New Release: The Proper Princess, by @MelissaMcClone

She’s been a proper princess—but she wants to rebel.

After the death of her fiancé, Princess Madeleine knows a loveless, arranged marriage awaits her. She’s resigned to her fate until she meets her intended husband. Crown Prince Enrique is gorgeous, but he comes on way too strong, says the wrong things, and fumbles with apologies. He’s more court jester than Prince Charming. How can she marry him?

Enrique might be self-centered and lack social skills, but he’s trying to do better—for himself, his country, and his future wife. Despite their royal union being a political necessity, he wants his marriage with the captivating Madeleine to be a love match. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to woo her. How hard can it be to win his princess bride’s heart?

Nearly impossible, he discovers, because Madeleine seems unwilling—or unable—to give him her heart. On their wedding day, instead of exchanging vows, will the royal couple say goodbye?

You can find this book on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the Author:

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over forty romance novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She’s a USA Today Bestselling author and has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

Find out more:

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New Release: The Wedding Party, by @thebestjasmine

Jasmine Guillory’s latest book The Wedding Party came out a few days ago. I’m sorry for the delay in announcing it to you, but it’s not too late to grab a copy! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. I had a copy teasing me at work that I couldn’t process and get out to patrons until Tuesday. And the copy I bought for myself is sitting on a shelf at Tattered Cover in Denver right now. I’ll be picking it up on Sunday when I go there for an event that Jasmine is having with Alexa Martin (author of Intercepted and Fumbled, go read those too!). I can’t wait to meet them both and to get their books signed. I have Intercepted signed already. And I also have The Wedding Party and The Proposal as “signed” Target editions. But I think it would be cool to have Jasmine sign the actual title pages on them both and have them doubled signed editions.

Well, enough rambling. Keep reading this post for more about The Wedding Party! If it’s anything like the first two in this series (don’t have to read them in order), it’ll be worth your time.

Maddie and Theo have two things in common:

1. Alexa is their best friend

2. They hate each other

After an “Oops, we made a mistake” kiss, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa’s wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they’re comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won’t fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn’t looking.

But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don’t fall in love.

If you’d like to buy a copy of this book, you can find it on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the Author:

Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Date, The Proposal, and the forthcoming The Wedding Party. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Oprah Magazine.com, and Shondaland.com. She lives in Oakland, California.

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Review: A Girl Like Her, by @TaliaHibbert

Title: A Girl Like Her (Ravenswood #1)
Author: Talia Hibbert
Rating: 3/5 stars

“She’s the town pariah. He doesn’t give a damn.

In Ruth Kabbah’s world, comic books are king, silence is golden, and human contact is a pesky distraction. She doesn’t like people, which works out just fine, because the people in this small town don’t like her. The exception to that rule? Evan Miller, her way-too-charming next-door neighbour…

Ex-military man Evan is all tattooed muscle on the outside—and a big, cuddly teddy bear beneath. He’s used to coaxing prickly people from their shells, but he’s never met a woman quite like Ruth. Blunt, sarcastic, and secretly sad, she’s his exact opposite. She’s also his deepest desire.

Soon, Evan’s steady patience and smouldering smiles are melting Ruth’s reserve. But when small-town gossip from her past begins to poison her future, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?

Please be aware: this book contains mentions of intimate partner violence that could trigger certain audiences.” (description from Goodreads)

Anyone who’s read my reviews before probably knows that I’m a sucker for small-town romance. But I’ve never read a small-town romance set outside of the United States. A Girl Like Her is a first for me for that, as it’s set in England. It’s also my first Talia Hibbert book, mainly because I’ve been slacking. It won’t be my last Hibbert book though. I want to continue reading this series.

What was great about this book was the diverse representation Hibbert wrote into it. The heroine, Ruth, is a woman of color who has autism. The town thinks she’s weird, she keeps to herself, and the hero doesn’t care. He’s new to town and is falling for Ruth. But is autism in your face, over-mentioned, and drilled into the reader’s head? No. Ruth is Ruth and she’s just like any other heroine. I always enjoy books where the author will write underrepresented characters, but not make a big deal about it. That’s how I feel it should be because there are many types of people out there and everyone has a story.

