contemporary – Page 7 – Sincerely Karen Jo

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Lead The Way
Brittany Carter
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: April 22nd 2019
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Fresh off the high of college graduation, Melody James is back in her Podunk town. She needs a job, but first, she’ll spend a lazy summer with no agenda at all.

But life’s got other plans for Melody, ones she’d sooner ignore. When the next-door neighbor passes away, his son returns home to take care of his affairs. Thane Cohen hasn’t been home in ten years. The last time he was, someone accused him of murdering Melody’s parents. Now, after major efforts to recover his self-worth and start a construction company, Thane wonders if enough time has passed for him to clear his once good name.

At the time of the murders, Melody was the only person who didn’t believe Thane was responsible. But how could she even suggest otherwise when just about everyone in town was convinced of Thane’s guilt? Her brothers would never allow it. With nothing to lose before, Thane packed up and left, leaving the town and Melody behind. Now that he’s back, rekindling an old flame in Melody and proving his innocence are critical.

When several car windshields get broken and fires start unexpectedly, the world inside their little town is tossed upside down. With Melody’s brother against her, and Thane fighting every attempt she makes at breaking down his walls, Melody’s push for answers leads her to a frightening conclusion. Thane may actually know more about her parents’ death than she was lead to believe. Can she trust him, or has everyone else been right about him all along? Only time will tell if she can let love lead the way.

—

*Author previously wrote under the name, Alla Kar

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mythoughts

Dangerously Sexy and Addictive Romance that Made My Heart Race

4halfhearts

Dangerously sexy and addictive, Lead the Way was an absolute page turner romance that made my heart ache and race at the same time.

With plenty of drama, conflict, intrigue, steam and a hint of suspense, this book was such an utterly thrilling and wonderful love story. I loved Brittany Carter’s writing style. It was engaging, emotional, and captivating. My heart felt so heavy, but also filled with hope and happiness as I experienced everything the characters were feeling. I laughed and I swooned like crazy. I felt delicious anticipation. I held my breath and clutched my heart. And I was in tears… I felt so damn much going on this journey with Melody and Thane and I enjoyed every moment of it. The ending was perfectly realistic and bittersweet and wrapped up the story so beautifully.

The forbidden romance between Thane and Melody was absolutely electrifying and swoony! They had intense and sexy chemistry. Their attraction was palpable and I felt their desire for each other. I also really loved the playful way they teased each other and all those window scenes. I loved the build up and the titillating moments, their sweet kisses, and their heartwarming scenes. They were both passionate and protective about each and I loved that they were willing to fight against all odds to find a way to be together.

Melody was an amazing heroine and I admired her so much. She was strong and determined. She was also kind, smart, caring, and selfless. She fought to prove Thane’s innocence and never gave up on him. Thane had my heart from the beginning. He was misjudged and mistreated and I just wanted to give him the biggest hug ever!

The supporting characters were well-developed and likable. I liked Sammy and how he helped Melody. I loved that both Melody’s brothers, Jackson and Hayden wanted what was best for her. I absolutely adored Mrs. Arlene. She was funny, spunky, and kind. Even Lucas who was annoyingly creepy was hard not to like cause he definitely added some conflict to the story that made it more entertaining.

The mystery about Melody’s parents’ murder was always in the back of my mind, but I was honestly more invested in the romance part and how the story would play out and lead the way to Thane and Melody’s HEA. That being said, I did really enjoy the suspense and never could have guessed who the kiler was. I was actually quite shocked and disturbed by the revelation. Totally did not see that coming.

Heartwrenching, poignant, and achingly beautiful, Lead the Way had me glued to the pages. I loved the gorgeous writing, the broken but wonderful characters, and the storyline that kept me on my toes. It was an enjoyable read to the very last page and I cannot wait to read more books from Brittany Carter!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher and Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opiniosn are my own.

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abouttheauthor

Brittany Booker Carter previously writing as Alla Kar. I’m a Christian, lover or romance, a wife and mother to a wild-child!

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Thanks for stopping by and reading. I hope you get the chance to meet Thane and Melody.

Until next time, have a wonderful day lovelies!

sincerelykjologo

arcreview

Hello lovelies and happy Wednesday. Today, I’ll be sharing my review for this charming and fun book! If you love Groundhog Day, I think you’ll really enjoy this story.

