Tuesday, December 20, 2016

#FRC2016: Hindsight by Mindy Tarquini



This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge (it's our Junior Year!)  We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!




Course Title: Contemporary Fables
Department: Magical Realism
About the book:

EUGENIA PANISPORCHI LIVES WITH HER MOTHER, TEACHES CHAUCER, AND REMEMBERS ALL HER PAST LIVES. SHE IS DESPERATE TO CHANGE HER FUTURE.

Born this time around into a South Philadelphia Italian-American family so traditional, she and her siblings are expected to marry in birth order, Eugenia lives a simple life―no love connection, no controversy, no complications. Her hope is that the Blessed Virgin Mary (who oversees her soul's progress) will grant her heart's desire, the option to choose the circumstances of her next life. But when a student reveals he shares her ability, Eugenia suddenly finds herself setting up a Facebook page and sponsoring a support group for others like her, an oddball odyssey, during which she discovers she must confront her current shortcomings before she can break the cycle and finally live the life of her dreams.
A layered contemporary fable, Hindsight reminds us to live this life like it's the only one we'll have.
Hindsight is different than any book I have read in the past.  It follows Eugenia who has lived several lives and who crosses paths with people she has met before.  She tries to live a simple, uncomplicated life, but when you are living life that is not really possible.  She also feels weighted by all the lives she has lived in the past.  Eugenia soon learns that she is not the only one that has these gifts.  She even starts a support group for others like her and soon learns more about herself and what kind of life she wants to live.  This book was very interesting and had some very funny parts associated with it!
  

Find it: Amazon Barnes & Noble |






About the author:

Raised by traditional people in a modern world, Mindy Tarquini is a second-generation Italian American who grew up believing dreams are prophecy, the devil steals lost objects, and an awkward glance can invite the evil eye.

She’s served as assistant editor with the Lascaux Review, also Spinetingler Magazine, and is a member of the Perley Station Writers’ Colony. Her work has won recognition from the Philadelphia City Paper, the Maui Writer’s Conference, and the Oklahoma Writer’s Federation.

A native Philadelphian, Ms. Tarquini packed up her pizza stone and westward-ho’d. She now resides in Phoenix, where she divides her time between writing and wrestling with her pasta maker.

She does not have hindsight

Connect with the author:

Friday, December 16, 2016

Cover Reveal: Ever Over After by J.A. DeRouen

Check out this gorgeous cover of Ever Over After, the conclusion of The Over Duet!! The Over Duet is a gripping tale of first loves, second chances, and hard truths. Ever Over After releases January 9th!

We were lucky to enough to review the first book in the series, Low Over High, before it was released.  You can see that review here.

AHHHHHH!!!  This book sounds amazing.  We are so excited to read the conclusion to this series and you guys need to check out this beautiful cover below!! 


One-click Low Over High now! http://mybook.to/lowoverhigh
Add Ever Over After to your Goodreads TBR! http://bit.ly/29dH6T5
Enter to win an ARC of Ever Over After! http://bit.ly/2hNIkVy


Synopsis:
Marlo … wild-eyed, untamed, and every single thing I’ve ever wanted from this life. I wasn’t ready for her back then. I was a stupid boy with adult feelings and no idea what to do with them. I squandered away every chance she gave me.
Yes, a love like ours either burns white hot or crumbles under the pressure.
And now I’m back to sift through the rubble.
Questions and excuses are two things I have in spades. What I need now is answers.
Answers and Low.
Always Low.
My name is Ever Montgomery, and this is my story of love resurrected.





About the author:


J.A. DeRouen resides in South Louisiana with her husband, son (aptly nicknamed "The Professor"), and her furry friend, Scout. She has earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and nursing. When she's not writing or inhaling romance novels by the stack, she works as a women's health nurse. She's been an avid reader and daydreamer since childhood, and she's never stopped turning the page to get to the next happily ever after.
Connect with the author:

Cover Reveal: The Rule Maker by Jennifer Blackwood

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Cover Design : L.J. Anderson / Mayhem Designs
Model: Kamil Nizinski
Release Date: January 16, 2017
 
Synopsis
Ten Steps to Surviving a New Job:   1. Don’t sleep with the client. It’ll get you fired. (Sounds easy enough.)   2. Don’t blink when new client turns out to be former one-night stand.   3. Don’t call same client a jerk for never texting you back.   4. Don’t believe client when he says he really, really wanted to call.   5. Remember, the client is always right—so you can’t junk punch him when he demands new design after new design.   6. Ignore accelerated heartbeat every time sexy client walks into room.   7. Definitely ignore client’s large hands. They just mean he wears big gloves.   8. Don’t let client’s charm wear you down. Be strong.   9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the client. You’ll lose more than your job—maybe even your heart.   10. If all else fails, see rule number one again.
 
