book Friends! I am enjoying the warmer weather that we are starting to get here in Colorado. I am so over winter and ready for warm summer days! I read three books for the last of April, all were ARCs. If you would like to my thoughts then keep reading!
What You Wish For by Katherine Center – 5 Stars Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This is my third from her and it was just as good as her others. Here we follow Sam, a librarian at an Elementary School in Galveston, TX. After a tragedy her school hires a new principle and he is someone from Sam’s past but he is nothing like what she remembers. I enjoyed both Sam and Duncan’s stories and the journey they both needed to go on to grow. Katherine’s books always have something going on besides the straight storyline, so trigger warnings for school shootings. Katherine’s stories always have a way of just sucking me in! Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a sweet second chance and enemies to lovers story! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press.
War and Speech by Don Zolidis – 3.5 Stars Sydney’s life has been turned upside down when her dad gets sent to prison for tax fraud and must start at a new school, Eaganville School of the Arts. Things are different her as the speech and debate team rule the school and athletes are looked down upon. Sydney has a bad run in with some members of the team and their head coach so with her new friends she decides to join the team and destroy it from the inside. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and thought the dialogue and banter was great. What I had a small problem with was how mean all the characters were, not just the speech team but also Sydney and her friends. I did enjoy how the story progressed and that in the end Sydney had grown and was able to talk to her parents about how she was felling about the imprisonment. The friendships in this book were also a lot of fun to read about. This was a fun read and I loved all the insights into speech competitions. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books.
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler – 4.5 Stars I don’t know what it is but I love a good book set in Alaska. This book takes place in a town called Moose Springs and we are following Graham. Graham is a local boy who does not like tourists and owns one of the most popular restaurants in town, he is also friends with a moose. Zoey is in town for two weeks and this is a trip of a lifetime for her, she has saved for years so that she can finally come to Alaska. I absolutely loved Graham’s character, he appeared to be grumpy but was really this funny lovable guy! My favorite scenes were always the ones where he was talking with the moose or his dog. The romance was also a pretty slow burn which is my favorite. Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a fun rom-com where the setting is another character in the story! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca!
by Don Zolidis Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Release Date: May 5th 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Synopsis:
Not everyone can be a winner…
Sydney Williams knows this better than anyone. After her white-collar- criminal dad is sent to prison, Sydney fails almost all of her classes and moves into a dingy apartment with her mom, who can barely support them with her minimum-wage job at the mall.
A new school promises a fresh start. Except Eaganville isn’t exactly like other high schools. It’s ruled with an iron fist by a speech team that embodies the most extreme winner-takes-all philosophy.
Sydney is befriended by a group of fellow misfits, each of whom has been personally victimized by the speech team. It turns out Sydney is the perfect plant to take down the speech team from within.
With the help of her co-conspirators, Sydney throws herself into making Nationals in speech, where she will be poised to topple the corrupt regime. But what happens when Sydney realizes she actually has a shot at . . . winning? Sydney lost everything because of her dad’s obsession with being on top. Winning at speech might just be her ticket out of a life of loserdom. Can she really walk away from that?
Sydney’s life has been turned upside down when her dad gets sent to prison for tax fraud and must start at a new school, Eaganville School of the Arts. Things are different her as the speech and debate team rule the school and athletes are looked down upon. Sydney has a bad run in with some members of the team and their head coach so with her new friends she decides to join the team and destroy it from the inside. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and thought the dialogue and banter was great. What I had a small problem with was how mean all the characters were, not just the speech team but also Sydney and her friends. I did enjoy how the story progressed and that in the end Sydney had grown and was able to talk to her parents about how she was felling about the imprisonment. The friendships in this book were also a lot of fun to read about. This was a fun read and I loved all the insights into speech competitions. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books. 3.5 but rounded up to 4 Stars.
Thank you Fantastic Flying Bookclub for letting me be a part of the tour!
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Don Zolidis grew up in Wisconsin, went to college in Minnesota, and is mostly known for being a really funny playwright. For the past five years, he’s been the most-produced playwright in American schools. His more than one hundred published plays have been performed tens of thousands of times, and have appeared in sixty-four different countries. He currently splits his time between New York and Texas, and has two adorable boys who will someday read this book and have a lot of questions. He aspires to owning a dog. His first novel was The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig.
