Apples Should be Red by Penny Watson

Apples Should be Red

 Recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner:

Start with 62-year old politically incorrect, chain-smoking, hard-cussing curmudgeon.

Add 59-year old sexually-repressed know-it-all in pearls.

Throw in a beer can-turkey, a battle for horticultural supremacy, and nudist next-door neighbor.

Serve on paper plates, garnished with garden gnome.

Tastes like happily ever after.
You know I have been talking about this book all over twitter and I have YET to write a post about it !!
I find this
not super shocking
HOWEVER
I will make this short
why? because there is something amazing happening to this fabulous book but I will get to that part in a minute

WHAT can I tell you
this is an unusual romance book because the lead couple is over 50!
Why will you enjoy it ?

Meet Tom
he is a curmudgeon a lovable one
he likes to garden he is practical and smart and just darling (but that opinion of him would annoy him so SHHHH)

Meet Bev

She is a little tightly wound

Everything in its place everything is proper everything just so
right down to the type of apples
Oh Tom has so much fun with her

just go buy it and read it and TRUST ME !! and if you think Im wrong come talk to me about it because I love talking books even we disagree!

NOW for the news
THIS fabulous story made it to dabwaha
(thats a what??)
it is a contest similar to the March Madness brackets
you vote and vote till one book is left
That this little Indie book with no street team , and no promo efforts beyond readers that love it


dabwaha <<< go vote

I'm so proud of Penny !

Apples Should be Red by Penny Watson

The Last Good Knight by Tiffany Reisz

This is a series of five books or short stories or novellettes or novellas or whatever you want to call them. They take place in between the White years and The Red years and feature our favorite smart-ass, Nora I love Nora. She reminds me of movie heroines from the thirties and forties.

In this story, Nora meets Lance, a sexy male sub. Watch out, world! If you love knights in shining armor, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE Lance. I want a Lance. There aren't enough words to describe him. Every woman needs a Lance!

just because

For instance, check out his favorite position :

"Standing so I can protect you" He ran a hand through her long hair and shoved a fistful of it off the back of her neck. "From behind so I can shield you" She understood at once what he meant. If someone broke into the house while they were making love, Lance's body would stand between her and the intruder at the door. Even during sex he would keep her safe or die trying.

Isn't that the most beautiful thing??

Lance is a dive in front of a bullet kind of a guy. And he's a hottie dad!! Anyone who follows me on twitter knows I have this fascination with hot dads. To me, nothing is sexier than a man taking care of his children

Of course, this book is not just about a sexy male sub. It also has mystery and intrigue

Lance is not allowed to see his daughter, because his ex thinks he's a pervert for looking at kinky porn

NORA TO THE RESCUE

Some questions to ponder:

• How will she save him? After all, she's an erotica novelist and Domme
• Who is after the Dommes in Kingsley's employ?
• Why is King insisting that Lance keep his hands, and other parts, off Nora ?

Well, you'll just have to read to find out!

do you need to ask?

In summary, this series has

• mystery
• banter
• a sexy hottie dad
• a Knight in Shining Armor
• Nora

What more could you ask for?
I
It's a short series, so it's a nice, fast read  and loads of fun. Get it for the friend on your gift list who loves Tiffany or for the one who needs to meet her

As usual, I give her stuff five stars, because I cannot find anything that would make it better, except to send me my very own Lance,

The Last Good Knight by Tiffany Reisz

All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacy

All He Ever Dreamed

Shannon Stacey 

Josh Kowalski is tired of holding down the fort—better known as the Northern Star Lodge—while his siblings are off living their dreams. Now that his oldest brother has returned to Whitford, Maine for good, Josh is free to chase some dreams of his own.

As the daughter of the lodge’s longtime housekeeper, Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalski kids. Though she’s always been “one of the guys”, her feelings for Josh are anything but sisterly. And after a hot late-night encounter in the kitchen, it’s clear Josh finally sees her as the woman she is.

Katie’s been waiting years for Josh to notice her, but now that he has, she’s afraid it’s too late. Giving her heart to a man who can’t wait to leave town is one sure way to have it broken. But Josh keeps coming up with excuses not to leave—could it be that everything he’s ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?

