Thursday, March 29, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner

RB_BANNER_WHAK (1).jpg

What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner

Release Date: March 29th, 2018 What He Doesn’t Know Duet, book 2Genre: Contemporary Romance

WHAK cover FINAL_1

Left or right. It’s that simple, and it isn’t simple at all. If I turn left, the road will lead me back to the man I promised my life to, the one I’d imagined building a family with, the one who’s done everything in his power to get me back. If I turn right, the road will take me to the man I loved first, the man who brought me back to life, the man who would do anything to keep me. I knew the fork in the road was inevitable; it was the decision I never wanted to make between choices I didn't know I had. And I love them both. My heart is destined to exist in two equal halves — one with each man. But one half beats stronger, the vein running deepest, and holds my choice in silence long before I know it for myself. The realization of what I have to do, of the heart I have to break, just might break mine too. Left or right. All I have to do is take a breath and turn.

Now Available Horizontal_book 2

Read Today!

Add to Goodreads: bit.ly/WHAKGoodreads

Start the Series, today! FREE in Kindle Unlimited

Add to Goodreads: bit.ly/WHDKGoodreads


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About the Author:

Kandi Steiner is a Creative Writing and Advertising/Public Relations graduate from the University of Central Florida living in Tampa. Kandi works full time as a social media specialist, but also works part time as a Zumba fitness instructor and blackjack dealer.
Kandi started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic (like most girls brought up on Disney movies).
When Kandi isn’t working or writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys beach days, movie marathons, live music, craft beer and sweet wine – not necessarily in that order.

Connect with the Author:

Twitter: @KandiSteiner 
Stay up to date with Kandi by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/TLsut8
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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

What He Always Knew by Kandi Steiner (ARC review)

TITLE: What He Always Knew
AUTHOR: Kandi Steiner
RELEASES: March 29th 2018
GENRE: Contemporary Romance

"The truth was simple. I loved them both."

MY THOUGHTS: Holy bejeebus, Batman! I can't believe I survived this duet...

In pure Kandi Steiner style, she takes us on a rollercoaster of emotion. Just thinking back on everything I felt throughout this duet gets me choked up all over again. She has a way of writing that splits you in half, but then gives back just enough to put you together again before she rips you apart again and again.

"My heart twisted, one hand moving to press against that spot in my chest where the ache was most present. It seemed to be almost a permanent ache now, between Cameron and Reese."

After What He Doesn't Know, I had a clear hero; I knew who I wanted to win Charlie's heart and make her happy forever. Then, I read What He Always Knew. And dammit, my heart is broken! I feel for both men. They are so beyond great. Flawed, yes, but who isn't? Charlie herself isn't perfect. They all deserve so much happiness in their lives, and Kandi really pulls out all the stops. As Jessica (from Angie & Jessica's Dreamy Reads) has already said, this is not your typical romance. I thought I knew who Charlie would choose at the end of book 1, but then we're given way more insight into both men in book 2 and it really threw me for a loop! I fell in love with both Cameron and Reese. I get her pain. I've felt that throughout this duet. I really could not have made the decision myself, but am really super happy about the way it worked out.

"I'd never understood how love could hurt before, how it could be the knife between your ribs. It wasn't until that exact moment that I realized love hurts more than anything, because it's all we want, and yet it never comes easy."

The reasoning for the decision Charlie makes in the end is what we all want our loves to be like. When you love someone because they are just so integral to your life and you could never imagine life without them. I never at any point in this book felt I knew who she would choose until I was reading her actual decision. Those ending scenes broke my heart and shattered me to bits!

"The truth is, you make me forget I even have a choice at all. Like the writer who cannot live without the reader, and the rose that cannot exist without the rain, I am bound to you, to your love, and I cannot go on without it."

I honestly applaud Kandi for everything she must have felt though writing this story and for giving it such authenticity. If you want something that's not the norm and want to feel like your heart has been flayed open, I urge you to read this duet. It's so worth the pain. She's a stellar author and this is her best work by far. She deserves so much success and recognition.

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

AMAZON * GOODREADS

*********************************************************************************

BLURB: THE EPIC FINALE IN THE WHAT HE DOESN'T KNOW DUET

Left or right. 

It’s that simple, and it isn’t simple at all.

If I turn left, the road will lead me back to the man I promised my life to, the one I’d imagined building a family with, the one who’s done everything in his power to get me back.

If I turn right, the road will take me to the man I loved first, the man who brought me back to life, the man who would do anything to keep me.

I knew the fork in the road was inevitable; it was the decision I never wanted to make between choices I didn't know I had.

And I love them both.

My heart is destined to exist in two equal halves — one with each man. But one half beats stronger, the vein running deepest, and holds my choice in silence long before I know it for myself.