I was watching Heather from Bookables on youtube they other day and she did this tag and said it was created by Backlist Books. I enjoy doing these and April is almost over so I thought I should do it asap! If you like tags feel free to be tagged and let me know if you do it!!! (P.S. I have all these books on my shelves but might insert images if needed.)
–The Questions–
1. Listening to raindrops on the rooftop–where is your favorite place to curl up and read on a rainy day? My chair in the living room that is positioned between a bunch of windows.
2. The smell of spring rain fills the air–name a book with rain or a storm on the cover. The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
3. Rain clouds in the distance–Name a book with a gray cover. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
4. “April showers bring May flowers”–name a book with flowers prominently displayed on the cover. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
5. Stormy night skies–What is the perfect thriller and/or horror book to read during a thunderstorm? I would say anything by Karin Slaughter!
6. Partly Cloudy–name a book that made you sad but also happy/content at the same time. How To Walk Away by Katherine Center
7. Morning dew–feature a debut author that you think needs a shoutout. Sarah Hogle, this book is hilarious!!
8. Verdant grass–Recommend an old book that you think should be reprinted or given a new cover. Son of Shadows by Juliet Marillier, A lot of her old books I would like to see redone like some of her newer ones.
Malachi, Ruse Master Pamela Schloesser Canepa (A Detours in Time Character Spin-off, #3) Publication date: April 23rd 2020 Genres: Mystery, New Adult, Young Adult
Duplicity is Mike’s first nature. If you want to know what he’s doing with his life, just ask, but don’t expect the truth. You may not even be getting his real name…
Such duplicity is the reason a so-called ‘acting job’ at a suspiciously sparse agency, LLJF, becomes the perfect solution to Mike’s college drop-out blues. During a time when he is just finding out who he really is, Mike adopts the new identity of ‘Malachi,’ and it fits like a glove. A broken nose, a lost tooth, stealing scientific secrets, and a run through the alleys of D.C. are all in a day’s work. Malachi is the best at uncovering the truths that others want to hide, and the taste of succeeding at what you are best at is intoxicating.
Malachi is willing to do anything to get his paycheck–until he must decide if the thrill of deception is worth the price he must pay.
Malachi, Ruse Master is a Detours in Time series character spinoff and intersects with events from Undercurrents in Time. The third book in the series, Malachi, Ruse Master is also perfect as a stand alone read.
Jack got me back home in a blur. I headed back to my basement room and studied the scratches and bruises. I still had two black eyes.
“It’s not always this bad,” Jack said.
“Eh, it’s alright. I mean, a hundred dollars extra? I’ll take that. And you even fixed it for me. I should pursue that career in boxing after all.” I chuckled.
He set the pill bottle on my coffee table. “Well, let me know if you ever want some sparring lessons; it may come in handy, just for self-defense. By the way, you’ll only need one of these every six hours.” He tapped the pill bottle. “No drinking, okay?”
I nodded.
“I’ll get those back day after tomorrow.” He left with a grunt and a gentle pat on the back, as if I had just been initiated into manhood.
I pulled out an old Loius L’amour Western and opened it up. It had been a while since I’d read a book other than to scan it for a class assignment. Bad habit. The storyline and the concept of frontier justice could soothe me after a hard day’s work, but I could not focus my vision or my mind. My shoes were off, but my jeans were still on, and my money was still in my pocket. All of this made me feel a little more secure in the moment, as long as I didn’t think about the blow to my nose. Maybe he was right, and it wasn’t always this bad. I tried to focus on the pay, and soon gave up, dropping the book down on my lap as I lay back and drifted to sleep.