Yes, it is another Kowalski book. I requested this one from Netgalley an eon ago. See how long I let posts just sit half-finished here. I need a badge that says Worlds Worst Blogger.

When I got the book. I was so happy. I love those boys, and I enjoy Shannon's writing so much.

Now I'm going to tell you that if you don't want to be spoiled, you need to stop reading right now. I have a few choice words I want to say to the character Josh, and they might spoil some of the story for you

SO if you are leaving the post now I will give you the short version of my review

• If you like the Kowalski boys and their universe, you wanna read this
• If you like a good tear-jerker that makes you giggle in places, you wanna read this
• If you like some hot sexing, you wanna read this
• If you like a story where you get so angry at a character that you wish he was real, so you could storm over to his house and bitch him out for being an ass, READ IT

We shall take a short pause here while those who do not want to be spoiled leave, and I prepare for my bitch-out session with a pretend person ....

Take your time

For those sticking around, look at this.

Okay, are they gone? Good. Sit back, my dears. It's gonna get bumpy

Josh, what the hell is your problem? If you were real, I would be offering you a Midol, you old curmudgeon.

Yes, I called you a curmudgeon.

What the hell kind of man, and I use that term loosely, acts like this?

You have your lovely friend Katie, who not only likes sports but also likes you and puts up with your shit AND supports herself AND is hot and sweet. Granted, she cant cook as well as her mother, but you know that shit takes practice

I get the whole "I didn't see her as a female" thing, which is fine and all. I was great up until
Christmas Eve. Yes, the party you and Katie put together, because Rosie was not well enough to help out, which of course was all a plot by the brilliant Rosie to get you two knuckleheads to work together.

Anyway, there she was under the mistletoe that your bro put up, because he's a sneaky SOB, and
you're all hemming and hawing and making poor Katie feel like chopped liver, because you can't get over get over being fifteen-years-old !!!

I was so angry for Katie. There she stood in her pretty dress, all crushing on you, and you're being an asshole. If I was her I would have walked away and left you to kiss yourself. You did not deserve to kiss her

Poor Katie is so smitten with Josh, and he has his head up his ass for most of the book.
I know I know, he had to leave home and learn about how much she meant to him, but I swear I was so angry, I wanted to see him hurt more than Katie was hurting, which made Rosie hurt, and that made me cry

I just wish I was one of the aunties, because I would have hit him upside the head!

You know what I've said before. When I have a visceral response to characters, either good or bad, it means the character was crafted well.

I do not like Josh

I don't care if he was redeemed (it is a romance, so no shocker there).   I do not like him. He made me so angry

I liked Katie, even though I wanted to be one of her friends to tell her Josh wasn't worthy of her tears or devotion, and that if he came back, she should make him work for it

I knew Katie loved him, but HOLY COW there's only so much a girl should take. He;d better be the most amazingest hubby ever, because he's so so so lucky he isn't real.

Now, is it worth the read? Yes, I think it's worth the frustration, because I got to know Katie, and to me, she makes the journey worth it. I like her a lot.

Josh. not so much. He needs his brains rattled a few times

BUT he is very much a guy

I give this one 5 Stars just because it caused such a reaction within me.

All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacy

Cinderella and the Ghost by Marina Myles

I know I usually write posts that are glowing five-star reviews of books I've enjoyed, because I'm lazy and busy and don' have the time to write up something full of complaints. If I don't like a book, I don't finish it, and in my mind, it's unfair to review a book I haven't finished. I guess I could start a flounce list along with reasons why I stopped reading, but that's another post for another time.

Someone once told me that negative reviews are important, because I'm  saving others from reading bad books.

Now it seems I had to take that person's advice. This had just about everything I despise in a romance novel. I have to say, I'm horribly disappointed

I love NetGalley, It gives me a chance to sample all kinds of different books. I was browsing there when I happened upon this cover:

Isn't it striking? I love a good cover, and this one didn't have half-naked people wound around each other. The picture made me want to read the summary, which is what a good cover should do.

When her demanding stepmother died, Ella Benoit knew just how far their fortunes had fallen, unlike her spoiled stepsisters. So she never expected the bequest from her late father. A chateau in France and the freedom to live her own life, all at once!

The chateau has seen better days, but Ella knows she can put the ruined house to rights. The life-size portrait of its first owner, Jean-Daniel Girard, seems to watch her work with approval, even pleasure. With bright blue eyes, strong features, and an athlete€™s body, the viscount is a tempting sight even now, more than three hundred years after his tragic death. But the more she looks at the portrait, the more convinced Ella is that shes met Jean-Daniel before. In another life, perhaps or maybe, as the form who haunts the halls at night, invading Ella€™s dreams

NOW I was intrigued, so I submitted my request later that day. I was excited to read about the cursed prince, but it all went downhill from here.

Here are the three main problems I have found in this book

1) A lot of telling, no showing

This is a huge problem in many books but especially in romance.

Telling me he is handsome and how pretty she is and how tormented she is by her life is NOT character building. You as an author have not given me reason to sympathize with her, nor have you shown me why he is desirable.

There are sentences like, "He is absolutely perfect." No! Just, NO! Please stop. It's torturous and makes for a tedious read. When an author goes on and on like this, it makes me skim to find when the hell something is going to happen. That is something you never want the reader to do, because they are pulled out of the story. Long, vapid descriptions of the hero's eyes and his perfection is not compelling storytelling, Not to mention the whining about how miserable she is and how terrible life has been to her and how she has no self-esteem and if only something would come along and save her. I have notes in my kindle version that include "get therapy" and "seek help"

Also, repeating it does not make it so! Aquamarine was used ten times in the book, nine of which was to describe his eyes. And it's a short book! Her eyes are described as Lapis, and her hair is ivory. Ummmmm...okay.

My other issue on this topic was the repetitive drilling into the readers' head about how miserable her life was with her evil step mother and stepsisters. Of course with it being a Cinderella book, I expected some of this, but I would have preferred a new take on it. Perhaps a humanizing of these characters or showing me how they were nonredeemable. Instead, we have Ella grousing about it to the point where she sounded bitter and whiny.

random Channing I found when googling "frustrated"

That is the difficulty with taking on something like Cinderella. It's a delicate balance. She can either be taken too far one way where she is a cross between a doormat and a saint, or she comes off as whiny and bitter.

I love my google

For these issues, a good pre-reader who tells the author to knock it off, would do the trick. And you as the author need to listen to these trusted people. A good pre-reading team and editor are not there to blow smoke up your ass. They believe in the writer, but they are also there to kick your ass, and book, into shape. They want you to present the best of yourself, and the best of your work.

this is what google gives me when I search faithful

2)  Continuity Errors

This is what a pre-reading team and editor are for. The writer is too close to their own work to catch these issues. The problem with continuity errors is that it disrupts the vision in the readers' mind.

3) Superfluous, Distracting Story Points

The main thing to me that could have been left out is (SPOILER ALERT) Ella was raped. First, it was not dealt with well, since it didn't happen in the story itself but before the story began. Again, this is a delicate issue.

Having a rape survivor in a book with some erotica needs to be handled better. In my opinion it was not handled well at all. It was just brought out to make the reader feel some sympathy for Ella. It did not work with this reader. To me, it was just piling on more crap. It didn't drive anything in the story. When I pre-read for others and come across something like this, I always ask the author, "What does this do to drive the story? Does this have a point? Is it needed? If not, get rid of it and expand on something else. There were so many places that could have been fleshed out, Things that could have been made beautiful with the right treatment. Sadly, these were ignored.

google is confused I typed in pleading and this is what I get!

This story idea had so much promise. It could have been something fantastic. In my mind, I had at least a dozen different scenarios as to different avenues the story could have taken. It would make a great writing prompt for a contest or writing practice.

In the end:

I felt no attraction to the cursed Prince

I felt no sympathy for lead female

I am horribly disappointed and would love to see someone take this idea and fix it

Cinderella and the Ghost by Marina Myles

Unbound by Cara McKenna

Unbound

Cara McKenna

She set out to find herself, and discovered the darker side of desire.

I bought this book based on a rec through a friend in my twitter timeline
I saw her talking to Tiffany Reisz about this book
Tiffany (as you know writes The Original Sinners series) said
" one of the best examples of a male sub "
I am always skeptical when it comes to reading about male subs
and here is why
most tend to feel either too feminine
or too childish

not quite the image that fits the story but I like it anyways

For me both of those take the hotness out of the kink
I like my men manly
and what many people cannot express when it comes to a submissive is it is not weakness that drives a sub
it is an eagerness to please

or
a desire to be punished or to earn forgiveness for whatever transgression may be bothering them
I personally equate that desire to something like the feeling one gets after confession (for my non Catholic friends just trust me), It is cleansing to do this "penance"
please note  this is NOT the case for all subs just some, some subs just like the feeling if it is not your thing then it is not YOUR thing do not judge others for THEIR thing in this book she describes being Kinky as one would being gay it is just something you are born with a preference, it does not need to be fixed or loved out of you or therapied out of you it is a part of who you are and how you get off

AT ANY RATE
I have to agree with Tiffany
I have a new book boyfriend
I'm in love with
Rob
He is a man

a manly man a survivalist living on his own in the highlands
Through the story he matures and changes as we get to know him
His journey is neat one to read you find yourself as the reader wanting to hold him and hug him and make it all better knowing that would be the worst thing you could do for him he would reject it
and the message would never get across but he is just wonderful
I yelled out loud during the climax of his story (not a sexual climax you pervs)
If you chose to read this book you find out what Im talking about

Now for our female lead
You all know me I hate a weak female lead
I want my girls strong of mind and spirit
or to grow to find that strength inside them through their journey
What struck me most about Merry
was how far she had come before our story even begins
Merry went on a weight loss journey
some of you may know I am on a journey of my own to gain better health I have so far lost 60lbs
I really identify with everything she says about it
the numbers thing
calories in calories out
sodium content
sugar content
carbs counting
serving sizes
weighing measuring everything
number of steps etc
I have to be compulsive for health reasons
I have been successful too
and it does change the attitudes of others around you
I have yet to find anyone for me that has been negative or snarky about it
Merry has done what I can only dream of
she met her goal and goes on a one woman backpacking trip across

Scotland
Her goal is to find herself and find peace and celebrate her late mothers birthday in her birth city

Along the way she gets ill the closest place is off in the distance
Robs cabin

no they do not jump in the sack right away
it builds not too slowly but believably
I like Merry I can see us being friends she is sweet, optimistic and  smart and intuitive
We get a glimpse of these two and their lives
just a piece I like that they are fleshed out and feel real

and what we have here is a fabulous story
that honestly would be good even if there was no sex
 and the sex
HOLY HOT
wow
yeahhhhhhh
and not in that overdone tab A slot B way
just beautiful

I hope you give this one a go I need people to talk about it
You will be cheering for them I got very invested in this one
I was sad to see it end

I am updating this post because like a moron I forgot to give it a rating
if you cannot tell I really liked this one and I would probably give it a re read
so I'm giving this one

Unbound by Cara McKenna

All he ever Desired by Shannon Stacy

Shannon Stacy

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…
The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.
With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

Another in the Kowalski family series. Now as you may have heard I LOVE them especially the first book Exclusively yours because well lets just say Joe is special (for this go find my post on Joe I love him)

he would make a pretty Ryan

What I like about this book is it deals with an adult relationship not teenagers not people just starting out their lives This book is one for us grown ups with houses and jobs and kids and exes and lives

Lauren is divorced with a 16 yr old son working as a secretary to a 1 man insurance company.
Ryan lives out of state owns a construction company and shows up on weekends to work on repairing his families ski lodge
Small towns are small you grow up knowing everyone there. These two cannot avoid each other especially when his brother is getting married to one of her best friends.
Stacy writes some of the best male characters you will read they are down to earth and funny and cute and sexy. My only problem with this book is that to me the ending felt a bit abrupt it seemed kinda rushed but it was realistic open ending / beginning and I really liked that too (conflicted it is my name)


