romance – Page 12 – Sincerely Karen Jo

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Hello loves!! Today, I’ll be sharing my review for HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN by Katy Upperman. OH THE FEELS in this precious book! Upperman writes such beautifully touching, emotionally intense, and amazingly captivating YA contemporary romances. Her previous novels, KISSING MAX HOLDEN and THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US, are some of my absolute favorite reads and this one just got added to the list.

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aboutbook

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE – BOOKSAMILLION – INDIEBOUND

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synopsis

Since her sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan has basically given up. Her grades have plummeted, she’s quit her swim team, and she barely recognizes the people her parents have become.

When she returns to her aunt’s run-down coastal Victorian one year after Chloe’s death, Callie resigns herself to a summer of guilt and home renovations. She doesn’t expect to be charmed by the tiny coastal town or by Tucker Morgan, a local boy brimming with sunshine.

But even as her days begin to brighten, Callie’s nights are crowded with chilling dreams, unanswered questions, and eerie phenomenon that have her convinced she’s being haunted. Will Callie be able to figure out what her sister is trying to communicate before it’s too late?

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mythoughts

A Haunting, Poignant, and Gorgeously Written Romance with a Paranormal Twist

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Haunting and gorgeously written, How the Light Gets In delivers an engrossing and heartfelt YA contemporary story with a unique paranormal twist and an adorable romance that left me reeling with so many wonderful FEELS. Katy Upperman has such a beautiful way with words and weaving all sorts of emotions in her books that make readers fall in love with her stories and characters. I always do… and this book definitely has a place in my heart.

I was incredibly smitten with Katy Upperman’s previous novels, so I had high expectations for this book. I’ll be honest… the first few chapters were a tad bit slow for me and it took me a while to get into the story. BUT, Upperman’s writing is just so lovely, compelling and addictive that I eventually and completely got hooked and never wanted the story to end. I enjoyed the paranormal aspects, the beautiful beachy small town setting, the adorable romance, and the twists and surprises throughout the book. The plot is engaging, suspenseful, intriguing, and satisfyingly emotional with just the right mix of conflict, drama, mystery, sadness, joy, hope, and love.

The characters are not always likable, but I love that they seem so real to me and I can easily sympathize with them. I think they’re fantastically fleshed-out, well-developed, complex, and interesting. I liked Callie and really felt her pain over the death of her younger sister, Chloe. I didn’t always like her decisions, but I enjoyed her personal journey and seeing her finally letting herself heal, live, and love again was really satisfying. Tucker is such a sweetheart and my new favorite book boyfriend. He’s dealing with his own grief and my heart ached for him in so many ways. I adored Aunt Lucy and her quirky and fun personality, and really admired her passion for what she’s doing. And Chloe… well she’s quite charming and wonderful.

The romance is deliciously slow burn and swoony. I enjoyed seeing the lovely friendship between Callie and Tucker slowly, sweetly, and perfectly turn into a believable romantic relationship. They have awkwardly cute moments that will make you smile, emotionally intense scenes that may break your heart, and endearing and flirty moments that will make you swoon and feel the warm fuzzies. They’re absolutely adorable and so great together.

Upperman never ceases to amaze me and I think she’s extremely talented in creating stories that will touch your heart and give you all the FEELS. Stories that will surprise you and leave you wanting more. Stories that are sometimes sad, but also utterly sweet, fun, romantic, and affecting. Stories that feel genuine and authentic that they’ll stay with you long after you finish reading them.

With a breathtakingly engrossing writing style, an achingly touching storyline, a fun paranormal twist, and realistically flawed and relatable characters, Katy Upperman has created another beautifully poignant, thoroughly absorbing, and delightfully thrilling story that gave me all the FEELS, had me on edge, and got me teary eyed a few times. How the Light Gets In is truly a wonderful story about dealing with loss and guilt, forgiveness and healing, and learning to live and love again. I love this book and cannot recommend it enough.

If you love the small town charm, solving mysteries, paranormal elements, and an irresistibly cute romance, then add this book on your TBR.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. divider4

abouttheauthor

katyupperman Katy Upperman is a wife, mama, author, reader, baker, and wanderer. She writes novels for teens and teens at heart. She’s a Washington State University alum (go Cougs!), a country music fanatic, and a makeup stockpiler. She loves the ocean, pedicures, sunshine, Instagram, Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride, Jelly Bellies, true crime documentaries, and Friday Night Lights.