As for the small-town setting in England, that left me wanting a little more. While it didn’t need to be the focus in this particular book, I felt that it was lacking a little bit of the normal feel of a small-town setting. The town itself isn’t really explored until the last quarter of the book, even when the townspeople are cause for conflict throughout. It’s more in the background. That’s part of why I know I’ll be reading the other books in this series. 1) To see more of the characters introduced here, and 2) to explore this town more. It wasn’t a bad start to it, but I crave more.

This was a good book to check out. And a good start to a series. If the buzz around Hibbert is anything to go by, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed moving forward.

If you’d like to buy a copy of this book, you can find it on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the Author:

Talia Hibbert is a Black British author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.

She writes steamy, diverse romance because she believes that people ofmarginalised identities need honest and positive representation. She also rambles intermittently about the romance genre over at Frolic Media. Her interests include makeup, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm.

Talia self-publishes via Nixon House and is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary.

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New Release: Once Upon a Bad Boy, by @MelonieJohnson

Better late than never with this series! While I have Getting Hot with a Scot and Smitten by a Brit on my pile to read, I slacked off and missed the chance you tell you all about their releases in the last few months. Well, at least today I got my act together for the third book in Melonie Johnson’s Sometimes in Love series: ONCE UPON A BAD BOY. Find all you need about the book and where to buy it below. As well as links to the other books.

A Hollywood actress and a stuntman from different worlds get a second chance at love after they were torn apart as teenagers

Former soap opera star Sadie Gold is determined to overcome her reputation as a spoiled rich girl with more connections than talent. She’s thrilled to score a coveted role in a blockbuster movie—until she learns that the stunt man training her is Bo Ibarra, the guy Sadie lost her heart to years ago.

Sadie and Bo haven’t seen each other in a decade, and their reunion is bringing up desires they haven’t felt since they were teenagers. But Sadie has been holding onto a secret from their past she is desperate to keep hidden.

When a tabloid splashes the secret across the headlines, both of them are shaken from the fallout. Can Sadie convince Bo to take a chance on them again? One thing’s for sure, happy endings don’t come as easily in real life as they do in the movies.

If you’d like a copy of this book, you can find it on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

and if you missed them

Getting Hot with a Scot

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

Smitten with a Brit

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the Author:

A Star Wars junkie and Shakespeare groupie who quotes both Yoda and the Bard with equal aplomb, award-winning author Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—is a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist who loves dark coffee, cheap wine, and expensive beer. And margaritas. And mimosas. And mules. Basically any cocktail that starts with the letter m. She met her future husband in that most romantic of places—the mall—when they were teenagers working in stores across the hall from each other. Today, they live happily ever after in the magical land midway between Chicago and Milwaukee with their two redhead daughters, a dog that’s more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie taught high school English and Theatre in the northern Chicago suburbs for several years. Now she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin.

Find out more:

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Summer is Here! Time for Some Summer Reading!

Summer started a few days ago, and with that often comes the urge to do some “summer reading”. You’ll see lists of beach reads popping up all over in no time, if you haven’t already. I haven’t looked for them just yet, but I think some of the books later on in this post will be on those lists. What I have looked at so far is Anne Bogel’s Summer Reading Guide 2019, on her site Modern Mrs. Darcy This is a well-rounded list with something for everyone. And if you’re like me, your holds list at the library is full. I was able to get low enough on some of the holds lists that I may be able to listen (I put holds on all the eAudio) to them this summer if I’m lucky.

I don’t always change up my reading mood for the summer. It hasn’t been a thing for me in the past. I feel that working in the library for the last few years and all the hype we put into the summer reading program has changed that. I’ve already been having a big reading year. I’ve already read about 30 novels, and 2019 is just hitting the halfway mark. I’m keeping that momentum going into the summer with my eye on a small section of my TBR pile…ssss.

