Blog Tour: Seaside Lovers by Melissa Foster

Seaside Lovers
Melissa Foster
(Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers #7)
Publication date: July 20th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Seaside Summers is a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.
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“You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won’t want to stop reading. Every book’s a winner!” New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak
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“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely
In SEASIDE LOVERS…
After months of long-distance communication, actress Parker Collins and artist Grayson Lacroux finally plan to reconnect in the seaside town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. But Parker never shows, and weeks pass without a word, leaving Grayson to believe he’s misinterpreted their budding relationship.
Parker has been running on autopilot ever since she lost her friend, mentor, and the only family she’s ever known, Bert Stein. Armed with junk food, tequila, and her big, lovable dog, she’s prepared to hole up and mourn–and determined to mend a fence Bert had never been able to with his estranged and bitter brother. But Parker didn’t count on the sinfully hot artist she’s been fantasizing about for nearly a year walking in on her grief-induced drunken night.
When Grayson stumbles across Parker, he has no idea what to make of the gorgeous blonde who blew him off despite the heat sizzling between them. But that doesn’t stop him from feeling protective of the woman who’s consumed his thoughts for months, and when he learns of Parker’s plans to confront an angry old man, he refuses to leave her side. As Parker’s past unfolds, they’re led on an unexpected journey of discovery. Their connection deepens, and late-night fantasies become passionate realities, until good intentions spark painful secrets, threatening the love they’ve found.
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Seaside Summers is part of Melissa Foster’s bestselling Love in Bloom series. All Love in Bloom books may be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, or as part of the series.
SEASIDE SUMMERS
Seaside Dreams (Bella)
Seaside Hearts (Jenna)
Seaside Sunsets (Jamie)
Seaside Secrets (Amy)
Seaside Nights (Sky)
Seaside Embrace (Hunter)
Seaside Lovers (Grayson)
Seaside Whispers (Matt)
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Read the complete LOVE IN BLOOM series:
SNOW SISTERS
THE BRADENS (at Weston, CO)
THE REMINGTONS
THE BRADENS (at Trusty, CO)
THE BRADENS (at Peaceful Harbor)
SEASIDE SUMMERS
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK
For a complete reading guide, family tree, checklists, and more, visit Melissa’s website.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes / Smashwords / GooglePlay

EXCERPT:

“Trust me?” Grayson asked.

“Trust a guy who hauled me over his shoulder and kidnapped me?” She looked toward the bar.
“Yeah, trust that guy.”
“I do trust you.” She poked him in his chest. “But if I end up on the front of some rag magazine, I’m hiding out in your basement. With Christmas, chocolate, and a boatload of horror movies that you have to watch with me.”
“Sweetheart, if you move into my house, you won’t be watching movies or hiding out in the basement. You’ll be lucky if you make it out of the bedroom. In fact”—he slid his hand to the nape of her neck, causing her eyes to glaze over with desire—“maybe I should take a few of those pictures and make that happen.” He’d taken a chance, saying something so brazen and holding her like this in the cab of his truck, but he couldn’t hold back.

Author Bio:
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

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Waiting On Wednesday: Carve The Mark

Waiting On Wednesday

which is hosted by Breaking The Spine

This weeks highly anticipated book is "Carve The Mark"

I didn't fall in love with reading YA until after Hunger Games, which was released around the same time as Divergent. I LOVED the series. And recently got into a conversation with an equally big Divergent lover about the abomination that was the last movie. I didn't even go see it. But I wouldn't dare hold that against Veronica Roth.

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not — their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.


Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuve, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive — or to destroy one another.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 facts About You

This meme is hosted by "The Broke and Bookish"

10 Facts About You

1. I Love to read. Everyone knows this about me. I’ve gone through phases of loving it, and being burnt out. But it always comes back
2. I love to write. Most people don’t know this because I keep it very private, even if I’ve been writing for 15 years for fun
3. I love cooking and eating. I love Foodnetwork and trying out new recipes. I love trying new restaurants and frequenting old favorites. Eating is so much more than just a fuel stop for me.
4. I like to enjoy a good movie/ series. I’ve gotten too busy for “Netflix marathons” but when a good movie gets me all emotionally involved, I’ll find time to watch it over and over again.
5. I enjoy knitting and wish I had more time to dedicate to it.
6. I love music. Dancing, singing, blaring it in the car and keeping up with my favorite artists.
7. I love my family best of all. My two kiddies (7 and 5) my husband, my father, the family I married into, my friends who are like family. Everything comes second to them.
8. I was born, raised, and currently reside in southern california. I LOVE IT here, even if one I move.
9. I hate bugs! We don’t have that many bugs here so I’m good but when ever I travel I get huge bug bites everywhere. One got the size of my hand and I’m traumatized now.
10. I love going on adventures. Finding something new to experience. We really have so many fun events going on in southern cali. If you’re willing to drive an hour in traffic. But someone is always working hard to put together these epic events. We need only to do our research and plan accordingly. And honestly, just grabbing the kids and my husband on a Saturday afternoon, anything we do will end up being an adventure and/or a production.

Book Review: Wild Cards

Synopsis from Goodreads: After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. So when her older sister comes home after abandoning her ten years earlier, with her hot new stepson in tow, Ashtyn wants nothing to do with either of them. Then she comes up with a plan that would finally give her the chance to leave, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and get the future she wants?  
What I Thought:

I am a huge fan of Simone Elkeles. I loved The Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise. The simple plot but with a lot of heart and emotion. I think a lot of her books (including Ruined) have a common ground, dysfunctional families. Not so cut and dry as abusive or drug/ alcohol addiction. More on the route of neglectful and misunderstood. I love that it's not so cut and dry.

For example, Derek paints his grandmother to be a snobby know it all. She isn't so bad, just misguided. She acknowledges her mistakes and moves to fix them. She made more changes for Derek than my parents would make for me and I think my parents are just fine.

Both Derek and Ashtyn make Brandi out to sound like a brainless bimbo. But she seemed nice to me. She took good care of Julian and really wanted to be a friend to Derek.

Ofcourse Derek and Ashtyn had to fight their feelings for one another for the whole book, until the last page. I'd just like to see them happy. I can't really think of anything bad to say about this book. I would suggest it to everyone who loves YA.

Book Review: Into The Still Blue

Synopsis From Goodreads: The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do—and they are just as determined to stay together.

Within the confines of a cave they're using as a makeshift refuge, they struggle to reconcile their people, Dwellers and Outsiders, who are united only in their hatred of their desperate situation. Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. Then Roar arrives in a grief-stricken fury, endangering all with his need for revenge.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble an unlikely team for an impossible rescue mission. Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival—he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her earth-shattering Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close. 

What I Thought

         I read Under The Never Sky and couldn't wait to get started on Through the Ever Night. In fact I read them all back to back. Which is why it was hard for me to write a separate review for Into The Still Blue which picks right up where Through the Ever Night left off. It felt like one story that was broken up.

       Through the ever night had the classic middle book syndrome. Number one an introduction to a new exciting world with new tasks to overcome. Number three the exciting conclusion. Number two simply a bridge. There was no mission to accomplish. They talked about the Still Blue but never got the co-ordinates. But it wasn't any less interesting. No dull moments in my opinion.

        One of the aspects I loved so much about this book were the characters. Every single one of them. Perry, Aria, Roar, Brooke, Soren, Talon, Marron, Reef. They were each something special. I couldn't find the love for Liv though. She wasn't in enough of the book for me to really like her. First she was cold to Roar, then hot. I guess I just like consistency.

       I found new respect for Soren. He was arrogant and talked too much but so had Aria at first. And his heart was in the right place. He really wanted to help the people of Reverie.

      I even liked Brooke. I liked her from the first page she was in the book. When Perry knew he'd never be with Brooke for forever, I felt sympathy for her. And I could relate when she was rude to Aria. Aria, A dweller who kind of just popped up out of nowhere, whom Perry and Roar would do anything for. She even apologized to Aria and was nice to her friends.

