Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis-Graves ~REVIEW~

Tracey Garvis-Graves is one of my absolute favourite authors, everything she writes is fabulous. Her newest book, releasing November 2nd, 2021, is another reason why I love her writing so much!

From the bestselling author of The Girl He Used to Know comes a love song of a story about starting over and second chances.

Love doesn’t always wait until you’re ready.

Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.

Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.

Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?

Pre-order your copy now: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250235688

Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was up until 3am reading, Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves. Friends, mark your calendars because you want this book!!! November 2nd you can get your grabby hands on this fabulous read.

Heard It in a Love Song was exactly what my heart needed; a captivating story with gorgeous characters. When it comes to women’s fiction, Tracey Garvis Graves is my go to favourite because of the strong women she writes and the journeys she takes them on. I’m sure many women will be able to relate to Layla’s story.

If you’re looking for a feel good story with swoon worthy dose of romance, this is the book for you.

*I was provided with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review*

Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-one languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, The Girl He Used to Know, and Heard It in a Love Song. She is hard at work on her next book.

Mr. 365 by Ruth Clampett – Review

When reality show producer Sophia is assigned to convince Christmas fanatic Will to be on their holiday special, she imagines him to be an oddball momma’s boy wearing a reindeer Christmas sweater. What she doesn’t expect is the handsome, mysterious man who captures her attention, and seems determined to win her heart.

Their attraction is undeniable, and as charming Sophia convinces Will to work with her, she slowly unwraps the secrets in his past that make this determined and soulful man still yearn for the childhood he never had.

When the chaos of production starts, will Sophia be able to keep her promises to protect Will from being exploited, or will the bitter truth of reality television be a runaway train of disaster for both of them?

Join Sophia, Will and his dog Romeo to enter the world of his enchanting holiday house where stars shine indoors and snow is always falling…365 days of the year.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42944241-mr-365

About the Author:

Ruth Clampett is a 21st century woman, aspiring to be Wonder Woman…now if she could only find her cape and magic lasso. Meanwhile she’s juggling motherhood, a full-time job running her own art business, and writing romance late at night. Travel is her second obsession after writing, and it’s enabled her to meet reader and writer friends all over the world. She’s happily frazzled, and wouldn’t change a thing about her crazy life.

The rooms in her home are all painted different colors and her books are equally varied, infusing humor, drama, and passion into the romantic lives of strong heroines and heroes and their worthy and determined counterparts.

Ruth has published eight books: Animate Me, Mr. 365, the Work of Art Trilogy, WET, BURN and Unforgiven. She grew up and still happily resides in Los Angeles, and is heavily supervised by her teenage daughter, lovingly referred to as Snarky, who loves traveling with her mom with a sketchbook in hand.

Connect with Ruth:
RuthClampettWrites.com
https://twitter.com/RuthyWrites
For book stuff:
https://www.facebook.com/RuthClampett…
For a more general stuff:
https://www.facebook.com/RuthClampett

 

Mr. 365 by Ruth Clampett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you love the holidays? Are you one of those people who wish you could keep your Christmas tree up all year round? If you answered yes, you need to read Mr. 365 by Ruth Clampett. I made the mistake of thinking this was a Christmas romance, when it turns out it’s a love story about a sexy, sweet man who loves the holidays.

Passionflix made Mr. 365 into a fab romance movie last year, and while I loved the movie, the book was SOOOOO MUCH MORE! Sweet, funny, a little angsty, and a whole lot of sexy! I’ve read it a few times recently because my heart needed an uplifting story. Ruth Clampett is a great storyteller who writes great characters, especially dreamy men! You need Will, Sophia and Romeo in your life!

 

View all my reviews

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle – Review

REBECCA SERLE
Author of The Dinner List

Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer who lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Serle co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her YA series Famous in Love, and is also the
author of The Dinner List, and YA novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. She
received her MFA from the New School in NYC. Find out more at RebeccaSerle.com.

IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle

Atria Books | On sale: March 10, 2020 | 240 pages |Hardcover ISBN: 9781982137441, $27 |

eBook ISBN: 9781982137465, $12.99
http://www.rebeccaserle.com

Find Rebecca online:
Instagram: @rebecca_serle
Twitter: @rebeccaaserle
Facebook.com/Rebecca-Serle-306191312738531

 

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle is one of those books my heart will never forget. Definitely one of my top reads. A gorgeous and unique story about relationships, epic love and fate.

This isn’t your typical love story, it’s unique. The characters…their relationships…their journeys…I was sure I had this story all figured out but it was nothing like I imagined. In Five Years is one of those stories that immediately grabbed me and didn’t let go, I didn’t want to put it down. I will warn you, if you are a crier-as I am, you will need a box of tissues. I was lucky I was in my car when the sobbing, ugly tears started. I can’t remember the last time a book made me full-on ugly cry…But I promise, it is worth every single tear.

For those of you looking for something “more” from the stories you read, In Five Years by Rebecca Serle is definitely a book you need to read. I wasn’t ready to let these characters go.

*I was provided a complimentary copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

View all my reviews

~NEW REVIEW~ My Heart For Yours by Steph Campbell and Jolene Perry

I couldn’t wait to read My Heart For Yours by Steph Campbell and Jolene Perry.  I love Steph Campbell and have heard great things about Jolene Perry.

My Heart for Yours is one of the loveliest novels I have read in a quite a while, a beautiful, sometimes tragic, heartwarming love story.  It’s been a year since Tobin and Delia have seen each other, when a sudden tragic event brings them back into each other’s lives.  I find it hard to write this review without giving too much of the story away.  My Heart For Yours kept me wanting more, so much so that I couldn’t put it down.  I was surprised by how much happened in this story.   I did experience a range of emotion as I was caught off guard a couple of times but I was relieved that I didn’t feel devastated by my emotions.

I felt the characters of Tobin and Delia were beautifully written.  Both strong solid characters with a lot of personality, which helped me, feel both the chemistry and the angst between them.

If you are looking for an easy read with lots of story, I highly recommend My Heart for Yours.  N  4/5

~NEW REVIEW~ LOVE EVOLUTION by Michelle Mankin

Love Evolution by Michelle Mankin

(Read October 12, 2012) Gorgeous rock stars + 1 little secret = 1 FAB read!!! A modern rock and roll adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Love Evolution rocks the house.  Michelle Mankin blended the right measures of humor, romance, twists and angst into a great read.

Being from Vancouver, I especially liked that this is where the story takes place. I loved going on a tour of the city with Marcus and Avery.

The chemistry between Marcus and Avery was great—the humor of it all had me giggling constantly. I enjoyed the development of the characters throughout the book. Being the first book, Michelle gave us a really good image of who Marcus, Avery and the rest of Brutal Strength truly are. I can’t wait to see how they evolve in the second book.

Avery’s secret made for some great interactions between band members, especially Marcus. I really enjoyed how Avery was able to bring the bright and the light out of Marcus– which had been buried for so long.

The unexpected was definitely unexpected and played well into the story.

This is Michelle Mankin’s first novel—she rocked it!!!! I can’t wait to see how she evolves and causes a revolution!!!! This is a solid read.

Read it. Love it.  D 4/5

~REVIEW~ THE PERFECT GAME by J Sterling

(Read October 11, 2012) The Perfect Game by J. Sterling

This book was a definite home run. It had all the elements you want in a contemporary… HOT guy, beautiful girl, some baggage or issue needed to overcome, some great banter and one-liners for humor, and obviously some great kissin’ and lovin’.

This book made me, laugh, cry, want to throw my reader in frustration, and swoon. Did I mention the HOT guy? Sorry, I’m quite distracted by Jack Carter. He was the ultimate ass you just couldn’t say no to. You wanted to hate his arrogance but were so drawn to him and just knew there was more to him than what was on the surface. Besides the fact he is a ball player—you know how great he’d look in that uniform (*focus on the review Denise*) Okay—so J Sterling knows the right balance of angst and humor. She is so quick-witted, her one-liners between Jack and Cassie will have you spittin’ your drink laughing. The back and forth quips between Jack and Cassie really made the book for me. I also really enjoyed how Sterling used her knowledge of the insides of baseball to add to the storyline. It made the connection and relationship between Jack and Cassie more believable and understandable.

