ARC Reviews

30/12/2016

Trying To Find Love: Poems & Reflections of the Love That Made Me. by T.B.Cooper. Sale ONLY 99c.


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December 29 - January 2





Title:
Trying to Find Love: Poems & Reflections of the Love that Made Me
by T.B. Cooper

(99cents Promotion)

Genre:
Poetry Memoir

Length:
82 Pages

Buy Links:
PAPERBACK
KINDLE
(FREE on KU) of course!

From
Back Cover:

This is my collection of "songs" that I
wrote, when music was in my heart.... Saying my early adult life was turbulent,
is a slight understatement. I had fun, I broke hearts, and I had mine broke
more than enough to compensate. Music Helped me. I'd always hoped to be a
fabulous songwriter, but as I evolved, I realized that path would've just led
me to more heartache. I grew up, and so did my way of dealing with my emotions.
Music, sadly, has left my heart. I no longer hear inspiration on the wind. Instead,
I now enjoy peace and quiet..... on a farm with a million kids and animals! But
I still remember where I came from, who I loved, and who loved me. It is to
honor their place in making me who I am, that I decided to share the
"song" and tell the story of how each "poem" came to be. I
hope you enjoy this very private peek into my heart.

Blurb:

I won’t make any outrageous claims to a troubled past
or anything that might excuse my behavior now, or then. I alone, know my
demons. I live today with a clear conscience knowing that every step of the
journey has been worth it. I do not hold grudges, nor do I apologize to those
who do. I regret nothing. I have fought for my happiness; friend and foe, and
worse.. myself.

I’ve been afraid of happiness. I’ve been afraid of
success. Failing was easy, but it was never an option. I am at peace with
myself, and I am LOVE incarnate. I’ve loved many, and many have loved me. With
the love, others have hated me. Let them battle their own demons.

In the following pages, I’ve collected the majority of
“songs” I’d written years ago. I say songs, only because at the time they came
into my head they came through on a melody. I had planned on becoming a
songwriter at one time in my life, but that was never my dream. So I never pursued
it. Instead, I decided a little while back that I still needed to publish them,
but as a reflection of what emotions and powers have shaped me. I added short
descriptions to these “poems” when I first started putting them all in one
place. This collection is about LOVE, and everything that goes with it.. the
searing passionate love, the torturous-I’d-rather-die-love, the despair of
never feeling it again-love. And everything in between. Some of the blurbs
attached to the poems I chose to keep the same, because they (when originally
written) showcased who I was at the time. How I felt, how I saw life. This is
after all, a deep look into my own personal journey. And if for no one else’s
understanding but mine, I chose to keep them as they were. Others, I either
re-wrote them to sound a little less offensive, or I added to them as an
update.

I have changed the names of the people I discuss, and
some of them I discuss frequently because they were such an influence on my
life. I’ve divided this book into “Chapters” named after each of the men who’ve
accompanied me in love. Whether they ever felt the same, I do not know, nor do
I ever wish to know. Yet another reason to have changed their names.

In closing, yes, I’ve been in love many times. I’ve
loved freely, and I’ve never discriminated. I’ve had more than enough outward
confidence that I enjoyed sharing myself. And I am not ashamed. Men have
notches on their belts… I had notches on my bedposts. And I am not ashamed….
I’ve lived my way, according to my rules and my desires. I can only hope more
people can feel and say the same thing when they reflect on their pasts…

To those men that helped me find myself, I am
eternally grateful. I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my one true
Prince.


Excerpt #1:
KEITH
(My first love)

Prince Charming

06-17-98

Once
upon a time

You
were the only one that I loved

You
were all I thought that I’d need

The
only one in my life

I
thought it would last

Prince
Charming came

To
make my dreams come true

Yes
I thought that he was you

Just
how wrong could I be?

You
broke my heart, my soul, my dreams

You
put me down like I didn’t mean a thing

I
thought you loved me

Wasn’t
I your everything?

You
said you were committed

It
doesn’t count if it’s not to me

Fairy-tales,

Of
“Shinning White Knights”

Sound
sweet to me

If I
could just find one right

Instead
of searching in vain

And
making mistakes

Of
choosing another boy

Whose
“Life of Love” was all fake

You
broke my heart, my soul, my dreams

You
put me down like I didn’t mean a thing

I
thought you loved me

Wasn’t
I your “everything”?

