Synopsis

Miguel is a confirmed bachelor but decides to marry the surrogate of his brother’s children so that he can take them to Chile. His mom is extremely sick and he thinks that she needs grandbabies to give her the will to live.

Sheri was planning to give her twin babies to her best friend since she was the surrogate. When an unfortunate accident claims their lives, Sheri raises the children as her own. No one is going to take them away from her. Not even their wealthy, handsome uncle. She cannot let him find out her secret; otherwise he will have the leverage he needs to potentially win custody.

Opinion

This book is all about misunderstandings. There was one major misunderstanding from the beginning that affects the way that Miguel treats Sheri. She reacts to his treatment in a way that would logically be expected.

Sheri had no illusions of romance in the beginning. In fact, Miguel strong armed her into marriage but then tried to dress up the proposal by saying:

“Just so you know I find you very attractive.
I’ll be the best husband I know how to be if you’ll be upfront with me about your wants and needs.”

All he wanted was honesty. Sheri has a secret. She did not lie per se, but she was feeling guilty for withholding all the facts.

Considering how he was acting, I can understand why she was worried about coming clean. In a similar situation, I probably would have kept the secret too.

Should you buy? This is a cute romance. As the elements of the conflict are revealed, you see how both the hero and heroine draw to some erroneous conclusions.

Book Details
Print Length: 199 pages
Publisher: Sarna Publishing; 1 edition (November 16, 2013)
Publication Date: November 16, 2013
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Tempted by her Innocent Kiss by #MayaBanks #pregnancyromance

Apr10

Tempted by her innocent kiss

Synopsis

Ashley’s dad has picked Devon to take over his company and marry Ashley.

Only Ashley does not know she is part of the “package”. She finds out the horrible truth on the first night of their honeymoon.

Wedded bliss turns into marriage hell.

Opinion

Ever since the first book in this series, Devon has been wining and dining Ashley and I knew of her from his point of view. He made her sound immature and flighty. The reality was that she had exuberance for life and appreciated showing love to others.

On the other hand, the more I read about Devon the more I thought he was a materialistic jerk whose sanity was on borrowed time.

Every phone call from Ashley saying “I love you” made me cringe because I know when the truth came out…it would not be pretty. He was trying to maintain the pretense but he would have ended up with ulcers eventually from the overwhelming guilt.

I thoroughly enjoyed her speech after her A-HA moment.

Take that Devon!

I still cannot decide how I feel about the ending.

I think she let him off too easily. I’m more of an on-your-knees-grovel-some-more type of girl.

Should you buy? There was some realistic drama even though it was predictable. Out of the books from this series that I have read, I think this is the one I liked the least. I did not like Devon and I thought Ashley was too sweet for him.

Plus, her dad threw her under the bus because he loved her so much? It all works out in the end, but still.

With family like that, who needs enemies?

Book details from Amazon
Print Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases (February 10, 2014)
Publication Date: February 10, 2014
Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.

Available on Amazon

Can’t You See #mystery #romanticsuspense

Apr8

Title: Can’t You See
Author: Dawn L. Chiletz
Genre: Mystery/Crime, Romantic Suspense
Published: April 1, 2016

Her Truth: Meredith O’Neal is a book editor who just moved into town. She doesn’t believe in happily ever afters.

His Truth: Devin Stone is an insurance adjuster who’s bad with people and doesn’t have any real friends. He’s tired of his boring day to day existence and is searching for a little excitement in his life.

Two stories – Two people. Nothing is what it seems.

Someone is a liar. Someone is wicked and deceitful but this time they might have gone too far.

Nothing is fair in love and revenge. Hearts will be broken. Lives will be ruined. But that’s all just a part of the game.

The cruelest burns don’t leave scars. Can’t you see? The truth is right in front of you. Just keep reading.

“Can’t You See was wonderfully written, Dawn showed us there are wayyyy more than 2 sides to every story and then the truth, which is even sometimes a lie. I am still left with my brain whirling around in circles even after finishing and I love it!” ~Gretchen (Goodreads Review)

“Dawn is an Evil Genius! This book was so good. Her writing was spot on, the story was thrilling, and now that I have finished…I can’t even put my head around what happened. I am so floored.” ~A Beautiful Book Blog

“Well ! What the hell just happened, when you think you have it nailed, you don’t ! Then that happens and you are like what ! Then the pin drops and the curtain falls and you’re like Damn !” ~Donna (Goodreads Review)

Prologue

Although it was midafternoon, it was as dark as night in his office. The curtains were drawn, as if to make light an unwelcome visitor, much like me. I flicked the tip of my middle finger against my thumb as I stared at the ticking clock in the corner. I’d been sitting in here for nearly ten minutes and he had yet to speak to me. He was writing feverishly in his notes and seemed oblivious to my stare.

