Review: Owning Violet by Monica Murphy

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Title: Owning Violet
by Monica Murphy
Series: The Fowler Sisters #1
Published by Bantam Books on December 2nd, 2014
Genres: contemporary, new adult, romance
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy begins a sexy new contemporary romance series—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emma Chase—that introduces three sisters born to wealth, raised to succeed, ready to love, destined to make waves.

I’ve moved through life doing what’s expected of me. I’m the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family’s business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I.

Until he got a promotion and left me in the dust. Maybe it’s for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me. He too has an overwhelming thirst for success, just like Zachary—perhaps even more so. He’s also ruthless. And mysterious. I know nothing about Ryder McKay beyond that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

One stolen moment, a kiss, a touch . . . and I’m hooked. Ryder’s like a powerful drug, and I’m an addict who doesn’t want to be cured. He tells me his intentions aren’t pure, and I believe him. For once, I don’t care. I’m willing to risk everything just to be with him. Including my heart. My soul.

My everything.

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Amazon 

There is nothing I love more than a book that hooks me from the very first chapter. Owning Violet nailed me from the start…no pun intended lol. This had everything that I look for in a good romance book. I call it my smexy check list. You got your angst, conflict, and foul mouthed hottie. I swear that’s all I need. I almost always find something to nit pick about and I’m pleasantly surprised that I only had one issue. I can’t go and spoil it but I’ll get to that later. I really like Violet’s character. It’s very rare that I like the female in a romance because they piss me off. She starts off as this reserved woman that’s the perfect step-ford girlfriend…doing everything that is expected of her. Thank goodness she snapped out of it! I hate giving away spoilers but I think this one is a necessary evil. She kicks the jerk boyfriend to the curb. Can we please throw some confetti now? And what can I say about Ryder? I can’t even go into it without giving up some part of the story. I will just say that he’s not the perfect pristine man that everyone thinks he is.

Fast forward a bit…she has this fling (not really a fling but I can’t think up a better word for it right now…blogger fail) Violet and Ryder agree to “use” each other. I’m over here like YES!! Please more! At first I thought it was a little too racy for my tastes….but then I shut myself up because that’s stupid lol. It felt like they were going at it every other chapter. Again, not complaining anymore. I’m at peace with it. What I did love was that all of the scenes were something different. You didn’t get any of that recycled love making crap that you read in every romance book. I was never bored! It was yummy. For real…like you need to read it right now.

Back to the dreaded part that made this 1/2 a star less than 5… I’m not going to spoil it, I swear! When it comes to conflict, it needs to feel believable. I think Violet reacted in a way that she should have but took him back the second she sees him again. I would have put him through hell! At least give me a big argument or one of those angry passion moments. I felt like it needed it. But that’s just me. I always want the worst possible outcome. Glutton for punishment, if you will. BUT…I accept it. It was very enjoyable and I was never bored. This is definitely one you want to add to your reading list this year.






New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She’s a workaholic who loves her job. When she’s not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

Website: http://www.monicamurphyauthor.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MonicaMurphyauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MsMonicaMurphy

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msmonicamurphy/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5934418.Monica_Murphy

Drew + Fable Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/DrewAndFableOfficial

Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/monicamurphyauthor

Crochet Tunisian Angel Wings

Alright y'all...I've been beating my brain trying to figure out the crochet pattern. I don't speak Russian and I couldn't even get the translation by using a chart. I FINALLY found it!! Whenever I was searching Google I was using US crochet terms. I always came across the image but never the pattern. Well, the light bulb turned on this afternoon! I figured I can translate the English terms into Russian and search that way. BAM! IT WORKED. And the best part.... THERE IS A VIDEO TUTORIAL! Yes, you heard that right. A VIDEO!!! Don't get too excited...it's not in English but it's super easy to follow and there are US crochet terms that pop up on the video.

This is the site that had the pictures and video attached http://www.stolbik-plus.ru/video/motiv-listik-tunisskoe-vyazanie.html I'll also embed it for you below.

I also found a similar style but a different pattern, also in Russian, but still as beautiful. It says crochet leaf, but I think they look like wings :)

http://www.knittingforbeginners.ru/tunisskij-listik-viazanie-kruckom/

The image is from Knitting for beginners

Hope this helps my fellow crocheters!

