Preston's Honor by Mia Sheridan

There were two brothers—identical twins—and though I loved them both, my soul belonged to only one. 

Annalia Del Valle has loved Preston Sawyer all her life. The daughter of an impoverished migrant farmworker, she grew up as an outcast in what was no more than a tiny, cooped up shack in California’s Central Valley. But her heart found freedom in the land, in the wide-open spaces of Sawyer Farm, and in the boys who were her only friends. 

Preston has yearned for Annalia since he was a boy. But a sense of honor kept him from pursuing her until he’s unable to hold back any longer and their worlds—and bodies—collide one hot summer night. A night that sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever. 

Now Annalia is back in town after disappearing without a trace for six long months. Determined to reclaim her heart, her life, and the baby she left behind—the son who was created in a moment of lust and love and pent-up yearning. 

Preston has survived grief, a ravaging drought, and the despair of heartache, but he’s not sure he can survive Annalia again. And he might be unwilling to try. Will pride and bitterness keep him from the one thing he’s always longed for? 

How do you heal what is irreparably broken? How do you forgive that which is unforgivable? How do you discover that real honor comes not from circumstance, but from the place deep in our hearts where truth resides? And how do you move beyond the wounds of the past to discover that some loves are as solid as the ground beneath your feet, and as enduring as the earth itself? 

Mia writes it... I read it. Did I know what it was about? No. Did I freak out when I finally learned it was brothers both vying for one girl's attention? Yes! 

That had angst written all over it!! 

But it wasn't what I was anticipating, and I hope others don't shy away thinking "love triangle." Don't do that. You'll be doing yourself a grave disservice. Preston's Honor is a must read!

Mia has written another beautiful story with so much heart and emotion.

I should have known and been prepared with tissues in hand... but, silly me, I wasn't ready!!

I cried. Happy tears a time or two, but a lot of sad ones. 

My gut clenched with sympathy so many times for Lia and the cards life dealt her... not only her, but for Preston and Cole as well.

This book was beautiful. Full of anguish, love, family, and strength. 

Another superb story by Mia Sheridan!

Amazon US / UK

Wait by A.L. Jackson

    

From NYT & USA Today bestselling author comes a new Bleeding Stars stand-alone novel… 

She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he won’t let her go.   
Edie Evans is gorgeous. Sexy. Kind.  She’s also the definition of off-limits. But that didn't stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night. But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise when I destroyed us, too. The night I sent her running, I thought I’d never see her again. Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd.   

Austin Stone is dangerous. Alluring. Tempting. He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and now I can’t do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him. Our desire is overpowering. Our need unrelenting. 
She is my hope. He is my weakness. 
We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.    

Sweet, sad and at times utterly heartbreaking. 
Edie and Austin, two lost souls, both battered and broken.


"The two of us magnets. Spinning. Churning. Attracting and repelling."

This story is told between past and present.  With the flashbacks you get a glimpse into when... when they were teens... when they were each other's everything.
Their relationship and their connection. How it all began.

They were both broken.. giving each other what the other one needed.. 
support, understanding, and eventually healing.

"One mistake."

Emotional... Amy knows how to write emotions, and let me tell you... there are some gut wrenching moments in this book! Have your tissues ready!!
Both Austin and Edie's stories broke my heart in pieces!

"Loving her might be the best mistake I ever made."

This story was a true journey of forgiveness, acceptance and love.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

The Fire Between High & Lo by Brittainy Cherry

Blurb

There once was a boy, and I loved him.

Logan Francis Silverstone was the complete opposite of me. I danced while he stood still. He was quiet, and I was always running my mouth. He struggled to find a smile while I refused to frown. 

The night I saw the darkness that truly lived inside of him, I couldn’t look away.

We were broken together, yet somehow whole. We were wrong together, but always right. We were the stars that burned across the night sky, searching for a wish, praying for better tomorrows.

Until the day I lost him. I threw us away with one hasty decision—a decision that changed us forever.

There once was a boy, and I loved him.