You
said you were committed

It
doesn’t count if it’s not to me


So at the time I wrote this, I was
pregnant with my daughter. I believe my first husband and I were separated but
trying to get back together. But I’m not sure this song was inspired by him. I
think I was upset because of him but I drew the emotions and inspiration from
my first love (Keith).

I think because of my fragile state of
being, plus having baby #2 with what was looking was going to be no father, I
think it all just made me think about those dreams I had had and what was
really going on with my life right now?

Keith was a big part of my life when I was
just turning into a woman. I gave up a lot of my happiness for his, and for him
to succeed in life. I just hope wherever he is, everything has worked out for
him. I wish him well.


Excerpt #2:
My Daddy

Daddy’s ‘lil girl

08-17-1998

I’m
your baby girl

At
least that’s what you told me

When
I came into this world

And
you knew someday

I’d
grow up to spread my wings

And
my own eyes would have

To
see all of those things

That
you told me were wrong

And
that you knew best.

I’ve
got your intuition

It
just kicked in too late

For
me to know what I was doing

Would
cause you to hate

Daddy’s
‘lil girl

You
said I betrayed you

But
you betrayed me

“Family
will never leave you”

At
least that’s what you told me

Said
you’d be there forever

Well
forever’s almost gone.

But
Daddy I’m still here

Waiting
for the day when you realize

That
I’m my father’s daughter

And
I’ve got more than Daddy’s eyes

I’m
as stubborn as a bull

Very
set in my ways.

You
missed my wedding day

You
made the choice to push

Instead
of give me away

You’re
missing your grandkids

A
boy and a girl

They’re
growing up fast

And
they’re my whole world

Wasn’t
I once yours

I
was Daddy’s girl

Now
I’m Daddy’s sad girl

Oh
Daddy’s sad ‘lil girl

Now, not really much of a song, per say…
I’ve over the years added, edited this song and what not… I’ve lost the
original (I think?). This is of course about my Daddy; a few days before I had
my first daughter. Last time he cared if I existed was July 23, 1996; before he
dropped me off at the hospital to have my half-black son saying he wasn’t the
father of a “Ni**er-loving whore.”

I was Daddy’s little girl. He even made a
charm for me once that

I was supposed to get when I turned
eighteen…. I’m almost

twenty-eight at this moment I’m typing…

Yeah, don’t see that happening.

Really not easy being rejected by a man.
Certainly not by your father who you feel is supposed to shelter and protect
you... No matter what. I could write more, but, there’s not much left to
say……..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my update.. I am 36 right now, my
dad has been gone for six years. Right before he died, my family (including my
kids) went to see him at his bedside. It was one of the single most painful
moments of my life.

I’d spent fourteen years, not seeing him,
not talking to him. Ten of those years I was mostly a single mom. A single mom
with three kids, living in the same town, at times-right down the street. I’d
gotten used to not having him in my life. I had to make my own way, and this
inevitably sent me into the arms of the next newest savior.

Then, right at the end, when his departure
from this world and my life for good was unavoidable, I had to lose him all
over again. We made peace with each other. He hugged my son. My son, who for
fourteen years could’ve learned so much from his grandpa, but he and his sisters
were denied because of a foolish man’s pride.

There was no man that had a greater
influence on my early adult life besides my Dad. Everything I did was dictated
by what was and wasn’t acceptable with him.

“Don’t date black people.”

I have two black kids.

“Blood is thicker than water, but if you
disgrace me, I disown you.”

So I left home at fifteen and at times,
only had my children for family in my life.

“Women should know their place, they
should be subservient to Man.” That was the toughest lesson to unlearn.

I’m grateful for everything,
good and bad my father taught me. I miss him terribly. I feel robbed.


T.B. Cooper
lives with her husband, four kids, a grand-baby, her mom, and her sister, on a
farm in the Nevada Desert. With farm chores, home-schooling and herds of
animals needing attention, it’s a miracle she finds anytime to write at all.
But writing has always been her passion. She’s written and construed stories,
her whole life. Now she’s jumping in with both feet into the world of social
media... publishing her thoughts on paper and her blogs, and is ready to open
the next chapter in an overwhelmingly enriched and precariously balanced life.

