romance

Giveaway: BREAKING POINT by Lindsay McKenna

breaking point by lindsey mckenna

Photo Credit: Harlequin

 

 

Breaking Point by Lindsay McKenna

 

An ongoing U.S. military experiment to test the integration of trained female military operatives in live combat scenarios… 

The Alpha Platoon. A unit of Navy SEALs stationed in the unforgiving dryness of Afghanistan…who just learned that their newest team member is a woman. But Bay Thorn has a spine of steel—and the chops to prove it. Without a team to back her up, however, she’s dead in the water. And her only ally is Gabe Griffin, a lone SEAL who is lethal, dangerous and unbearably attractive…. 

Between the open hostility from her team and the harsh Al Qaeda territory, Gabe is a lifeline for Bay. But mutual respect quickly grows into mutual attraction. And with each day and every assignment, the longing only deepens. 

They mustn’t speak of it. Mustn’t act on it. Because in this line of work, falling in love can get you killed…

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Four Friends by Robyn Carr (plus a giveaway)

Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Photo Credit: Harlequin Books

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Gerri- she has her life together. 3 kids, adoring husband, Gerri has a job that fulfills her- she thinks life is pretty good. Until, the day she finds out about a secret that will shake her to the core- and cause her to look at her marriage without the rose-colored glasses.

Sonja- she believes in purification, that life is just better if you eat right, exercise, and feng-shui your life. When Sonja’s husband leaves her because he’s tired of living the New Age lifestyle with her (he wants to eat red meat and have a alcoholic drink), Sonja loses her faith in the things that have defined her life for the last several years.

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The Favor by Megan Hart

the favor

Photo Credit: Harlequin

 

Janelle Decker has happy childhood memories of her grandma’s house, and even lived there through high school. Now she’s back with her twelve-year-old son to look after her ailing Nan, and hardly anything seems to have changed, not even the Tierney boys next door.

Gabriel Tierney, local bad-boy. The twins, Michael and Andrew.

After everything that happened between the four of them, Janelle is shocked that Gabe still lives in St. Mary’s. And he isn’t trying very hard to convince Janelle he’s changed from the moody teenage boy she once knew. If anything, he seems bent on making sure she has no intentions of rekindling their past.

To this day, though there might’ve been a lot of speculation about her relationship with Gabe, nobody else knows she was there in the woods that day…the day a devastating accident tore the Tierney brothers apart and drove Janelle away. But there are things that even Janelle doesn’t know, and as she and Gabe revisit their interrupted romance, she begins to uncover the truth denied to her when she ran away all those years ago.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

Argh! I wanted to love this book. The plot was so great sounding. A mystery, a love affair, secrets, family drama- oh it sounded so good. Yet….. I just couldn’t get into it. I tried. I tried. I TRIED. And i just never could connect. The book dragged and dragged- all the appeal of the plot was missing.

Still, I kept on. Why? Because I wanted to know the secret. And, in the end, the secret was pretty good. But, but, but.. it was by sheer determination that I hung on reading this book.

Do I recommend this book? Sadly, I have to say not. If it’d been a little shorter, or if the pages just hadn’t dragged on- maybe.

*This book was requested through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell

happily ever after

Photo Credit: Touchstone Books

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Happily Ever After

Sadie Fuller, 46, divorced, mother to an 11 year old. No time for romance. Looking at her, you might think that romance never crosses her mind. You’d be wrong. Because while the outside package would lead you to believe that Sadie is just a middle-aged mom and has no time for anything besides work and her daughter, inside is a whole other story. Sadie by day lives the suburban mom’s life… But at night, she writes steamy, best-selling erotica under the pen name KT Briggs.

Life is ok for Sadie. She’s got her daughter, a house, makes money writing her “mommy-porn”, and even has a weekly date with a man she met in the personals. But life is getting dull, Sadie has put love and romance aside (her weekly meetings are strictly taking care of business). One night, as she writing a new story about Aidan and Lily, she gets interrupted. And life turns from same old, same old to something else. When Sadie sees an incredibly good-looking man in Target, a man who looks vaguely familiar, but is very confused as to why he’s in Target- she slowly begins to realize why he looks familiar: It’s Aidan. Her character, Aidan!

As Sadie tries to help him find Lily and figure out why a witch named Clarissa has highjacked her story, she just wants to reunite Lily and Aidan, get them back in the story for some steamy romance time. However, Aidan may wind up teaching Sadie a thing or two and show her that happily ever after is not just for the books, that happily ever after might be where you least expect it.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

Quirky fun. This book is pure quirky fun. Yes, it’s going to stretch your mind a bit, and yes, the idea of characters coming to life from a book is a bit out there. But, that is what makes it such delicious fun! This book is not a “thinker” book, you are not going to want to run out and change the world after reading it. It’s going to make you laugh and have fun, though, and that is way better!

Read HAPPILY EVER AFTER if you are looking for a fun read, not light and fluffy, just fun and quirky.  Enjoyable, laugh out loud fun- add this to your To Be Read list!

 

*Thanks to Touchstone Books for sending a copy of HAPPILY EVER AFTER to Traveling With T for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Just Can’t Get Enough Of: Weddings!

rev-03_March

Harlequin Books JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF March Feature is all about Weddings! Yep, Harlequin just can’t enough of WEDDINGS! Read on for the 3 books Harlequin is recommending for March and for a GIVEAWAY *sparkles & glitter floating in the air*  Continue reading →

What Is So Wrong With “Happily Ever After”?

what is so wrong with happily ever after

Happily Ever After- it’s what we are looking for. We might scorn the idea, make fun of it, even not want to admit it- but, deep down, somewhere in you, if you are brutally honest with yourself- happily ever after is what you want. It might not look like what anyone elses will look like- and it’s probably not a romance’s idea of “happily ever after”- but, your idea- you and the man- living a life together, living a life that you want.

So, if we all desire the “happily ever after” why, oh why do we scorn the idea so much? Make fun of it?

I think a lot has to do with how easy it is to make fun of romance books/chick flicks. And don’t get me wrong- it is easy to make fun of those books/movies- the girl and the boy cutely meet- instant sparks/attraction. But something keeps them from being together- maybe it’s a boyfriend, or a bad past relationship. Maybe they want to make it in the big city before a relationship. But, like magnets, they keep being drawn together- until the romance happens and the happily ever after is in sight.

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Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes (Adams Grove #3) by Nancy Naigle

wedding cake and big mistakes by nancy naigle adams grove mystery

Photo Credit: Montlake Romance

For years, Carolanne Baxter dreamed of a life beyond Adams Grove. Being the daughter of the town drunk was no picnic, so when college offered her a chance for escape, she took it. Now Carolanne has returned home, finally ready to make amends with her father, Ben, and to celebrate the wedding of her best friends Jill and Garrett. Of course, the fact that Connor Buckham, her sexy new law partner and Garrett’s best man, happens to be the same guy the town matchmaker named as Carolanne’s perfect match…well! That’s just icing on the cake.

But Carolanne’s hopes for a fresh start are dashed when a dead body surfaces during Jill and Garrett’s wedding reception…and Ben Baxter becomes the prime suspect. The murder throws the town into uproar, threatening to destroy the tentative peace between father and daughter–and to derail the budding romance between Carolanne and Connor. Has the matchmaker’s perfect streak come to end? Or will the truth finally bring Carolanne the happy ending she’s dreamed of for so long?

Summary from Goodreads.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

One day, when browsing through Netgalley (ooh, dangerous place!) I found Wedding Cakes and Big Mistakes. The cover and storyline appealed to me- but, but, but…. This was the 3rd book in the series. Honestly, I hate starting a series in the middle- as some series, to connect with characters, you really have to start from the beginning. So, I took a chance- and found myself entertained by the storyline- although, still wishing I had started with the first in the series.

Do you have to start with the first in the series? No. This can be viewed as a stand-alone. But, to appreciate Wedding Cakes and Big Mistakes more- it’s probably best to start from the beginning.

The pros of Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes– this is a small town romance/mystery. The story is sweet and sugary (just how I like) and the town is a great setting. The characters are nice. I daresay that I might would also classify it close to a cozy mystery type read.

The cons of Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes– the story is not perfect. It’s a bit slow at times, for some readers- the lack of a steamy romance would be a con (it’s really not for me, though).

Overall, based on my time in Adams Grove- I would visit again, if I was looking for a sweet romance story to pass an afternoon with.

*This book was requested through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Guest Post: Beth Albright discusses how Belle’s love LOVE!

keep calm and read a romance twt

Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles trilogy, has stopped by Traveling With T today to discuss: Belles, love and Valentine’s Day. Beth’s recently released novella, Saved By The Belles, is creating quite a buzz in the romance world. Beth has been steadily promoting the latest novella while also getting ready for the next trilogy- yes, the Belles will be back in summer 2014!

When Beth and I started talking about this post, I suggested a couple of different options- Belles and love, Belles and friendship- because both those topics really go hand in hand with Beth Albright’s trilogy. The friendships and the romance are something to remember- and after reading Beth’s books, you may find yourself craving sweet tea and a Southern accent. Continue reading →