And for a few breaths, a few whispers, a few moments, I think he loved me, too. 

***

Book #2 in the Romance Elements Series.

My Review

Brittainy has done it again. 

She never ceases to amaze me, nor does she know how to write a book that doesn't bring me to tears!

This story broke my heart more than once. 

It was full of sweet, young love, at the same time filled with agony and heartbreak. 

Poor Lo. 

I can't count the amount of times I cried for him.

She came from a lifestyle where fancy dinners were normal, I came from a world where dinner wasn’t always available.

Ugh... the parts from Lo's childhood killed me!!!

No words I have will do justice to this book. It was equally beautiful as it was gut-wrenching.

This story is jam-packed with love, friendship, hardship, pain, agony, desperation, hope...

it's a must read for sure!!!

“One day at a time. That’s all it takes to get through anything. Don’t think too much about the future or keep your brain running on the past treadmill—just stay in the now. Be here now. That’s the best way to live life. In the moment. One day at a time.”

Amazon US / UK

One Day Soon by A. Meredith Walters

**Standalone Contemporary Romance**

He found me in blood and tears. 
I stayed with him through darkness and fire. 

We loved each other in the moment between innocence and bitter truth. 
We were the kids easily ignored, who grew into adults we hardly knew. 

We weren’t meant to last forever. And we didn’t. 

He ran away. 
I tried to move on. 

Yet I never stopped thinking about the boy who had fought to keep me alive in a world that would have swallowed me whole. He was the past that I buried, but never forgot. 

Until the day I found him again, years after believing I had lost him forever. 

And in cold, resentful eyes, I saw the heart of the man who had been everything when I had nothing at all. So I vowed to hold onto the second chance that was stolen from the children we had been. 

Sometimes fate is ugly. Life can be twisted. 
And who we are can be ruined by who we once were. 

For two people who had survived so much, we would have to learn how to hold on before we were forced to let go.

To me, a review is not for me to describe in detail what this book is about. 

You can read that in the blurb! 

My job is to express how I felt. What I did and didn't enjoy.

That being said... there are no words! 

Without a doubt, I can not express how heartbreaking and beautiful this story truly is!

How did I feel about it? I absolutely loved it. Hiccup inducing tears and all!

"A happy story doesn't always have a happy ending"

Oh the tears!!!!!!!!!!! Get yourselves a box of tissues and some Tylenol!! 

You are definitely going to need it.

This story was so incredibly sweet, tender and gut-wrenching all at once.

Their love, their bond!! Unbelievable!

Everything Yoss did he did for those he loved. To take care of them, to protect them!!

The angst was agonizing!

"Life takes turns that we don't expect and even the best of us can end up in a place we never expected."

The story goes back and forth between past and present and I'm not always a big fan of that, but it worked. And truth be told, you needed a bit of the break you got to get you from one place to another.

"Because one day soon, I promise you that all this ugly will become something beautiful."

A Meredith Walters is an amazingly talented author. I can always count on her to deliver powerful, heartfelt stories!

Her writing has me so invested in her characters, making my emotions work overtime!

Heartbreaking and unbelievably beautiful!!

If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!

Must read!!!

"Seize the moments you're given, otherwise the world will eat you up and spit you out."

Amazon US / UK

Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters

Blurb

In a powerful romance hailed as “heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful” by Stacey Lynn, New York Timesbestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest.

She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way.

He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find.

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now.

My Review

Get your tissues!!

Great story about real life, fear and grief.

It's about love, healing and learning to live.

Corin is a trip! She's quirky and silly but at the same time is suffering from a traumatic experience. 

She's a hypochondriac. She has panic attacks. She's afraid of death. 

She also has verbal diarrhea and is a tad socially awkward. What's not to love, right? 

Then there's Beckett! Oh how I love Beckett!! He is amazing and wonderful. I felt for him.

How does one go from being a super active, sports junkie to a man plagued with imminent death? 

These two don't seem like they match. She's waiting to die and he's fighting to live!

 But they each bring out something in the other that that person desperately needs.