Author Bio:
As a teacher of middle school English, Pamela loves to inspire the imagination of young readers and writers. As a child, she herself wrote often to escape boredom or entertain herself on long trips or long distance moves. When her family settled in the Southeast, writing provided an outlet for private thoughts and emotions for years, and after blogging for a few years, she decided to self-publish fiction in 2016. Pamela’s genres include science fiction, paranormal fiction, and poetry of all types. The “Made for Me” series was Pamela’s first published fiction series with a futuristic flavor. Pamela is now releasing a spinoff for Malachi, one of the characters in “Undercurrents in Time,” and her next project is another installment in the “Made for Me” series. What inspired Malachi, Ruse Master? “I feel like the young adult years are sort tumultuous for many of us, as well as being a huge turning point in who we decide to be. I remembered those years from my life as I allowed Malachi’s story to unravel in my mind. I truly enjoyed it!”
What’s next? Ellie, the elusive young woman who keeps showing up in Malachi’s life, reveals her purpose for doing so in Ellie, the Time Traveler, due for release in 2021 or 2022.
In Mother of Many, a young woman whose real mother is unknown, becomes part of a conspiracy as she discovers the truth about the father of her unborn child. Due for release when the muse insists.
Someone To Kiss My Scars: A Teen Thriller Brooke Skipstone Publication date: October 17th 2019 Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
First Place Pencraft Award in Young Adult Abuse
Readers’ Favorite International Contest: Silver Medal in Young Adult Thriller
“Powerful. Original. Deeply felt and convincing.” — Kirkus Reviews
Hunter needs to remember. Jazz needs to forget. They need each other to heal in this teen thriller of survivor love.
Hunter’s past is a mystery to him, erased by a doctor at the direction of his father. But memories of the secret trauma begin to surface when Hunter sees other people’s memories–visions invading his mind with stories of abuse, teen self-mutilation, rape, and forbidden sex.
His best friend Jazz has dark and disturbing memories of her own that she hides behind her sass and wit. Hunter discovers he can rescue the victims, even though he risks adding their suffering to his own.
Hunter and Jazz kiss each other’s scars and form a bond of empathy no two teens should ever need.
Jazz waited for Hunter inside the front doors of the K – 12 school, home to 150 students from the small town of Clear Creek and ten miles in either direction on the nearby highway. Her big boots stomped on the metal grating just inside the door as she paced, wondering what was keeping him. Her flatworms had regenerated their heads and tails and still remembered what she had taught them prior to decapitation. Memory can exist outside the brain! How cool was that? She couldn’t wait to tell him.
“Girl, you need to get to class,” said Patty, the secretary, in her loud, thick drawl. She was a large woman with a big smile, born in Texas, who lined her eyes in dark blue, wore big hoop earrings and gaudy silver necklaces. Today she wore jeans, boots, and a bright yellow top with white fringe and turquoise pieces sewn into the fabric. She loved the kids, and most loved her back, including Jazz.
“I need to show something to Hunter. It’s so cool!”
“Mr. Roberts approved you being out of his class?”
“He knows. He said it was OK.”
She had advanced to the state science fair a month ago and now wanted desperately to go to the international fair next year, her last chance before graduation. Maybe she could win a scholarship or some money for college. Mr. Roberts, her science teacher, had given her a corner of the school lab to run her experiments even through the summer. She’d been hired as extra maintenance help at the school, so she would have access to the building through August.
Jazz straightened up and put her hands on the glass door as she saw his truck roll into the parking lot.
Jazz watched Hunter park his truck and run toward the front door. As usual he looked flustered and a little clumsy when he ran, but God was he cute! She loved his long, floppy hair, his thick eyebrows over his dark brown eyes. And his mouth was gorgeous—so full and soft. He was the only guy in school who didn’t think she was weird for loving science and who smiled at her like he meant it. He was her only real friend. Before he came in August, the only people who cared about her were the teachers and Patty.
Just as he reached for the entry bell, Jazz pushed the front door open.
“Hey, Hunter!” She knew from the heat she felt in her cheeks she was blushing behind her big smile.
“Hey, Jazz. Sorry I’m late. I know you wanted me here early.”
“It’s OK. I have something to show you.” She grabbed his arm.
“I’ve got to get to class,” he said, panting.
“Patty said she’d give you a pass. C’mon!” Jazz pulled him down the hallway. “I said no such thing!” yelled Patty as the two kids ran past her.
“You know you will!” shouted Jazz over her shoulder.