I do wish that Sterling had gone into more detail about Jack and his past. I felt somewhat craving more of the angst in Jack’s life. I almost feel like if I knew more of him I could understand some of his actions throughout the story. There were a few times I questioned this and it almost didn’t make sense as to why he would behave in a certain way. That being said, Jack was still a great character with whom I loved and connected. Maybe, his story is being saved for more? Hmm I also felt that there were a couple of moments that were a bit rushed. Especially regarding Jack and Cassie’s relationship. I feel like we could have had more of them getting to know each other. There wasn’t the build up that I felt when I read her other book Chance Encounters. The chemistry was there between the two, I just wanted to see more of it.

The secondary characters were great and added the right vibe to the story and connected everyone without being disjointed or choppy. I would definitely love to see more of Jack’s brother Dean.

So even with those areas I felt should have had more development, the story had me loving Jack, crying for Jack, laughing at Jack, and wanting to smack Jack. JACK!!! That’s what I want a book to do to me. Therefore…The Perfect Game was a solid read and definitely should be on your to-read list. D 4/5

 

available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

~REVIEW and NEW RELEASE~ I LOVE YOU TO DEATH by Natalie Ward

I Love You to Death by Natalie Ward

Passion, conviction, intimate, challenging, intense, sad, moving, painful, freeing, breathless, and it goes on.  This is what Natalie Ward’s writing will make you feel. What your mind and your heart will elicit.  I Love You to Death was insufficiently put, staggering and remarkable. I cannot go into the story because this is one write you need to feel for yourself. Not read but FEEL… What I will say is the characters in this book are so raw and revealing. That goes for the secondary characters as well who presumably would be insignificant and play like shadows. Never have that presumption because these characters charge the intimacy and intensity of this story. One moment you feel like you are holding your breath and the next you feel like you can’t take in enough air.

Ward’s style of paralleling the past with the present is amazing. This along with the main character, Ash’s narrative is pure grit. I cannot wait to read more from her. She channels the voice of her characters so faultlessly that you can only be drawn into the book as if you were inside those pages living in the plot’s moment. I found myself on more than one occasion rereading moments in the book because I found myself asking, “Did I just read that? Holy crap—what the heck is she doing to me?”  Her writing is thought-provoking and silently screams at you to FEEL. I always talk about the journey a story takes you on. Well, this is one journey worth taking. This is Natalie Ward’s debut novel and she might as well have hit me in the head with this book. It is solid writing, with well thought out characters and a story that is both freeing and binding.

I Love You to Death is a definite must read.  D. 5/5

~REVIEWS~ and A Journey of Our Own

We gals at Flirty and Dirty would just like to say something about why we read, why we should read and what a book does for the mind, body and soul.

I’m sure like most of you, we read because we love to – unless it’s a textbook and we are studying for exams. Then it’s a must do… We love to see how others take perspective on something, be it friendship, love, tragedy, betrayal, sex or life in general.

We believe everyone should read. If not to remove yourself from the daily grind, even if just for a few moments, then to open your heart, mind and soul to the ‘other’ that is out there. Other may be something spiritual, something exhilarating, passionate, and different or something that you just can’t get from real life. Read to learn, to enjoy, to speculate, to ponder, to dream and to feel that AHA moment. Read because you can.

A book can take you on an amazing journey. Each time you reread a book will take you on an entirely different journey from the last. Every new book read takes you on yet another amazing path. Even when a book is not that appealing to you or you just couldn’t feel it, that story has evoked an emotion in you. It has made you think of something. If ten people read the same book, there will undoubtedly be ten different responses to that book.

 

We ask that when you post a review or comment on the blog or FB, that you respect everyone’s journey. So that means no spoilers and no bashing. We all have the right to read and the right to escape through stories.

 

Happy reading and get flirty and dirty! Cuz books are HOT!

