There are so many new releases in April. It's a big release month. I'm super excited for all of these. I have quite a few mystery books on the tbr and I don't read many mysteries. I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone. I even have a nonfiction. Usually these slow me down, but the early reviews of Killers of the Flower Moon lead me to think otherwise.

Can't wait to get to three reads by trusted 4-5 star rated Authors; Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano, Boss by Tracy Brown and Seized By Seduction by Beverly Jenkins. Tatiana De Rosnay has written a biography about Daphne Du Maurier. I know so many who absolutely adore Rebecca. I haven't read it, but am eager. However, once I learned that it may be plagiarized and that some feel none of her other books ever lived up to Rebecca I felt some kind of way about it.

What are your most anticipated April Releases? Do tell. Happy Reading!

It's RELEASE DAY for LOVE PAWS!

Help us celebrate Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and go download this amazing anthology NOW. Only 99 cents for seven wonderful, sexy romances . . . you can't beat that deal.

Of course, what could make six contemporary romance shorts plus one story with a paranormal twist by award-winning and best-selling authors even better? Add seven sweet, scene-stealing pets . . . and then make the whole project a benefit for animal rescue charities!

That's just what we've done. LOVE PAWS features short stories with a little bit of steam, a little of sweet and happy endings all around. Each story also includes a pet, just to give the romance a bit of a boost.

Each author is donating her portion of the net proceeds to a specific animal charity. Check out which charities will benefit below! And don't forget to enter the giveaway-scroll down.

Get your copy now!

Amazon / iBooks / Barnes & Noble / Google / Kobo

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Montana Heat (Chefs of the West, Book One)

by Becca Boyd (Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter)

One protective smokejumper, one reluctant landowner, one big fire... Randa Sadler has turned away the sheriff, the Forest service, and all her neighbors. She knows the fire is coming, and she's not leaving her home. When Tyson Herrick is sent to talk her down off the mountain, he finds the secret that's keeping her there... but can he save her from the oncoming fire without losing his heart in the process?

By Chance (A Playing Games Spin-off Novella) 

by Rene Folsom (K9s for Warriors)

While burying herself into her editing job, Samantha Cline struggles to come to terms with the fact that her love life is dormant… and has been for quite some time. Every sickly sweet love story she has to edit continuously reminds her of how impractical romance is. Aside from her loyal group of friends who have their own relationship drama, she settles for companionship of the canine variety with her best bud, Chance.

In truth, there’s only one man who has ever turned Sam’s head, though she’d never admit it aloud. She remembers watching him train horses on her dad’s farm as a teenager, and no other man has ever measured up. Now that he’s been living next door to her for a few years, she can’t help but wish he’d glance her way and show some sort of recognition.

Sam is finally pushed over the edge when her dog runs off, forcing her to reassess her lot in life and what it would take to heal her heart in his absence. Then, one stormy night, her very sexy neighbor shows up on her doorstep, stealing her breath away with his presence. After a rather awkward encounter, Sam can’t help but wonder if she’ll lose her chance for good.

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July was a great month for reading. Once again I broke my own record. 10 books! I’ve had a great summer of reading. I hope I can keep it up once I go back to work. We’ll see if I can.

July was a month of variety regarding the genres I chose. No cozy love stories this month but very interesting ones that took me to a lot of different places. I kept listening to YA. Had to find out what happened next to the “beautiful creatures” in Gatlin, South Carolina and also enjoyed listening to Sarah Drew’s voice as she tried not to be sick with “amor deliria nervosa” in Portland, Maine.

For my Classics I was glad I finally got to read about pirates and treasures and traveled back in time to that mysterious island no one knows exactly where it is. And then I followed Esther’s journey to recover her mental health in New York.

My mystery reads, took me to England, where I followed a loving mother in her mission to find out what happened to her teenaged daughter and then Dean Koontz took me to “the city” where I followed a charming little boy with prodigious musical talent and his Asian friends to catch some really bad crazy people. On the thriller side, Stella Rimington took me on a wild journey all over: Paris, UK, Yemen (first time I book travel over there!) on a mission to catch bad guys smuggling dangerous weapons.

Tom Rachman on the Fiction part of my reads, took me all over too. He made me follow Tooly on her travels to the UK, Italy, Australia, Bangkok, and NY to find out about her past. And the non-fiction read of the month took me to Denmark, where I learned that happiness at work is possible, it’s a choice only you can make and I also learned there’s a town in Denmark called: Middlefart! (I keep giggling like a pre-schooler every time I remember this! :D )

My July summer bookish travels were fun! Oh the places I went! :)

• July’s Book: There were four, 4 stars books this month! It’s hard to pick just one up. But I chose the one that surprised me the most in the sense that I never expected to like it so much: Treasure Island.
• July’s Cover: You know I drool for teal so I’m torn between Delirium and  Before I wake. But to pick just one I choose: Before I Wake.
• July’s Fail:No fails this month! It was a great enjoyable month of 3 starred and 4 starred reads.
• July’s Score: 3.5 (average book rating this month)

I’ve been reading a lot in the morning after I wake up and am enjoying it a little too much. What’s your favorite time for reading?

 

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Full review on my blog.

The Most Beautiful Girl is Tamara Saviano’s memoir. I must say I didn’t know who she was when I requested the advanced reader copy of this book, but now I know.

This is a fast read. I gave it 3 stars because I had a hard time getting into it. To begin with, I felt like there was too much intro, too many forewords. It felt like it took forever to get to chapter one.

Also, it’s not the life changing page turning story the people in the foreword claim it is. I suppose people in the music business feel very strongly about Saviano’s story, but I don’t think us regular readers can see what they claim in all that praise.

I don’t mean to be rude but it just felt like she kept going and going on the fact that her dad was an alcoholic. I felt like she wanted people to feel sorry for her for that. She didn’t have that hard of a childhood despite her father’s illness. And he wasn’t that bad monster you would expect him to be. Her dad’s alcoholism doesn’t justify her bad decisions in life. And without spoiling the read for anyone, I can say that her alcoholic father was not the man who hurt her. In my humble opinion, she owes Mr. Ruditys her music background, her love for music and her skill to appreciate the art of music, the tools with which she makes a living today.

This book is full of song lyrics. Too many for my taste. This book is definitely for connoisseurs of folk and country music.

Even though the story with her dad didn’t move me,the unfortunate set of events regarding her daughter were the ones that saved this book from getting only 2 stars. A child’s suffering is something hard to read, and knowing that it is a real life story made an impression on me. You think you have a hard life, but when you read other people’s struggles and how they overcome them, you can only say: “You know what? My life is dandy!”

The Most Beautiful Girl is an interesting read. Definitely for those who know who was who in the Nashville music business in the 70’s and of course for those who know who Tamara Saviano is.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

I received a copy of this book but was not financially compensated in any way nor obliged to review. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my personal experience while reading it. This post contains affiliate links.