Jazz dragged him down the hall to the science wing, opened the lab door, and walked to the far side of the room near the fume hood and a short lab table against the wall—her domain. One of the fluorescent tubes flickered on the ceiling. She looked up and shook her head. “That won’t do. Can’t have another variable in here. I’ll talk to Mr. Roberts later to have this fixed.”
She carefully removed a cover from a small shelving unit to reveal a series of petri dishes containing small brown worms. “Ta da!” said Jazz.
Each dish lay inside colored tape strips, labeled with names and dates. A clipboard with the color-code key hung from a hook.
Hunter bent closer. “Worms? Did you make them?” He wrinkled his nose. “Kinda. I trained them with food and bright lights until they remembered what to do in different environments to find their food. So if those memories were stored in their brain, which is similar to ours, you would think that if their heads were amputated, the new regenerated brain wouldn’t remember their training. But they did!” She threw out her hands in excitement.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! As a group they didn’t do quite as well as the trained, uncut controls, which were not decapitated, but the ones that regrew their heads did as well as those which regrew their tails. And both groups of regenerated worms found their food faster than an untrained group. ”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning memory is not confined to their brains!” She lifted up onto her toes and felt warmth radiating throughout her body. “If it were, the ones that grew new brains wouldn’t remember the training. Don’t you see? So many people think memories are stored in the brain, but they may be stored in other parts of the body or outside it.”
“At least in worms. What about in humans?”
“Could be the same. I haven’t figured out an experiment for them yet.” She moved closer and straightened the collar on his shirt. “But I’m looking for volunteers to help me.” She touched his nose with her finger. “How about you?”
“Sure. Unless you plan to chop something off me.”
She moved closer, enjoying the tease, locking her eyes onto his. “First, I train you, then I chop.” She picked up a ruler off a table next to her and slapped it into her hand. “Do you respond better to punishment or reward?” She walked toward him, shaking the ruler. “I used bright lights and raw liver on the worms.”
He backed away, chuckling. “So which one of those is the reward?”
“The liver, obviously. But for you . . .” She thought of so many things she wouldn’t dare say to him. “How about fresh chocolate chip cookies after school? I could come by your place.”
“Cool. I’d like that.”
He was so much fun. “When are you going to show me more stories about the Tremarians? I haven’t read any for a while.”
A pained look crossed his face. “I had to start writing something else.” “You had to? Why?”
“I’ll explain later. How about when you bring the cookies?”
“OK.” She noticed his frown and felt a chill. “Are you all right?” “Sure. Well, not really.”
“What’s wrong?” She almost reached out for his hand, but pulled back and clasped her hands against her chest.
“I realized this morning I never asked you about the things you didn’t want to remember. When we first talked. In the gym months ago. I told you I wanted to remember my past, and you said there were things you wanted to forget. What are they? And I’m sorry for not asking you before now.”
She felt her eyes widen and her heart race. How could you remember that? “So many things, Hunter, but none of them involve you.”
His shoulders slumped.
Jazz felt a rush of fear. Had she offended him? “What made you think of that now? I mean, I love that you care enough to ask, but what brought that up?”
Hunter bit his lip and frowned. “I haven’t had much sleep. I tried to find something from my past in my dad’s room, but the few things I found meant nothing to me. And I think he’s lying to me about . . . why we came here.” His chin quivered.
She moved closer to him, unable this time to resist, and reached for his hands. He tensed, causing her to pause. “Do you mind?”
“No.”
She held both of his hands and felt them quivering within her own. “I’m your friend, Hunter. Something’s going on with you, and I want to help.” She looked into his brown eyes and saw them twitch. “Why don’t you come to my house for lunch today? I’ve got some leftover spaghetti and meatballs.”
He looked at their hands touching and smiled slightly. “That would be great. I forgot to bring anything to eat today. Lucky this school allows us to go home for lunch.”
“Good.” She squeezed his hands then let them go. “You better get to class.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He turned to leave and opened the door then looked back. “So what’s the brain for if not to store memories?”
“It’s a receiver and transmitter, like a TV set. A signal comes in, and a movie memory plays in your head.”
His eyes widened as he just stared at her with his mouth open.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah. Gotta go.” He left the room.