The realization of what I have to do, of the heart I have to break, just might break mine too.

Left or right.

All I have to do is take a breath and turn.

All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final product. Thank you so much to Kandi Steiner and Social Butterfly PR for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner (ARC review)

TITLE: What He Doesn't Know
AUTHOR: Kandi Steiner
RELEASES: March 13th 2018
GENRE: Contemporary Romance

"The ring on her finger was a symbol of her commitment to another man. That alone should have sobered me. That alone should have been at the forefront of my mind, but it wasn't. Charlie Reid was married, she was Charlie Pierce now, and still, it didn't matter. I loved her anyway."

MY THOUGHTS: My heart aches for Charlie and everything she's been through as well as what's yet to come. I swear, Kandi's writing breaks me just a little more with each book I read. This one hits just a little close to home and I loved it so much!

"He watched me the longest, his brows low, and I knew trhat look in his eyes. He was threatened, and he was warning me. I'd have done the same thing if Charlie was mine."

I never thought I would enjoy reading about a love triangle, but damn if Kandi didn't make me fall in love with this one.. There was just the right level of angst and betrayal and remorse. Charlie is a beautiful character and it killed me to read about everything she's gone through. Unhappy marriages make my heart hurt, especially when they cause one or both party to feel less than, so that was a difficult aspect to the story. It all made sense, though. Kandi made it heartwrenchingly beautiful and necessary to the progression of the plot. I can't imagine a better start to a duet.

"They say there are two sides to every story, and it was in that moment, in that dark, desperate snapshot of my life that I realised I hadn't asked him for his."

AMAZON * GOODREADS

*********************************************************************************

BLURB: On the northeast side of town, there is a house.

The house was once magical, filled with love and joy and plans for the future.

Inside its walls are many things that belong to me — my books, the china from my mother on my wedding day, the beautiful cage once home to two birds, now empty, just like me.

And a man.

A man who also belongs to me.

A man I no longer wish to keep.

A man who, no doubt, has not slept, though the sun is rising. Because the house where he waits is where I laid my head to rest every night for eight years. Until last night.

No one who knows me would believe Charlie Pierce, the quiet, bookish girl who never made waves is pulling out of the driveway of a man who isn’t her husband.

But they don’t know me at all.

I don’t even know me.

Not anymore.

They say there are two sides to every story, and I suppose in most cases, that’s true. But the one I live inside of? It has three.

On the northeast side of town, there is a house.

But there is no longer a home. 


All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final product. Thank you so much to Kandi Steiner and Social Butterfly PR for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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Monday, March 19, 2018

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes (ARC review)

TITLE: Fawkes
AUTHOR: Nadine Brandes
RELEASED: July 10th 2018 by Thomas Nelson
GENRE: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

“I breathed deep through my nose. No matter my answer, there was no going back. I was committing to either treason or cowardice. I'd been a coward once already that day.No longer.”

MY THOUGHTS: Like many other MCs, Thomas Fawkes is an idealist, albeit an extremely honest with himself idealist. He admits to being a coward and many other things besides. This honesty made me like him all the more; although, he's definitely no hero. If he had tried to hide it, I would have scoffed and the story would have lost a little something for me. As it was, the story was slow moving and pretty boring in my view. Keepers and Igniters are similar to modern-day religion with opposing views that are irreconcilable. Catholics versus Protestants many years ago is what comes to mind. This society had one way of thinking versus the other, which is pretty normal in most storylines, but this particular one was dangerous. If you were a Keeper, you had a death wish. 


"The very topic of White Light has caused Igniters to hunt down and murder Keepers. Wouldn't you be wary if you weren't an Igniter?"


 Thomas doesn't have strong family ties as his mother died when he was young and his father was away working on some plot. Now, Thomas is looking for answers to his Keeper background and upbringing after being raised and schooled among Igniters. Why is White Light so taboo among Keepers, while, for Igniters, it brings freedom of power and allows more power than Keepers seem to be comfortable with? White Light is the source of all power, so Keepers believe it must be locked down and ignored. Does speaking to White Light really make people power hungry or is that simply a personal trait that is not really correlated with being an Igniter? Do Keepers, or anyone really, fully understand White Light? Or is White Light truly bad? These are all questions Thomas sets out to answer for himself.

 Then Emma, a girl from Thomas' school, turns up in London and kind of throws a spanner into his plans. She pushes him to ask more questions and a colleague of the plot demands they 'seek the source'. She's an Igniter, but has something she's hiding. He doesn't know whether he can trust her or not, but still allows himself to get close to her, as it allows him access to information necessary to the plot.

"My culture had affected my way of thinking without my consent,How many other things had it shaped without my knowing it? It made me want to examine things - to seek the heart of matters. Of skin color, of Keepers, of Igniters, of White Light, of all my assumptions."


If you're involved in a plot that will change the way your society works in the long run, do you still stand up for what you know to be right in your day to day life? Or do you let that go so as not to draw attention to yourself and keep yourself free for the bigger picture?
A few times throughout the novel, Thomas enacts some heroic act - usually in relation to Emma. But I want to know - is he doing it to impress her or rather because her conviction give him the strength to be less than cowardly? I feel like it's a bit of both, really. He's like any young boy, wanting the attention of the pretty girl from school, but being also involved in such a huge plot, he has other things on his mind, as well. He wants to be brave and stand up for what he believes, the trouble is he's a coward who doesn't know what to believe yet.

“The resignation in my voice sickened me, but I clung to my knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot. It would change this. I would change this.”


All in all, I struggled to finish this book. I very nearly DNF'ed it, but was so close to the end that I forced myself on. The last 10% got better and then had a terrible ending. I wouldn't recommend this to very many people simply because I found it boring. The historical aspect was slightly interesting, but the characters that made up the story ruined the plot for me entirely. I didn't find them relatable or interesting, so I just could not get into the story. I found myself avoiding the book at quite a few points. 

AMAZON * GOODREADS * BOOKDEPOSITORY
BLURB: Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.
Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.
But what if death finds him first?
Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.
The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.
The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.
No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.
"blowing up three hundred Parliament members and the king of England wasn't restoration. It was death with no phoenix to rise out of it."

 All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final product. Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson for providing me with this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

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Saturday, March 17, 2018

Down the TBR Rabbit Hole #3


Hey everyone!

I discovered Down the TBR Hole thanks to Destiny at Howling Libraries who got the original idea from the creators at Lost in a Story. It is an amazing idea because my Goodreads TBR is OUT OF CONTROL! So here we go...

It works like this:
  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order by ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 or 15 or 20, if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
  • Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!
Current “to-read” shelf: 764
**********************************************************************************************
Books 11-15
2069741020454635235738082271644723705512

Added 3 April 2016: Currently Buddy Reading Red Rising and loving it, so will absolutely be continuing the series.
Judgement - Keep
Book 12:
Added 3 April 2016: I never read book 1, so I don't think I'll be getting to this one anytime soon.
Judgement - Go
Added 3 April 2016: I don't read enough Sci-Fi/Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic novels (and one of my favorite novels is in that genre), so this is definitely staying.
Judgement - Keep
Book 14:


Added 3 April 2016: I think Mindy Kaling is hilarious, so I'm really looking forward to this book.
Judgement - Keep
Book 15:
by 


Added 3 April 2016: This actually sounds really funny and right up my "I'm weird and I embrace it" alley.

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Thursday, March 15, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner

SBPRBANNER-WhatHeDoesntKnow-ReleaseBlitz

What He Doesn’t Know by Kandi Steiner

Publication Date: March 15th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Photographer: Perrywinkle Photography, Lauren Perry 
Cover Designer: Kandi Steiner

If you ever want to fall in love with an author, read one of Kandi Steiner's books. I promise you'll not regret it! She's absolutely phenomenal and every one of her books has touched my soul.  

WHDK cover FINAL_1

On the northeast side of town, there is a house. The house was once magical, filled with love and joy and plans for the future. Inside its walls are many things that belong to me — my books, the china from my mother on my wedding day, the beautiful cage once home to two birds, now empty, just like me. And a man. A man who also belongs to me. A man I no longer wish to keep. A man who, no doubt, has not slept, though the sun is rising. Because the house where he waits is where I laid my head to rest every night for eight years. Until last night. No one who knows me would believe Charlie Pierce, the quiet, bookish girl who never made waves is pulling out of the driveway of a man who isn’t her husband. But they don’t know me at all. I don’t even know me. Not anymore. They say there are two sides to every story, and I suppose in most cases, that’s true. But the one I live inside of? It has three. On the northeast side of town, there is a house. But there is no longer a home.

Now Available Horizontal

Read Today! FREE in Kindle Unlimited Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2FMV7UL Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2FEFeUo 
Add to Goodreads: bit.ly/WHDKGoodreads

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About the Author:
Kandi Steiner is a Creative Writing and Advertising/Public Relations graduate from the University of Central Florida living in Tampa. Kandi works full time as a social media specialist, but also works part time as a Zumba fitness instructor and blackjack dealer.
Kandi started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic (like most girls brought up on Disney movies).
When Kandi isn’t working or writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys beach days, movie marathons, live music, craft beer and sweet wine – not necessarily in that order.

