A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

* * * * *

Reviewed by Bel

  

In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Fredrik Backman's novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful and charming exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.

A Man Called Ove was selected by my library’s book discussion group over the summer. I couldn’t fit it into my schedule so I didn’t make the meeting which disappointed me because I would have loved discussing this witty novel with others. So I’ve given a copy to one of my best friends and I can’t wait to talk about with her.

Ove is the kind of man who’s interesting to read on paper but would be horrible to have as a neighbor. He’s an elderly man who’s stuck in his ways and has very strong opinions on the way things should be. Obviously, everything back in the day from work ethic to the way things were built were far superior back in the day. He’s lived in his subdivision with his wife for decades and has watched as their neighborhood and the world around them changed. He's helpless to adapt to these changes and defiant enough to plow through life doing things the way he sees fit.

There’s some very dry humor throughout the novel starting with his attempt to purchase an iPad and his exacerbation with the salespeople who can’t explain to him why it doesn’t come with a keyboard. That right there was the hook for me. Ove has a routine, much to the detriment of his neighbors, making sure that everyone is adhering to the rules. He’s not a man of many words so when a multi-cultural family of four moves in next door and invades his orderly world, he’s taken aback. He has no idea what to make of them yet somehow they’re constantly in each other's business. Suddenly, and much to his chagrin, he's inadvertently interacting with more of his neighbours. There is no reprieve as he realizes that he needs to be the one to straighten these folks out.

At the heart of the story is Ove’s dedication to his wife who has passed away. He’s lost without her around to help make sense of the modern world. This is where Backman got me. He was able to express eloquently what it’s like to be so madly in love with someone and find that other half of you. Ove's many memories of her are so achingly sweet that it’s impossible to not be affected by them. Perhaps my favourite line that perfectly describes his nature and his love for his wife in one fell swoop comes early on page 39:

“He was a man of black and white. And she was color. All the color he had.”

A Man Called Ove easily makes it to one of the spots on my top 10 books of the year. I took my time absorbing each page, watching as Ove gradually came out of his self-imposed solitary confinement. When I finally finished it, my eyes were all watery (which was rather inconvenient since I was at the library at that moment). It’s a beautiful and sentimental story, and I hope you make time to read it.

~ Bel

 

   

     

Update:

I was finally able to discuss this book briefly with my friend, Danielle and she loved it just as much as I did. Here's what she said: "It's one of those books I wish I could write. It's impressive when an author can take seemingly boring subject matter and make you love the characters enough to keep reading and soon realize that the storytelling is so well done." And THAT my friends is the magic of Ove!

Waiting on Wednesday (167)

Gena Showalter’s THE HARDER YOU FALL is coming! Being released on November 24^th, this fantastic contemporary romance in the Original Heartbreakers series is a scorching tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world, published by HarlequinHQN! Pre-order THE HARDER YOU FALL from the links below for an sneak peek opportunity!

Pre-order THE HARDER YOU FALL here!

Amazon * Kindle * Barnes and Noble * Nook * Book Depository * Powells * iBooks * BAM * Kobo * IndieBound

THE HARDER YOU FALL Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes another scorching Original Heartbreakers tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world…

Millionaire video-game creator Lincoln West has a dark and tragic past. The sought-after bachelor lives by a rigid schedule and a single rule—one relationship per year, lasting no more than two months. No exceptions. When he gave up the big city for a small town, he hoped to escape the worst of his memories—until a brash beauty dredges up long-buried emotions.

A reformed party girl, Jessie Kay Dillon is determined to walk the straight and narrow. But her love-hate sizzle with West is just too irresistible. They can't be near each other without tearing off their clothes, but the last thing she needs is to be his next two-month dump. Will she become the one exception? Because as any former girl-gone-wild knows: rules are made to be broken.

"Emotional, heart-tugging, kept me turning the pages!" —Carly Phillips, New York TimesBestselling Author

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Pre-Order THE HARDER YOU FALL, Register your Pre-Order and be one of the first to have a sneak peek at the newest book in the Lords of the Underworld series!

About Gena Showalter:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared onNightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours!  Her books have been translated in multiple languages.

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfan

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter **  Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads

A Taste of Sugar by Marina Adair

*** 1/2

From Forever Romance (Grand Central):

A blast from her past . . .

Charlotte Holden, Sugar's favorite pediatrician, knows better than anyone that love only leads to heartbreak. Instead, she's focused on creating the Grow Clinic, an outpatient center for children. All she has to do now is to host the best Founder's Day Parade in the history of Sugar, Georgia, to win over a big-city donor. Easy as peach pie. Then sexy Jace McGraw blows back into town and utters those three words every woman dreads: we're still married.

