Smiling Book Reviews: March 2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Review: Drawing Fire by Janice Cantore

Drawing Fire by Janice Cantore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE BOOK

One case from her past defines homicide detective Abby Hart. With a possible serial killer stalking elderly women in Long Beach, California, Abby's best lead is Luke Murphy, an irritating private investigator who saw a suspect flee the scene of the latest homicide. When Abby discovers that the most recent victim is related to the governor, she's anxious to talk to him about a cold case that's personal to her--one Luke is interested in as well. As she learns more about the restaurant fire that took her parents' lives years ago, Abby discovers why Luke is so invested in finding the ones responsible. The more they uncover, though, the more questions they have. Can Abby find peace without having all the answers?

MY REVIEW

I enjoyed this fast paced suspenseful story about homicide detective Abby Hart and private investigator Luke Murphy. It was interesting how the cold case of the restaurant fire that took her parents' lives is also of personal interest to Luke. It gave them a connection that was unique.

I like how Abby is precise and exacting in her work resulting in a stellar reputation and early advancement in her career. Abby is somewhat reserved due to the life she has led since her parents' death but she warms up as the story goes along.

Although Abby has reservations about Luke at first, she quickly comes to see that he's a hard-working and loyal father and son. She fights the attraction she feels because, well, she's engaged! Her fiance is out of the country and is not supportive of her career or her desire to find out who killed her parents. Luke is much more supportive and understands her drive to seek justice. I'm definitely in Luke's camp here! :)

Romance is pretty light in this book. It focuses more on the suspense. There were definitely a few twists that I didn't see coming! And although there is closure to a few things, the underlying theme of her parent's cold case continues on into the next book. I'm looking forward to reading it!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Book Club Network (bookfun.org) for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She’s always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today’s Christian Woman before tackling novels. A few years ago, she retired to a house in the mountains of Southern California, where she lives with three Labrador retrievers, Jake, Maggie, and Abbie. Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Accused is the first book in the Pacific Coast Justice series, featuring Carly Edwards. Janice also authored the Brinna’s Heart series, which includes The Kevlar Heart and A Heart of Justice. Visit Janice’s website at www.janicecantore.com and connect with her on

~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads ~

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Review: Love is Come by Heather B. Moore

Love is Come by Heather B. Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE BOOK

“I have to remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat.” —Wuthering Heights

From the Power of the Matchmaker series:

Nelle Thompson lives a life of privilege during the turn of the century New York City. When her parents are killed in a terrible accident, she’s forced to live with her aunt’s family in a small town in Connecticut, and treated as a poor relation with no financial independence. Brokenhearted and riddled with insomnia, Nelle’s health begins a downward spiral. When a locked part of her heart blossoms around her cousin’s fiancé Mathew Janson, Nelle doesn’t know if she can endure one more heartbreak. Miss Pearl, owner of the local apothecary shop, becomes a mother figure to Nelle, but a fateful summer day has Nelle questioning everything she's ever believed and wondering if she’ll ever love again.

***This book is part of a multi-author project that features one recurring character—Pearl, the matchmaker—but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***

MY REVIEW

I really enjoyed this addition to the Power of the Matchmaker series. It's a clean sweet romance and a quick satisfying read.

When Nelle's life is torn apart by the death of her parents, she finds herself dependent on an aunt who treats her shamefully. Her only comfort is her new friend, Miss Pearl, from town and her cousin's almost fiancé, Matthew Janson, who is drawn to this brokenhearted newcomer.

I love the fact that although Nelle is devastated by her parents death, and despite the way she is treated at her aunt's, she finds a way to be kind to others. Her music is a big comfort to her and also to those around her. I also liked Matthew's character. He's kind to Nelle from the start and is a hardworking industrious man and a good son to his widowed mother.

*Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to post a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under the pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational nonfiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Connect with Heather:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | BLOG

Power of the Matchmaker series info:

Series: Power of the Matchmaker (No specific reading order necessary)

Authors involved: Karey White, Rachael Anderson, Kelly Oram, Heather B. Moore, Julie Wright, Heidi Ashworth, Taylor Dean, Michele Paige Holmes, Janette Rallison, Regina Sirois, Sheralyn Pratt, and Jaima Fixsen

Series Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/series/161683-power-of-the-matchmaker

Series Summary:

The Power Of the Matchmaker is multi-author project consisting of 12 stand alone novels from 12 different bestselling authors in 12 months. All books are separate from each other except they feature one reoccurring character, a magical matchmaker named Pearl. Since Pearl is magical, she lives for hundreds of years and roams the entire world helping people find their perfect matches. The books in this series are twelve of Pearl's matchmaking stories. They will vary in genre, but they will all have one thing in common: Pearl will be doing whatever it takes to make two people fall in love.

