Angel Reads

05 Jun

The Accidentals | Sarina Bowen’s YA debut novel

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The Accidentals

Pages: –
Publish date: July 10, 2018
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ISBN: –
Purchase: Amazon – iBooks – Kobo – Nook – Audio

Never ask a question unless you’re sure you want the truth.

I’ve been listening to my father sing for my whole life. I carry him in my pocket on my mp3 player. It’s just that we’ve never met face to face.

My mother would never tell me how I came to be, or why my rock star father and I have never met. I thought it was her only secret. I was wrong.

When she dies, he finally appears. Suddenly I have a first class ticket into my father’s exclusive world. A world I don’t want any part of – not at this cost.

Only three things keep me going: my a cappella singing group, a swoony blue-eyed boy named Jake, and the burning questions in my soul.
There’s a secret shame that comes from being an unwanted child. It drags me down, and puts distance between me and the boy I love.

My father is the only one alive who knows my history. I need the truth, even if it scares me.

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award-winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller’s list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina’s books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen will be put July 10th, this year! Nevertheless, be prepared for swoony moments and a romance that will knock you off your feet.

01 Jun

Book Review: Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen | Blog Tour

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Speakeasy by Sarian Bowen

Pages: 452
Publish date: May 29, 2018
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
ASIN: B07CHZGT6C
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right. And sometimes for Mr. Right Now…
May
Did you hear the one about the girl who walks into a bar and catches her live-in lover kissing someone else? No? You’re the only one in town who missed it.
Luckily Alec is there to wrap me up in strong arms and carry me out the door before things get too ugly. And that’s not all Alec is good at. Our unexpected chemistry makes him the perfect rebound guy.

Alec
I should know better than to hook up with my rival’s little sister, but the fiery look in May’s eyes really turns my crank. She needs cheering up, and I’m just the guy for the job.It’s not like I’ll fall in love. Not even after a string of scorching hot trysts, and the realization that we’re good at the same things: wild nights and familial disappointment. I don’t do love, never have, never will. So this is the perfect arrangement, for both of us.
Nobody would approve, but nobody has to know…

Speakeasy:

I received an e-arc of Speakeasy by Sarina Bowne in exchange for an honest review. This has no influence my thoughts and feelings on the book.

If you know me for a while, you know I love Sarina Bowen, I’ve read all but 1 of her books now and I just love reading them. The romance just hits me in the right places and the ‘Truth North’ series has to be one of my favourite romance series I’ve read. So when I heard about Speakeasy and it was going to be about May, hell I was excited.

Speakeasy follows May as she tries to get a grip on life. After she finds out that her girlfriend is cheating on her, she thinks everything is over. And lucky Alec is there to save her before things get messy. Alec doesn’t want anything to do with the Shipley family, however when he sees May is trouble he can’t help but intervene. But for a man that doesn’t do love, it’s new territory when he starts to spend more time with May and things might just change.

May has been one of my favourite characters in the ‘True North’ series and while I loved seeing her from other character’s point of view, it was really nice getting inside of her head and really understanding her. May has been through a lot, losing her father, falling for her best friend, realising she is an alcoholic and coming to terms with and coming out as Bi. We see all that through the rest of the series, but here in Speakeasy we see her fall and come back together. The reader is able to see how she really is going with everything. How in reality she is breaking inside and needs to let it all out.

May is an interesting character and you can see throughout the novel. The reader can see that she hasn’t really gotten over everything that has happened in her life. But the reader is able to slowly she comes out of her shell. And while she is sometimes the life of the party, she gets to find herself in this book.

Alec, ah what can I say about him. We have met him briefly before Speakeasy, we haven’t really got to meet him. And like May it was really interesting to see him as the protagonist rather than someone on the side. Alec is grumpy and very closed off. He doesn’t really believe in love and relationships and you can see that throughout the novel. He holds this wall around him that he doesn’t want anyone to break through. Nevertheless, the reader is able to see throughout Speakeasy that these walls start to crumble. At first, Alec doesn’t know what to do, but something or someone grabs hold.

