Book Tour: "Calm Like Home" by Kaisa Clark

Blog Tour:

Calm Like Home

by Kaisa Clark

Aug 3rd - Aug 13th

Calm Like Home

Kaisa Clark

ASIN: B010BLZE1C

Release Date: July 15, 2015

Length: 75,000 words

Available formats: ePub, mobi

Genre: New adult contemporary romance

Alexa Clausen has never fallen. She’s never soared. She’s lived her entire life floating midway between passion and despondency, never experiencing those extremes. But all it takes is one evening with Adam Westbrook to draw her out of her shell, to leave her feeling bold for the first time ever. He is fiery and magnetic. He is gravitational, that inescapable pull no one can avoid. After a few chance encounters, Alexa finally accepts that she can’t stay away, can’t deny the electricity she feels every time he comes around.

But as the intensity between them deepens, she also can’t avoid the subtle hints that Adam is hiding something. His wide smile and radiant eyes obscure some burning secret, some detail of his past that resurfaces to steal his joy. The farther Alexa falls, the more she realizes just how little she really knows about Adam and how far he is willing to go to cover up the truth.

Calm Like Home is a story about love and longing, growth and stagnation, discovering one’s counterpart but losing oneself, and ultimately finding that one person truly has the power to change everything.

My Review:

Genre: New Adult / College Romance

Calm Like Home is a sweet romance with a bit of drama thrown in. It definitely reads like a college / new adult romance where the most important thing happening at the time is that the boy you like stopped by, and breakups are over dramatized as the end of the world. I had forgotten how simple life could be when the most you needed to worry about was getting to class on time, how your presentation in class would go, and knowing where the next party was.

This book is written in first person perspective, but solely from Alexa's point of view. I felt like I was missing big parts of the story while it was happening because I had no idea what Alex was thinking and feeling as he was going through his relationship with Alexa. It makes the book read like a journal - Alexa's journal - and I often felt like I was just an observer in Alexa's life instead of part of her life.

The one thing I didn't like in the story is that Alexa blamed herself for the breakup with Alex. She lamented that it had to be her fault because she pushed him to tell her something he wasn't ready. I don't like the message that sends to girls - that they shouldn't do anything to piss off a boyfriend because he may break up with her. She had a right to demand honesty in him and to choose not to be with him if he didn't give it to her.

Calm Like Home is an easy read that shows the ups and downs of a college romance with the added difficulty of distance and a secret the boyfriend doesn't wish to divulge. It's got drama, romance, good friends, and strife - all of the key elements of a good, dramatic romance.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

         

“What an emotional roller coaster this book took me on! This book was so well written it was like the story was actually happening to me instead of the main character, Alexa.“

“Calm Like Home definitely gave me a book hangover. I finished the book and had to get my emotions in check before I could start another book.”

“Really, the ups and downs of the story couldn't have been more perfect. Kaisa Clark did an amazing job. The story was sweet at times, but very real and raw. I loved it.”

The early hostess ends up running late so I’m covering the host stand when Damien strolls in through the door. Even in his work uniform, he looks every bit the confident frat boy. He has one hand casually tucked in his pants pocket, the other swinging languidly at his side. His tie is loose at his throat, his light brown hair tousled on his head, lips curled into a relaxed don’t-give-a-fuck smile. He nods towards me at the host stand then saunters towards the back, likely in search of some new prey to poke fun of.

And then there’s Adam, his dark head poking through the doorway. Suddenly the room is filled with him, with his energy, with his light. I drink him in, soaking in every detail. His crisp, white dress shirt fits him perfectly, lightly skimming over the muscles in his chest and arms and tapering where his waist narrows. The lightness of the shirt is the perfect contrast to his tan skin, to his dark eyes.

His gaze slowly sweeps from the floor to my face, and if seeing the four letters of his name earlier was enough to give me butterflies, seeing him now is like being hit by a freight train. It’s been three hundred days and yet everything slams back into me at once. The way his brown eyes sparkle when he smiles, how one corner of his mouth turns up a little higher than the other. And this smile is all for me.

His stride quickens as he approaches and I can’t help myself. My face breaks into an obvious grin, completely full-toothed and pinched-cheeked. So much for playing it cool. 

“Look who’s back!” I call out, hearing my voice light up. Being around him instantly lifts me. This is what he does to people; it’s what he’s always done to me.