She thought he would be excited or awed about her conclusion, but he seemed
terrified. Why did he have to write something else? Something was going on inside Hunter’s head. She’d sensed it since they first met. He said he couldn’t remember his past, yet he often seemed haunted.
She knew what nightmares the past could bring.
Author Bio:
Brooke Skipstone lives in Alaska, where she watches the mountains change colors with the seasons from her balcony. Where she feels the constant rush toward winter as the sunlight wanes for six months of the year, seven minutes each day, bringing crushing cold that lingers even as the sun climbs again. Where the burst of life during summer is urgent under twenty-four-hour daylight, lush and decadent. Where fish swim hundreds of miles up rivers past bear claws and nets and wheels and lines of rubber-clad combat fishers, arriving humped and ragged, dying as they spawn. Where danger from the land and its animals exhilarates the senses, forcing her to appreciate the difference between life and death. Where the edge between is sometimes too alluring.
Grinded Heather Slade (The Invincibles, #3) Publication date: April 27th 2020 Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
When the odds are against them, they fight for each other.
First loves torn apart…
With a Tuscan backdrop of romance and innocence, sixteen-year-olds Miles “Grinder” Stone and Pia Deltetto learn of love and loss. After a whirlwind romance, they return to their separate lives with a hope of reconnecting someday.
Broken and battered…
Severely wounded in battle, Grinder refuses Pia’s sympathy and pity. However, when he realizes the true danger Pia is in, Grinder will do anything to save the only woman he’s ever loved. With everything on the line, she’s forced to trust himr with her estate, her life, and her heart. But has too much time passed to bring to shattered souls back together where they belong?
Four hours later, I raced out of customs at the Florence airport and into Pia’s waiting arms. My heart raced as I touched her warm, opened her lips with my tongue, and the rest of the world went silent. There were no more birds singing, no sounds of the traffic that surrounded us. Even the wind stilled as I focused solely on the way her body shuddered as I brushed soft kisses from her mouth, down her neck, to the smattering of freckles on her bare shoulder.
“Tell me there’s somewhere we can be alone.”
“Sì,” she said, leading me outside to where a car sat waiting. “Do you want to know where we’re going?”
I shook my head. “I don’t care.”
When the driver opened the back door and we got in, I pulled her into my arms and devoured her mouth like a starving man. We spent the next hour with our lips fused together in one long kiss.
The driver pulled up to what looked like a resort. I got out and waited for Pia to put her hand in mine. I pulled her close and kissed her again. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Come,” she said as I grabbed our bags from the driver and followed her down a walkway to a villa that looked like a miniature of the one at Valentini.
Once inside, she put her hands on the hem of my shirt; I grabbed the back and pulled it over my head.
“Santa Madre di Dio.” She rested her hand on my bare torso, leaned up, and kissed me.
“Pia,” I breathed. “If you want me to stop…tell me now.”
She wound her fingers in my hair and pulled me closer. My blood throbbed, and my heart beat frantically in my chest. All at once, I felt like we were melting into each other, our two bodies dissolving into one.
She reached up and slid her dress off her shoulders. It floated to the wood floor, landing in a heap at our feet and leaving her naked but for her pale pink knickers.
“Touch me,” she demanded, bringing my hand to her breast. I couldn’t resist a taste. My mouth covered her nipple, and we both groaned. Her skin tasted like the sweetest honey; I wanted to lick her everywhere.
Author Bio:
I write stories set in places I love with characters I’d be happy to call friends. The women in my books are self-confident, successful, and strong, with wills of their own, and hearts as big as the Colorado sky. And the men are sublimely sexy, seductive alphas who rise to the challenge of capturing the sweet soul of a woman whose heart they’ll hold in the palm of their hand forever.
I’m an Amazon best-selling author, and a PAN member of Romance Writers of America. I speak, teach, blog, am an executive sommelier, and all-around entrepreneur.
I grew up an East Coast girl, and then spent half my life on the West Coast. Now my husband, our two boys, and I happily call Colorado home.
He lifts a crystal tumbler, one finger of some no-doubt expense liquor at the bottom. “Having a drink. You said the kitchen was off limits, but I was thirsty. Hope this is okay.”
His twinkling dark eyes tell me he knows it’s not okay.