(Side note: This year’s library SRP theme is A Universe of Stories. This doesn’t necessarily mean only space themed books, but who are we trying to kid? It means SPACE, SPACE, and more SPACE!!!! My only spacey reading has been piles of children’s picture books. But there are so many great ones out this year that it just makes sense. Stalk my Goodreads 2019 read list for some of those titles.)

So, what was the point of this post? Oh, yeah. I wanted to share some of the books I’ve read this year that would be great summer reads, as well as some books on my TBR I wanted to share too before I had the chance to review them. I’d also like to open up the comments section for you to share what you’ve read or plan to read this year and want others to know about.

BOOKS I’VE READ

• The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery
• The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis
• A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
• The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
• American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera
• The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory (starts at a baseball game. Perfect for summer)
• Fumbled by Alexa Martin

WHAT I WILL BE READING

• The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (releases in July. I want it NOW! I’ll get to see her and Alexa Martin in July)
• The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
• Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
• Sometimes in Love series by Melonie Jonhson
• Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert
• More of Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals books
• When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
• At least one historical romance. Not sure which yet. Still trying to amp myself up for one. (Suggestions?)
• The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli
• American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera

Review: The Lemon Sisters, by @JillShalvis

Title: The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone #3)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Rating: 4/5 stars

“The New York Times bestselling author of Rainy Day Friends and Lost and Found Sisters returns to Wildstone, California…

Brooke Lemon has always led the life she wanted, wild adventures—and mistakes—included, something her perfect sister, Mindy, never understood. So when Mindy shows up on Brooke’s doorstep in the throes of a break-down with her three little kids in tow, Brooke’s shocked.

Wanting to make amends, Brooke agrees to trade places, taking the kids back to Wildstone for a few days so Mindy can pick up the pieces and put herself back together. What Brooke doesn’t admit is she’s just as broken . . . Also how does one go home after seven years away? It doesn’t take long for Brooke to come face-to-face with her past, in the form of one tall, dark, sexy mistake. But Garrett’s no longer interested. Only his words don’t match his actions, leaving Brooke feeling things she’d shoved deep.

Soon the sisters begin to wonder: Are they lemons in life? In love? All they know is that neither seems to be able to run far enough to outpace her demons. And when secrets surface, they’ll have to learn that sometimes the one person who can help you the most is the one you never thought to ask.” (description from Goodreads)

This third novel in Jill Shalvis’ Wildstone series came…and went in just a few days. Yea, I blew through it without realizing that I should have savored it. Now I don’t have any new Shalvis books to read until the next Heartbreaker Bay books in the fall.

As with the other Wildstone books, sisterhood (in one way or another) and discovering what that really means is a driving theme for the characters. In a sense The Lemon Sisters is also a story with three different second chance storylines. In the romance genre that Shalvis often writes within, second chance romances are common (and one of my favorite tropes). In this novel, the author steps it up a notch. The readers gets a second chance at sisterhood, marriage, and a rekindling of an old but unrealized love. It’s three well-written, compelling journeys for the “price-of-one”.

Whether you’re looking for well written characters getting their life back together, marriage back together, or just a book about family, this Wildstone book might be just what you’re looking for.

If you’d like a copy of this book, you can find it on:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Want to Ask Me a Question or Two?

It’s time to have a little fun here on A Life Among the Pages. I’d like to have an interview of sorts on the blog where you, the readers, ask me the questions. Could be about almost anything, though I reserve the right to not answer questions if I don’t feel comfortable to do so. This should be fun, whether you are here for the first time or are a long time reader.

To ask a question, simple click HERE, here, or over HERE. Fill out the Google Form and you’re done.

Depending on whether or not I get anything to ask me questions, I’ll get the “interview” posted in the next two or three weeks. We’ll see what the response is since most things like this that I post don’t get responses. So tell your friends! They don’t need to know me to ask me book related questions.

And if you didn’t see the link to the form above, click HERE!