I’d tried to take advantage of the moment of silence to read him, but my disgust for him was clouding my thoughts. I didn’t like him. I never had. I knew I’d managed to hide it well from him. I could tell by the way he looked at me. There was compassion in his eyes. I’d seen it before in the others before him. Once I saw that look I knew I’d gotten under their skin. I knew they’d believed me. Who wouldn’t? I was a master of deception. I’d hidden everything about myself for so long that even I wasn’t sure what was real. An outsider might have found me crazy. I just might have been, but my reasons ran deep. They were a part of me now. Retribution ran through my blood like a disease, contaminating every cell. I had no regrets. I no longer allowed them.

I chuckled internally, careful to not let him see the corner of my lip curl upward. I stared at his glasses as they hung from the tip of his crooked nose. His salt and pepper hair had grown over the last few weeks. I supposed he was in need of a trim. Wrinkles brought on from obvious stress had robbed him of his youth. I imagined I might have been responsible for the crease on his forehead. I’d christened it with my name and I took pride in giving it to him. He was no one to me, much like every other person who came into my life. He might have believed he was important, maybe even helping me, but nothing about me was what it seemed.

I couldn’t believe I’d even considered telling him the truth a few days ago. It had been a fleeting moment of weakness that left a bitter taste in my mouth. If he had stopped and turned around, maybe I would have told him. Maybe he could have finally helped me out of the perpetual hell of lies I’d created. But it was my universe. It was the only existence I’d ever known. I would never admit to anything. I would not be powerless under another person ever again. He tapped his pen briefly and raised his eyes to me. I immediately resumed my role of innocence. It was one I’d perfected.

“So tell me,” he began. “When did you know something was wrong?”

I made sure to glance off to the right as if to ponder his question. He needed to believe I was considering his words. In reality, I’d rehearsed this moment for months. This would be the moment I would tell my side of the story—the moment I would exact my revenge in the sweetest way possible.

“I think deep down inside I knew from the start. I didn’t want to see what was there. I didn’t want to believe it was real.”

“Why didn’t you want to think it was real?” he asked as he shifted his posture and turned slightly in his chair, leaning forward so that the light from his desk lamp cast a glow and simultaneous shadow on the sides of his face.

“My emotions got the best of me, I suppose. I guess I always want to believe the best in everyone.” I glanced down at the floor and sniffled to show how sad the whole thing made me. “You have to know I’m telling the truth. Do you believe me?” I swallowed hard and made direct eye contact. Most liars couldn’t do it very well, but I was a pro.

“It’s not about whether or not I believe you. There are two sides to every story and yours is no exception.”

I nodded my head sheepishly, even though my blood was boiling inside. I wished I could have told him to fuck off.

“I need you to start from the beginning. Tell me everything you remember in the order in which it occurred, including every detail. I know this might be painful for you, but the only way I’ll make any sense of this is by understanding the facts.”

I nodded my head and took a deep breath. You’re on, I told myself. This needed to be the performance of my life.

“Okay, Dr. Andrews, this is what happened…”

Dawn L. Chiletz is the author of The Contest and Waiting to Lose. She currently resides in Illinois with her husband, two boys, and two dogs. When she’s not binge writing or reading, Dawn drinks large amounts of coffee and checks Facebook instead of doing laundry.

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Copula Chronicles cover reveal #NewAdult #UrbanFantasy

Apr5

Series: Copula Chronicles

Titles: Origin, Descend, Ascend & Legacy

Author: Venessa Kimball writing as V. Angelika

Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Release Date: May 10, 2016

“An origin is supposed to be the beginning of everything, but I fear it’s the end…for me… for all of us. My name is Jesca Sera, my reality has been pierced and it is with absolute certainty that nothing will ever be the same in our world again. “ ~ Jesca

Jesca’s life is full of averages; average childhood, average family, average part-time job with her best friend while she attends college close to home. Life is predictable, controlled, consistent, just the way she likes it, until the odds of averages turns against her and the oddity that that has remained dormant within her can no longer be contained.