       I found it interesting that as far back as book one, they'd set out on a mission only to not accomplish it. Perry didn't get Talon back in book 1. Aria was never let back in Reverie. But in the end everything worked out.

       For everyone who's read it, I couldn't help thinking Sable and Hess did Perry a favor because there's no way he would've gotten everyone to safety.

Blog Tour: My Broken Soldier by Alison Mello

My Broken Soldier
Alison Mello
(Love Conquers Life, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: July 12th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Patricia Fitzgerald is finally ready to bring her relationship with Carter into the limelight, despite what her mother thinks…
Patty is prepared to face the consequences and announce her relationship at her first public fundraiser with Carter. But when a strange woman makes a move on him, and she finds them in what appears to be a mutual, passionate kiss, Patty can’t believe she’s been so foolish. She should’ve known better than to trust a man.
Carter’s been set up, but he can’t get anyone to believe him…
Floundering under the stress of losing Patty, the PTSD nightmares start in again, leaving Carter no choice but to turn to the only thing that will numb the pain. Alcohol—and lots of it. His family quickly intervenes and takes him to the hospital to kick-start his road to recovery. Carter knows burying the pain isn’t the answer. He has to heal…and save his relationship with Patty.
Outside forces work to keep Patty and Carter apart…
Suspicious of her mother’s recent actions, Patty pushes her to come clean about the setup at the fundraiser. Her jealous ex, Ben, has been blackmailing her mother into helping him ruin her relationship with Carter, and it doesn’t stop at that. Ben shows up at the lake house unwilling to accept no for an answer.
Carter needs to piece his broken life back together, but he’s running out of time…
With so many who want to destroy their happiness, he has to be strong enough to save Patty from an empty, loveless future—or he’ll be nothing more than the broken soldier she used to know.

Add to Goodreads

*Designed by Deranged Doctor Design*

Author Bio:
Alison Mello is a wife and stay at home mom to a wonderful little boy. She lives with her amazing family in Massachusetts. She loves playing soccer, basketball and football with her son.
After having her son, Alison started reading again and fell in love with Contemporary Romance. Reading made her happy and gave her something to do when she had downtime. As she started to read more, she started to noticed things she really enjoyed in a book and things she didn’t. She began to have ideas for writing one of her own. One day she literally woke up and started writing. She realized that if there was ever a time for her to write, it was now. She had a part time job to give her something to do. The hours at work were slow and she was bored with what she was doing, so while her son was off enjoying his friends over summer vacation she got started.
Alison finished the first book in two weeks and decided that she really enjoyed writing, so she kept going. She already had ideas in mind for books two and three, so she kept writing. That is how the Learning to Love Series was born. Somewhere along the line, one of my Beta readers convinced me that Michael, a character from Finding Love, needed his own story. That is when Alison added the fourth and final book. Alison hopes you enjoy her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
She’s so glad she started this writing journey and hopes you will stay with her for the ride. Chasing Dreams is scheduled to release in April and the first two books of the Love Conquers Life series will be out this summer!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Blog Tour: My Broken Soldier by Alison Mello

My Broken Soldier
Alison Mello
(Love Conquers Life, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: July 12th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Patricia Fitzgerald is finally ready to bring her relationship with Carter into the limelight, despite what her mother thinks…
Patty is prepared to face the consequences and announce her relationship at her first public fundraiser with Carter. But when a strange woman makes a move on him, and she finds them in what appears to be a mutual, passionate kiss, Patty can’t believe she’s been so foolish. She should’ve known better than to trust a man.
Carter’s been set up, but he can’t get anyone to believe him…
Floundering under the stress of losing Patty, the PTSD nightmares start in again, leaving Carter no choice but to turn to the only thing that will numb the pain. Alcohol—and lots of it. His family quickly intervenes and takes him to the hospital to kick-start his road to recovery. Carter knows burying the pain isn’t the answer. He has to heal…and save his relationship with Patty.
Outside forces work to keep Patty and Carter apart…
Suspicious of her mother’s recent actions, Patty pushes her to come clean about the setup at the fundraiser. Her jealous ex, Ben, has been blackmailing her mother into helping him ruin her relationship with Carter, and it doesn’t stop at that. Ben shows up at the lake house unwilling to accept no for an answer.
Carter needs to piece his broken life back together, but he’s running out of time…
With so many who want to destroy their happiness, he has to be strong enough to save Patty from an empty, loveless future—or he’ll be nothing more than the broken soldier she used to know.