Challenge lights the air between us, electric and hot. Part of me wants to pick up the phone on the side table and call mother. The second she knows he’s stomped all over her oriental rugs with his muddy work boots, he’s fired.
That would be a cheap win, though. Too easy. Too banal. Besides, I like the thought of him stomping all over her oriental rugs with his muddy work boots.
“Of course,” I say, sarcasm sharpening my words. “We always offer gardeners top shelf vodka.”
He merely lifts a dark eyebrow. How is it possible for eyebrows to look low class? His do. They’re a mess, broad and unruly. I want to run my tongue over them, smooth them out.
“Do you always show up half-dressed for them, too?” he asks in a musing tone. “Because that’s a real perk. They should put that in their classified ad.”
My cheeks burn hot as I realize how little I’m wearing. The bath towel covers from the slope of my breasts to the tops of my thighs. It’s held together by so little—only the tuck of terry cloth. If it came undone right now I’d be naked in front of him.
“Tell me your name,” I demand, lifting my chin.
“So you can tell your mother about me?”
“Maybe I will.”
“And if I tell her that you came downstairs in only a towel? That you tried to have sex with me? That you were the one who drank half the bottle of scotch?”
My mouth drops open. “That’s a lie.”
“Does that surprise you? That other people lie, too?” He must see the shock on my face; his smile is smile and smug. “Yes, I know about you. Poor little Emily Coulter, can’t tell the truth to save her life.”
A knot around my throat, pulled taut by thick dirt-stained fingers. “How would you know that?” That’s my family’s dirty little secret, but not the worst one. Not by far.
“I know lots of things.”
“And anyway, why are you back already? It’s only been three days. The hedges don’t need to be trimmed every damn day.”
His smile comes slow. “You don’t trust me?”
“Not as far as I could throw you.”
There’s something strange about him, something a little dangerous.
Unfortunately that only makes me like him more.
Author Bio:
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
A Touch of Ruin Scarlett St. Clair (Hades & Persephone #2) Publication date: April 23rd 2020 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.
Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.
Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone’s heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.
Faced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades’ queen.
Demetri must have felt her staring because he finally looked up from his tablet, the article he was reading reflected off his black-framed glasses. She noted the title. It was another piece about her.
“Persephone. Please, come in. Close the door.”
That stone in her stomach was suddenly heavier. Shutting herself in Demetri’s office was like walking right back into her mother’s greenhouse—anxiety built, and she felt fear at the thought of being punished. Her skin grew hot and uncomfortable, her throat constricted, her tongue thickened…she was going to suffocate.
This is it. She thought. He is going to fire me.
She found herself frustrated that he was drawing it out. Why invite her to sit? Act like it had to be a conversation?
She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of her chair.
“What did you do?” she asked, glancing at the pile of newspapers. “Pick one up on every block?”
“Couldn’t help it,” he said, smirking. “The story was fascinating.”
Persephone glared.
“Did you need something?” she asked finally, hoping to change the subject—hoping that the reason he called her into his office had nothing to do with this morning’s headlines.
“Persephone,” Demetri said, and she cringed at the gentle tone his voice had taken. Whatever was coming, it wasn’t good. “You have a lot of potential and you have proven you’re willing to fight for the truth, which I appreciate.”
He paused and her body stayed tense, preparing for the blow he was about to deliver.
“But,” she said, guessing the direction of this conversation.
Demetri looked even more sympathetic.
“You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to,” he said.
She blinked, brows furrowing. “Ask what?”
“For an exclusive. On your relationship with Hades.”
The dread crawled up her stomach, and spread, sizzling in her chest and lungs and she felt the heat abruptly leave her face.
“Why do you have to ask?” Her voice was tight, and she tried to stay calm, but her hands were already shaking and squeezing her coffee cup.
“Per—”
“You said you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t have to,” she stopped him. She was tired of him saying her name. Tired of how long it was taking him to get to the point. “So why are you asking?”
“It came from the top,” he answered. “It was very clear that you either offer us your story or you don’t have a job here anymore.”
“The top?” she echoed, and paused for a moment, searching for a name. After a moment, it came to her. “Kal Stavros?”