I don't want you thinking this book is just about dying and crying. There is that, yes, but these characters form an instant bond. A strange connection that at times had me laughing out loud. Yes, later it had me crying my eyes out... but there's so much silliness and funny banter that it evens the other out.

This book has such a powerful message and one we all should learn from.

And that message is wrapped around the adorable love story of Corin and Beckett!

A definite must read!!

AMAZON US / UK

More Than Enough (More Than Series, Book 5) by Jay McLean

Blurb

There’s no emotion greater than fear.

No ache greater than grief.

No sound greater than silence.

***

I’m grateful he showed up on my doorstep, 

pissed off and angry at the world.

If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here.

And I don’t just mean here on this journey with him.

I mean here, in this world.

*

I wonder what events in all our lives—hers included—are The Turning Points? The points where we all determine that the fear of our pasts and the uncertainty of our futures are greater than our need for happiness.

Here.

Now.

While time and everything around us stands unmoving… who’s to say we can’t have it all?

***

We wanted it all.

We wanted it with each other.

We thrived on the chaos we created.

And ignored the Mayhem that ensued.

Because falling in love was easy.

But sometimes, love isn’t enough.

My Review

"Sometimes you need to have nightmares to appreciate the dreams."

I am a HUGE More Than series fan!!!

Couldn't wait to read Dylan's story. Add to the fact that he's in the military.... instant hells yes!!

I loved the way it started! Such a sad beginning. 

My heart completely broke for Riley and what she went through.

Dylan was awesome! He's a marine. Enough said!! ;)

He's kind, considerate, beautiful and not as quiet as everything thinks he is! He has his demons and his insecurities, but he loves with his whole heart and I love that about him.

I'm not going to go into detail, just know that this book has an abundance of grief and loss. There's sadness and pain, but luckily in true Jay McLean fashion, there's books, there's friendship and laughter, there's love and there's mayhem!!!! 

Get ready to laugh!

I enjoyed the inclusion of all previous characters. They're one big family of course and this wouldn't be a More book without them.

About the grief and sadness?? You'll need tissues for sure!! 

I cried my eyes out!

"Because is and was is the difference between time standing still, and time moving forward."

This book is a lesson in acceptance. Overcoming the hardships life throws your way.  

And it kills me to not give 5 stars, but although I cried like a baby AND laughed out loud, there were a couple moments I just didn't feel or agree with.

Nonetheless, awesome story and end to the More Than Series!!

Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C Cherry

BLURB

I was warned about Tristan Cole.

“Stay away from him,” people said.
“He’s cruel.”
“He’s cold.”
“He’s damaged.”

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster.

But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty.
We were both looking for something else. Something more.
We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays.

Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe

MY REVIEW

Sometimes the only way to read a book is to go in blindly. 

No hints. No teasers. Not my opinion or anyone else's. 

That is the only way to fully experience the greatness of a novel. That fact is true for this beautiful and heart breaking story, which is why I won't say too much, except... read the book!

This was a deeply moving tale that had me crying my eyes out. 

Both characters are broken and lost.

"How did two people so broken find each other's shattered pieces?"

You will need tissues because you too will be shattered!

Don't be afraid though, along with grief you'll have utter sweetness and beauty. 

There's also plenty of laughter, friendship, love and hope!

There are many characters that each serve a unique purpose. 

I loved them all, but thank goodness for Faye and the ever blowing wind!!! 

Laugh out loud moments, mostly from her, for sure round out this beautiful and poignant story.

"Life was never truly broken; it was simply bruised some days. and bruises healed with time."

Brittainy C. Cherry knows how to make this girl cry! 

She also knows how to write a damn good book! 

Amazon

Sins of Sevin by Penelope Ward

Blurb

What happens when the one you want is the only one you can't have?

My name is Sevin.

Homeschooled and sheltered by my ultra-religious family, I was always taught that lust was a sin.

Elle was the girl who'd been carefully chosen for me.

After a long-distance courtship, I'd be moving into her family's guesthouse so that we could get to know each other in the months before the wedding.

Boundaries were set: no inappropriate touching, no kissing, no sex before marriage.

I'd accepted those rules and my fate.

Until I met the one I wanted to sin with.

That was when restraint became a problem...especially since THE ONE wasn't Elle.

It was her sister, Evangeline.

You know what they say about best laid plans.

My name is Sevin, and I have sinned.

**Told in alternating points of view, Sins of Sevin is a full-length standalone novel. Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. Only appropriate for adult readers age 18+.

My Review

"You're my truth. Everything else is a lie."

OH MY GOD!!!! 

What an emotional story! My words won't do it justice.

The book took turns I wasn't expecting, had me gasping through my tears!!

Forbidden, sweet, agonizing, sexy and so incredibly emotional!

I think it's the best of Penelope's books so far!!!

I was left in tears! Good tears, but tears nonetheless. 

Unconditional love should be the name of this book, it's definitely the theme! 

What would you do for the ones you love? What would you give up?

Agonizing decisions were made and my heart broke on more than one occasion.

"Sometimes, we don't get over painful things, we just learn to live with them."

I don't want to frighten anyone away with all my blubbering because this is a must read in every way. There's laughter and friendship. There's chemistry and steam. You want it, you got it! An absolutely well rounded, perfect in every way read!

"This was the one man my mind knew it could never fall for, and yet my heart had other ideas."

Vulnerability. Heartache. Intensity. Loss.

Amazon US / UK

Kick Push by Jay McLean

BLURB

There’s a single defining moment within every skater.

It lasts only a second. Two if you're good.

Three if you’re really good.

It’s the moment you’re in the air, your board somewhere beneath you, and nothing but wind surrounds you.

It’s the feeling of being airborne.

The sixteen-year-old version of me would’ve said it was the greatest feeling in the world.

Then at seventeen, I had my son.

And every single second became a defining moment. Even the ones that consisted of heartbreak when his mother left us.

Seventeen. Single. Dad.

That’s what my life became.

Yet, every day, I managed to find that feeling of being airborne.

Or at least I convinced myself I did.

But I lied—to myself and to everyone around me.

Until she showed up; Tanned skin, raven dark hair, and eyes the color of emeralds.

You know what sucks about being in the air?

Coming down from the high.

Sometimes you land on the board and nail the trick.

Then kick, push, and coast away.

Other times you fall.

You fall hard.

And those are the times when it’s not as easy to get back up, dust off your pads and try again.

Especially when the girl with the emerald eyes becomes your drug...

And you become her poison.

REVIEW

Holy Fire Truck!!
I cried! Boy did I cry!!
Read the blurb people! I am not going to tell you too much more! 
There's a lot of both beauty and sadness here and I had a field day highlighting quotes that touched me.
So... that's what you're getting from me today!

This is the story of genuine love, selflessness, and utter heartbreak!

Yes there's laughter, there's an adorable child, there's funny best friends, but there's also grief, broken and lost souls, and unbearable sadness!

Josh is my hero. He was only a child when left alone to raise a child of his own.

"There are some sacrifices greater than love. And some loves greater than any sacrifice."

You feel his pain, his struggle and his happiness with every smile given from his son.

Becca. 
She's beautiful, intriguing, talented and different. She's also very broken.

Josh immediately falls for her. 
How could he not?
Her emerald eyes are mesmerizing, and she has an immediate bond with his son. 
He's a goner. 

"I don't control my actions-fear does."

But unfortunately for these two broken and lost people...

"real life-it was a fucking asshole"

Unfortunately, there was a point I started double and triple checking my percentage left. Things didn't seem to be going where I thought they'd go.
No spoilers here, but there's a couple of surprises, and I can't say I was all too happy with what I got! I was a little frustrated at times and a little confused.

Regardless of that, 
Jay McLean has written a beautiful story about so much more than skating 
and being a single dad. 
It's inspirational. 
It's heartfelt,  
and it's left me needing MORE!

"There's a big difference between being happy and being selfish. Choose to be happy. Fire truck the rest."

AMAZON