TLC Book Tours: In Twenty Years (PLUS a Giveaway!)

Title: In Twenty Years
Author: Allison Winn Scotch
322 pages, published July 1, 2016
Genre: Women's Fiction

Note: I received this book from TLC Book Tours to facilitate my review. I received no other compensation, and all opinions are my own. 

From Goodreads:

Twenty years ago, six Penn students shared a house, naively certain that their friendships would endure—until the death of their ringleader and dear friend Bea splintered the group for good. Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea’s fortieth birthday.

But along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality.

Reunited in the place where so many dreams began, and bolstered by the hope of healing, each of them is forced to confront the past.

Purchase Links
 Amazon  Barnes and Noble   Books A Million

This is the first book I've read by Allision Winn Scotch, and I definitely want to go back and read her other novels after reading this one! I related so well to this book. I'm not twenty years out of college, (I'm 11), but enough to completely relate to this book. I felt like all the characters were my friends from the first few pages. Though I loved some characters more than others, I loved their group as a whole.  Annie and Colin were my two favorites.  And of course I loved Bea!

I loved how real this story was. Each character had their own set of challenges,  problems, secrets, and successes. I also loved the writing style!  This is a perfect summer relaxing read for this summer! I loved the reunion theme, and thought the author did a beautiful job of showing how your past is important to your present. A 2016 must read!

About Allison Winn Scotch

Allison Winn Scotch is the bestselling author of five novels, including THE THEORY OF OPPOSITES, TIME OF MY LIFE, and THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND. Her sixth novel, IN TWENTY YEARS, will be released in July of 2016. In addition to fiction, she pens celebrity profiles for a variety of magazines, which justifies her pop culture obsession and occasionally lends to awesome Facebook status updates. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Connect with Allison

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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ARC August!

Read Sleep Repeat is hosting the 4th Annual ARC August!! I participated in ARC April and loved it, so I am super excited to participate in this August event. The good thing for me is that August is general my most low key month of the whole year, so I hope to get a lot of reading done! This is where I will keep track of my progress.  This will be a great way to catch up on my NetGalley reads!

Interested in signing up? All the details (including prizes!) are here! Signups end July 31st. Make sure to review books you read somewhere (blog, Goodreads, Amazon, etc) in order for them to count.

Another Bonus to ARC April? BOUT OF BOOKS is August 22-28, my friends!! August is officially awesome!!

My TBR List

My Progress/Books Read:

1. Everything Wee Keep

2. To Have and To Hold

3. Family Tree  

 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

 

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date.

 

Happy last week of July! July has been a crazy month at work for me, so I've gotten much less reading and posting done than I'd like. I'm at a conference for work this week (in Vegas!!), then things will drastically calm down in August! Here's what I'm reading this week: 

Just Finished:

 

Currently Reading:

 

Look for my tour with #KEPRTOURS on August 4th!

 

Look for my review with TLC Book Tours on  August 5th!

Up Next:

 

I know I've been saying this one is up next for awhile...I promise I'm getting to it soon! 

What are you reading this week? Happy Reading!

Release Blitz: Friends ForNever

Title: Friends ForNever

Author: Melissa Baldwin

Release Date: July 19, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Summary

Erin Taylor is a hard-working journalist with a serious TV addiction and lack of a social life. She's focused on her career and determined to leave her tiny cubicle behind for a fabulous corner office! But when a new co-worker, a friendship drama, and a hot workplace crush collide, Erin finds it harder and harder to focus. Especially when that crush on the oh-so-yummy Aiden Thomas starts to materialize into what feels like a magical relationship. Erin's life seems to finally be heading in the right direction...until suddenly friends aren't such great friends after all, her magical relationship hits a bumpy road, and her career could be derailed by it all. Erin learns a lesson the hard way: Sometimes people aren't who they seem to be. With her happiness on the line, can Erin rise above her disappointments and create the life she's always dreamed of or will she be stuck being Friends ForNever?

Purchase Links

  iTunes  Barnes & Noble  Smashwords

About the Author

Melissa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications; she has always had a love for writing. An avid journal keeper, she took her creativity to the next level by fulfilling her dream with her debut novel, An Event to Remember . . . Or Forget. Since then, she has written and published four more novels, Wedding Haters, See You Soon Broadway, Not Quite Sheer Happiness, and Friends ForNever.

Melissa resides in Florida, with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing, this multi-tasking master organizer is busy being a mother, wife, chauffeur, PTA President, and Fitness Trainer.

When she has free time, she enjoys traveling, running, fitness, fashion, and taking a Disney Cruise every now and then. 

Connect with Melissa: Website Facebook  Twitter Pinterest Amazon Author

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ The Book Date.

Summer has been crazy busy, so I've only been managing a book a week.  This week is another six day work week, followed by a one day weekend, then a trip for a work conference! Whew! Hoping to finish my current read before next Monday. 

Here's what I'm reading this week!

Just Finished:

Look for my review with TLC book Tours July 28!

Currently Reading:

Up Next:

What are you reading this week?