You can find out more by visiting her website www.tbcooper.com to view her two
blogs 'A Precariously Balanced Life' and 'For all the Books I've Loved so
far...,' or to checkout her upcoming projects--including her new short story
series 'Tentaglian Empire:House of Tentagel.'

Contact Links:



cooper.png

Changing Lanes (Highway 17 Series #1) by Leaona Luxx. Contemporary Romance Cover Reveal & Excerpt.

Title: Changing Lanes
Series: Highway 17 Series Book One
Author: Leaona Luxx
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 20, 2017 Photographer: Cassy Roop with Pink Ink Designs
Cover Designed by: TE Black Designs

Change. It’s change and how well you handle it which defines a person.
Three times in my life, I have been faced with such changes. Once when I was fourteen. Again, at eighteen. And now again at twenty-eight.
Twice, she was there.
Ten years ago, I gave up everything, including her. At the time, it was the right thing to do, for both our sakes. Walking away from her isn’t what I wanted, it’s what had to be done.
Now, she’s here. People like me don’t always get second chances, this happens to be mine. That’s if she’ll have me. If she’ll accept why I left and the fact, she’ll always be second.
You see, I have a secret. It could change everything when she learns the truth. She may be the one walking away this time.
We’re about to find out.
"Don't you understand? I can't love you."Turning to her, tears fall from her eyes unrestrained. "Of course, I understand. I see it every time she's around. When you say her name. Hear her voice. I see it in your eyes when you think of her. But I can't stop my heart from wanting what it wants. It wants you, Brannon. Always has. Always will." With her fists to her side, she walks away and I let her.
Leaona, also known as Lea, lives with her husband, cat and two dogs near Myrtle Beach. She was born and raised in WV by her parents whom she adores before attending Marshall University. A small business owner and mother of three, she enjoys Carolina Panthers and Marshall University Football, reading, writing, gardening, crafts, NASCAR, TWD, hot rods, and surf fishing.
Leaona was inspired to write while she raised her family, never dreaming one day, she would be published. While loving all genres of books, Lea writes contemporary romance stories that are not your everyday love stories. Gritty and true to life, she draws from her life and loves to create her characters. 
Leaona's debut novel will release June 7, 2016. Cherry Grove is the first in The Cove Series. She’s your everyday girl and lives to connect with her fans via social media. Leaona also doesn't mind dishing about her favorite authors and their books. Beach, life, and love.
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Eve´s New Year (Holidays In Lake Point #6) by Sarah Cass. Contemporary Romance.


Book: Eve's New Year
Series: Holidays in Lake Point #6
Author: Sarah Cass
Publisher: Divine Roses Ink



Add to Goodreads

Amazon Universal Buy Link: 

Synopsis

Alan Richards returns to Lake Point for the holidays, counting the minutes until he can accomplish the dreaded goal of dealing with his aging parents and get back to the city. Finding his former soul mate living in the town they left together and swore they’d never return to tosses his ordered plans right on their head. 

Ivy Nowell has never looked back since she left the city and her ballet career to raise her daughter in Lake Point. Alan’s homecoming dredges up old hurts and the love she never quite let go, but he hasn’t changed, with his relentless commitment to goals that differ completely from hers. 

The attraction and instant understanding between them lingers, but neither are who they used to be. Alan wants to give it a chance, but Ivy is worried he’ll change his mind and won’t risk hurting her daughter.

It’ll take Santa and all his magic to keep them from walking away from each other again, maybe for forever this time. 

***All books in Holidays at Lake Point are standalone reads.



What Others Are Saying About Eve's New Year

The storyline was great, easy to follow, the characters were wasy to love and their dialogue was great. All in all...a great read.

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

Would I read more from this author? Yes!~Sassy Beta Reading & Review

I enjoy a romance books. I loved reading this story. You could feel the turmoil the characters felt about not wanting to cross the friendship line.I will be reading more books from this author.~Anne Meemken


***Reviews can be found on www.amazon.com



Holidays in Lake Point Series

Santa, Maybe

Deep-Fried Sweethearts

Stalled Independence

Witch Way 


A Thorough Thanksgiving

Eve's New Year 

Heartstrings & Hockey Pucks 

Luck of the Cowgirl 

Stars, Stripes & Motorbikes

Free Falling

Love For Hire

Haunted Hearts

About Sarah Cass




Sarah Cass' world is regularly turned upside down by her three special needs kids and loving mate, so she breaks genre barriers; dabbling in horror, straight fiction and urban fantasy.  She loves historicals and romance, and characters who are real and flawed, so she writes to understand what makes her fictional people tick.  And she lives for a happy ending - eventually. And enough twists to make it look like she enjoys her title of Queen of Trauma Drama a little too much.