. . . leads to tantalizing trouble

Jace McGraw was making an offer on his dream business in Atlanta when he was told that his wife had some credit issues. Wait, his wife? The annulment went through years ago-or so he thought. He'd walked away only to keep his troublemaker reputation from ruining her dreams. But now that they have a second chance, Jace offers Charlotte a deal: he'll grant a discreet divorce in exchange for 30 days and nights of marriage. Because this time he isn't going to let her go without a fight.

The McGraw brothers are fabulous.  First we met Brett, the pro-golfer playboy, then Cal, the stand-up single father, now the youngest, Jace, the troubled brother, comes home to Sugar, Georgia.  It's a classic good girl meets bad boy story, except Jace isn't much of a bad boy.  Troubled, absolutely, but not so much of a bad boy, despite his hulking muscles and tattoos.  He's really a big teddy-bear.  For her part, Charlotte is the classic good girl suffocating under the weight of expectations.  When she finds her voice, it's awesome to watch her make everyone take notice.

Marina Adair has solidified her spot on my list of go-tos for sweety, steamy small-town romance.  Fans of Jill Shalvis and Kristin Higgins will fall in love with Sugar, Georgia too.  

~ Shel

This Book Will Change Your Life by Amanda Weaver

* * * 1/2

Take a chance and change your life…

College was supposed to be where Hannah’s hard work paid off, but the major in honors chemistry she’s been working towards since childhood is slipping away. Worse, she’s not sure she wants it anymore. Salvation comes from an unlikely place—a used bookstore and Ben, the passionate college senior who works there.

Ben’s trapped in a life mapped out for him. Trapped in a future career as a lawyer to make his father happy. Trapped pursuing a girl he doesn't even like because she fits into a world he doesn’t want, but can’t escape. But then he meets Hannah. And for the first time, he knows what it means to truly want something.

So he gives in to being her friend. Then to wanting her. Then to kissing her. And within the freedom of his impulsivity, both of their carefully planned lives begin to fall apart...


Review:

After receiving a failing grade on her first honors chemistry test and then being caught in a downpour on her way back to her dorm room, Hannah takes unexpected refuge at Prometheus Books.  A small independent used bookstore in town.  For a girl that has spent the past 8 years living and breathing science so she can become a chemist, the act of reading for pleasure is foreign.  So when the cute bookstore employee finds out Hannah has never read for pleasure, he takes it upon himself to find the perfect first book.  Hannah leaves the store with a copy of The Book Thief and a crush that just won't quit. 

While working on his undergraduate degree, Ben has been able to hide on campus and pretend that his dreams of the future don't coincide with is father's demands.  But the end of his senior year is looming and pretty soon he will be leaving his dreams behind to pursue the law degree his father insists is the future for him.  When he meets Hannah, he finds someone who sees him and believes that he has every right to pursue his dreams of studying literature and becoming a professor.  The only problem is Ben doesn't share Hannah's confidence that pursuing what he loves most is the right choice.

As the school year progresses they encourage each other to pursue the paths they love while attempting to garner the approval of their parents.  A hurdle that is considerably easier for Hannah than it is for Ben.  

This was a super cute and satisfying romance.  I'm a huge sucker for a bookstore romance. Seriously, used bookstores beg for romances to happen and I love it when an author agrees.  That first scene with Ben had me falling in love with him.  He's so passionate about reading and wants everyone else to love it as much as he does.  But in the end, Hannah is the one that stole my heart.  Here is a young woman that is confronting so many changes in her life yet never once does she forget her self-worth.  Not only does she not forget it, she demands  it.  Throughout the story, she watches Ben struggle to make a commitment and fight for what he wants and loves and she has no illusions that if he won't fight for that then he won't fight for her.  

I won't tell you how that turns out, you'll just have to read and see.  I will tell you that you won't be disappointed in Hannah as a heroine or in Hannah and Ben's love story.  In fact, I can guarantee that it will leave you contentedly smiling throughout the day. 

Nat

A Peek In The BiblioBin #168

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the lovely ladies at Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking the Shelves is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

For Review:

Line of Fire (Greenway Range #2) by Helenkay Dimon

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Winter Wonderland (Minnesota Christmas #3) by Heidi Cullinan

Purchased:

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Gailbraith aka J.K. Rowling

Stand-Off (Winger #2) by Andrew Smith

Lois Lane Series by Gwenda Bond (Fallout & Cloudy With a Chance of Destruction)

****

In a high school science class, Lois Lane must deal with some bad chemistry. . .

This is an official teaser short story for the young adult novel LOIS LANE: FALLOUT that takes place before Lois moves to Metropolis. FALLOUT is forthcoming from Switch Press in May 2015.

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis.  An Army brat, Lois has lived all over – and seen all kinds of things.  (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.)  But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in.  Stay quiet.  Fly straight. 

As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy.  A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school.  They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play.  Not cool.  Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery.  But sometimes it’s all a bit much.  Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a-friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy…

Cloudy With a Chance of Destruction is a teaser pre-quel for Gwenda Bond's new series about a young Lois Lane.  Cloudy finds Lois attempting to save her school from a guy who is trying way too hard to keep/impress his girlfriend when he brings in some confidential technology his dad is developing for the DOD for his science project.  With the help of SmallvilleGuy, Lois saves the day and finds herself in hot water...

Fallout, Book 1 in the series, takes place after Cloudy, when Lois finds herself starting over in Metropolis, because her Army-Dad takes a permanent assignment.  Despite her best intentions to keep her head down and fit in, Lois can't stand a bully or turn her back on someone in need of help.  A chance meeting with Perry White, of the Daily Planet, lands her the perfect job (and excuse to snoop) as a reporter for a teen-focused Planet website.

The Lois Lane series is a re-vamp of the infamous intrepid reporter for a modern generation and a series to love.  As a dedicated Superman fan, especially the Smallville series, I loved this opportunity to explore a new version of Lois.  If you watched Smallville, this version of Lois is similar, snarky, strong, confident (sometimes overly so), with a drive to discover the truth and ensure justice.  But this pre-Superman Lois Lane is less about the superheroes and more a mystery, which is why most reviewers are comparing her to Veronica Mars (and rightly so).  Fans of Mars, iZombie, Ally Carter books and Superman will love this series.  

The next installment, Lois Lane: Double Down releases May 1, 2016 from Switch Press/Capstone.  I, for one, cannot freakin' wait!  

~Shel  

The Play by Karina Halle Cover Reveal

A troubled Scottish rugby player who doesn't play by the rules.

A vivacious man-eater who's given up on love.
When it comes to Lachlan and Kayla, opposites don't just attract - they explode.

Kayla Moore has always been comfortable with her feisty, maneating reputation. At least it was fine until she hit her thirties and saw her best friends Stephanie and Nicola settle down with Linden and Bram McGregor, leaving Kayla to be the odd one out. Tired of being the third wheel with nothing but one-night stands and dead-end dates in San Francisco, Kayla decides to take a vow of celibacy and put men on the backburner.

That is until she lays her eyes on Linden and Bram’s cousin, hot Scot Lachlan McGregor. Lachlan is her sexual fantasy come to life – tall, tatted, and built like a Mack truck. With a steely gaze and successful rugby career back in Edinburgh, he’s the kind of man that makes her want to throw her vow right out the window. But Lachlan’s quiet and intense demeanor makes him a hard man to get to know, let alone get close to.

It isn’t until the two of them are thrown together one long, unforgettable night that Kayla realizes there is so much more to this brooding macho man than what meets the eye. But even with sparks flying between the two, Lachlan can’t stay in America forever. Now, Kayla has to decide whether to uproot her whole life and chance it all on someone she barely knows or risk getting burned once again.
Sometimes love is a game that just needs to be played.

ADD TO GOODREADS

AMAZON  ***   AMAZON UK  *** AMAZON AU

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle , on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com  and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

 FACEBOOK   TWITTER   GOODREADS   AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

**** 1/2

From Random House:

Nicolas Fox is a charming con man and master thief on the run. Kate O’Hare is the FBI agent who is hot on his trail. At least that’s what everyone thinks. In reality, Fox and O’Hare are secretly working together to bring down super-criminals the law can’t touch. Criminals like brutal casino magnate Evan Trace.

Evan Trace is running a money-laundering operation through his casino in Macau. Some of his best customers are mobsters, dictators, and global terrorists. Nick and Kate will have to go deep undercover as high-stakes gamblers, wagering millions of dollars—and their lives—in an attempt to topple Trace’s empire.

It’s a scam that will take Fox and O’Hare from the Las Vegas strip, to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu’s North Shore, and into the dark back alleys of Macau. Their only backup—a self-absorbed actor, a Somali pirate, and Kate’s father, an ex-soldier who believes a rocket launcher is the best way to solve every problem. What could possibly go wrong?

No one can replace Ranger Manoso as my number one book boyfriend, but if anyone could give him a run for his money, it might be Nick Fox.  Hot in a completely different way and roguishly charming, Nick's scoundrel ways with his heart of gold, make him swoon-worthy.  And don't forget the completely badass Kate, who shows, once again in The Scam, that she can kick ass and look great doing it.  

