#ArcAugust Book Review : Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson @writeinBK

RELEASE DATE : 1/24/2017
Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson  via @amazon

Orange Is the New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home.

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?

There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?

#ArcAugust Book Review : Mixed Feeling by Avan Jogia

RELEASE DATE : SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

 

From actor Avan Jogia comes a raw and moving collection of poetry, stories, and art about living as a mixed-race person in a world increasingly fixated on racial identity.

In Mixed Feelings, Avan Jogia explores his complicated emotions around race, identity, religion, and family through poetry and imagery. Drawing on the author's own life story as well as interviews he's conducted with friends and strangers, Mixed Feelings serves as a dialogue starter for difficult topics that now, more than ever, need to be discussed.

Mixed Feelings is an exploration of what it means to be a mixed-race person in today’s world. Inspired by numerous letters from Avan’s fans, the collection tells of his personal experiences and stories from others interviewed for the book. Mixed Feelings is a raw and moving investigation into identity. 

#arcAugust Book Review : Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren @christinalauren

RELEASE DATE : 9/4/2018
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren  via @amazon

Most men can’t handle Hazel. But her best friend Josh isn’t most men. Don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s new novel about two people who are definitely not dating…no matter how often they end up in bed together.
Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

#arcAugust Book Review : to drink coffee with a ghost by Amanda Lovelace @ladybookmad

RELEASE SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

to drink coffee with a ghost by Amanda Lovelace https://www.amazon.com/dp/1449494277/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_v9bzDbVEETQ7C via @amazon 

“You cannot have a funeral for your mother without also having a funeral for yourself."  This book poses the ever-lingering question: What happens when someone dies before they're able to redeem themselves?

From the bestselling & award-winning poetess, amanda lovelace, comes the finale of her illustrated duology, "things that h(a)unt." In the first installment, to make monsters out of girls, lovelace explored the memory of being in a toxic romantic relationship. In to drink coffee with a ghost, lovelace unravels the memory of the complicated relationship she had with her now-deceased mother.




REVIEW


How can you not love Amanda’s words? I fall in love with this writer more and more each time they release a book. I love the way she puts so many emotions into her words even in small samples and they just hit me so hard. I do truly love the fact that she added a trigger warnings page right at the very beginning so you are WARNED. Also the artwork is incredible.


Chasing Emily may be my favorite piece in this book because I did immediately think of an exact conversation with my own mother.

#arcAugust Book Review : The Point by John Dixon

RELEASE DATE : 8/7/2018
The Point by John Dixon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101967560/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_v6bzDbAG42ZP4 via @amazon

What if you had a power you had to hide from everyone—until now? In this bold sci-fi action thriller, a secret training program at West Point is turning misfits into a new generation of heroes.
Scarlett Winter has always been an outsider, and not only because she’s a hardcore daredevil and born troublemaker—she has been hiding superhuman powers she doesn’t yet understand. Now she’s been recruited by a secret West Point unit for cadets with extraordinary abilities. Scarlett and her fellow students are learning to hone their skills, from telekinetic combat to running recon missions through strangers’ dreamscapes. At The Point, Scarlett discovers that she may be the most powerful cadet of all. With the power to control pure energy, she’s a human nuclear bomb—and she’s not sure she can control her powers much longer.

Even in this army of outsiders, Scarlett feels like a misfit all over again, but when a threat that endangers her fellow students arises from the school’s dark past, duty calls and Scarlett must make a choice between being herself and becoming something even greater: a hero.

#ArcAugust Book Review : Sadie by Courtney Summers @courtney_s

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. 

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

RELEASE DATE : 9/4/2018

Review 

 You must listen to this book on audio! It makes everything so much more intense. Sadie on audiobook is like a mix of Limetown and someone knows something. It takes you between the podcast recording the history of the crime and it gives you real time in Sadie’s search for her sisters killer. This story is tragic and triggering and it hits a height of emotion for anyone with a personal history of abuse. Truly amazing work.  

#ArcAugust Book Review : A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney @elleonwords

Release Date: 9/25/2018

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

Debut author L.L. McKinney delivers an action-packed twist on an old classic, full of romance and otherworldly intrigue.

REVIEW

This was a book that I’d had for a very long time but I could not get through it. However, I decided to get the audiobook and that was the best decision I could have made. The narration on the audiobook makes this retelling so much more entertaining. I absolutely love the characters, I love all the personalities, and I absolutely loved this cliffhanger. This Alice in Wonderland - Buffy the vampire slayer crossover definitely hits the mark.

#arcAugust BOOK REVIEW : 7 WAYS WE LIE BY RILEY REDGATE (@abramsbooks)

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 8, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1419719440
ISBN-13: 978-1419719448 

Final book for ArcAugust!

I'd throw up a blurb about this from amazon or such but THEY DAMN NEAR SPOIL EVERYTHING so basically 7 sins and growing up and these characters clash. BADLY.
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Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—from Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage, to "SPOILER", the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.

When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the seven unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.

REVIEW BELOW

#arcAugust RELEASE BLITZ / GIVEAWAY & REVIEW : ADELINE BY CHRISTINA MCKNIGHT (@CMcknightwriter @barclay_pr)

When the beast with a heart of gold tames a beauty with a wicked past.

Title: Adeline
Series: Lady Archer’s Creed #3
Author: Christina McKnight
Genre: Historical Romance Romance
Release Date: August 29, 2017

WHEN THE BEAST WITH A HEART OF GOLD

Everything changed for Jasper Benedict, the Earl of Ailesbury, the night his family died in a tragic fire—the same fire that left him disfigured. Now, his scars have given him the name the Beast of Faversham. But when he stumbles upon a damaged carriage during a tempest, the beautiful woman inside reminds him of the man he wishes he could be: free of his past, and able to love.

TAMES A BEAUTY WITH A WICKED PAST

When her carriage breaks down outside Faversham Abbey, this is just the most recent in a long series of misadventures for Miss Adeline Price. Her beauty hides a fatal flaw: she’s quick to judge, and rarely looks beneath the surface. But the longer she’s around Jasper, the more she begins to want to be better—someone deserving of him. 

But when it comes time to reunite Adeline with her family in London, will Jasper believe that she sees not his scars, but the good, honorable man he is?

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo 

#ArcAugust BOOK REVIEW : DEAR MARTIN BY NIC STONE (@getnicced @penguinrandom)

Hardcover | $17.99
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers Oct 17, 2017 | 224 Pages 

| Young Adult  

| ISBN 9781101939499 

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack. 

#ARCAUGUST BLOG TOUR & REVIEW : PERILOUS TRUST BY BARBARA FREETHY (@barbarafreethy @inkslingerpr)

Perilous Trust (Off The Grid: FBI SERIES #1)

By Barbara Freethy

Release Day: August 1, 2017

Standalone

In PERILOUS TRUST, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy brings you the first book in a new romantic suspense series! OFF THE GRID: An FBI Trilogy offers three breath-stealing books filled with action-packed plot, heart-stopping romance, and page-turning suspense.

It was one dark night that brought Damon Wolfe and Sophie Parker together. They were two tortured souls, looking for escape, and they weren't supposed to see each other ever again…

Four years later, Sophie's FBI father, who is also Damon's mentor, is killed in a suspicious car crash after leaving Sophie a cryptic message to trust no one from the agency. When Damon shows up looking for her, she isn't sure if he's friend or enemy, but she knows he could easily rip apart what is left of her heart.

The last thing Damon wants is to get involved with Sophie again. It was hard enough to walk away the first time. But she's in trouble, her father's reputation is under attack, and the lives of his fellow agents are at stake if there's a traitor in their midst.

When someone starts shooting at them, they have no choice but to go on the run and off the grid. Everyone in their world becomes a suspect. They want to uncover the truth, but will it turn out to be the last thing they expect? Proving her father's innocence might just cost them their hearts…and their lives…

LINKS

Apple iBooks - http://www.barbarafreethy.com/Perilous_iBooks

Amazon Kindle - http://www.barbarafreethy.com/Perilous_Kindle

Kobo - http://www.barbarafreethy.com/perilous_kobo

B&N Nook  - http://www.barbarafreethy.com/Perilous_Nook

Google - http://www.barbarafreethy.com/Perilous_Google

RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW : SINFUL DISTRACTION BY LONDON HALE (@haleyeslondon @Lwoodspr) #arcAugust

It's HERE!

Sinful Distraction by London Hale is LIVE!

ONE-CLICK NOW:

Amazon US → http://amzn.to/2tYn1cL

Amazon AU → http://amzn.to/2uy5YA6

Amazon CA → http://amzn.to/2tZjBVR

Amazon UK → http://amzn.to/2vrY8Eo

KU Subscribers, this one is FREE for you!!!

She's the one thing he won't give up on

The calls started a year ago. I needed an easy release, and he was there, for a price. One call turned into two, and before I knew it, I was falling for the voice on the other end of the line. When he shows up and introduces himself as the newest firefighter on the island, I'm terrified...at first. As the mayor, the last thing I need is a scandal. But Riley won't take no for an answer, and I'm finding it hard to refuse him.

He's a distraction she can't afford

Kate, the mayor of Temperance Falls, has a naughty little secret. Except I'm not so little and a hell of a lot more than just naughty. A year of weekly phone calls with our identities disguised has left me craving more. Being together could ruin everything she's worked for, but there's no turning back. Now that we've actually met, now that I've had a taste, nothing will stand in my way of making her mine.

Every London Hale book can be read in any order, or as a standalone.

Looking for something quick, filthy, and taboo with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating? Sinful Distraction delivers.

Ready for #ArcAugust!!

Tomorrow is officially August 1st and I will be participating in ArcAugust!
I'm hoping to get through some of my most recent arcs, mainly received at Blogbound and BookCon. I also have a few eArcs to get through, such as:

Into the Dim by Janet B.Taylor
Wreck and Order by Hannah Tennant-Moore
Perilous Trust by Barbara Freethy
Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn
One by Jewel E. Ann
Where the Sun Shines Out by Kevin Catalano

You can find more participating blogs and readers at
 5th Annual #ArcAugust