Blog Tour (with excerpt!): The Little Antique Shop Under the Eiffel Tower

Title: The Little Antique Shop Under the EiffelTower

Author: Rebecca Raisin

Series: The Little Paris Collection, Book 2

Standalone?: Yes

Release Date: June 30, 2016

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Summary

Anouk LaRue used to be a romantic, but since she had her heart well and truly broken her love life has dissolved into nothing more than daydreams of the perfect man. Retreating to her extraordinary Little Antique Shop has always been a way to escape, because who could feel alone in a shop bursting with memories and beautiful objects…

Until Tristan Black bursts into an auction and throws her ordered world into a spin.

Following your heart is a little like getting lost in Paris – sometimes confusing and always exciting! Except learning to trust her instincts is not something Anouk is ready to do when it comes to romance, but the city of love has other ideas…

Purchase Links

Amazon US  Amazon UK  iTunes  Barnes & Noble Add to Goodreads

Exceprt

“Well you haven’t met Claude yet. And…” she paused for effect “…his brother Didier lives in Paris, and just so happens to be an art critic. Art. He likes art. You like art!”

As if that was enough to jump into bed with someone, which is what she constantly nagged me to do. I shook my head in a vigorous no.

“Don’t do that thing you do, not again, please.” It was her mission to set me with up with a man, any man, the only prerequisite seemed to be that he was breathing. So far she’d introduced me to a sixty-year-old count with a handlebar moustache, a dreadlocked guitarist who spoke in tongues, and the last and most explosive no: a magician who kept threatening to make my clothing disappear. I shuddered at the thought of such paramours.

We walked in silence, enjoying the hazy sunlight on our faces. Twenty minutes later we arrived at one of our favorite restaurants, Mille, near Les Invalides. Inside the various buildings that made up Hôtel National des Invalides there were museums and monuments pertaining to the French military, and deep within its walls lay Napoléon Bonaparte’s tomb. It was a hallowed place and steeped with history, a popular spot for tourists who could wander most of the expanse for free.

Mille served traditional French food, and a selection of fine wines, perfect for a slow lunch, and it was a good vantage point for people watching, which was one of my favorite things to do.

The maître d’ recognized us and hurried over, motioning to a table by the window. We thanked him, taking proffered menus. Lilou ordered white wine without consulting me, and fluttered her lashes at the poor smitten man, as was her way. “Vin blanc, OK?” she asked, leaning her head on her hand, giving me a lazy smile.

“Well you’ve ordered it now, haven’t you?” I furrowed my brow, trying to appear disapproving, but failing.

“Oui, I have.” She laughed, and it lit up her blue eyes. We were similar in appearance, but Lilou had a playfulness to her that made her radiant, which I had never had, even in my teens. While our facial features were alike, our style was markedly different. I tended to wear vintage clothing, forties style, and Lilou was very a la mode, and kept up with the latest fashion trends even on her limited budget. Her hair was always loose, and shiny, like a shampoo model, and mine was curled or coiffed. She favored natural makeup, and I preferred the dramatic smoky-eyed, scarlet-lipped look. Though many a time she’d pilfer my wardrobe for scarves or dresses – a younger sister’s rite of passage.

Perusing the menu I decided on the dish of the day – let it be a surprise – and Lilou went for the beef fillet with béarnaise sauce and potato dauphinoise. For such a lithe specimen of a girl she could eat as heartily as any man. She’d have entrée first and finish the meal with a rich dessert, of which I would steal a bite, and then she’d order yet another bottle of wine. I had her measure, and knew without doubt I’d pay for the lunch, and its accoutrements. It was nice to be able to shut off for a few hours, with someone who knew me inside out.

I enjoyed our sisterly time together, and the fact we could be ourselves and relax into the afternoon. I wondered if that might change if we lived together. The thought of Lilou wreaking havoc inside my pristine apartment, where everything was just so, was enough to make me rue my choice not to say no to her – but how could I? Parisian apartments were expensive, and I knew she couldn’t keep up paying for hers for any length of time. I calmed myself, promising there’d be rules she’d have to adhere to. She would be on her best behavior surely?

We ordered our meals, and the waiter filled our wineglasses. I sat back feeling my limbs loosen with the first sip of crisp white wine.

“As I was saying,” she said, giving her hair a customary flick, “I know my match-making choices haven’t been ideal but this Didier…” She pretended to pull her collar out as if she was hot, and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Whoa! Seriously, you have to meet him.”

I clucked my tongue like my maman would do when Lilou was being too Lilou. “No thank you. Your choices have been downright hideous.” I gave her a withering stare. “A magician? A sixty-year-old count? You might think I’m mature but I’m only twenty-eight for God’s sake. I don’t think we need to reach for the fringes of society just yet. And certainly not a man old enough to be my papa!”

She leaned forward and whispered, “Some women find silver foxes very attractive, I’ll have you know.”

It was like speaking another language with Lilou. “Silver foxes?”

“Oui,” she said. “Silver foxes, you know, a man with a sprinkling of gray, a little mature but a whole lot of sex appeal.” She slapped her hand on the table and let out a roar of delight.