I really enjoyed Alec and May together and while they may not be my favourite couple in the series, I liked reading their story. May and Alec are two very different people, but they seem to come together in Speakeasy and really find one another. Alec has trouble really getting to know May, because of her last name and while that was super annoying. May has a lot of trouble trusting the right people, but Alec changes things and that was great to see. They do go through their rough patches – I am not lying there and hell both of them were frustrating at times, however, I did like how it all came together.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen. And while it wasn’t my favourite in the series, it still has a special place for me. May and Alec were adorable and I loved seeing them break down each other’s walls. Things got a little crazy at times, but it’s a romance novel, so why not. Speakeasy explores the notion of what it is to be family, how someone can change your life forever and letting go is sometimes the best thing to do.

28 May

Excerpt: Leaving Everest by Megan Westfield | Blog Tour

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Leaving Everest by Megan Westfield

Pages: 352
Publish date: February 19, 2018
Publisher: –
ASIN: B079DX1TXX
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Twenty-year-old Emily Winslowe has had an adventurous upbringing. Daughter of a Himalayan mountain guide, she has climbed Mount Everest and other peaks most Americans only dream of. But for all her mountaineering prowess, she’s lacking some key experiences. Namely, guys. Especially one guy in particular—Luke, her childhood best friend who she hasn’t seen since he left for college in the United States two years ago.

Luke unexpectedly reappears as a guide just in time for the Everest climbing season. He’s even more handsome than she remembers, and that something that had been building between them during their last season together is back in front of them, bigger than ever.

The problem is, there’s a detail about Emily’s past that Luke doesn’t know. It’s the reason she ended up in the Himalayas in the first place…and the reason she must make it to the summit of Mount Everest this year. It’s also the reason she would never consider following him back to Washington after the climbing season ends.

But first, they’ll have to survive the mountain.

Leaving Everest:

Today I have the chance to share an excerpt from Leaving Everest by Megan Westfield. This book has really intrigued me and I cannot wait to pick it up and give it a go.

Luke’s face was serious as his dark brown eyes analyzed me from beneath the shadow of his hat.

My mind struggled to catch up. I couldn’t believe it was really Luke standing right there in this doorway as I’d seen him so, so many times before. He’d always been confident, but the way he stood now, even straighter and more self-assured, made him look five years older instead of the two years older he actually was.

His name—Luke for Luke Skywalker—was something his father had called him and everyone kept up after his father’s death on Cho Oyu during an expedition with my dad. With his huge dimples and smile, he’d always been hopelessly adorable in the same way as his namesake.

But now, this guy in the door…cute and adorable were out the window. His thermal pullover jacket molded to his profile, revealing the defined bulk of his upper arms and torso before tapering to a waist that was solid but as narrow as my own. He was all Hemsworth-brothers Hollywood action hero, right down to his piercing eyes, strong jaw, and rich tone of his skin.

Mingma jumped up, scolding Luke for sneaking up on us like that. Without breaking eye contact with me, a teasing, satisfied grin broke out across his face. I whipped back to center, focusing forcefully on the teapot in the middle of the table. My cheeks burned. That was some stunt he’d just pulled with the Circ.

Why hadn’t someone warned me he was in Tengboche? Or perhaps someone had: Mingma in her rapid-fire Sherpa when we’d first arrived. A good lesson in why you should never fakae-understand a foreign language.

Dad went over to Luke, shaking hands and hug-slapping him heartily. Now it was just me left at the table. Well, me and Pasang, who was watching me with furrowed brows, probably wondering why I wasn’t joining everyone at the door. I quickly collected myself, but still, my head spun and my pulse raced as I walked slowly toward Luke.

About the Author

Megan Westfield has dabbled in many hobbies and pastimes through the years, including an array of outdoor adventure sports. Eventually, she discovered the only way to do it all was though writing—her first and strongest passion. Megan grew up in Washington state, attended college in Oregon, and lived in Virginia, California, and Rhode Island during her five years as a navy officer. She is now a permanent resident of San Diego where she and her husband count family beach time with their two young kids as an adventure sport.