D and Nic

~NEW RELEASE and Review~ Ten Days of Perfect by Andrea Randall

Ten Days of Perfect is Andrea Randall’s debut write. What a great way to enter the literary world. This book turned out to be so much more than I thought. I knew this was going to be romantic but there are some twists and unexpected events that made this a solid read for me.

Ember Harris is the daughter of hippie musicians, independent, feisty, gorgeous, loving but guarded. She is not about to let her heart be broken until she meets the son of wealthy socialites, handsome, intense, musically talented Bo Cavanaugh. Did I mention how hot he is… he is one book guy who is definitely swoon worthy. He is not only physically attractive but he is articulate, thoughtful, values family and patient.

Andrea did a really good job of character development. You definitely got a sense of who these people were and you definitely got a great picture in your mind of what all the characters looked like (HOT). Her secondary characters were not fluff and you loved them as much as the main characters. You can picture a full story on them as well.

The writing was consistent and solid without it being to over the top. She knows just when to switch gears and make you go “huh didn’t see that comin’. ” It is witty, loving, endearing, and intense. I also really liked the characters names. It subtly helped set the tone for the story — at least for me. I don’t often like how some characters inner dialogue is used in a book. However in this instance it worked. Ember’s “in her head” voice add a good dose of humour to Ten Days of Perfect.

What really did it for me with this book is the cliff hanger of all endings… enough said. Can’t wait for the release of November Blue #2!!!

TEN DAYS OF PERFECT by Andrea Randall is definitely worth your time to read. Great debut novel.  D 4/5

It is currently available on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Days-Perfect-November-Blue-ebook/dp/B009EIKAPO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349583176&sr=1-1&keywords=ten+days+of+perfect

~~NEW REVIEW~~ Fall Guy by Liz Reinhardt

Everyone has been buzzing about Liz Reinhardt’s latest novel Fall Guy.  If you haven’t read Fall Guy yet, I would highly suggest adding this to your to-read-next list!

Evan Lennox has had a complicated young life, she has recently moved in with her Grandparents.  She also has a knack for making bad choices, one of which lands her before the courts where she meets Winchester (Winch) Youngblood.  Instantly drawn to each other, Winch is exactly the type of guy Evan should stay away from.  Winch has a complicated life and he knows he should stay away from Evan.  Do either have the strength to stay away??

I loved Fall Guy, it’s a light read without being light on the story.  So much takes place in Fall Guy and yet the story flows with such ease.  Liz Reinhardt is great at character development and I absolutely loved the characters of Evan and Winchester.  I also loved how strong the supporting characters were as they played an important role in this novel.

I couldn’t put Fall Guy down, I kept wanting there to be more.  I am really hoping that Liz Reinhardt keeps the story going… please!!!  Don’t miss out on this great read 🙂   N.  5

(Read September 23,2012) Liz Reinhardt definitely knows how to balance out the sweet Georgian charm and the sexy bad boy in Winchester Youngblood. Just his name is enough to make you fall for this book boy.

Winch is gorgeous, sexy, and he’s hiding something. Evan(Lennox) is beautiful, fierce and trying to compensate for a family that has always been broken. A chance meeting has these two drawn together like a moth to a flame. Both think that maybe they should retreat and not be with one another because of what each thinks is wrong in their life. But they can’t let each other go. They fall hard for each other and discover things that aren’t easy to deal with. Evan does not hold back on what she is feeling– she let’s you know what she is thinking all the while being somewhat guarded yet fierce.
Winch has baggage! Evan is determined to get him to lighten the load and Winch is trying to find balance. He feels responsible and obligated. Together they will find a way to free themselves and let go to really love. Love one another.
Liz is phenomenal at writing this genre. The characters are raw and intense while being funny, honest, and sincere. I really enjoy how she goes back and forth with POV’s yet manages to keep the story fluid and smooth. She adds humour in the banter between characters and being a New Adult book, adds just the right balance of sexy and desire. There always seems to be a character in any of her books that you can relate to on some level. Her secondary characters always play a pivotal role in her stories and aren’t just there for fluff and filler.
FALL GUY is a definite must read! Praise to Liz Reinhardt. D 5