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Pretty in Punxsatawney_RD3

aboutbook

Published: January 15th 2019

Publisher: Blink

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: Hardcover, 301 Pages

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AMAZON – BARNES AND NOBLE

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A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup from author Laurie Boyle Crompton, Pretty in Punxsutawney tells the tale of a girl willing to look beneath the surface to see people for who they really are.

Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say…after it’s too late to say it. She’s addicted to romance movies—okay, all movies—but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again.

Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings.

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mythoughts

Charmingly Creative, Wonderfully Moving and Thoroughly Entertaining

4halfhearts

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton was an absolutely delightful story about a rom-com obsessed teenage girl stuck on reliving her first day in a new school over and over until she can figure out a way to break free. I thought it was charmingly creative, hilarious, and utterly heartwarming.

I honestly could not devour this book fast enough! I finished it in less than half a day and was left wanting MORE! I mean that literally cause there wasn’t any epilogue and I really wanted to know what would happen after that super adorable ending. I was bummed out, but at the same time I was happy with how everything turned out for Andie. I just really wish there was more…

I loved the concept of this book and thought Laurie created an addictively unique and amusing story that kept me entertained the entire time. The writing was fantastic and the characters were intriguing, likable and easily relatable. I enjoyed Andie’s version of A Groundhog Day and I loved seeing her discover something new not only about herself, but also about the people she overlooked and judged. I loved her character growth and just being part of her journey to becoming the kind of heroine that could make a difference (and she did genuinely try to do just that). It was inspiring to see Andie challenge the norm, break barriers, and free herself from trying fitting in a group… cause sometimes you just have to stand out and “embrace the strange and unusual.” I thought it was wonderful how Laurie incorporated and explored plenty of thought-provoking themes and still managed to keep the story lighthearted, fun and hilarious. It really made this book an absolute joy to read.

There were so many things to love about this book and I could rave about them all, but I’ll just mention a few more so I don’t ruin all the fun for you. I loved the cute cover. I loved the movie references. I loved Andie’s parents and thought they were amazing. They were quirky and funny and their interactions with Andie were so endearing. I also really liked that they were very supportive and understanding of their daughter. I LOVED Tom and I wanted more moments with him… especially those with his adorable grandmother, Meemaw. I loved that they had one of my favorite arcade games, Rampage. That brought back so many happy memories when my brother and I would play that together. I loved the humor and I found myself smiling quite a lot. I loved loved loved this book so much! It just really made me so darn happy.

With an irresistibly captivating storyline, a cast of quirky and lovable characters, and a charming blend of humor, nostalgia, silly antics, friendship and romance, Pretty in Punxsutawney was a thoroughly entertaining and lovely read. I laughed, I smiled, I swooned, and I was inspired. This book was not only amusing, but also really meaningful and touching. I think both young and adult readers will enjoy this and also walk away with something more than they expect. Truly a fantastic book and I can’t wait to read more books from this author!

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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(Mini bio and photo taken from author’s website)

Laurie Boyle Crompton is the YA author of PRETTY IN PUNXSUTAWNEY (Blink/HarperCollins 2019) as well as ADRENALINE CRUSH (Macmillan/2014, Square Fish/2016), BLAZE (or Love in the Time of Supervillains), THE REAL PROM QUEENS OF WESTFIELD HIGH and LOVE AND VANDALISM (Sourcebooks/2013, 2014, 2017). Growing up in ‘Pennsyltucky’ in the 1980s, Laurie couldn’t wait to escape rural life. After saving up her tips from waitressing at a local greasy spoon at 18 she packed up her acid wash jeans and moved to NY. Where everyone else had stopped wearing acid wash.

She graduated first in her class from St. John’s University with a BA in English and Journalism. Since then she’s written for national magazines like ALLURE, survived a teaching stint at an all-boy high school, and appeared on Good Day New York several times as a Toy Expert. And yes, ‘toy expert’ is an actual profession. Really.

She has lived in places like Orlando, Florida where she and her husband spent all of their spare time and money visiting theme parks before moving to the Cotswolds in England for six months, which was every bit as cool as that sounds. The Cromptons are now back in New York where their two children resent never going to Disney.

Laurie occasionally enjoys hanging out in fields of blooming flowers and also refering to herself in the third person

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