Goodreads
   
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Giveaway
One ARC for The Rule Maker & $10 Amazon Gift Card
 
 
   
therulemaker_teaser1
 
About the Author
Jennifer Blackwood is an English teacher and contemporary romance author. She lives in Oregon with her husband, son, and poorly behaved black lab puppy. When she isn't writing or teaching, she's binging on Veronica Mars episodes and white cheddar popcorn.
 
Connect with Jennifer
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Thursday, December 15, 2016

#FRC2016: In the Heart of Texas by Ginger McKnight-Chavers



This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge (it's our Junior Year!)  We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!





Course Title: Pop Culture Conversations
Department: Women's Fiction Studies
About the book:

Named a “Top Pick” by RT Book Reviews 

Named a “Fall Must-Read” by RedbookMag.com * PopSugar * Parade Magazine * Brit + Co * SoulCycle

Hailed as a “Best Fiction Book by Women of Color” at Bustle.com


Pitched as “a poor man’s Halle Berry,” forty-one-year-old soap star Jo Randolph, has successfully avoided waiting tables since she left Midland, Texas at eighteen. But then, in the span of twenty-four hours, Jo manages to lose her job, burn her bridges in Hollywood, and accidentally burn down her lover/director’s beach house―after which she is shipped home to Texas by her agent to stay out of sight while she sorts out her situation.

The more Jo reluctantly reconnects with her Texas “roots” and the family and friends she left behind, the more she regains touch with herself as an artist and with what is meaningful in life beyond the limelight. The summer of 2007 is cathartic for Jo, whose career and lifestyle have allowed her to live like a child for forty years, but who now must transition to making grown-up decisions and taking on adult responsibilities. In the Heart of Texas is a wry, humorous commentary on the complexities of race, class, relationships, politics, popular culture, and celebrity in our current society.
In the Heart of Texas is full of interesting characters and a great plot line.  Jo has been living in Hollywood as a soap actress after escaping from the town that she grew up in, Midland, Texas.  She isn't an A list star, but she is making do with her work.  However, after an affair with her (married) director goes bad, she is forced to head back home in order to escape the backlash.  While she is at home, she becomes a drama teacher and tries to sort out her life.  She has a lot to think about and has plenty of attention from the locals.  The interactions between Jo and her family and friends are some of my favorite scenes!  This is a great story about reexamining one's life and gives you plenty of laughs along the way!
  

Find it: Amazon Barnes & Noble |





About the author:

A native of Dallas, Texas, Ginger McKnight-Chavers is a graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School. She was a Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellow at Sarah Lawrence College, and her debut novel, In the Heart of Texas, will be released in Fall 2016 by She Writes Press. McKnight-Chavers currently blogs for The Huffington Post and The TexPatch, and she lives in Westchester County, New York, with her husband, daughter, and an overweight West Highland White Terrier.

Connect with the author:

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

#FRC: Found by Emily Brett



This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge (it's our Junior Year!)  We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!




Course Title: International Nursing
Department: Medical Adventure
About the book:

Twenty-seven-year-old ICU nurse Natalie Ulster has a desire to see the world, in case she dies young like her mother, and a need to heal, which is compensation for her own damaged heart. Armed with an independence and self-reliance that stems from her father’s emotional abandonment―and wanting to separate herself from a deranged nurse whose husband just died under suspicious circumstances on Natalie’s watch―Natalie grabs life by the globe and accepts successive assignments in Belize, Australia, and Arizona. 

When Natalie meets Dr. Joel Lansfield, a physician who is also familiar with grief, she finds that Joel sees her for the strong woman she is, and loves her for all she has yet to figure out―but she’s not sure she’s ready to make room in her heart for love.

