From Me to You ... Video, Photography and Book Reviews

Monday, May 25, 2015

Disappointmentville: The Lone Stars Series, Book 1

Format: Kindle Edition | File Size: 506 KB | Release Date: October 16, 2013 | Publisher: Self-Published | Obtained: Amazon.com

"Perfect Summer" [The Lone Stars Series, Book 1] by Katie Graykowski

Author's Book Description : High school teacher Summer Ames is trapped in the nightmare morning from hell. Her alarm clock didn’t go off, she accidentally backed over the rosebush her grandfather gave her grandmother right before he accepted defeat against prostate cancer, she’s wearing clothes she picked up off the floor, and when she opens the door to her classroom, the lights from the TV cameras nearly blind her. She's won Teacher of the Year. But unlike the past winners, she doesn't get a new car or a Hawaiian vacation or even new school supplies, she wins an over privileged quarterback with a bright smile and questionable intentions.

Clint Grayson is an NFL quarterback in need of a reputation makeover. If he has any hope of landing a hundred million dollar endorsement deal, it will take some pretty impressive PR to clean up his bad boy image. In an attempt to polish his tarnished reputation, Clint agrees to be a high school class mentor.

When these two get together all hell breaks loose and they both learn that all is fair in love and football…and winning is just the beginning.

My Book Review : 2.5 out of 5 stars. Summerville (Summer) has finally won Teacher of the Year, but instead of earning a new car or a wonderful trip she gets Clint--The Lone Star's Quarterback--as her new class mentor. YAY! Not. However, soon she'll realize that Clint coming into her life is only for the better if she can only get over her insecurities and embrace her unexpected future...

In truth, though I was surprised by the double plot romances (one with Summer and the other with her mother) I really liked how this novel began. It was steady passed and the playful banter between all the characters was very entertaining. However, around 57% of the way through this novel seemed to start dragging and the characters behavior started becoming a little ridiculous especially with all of their insecurities coming out of the woodwork. While I liked the pairings of Summer with Clint and Summer's mother Lillian (Lilly) with Davis (a man who loves her and is thirteen years younger than her), it was only curiosity in finding out the results of those relationships and because I really liked Summer & Davis's characters that had me pushing through to finish this novel.

Overall, I thought it was cute but I was hoping for more. Therefore, I recommend it to those who are fans of Ms. Graykowski or a light-hearted romance.

Purchase This Book and/or The Other Books From It's Series Here :

Author's Novel Extras :

I served Perfect Summer's cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast! Who wants the recipe?
Posted by Katie Graykowski on Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Perfect Summer's Cinnamon RollsIngredients:3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)1 cup milk3/4 cup sugar1 teaspoon...
Posted by Katie Graykowski on Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Author's Series Extras :

Here's an UN-edited copy of the first chapter of The Debra Dilemma. It's the next book in The Lone Stars. Tell me what...
Posted by Katie Graykowski on Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Book Teaser(s) :

Chopin's Funeral March droned on her iPhone. Her mother's ringtone. Summer didn't reach for the phone. Her latest strategy in mother-daughter relations was to avoid Lillian Summerville Ames like she avoided self-mutilation, handling uranium, and reality TV. It was all about choices. And she was choosing to be an orphan. ~ within Chapter 1

PERFECT SUMMER by Katie Graykowski -- Read my review here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2015/05/disappointmentville-lone-stars-series.html #contemporaryromance #romance #teasers #meme #books
Posted by From Me to You - Video, Photography, & Book Reviews on Monday, May 25, 2015

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Katie, then please check out her website.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Second Sentence Saturday: Dragon Her Feet

SECOND SENTENCE SATURDAY is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jess of From Me to You ... Video, Photography, & Book Reviews. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab the novel/novella your currently reading

Open to the first page of Chapter 1 or its Prologue

Share the SECOND sentence from that page

Share the novel/novella's title & its author, so that other participants can add that novel to their TBR Lists if they want

MY Second Sentence Saturday :

"Dragon Her Feet" [Stratton Series, Book 2] by Celia Kyle (aka Lauren Creed) & Mina Carter

Correction, it'd gone south faster than a hooker giving a blowjob.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT to share either the link to your own SECOND SENTENCE SATURDAY post or share the sentence in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thank You!

Spreading the Word: Seven Brides for Seven Shifters Series, Book 1

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 692 KB | Expected Release Date: June 23, 2015 | Publisher: Samhain Publishing | Obtained: NetGalley

"There's Something About Werewolves" [Seven Brides for Seven Shifters Series, Book 1] by Thalia Eames

Authors' Book Description : Their second chance ignites with a bite.

Lennox Averdeen’s top three worst fears:

1. Anything remotely canine.

2. Finding out she has a secret baby.

3. Running into Garrett Anderson. Former best friend. Heartbreaker.

She pulls a trifecta when she realizes the stray canine and the tween kid hanging around her house are not only one and the same, he’s Garrett’s wolf shifter son.

When Garrett tracks down his runaway son and sees Lennox again, the widowed father’s heart begins to struggle against his self-imposed chains. Plus, just coming into town pits him against the local Alpha, and everything he hates about pack life. The death, the heartache.

Despite her fears, Lennox becomes the boy’s mother in all but DNA. But Garrett? He can hula-hoop with the nine rings of hell. Except the heat of attraction has never died, and there’s only one way to slake their sexual thirst. Make a smoking-hot deal, agree to part as friends…and try to ignore the sound of Fate howling with laughter.

Warning: This book will stop your heart with barks of laughter, breathless drama, dueling heroes, and sizzling sex. Hey, if you can’t beat ’em, howl with ’em.

My Book Review : DNF. Maybe my expectations for this novel were too high. I’m not exactly sure where it went wrong but I by 45% of the way through I had to stop reading it, as I couldn’t put up with it anymore.

While I believe that Garrett and Lennox’s connection is undeniable and I feel like they might be mates, I’m not sure if such a thing as “true mates” are a part of this series, as the mate topic was never discussed within the parts that I read. However, how Garrett could fall in love and marry someone other than Lennox (as they were as thick as thieves at that time) if they were mates baffles me. Though Garrett says he loves his wife (who has now passed away) and believes she was his mate, enough to feel he should never marry again. Basically, I think he's a bit of an idiot not to realize who Lennox is to him. At times Lennox and Garrett’s struggle over their feelings seemed never ending, which was what annoyed me the most.

However, her Grandmother’s antics didn’t help either. I mean the thing about the money, COME ON! That just made me upset and forced me to realize the ridiculousness of situation Lennox got herself into.

Overall, I found it humorous and thought it has potential but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I did like the idea of Lennox & Garrett together and Garrett’s son Nox. I hope if you try to read it, you’ll enjoy it more then I did.

Purchase This Book and/or The Other Books From It's Series Here :

Author's Novel Extras : There's Something About Werewolves Release Party

Book Teaser(s) :

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT WEREWOLVES by Thalia Eames -- REVIEW TO COME ON May 23, 2015 -- http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/
Posted by From Me to You - Video, Photography, & Book Reviews on Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"If you wanted to stay here, you should've told me, Grandma."
Gran pursed her lips. "Don't say grandma like it's a curse word. You're the one acting crazy and erratic." She punctuated each word with a stab of her umbrella.
"Losing all your money, getting a concussion, and having to deal with..." Lennox gestured at Garrett and gasped, "...with that would make anyone crazy."
"I'm not a that," Garrett intoned. ~ within Chapter 9

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Thalia, then please check out her website.