Showing posts with label Trigger Warnings. Show all posts

Friday, June 16, 2017

Review: SALVAGED by Jay Crownover! EXCERPT included!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover continues her delightfully sexy Saints of Denver series with the next thrilling standalone, SALVAGED! Order your copy today!

My Review: Okay, I'm going to try and refrain from tearing up, because the Marked Men and the Saints of Denver are two of my all-time favorite series. They both have a very prominent place on my keeper shelves - and I'm both happy and heartbroken to see these series come to a close. And what a way to end the series - Wheeler and Poppy's book packs such a huge emotional punch, this really is a case of going out with a bang. I've been eager for Wheeler's book since the character was introduced. Despite being a side character, he quickly became one of my favorites, and this book just solidifies his place in my harem of book boyfriends. He's such an amazing guy, willing to give so much of himself to make the people he cares about happy. His need for a family about broke my heart, I just wanted to give him a huge hug.

Now, I said this book packs an emotional punch, and I'm not kidding. Poppy has had a very, VERY rough life, and it's still haunting her. But that makes her relationship with Wheeler that much sweeter, because it shows how much of a caregiver he is. And on top of that, it shows how strong Poppy is - like it was said in the book, she's a survivor, not a victim. And it's not just the abuse angle that had me nearly in tears - the epilogue(s) at the end.. I almost lost it. After following these characters since their original release (I started reading Jay's books when Rome released, so very near the beginning!), and to see them all together again, living their happily ever afters.. *sniffle*

I can't wait to see where Jay takes us next. I know her Breaking Point series is the next release, and I'm ashamed to say I'm behind in reading the Point and Breaking Point books, so I need to hurry and catch up. And I'm excited to be attending a huge multi-author book signing in August that she will be attending.. so I better start thinking about which of my books I need her to sign!

I can't say enough how much I love this author. If you like your men hot and tattooed.. If you love New Adult Romance... If you just need a book that will make you both sniffle and chuckle, look no further than this.

Cover Lovin': This cover is perfect for Wheeler and Poppy, and fits perfectly with the rest of the series.

Recommendation: Salvaged can be read as a stand-alone, but I suggest reading at least the whole Saints of Denver series, if not the Marked Men as well. There are plenty of characters that cross over.

Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars (5/5)! This was a perfect end to one of my all-time favorite series. I fell in love with Wheeler and Poppy, and their story was everything I could have hoped it would be.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Hudson Wheeler is a nice guy. Everyone knows it, including his fiancée who left him with a canceled wedding and a baby on the way. He’s tired of finishing last and is ready to start living in the moment with nights soaked in whiskey, fast cars, and even faster girls. He’s set to start living on the edge, but when he meets Poppy Cruz, her sad eyes in the most gorgeous face he’s ever seen hook him in right away. Wheeler can see Poppy’s pain and all he wants to do is take care of her and make her smile, whatever it takes.

Poppy can’t remember a time when she didn’t see strangers as the enemy. After a lifetime of being hurt from the men who swore to protect her, Poppy’s determined to keep herself safe by keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Wheeler’s sexy grin and rough hands from hours restoring classic cars shouldn’t captivate her, but every time she’s with him, she can’t help being pulled closer to him. Though she’s terrified to trust again, Poppy soon realizes it might hurt even more to shut Wheeler out—and the intense feelings pulsing through her are making it near impossible to resist him.

The only thing Poppy is sure of is that her heart is in need of some serious repair, and the more time she spends with Wheeler, the more she’s convinced he’s the only man with the tools to fix it.

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ADD SALVAGED TO YOUR GOODREADS

EXCERPT:

“I don’t know that I have the time to take on a puppy right now, Poppy.” He lifted a hand and rubbed it across the back of his neck. His mahogany-colored eyebrows pulled into a vee over the top of his nose and the corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown that was too harsh for his pretty face. I liked it much better when he smiled and his twin dimples cut deeply into his cheeks.