Full Chapter 1 

  

Kaisa Clark is the author of the new adult novel Calm Like Home. She is passionate about reading and writing and also has an intense love for music, coffee, and dark chocolate. She lives with her amazing husband, sweet dog, and kooky cat.

    

    

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Review: "Distorted Loyalty" by Stacy Eaton

Synopsis:

Emergency room Doctor Rachel Wilde and Detective Grant Murphy meet by chance and it takes only one glance and a simple gentle touch to ignite their senses. When Grant's wife is in a tragic accident, Rachel goes above and beyond the call of duty to save her life. It is the moment she faces Grant again that their lives begin to spin out of control and they realize the lives of their loved ones were deeply intertwined. The distorted loyalties of the ones they lost will drive a wedge between them and it will take another death, a last will and a look beyond the grave to find the path they must follow.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, with a touch of paranormal

My Review:

I have now read several books by Stacy Eaton and I think I've said the same thing each time - this one is my favorite. The author uses an alternating first person point of view approach, but a bit differently than I've read before. Sometimes when the POV changes, the scene backs up in order to give you the perspective of the other character as they experience the same scene you just read. This technique works well in this book to give you the depth of experience and feeling that Grant and Rachel experience in Distorted Loyalty.

Grant and Rachel spend most of the book struggling with a myriad of feelings and situations - grief, loss, guilt, hurt, heartbreak, anger, you name it - these two characters experience it in Distorted Loyalty. They meet innocently enough - as their kids are chatting in a store - but their innocent flirting with each other (both are married at this point, mind you) sets the stage for all of the feelings that they experience for the rest of the book. I really love how the author introduces Grant to Rachel through a whispered statement in the store - and as the storyline climaxes, Grant again approaches Rachel and whispers a similar statement to her. The author does a wonderful job of drawing parallels between these two as to where they were at the beginning of the story and then at the climax.

The characters are given a lot to deal with in this book and it may seem a bit farfetched that they could be given so many challenges, but it was done in a way that comes across realistically to the reader. The author also introduces just a touch of paranormal, in brief after life experiences for two of the characters. The afterlife experience of one of the characters solidifies that character's feelings and direction of their life and the afterlife experience was well placed and well executed to support the story.

There are no scenes of intimacy in this book but even without that, the feelings of the characters as they go through their experiences create an emotional experience for the reader that has you crying along with them, angry for them, and ultimately rooting for Grant and Rachel by the end of the book. A fantastic read that I would strongly recommend.

Links:

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo

About the Author:

Stacy Eaton has been in law enforcement for 14 years, she is currently assigned as the department detective. She is also the departments Crime Scene Investigator.

She uses her knowledge from her job to shape her stories. Give real life twists and turns to the fantasy fiction that she creates and uses her knowledge to enhance her romantic suspense novels.

Stacy is also a photographer, avid reader and a business owner. She also currently serves on the board of directors for her county's domestic violence center. She lives with her husband, her daughter and her two Shiloh Shepherds Garda and Callie in Southeaster PA.

Website:  www.stacyeaton.com

Book Tour and Review: "Fractured Not Broken" by Kelly Schaefer with M. Weidenbenner

New Release....

AWARD-WINNING and BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Parts of this memoir appeared on ESPN and in Rosie.

Fractured Not Broken is a true story of loss, faith, and a rare love that only happens in nonfiction.

In a sweeping and heart-wrenching narrative, Kelly exposes the truth about what happened after a drunk driver rendered her a quadriplegic. She shares how she found her way back—through faith and pain, her community, her family, and the love of a man she’d prayed for.

Book available to buy from....

