I'm moving...

Hi everyone!

I come bearing some news...I'm moving my blog to WordPress!  It was a difficult decision to come to, and one that I've been considering for quite some time.  I ultimately made the decision because I felt that Blogger was putting too many restrictions on my content, and I'm just not a fan of that.  I want to be able to create posts that my readers will enjoy, and Blogger got a little too "big for their britches" with their latest content policy change.

SO...with that being said, please go check out my new site: vwalkerviewsandreviews.wordpress.com (one of these days I promise I'll go self-hosted, but for now...that's the site).  If you could follow me over there, that would be AMAZING.  I won't be posting on Blogger anymore & this will become a re-direct site for that blog.

Thank you for your support!

xo

PS - I'll be posting a new "Adventures of a Writing Blogger" post soon, so be sure to head over to the new site & sign up so that you don't miss it! <3

Review: Hard Target (The Campbells of Creek Bend Book 3) by Barb Han

I finished this book last week & just haven't had time to post the review.  But let me tell you, this book is awesome.  If you haven't picked it up yet -- the links to buy it are at the bottom.

Book Blurb: (taken from Barb's website) 
She was trouble the size of Texas, but he'd cross every line to keep her safe.

Border patrol agent Reed Campbell knew when he found a blonde beauty hiding out in a crate of guns smuggled into Texas she'd be nothing but trouble. Emily Baker claims she was kidnapped, beaten and held hostage by Mexico's most elusive drug lord, a man Reed's desperate to bring down. But the sexy cowboy has been betrayed before, so trusting a stranger—no matter how strong their attraction—isn't easy. Still, determined to protect her, he takes her on the run, risking his life time after time. Suddenly, the man who doesn't do feelings is in big trouble. Keeping Emily alive is a problem. Keeping his hands to himself becomes nearly impossible.

Rating: ***** (5/5)

Review:  I have adored every single one of the Campbell boys, and Reed was no exception.  I'm actually really sad that there won't be more of these brothers!  I loved watching the relationship between Reed and Emily grow, and I was biting my fingers quite a bit with this one!  If you've read the other books, you'll be thrilled to find out that Nick & Luke both make an appearance in this one, and it was awesome to see the brothers together again.

I really do fall hard for a guy with a painful past when it comes to love.  I don't know what it is, but their vulnerability just makes me fall hard and fast.  And I absolutely adore a heroine who fights for what she wants, and let me tell you, Emily fights for what she wants.  She's stronger than she realizes; I'm not sure I would have survived what she went through.  Insane.

If you haven't read these books and are a fan of Harlequin Intrigue (or just romantic suspense/intrigue at all), go read all of these books.

Kindle
B&N (Nook is on the same page)

You can also connect with Barb on Facebook & Twitter!  She's really sweet :)

COVER REVEAL: GET LUCKY Anthology!

Hi all! Today I have the pleasure of revealing the cover of the GET LUCKY Anthology, which features a story by the fabulous Sara Humphreys! I reviewed her novella UNBOUND earlier this year...

Now, onto the main event:

Get Lucky Anthology

What happens when six romance authors get together and write half a dozen brand-new, steamy, Irish-themed novellas? Everyone gets lucky! This 99-cent box set crosses genres and includes contemporary romance, new adult romance and paranormal romance novellas that will give Get Lucky a whole new meaning. Pre-order your copy today!

(Now that's what I call a beautiful cover!)

The Get Lucky Anthology features:

From USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh - Walking the Line

Finn Ahearn’s Irish luck is about to run out…

Reformed Aussie bad girl Ellie is a decade older than Finn but that doesn’t stop the charming Irishman from wooing her. Ellie doesn’t believe in the happily-ever-after dream any longer, not since hers imploded a long time ago. But can a smooth-talking Irishman sway a hard-hearted cynic to believe in love again?

From reader favorite Kelsey Browning - Amazed by You

Falling again for your first love...this time for keeps.

Author’s assistant Olivia McLaughlin must pull off an extravagant St. Patrick’s Day garden party to win a coveted promotion, but her success hinges on landscape designer Cody Kavanaugh, her old high school boyfriend. Now, Olivia must decide which she can’t live without—the job that will make her a success or the man offering her a second chance at love.

From sizzling hot and bestselling Robin Covington - One Little Kiss

The best things start with one little kiss.

Trapped by a snowstorm in the same place at the same time, Leighton and Jonas must decide if their hot night together was the end of their story or if they started forever with just one little kiss…

From RT Book Review Award nominee Avery Flynn - Big, Bad Red

She always gets her wolf...