Book Tour & Giveaway: The Millionaire Within Us By Chris Carley

The Millionaire Within Us By Chris Carley

Genre: Business Memoir 
Synopsis A down and out, fired factory worker, Chris imagined a better life for herself. With a small $79 loan from her father, she took her people skills and her hard-earned marketing skills to levels no one could imagine. Starting with handmade flyers, in just 3 years she became a millionaire in network marketing. Since then she has gone on to make over millions in an industry that few fully understand.

Buy Links:  

Goodreads

Amazon

Chris Carley has earned over $20 million dollars working from home and has a life style that has allowed her to golf and hang out with Donald Trump and meet people like Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Former President Bill Clinton and President Ford and so many more.  Movie stars have filmed or been photographed in her home.  George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Lui, Drew Barrymore, Arnold Swartznegger, Bruce Willis.    Yet it wasn't always this way. She started off as an uneducated, overweight, depressed, in a bad abusive marriage, fired airplane factory worker that had to borrow $79 from her father to get started.  With hard work, perseverance and a vision of what she wanted in life she turned it all around and has taught thousands of others around the world to do the same. ​Social
 Media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/topearnermentor/ Website: http://www.chris-carley.com/

The author is generously offering 2 signed paperback & 2 hardcover copies of The Millionaire Within Us to 4 different winners via the Rafflecopter. 

Book Tour Review: Hopebreaker: A Steampunk Dystopian Fantasy (The Great Iron War, Book 1) by Dean F. Wilson

Genre: SciFi / Steampunk / Dark Fantasy / Dystopian
Book Blurb:
In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.
Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.
When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not win a war.

 Goodreads I Amazon

*** 5/5 Stars ***

Can't beat a well written steampunk fantasy set in a dark dystopian world. Our main dude is a roguish, snarky, and likable smuggler who brings in magical pendants that can block a human woman giving birth to a demon. The demons have taken over, harvested, and ruined the world. Now acrid desert covers the lands and the Regime rules while the Resistance fights back and builds their army. Jacob is brought into the folds of the Resistance after being imprisoned . After being whisked away to safety with his cell mate, Whistler, Jacob is suddenly faced with a multitude of adventures from the leader's bed to in the middle of desert in a sputtering truck. Stuck in the middle and witness to the nastiness of the production of the drug Hope, the factories slaves work in, Jacob helps to end the Regime's horrors in a steampunk machinery filled battle.

Fun, entertaining read with quirky characters and a good cross over of genres. Well written with a slew of adventure, this story was a pleasure to read.

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.
He has published a number of poems and short stories over the years, while working on and reworking some of his novels. The Call of Agon is his first published novel.
Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro and The Inquirer.

Contact the Author:

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Youtube I Amazon I Goodreads 

 

New Release & Review: Growl by Ashley Fontainne

 

Synopsis:

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are
S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I
arrived. Mom and Dad were two high school sweethearts who adored their guns,
their beer and their self-appointed titles of King and Queen of the Rebellious
Rednecks. The day I arrived, they didn’t think anyone in the town would have
the mental acuity to put two and two together to discover their little inside joke. Shame on the pathetic excuses who called themselves teachers in this dreary city, because Mom and Dad had been right: no one caught on to their little attempt at humor.

Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes
now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem, and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me
emerged. When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney Creek, everything changed.

That day, I changed, forever. Because evil woke up andgrowled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County, Mississippi.

 

Sheryl has been left scarred, battered, and bereft with the loss of those she loves. The main character, 18 year old Sheryl, accounts the background and story of her family's magical (I'm not spilling the beans, I swear) past and insane battle of good vs evil that takes place in her small town. Not sure what genre to put this well written novel in- paranormal, action/suspense, teen romance, mythological? A strong mix of all of the above and a very entertaining read.

The story has some thick twists and turns that resolve themselves in the end. The story follows a handful of generations and the strong element of mythology that lingers in the area. A pondering cliff hanger, or maybe open end, left me going "hmmm!"

Side note: I wouldn't put it in the YA category at all even though the protagonist is younger due to the strong content.

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the EVISCERATING THE SNAKE series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley's love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her latest release, the suspenseful thriller The Lie, took home the GOLD medal in the 2013 ILLUMINATION BOOK AWARDS for ebook/fiction.