Kal Stavros was a mortal. He was the CEO of Epik Communications—which owned New Athens News. Persephone didn’t know much about him except that he was a tabloid favorite. Mostly, because he was beautiful—his name literally meant crowned the most beautiful.
“Why would the CEO request an exclusive?”
“It’s not every day the girlfriend of the God of the Dead works for you,” Demetri said. “Everything you touch will turn to gold.”
“Then let me write something else,” she said. “I have a voicemail and an inbox full of leads.”
It was true. The messages had started pouring in the moment she published her first article on Hades. She’d slowly been sorting through them, organizing them into folders based on the god they criticized. She could write about any Olympian, even her mother.
“You can write something else,” Demetri said. “But I’m afraid we’ll still need that exclusive.”
“You can’t be serious,” was all she could think to say, but Demetri’s expression told her otherwise. She tried again. “This is my personal life.”
Her boss’s eyes dropped to the stack of papers on his desk.
“And it became public.”
“I thought you said you would understand if I wanted to cease writing about Hades?”
She noted that Demetri’s shoulders fell, and it made her feel better that he was at least a little defeated by this, too.
“My hands are tied, Persephone,” he answered.
There was a stretch of silence, and then she asked, “That’s it? I have no say in this?”
“You have your choices. I need the article by next Friday.”
Author Bio:
Scarlett St. Clair lives in Oklahoma with her husband. She has a Master’s degree in Library Science and Information Studies and spends a lot of time researching reincarnation, unsolved murders and Greek mythology-all of which made it into her debut novel, When Stars Come Out.
Sea Child LaVerne Thompson (Children of the Waves #4) Publication date: April 23rd 2020 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Land or sea, he was her world.
Shawnah had a decision to make. Sea born but land raised, she now knew the truth of her birth and how far some would go to steal her powers. There was only one man she trusted to protect her while she learned how to protect herself. But what happens if she decides to flaunt destiny and not remain in the sea? Would she risk losing him? The children of Poseidon are fated to have one mate.
Cyrus didn’t think that applied to him, since he was a hybrid born of both land and sea. He never searched for a bride. But fate had other ideas, and once he held Shawnah in his arms, Cyrus had no intention of letting her go. When she is once again threatened, Cyrus is willing to take on the gods of the sea, or even her father of the land, to protect her and remain at her side.
She stirred in his arms and opened her stunning hazel eyes to stare into his golden ones. She smiled.
‘You’re safe now.’ Cyrus spoke into her mind.
‘I know you. How do I know you?’
He frowned. ‘I’m not sure, but at some point in our lives, our paths may have crossed. Come we must hurry.’
‘Where? I don’t remember much. Can you tell me what’s going on?’
‘Yes, but we need to get out of here. Trust me.’
His heart paused as he held out his hand and waited. It began beating again when she placed her hand in his.
Author Bio:
LaVerne Thompson is a USA Today Bestselling, award winning, multi-published author, an avid reader and a writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi romances. She also writes romantic suspense and new adult under the pen name Ursula Sinclair, her alter ego, who likes her relationships a little more complicated. http://www.amazon.com/Ursula-Sinclair/e/B00415YAVK/
Her stories are highly sensual with erotic elements but she has a few that are considered erotic. Most of her books also have a touch of violence and a few more than that. She enjoys good action scenes in movies and has incorporated some of those elements in quite a few of her books. She is also a certified chocoholic.
Sign up for her newsletter to receive a chance at special freebies and sneak peeks at her work in progress. http://bit.ly/1hA7C9W
Hello Book Friends! Hope your April is still going well! Today it is the middle of April as I am writing this and we have about 6 inches of snow and it keeps coming down. I don’t know about you but I am so over winter and am dreaming about warmer weather. How is your April going?
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I really enjoyed this one overall, I thought the plot and characters where really fun and well developed. One of my favorite things in the book is the name of the places in the town. You have the Who’s It’s Cafe, Wherever Park, Whenever is a bar and the the Whatnot Diner. I thought this just added a nice touch to the overall sense of the town. I will say this was a bit steamy at times so just know that going in. I would pick this one up if you are looking for a fun and charming read. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley and CD Books.
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