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble   iBooks   Kobo   Paperback

"This book has been a true encouragement to me. Thank you Kelly for sharing your story— the loss and the unexpected joy— so that each reader can be uplifted knowing there is a full, rich life available to those who lean in to our Lord Jesus." —Renee Bondi Award-Winning Singer and Songwriter 

"Life has its tragic moments of defeat, setbacks, and fracturing for everyone. Kelly's story proves, however, that individual momentum, personal progress, and genuine achievement can still be attained. Her courage and optimism are uplifting. Open these pages and experience the joy of ultimate victory." —Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, Author Jesus in All Four Seasons 

"This is a real life story of heroic virtue—especially of courage, humility, and generosity—a triumph of faith, hope and love. This story involves the very essence of the human spirit, family, and community. To know Kelly and her journey of miracles is to know that with God all things are possible." —Most Reverend Charles C. Thompson Bishop of Evansville

My Review:

I was initially reluctant to join this book tour. I felt like Fractured Not Broken was too far from my intended genre, Contemporary Romance, to read and review on this blog.  Boy was I wrong! This may not be a Contemporary Romance fiction book - but it's more. It's a real life love story! But I warn you, this book needs to come with a tissue warning - like a whole box full of tissues warning. I cried through most of this book - sad tears, angry tears, happy tears - all of them. And not a gentle little tear running down my face, but ugly eyes running, nose running, sinuses clogged, eyes puffy kind of crying. I read the book straight through - long into the night - because I just couldn't stop! It was that emotional, that compelling, can't put it down kind of reading!

The book follows Kelly's journey from just before the accident pictured below changed her life. We get to know her as an older teen, a girl in her twenties struggling with educational and career decisions, and a career woman who meets and marries the love of her life. And do not get me wrong - this man IS the love of her life, and she is his. I love how Shawn's viewpoint is included, over a period of years, during which God seems to be continuing to place Kelly on his heart. I love how the book describes how Shawn and Kelly's relationship progresses, and how Shawn is deliberate in his questioning about how making Kelly a permanent part of his life will impact his life and his future. Shawn and Kelly's faith is a prominent part of this book and it's so refreshing to see people who live their faith boldly and openly. But, it's also realistic and showing that their perfect love story is still real - I laughed when the author describes the story of their first fight as a married couple - about peanuts in the grocery store!

A lot of the book talks about Kelly's struggles with the adjustment to being a quadriplegic, both her emotional and physical struggles. It opens the readers eyes to the realities of how a quadriplegic lives and how even the simple things in life are often taken for granted that Kelly has to deal with differently. I can't imagine how she felt during those days but it's clear she became an inspiration to others - because that's how Shawn found her! And, as you see, I keep coming back to Shawn and Kelly's love story because it is such an inspirational part of the story. Just as Kelly, over time, sees herself as more than just her disability, through the words on the page, the reader sees Kelly as a person, a teacher, a motivational speaker, a wife, a daughter, a sister and not a disability. At times in the book, it easy to forget Kelly is a quadriplegic.

It was a bit difficult at times to keep up with the change from first person (Kelly's words) to third person (when we see and hear the experiences of others in her family), but it didn't take away from the emotional impact that this book. This is an inspirational book that will make the reader want to be a better person, a better servant of God, and to find a marriage as inspirational and loving as clearly Shawn and Kelly's marriage is. I mean, look at the photo on the cover of the book - that's true happiness and love and you read about it all in this book. 

Fractured Accident Scene

Kelly Schaefer
Kelly is a true heroine, finding God as she battles with a life as a quadriplegic. Overcoming obstacles every day, she's a speaker, teacher, and Skittles lover. Michelle, Kelly's aunt, is an award-winning and bestselling author who penned Kelly's memoir to bring others hope. She writes stories that move her, and this one is close to her heart.

Find the author on the following pages...

Facebook    Goodreads   Amazon Author Page

 
Time for celebrations

Michelle Weidenbenner

Michelle is a fulltime employee of God’s kingdom, writing and encouraging writers every day. She’s often a sucker for emotional stories, her sensitive side fueling the passion for her character’s plights, often giving her the ability to show readers the “other” side of the story.

She grew up in the burbs of Detroit with five brothers. No sisters. Each time her mom brought the boy bundle home from the hospital Michelle cried, certain her mom liked boys better than girls. But when her brothers pitched in with the cooking, cleaning, and babysitting—without drama, Michelle discovered having brothers wasn’t so bad. They even taught her how to take direct criticism without flinching, which comes in handy with book reviews.

Michelle is living her dream—writing every day and thanking God for the stories He puts in her path. When Michelle isn’t writing she’s winning ugly on the tennis court. She’s known as “Queen of the Rim Shots.” No joke. It’s ugly.

Find the author on the following pages.....