“Hush, Lilou. Mon Dieu!” All eyes were cast toward us.

“What?” She blew out her cheeks. “You can’t nurse a broken heart forever. Six months is enough grieving time, too much time for a man like him. You need to have a passionate affair!”

I shriveled in my seat, hoping no one could understand her fast-talking sentences. “I’m not grieving –” I scoffed “– far from it. I don’t have time for it, that’s all.” Lilou knew the intimate details about Joshua because the petit espion had found my diary and read every single word. If not for that she’d know zero, because who would tell the world a horror story like that? “And if I did have time for a relationship, I wouldn’t reserve it for the type of men you’re suggesting. A silver fox, I mean…?”

Laughter burbled from her. “You said you wanted someone extraordinary! Gray is the new black, non?”

I arched a brow. “I don’t think so, Lilou.” Really, she was so adamant about the most ridiculous things.

Tugging her dress down as she sat back in her chair, she said, “Sister of mine, I hate to say it, but you are only twenty-eight. Not eighty-eight. Why can’t you have a little fun while you’re waiting for Mr. Right? Even Madame Dupont beds more men than you do, and she is almost eighty.”

About Rebecca Raisin

Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been published in various short story anthologies and in in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance.

Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly believe in true love.

Connect with Rebecca on her Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, or her website.

Book Review: Once Upon A Wine

Title: Once Upon A Wine
Author: Beth Kendrick
336 pages, publication date July 26, 2016
Genre: Women's Fiction

Note: I received this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. I received no other compensation, and all opinions are my own. 

From Goodreads:

Cammie Breyer needs a big glass of cabernet—her restaurant failed and her chef boyfriend left for a hotter kitchen. Just when she thinks she’s hit rock bottom, her Aunt Ginger calls with a surprise. She’s bought a vineyard—in Delaware. At Ginger’s command, Cammie returns to Black Dog Bay, the seaside town where she spent her childhood summers with her aunt and her cousin, Kat.

The three women reunite, determined to succeed. There’s only one little problem: None of them knows the first thing about wine making. And it turns out, owning a vineyard isn’t all wine and roses. It’s dirt, sweat, and desperation. Every day brings financial pitfalls, unruly tourists, romantic dilemmas, and second thoughts.  But even as they struggle, they cultivate hidden talents and new passions. While the grapes ripen under the summer sun, Cammie discovers that love, like wine, is layered, complex, delicious, and worth waiting for… 

What a fun read!! This is another book set in Black Dog Bay, but it's not necessary that you've read her other books before reading this one (though I definitely recommend her books!) This book was a perfect easy summer read,with delightful characters (especially Jacques, the French Bulldog!), a story that kept you reading, and a little bit of romance thrown in with all that wine! Ian and Cammie were adorable--they allong with Jacques, of course, were my favorite characters. I did also really kike Kat--she had more depth as a character than your typical chick lit romance book.

Though I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It made my heart happy, and was the perfect read when I had a busy, stressful week, because it was such a relaxing and fun read. I definitely recommend you add this book to your summer list!

5 stars

Happy Reading!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn @ Book Date. 

Last week was a little crazy, despite being only a four day work week! Only managed to finish one book.  This week is a bit more low key, so I'm hoping to get some good reading time in!

Here's what I'm reading this week!

Recently Finished:

What an adorable book!

Currently Reading:

Look for my review with TLC book Tours July 28!

On Deck:

Excited to read her latest book! Devil Wears Prada is one of my all time favorites.

This one just came in for me at the library! I pretty much hated the first one...but one of my friends assured me that this one was amazing and so much better! So I'm giving it a shot...

What are you reading this week?

Release Blitz: What Happens at the Beach...

Title: What Happens at the Beach...

Author: T. A. Williams

Series: What Happens in… (standalone)

Release Date: July 11, 2106

Genres: Chick Lit

Publisher: HarperCollins/Carina UK

Summary

For the perfect summer romance…

It’s finally time for Natalie Dryden to decide what she really wants! After ditching her sparkling engagement ring, and her ghastly fiancé, she jets off for the sun-kissed shores of Southern France – the only place that has ever truly felt like home. For the first time ever, Natalie is determined to forget all about men and follow her dreams!

…head to the French coast!

Only, avoiding the male population isn’t quite so easy, especially when she meets smooth-talking Philippe and gorgeous fisherman, Remy! But then Natalie, quite literally, bumps into brooding millionaire Mark whilst swimming in the glittering azure-blue bay – and her life is turned upside-down.

Love might be off the cards for Natalie, yet suddenly she finds herself in her dream job and working with her dream man! But is it all too good to be true…?

Purchase Links

Amazon US  Amazon UK

About the Author:

Firstly, my name isn’t T A. It’s Trevor. I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book, “Dirty Minds” one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn’t possibly comment. Ask my wife…

I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. If my books can put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.

I‘ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in south west England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in most of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador.

I’ve been writing since I was 14 and that is half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up. I hope she’s right.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon