Tag Archives: literature

May 18, 2013 · 7:25 pm

Heart Robber

Lifestyle by Design #2. By: Miranda P. Charles. Read: May 2013.

Jessa Allen has low self-esteem and is completely thrown for a loop when the hunk of the party, Rob Granger asks her to dinner. Jessa agrees, because she knows she will never get another chance, but Rob is not looking for any long-term commitments. After one night of fun, an arrangement is made to keep things casual. Will they both keep their hearts protected or will they give in and accept their feelings?

Heart Robber is the story of how Jessa and Rob overcome their insecurities and learn to love themselves and each other. This is the second book in the Lifestyle by Design series and picks up right where the first book left off, but it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Fans of Will and Clarise will still get snippets of their inner thoughts and follow their happily-ever-after, while falling in love with Jessa and Rob. The writing is improved from the first book, while the spiciness of the romance is amped up too. This book is a must read for fans of spicy romances with sweet, relatable characters.

I found the female lead a bit more relatable in this story due to her lack of self-confidence. However, it does seem to repeat the basic storyline from the first book. I do enjoy the fact that it picks up right where the first one left off, at Megan’s party and I appreciate a book in the middle of the series that focuses on the couple in the book, like this one does. Unfortunately there some “middle” books can focus too much on the past and too much on setting up the future. Have you noticed any “middle” books that remain focused on its characters’ story, like this one?

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and her books, please visit her website.

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May 17, 2013 · 3:21 pm

Let the Countdown Begin…

Hi Everyone,

Today is Friday, May 17th… We are just a week away from the start of the Big Celebration Party! (Don’t know what I what I am talking about, please read the Big Announcement.)

I thought I would share one of the ways you will be able to enter to win the BIG Giveaway. As you know, the BIG Giveaway will be a Rafflecopter giveaway. There will be a page here, with the Rafflecopter widget and it will be available on Facebook. There are several “games” that will be played during the upcoming weeks. ALL answers will need to be entered into the Rafflecopter. For instance: (yes, I am about to reveal one of the games) every week on Sunday, there will be a “Guess the Character” game! Every Sunday, (at various times) I will post a character description from some of the books/stories that I read when I was younger. I call these characters “Classics,” because of the fact that I have read their stories multiple times. I will post these descriptions on Twitter only! (I will post a reminder here, but not the description.) Once you see the description on Twitter, please go to the Rafflecopter page on here or on Facebook and type in the Character’s Name. (Please do not post the Character’s Name on Twitter.) At the end of the BIG Giveaway, I will list the character’s names and their descriptions on here.

Sound fun? I hope so, because I have enjoyed picking the characters! (Let me tell you it was hard to narrow down to just 10!)

And if you don’t have Twitter, don’t worry! There will be a Facebook only game and a TON of other ways to enter to win!

I will give more clues and rules to the other games throughout the remaining days!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 15, 2013 · 8:31 pm

Reading Update…

Hi Everyone,

How are you? I am just curious as to what everyone is reading this week. For me, I am half way through book number 44 on The List. It is a romance novel. I am also a third of the way through book number 31 on My Sister’s Books List. This book is a suspense/intrigue book. And I just finished a children’s book for the eMag and am going to start reading a sci-fi/fantasy young adult book. My plate is full of diverse books and I couldn’t be happier. (Thank you all!) I hope to be able to soon share the reviews that I wrote last month for the eMag. I will post them as soon as I am allowed to share.

Yesterday, the new Dan Brown novel, Inferno, came out and I am thrilled! I love Dan Brown’s unique and skillful writing. Are there any books that have come out or are about to come out this month, that you are excited about?

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 12, 2013 · 7:55 am

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day!!! Whether your a Mama of a human baby or a fur baby, Happy Mother’s Day!!!

What were some of the books that you shared with your Mom while you were growing up?

For me, the Children’s Book… I’ll Love You, Forever is a book that I can still recite from memory. My Mom and I used to read that together all the time. Now my Grandmother used to bring me a set of 6 Nancy Drew books every time she would visit. So Nancy Drew will always hold a special place in heart, thanks to her.

As for being a fur-Mama, the book that made me laugh and cry because of its honesty and truth is… Marley and Me. If you have ever loved a dog with your whole heart, then that book is a must-read. (And no, I have never seen the movie.)

Hope each of you have a wonderful, beautiful day!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 11, 2013 · 6:00 am

BIG Announcement!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

It is time. It is here. Today is Saturday, May 11, 2013 and it is 6:00am EDT and this can only mean one thing… It is time for the BIG Announcement. You all are amazing you know this, right?! I want to thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this BIG Announcement!

So without further delay…

I can’t believe that a year has gone by since I started this amazing journey. My little dream of finding a way into to the world of literature has grown into something that I could never have hoped for. Thank you all for your support. I am so honored to have each of you following along in this journey. I love being able to read books, write reviews and then talk with all of you about the wonderful books and authors. So on May 25th, 2013, I hope that you all will join me as I begin a three month long celebration party.

Why three months? Well… on May 25th, my blog will turn 1, on June 20th, my first posted book review will turn 1 and on July 27th, my first Indie Author book review will turn 1. Three BIG birthdays/anniversaries!!! And with all that is going on in the world around us, why not celebrate to the fullest. (Besides, who doesn’t love to celebrate good times!)

What kind of Celebration?

Starting on May 25th through July 27th, each Saturday, I will take a look back at some of the books that I have had the honor to review. “A Year in Review” weekly special. On the majority of those weeks, you the followers will get a chance to win some pretty cool prizes, such as bookmarks or ebooks, thanks to the author(s) of the book(s) being Re-Reviewed. Yes, that’s right, there will be 10 weeks with 8 giveaways! But this is only half of the BIG Announcement…

The second half?

This part is extra-special. You see, through May 25-July 31st, there will be a separate giveaway going on. Yes, that’s right another chance to win! This giveaway will be active the ENTIRE time between May 25th-July 31st. For this giveaway, some very generous authors have donated Autographed books, both ebooks and Paperbacks, plus bookmarks. AND… my very favorite and very talented artist friend, Dana Zalesky , has donated an original piece of artwork. So as you can see this giveaway will be BIG!!!

How do you win?

The individual weekly contests will be held like the regular giveaways. (And there will still be those scheduled during this time, too.) All you have to do is leave a comment under that week’s blog post to be entered to win. With the help of Random.org, winners will be chosen and announced the following week. Each contest/feature, will run for a week (Saturday-Friday.)

The BIG giveaway will be a Rafflecopter giveaway, but not just a plain Rafflecopter giveaway. It will be a game… A mixture of Guess the Book from the Quote and a Scavenger Hunt. Bonus points (bonus entries) will be plenty and some will be offered daily!!! You will be able to find the Rafflecopter here, as it will have a page to itself and on Ariesgrl Book Reviews Facebook Page.

(And yes, it is a possibility to win more than one giveaway.)

My goal is to make the next several weeks fun for everyone! I want this to be a true celebration as my way to say thank you to each of you! I hope I have answered any questions you may have, but if not just post a comment below. (However no specifics on authors/books/prizes will be given, just yet.)

So this was my BIG Announcement! I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait!!!

Have a wonderful day!
Enjoy!!!
~Ariesgrl

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May 10, 2013 · 11:45 am

My Sister’s Books Review #13

And Then I Found You
By: Patti Callahan Henry

This fictional story is based off the real-life events that occurred within the author’s family. Jack Adams and Katie Vaughan grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. Katie even vowed on the first day of Spring, that magical day when all promises come true, to never love another as much as she loved Jack. However life happened, Katie is now Kate who is trying to be in love with her boyfriend, Rowan. Too much has occurred in the last 13 years and Kate knows she can’t fix things until she first talks to Jack. However the true healing process starts when her thirteen year old daughter, whom she gave up for adoption, finds her on Facebook. This is the story of how Katie, Jack and Emily find one another and find themselves along the way.

Patti Callahan Henry uses her real-life experiences and emotions as inspiration for this story. With each chapter rotating between the present and the past, readers will feel like they are walking down memory lane with Kate. Then, when the story switches to Emily’s point-of-view, it brings about a new round of emotions for readers. The author’s writing will rip your heart open causing it to bleed with the characters’ pain, and then stitch it whole again with the sweetest thread made from undying love and conquering the fear of the unknown. This book is packed full of emotions and lessons to be learned that I highly recommend it to fans of Women’s Literature.

Note:

This review was written for My Sister’s Books.

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May 6, 2013 · 10:37 pm

Will to Love

Lifestyle by Design #1. By: Miranda P. Charles. Format: eBook. Read: May 2013.

Clarise Carson was desperate not to be set-up by her meddling family, so she takes drastic measures to avoid the awkward introduction at her sister’s party. Too bad she didn’t know who the guy was ahead of time, because the only single male at the party was making her wounded heart flutter back to life. Will Matthews hated it when his friends tried to set him up. Yet he agrees to go to the party because he intends to be introduced to a woman who could help his successful business grow larger. Will intends to keep his life strictly business, in order to care for his parents, yet Clarise opens his heart to things he never thought possible. Will these two be able to put their pain aside and help each other heal or will they both avoid love out of fear?

This is a sweet, contemporary romance book to start a promising series. Miranda P. Charles does a great job with writing relatable characters whose past hurts will affect reader’s emotions. She also establishes the secondary characters, that will take on leading roles in future books, without distracting readers from Clarise and Will. Though the excessive use of endearing terms, such as Darling and Baby, will be a bit much for some readers to handle, the overall meanings of overcoming fear and going after what your heart desires are sure to soften even the hardest of hearts. This is an easy-to-read book, with a few grammatical errors. Adult readers who enjoy reading sentimental love stories, will thoroughly enjoy this book.

This book is a great way to start a series. I am looking forward to reading how the other characters find love and hopefully getting to see how Clarise and Will continue their relationship. This book will definitely have you grinning while you read.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and her books, please visit her website.

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· 6:07 pm

Another Nook Delay and Some News…

Hi Everyone,

I was so excited when there was a knock on the door today. My replacement Nook had finally arrived. I quickly thanked the delivery man and opened up the box only to find… it was the wrong product. I was so disappointed. However I have been assured that the correct replacement Nook will be here by next week at the latest.

On a more positive note, I have a BIG Announcement that I will be making on here. It will be announced Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 6:00 am EDT. That means there is less than 4 days and 12 hours left!!! As for this announcement, I can’t say too much without giving it away, but I can leave you with a bit of information. I promise everyone who follows this blog will be excited about this announcement. I can say that this announcement will lead to something that will be a lot of fun for everyone, too. (At least I hope you all will be as excited as I am about this announcement.) I must stop now, before I say too much, but be sure to stop by here this weekend for the BIG announcement.

I hope you all have had a great Monday. I will be back in a couple of hours to post my next review.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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· 4:56 pm

Jessica Bowers Review #4

Not What She Seems
By Victorine E. Lieske

This exciting story of a woman on the run from her terrible abusive past will have you on the edge of your seat. Emily Grant and her four year old son, Connor, are trying their best to keep the past behind them. She is currently on the run until she meets a wonderful, handsome, caring, man named Ethan, actually the billionaire Steven Ashton, and she begins to fall in love. When she realizes who he really is she devises a plan to get money from him so she can disappear for good. But things don’t turn out the way they are planned. Steven refuses to let her get away once he starts to piece things together, he is determined to do whatever it takes to help Emily and Connor so they can live a normal life.
The story has many twists and turns, giving you the opportunity to guess where it’s going to go next and surprising you with every page turn. The chapters are short, making it an easy read. I really enjoyed reading this book and trying to come to my own conclusion using the clues given before the author reveals the truth. The story is very well written and the descriptions are amazing keeping you in the story and helping you connect with each character. If you love plot twists and excitement this is a great book for you.

Jessica Bowers

This ebook was free for Kindle on Amazon.com

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· 11:55 am

And the Winner is…

Good Morning Everyone,

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in the Kitsune Tales Blog Tour. I also want to thank Twinsie Talk Book Reviews for putting together an amazing blog tour. Without further ado, the winner of this giveaway is … Dana Zalesky! Congrats Dana!!! I will contact you later today with information about your prize.

Thanks again everyone. I wish you all a Magnificent Monday. I will be back later tonight with a new review and news about the BIG Announcement.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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