Under the surface, Jesca’s strong-hold with reality is slowly slipping away. The seemingly harmless nightmares of her youth have turned sinister with ill intention and a realness meant to provoke true terror. The minor trick of the eye revealing a shadow or glimmer of light becomes vivid hallucinations intent on terrorizing her. Her fear reaches extremes when her professor’s presence coincides with her losing touch with reality, leaving Jesca questioning his stalking motives or influence on her shifting sanity. Confronting him is the only answer, and when she does, she is faced with an inconceivable explanation as to why her life is turning upside down; her role as a keeper of our world to save humanity from a potentially unstoppably apocalyptic catastrophe. Upon learning her purpose, Jesca is thrust into a new world of guardianship where training to use her new found abilities is the life-blood of survival for her and the tribe of guardians.

About: The Copula Chronicles, Origin, is a roller coaster ride straight into an unreality – speculative, yet plausible. It’s intent on spinning you around in the alternate history of origins of the new world Jesca has been thrust into, theories of genetic engineering and architects of a device meant to create travel within space and time through the cosmos. Make no mistake, your reality will be turned upside down with the techno-thriller plausibilities of what our world and its inhabitants could possess within. When all is said and done, you will find yourself planted in a new reality of weighty urban fantasy with profound thought-provoking conspiracies of the spiritual and scientific link to our existence and what our world may become now that Jesca’s new reality has been set into motion. Strap in for the ride.

*Each of the books in the Copula Chronicles series are new versions of the Piercing the Fold series, which is no longer in distribution. New content has been added to the Copula Chronicles.*

*18+ due to some explicit language and sexual content*

“A descendant of the architect that pierced my reality, leaving me and the others the responsibiity to inherit the earth then save it from those we never fathomed existed among us. My name is Jesca Sera, my reality has been pierced and it is with absolute certainty that nothing will ever be the same in our world again.” ~ Jesca

The uncovered corruption and conspiracy upon our world paired with the impending catastrophic event honed in on our galaxy threatening invasion and evolution of our world lies in the hands of Jesca and the other guardians that have inherited the earth. The corruption of our world is spreading like wildfire, the between allies and enemies are being blurred, and Jesca’s growing attraction to the two men fighting for her heart could leave her vulnerable. Jesca and her fellow guardians’ fortitude is further pressed when their battle for earth takes them to the far reaches of Japan’s Aokigahara Forest, where the mysticism it covets brings weighted supernatural challenges they could never have anticipated. The predestined links she and the guardians share will either keep them safe or send them into a tailspin of sacrifices that may leave one if not all of them threatened.

About: The Copula Chronicles, Descend, pulls you deeper into the inherited reality Jesca and her new found clan of guardians are forced to surrender to in order to attempt salvation for humanity. The reality of genetic manipulation, ancient myths and theories, and the immediate threat of extra-terrestrial abduction and invasion are revealed in this second installment of the Copula Chronicles. Edge of your seat techno-thrilling conspiracies paired with dramatic mystery, suspense, and sacrifices are fulfilled in this spiraling global cataclysm Jesca and the guardians are faced with at every turn.

*Each of the books in the Copula Chronicles series are new versions of the Piercing the Fold series, which is no longer in distribution. New content has been added to the Copula Chronicles.*

*18+ due to some explicit language and sexual content*

“With the breach of our world by those intent on invading it, a veil has been opened, giving way to the evolution we needed to stop. Now, I must ascend this veil that has released boundless evil into our world. This inheritance I posses is the key to a legacy bestowed to me; one that I have not yet discovered. My name is Jesca Sera. My reality has been pierced and it is with absolute certainty that nothing will ever be the same in our world again.” ~ Jesca

With the guardians attempt to stop the global invasion and apocalyptic evolution of the earth, two of the men in Jesca’s life have made the ultimate sacrifice in a daring attempt to save her from near death and keep the veil, a celestial barrier meant to separate our universe from all others, from remaining open. The fate of Ezra and Nate is dismal unless Jesca, Xander, and the other guardians can find a way to get them back, while destroying the evil that has seeped into our world, and sealing the ethereal veil between our universe and the evil that lie beyond it. As Jesca ascends beyond the veil, malignant illusions meant to turn allies against one another are at every turn in this parallel universe. One truth among the illusions is bestowed to Jesca; the celestial inheritance from her ancestors along with the prophecies of what is to come of the guardians and earth.

About: The Copula Chronicles, Ascend, takes you beyond the veil of our world and into one beholding the supernatural, spiritual, psychological and techno-thrilling futurism in terrifyingly perfect harmony.

*Each of the books in the Copula Chronicles series are new versions of the Piercing the Fold series, which is no longer in distribution. New content has been added to the Copula Chronicles.*

*18+ due to some explicit language and sexual content*

“I have returned to an evolved earth. A place I no longer recognize. A self I no longer recognize. My name is Jesca Sera. My reality has been pierced and it is with absolute certainty that nothing will ever be the same in our world again. One thing is certain. I hold the blueprint of our salvation.” ~ Jesca

With Jesca’s return from beyond the veil with Xander, Nate, and Ezra, they are ushered into our evolved world having advanced years since their departure.

The earth’s remaining populous that survived the galactic intersection, the following climatic shifts, and the rigorous genetic manipulation has been stunted by the very beings Jesca and the others encountered beyond the veil. Humankind is being invaded, occupied, and destroyed under their invisible reign. The beings intent? To possess our world and stop Jesca and the other guardians from fulfilling the legacy that could save us all. We are left to hit the ground running upon their return as Jesca brings home new found knowledge of her ancient bloodline and the supernal legacy that has linked her family, the guardians, and the two men she has been torn between throughout her journey. With only Jesca’s visions of what this ancient legacy holds for them, the guardians are depending on the divining glimpses of her ancestry to put them on the path leading to salvation.

The question is, will the stakes be too high and the risk to great for Jesca and the guardians to fulfill their destiny?

About: The Copula Chronicles, Legacy, is the final installment in this edge-of-your-seat urban fantasy, science fiction fused series and Kimball holds nothing back in her arsenal of spine-tingling, mind-boggling, thought-provoking,mystery-seeking, and heart-pounding content.

*Each of the books in the Copula Chronicles series are new versions of the Piercing the Fold series, which is no longer in distribution. New content has been added to the Copula Chronicles.*

*18+ due to some explicit language and sexual content*

Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa Kimball embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: a young adult urban fantasy series in 2010, with a 2012 release with Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly Publishing. She has also written the Teen contemporary romance series, the Evan series. Venessa also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name V. Angelika. When Venessa is not writing, she is keeping active with her husband and three children, chauffeuring said children to extracurricular activities, catching a movie with her hubby, and staying up way too late reading.

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Try It Tuesday: Dietary Supplements #vitamins #multiminerals

Apr5

I am sure that everyone is supposed to be taking vitamins of some sort. We rarely get all of our required nutrients through our diet.

I have tried several and here are my opinions based on how it worked for me. I am not a doctor, so this is in no way medical advice.

Vita Melts Hair-Skin-Nails

According to the package, it contributes to healthy hair, skin, and nails because of biotin. Vitamin C supports collagen production.

TOW Opinion: These taste good, like candy. However, after 2 months of taking these religiously, I saw no improvement. My nails were still splitting. This may not work for nail growth, but I continued to take as a Vitamin C supplement.

Phillips Colon Health Daily Probiotics Caps

The claims are that the capsules help defend against constipation, diarrhea, gas, and bloating.

TOW Opinion: To be honest, I don’t know why I bought this since I do not have any digestive issues. In any case, I think this works as they claimed. I think if a person really has digestive problems, this is worth a try.

Martha Stewart Essentials Vegetarian Multivitamin Gummies

The product claims to be delicious gummies that support, nurture and protect the entire body. Flavor includes apple and apple juice powder, grape seed, carrot, tomato, broccoli, spinach, kale, strawberry juice, raspberry juice, blueberry juice, tart cherry, pomegranate seed and cranberry juice.

TOW Opinion: I love Martha Stewart and I love gummy vitamins, so I thought this would be a winner. Unfortunately, the mineral flavor was too strong for my palate. These gummies tasted like medicine tossed in sugar. I gave up trying to eat these.

Martha Stewart Essentials Hair, Skin and Nails Supplement

The product claims that it nourishes and strengthens the delicate tissue that keeps hair, skin, and nails looking radiant.

TOW Opinion: I think this was the best vitamin supplement that I tried! After about a month of using this product, I could tell that the splitting on my nails was minimal. I could not tell a difference in my skin, but since I was taking it for my nails, I was thrilled. My stylist did say that she noticed less breakage and shedding of my hair. All in all, this gets two thumbs up from me 🙂