 Website   Facebook   Twitter   Google+    Pinterest    Goodreads   Amazon Author Page

Follow the tour

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

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Review: "Hellfire, TX" (part of the 12-Alarm Cowboys box set) by Elle James

Synopsis:

Becket Grayson, rancher and volunteer firefighter assists a damsel in distress when her car catches fire on a dry country road near Hellfire, Texas. When he discovers she was his little brother’s classmate and is running away from an abusive ex-boyfriend, he offers to help. 

Kinsey Phillips is desperate to get away from her ex-boyfriend who is a mean drunk with a habit of beating her whenever he feels like it. When she heads back to the only home she’s ever known, her old high school crush comes to her rescue. With the help of Becket and the entire Grayson family, they struggle to keep Kinsey safe when her ex-boyfriend comes to reclaim her. 

Warning: Things are heating up in Hellfire, Texas

My Review:

There's a 12 alarm fire in Hellfire, TX and it's burning between Kinsey and Becket. This book, being released initially as part of the 12-alarm cowboys box set, is hot. The author manages to develop a new relationship between Kinsey and Becket while accurately and sensitively portraying the after effects of domestic abuse. I really appreciated how the author includes the emotional reaction of a domestic abuse victim, how the support of other people can help that victim, and other resources available to a victim, all in the context of a contemporary romance. I also loved the firefighter aspects of the story - give me a cowboy AND a firefighter in the same character - yummy. The author also introduces us to other members of the Grayson family, which I could only hope means there are more stories yet to come from Hellfire, TX.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Links:

Goodreads

Hellfire, TX is currently released as part of the 12-Alarm Cowboys Box Set

Goodreads • Amazon • Barnes and Noble • Kobo • iBooks

About the Author:

Elle was born on Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington to parents who taught her the value of hard work. She grew up as a military brat moving from place to place, alas, only stateside in lovely places like Glasgow, Montana, Abilene, Texas and various places in California and Washington. Elle got her creative streak from her talented artist mother, her tenacity from her wonderful father and her inspiration from her writing buddy and delightful sister, Delilah Devlin.

As a former member of the Army and Air Force Reserves, Elle's traveled across the United States and to Germany, managed a full-time job, and raised three wonderful children, Courtney, Adam and Megan. She and her husband, Cleve, have even tried raising exotic birds in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her and she'll tell you what it's like to go toe-to-toe with an angry 350-pound bird!

Elle always loved playing make-believe and inventing stories of adventure and fun. At the turn of the century, she and her sister, Delilah decided it was about time to take writing by the horns and make it happen! They challenged each other to write a romance novel. After chapter one, they decided to join forces and learn the craft together. Their first four novels were co-authored. After that, they took off on their own. Delilah turned to the hot stuff, writing romantica for Ellora's Cave. Elle writes a variety of genres from romantic comedy to suspense. She loves writing paranormal elements into her projects and does whenever possible!

For the first four years of Elle's writing career, she wrote, entered contests, finaled and began winning! In 2004, she won the RWA Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript TO KISS A FROG. There's Elle at the left with her Golden Heart necklace. TO KISS A FROG was her first book to sell.

In 2004, Elle left her successful career as an Information Technology Manager to pursue writing full time. She loves escaping into her stories, learning and growing with each character and plot. She writes because she likes to experience and evoke all the emotions from happy to sad, funny to frightening. She digs them all!

At home in Northwest Arkansas, Elle is busy writing tales of murder and suspense for Harlequin Intrigue, Romantic Suspense and Nocture. Her first Harlequin, BENEATH THE TEXAS MOON, was released in March 2006 and was a Romantic Times Top Pick for the month! She 's written numerous stories since and is now writing SEAL heroes. Stay tuned for more from Elle James!

Website: http://www.ellejames.com/

Other authors in the 12-Alarm Cowboys Box set:

Cora Seton
Becky McGraw
Cynthia D'Alba
Delilah Devlin
Beth Williamson
Donna Michaels
Lexi Post
Paige Tyler
Sable Hunter
Randi Alexander
Sabrina York

Book Tour and Review: "Bad News Cowboy" (Copper Ridge) by Maisey Yates

 

Welcome to my tour stop for Bad News Cowboy by Maisey Yates.  Bad News Cowboy is the third book in the Copper Ridge trilogy, a sexy new contemporary romance series featuring a small-town setting and gorgeous cowboys finding love unexpectedly.  Bad News Cowboy released July 28, 2015 from Harlequin and it can be read as a standalone.