An ADD tendency leaves her with a variety of interests that include singing, dancing, crafting, cooking, and being a photographer. She fights through the struggles of the day, knowing the battles are her crucible; she may emerge scarred, but always stronger.  The rhythms to her activities drive her words forward, pushing her through the labyrinths of the heart and the nightmares of the mind, driving her to find resolutions to her characters' problems.


While busy creating worlds and characters as real to her as her own family, she leads an active online life with her blog, Redefining Perfect, which gives a real and sometimes raw glimpse into her life and art.  You can most often find her popping out her 140 characters in Twitter speak, and on Facebook.

Stalk Sarah Cass

29/12/2016

Underneath It All Series, by Ava Claire. Contemporary, Erotic Romance & $50 G.C.Giveaway.



Underneath It All Series

by Ava Claire
  Publication Date: May 15, 2016 
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Billionaire Jackson Colt has success, wealth, power and a presence that makes his competitors tremble with fear. Beneath the armor is a man with a dark and painful past. A man with a heart that he guards by any means necessary. As far as Sadie McLeod is concerned, 'escort' isn't a bad word. It's a job, one of two that she works to pay off a debt that is not her own. Tough as nails and far from a damsel in distress, love is a luxury she can't afford. Can they put aside their dark pasts and find the love they both desperately want, underneath it all?
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
There's a reason billionaire Jackson Colt doesn't do love: Sadie McLeod. Now that she's shut him out completely, he can't fathom a life that doesn't have Sadie in it. She makes him weak. Vulnerable. For Jackson, that's unacceptable. But getting her out of his head? That's impossible. Sadie McLeod should know better. Guys like Jackson don't live happily ever after with women like her. She didn't realize how badly she wanted happily ever after, how badly she wanted Jackson, until he was gone. Can they take the leap into the unknown, into the terrifying and find the love they crave?
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
It's official: billionaire Jackson Colt has fallen in love. After spending his life avoiding that four letter word, pretending he didn't want to be seen, he realizes that love is worth the risk. But does Sadie feel the same? In her darkest hour, face to face with her demons, Sadie McLeod should be doing the thing she does best--pushing away everyone. Her heart is on the line. Will she lose everything if she lets herself fall, or will Jackson catch her?

About Ava Claire

Ava Claire is a sucker for Alpha males and happily ever afters. When not putting pen to paper or glued to her Kindle, Ava likes road tripping, watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix, karaoke and vintage fashion. Site | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Pine Forest (The Iridescent realm #2) by Michelle Dare. Fantasy Romance Cover Reveal.

Title: The Pine Forest
Series: The Iridescent Realm, #2
Cover Designer: Covers by Christian
Genre: Fantasy Romance
One touch, one spark, two lives forever changed.
Pine and Azure. The war between the two kingdoms lasted far too long. Peace was finally established, but the survivors would never forget who fought on the front lines. Oliver Sage had a reputation for being a ruthless knight. He’d seen enough death to last a lifetime and worked on putting the past behind him, although not all would let him forget.
Addison was the only daughter of King and Queen Azure. With three brothers, she knew she’d always be protected, but she also wanted to learn how to take care of herself. She was strong, had a good heart, and wanted to be treated as an equal. Magical abilities ran in her family, and she had one no one knew of.
Oliver had given his heart to one princess, until the night he dreamed of another. Addison was the last woman he should desire, especially given who she was. However, what if she wanted him as well? They’d hated each other their entire lives, but suddenly couldn’t resist the desire which built between them. There were also those who didn’t think they should be together. Forbidden romance could only stay hidden for so long in the dark depths of the Pine Forest.
Book One
Michelle Dare is a romance author. Her stories range from sweet to sinful and from new adult to fantasy. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to write all of the story ideas in her head. When not writing or reading, she’s a wife and mom living in eastern Pennsylvania. One day she hopes to be writing from a beach where she will never have to see snow or be cold again.