Connect with the Author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KandiSteiner/ Twitter: @KandiSteiner Stay up to date with Kandi by signing up for her newsletter here: https://goo.gl/TLsut8 Website: http://kandisteiner.com
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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Lost Boy (The True Story of Captain Hook) by Christina Henry (Audiobook)


TITLE: Lost Boy 
AUTHOR: Christina Henry
RELEASED:July 4th 2017 by Berkley Books
GENRE: YA Fantasy
“Was this, I wondered, what it felt like to be a grown-up? Did you always feel the weight of things on you, your cares pressing you down like a burden you could never shake? No wonder Peter could fly. He had no worries to weight him to the earth.” 
MY THOUGHTS: I was super disappointed in this book. I found the writing to be very childish and not very engaging at all. It took me awhile to even get into the plot, and when I did I found myself easily distracted and bored until about the last 1/3 of the novel. While I did slightly enjoy the character development of Jamie and Charlie, and loved the Peter Pan story being turned on it's head, I didn't really enjoy most of the novel itself.

 Honestly, what kept me listening was the narrator. He was so good at using tone and changing his tenor to get you into the middle of the tale. I think if I had read the book rather than listened, I would never have finished the book...or only finished so as to know what happens in the end.

 I hated Peter for nearly the entirety, but the best part of the novel was that I could see this actually being the backstory to what happened to make Captain Hook a major part of the story. I think the writing of the story could have been better, but the general idea of Jamie being the first, becoming disillusioned due to various events, and then turning against Peter to eventually become Captain Hook was a pretty interesting plot. The answer to how Peter and the boys stay boys forever was also a cool tweak on the original tale.
"Was this, too, part of growing up? Was it facing the bad things you’d done as well as the good, and knowing all your mistakes had consequences?"

AMAZON * GOODREADS * BOOKDEPOSITORY

*********************************************************************************
Blurb: From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a familiar story with a dark hook—a tale about Peter Pan and the friend who became his nemesis, a nemesis who may not be the blackhearted villain Peter says he is…

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy. Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.
Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever. Peter lies.

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Monday, March 12, 2018

Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood (ARC review)

TITLE: Rust & Stardust
AUTHOR: T. Greenwood
RELEASES: August 7th 2018 by St. Martin's Press
GENRE: YA Fantasy
“I'm sorry. I just mean, a lot of people wouldn't be able to survive that. You must have been really brave.” 
MY THOUGHTS: Based on the same event that inspired Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. A harrowing take on what happened to Sally Horner those two years she was abducted and the couple of years following. A heart breaking rendering...and very well written. The story is compelling and totally gripping due to the variation of viewpoint, from Sally to Susan to a few others, as well as the level of detail involved in the storyline. It really made me appreciate my own life and understand how lucky I am, as well as how dangerous the world can be for some. I will never understand how people come to be like La Salle - is it a brain deficiency or their upbringing? Something else or a combination of things? It is also partially about interconnectedness, as we see how many people try to help Sally throughout her ordeal. This is an extremely sad story and is not for the weak of heart to read.. Completely disturbing read.
"Because she knew now that all of the answers to all of her questioins resided in that luminous sky."
Trigger Warning: rape, child molestation, kidnapping/abduction, abuse

AMAZON * GOODREADS * BOOKDEPOSITORY

*********************************************************************************
Blurb: This chilling novel traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically assaults Sally while the two of them travel westward from Camden to San Jose, forever altering not only her life, but the lives of her family, friends, and those she meets along the way.

 Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic Lolita, this heart-pounding story by award-winning author T. Greenwood at last gives a voice to Sally herself. 


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced digital book! Quotes taken from an ARC - may not match the published version.

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Saturday, March 10, 2018

Down the TBR Rabbit Hole #2


Hey everyone!

I discovered Down the TBR Hole thanks to Destiny at Howling Libraries who got the original idea from the creators at Lost in a Story. It is an amazing idea because my Goodreads TBR is OUT OF CONTROL! So here we go...

It works like this:
  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order by ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 or 15 or 20, if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
  • Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!
Current “to-read” shelf: 766
**********************************************************************************************
Books 6-10
2252280822055262256446012328190626137513

Book 6:
Trigger Warning (Short Fictions and Disturbances)
Judgement - Move to Maybe, Maybe

 Book 7:
Added: 3 April 2016: I'm not entirely sure how I'll feel about this when I read it, but I'm determined to read it! So it stays for now.
Judgement - Keep
Book 8:



Added: 3 April 2016: I think I added this back when I was into the Fifty Shades series and thought it would be interesting to see the story from Christian's side. I never finished the series, so I don't think I'll be getting to this any time soon.
Judgement - Go
Book 9:


 Added: 3 April 2016: I LOVE Nora Roberts. I've enjoyed everything I've ever read from her, so I don't think this will be any different. I also tend to fly through her novels.
Judgement - Keep
Added: 3 April 2016: I'm pretty sure I added this because of the cover and without actually reading the blurb. I have no issue with m/m novels, but I feel there are better options out there now.

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