Desperate to maintain her emotional distance with Joel, she continues to travel. In each country, however, she finds herself confronted with near-death accidents, from a poisoned drink to a severe food allergy to being thrown overboard in the Great Barrier Reef. Too many coincidences force her to ask herself a frightening question: Is someone trying to kill her?
Natalie, an ICU nurse, has the urge to travel the world.  She wants to feel like she is living a full life since her mother passed away from cancer at such a young age.  She ends up signing up for a nursing job that allows her to travel multiple countries for short bursts of time.  This affords her the opportunity to see the world and find joy in her life.  Before she leaves, she has an encounter with another nurse whose husband passes away under very sketchy circumstances  while Natalie is on duty.  This run-in stays with Natalie throughout her travels when she has more than one brush with death.  Natalie starts to wonder if these are accidents or events with purpose.  Natalie starts to realize that she has to face the demons of her past in order to move on to her future.  Natalie looks into why she became a nurse and what she really wants out of life.  It was interesting to read about the different areas she visited and to watch her grow as a person.
  

Find it: Amazon Barnes & Noble |





About the author:


Emily Brett received her first bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in Kinesiology, after which she went on to Arizona State University to receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While working as an ICU nurse, she earned a master’s degree in nursing at Arizona State. She is board-certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and has been in the nursing profession for over ten years. Presently she serves on the Advanced Practice Committee with the Arizona State Board of Nursing, and shares a medical practice with her husband, a physician. She has been published in a number of medical journals, including The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and the Online Journal of Nursing Scholarship. She is also a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Emily currently resides in Scottsdale Arizona with her husband, three kids, and their rescue dog, Farley.

Connect with the author:

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Book Review: Edge of Bliss by Molly E Lee


Photo & Cover Design: Regina Wamba / MaeIDesign and Photography
Models: Ripp B. (Dash) & Mackenzy T. (Blake)
Release Date: December 14, 2016

Synopsis
I never knew how perfect life could be until Blake Caster was finally mine. Chasing storms with her only doubles the passion and the rush, but as we travel down tornado alley at the start of the season, we run into more than our fair share of nonweather-related trouble. My past on the alley catches up to me in a bad way and with each captured storm, a wedge is driven between us. The harder I try to hold on to Blake, the faster she is slipping away. Add to that an unexpected call from her ex, new pressures from the reality show filming our every move, and a job offer Blake may not be able to pass up, and my perfect life is on the same chaotic path as the storms we chase. All I want to do is make her mine
—forever—but one trip down tornado alley might be our last.  




Review


Blake and Dash are back! Our favorite couple is out chasing storms and learning to enjoy life (and their life together). However, their storm chasing group has signed a deal with a TV network that follows and films their every move. This comes with a few perks, like new equipment, but it also has it downsides. The pressure for ratings is always there and it also seems like one of the producers is trying to stir up trouble. This all would be easy to handle if the pasts of both Dash and Blake weren't there to haunt them. They have a breaking point that they must face in order to move forward and to figure out if what they have is strong enough to weather the storm.



Goodreads
   
 
 
Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jiw4ifbF2NU&feature=youtu.be

   
About the Author
Molly E. Lee is an author and editor best known for her debut novel EDGE OF CHAOS, and as a fourth year mentor at Pitch Wars - a program which connects promising writers to established authors in the community. Molly writes New Adult Contemporary and Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.

Connect with Molly
Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2gqr35d
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2c6GO2r
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2cKYIFb
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2gC6jGU
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2gQdK1d

Friday, December 2, 2016

Cover Reveal: Edge of Bliss by Molly E Lee


Photo & Cover Design: Regina Wamba / MaeIDesign and Photography
Models: Ripp B. (Dash) & Mackenzy T. (Blake)
Release Date: December 14, 2016
 
Synopsis
I never knew how perfect life could be until Blake Caster was finally mine. Chasing storms with her only doubles the passion and the rush, but as we travel down tornado alley at the start of the season, we run into more than our fair share of nonweather-related trouble. My past on the alley catches up to me in a bad way and with each captured storm, a wedge is driven between us. The harder I try to hold on to Blake, the faster she is slipping away. Add to that an unexpected call from her ex, new pressures from the reality show filming our every move, and a job offer Blake may not be able to pass up, and my perfect life is on the same chaotic path as the storms we chase. All I want to do is make her mine—forever—but one trip down tornado alley might be our last.    
Goodreads
   
  
   
Giveaway
One of Five ARC's for Edge of Bliss
 
 
   
Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jiw4ifbF2NU&feature=youtu.be

     
About the Author
Molly E. Lee is an author and editor best known for her debut novel EDGE OF CHAOS, and as a fourth year mentor at Pitch Wars - a program which connects promising writers to established authors in the community. Molly writes New Adult Contemporary and Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
 
Connect with Molly
Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2gqr35d
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2c6GO2r
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2cKYIFb
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2gC6jGU
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2gQdK1d