Add to Goodreads

*Designed by Deranged Doctor Design*

Author Bio:
Alison Mello is a wife and stay at home mom to a wonderful little boy. She lives with her amazing family in Massachusetts. She loves playing soccer, basketball and football with her son.
After having her son, Alison started reading again and fell in love with Contemporary Romance. Reading made her happy and gave her something to do when she had downtime. As she started to read more, she started to noticed things she really enjoyed in a book and things she didn’t. She began to have ideas for writing one of her own. One day she literally woke up and started writing. She realized that if there was ever a time for her to write, it was now. She had a part time job to give her something to do. The hours at work were slow and she was bored with what she was doing, so while her son was off enjoying his friends over summer vacation she got started.
Alison finished the first book in two weeks and decided that she really enjoyed writing, so she kept going. She already had ideas in mind for books two and three, so she kept writing. That is how the Learning to Love Series was born. Somewhere along the line, one of my Beta readers convinced me that Michael, a character from Finding Love, needed his own story. That is when Alison added the fourth and final book. Alison hopes you enjoy her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
She’s so glad she started this writing journey and hopes you will stay with her for the ride. Chasing Dreams is scheduled to release in April and the first two books of the Love Conquers Life series will be out this summer!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Book Review: We are the Goldens

Synopsis From Goodreads:
Nell knows a secret about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their world apart.

When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellayla. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it. 

What I Thought

This was the first book I was approved to read from Netgalley. That alone made reading this more of an experience for me. I truly believe how you feel going into a book will affect your opinion of it. I admit, I went in with low expectations and feeling the actual pressure to write a review that would be objective and fair. I refuse to bash a book, no matter how horrible I might feel, I would never jump on the internet to tell everyone I hated it.

I got lucky. We Are The Goldens was an easy read. Easy to start, easy to finish and easy to enjoy. I do wish the synopsis didn't give so much away though. "Layla is involved with one of their teachers" In my opinion this is the little secret, that the story is building up to. And isn't actually revealed until halfway through the book. I loved Nell's take on the whole situation, and how she told this story. Choosing to begin where she did, to show the reader just how strong this connection was. Nell also shows how her life was changing right alongside Layla's, sometimes because of Layla.

I am personally, a die hard romantic fan. The love aspect of the book is my favorite. I might read dystopia and sci-fi with world building and beauty artistry of words, but you better believe I'm waiting the whole time for the beautiful love story to unfold. We are the Goldens didn't have that focus. Yes, there was talk of relationships, and mild sexual content but it really focused on the friendships, the sisterly bond, and growing up to learn from mistakes and make wise decisions. I didn't even miss it.

I'm really happy I read this book. Since it wasn't focused on a relationship, I might have continued to overlook this author.

P.S. I'm not really a fan of teacher/ student in high school relationships. I basically avoid them at all costs. So I cheered Nell on when she didn't approve of her sisters involvement with the teacher. I basically feel if the teacher and student love each so much they can't be without the other, they would just wait until the student graduates. If the love is so strong, they can break the law, it should endure the test of time and distance. If it stands when the student is no longer a student, then they can be in a relationship. The only book I read that I think it was acceptable was Slammed by Colleen Hoover. Mostly because she was 18 and he was like 20 or something really young. AND she was soon to be a single parent to her younger brother, just like him. But that's just me, maybe I'm alone.