When Kate's dad runs afoul of the Japanese mafia, Kate & Nick reunite their hilarious cast of characters, including a geriatric pirate, in an elaborate plan to take down the mafia and a psychopath casino owner who launders money for all sorts of terrible people.  Unfortunately, old enemies surface to endanger the scam and the players.  A perfect mystery for a fall weekend.

The Scam is crazy adventure, hilarious hijinx and a little bit of romance, with a cliff-hanger that will have you yelling for more (seriously, I yelled)!  

~Shel

That's What HE Said Thursday #46

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What HE Said is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at Chapter Break. It's a chance for us to spotlight and gush over a quote from our current book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us ;)

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Nat has been having a blast with the Cut & Run series and so has made this week's selection. Enjoy!

Ty has proposed to Zane numerous times over the last few months.  It's become a bit of a game between them. 

Ty squared his shoulders and straightened himself. He cut quite the figure, his steady presence overpowering the dusty surroundings. His voice was quiet and clear. “Will you marry me, Zane?”

“Yes.”

Ty laughed, and his shoulders slumped with relief. He moved toward Zane, reaching out to hook his finger through the bullet hole in Zane’s jacket and pull him close. “Thank Christ, ’cause I was out of ideas after this.”

~ Ty to Zane

Ball & Chain (Cut & Run #8) 

by Abigail Roux

 

   

     

Waiting on Wednesday (166)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.



By Jeanette Murray
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

The author of Below the Belt continues her First to Fight series with a novel of one Marine’s battle to come out on top—in life and love…

As a troubled teen, Gregory Higgs channeled his energy into boxing instead of breaking the law. The ring gave him purpose and something to strive for. So did the Marines. Combining the two seemed like a natural fit.

Another natural fit? Reagan Robilard, the sweet athlete liaison who keeps all the fighters out of trouble and manages their PR—a job that gets more challenging when someone digs up the truth about Greg’s not-so-shiny past after equipment is vandalized at the gym.

Even if it wasn’t her job, Reagan can’t let Greg take the fall. Because passion doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to matters of the heart…

By Kim Amos
Publication Date:  October 27, 2015

TURN ON THE CHARM

Eternal good girl Casey Tanner moved to White Pine for a fresh start. Her mission: to finally have fun. And a fling with a reckless bad boy is the very first item on the to-do list she pretended not to make. After one long, lingering look at a sexy firefighter, Casey has found her man.

...AND TURN UP THE HEAT

Getting women into his bed has never been a problem for Abe Cameron. Letting one into his heart is an entirely different matter. But just one kiss, just one touch, just one smile from beautiful Casey has this lifelong bachelor flirting with the idea of forever. And Casey's refusal to settle down only makes Abe more determined than ever to win her heart. Now the one woman who can't be caught is the only one Abe can't live without...






By  Kate McMurray
Publication Date:  October 27, 2015

When a vaudeville dancer meets a sexy mobster in a speakeasy for men, the sparks fly, the gin flows, the jazz sizzles—and the heat is on…
New York City, 1927.

Eddie Cotton is a talented song-and-dance man with a sassy sidekick, a crowd-pleasing act, and a promising future on Broadway. What he doesn’t have is someone to love. Being gay in an era of prohibition and police raids, Eddie doesn’t have many opportunities to meet men like himself—until he discovers a hot new jazz club for gentlemen of a certain bent...and sets eyes on the most seductive, and dangerous, man he’s ever seen.

Lane Carillo is a handsome young Sicilian who looks like Valentino—and works for the Mob. He’s never hidden his sexuality from his boss, which is why he was chosen to run a private night club for men. When Lane spots Eddie at the bar, it’s lust at first sight. Soon, the unlikely pair are falling hard and fast—in love. But when their whirlwind romance starts raising eyebrows all across town, Lane and Eddie have to decide if their relationship is doomed…or something special worth fighting for.

Breaking A Legend by Sarah Robinson Blog Tour - Review & Q & A

Enter to Win a 

Select Loveswept Ebook Bundle

BREAKING A LEGEND

Kavanagh Legends #1

Sarah Robinson

Released Sept 29th, 2015

Loveswept

Perfect for fans of Katy Evans and Monica Murphy, Sarah Robinson’s blistering-hot series debut introduces the Kavanagh brothers—mixed martial arts fighters who work hard, play hard, and love with all their hearts.

As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.

Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.