There’s nothing little or naive about this Red Riding Hood. Red runs the biggest fencing operation for fairytale treasures out of the back of Granny’s Pub. But when she comes into possession of the Caladbolg sword things get hairy–as in hot, sexy Liam MacTíre the werewolf hairy.

From paranormal darling Sara Humphreys - Luck of the Irish

A leprechaun is powerless without his gold….

Banished to the mirrored realm for hundreds of years, Declan Aherne had nothing but time to plot his revenge and mourn the loss of his beloved wife. But when a beautiful human woman, with a familiar amulet, stares into the mirror....Declan's luck was about to change.

From the sexy sweet Kimberly Kincaid - Something Borrowed

Her best friend is the best man for the job…

When her successful brother announces his plans for an impromptu wedding in Ireland, unlucky-in-love chef Sasha Arrington is stuck between the Blarney Stone and a hard place. Sasha needs a wingman for her brother’s wedding, and the romantic destination could be just what James Sullivan needs to tempt Sasha out of the friend zone.

Are you ready to Get Lucky? Pre-order today!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1usuH3k

B&N: coming soon

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1DRzkUy

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1vbd2rY

Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Today I'm reviewing the YA fantasy novel Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton.  The cover of this book caught my eye & I was able to receive an ARC from NetGalley.  Thank you to Random House Kids for the opportunity to read this fantastic novel!

Book Blurb (Taken from the Amazon page):  

The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.  

   As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.
   And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend.
   But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.
   Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.

   And now it's too late to walk away. 

Rating: **** (4/5)

Review: 

I'll be honest, it took me about two chapters to get into this book, but as soon as I did - I was hooked. It took me longer than I wanted to finish it, but sometimes life gets in the way.  This book was awesome.  I'm a huge fan of fantasy novels (& I tend to have a natural willingness to suspend belief in order to enjoy the fantasy aspect of such books) and this has been added to the list of favorites.  

I know it's been getting mixed reviews, but I'm not sure why - I haven't looked; I didn't want my opinion clouded while I was still reading it.  After I finished I could have gone to look, but I'm still enjoying the high of finishing a really great book, so I'm going to ignore anyone who says this isn't a great read.

The world-building is skillfully done, with the fantastic elements woven into reality with skill and a minimum of necessary explanation.  There are awesome fight scenes (the book actually opens with a fight scene involving Quin).  I was emotionally invested with the characters & found myself rooting for a character that I didn't think I would (because the character development is just so wonderfully executed).  That's how great this book is -- it changed my mind about the characters.  Do you know how rare that is?  Let me tell you - it's pretty rare.

This is billed as a YA book, but I think that older teens would do better with some of the topics in this novel. Seeker explores loss, PTSD, self-exploration, self-discovery, what it means to be a good person, suicidal thoughts, prostitution, and more.  There are so many different points of view on each of these topics that it really gives the reader multiple perspectives & allows the reader to explore these (sometimes taboo) topics in a few different ways, rather than showing a narrow-minded view.  That's something I really love; you see the character motivations and being to understand the choices they made.      

I was disappointed when it was over; I want there to be more.  Thankfully, there will be. The second book in the series, Traveler will be out Spring 2016.  

As it so happens...Seeker is released TODAY (2/10/15) & is available at the following stores:

Amazon (Kindle)

Barnes & Noble

Check out her beautiful website (there's a note on there about Seeker maybe turning into a movie!) & follow her on Twitter!

xoxo

Adventures of a Writing Blogger #1

At the end of last month I went into NYC with my mom and my aunt to see Cabaret on Broadway, starring Alan Cumming & Emma Stone.  If you can manage it, try to catch the show before it ends (the run ends soon)!  Alan really made the show...I'm a little sad that he wasn't able to come out to sign autographs after the show.  I can't blame the guy though, because we saw a 2pm show and the actors and actresses need to rest, eat, get out of make up and then back in, and just relax!  I can't begrudge any of them the chance to relax!

Before the show we went to lunch at a nearby diner (the diner shall remain nameless - my panini wasn't quite to my taste, but the chocolate cake was delicious), and after the show we caught a cab back to Penn Station.  Luckily the driver took us through Times Square - my aunt was visiting from Michigan & we wanted her to see Times Square in person (even if it was too cold outside to walk around).

All in all it was a really great day - coincidentally it was also the five year anniversary of the very start of my relationship with the mister.  We were "seeing each other" before, but the relationship became official on January 28, 2010.  Holy wow batman, five years already?  Time flies when you're having fun!

Talk more soon...

xo