Katy’s debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, was published August 1, 2017, and her sophomore effort, The Impossibility of Us, released July 31, 2018. Her third novel, How the Light Gets In, will be out August 6, 2019. All three books are with Swoon Reads/Macmillan. She’s represented by Victoria Marini of the Irene Goodman Agency. She can be reached via email at katy.upperman@gmail.com.

authorlinks

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

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Thanks for stopping by lovelies! Happy reading and as always, have a wonderful day!!

sincerelykjologo

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Lost in You, an all-new sexy and action packed installment in the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, is available now!

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abouthebook2

Published: August 6th 2019

Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC

Genre(s): Adult Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Erotica

Format: Kindle Edition, 324 pages

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synopsis4

Robert McClellan was forced to serve as a soldier in a war he didn’t understand. Liberated by McKay-Taggart, he struggles every day to reclaim the life he lost and do right by the men he calls his brothers, The Lost Boys. Only one thing is more important – Ariel Adisa. The gorgeous psychologist has plagued his dreams since the day they met. Even as their mission pushes him to his limits, he can’t stop thinking about taking his shot at finding a life beyond all this with her.

Ariel Adisa is a force to be reckoned with. Her performance in Toronto proved she’s more than just a brilliant mind, but Robert still acts as if she is a wilting flower who needs his protection. Joining him on the mission to Munich should be the perfect opportunity to test their skills and cement their relationship. She and Robert are an excellent match. But when a stunning secret from Robert’s past is revealed, their world is turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same again.

While they chase dark secrets across Europe, Robert and Ariel realize that the only thing worse than not knowing who you are could be discovering who you used to be…

A hot, sexy mix of angst, longing, suspense and drama you don’t want to miss!” — Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author

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buybooknow

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EYW7a5

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2Utg8e6

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/LostinYouLB

Nook: https://bit.ly/2Gf1Utw

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Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Wt93Mi

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2WAykbn

Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2SyReKg

Lost in You teaser 4

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He led Ariel out. Down the hall he saw Dante outside the media room, a beer in his hand. He’d been turned toward the kitchen at the opposite end of the hall, as though he’d been standing there staring at it. Had he been listening to the happy couples?

There was something dark in Dante that always gave him pause.

Dante turned without a word and disappeared behind the doors where he would likely drink himself to sleep. It seemed to be the way he and Sasha operated.

But he wasn’t thinking about that tonight. Tomorrow would be soon enough to sit everyone down and talk about the problems they were having. He would get Jax on the phone. He wasn’t leaving him out because he was in London.

“Are you all right?” Ariel had stopped beside him. “Is Dante giving you trouble?”

He was glad she’d been upstairs when they’d gone on their rant. “I think the pressure is starting to get to him. But we can talk about that tomorrow. I think after we get back to London we should have a big group meeting and get some things out in the open.”

“They think Damon and Ian are keeping things from them?”

No. He did not want to go there. He stopped in the middle of the hall and got into her personal space. She backed up against the wall and he loomed over her. It was time to move from reality to a place where they might be able to play out a few fantasies, if she was ready. “No work talk. If you want to go to sleep, I’ll kiss you now and see you in the morning. Tucker and I are in the room next to you. If you need anything I’ll be there. If you aren’t tired and you want to talk some more, we can go down to the bar and have another glass of wine with the full knowledge we don’t have to go any further than that. I’m more than willing to sit up talking to you all night long.”

She tilted her head up to him. “And if I want to go to bed but not to sleep?”

His heart rate ticked up, blood starting to thrum through his system as he invaded further, brushing his chest against hers. He reached for her wrists and gently brought them up and over her head, pinning her to the wall. “Then we need to make a few things clear.”

She took a deep breath, her lips curling up as though she liked the way he smelled. “Me sub, you Dom. Got it.”

He leaned over. “Hey, I’m trying to make sure I take care of you the way you like to be taken care of. I’ve watched you play. I don’t think your play partners realized how much you like being dominated. I think they view you as a woman who enjoys a spanking from time to time. They don’t get how much you need to know your partner is thinking about how to handle you. They don’t understand that you need to stop thinking. You need a place where you obey your partner.”

“In their defense, I had no interest in sex with any of them. I was looking for a spanking, some physical play that wouldn’t lead to real intimacy. You watched me?”

“I always watch you,” he admitted. “It’s why my brothers insist I’m your stalker. I watch you because I can’t not watch you when you’re in a room. If I thought for a second that it made you uncomfortable, I would make myself stop, but I think you like it.”

She watched him, too, and not in a way that made him think she was wary of him. It had always been there between them—the crackle and fire of sexual chemistry.

“You’re going to be a talky one, aren’t you?” she asked.

And she was going to be a brat.

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abouttheauthor

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

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