 

Book Review & New Release: Dismantling Evan by Venessa Kimball

Blurb:
Life is unstable...
…What will be the trigger to dismantle it?
When high school senior Evangeline "Evan" Phillips moves half way across the country with her parents to a quaint town in Texas, it should be a chance to start over.
It should be.
Typical of Evan, she doesn’t share her parents’ optimism. Always the loner, she is prepared to hide behind work at the school newspaper until graduation. That is the seemingly bulletproof plan until she meets her new neighbors, Gavin and Brody Ferguson.
The more Evan gets to know her neighbors, their band of friends, and frenemies, the more unsettling her new high school and community gets in Braxton Springs, Texas.
As Evan unwittingly digs deeper into the lives of those around her, her own skeletons begin to surface leaving her vulnerable and scrambling to keep her own sanity and reputation. Will Evan be able to get control over her spiraling secrets while discovering friendship and love for the first time?
Or will the issues and pressures of life as a band of not-so-average teens in a very typical high school become too much, resulting in the tragic dismantlement of an entire community and Evan herself?
Dismantling Evan is a fresh and edgy work of literary fiction that snapshots how life as a teen in modern society can be unstable and the social issues and pressures revolving around them can tip the fleeting stability of society over the edge.

 

*** 4.5/5 Stars ***

Thanks to the author for letting me beta read! :)

I refuse to be the queen of spoilers, especially in such an explosive book with many trigger friendly, ouchie soft spots (mental illness, bullying, and many others). The author did a fabulous job of having any accurate, flawed, and moody main female character in Evangeline "Evan". Evan drove me a bit batty with her back and forth. But that's explained well by the author and she has her reasons. Brody, her love interest, is an interesting persona spotlighted in all the drama of this realistic book. Their romance is rocky, sweet, and oh so young. Brody's brother's struggles and Evan's with understanding themselves is very honest and a regular struggle we all face. The side stories intertwined with the main characters simply adds to the variety of touchy and real subjects experienced.

Life is not fair and those who are different are treated poorly sometimes. Sometimes services and resources folks need are not available. Being a licensed social worker, I know this personally and well. I hope this book will support those who need it and teach a message to those who might not understand until now.

A powerful and addicting read, I highly recommend it to young, adult, and any where in between. Reader should be aware of emotional triggers in this book and it is not for light reading. Life is not always how we perceive it, people make mistakes, and our actions have untold consequences.

Book/Author  Links:

Youtube channel with all videos/book trailers/ interviews

https://www.youtube.com/user/vkimball7

Pinterest (board for PtF, StR, AtV, TtL, and future projects…visual inspiration)

http://www.pinterest.com/venessakimball/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/VenessaKimball

Facebook Fan Page :

https://www.facebook.com/VenessaKimballAuthor

Google + :

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+VenessaKimballAuthor/posts

website: VenessaKimball.net (videos, teasers, buy links for books, projects, events, signings,

book trailers, interviews, lots of stuff! )

blog: venessakimballink.blogspot.com (added page for events and signings! 2 set for 2015)

Spotify PtF series playlists by book as well as Dismantling Evan playlist:

https://play.spotify.com/user/1226147569

Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa Kimball embarked on writing what would become her debut novel, Piercing the Fold: Book 1; a young adult/ adult crossover, paranormal, science fiction, dystopian series. July 2, 2012, Venessa Kimball independently published the first book in the Piercing the Fold series. Book 2, Surfacing the Rim, released March 14, 2013.

In August of 2013, Venessa joined the publishing house, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. The Piercing the Fold series has been re-published with CHBB beginning with Piercing the Fold: Book 1 on September 3, 2013. Surfacing the Rim: Book 2 re-published on September 24, 2013 and Ascending the Veil: Book 3 released November 2013. The fourth book in the series, Transcending the Legacy: Book 4 released May 13, 2014. Venessa’s latest project, YA/Teen Contemporary Fiction novel, Dismantling Evan, will release January 13, 2015.

As for the future, Venessa is already filling her Work-In-Progress folder. Two of her future projects are contemporary fiction and will reflect her diversity as a writer in other genres. 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.

www.VenessaKimball.net

http://www.facebook.com/venessakimballauthor

http://www.twitter.com/venessakimball7

Smart URL’s for PtF series:

ONE-CLICK LINKS:

Piercing the Fold: Book 1 http://smarturl.it/kbrqd8

Surfacing the Rim: Book2 http://smarturl.it/mrqxg7

Ascending the Veil: Book3 http://smarturl.it/rcztvn

Transcending the Legacy: Book4: http://smarturl.it/px8l95

Book Review Tour: Phase One: Identify by Rose Wynters

Phase One: Identify (Territory of the Dead Series) by Rose Wynters
Genres: Young Adult Romance, Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction
Series: Territory of the Dead
Blurb:
Eighteen-year-old Tabitha Alexander had just graduated from high school when the dead invaded her small town of Pleasant, Louisiana. Working as a checkout girl in the only grocery store in town, she barely made it out with her life.

But the night was only beginning.

What started out as a group of three grows, as they are joined by the few that are still alive. New bonds are formed as old ones die, and Tabitha suddenly finds that the guy she's always wanted might just want her back.

The timing couldn't be worse, though. The zombies in Pleasant are smart, with an awareness that's horrifying. And when the zombies discover the house full of survivors, those inside realize that the walls aren't strong enough to keep them out.

All hope is lost. Or is it? Salvation comes in the form of a mysterious man, with a pair of steely-gray eyes and an arsenal to match. He rescues them, but at what cost? Kellan can't seem to keep his otherworldly eyes off of her.

She's no match for him. She knows this. Yet, he intrigues her... and Tabitha knows it's the most dangerous reaction of all.

Tour Promo: All books in this series are $.99!

Available free with Kindle Unlimited.

*** 5/5 Stars ***

As any readers of our blog knows, I am a horror/zombie book lover. I'm a little hesitant with serial stories as I've started some the author never finishes, or feel like the book is simply too short. Not in this case! This was a nice and full start off to the story. It ends on a cliff hanger of course, but I felt the author did a great job of setting up the characters, their woes and life and deaths, and the progression of the story. A very good young adult zombie story, this should entertain the younger set that likes a bit of zombie groaning and gnawing with their teen angst.

The story flows through a regular day of Tabitha at work, to fighting the undead, to being holed up with her family and her life long crush. Many action packed, wincing moments leading to their escape from the home, mystery of how it all started, ends up with Tabitha's group suddenly with new folks. Foe? Friend? Who knows? Looking forward to finding out in the same book!

I exhaled deeply as I finished scanning the last coupon. The woman gave me a sharp look of annoyance, as if I had no room for complaint. Really, what did she expect? Was I supposed to grovel and thank her for allowing me the honor of scanning her precious coupons ten minutes before closing time?

Apparently so. “You know, young lady, it wouldn't hurt you to smile at your customers and thank them when they offer you their coupons. I don't think I've ever had such poor customer service. I don't have to shop here, especially with this kind of attitude.” She was working herself up into a rage, her expression full of self-righteous indignation.

I didn't reply, but instead pushed the total button. Some of the customers in line groaned, while others shifted in impatience. They really didn't want to be further delayed by her rant. She slammed a hundred dollar bill down on the counter. “Where is your manager? I want to speak with him now.”

I pointed towards Jim, as he straightened his shoulders and attempted to look professional. I could only imagine the holier-than-thou attitude he would have as he sympathetically agreed with her. Around here, I could never do anything right, or so it seemed.

I didn't see anyone else standing around, though, willing to put up with his crap. If I didn't need the money so badly, I'd walk out the door faster than he could blink. I was tired of the humiliation and tired of being blamed for the lines, just because he was too tight to hire on adequate staff.

I was silent as I quickly made her change. What could any person say? She was mad due to reasons of her own, something that really didn't concern me. With one last glare, she huffed and moved on in his direction. She never made it, though.

It would have been worth the complaint and subsequent chewing out I would have received, if the events of the night just wouldn't have happened. I would later look back on it and pray that things had ended differently. You can't change events that are completely out of your control, though.

Even so, anything would have been preferable to that one moment when you find your reality has just been blown to pieces and would never be the same again. That's assuming you live to survive it.

She was halfway to Jim, her teased hairdo bouncing, when it happened. A loud, panicked scream tore through the night, originating somewhere from the parking lot in front of the store. Even through the thick glass, we could hear it loudly. It sounded like someone was being murdered. I immediately stopped scanning, turning in an attempt to see what was happening.

A body slammed against the glass, his face and palms pressed to the surface. It was a horrid sight. His pupils were red and crazed, his face extremely pale and dirty. Dark red blood was smeared across his cheeks and chin. The man stood still for a moment, just watching us with his crazy eyes. Something reanimated him. He slid his palms down the clear, clean glass, leaving a trail of bloody streaks.

Rose Wynters resides in the southern portion of the USA. When not writing, she enjoys traveling, camping, and meeting new people.

Connect With The Author:

Website http://www.rosewynters.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Rose-Wynters/121652694703696

Twitter https://twitter.com/author_rose

 

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