BUY NOW

Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sarah Robinson is the bestselling author of The Photographer Trilogy and the Sand & Clay rock star series. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal psychology. She is married to a local police officer who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescue and foster animals.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

We asked Sarah Robinson a few questions and she very kindly joined in our silliness!  Check out the Q & A below:

BiblioJunkies:  What is your favorite thing about sports romance?

Sarah Robinson: Masculinity and rugged alphas, for sure. Almost every sports romance has a muscled, strong athlete who’s one of the best in his field, and won’t let anything stand between him and his dreams. Being an athlete takes dedication, skill, and ambition- all very attractive qualities to me in a man, and ones I hope to portray in all my novels. Rory’s career is over at the start of the novel due to an injury, but the same drive and determination never leaves him. He knows what he wants, and he’s going to get her.

BiblioJunkies:  Do you have a favorite book boyfriend/literary crush?

Sarah Robinson:  Gabe Hyde from Rachel van Dyken’s Ruin Series has stuck with me for a while, something about the way she writes men is intoxicating to me. They’re both strong and capable, yet wounded and in need of a woman’s help to be the man they want to be. If you’re talking specifically MMA       romances, then any man in the Fighting Series by JB Salsbury has stolen my heart more than once. Honestly, I don’t have one specific favorite, because my favorite is usually whatever I’m   reading at the time!

BiblioJunkies:  What is your favorite book of 2015 (so far)?

Sarah Robinson:  I adored The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon, which I’m not sure came out this year but I read it   this year. That story was fantastic. I laughed out loud, literally to Confessions of a Reformed Tom            Cat by Daisy Prescott. For a chilling and fantastic read, I read Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes         which actually comes out next year. Her first book, You, was amazing, and it’s in my top favorites        of all time. For romance specifically, I really loved After the Kiss by Lauren Layne, and that whole     series. I plan on reading at least 30 more books before the end of the year though, so who knows   what else might catch my eye! At the end of every year, I post a “top books of the year” list on my website, which you can subscribe to in order not to miss it at www.booksbysarahrobinson.net.

BiblioJunkies:  Are you a boxing/MMA fan?

Sarah Robinson:  Do I like sweaty men groping around at each other and flipping around on a mat? Yes, yes I do.    Do I like the sport itself and am a diehard fan? Not necessarily. I enjoy the sport itself, but it’s   always so short. So often when I’m watching, it’s always the lead up to the fight, then the fight is ten seconds, and it’s over. Those ten seconds are pretty freaking awesome though.

BiblioJunkies:  We are all about books, boys and pie (or really any sweet treat) here at BiblioJunkies HQ, we’ve covered the first two, so I have to ask, what is your favorite treat?

Sarah Robinson:  I’m eating pizza as a type this and wearing a t-shirt by Chris Crocker that says “I ain’t tryna please ya, I’m just tryna eat some pizza,” so one would think that is my favorite, but that’s just my favorite of the day. My favorite sweet treats varies based on the time of the month, you know what I’m talking about ladies, and based on how heavily my personal trainer shamed me and my eating habits that particularly, but if the calories don’t count, sheet cake is my favorite thing in the world. Generic vanilla sheet cake with dye-your-tongue-blue frosting and outrageously large frosting flowers. Heaven, right there. Sometimes I crash kid’s birthday parties just to eat the cake, and if they have one of those weird fruit cakes, they’re off my friend list for life. This is very serious.

I often post the silly things I’m wearing and eating on my Instagram (www.instagram.com/booksbysarahrobinson) so make sure to follow me to keep up!

Review:
***

There seem to be a lot of boxing/MMA books out there right now where the badass fighter falls for the abused girl.  Breaking a Legend was well-executed, thoughtful and a good read, but I think I'm burnt out on this particular storyline.  I will never tire of staring at the book cover, though.  :)  That said, I enjoyed Breaking a Legend, especially the supporting cast of characters.

I do adore the Kavanagh family and can't wait to read Kieran's story in Saving a Legend (coming in March 2016).  Lots of siblings, each will get their own book according to Ms. Robinson's website, and if you have siblings, you know the kind of hijinx that ensue.  There's a real family dynamic that is entertaining and engrossing, and that is what will keep me coming back for more.  

~ Shel

Wicked Restless Teaser Blitz by Ginger Scott

WICKED RESTLESS

Very Mature YA Contemporary Romance

Scheduled to release: October 20, 2015

Goodreads

BLURB:

Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life’s pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb…and isolated.

Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew’s life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and color, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole.

But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he’s willing to go for the girl who owns his heart.

Cuts are deep.

Scars are left behind.

And revenge beckons.

When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don’t really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before.

Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it's too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Connect With Ginger:

Facebook Page     I     Twitter     I     Pinterest     I     YouTube 

Google     I     Goodreads     I     Website