I bit my bottom lip to keep the distressed noise that I could feel climbing up the back of my throat at bay. I knew he might say no but I couldn’t hide the fact that I was disappointed by his decision. I honestly felt like he and the puppy would be good for one another, that they could bring a little joy into each other’s life. It broke my heart a little that Wheeler wasn’t ready to open his heart up again, even when it was to something that was so obviously eager to love him unconditionally and irrevocably, unlike his ex.

“It’s okay, Wheeler. Like I said, I’ll take him home until I can find a place for him. I’m sure Dolly could use a friend.” I crouched down and wiggled my fingers to get the dog’s attention, and grinned when he bounded over, tripping over his front legs as he scrambled in my direction. “I can take him to work with me and hold on to him until I figure something out. One of the boys at the shop will step up if Dixie doesn’t want another dog.”

I heard him sigh and looked up to see him watching me intently. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then let it snap shut with his teeth audibly clicking together. I didn’t know much about Wheeler, but what I did know I liked. He was nice. He was polite. He was thoughtful and he was kind. But more than any of those things, he went out of his way to hold himself in a way that wasn’t threatening or intimidating because he was aware without me saying a word how jumpy I was around people, men in particular. I hated that they were bigger than me. I hated that I knew firsthand how badly they could hurt me if they had a mind to. I hated that I wilted and cowered under their attention, even if it was innocent and friendly. The fact that he took care not to spook me spoke volumes and made me feel awful for putting him in such an awkward position.

“Poppy…” He sounded regretful and I had no interest in dragging the torture out any longer for either of us. I scooped up the dog and buried my nose in the top of his head.

“Seriously it’s no big deal. I love him and I’m happy to wait until I can find him a proper home. It was stupid of me not to consider how busy you are with everything you have going on in your life right now. A puppy is a big commitment and that’s not something you can put on someone else without discussing it with them first.” The dog swiped his tongue across my face, no doubt feeling my distress and rising panic. I wanted to tuck his warm little body to my chest and run away like I was trying to score a touchdown in the other team’s end zone. “I should have known better.”

**Jay Crownover continues her Saints of Denver series with SALVAGED, available June 20, 2017**

Preorder and fill out the form here: https://a.pgtb.me/MdHvvG

**Enter your name, email address, and the order number from your pre-order receipt on the form to receive an advance excerpt of DIGNITY and a Saints of Denver Doodle download to print at home.**

Entries must be received by midnight PST on June 19th to be eligible.

**The print-at-home Doodle and Dignity excerpt will be emailed the week of June 20th.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the Link:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9172c1a0374/?

Jay Crownover’s SALVAGED – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

June 12^th

Aurora B's Book Blog – Excerpt

Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt

Ceres Books World – Review

Grownupfangirl – Review & Excerpt

Krista's Dust Jacket – Review & Excerpt

Panda & Boodle – Excerpt

June 13^th

Booknerd1107 – Review

Foxy Blogs – Excerpt

Happily Ever After Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Mustreadbooksordie – Review

NallaReads – Review & Excerpt

The Book Disciple – Review & Excerpt

June 14^th

Books to Breathe – Review & Excerpt

Prisoners of Print – Review & Excerpt

Tales of the Ravenous Reader – Review & Excerpt

The Book Maven – Review

Two Girls with Books – Review

June 15^th

Cocktails and Books – Review & Excerpt

Ficwishes – Review

Night Owl Reader – Review & Excerpt

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Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Review: THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT SUNSHINE by Sawyer Bennett!

My Review: I'm going to start this review by saying.. this was a rough one. Emotionally, I mean. This is Fault in Our Stars and It Ends With Us level stuff here. I love Sawyer Bennett's writing, but good lord, she blew me away with this. I started this book on my break at work, and I already had to start talking about it to my coworker as soon as I got back to my desk.

I started to get a little worried about this book when the author sent a message to the reviewers, saying it was okay if we couldn't handle the book. I hadn't even picked it up yet, so imagine how nervous I got. Jeez. Honestly, I'm not sure I can accurately rate this book.. it's still a bit too raw? I can say this book gave me major feels, I fell in love with these broken characters almost instantly, and the writing is off the charts amazing.

Cover Lovin': I absolutely love this cover, it's gorgeous!

Recommendation: Be prepared for some tough subjects.

Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars (5/5)! I'm not over this book. Maybe after I calm down and get some space between me and it, my rating will change. But for now - all the stars for all the feels.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence. Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life. What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again? He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die. Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all. The hard truth about sunshine... Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.

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Jillian holds my gaze for a moment, her eyes drilling into mine before she gently tugs on the material of my jeans near the shin rod of my prosthetic. “What happened to you?” She doesn’t look away. Not down at the fire, not down to my legs. She stares right at me. Although my gut is turning slightly at the thought of telling her what she asked, I forge straight ahead. For the first time, I tell someone who is not medical personnel or a shrink my story. “I was driving a military Humvee and the right front tire ran over a roadside bomb,” I say, and Jillian makes a sound of distress low her in throat as her eyes turn sad. “It completely obliterated my buddy sitting in the passenger seat.” To my surprise, Jillian scoots over closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. She pushes her hand in between my ribs and my arm, curling her fingers over my bicep. It’s a show of support. Solidarity. That she’s settled in for the long haul of this story, and she wants to hear it all. “It didn’t blow my leg off,” I tell her, and I can feel her body jerk slightly in surprise. Her fingers squeeze my bicep. “The fingers yes, the leg no. It just shattered and shredded it badly, but the doctors tried hard to save it.” “Obviously, they couldn’t,” she whispers the obvious. “They tried for three months,” I tell her, reaching down to grab my phone laying near my left hip. Jillian lifts her head up, watching as I pull up my pictures. I scroll backward, but it doesn’t take long to find what I’m looking for because I don’t take a lot of photos. I hold the phone out so she can see. “This was taken about a month after my injury.” Jillian makes a strangled sound as she looks at the photo of me in bed. My eyes are half open because I was bombed out on so many heavy-duty pain medications, and I have a grimace on my face. I vaguely remember this picture being taken, and I think it may have been by my brother, Hank, when he came to visit once during that first month. He came a few more times after that, and then he didn’t. Jillian’s eyes roam over the photo. My leg is encased in the external fixator with several rods leading from the outside of the cage right into my skin, where it’s drilled through and into the bone to hold the pieces together. The wounds on my leg are all open to the air, red and some of them dripping with puss and lined with blisters. I’ve got IVs in both arms and a PICC line in the right side of my neck to deliver the hordes of antibiotics and pain meds I needed to keep me alive and functioning. I took the maximum dosages they allowed me, preferring to try to be oblivious to what was happening. Yet, the pain was so great it just couldn’t be fully erased. Jillian turns her head to look at me, and I lay the phone back down. “How long were you like that?” “Three months. But they couldn’t get ahead of the infections, which were delaying the bones from knitting. I was in so much pain that I wanted them to amputate.” “You had to make that decision?” she whispers. I nod. “Yup. I mean… the doctors were at the point they felt it was the right way to go, although they were willing to keep trying if I wanted. But I wanted it gone. I was tired of being in the hospital and being in so much pain. I just wanted it gone.” “Do you regret that decision?” she asks me bluntly, but with that still-sweet melody her voice makes. The question doesn’t bother me, because even her hard questions sound lovely. “Yes,” I tell her without any shame. “I wonder what would have happened if I held on just a little bit longer. Not long after the leg came off, the pain receded and I became more lucid. Once I’d forgotten how bad the infections smelled, I regretted it.” “Three months is an awful long time to be in pain like that,” she points out the obvious. I shrug. “And the rest of my life is a long time to wonder ‘what if.’”

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | INSTAGRAM

Disclaimer: I received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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