Lauren has her hands full being a mom to a teenager who in many places in this book should count himself lucky that
1) he is imaginary
2) he is not mine

He did not do anything too horrible which would have really turned me off to the story while ALL teens have a hard time I am personally sick of books portraying them as uncontrollable beasts who only drink and do drugs and skip school hate all adults and fuck everything that walks while there are some teens that are like this most are not

                                                                                 

This book is part of a series you do not have to read the others to follow along with the story line. You get enough of a backstory of the other characters from the other books to know how they fit together in this life with these new people but not enough to make it feel like you are being beat over the head with story from another book

I like Lauren she is a good mom doing the best she can with what life has dealt her
The more I think on it the more I like the feel of this ending I don't need the HEA spelled out for me
SO if you have been meaning to try some of the Kowalski man meat I think Ryan's Story in this book is a good one
4.5 stars 

All he ever Desired by Shannon Stacy

His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty

His Very Own Girl

by

Carrie Lofty

As always, we can thank twitter for this one. I was kinda cruising around, stalking peoples conversations because I am creepy like that, and I saw mention of this new book coming out. I had to have it!

Female pilot

WW2

Romance

set in Britain

Has nothing to do with this book I just like the pic

An American medic who is very handsome

Did I mention a female pilot in WW2?

With all of the talk lately about women's rights and things, I want to talk briefly (meaning ramble on for a while) about why I find WW2 so incredible.

Many people talk about the battles that men went through but what always fascinated me is what the women did and how they dealt with it. All over the world women took on the jobs that the fighting men of their generation normally would have done, instead of just being nurses and teachers. Women went to work in the factories; they became the police force; they became the work force of the world, not just building the war machines but also running the domestic world while the men went off to battle. Women ran the homes and they made paychecks.

Lets, talk about the real start of a revolution:
these women got a taste of things that their mothers never had AND they were vital to the war effort. They were an essential part of the allied victory.

Now what I like about this story:
First, the characters grow. These two are both strong-headed, independent people with very set ideas about how they want their lives to be after the war. Both have lived life, they have pasts; they are adults and it shows.

Next, the insecurities they have are realistic and fitting with who they are and where they are in their lives and the circumstances of war.

Finally, this book made me laugh and it made me cry. I really enjoyed it.

The thing I did not like:
My family demanding to be fed and paid attention to and such. I had to stop reading to go do things for them. Silly, demanding children.

I loved the tension between Joe and Lulu and the way their relationship built up naturally, not to mention the love letters between them. It has been said before: a good historical romance requires a LOT of research and this one is fabulously done. 

OK my favorite quotes (those little things that I had to highlight while reading; these made me smile for whatever reasons):

"Jesus, his imagination had no manners."

"The faint aftertaste of mint flavored tooth powder lingered in her mouth. Joe wanted to gobble her up like a peppermint stick."

"We all have work to do."

"Fly safe, Louise."

Now, why do I like that last quote? This bit killed me every time it was brought up in the book because of the life-and-limb situation she and her girlfriends were in. They did not say goodbye using nicknames; instead, they made it a more formal occasion and used their full names.
I love how Joe describes her as having a "quiet kind of vengeance". 

There are more, but if I put them up here I will end up spoiling too much of the story, and then you'll say, "I don't have to read it because SUE told me the whole thing already!"

I'm giving this one 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book--it was a damn good read and made me tear up in places. I loved the steamy romance and only rolled my eyes at a couple of things that pulled me from the story.

This review comes to you special this week because

Friday and Saturday we are doing a read a long AND a give away!
If you have not already entered via Facebook, Twitter, or here on the read-a-long tab, you can enter below by leaving a comment.

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN WIN:

E-copies of all 3 of Carrie's books!

So you can have a copy of His Very Own Girl to give away to a friend!

We will have one winner each night and winners will be announced here on the blog, on Twitter, and on our Facebook page.

GOOD LUCK, AND HAPPY READING!

His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty