Book Recommendations

A FEW THOUGHTS . . .

I’m honestly not a poetry person. I’ve tried, but I just never found any poetry that I felt provided the romance, and truth, and emotion of our current world and time.

But when Brittainy and Kandi announced this book, I KNEW . . . I JUST KNEW . . . that it would be the exact kind of poetry I would love. And it completely was!!!!

From the very first lines of the introduction, Brittainy and Kandi paint an image that hints at the emotions that are sure to come from their exquisite words.

These girls who feel everything . . .

You want to wrap them in a hug.

You want to shout alongside their anger.

You want to drown with them in their tears.

You want to sing with the rays of their joy.

And then it occurs to you . . .  you are one of them. And you feel EVERYTHING too.

If you’ve ever read even one of Kandi’s or Brittainy’s books, you know they have the most profound gift for putting the deepest, most aching feelings into words. But this. These words.  These are beyond personal. These gorgeous words will seep into your soul and find a home.

These are the kind of poems that you read. And then read again. And then read again.

Not because you don’t understand them, but because you want to absorb and reflect on every single gorgeous feeling over and over again.

SYNOPSIS:

Bestselling authors Brittainy C. Cherry and Kandi Steiner come together for the first time in an emotional compilation of poetry and prose. Written and collected over the course of more than two years, A Love Letter from the Girls Who Feel Everything is an intimate, honest, and raw assemblage of two women’s feelings in a modern world that often quiets any kind of emotion past indifference.

Discussing themes of love, worth, loss and hope, A Love Letter from the Girls Who Feel Everything is a journey of discovery and healing.

“We are the girls who feel everything.

And this is our love letter. To you, to them, to us, to the world, to no one at all. Whether it’s the brightest, sunniest day where everything is perfect, or the darkest, dreariest night of rain where life seems unbearable — we have lived it, we have survived it, and we have felt every, blissful, aching second.

Here’s to embracing the feels, to the brave souls that listen to the way their hearts beat and aren’t afraid to ask someone else if they feel those same beats, too. Here’s to the girls, the boys, the love we sometimes share and the love we all-too-often conceal.

And more than anything, Reader — here’s to you.”

Buy A Love Letter from the Girls Who Feel Everything on Amazon

A FEW THOUGHTS…

I don’t know what I’m going to do once I’ve read all of Amy Harmon’s back catalog of books. I may just die having to wait for more of her gorgeous words!

As I close A Different Blue, I feel honored to have shared in the journey of Blue Echohawk. A stormy, tormented girl whose path to peace is not an easy one and will quickly reach your heart.

You want to heal her scars.

You want to shake her of her self-condemnation.

You want to open her eyes and show her just how special she is.

And so, you can’t help but feel grateful to be taken along on her journey to literal self-discovery.

In addition to all that, the slow and subtle evolution of her relationship with Wilson is pure perfection. I love a slow burning, resisted love, and Wilson and Blue had it in droves. His comfort….his guidance…his unwavering support of Blue is deeply heartwarming. And his subtle strength that he lends her when it is most needed is unbelievably touching. You know he loves her even when he refuses to acknowledge it himself.

I must also acknowledge Amy Harmon’s gift for creating a tale full of gorgeous imagery and the most fascinating history. Maybe this is the nerd in me coming out, but Amy’s historical references are so gracefully woven into the story that you end up learning in the most enjoyable way. Better than any classroom or the best of teachers.

Overall, this is an achingly beautiful story. Amy Harmon carves away Blue’s hard edges and chips away at Wilson’s restraint to create a love that fits perfectly together.

SYNOPSIS:

Blue Echohawk doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn’t attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard, and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don’t know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can’t love you back might be impossible.

Buy A Different Blue on Amazon

A FEW THOUGHTS:

Are you all caught up on the Winston Brothers Series? Because Dr. Strange Beard will blow your mind!

Honestly, every time another Winston brother’s book comes out, I think there is no way I’m going to like this story better than the last one. But OMG I absolutely do! Each brother’s love story is so original and inviting!

Penny Reid’s clever plotting and foreshadowing of things to come always blows me away, too. She, once again, delivers a riveting plotline that only adds to the romance at the heart of the story.

Roscoe’s unique memory abilities are really intriguing, and Simone’s internal struggles with rejection and protection are spot on. I loved the push and pull of their relationship. And Roscoe’s intense dedication to her, despite their unfortunate past, is nothing short of swoon-worthy.

And all I can say about the ending is that it had me literally holding my breath! (But that’s all I can say! GAH!)

What a fabulous new piece of the Winston Brothers saga! I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait for the next one!

SYNOPSIS:

Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak!
Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe Winston remembers everything–every look, every word, every single unrequited second–and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.

Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .

Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.

But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .

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A FEW THOUGHTS…

Get ready to SQUEE, ladies!!
Seth is everyone’s favorite kind of bad boy…

Fast car…check.
Surly attitude…check.
Tortured past…check.
Hidden, soft heart that melts for that one and only girl that changes all of the above…check.

LJ Evans’ writing blows me away every time. She took a broken, life-hardened bad boy and molded him into a man with a depth and power to love that will melt your heart into a puddle and have you rooting for him 100%!!!

This is a true love story full of passion, heart, and even suspense! It’s incredible!

SYNOPSIS:

“They took broken and made it art.”

From award winning author LJ Evans comes a novel inspired by Bon Jovi songs that shows how love and acceptance can heal even the toughest scars.

SETH
I’m a trash artist.
I’m a recovering alcoholic.
I’m a rude bastard.

It’s why I was better of alone until feisty blogger PJ Hensley entered my life with her fairy-like quality. Suddenly I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it. And when she loved me and left me, it was what I expected but it isn’t what I wanted.

And because I couldn’t just let her go, I’ve spent the last five months writing her letters trying to convince her to come home even though I know she won’t. I don’t deserve for her to come back.

PJ
I was ignoring my screwed up past and a bunch of stalker like posts while focusing on graduating college. The last thing I needed was a moody trash artist entering my world. But like all things Seth, he entered my life anyway with an intensity and focus that left me breathless.

And when the summer collided into one big mess, I ran. To try to heal. To try and escape. But Seth’s letters are tearing at my soul and slowly reeling me back in. He’s almost convinced me that he can weld our lives back together into something beautiful. Almost…

SPOILER ALERT this book can be read as a stand alone novel, but it has spoilers to both the 1st and 2nd book in the MY LIFE AS AN ALBUM series.

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SYNOPSIS:

What if you are my dream?

From Award Winning Author LJ Evans comes a novel inspired by Ed Sheeran love songs about forgiveness, love, & healing!

I’m Good Girl Mia. At least that’s what my brother called me before my kidney killed him…

Four years later I’m still trying to do penance for that single act of failure until all my promises fly out the door when a beautiful musician saunters into my life.

Derek Waters and his band have just signed on with a major record label and are touring the country. He has his own set of baggage that he hides behind a huge smile and a famous Johnny Cash quote.

Derek says he isn’t into sex just for sex, and yet he’s also told me that he can’t leave unless I come with him. I’m a little confused, but I find myself unable to say no to Derek and the adventure he promises me.

I’m hoping this three-week trip will help us both find a way to live with ourselves. To forgive ourselves. But I’m afraid that we’ll be left more broken than before.

SPOILER ALERT: This book can be read as a stand alone novel but contains significant spoilers to the first novel in the series MY LIFE AS A COUNTRY ALBUM.

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A FEW THOUGHTS…

A breathtaking story of the truest friendship and the most real kind of love. A love that is raw…flawed…and all-consuming.

These characters are pure and unwavering, and you fall in love with their story in mere moments. She belonged to him and he belonged to her…but the thing was…she knew it…he didn’t.

Your heart will ache with hers.
Your tears will fall with hers.
Your devastation will burn with hers.

Every turn of the page brings all the feels. I loved Cam’s complete and utter stubbornness when it came to Jake, the strength in her resolve, Jake’s unapologetic protection of her, and even the unfairness of…everything else.

The melodic and inviting writing of LJ Evans makes you feel like you are sitting right there with Cam, hearing her tell this story. You’re on this journey with them, desperate for the next chapter, but also a little nervous about what may be coming.

But you’re with them, you’re invested, and you want to see it through…for them. And for their love.

SYNOPSIS:

“Loving you was a race I was determined to win.”

I belonged to you before I was born.

I belonged to you when you first called me Cam and when I said my first word, your name, Jake.

I belonged to you as we grew up sharing a tree house, a yard, and the lake. I even belonged to you when our three-year age difference tried to pull us apart rather than put us together.

But, I was most especially yours when you kissed me and told me you weren’t letting me go.

Except you did.

In the most painful way possible.

And now I’m wondering how to turn my life from a country love song without a happy ending into one that does…

Inspired by Taylor Swift country songs, this is a story of aching love and loss and learning to live through life in all its pain and glory.

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