Author Archives: Lacey

Cover Reveal: The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard

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Sylvain Reynard fans!!

Check out the cover of the next book in The Florentine series, The Shadow, out Feb. 2, 2016!

The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard

The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard
Series: The Florentine #2 (full reading order below)
Release Date: February 2nd 2016
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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel trilogy comes the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Raven, a sensual novel set in Florence featuring the dangerously intoxicating coupling of Raven and William…

Raven Wood’s vampyre prince has returned, pledging his love and promising justice for every wrong done to her. In the wake of their reunion, Raven is faced with a terrible decision—allow the Prince to wreak vengeance against the demons of her past, or persuade him to stay his hand. But there is far more at stake than Raven’s heart…

A shadow has fallen over the city of Florence. Ispettor Batelli will not rest until he uncovers Raven’s connection to the theft of the priceless art from the Uffizi Gallery. And while the Prince hunts a traitor who sabotages him at every turn, he finds himself the target of the vampyres’ mortal enemy.

As he wages a war on two fronts, he will need to keep his love for Raven secret, or risk exposing his greatest weakness…

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback • B&N • IndieBound • The Book Depository

Reading Order: The Florentine series

The Prince by Sylvain Reynard The Raven by Sylvain Reynard The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard

#0.5 ~ The Prince: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ The Raven: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Shadow: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

about the author button

I’m interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition – particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.

I’m also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.

I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. For more information, see my Twitter account.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

Release Day Review: Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

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Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst
Series: Searching For #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Gallery Books) in exchange for an honest review

The highly anticipated third novel in the Searching For series from Jennifer Probst, “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA Today), featuring a runaway bride and the man who wants to be more than just her best friend…

Genevieve MacKenzie has her life completely under control. About to wed the charming Chief doctor at the local hospital, she’s an up-and-coming surgeon with everything she could ever want. Until an escape through the church window on the day of her wedding sends her life into a tailspin…and flings her right into her best friend’s arms.

When Wolfe catches his best friend falling out a window on her wedding day, he doesn’t ask questions. He whisks her away, determined to watch over her and discover the truth behind her desperate escape. But when his feelings turn more than platonic, he realizes he may risk his most important relationship in order to protect his damaged heart, and the woman he loves.

Can Genevieve and Wolfe’s friendship turn into something deeper—or is it already too late for true love?

Oh, this book was something special. I adore this series, but this newest one, Searching for Beautiful, easily became my new favorite of the series. I’m a sucker for books with the friends-to-lovers trope and it had been a while since I read one that I wholeheartedly loved, but Searching for Beautiful was absolute perfection! I’m honestly surprised by how much I loved and adored this book. I went into this thinking I’d give this a solid four hearts like I did for the first two books, but the more I read, the more I grew to love Wolfe and Gen and their incredibly heartwarming romance. Searching for Beautiful surpassed my expectations and gave me something so much more, so much better than I ever expected. It’s a beautiful (hehe) friends-to-lovers romance and a touching story of two lost souls discovering the strength within themselves.

A shiver crept down her spine. She looked down at the flawless three-carat diamond ring that shimmered around her finger. A symbol of ownership. Once she committed herself, it would truly be forever. He’d never let her go.
Run.

Genevieve MacKenzie has the perfect life – or does she? She has a job she loves and a perfect man she’s about to marry… so why does she feel terrified on the day of her wedding? Trusting her gut instincts no to make the biggest mistake of her life, Gen escapes from her wedding day with the help of her best friend, Wolfe. Together, the sequester themselves in a cabin so that Gen can take a break and put back the broken pieces of her life. She slowly comes to terms with the fact that she was about to marry a man who was corroding her heart and soul, and she’s ever thankful that she had her best friend by her side to help her get through it.

Funny, from the moment they met, they’d been fated to be friends. Their heart-to-heart conversation set the stage for the future, with none of that crappy sexual tension or flirting. Just a good buddy of the opposite sex who meant the world to her. Kate was her best friend feminine equal, and Wolfe her male.

Wolfe and Gen have been best friends since they met when she was twenty (she’s twenty-six now) – they have such a heartwarming friendship that full of banter, love, and support. But recently, when David started demanding that Gen stop spending time with Wolfe, their friendship was put on hold for a little while. So when they’re at the cabin, Gen and Wolfe are reminded of how much they value and treasure their friendship. That is, until they kiss, and the sexual tension and chemistry skyrockets between them.

Something fierce and primal shook through her. Electricity pulsed between them, and suddenly Gen wanted his mouth over hers, all lips and tongue and teeth, until he possessed and claimed every part of her. She ached to open her thighs and take him deep. Dig her nails into his skin. Mark him. Surrender. Fuck. What was happening to her? Her heart hammered. “Wolfe.”