Books in the Series already Available:

Prequel Novella: Power of the Matchmaker http://amzn.to/1TiC0oI

January: Broken Things to Mend by Karey White http://amzn.to/1MSRnxs

February: Not Always Happenstance by Rachel Anderson http://amzn.to/1Y0IHea

March: If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram http://amzn.to/25wsvHf

April: (available for preorder) Love is Come by Heather B. Moore http://amzn.to/1UUzSEJ
May: (available May 1st, 2016) Four Chambers by Julie Wright

June: (available for preorder) O'er The River Liffey by Heidi Ashworth http://amzn.to/1UUzt5h

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: A Season to Wed: Three Winter Love Stories

A Season to Wed: Three Winter Love Stories by

Cindy Kirk, Rachel Hauck, & Cheryl Wyatt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

They’ve helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples. Now twelve new couples will find themselves in the wedding spotlight in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.

Love at Mistletoe Inn by Cindy Kirk

Sometimes the road to happiness is paved with youthful mistakes.

Ten years after what she thought was her almost-wedding, Hope Prentiss discovers that the ceremony counted—and, as fate would have it, the jilted John Burke has just ridden back into town. After spending some time with John and helping plan a Christmas wedding for a mystery couple, Hope begins to wonder if she really wants a divorce . . . or a real wedding of her own.

A Brush with Love by Rachel Hauck

Revealing the beauty in other women might be Ginger Winters’s specialty—but it will take an unexpected kind of love to help Ginger see the beauty in herself.

Ginger Winters will be the “beauty-maker” for the Alabama society wedding of the decade. But when high-school crush Tom Wells shows up looking for a haircut, Ginger’s thinly veiled insecurities threaten to keep her from love once again . . . despite Tom’s best efforts.

Serving Up a Sweetheart by Cheryl Wyatt

Meadow knows how to serve delicious food to match any wedding theme. But can she accept love when it's served up on a silver platter?

Meadow Larson is having the mother of all Mondays when her roof caves in during a blizzard, right before the most important wedding contract of her career. Renovation contractor Colin McGrath offers to fix Meadow’s roof, even though he knows he is the last person she would accept help from.
But the more Meadow gets to know the new Colin, the more she realizes God may have something more permanent in store than a new catering kitchen.

Love at Mistletoe Inn by Cindy Kirk - In my opinion, there are so many ways this novella could have gone and would have been better if the story had been done differently. The premise of the story - two kids go to get married right out of high school but she has doubts and backs out before they even leave the building but not before they've gone through the ceremony and signed the paper. Now, 10 years later, they find out that they are still legally married.

Hope and John have had limited contact over the last 10 years but then John decides to move back to Harmony and settle down. Once Hope finds out about the marriage still being legal she goes to John to tell him about it. What happens next totally threw this book out the window for me. Rather than enhance the romance of the book I think it spoiled it.

And even though I liked the character of Aunt Verna, the whole ruse of planning a wedding for two people who were "deployed" was over the top. And the fact that John and Hope were dense enough to believe it was somewhat frustrating.

A Brush With Love by Rachel Hauck - Ginger is a very talented and accomplished hair dresser who has worked for the stars. She's moved back to her home and is successfully running a beauty shop in town. But Ginger was scarred by a fire when she was a young girl and sees herself as ugly. She covers her scars with long sleeves and scarfs and secretly longs to be normal.

She's hired to style a wedding party and finds out that the best man is none other than the guy who stood her up when his family mysteriously left town 12 years ago. Ginger should have put it past her, but she couldn't get over the hurt and rejection of the only guy who has ever paid her any attention.

Tom is back in his hometown to start a church. Due to the way they left he must work to overcome town bias against his family. He must also work to overcome the walls surrounding Ginger’s heart. Tom sees Ginger’s inner and outer beauty but will he be able to convince her of his love and that both he and God find her beautiful?

This story pulled me in and kept me engaged all the way through. I hurt with Ginger over the pain of her scars and the struggle she had to feel beautiful and wanted. I got so mad at the way she was treated by the wedding party at one point. And was so proud of the way Tom stood up for her! No doubts that this story will keep your attention. The author did a good job on this short novella! :)

Serving Up A Sweetheart by Cheryl Wyatt - Meadow Larson has triumphed over the trauma of her childhood to become a talented wedding caterer and decorator. When her roof caves in during a blizzard, right before the most important wedding contract of her career, she's in a panic. When Colin McGrath, renovation contractor and an unwelcome connection to her past, sees her trying to take out a snowman, he knows he has to help her. Even if he's the last person she would accept help from.

I loved this sweet romance! Meadow has a hard time believing that Colin is not the same person she knew as a teenager. Even though she has moved on from her painful childhood thanks to her grandmother, Meadow has not fully released all of the hurt and anger from her past. When Colin returns to town to help his parents, he stirs up all the old feelings. But Colin is determined to show her that he has become a Christian and has changed. I loved how sweet and patient he is with Meadow. With bits of humor, moments of chemistry, and uplifting faith, you'll be hooked to the last word.

*Thanks to Singing Librarian Books Tours for a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions stated are my own.*

View all my reviews

Rachel Hauck is a USA Today bestselling author. Her book, The Wedding Dress, was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and a RITA finalist. Her book Once Upon A Prince was a Christy Award finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and two pets and writes from her ivory tower.

Cindy Kirk sold her first book in 1999 as a result of a contest win which garnered a critique of the entire manuscript. She’s been writing—and selling—ever since. Cindy has been a Booksellers’ Best Award Winner, a finalist for the National Readers’ Choice Awards and a Publishers Weekly best seller. Cindy has served on the Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) since 2007. In November 2014, she began serving as President of the 10,000+ member organization. She’s a frequent speaker at not only the national RWA conferences, but large regional writing conferences. She has also presented at smaller retreats and conferences across the country. She lives on an acreage in Nebraska with her high school sweetheart husband of too-many-years-to-count and their three “boys” (a shih tzu, a blue heeler and a dorkie). Their daughter lives close by with her wonderful husband and their two little girls.

Cheryl Wyatt writes romance with virtue. She’s a USA Today bestselling author and has earned RT Top Picks, spots #1 and #4 on her debut publisher’s Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books list, Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence final, and other awards. Cheryl loves readers! Connect with her on:

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March 21--Reading Is My SuperPower | cherylbbookblog
March 22--Toni Shiloh Prayerfully-Lifted Romance | Smiling Book Reviews
March 23--Just Commonly | Katie's Clean Book Collection
March 24--Fiction, Faith, and Fun
March 25--Wishful Endings
March 26--Singing Librarian Books

Friday, March 18, 2016

Swagbucks SWAGO - Play and earn!

Interested in getting free gift cards and cash for doing your everyday tasks online? It sounds too good to be true, but that's what Swagbucks is all about! At Swagbucks, you can take polls, watch videos, surf the web, play games, shop at your favorite stores and more, all while earning points that you can redeem for PayPal cash or your favorite gift cards including Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, and more! It's free to join, and you get a $3 bonus for signing up and earning 300 SB (equivalent to another $3 gift card) before the end of the month!

With so many ways to earn though, Swagbucks can get pretty confusing, especially for newbies. That's where SWAGO comes in!

Starting today, you can pre-register for this fun BINGO-like game that takes you through every aspect of Swagbucks so you can find your favorite spot! Fill out the whole board and get a 100 SB Bonus! Careful, it gets addicting. Once you pre-register, you can start completing squares at 12AM ET Monday, March 21st. Game ends on Monday, March 28, so make sure to submit your completed board by then. You can only submit once in total, so don't jump the gun and submit for a single row if you think you can fill out the entire board! For new users, just getting all the squares completed will get you to your 300 SB threshold, where you get a 300 SB Bonus, plus the 100 SB SWAGO Bonus - leaving you with a cool $7 (700 SB) for a fun afternoon online.

Swagbucks works best for you when you can put in a few minutes everyday. This isn't a full-time income stream, but it's such an easy way to earn your fun money or cover some of those pricey essentials. The key is finding something on the site that you don't mind doing everyday, like answering surveys or watching movie trailers on your phone. Do a little each day and you can easily end up with $25-100 at the end of every month!

Sign up here today and join SWAGO!

www.swagbucks.com

For more information on Swagbucks see my previous posts.

Swagbucks: Spring Break Infographic

Are you going anywhere for spring break? Maybe you're taking the kids to DisneyWorld or visiting mom and dad or treating yourself to a fun getaway. Check out this cool infographic from Swagbucks on what 19,000 Americans are planning for their Spring travel. Let us know what you're up to this spring in the comments. And sign up for Swagbucks to get paid for making your voice heard in surveys like these and getting Cash Back while you shop online for all your travel essentials!

Sign up here today!

For more information on Swagbucks see my previous posts.

www.swagbucks.com

Review: The Flower Workshop: Lessons in Arranging Blooms, Branches, Fruits, and Foraged Materials

The Flower Workshop: Lessons in Arranging Blooms, Branches, Fruits, and Foraged Materials by Ariella Chezar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE BOOK

Written by a celebrated floral designer and lavishly illustrated with full-color photography, this book not only provides step-by-step instructions for 50 stunning floral projects from simple to spectacular, but also equips readers with the skills to customize arrangements at home.

Whether hosting a party, helping out with a friend's wedding, or wishing to incorporate the beauty of flowers into everyday life, The Flower Workshop allows you to create dazzling arrangements that go beyond merely pretty and into realms of the dramatic, the unexpected, and sometimes even the magical. Written by a celebrated floral designer and lavishly illustrated with full-color photography, this book not only provides step-by-step instructions for more than forty-five stunning floral projects from simple to spectacular, but also equips you with the skills to customize arrangements at home.

Known for her hands-on flower workshops at FlowerSchool New York, Ariella Chezar walks you through the nuts and bolts of creating a variety of small flourishes, tonal arrangements, branch arrangements, handheld bouquets, wreathes, garlands, grand gestures, and more—all accompanied by detailed photography. Chezar offers advice and philosophy on everything from texture and color to foliage and containers, providing an overall approach to living and working with flowers, with an eye toward fresh, local, wild, seasonally influenced floral design. For every occasion, from relaxed and simple to lavish and monumental, The Flower Workshop celebrates the special moments in your life with glorious, fragrant floral arrangements and enhances your surroundings with abundant beauty.

MY REVIEW

This is a beautifully done book! It's hardbound with beautiful, colorful flowers adorning the front and an embossed title. The pages are top quality and contain a LOT of pictures of flowers and flower arrangements. I love how there are pages that show flowers that fit with a certain color scheme and also names those flowers. I love how she illustrates the use of branches and fruit to complement an arrangement. She also has a seasonal flower guide.

I love flowers! So whether I ever use this book to make a flower arrangement or not, I'd keep it around on a coffee table just to look at the pretty pictures! :)

More info on the book found here. More info on the author here.

*Thanks to Blogging For Books for the complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions state are my own.*

View all my reviews

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Review: The Reluctant Duchess

The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.

Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.

Roseanna M. White is a master at weaving a dangerous mystery and a swoon worthy romance! This is an awesome second book in her Ladies of the Manor series. (There is a lot of back story in the first book so I would recommend you read that book first.)

The story of the Duke of Nottingham continues in this book. I love his character! He's a swoon worthy hero for sure! :D Although some of the character traits that have made him so well liked are now working against him. He's so well liked in fact (especially with the ladies) that he has a hard time proving to his new wife that he's never been in love with any other girl. I love the fact that even though he's a really good man and person, the author shows where there is still room for him to change and grow.

And then there is Rowena! Oh my! She will grab your heart! Her circumstances are so dire that she agrees to marry this man that she doesn't know and leave the place she has grown up in. The poor girl is so broken. I love the progression of her healing and restoration in this story. She has to learn how to trust and love again. The process may be painful but the end result is beautiful!

The mystery and danger from the red diamonds continues in this book along with the schemes of Lady Catherine and her brother. I like how the plot moves quickly and makes you question who you think the villains are. There is plenty of adventure, romance, and mystery to keep you glued to the pages of this book!

*Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to post a positive review and all opinions stated are my own. *

View all my reviews

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of nine novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Blog Hop Tour & Giveaway: Back in the Saddle by Ruth Logan Herne

Genre: Adult, Christian, Romance, Western
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Publication date: March 15, 2016
Number of pages: 320

Amazon Purchase Link

It’s been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. He’s broke, but not broken, and it’s time to check in with his ailing father, and get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.

He doesn’t expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there’s more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye and he’s determined to find out what she’s hiding...and why.

Colt’s return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick has been Sam’s right-hand man at the ranch for years and isn’t thrilled at having Colt insert himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch’s contentious relationship with the citizens of Gray’s Glen asks all the Stafford men to examine their hearts about what it truly means to be a neighbor. And as Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district’s wealth and power—or finally the courage to stay in the saddle for good?

Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne loves God, her family, her country, dogs, chocolate and coffee! A country gal with a heart for the big city, Ruthy likes nothing more than to write the kind of books she loves to read, and she's even more happy that now she gets paid to do it! She's been married for a Very Long Time and she and her husband Dave live on a small farm in upstate New York where lake effect snow buries them on a regular basis in winter. But that's all right... it gives her more time to write!

Interview via SLB Tours

1. How did you get started as an author? What or whom inspired you?
I think I’ve known all my life that I wanted to write books. As far back as I can remember I was a reader and a storyteller, so the urge came naturally to me. Realizing what I wanted to focus on, romance with women empowerment came as I got older and things began meshing in my head. I love stories that reach out to women and help lift them up spiritually and romantically with the joy and strength of faith and the quest to strengthen themselves to be all they can be on their own… the hunky hero is a bonus!

2. How many books have you written and in what genres?
I’ve written over thirty books now, with several releasing this year and next. I still PINCH MYSELF that this is real!!!!! Happy dancing! I love romance, so there’s romance in all of my books, but the longer books are more a single title romance with either stronger family issues or external conflict woven in. I can hint at these things in my Love Inspired romances, but I can delve a little more with an extra 25 thousand words. Having said that, I love my Love Inspired romances and the chance to reach readers at such a reasonable price. That means the world to me.

3. What does your writing process look like?
I’m a linear writer. I don’t skip around chapters, I weave a story like you would a tapestry, from beginning to end, and then I go in and add the embroidery… which is refining, editing, revising and tweaking. I get up between 3 and 4 in the morning and work until my before school kids come for breakfast around seven… and when they’re on the bus, I clean up the kitchen and go back to writing. I try to get 2-3,000 words in every day now that I don’t have children here all day. (Until September, I worked full-time and wrote part-time. Now I’ve flipped that to writing full time and wrap around care part time)
And I try to hop online and connect with readers via Facebook and Twitter a few times a day. I love Facebook because it allows me to talk with people and see how they’re doing!

4. How long does it typically take you to write a novel?
This varies on the length and how much of the story I have in my head. But I think if you gave it a three-month window, you’d be accurate. That allows me time for self-editing, too.

5. What projects are you currently working on? What can you tell us about these projects?
Right now I am working on a couple of Christmas projects, a novella collection for St. Martin’s Press in NYC and a historical Christmas collection that is only being whispered about right now because contracts are not signed as yet… So we’ll chat about that next month! I’m also doing some edits on next year’s books and developing a delightful romance series that’s got a quirky little town, a Christmas baby, and three women who pledged to never lose their way… but somehow have managed to do just that. So we help them find their way back to faith, hope and … of course!... love.

6. What inspired the idea for Back in the Saddle? How many novels are you planning for this series?
I’ve always loved cowboys and when Waterbrook editor Shannon Marchese asked for a cowboy series, two of the books were already in my mentally planned storage container. (Some people refer to this as their “head”.) I pulled them out, dusted them off and looked at these heroes… and then the third hero…. And decided that I wanted a “Bonanza” meets “Dynasty” style story line… So there are three motherless men and we get to see how that affected each boy/man differently. Woven into the stories is a really good look at how similar events can have grossly different effects on children and their later perceptions, and how often we push ourselves to make the same mistakes our parents did… while trying desperately to prove them wrong. The FUNNEST part of all of this was creating heroines to match these guys and give them the wake-up call they needed! And all these cute kids, dogs, cows and horses, ramblin’ old cowboys and smokin’ hot young ones… This is a three-book series and contains everything you could want to make the reader smile… cry, maybe, just a little… and then sigh, happily. And that’s my recipe for a great story!