Follow the tour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from August 3-21st for reviews, author interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

About the Book:

Title: Bad News Cowboy

Author: Maisey Yates

Genre: Romance

Age: Adult

ISBN #: 9780373788538

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: HQN

Series: Copper Ridge Series, #3

Publication date: August 2015 (Official on sale date: 7/28/2015)

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Pages: 512

Price: $7.99

Can the bad boy of Copper Ridge, Oregon, make good—and win the rodeo girl of his dreams?

Kate Garrett keeps life simple—working hard, riding her beloved horses, playing cards with her brothers. Lately, though, she feels a bit restless, especially when family friend Jack Monaghan is around. Sexy and shameless, Jack is the kind of trouble you don't tangle with unless you want your heart broken. Still, Kate could always use his help in learning how to lasso someone a little less high-risk…

Jack can't pinpoint the moment the Garrett brothers' little sister suddenly stopped seeming so…little. Now here he is, giving flirting tips to the one woman who needs zero help turning him on. Love's a game he's never wanted to play. But he'll have to hurry up and learn how before the best thing that ever entered his life rides right back out again…

My Review:

As with every other book in the Copper Ridge series, I found myself crying halfway through this book. The author has an undeniable ability to draw her readers into the stories and make them part of those stories, invested in those stories, and feeling right along with those characters in the stories. In all of the Copper Ridge books, the author creates complex characters and significant emotional situations, and this book is no different. We had met both Jack and Kate in previous books, and I thought I knew them, but I was wrong. There is so much to both of these characters that we didn't see, didn't learn, until the author dug into their lives in Bad News Cowboy.

I loved Jack's transition. He has an amazing ability to be lighthearted and funny, and incredibly circumspect at the same time. Unlike many male characters in romance novels, Jack is the character who changes the rules - changes his feelings for Kate. And he also demonstrates an amazing ability to understand his circumstances, why he is the way that he is, and make decisions based on that information. He won't admit to it, but he's very self-aware, even if he doesn't realize it. I thought I liked him before in previous books, but I really fell in love with him myself in this book.

Kate is also a very complex character. She had seemed so straightforward to me in previous books - the tomboy youngest sister of two alpha men who had spent their lives raising her and protecting her. It was no surprise that she was a tomboy. But as the author peels back the onion that is Kate, we see that she is so much more. She is a tomboy because its easy - and safe. It's what she knows and she has spent her life trying not to change things, thinking change was a risk for hurt. She also demonstrates a need to control what is happening around her and her need for control and her fear of change have created an environment where she's stuck in neutral.

What I find interesting is that I knew I would like this book before I read it - I've LOVED every other Copper Ridge book from Maisey Yates. But, when I started reading this book, I felt a bit, well, discombobulated. I wasn't feeling a connection to the characters or the story. But, that's how the characters were feeling towards each other - they were just beginning to realize their brotherly / sisterly feelings towards each other were changing. And the characters were feeling discombobulated (don't you love that word) - and I think the author did such a fantastic job of conveying the characters feelings that they became my feelings. It was almost as though I wasn't enjoying the feeling the book was giving me at the beginning - but I knew it would be good, so I powered through until I found myself turning the pages faster and faster, trying to experience Jack and Kate's relationship as fast as possible. The author has this ability to bring the reader into her stories to live alongside her characters and I really felt that in this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Buy Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Don't miss out on the previous books in the series, Part Time Cowboy and Brokedown Cowboy.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances  set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Website | Twitter @maiseyyates | Facebook | Goodreads

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Giveaway:

5 sets of the Copper Ridge Series (Part Time Cowboy, Brokedown Cowboy and Bad News Cowboy)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.Sweepstakes opens 8/3/2015 at 12:01 AM (EDT) and closes 8/25/2015 at 11:59 PM (EDT). Enter online at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4a6581ad5. Open to legal residents of the U.S. and Canada who have reached the age of majority or older. Void where prohibited by law. Void in Quebec. Five (5) prizes available to be won consisting of a “Copper Ridge” trilogy of books by Maisey Yates (Total ARV: $23.00 USD). Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Full details and Official Rules available online at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4a6581ad5. Sponsor: Harlequin Enterprises Limited.

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