I’d been so, so looking forward to Gen and Wolfe’s story ever since reading Searching for Perfect because, hello, friends-to-lovers romance! And Jennifer Probst didn’t disappoint – I was able to feel the loving, tender friendship between Wolfe and Gen (they make me smile SO MUCH) as well as the growing romance (and HOT chemistry) between them. Gen was a great heroine with fantastic depth and surprising strength to her character. I loved and admired her, brokenness and all. And oh my word, Wolfe is one sexy, delicious man. Despite his scarred, painful past, he’s risen up to become a famous model and multi-millionaire. I seriously loved this man and his deep, fierce devotion to Gen. And did I mention how HOT Gen and Wolfe are together!? Seriously, you’ll need a fan for this book, because when Wolfe wants something (and he wants Gen BAD), he’ll get it with a single-minded determinedness.

“I dreamed of this for so damn long, but the reality of you is so much better.”

Searching for Beautiful was one of those books that slowly creep up on you until all of a sudden, you’re completely and wholeheartedly in love with it. It’s a gorgeously written, moving romance with incredible characters you grow to adore. And I have to give props to the author – some parts of this book brought tears to my eyes, which almost never happens because I rarely cry for books! Seriously – read. this. book! It’s beautiful, sexy, heart-wrenching – you don’t want to miss it! If you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to love Gen and Wolfe (like I did)!

5 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Searching For series

Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst Searching for Perfect by Jennifer Probst 
Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst Searching for Always by Jennifer Probst Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst 

#1 ~ Searching for Someday: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Searching for Perfect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Searching for You: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Searching for Beautiful: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Searching for Always: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Searching for Mine: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.6 ~ Searching for Disaster: Ebook • Goodreads (Oct. 10, 2016)

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Release Day Review: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

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Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Series: Thunder Road #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns into an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

I absolutely LOVE Katie McGarry and her Pushing the Limits series – she writes YA contemporary romance like no other (plus, her bad boys are oh so wonderful), so of course I had to get my hands on Nowhere But Here, the first book in her new series! And can I just tell you how much I squealed when I heard the new series would be about MCs!? I’m a big fan of MCs and I was definitely looking forward to Katie McGarry’s take on them. While I may not have loved Nowhere But Here as much as her Pushing the Limits series, it’s definitely an absorbing, fast-paced, intriguing read. It’s darker and edgier than her previous books, which I liked. I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to, but I was hooked onto the storyline.

Emily is a seventeen-year-old girl who likes her life as it is – simple and uncomplicated. She lives a good life with her mom and adopted father, but an email from her biological father turns her world upside down. She now has to confront her biological father’s motorcycle club and discover the secrets of her parents’ past, which may not be true to what she was told.

The club is a brotherhood, a family. It means belonging to something bigger than yourself.

Eli, Emily’s father, is one of the leaders of the Reign of Terror MC. Emily has always had a negative view of the Reign of Terror based on what her mother’s told her, but while spending time with the MC, she discovers that it’s not as thug-like and dangerous as she thought. At its heart, the Reign of Terror is a family, and Oz, one of the MC’s prospects, goes a long way in teaching her that. However, even though the club isn’t doing anything bad or illegal, other MCs do, and the Reign of Terror will do whatever it takes to protect their own, which includes Emily.

Oz is tasked by Eli to protect Emily, and they have less-than-stellar first impressions of one another. They don’t think highly of each other, but circumstances bring them together and they slowly chip away at each other’s defenses and get to know one another better. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t connect with either Oz or Emily – I liked them well enough, but I didn’t grow to love their characters. That being said, I really enjoyed the way their romance developed. It’s the slow and steady kind of love, and I liked that it grew genuinely.

“I like how you smile and how you laugh. I like how you love and defend your family and I like how you’re trying to love mine. I fucking love how you trust. But mostly, Emily, I like how I feel when I’m around you.”

I could tell how much effort and thought Katie McGarry put in writing this novel. It’s fast-paced, and yet there are so many intricate parts to the plot that it could have been confusing at times, but impressively wasn’t. My favorite part of the book was Emily and Oz’s character development and how they were able to open their hearts and minds to each other. And I really enjoyed how much the Reign of Terror grew to care for Emily and vice versa.

Who knew that I could fall in love with so many people in such a short period of time?

Nowhere But Here is a promising start to the Thunder Road series. It’s told in both Emily and Oz’s POVs, and I liked getting to know them and their story. I didn’t quite love it as much I wanted to, but that certainly doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoyed it – it was still an addicting read that had me finishing in one sitting. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, Razor’s story!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Thunder Road series

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

#1 ~ Nowhere But Here: Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Walk the Edge: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Audible • Goodreads

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Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

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Searching for Beautiful blitz

Happy Release Day to Jennifer Probst – Searching for Beautiful is now available!

Read my review of Searching for Beautiful here.

Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst
Series: Searching For #3 (full reading order below)
Release Date: May 26th 2015
Add to Goodreads

The highly anticipated third novel in the Searching For series from Jennifer Probst, “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA Today), featuring a runaway bride and the man who wants to be more than just her best friend…

Genevieve MacKenzie has her life completely under control. About to wed the charming Chief doctor at the local hospital, she’s an up-and-coming surgeon with everything she could ever want. Until an escape through the church window on the day of her wedding sends her life into a tailspin…and flings her right into her best friend’s arms.

When Wolfe catches his best friend falling out a window on her wedding day, he doesn’t ask questions. He whisks her away, determined to watch over her and discover the truth behind her desperate escape. But when his feelings turn more than platonic, he realizes he may risk his most important relationship in order to protect his damaged heart, and the woman he loves.

Can Genevieve and Wolfe’s friendship turn into something deeper—or is it already too late for true love?

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • iTunes

Reading Order: Searching For series

Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst Searching for Perfect by Jennifer Probst Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst Searching for Always by Jennifer Probst

#1 ~ Searching for Someday: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Searching for Perfect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Searching for Beautiful: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Searching for Always: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (June 30, 2015)
#4.5 ~ Searching for You: Ebook • Goodreads (Nov. 30, 2015)

about the author button

Jennifer ProbstJennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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Win a SEARCHING FOR BEAUTIFUL Necklace and signed backlist title from Jennifer Probst (winner’s choice!)

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Release Week Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

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We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Katie McGarry’s NOWHERE BUT HERE! NOWHERE BUT HERE is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance and is a part of Katie McGarry’sThunder Road Series, published by Harlequin Teen. Grab your copy today!!

Read my review of NOWHERE BUT HERE here.

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here Katie McGarry
Series: Thunder Road #1
Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Add to Goodreads

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Hardcover • Kobo • BAM • B&N • iBooks • IndieBound

Now here’s an excerpt from Nowhere But Here! ❤

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From Oz’s Point of View. Set up: Emily has been separated from her parents and after a long night of worrying, her emotions and exhaustion catch up to her and it causes Oz to have his first fluttering of emotion for Emily. 

WIND BLOWS IN FROM THE NORTH AND A FEW pieces of Emily’s dark hair sweep across her face. One min­ute Emily’s a bright flame, then a gust snuffs out her light. Her body sways like a top at the tail end of a spin and I lunge forward.

Emily’s knees give out and her eyes roll back into her head. I catch her inches before she crashes onto the porch. She’s light as I swing her into my arms and her head circles onto my shoulder, reminding me of one of those rag dolls Violet used to play with when we were kids.

“Emily!” Eli’s on top of me, attempting to yank her out of my arms. “Open your eyes.”

Her eyelids flutter, but remain closed as her hand limply clutches my shirt. Eli rams his arms underneath mine and he makes Emily a rope in a tug-of-war. I should let her go. I should want to let her go, but then Emily goes and screws it up for me. “Oz.”

It was a damn whisper, but I heard my name on her lips and so did Eli. His eyes flash to mine and Cyrus’s words repeat in my mind. That girl trusts you. And screw us both for that.

“She’s exhausted,” I say. “Hasn’t slept at all tonight.”

Eli’s expression hardens as he glares at me. I’ve seen Eli throw a coma-inducing punch for less defiance and I readjust the sleeping girl in my arms. A reminder if he decks me now, he’ll be putting his daughter at risk.

Temporarily surrendering, Eli cups Emily’s face in his hands and angles her toward him. “Emily, please open your eyes.”

She does. It’s barely a crack and they’re completely glazed.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Eli affirms.

“I want my mom and dad,” she mumbles.

“You’ll see them tomorrow.” Eli pushes a strand of hair from her cheek. “You’re safe here. I promise.”

She rejects Eli by curling into me. Her head fits perfectly in the crook of my neck and I loathe the wave of protective­ness that rumbles through my body. Emily’s fingers tighten their grip near my shoulders and the impulse is to shield her from the guys gawking at this intimate scene. Yeah, this is club business, but Emily never asked for any of this.

about the author button

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKatie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

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signed NOWHERE BUT HERE and t-shirt for 2 winners

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