7. What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?
I love gardening and in upstate we only have a few months for that, so I enjoy it while I can…. And in winter I try to fix things in this old house, and when I fix one thing I usually break two others… but does that stop me??? It does not! J Mostly, though, I enjoy family. We’ve got six kids, plus my beautiful niece that I kind of stole from my sister… Five of them are married, and we have 14 grandchildren that we absolutely love. So hanging with kids comes naturally to me! I don’t know if you can call kids a hobby, but they’re a definite resource for book research! :)

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March 14--The Artist Librarian | cherylbbookblog
March 15--Toni Shiloh Prayerfully-Lifted Romance | deal sharing aunt
March 16--Smiling Book Reviews | The Power of Words
March 17--Mel's Shelves
March 18--Fiction, Faith, and Fun | Singing Librarian Books
March 19--Just Commonly | Katie's Clean Book Collection

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Blog Tour Review: If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram

If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ABOUT THE BOOK
Music meets Movies in this sweet college romance from the bestselling author of Cinder & Ella.

NYU freshman Nate Anderson is a triplet who is desperate to escape his wild and crazy brothers. After they screw things up for him one too many times, Nate flees his housing situation and takes the first available room for rent as far from his brothers as he can get.

Enter his new roommate Jordan--a quirky LA girl who believes that everything in life has already been done in the movies. In this heartfelt tale of love, friendship and family, Nate learns how to deal with his new adult life using Hollywood films as a guide.

***This book is part of a multi-author project that features one recurring character—the match maker—but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***

MY REVIEW
My three star rating of this book stems entirely from some of the content (which I will get into later).

That being said, the book was very well written and for someone who doesn't mind the content, it is a very engaging story. A musical genius (who has a girlfriend) is going to the college of his dreams and ends up becoming roommates with a female (much to the distress of his girlfriend). This female understands him WAY better than his girlfriend and he has so much fun with her that he begins to question his relationship with said girlfriend (who is a very negative Nancy and way too controlling). I love the fact that he is a triplet (so cool!!!) even though the way their relationship is written would make me wary of ever having triplets of my own...LOL! I loved Jordan's fun, quirky, sensitive personality. And the way Nate and Jordan hit it off and have so much fun together will definitely make you smile. I thought the fact that the story is told from a guy's perspective was very cool. And the whole music vs movie vibe was also really fun. Like, I said, if it weren't for some of the content, I would be very happy to give this book 4 1/2 stars.

However, I can in no way rate this book as a clean read from a Christian standpoint. And a Christian standpoint is how I read and review. I have read several of the books in this series and, although not from the Christian genre, they have been clean so I had no idea this one wouldn't be. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing explicit, it's just that there are several things in the book that are not my definition of a clean read. And this is all just MY opinion and everyone else can make their own minds up.

And now for the content for those that care. Nate and his brothers are college boys and his brothers take full advantage by drinking, partying, and womanizing. Nate's new roommate comes with a co-worker friend who is gay and totally checks out and hits on Nate the first time he sees him. He continues to play a major part in the story. Although the only thing that's ever described in the book is kissing, there is an indication that there has been unmarried intimate relations. There is also some swearing.

*Thanks to eBooksForReview for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own*

View all my reviews

What readers just like you are saying about If We Were a Movie:

"WOW! This book is great! The concept is so inventive, and the writing is brilliant."

"I thought Cinder & Ella jerked with my emotions too much but this one might have it beat."

"I finished reading If We Were a Movie yesterday. I loved it! I fell hard for Nate. Jordan was amazing! And Pearl's timing was perfect! "

"Amazing concept with movies as chapters, and fantastic storyline."

"I loved this story and was humming along to the songs from the book whilst reading. I can see this book becoming the movie it was written to be."

"If We Were a Movie made me want to binge watch movies, listen to old playlists and re-read it all at once."

TEASER:
“So this is what a Pearl-approved guy looks like.” She shook her head once and cracked a smile. “She’s got good taste, I’ll give her that. You’re an odd mix of sexy and adorable. Don’t see that often.”

I was a little taken aback by the compliment, if that’s even what it was. She may have just been stating what she considered to be fact. She laughed at my surprise and held out her hand to me. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jordan Kramer.”

I’d been afraid of that. “You’re a girl.”

Jordan laughed. “That’s what it says on my birth certificate, but I’m really glad you were able to figure it out without needing to read it.”

Nope. I definitely didn’t need that.

Author Kelly Oram

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.