Have Coffee Need Books

Book Blitz, Book It, Book Reviews, New Release

Book Review: Playground Zero by Sarah Relyea

Playground Zero by Sarah Relyea

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 25,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Playground Zero
Author: Sarah Relyea
Genre: Historical Fiction
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sarah Relyea has penned a coming of age story set in one of the United States coming of age periods during the late 1960s. The Raysons family are all children of their time, and the third person alternating point-of-view lets us see the world they live in through their eyes and experience their day-to-day–Tom Rayson is not a likable man.

The book follows the family as they cross the country from the East Coast to the West Coast to establish new lives in Berkley, CA, during the bussing and integration of black students. Sarah Relyea has a great atmosphere for her story; there are many times she painted the events happening with her words.

In today’s climate, reading books of this nature might shed some light on social dynamics between races — although there are times I felt a little like there was an unconscious bias for the great work the Raysons were doing regardless of what they did. And Tom is thoroughly unlikeable.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

Book It, Book Reviews, New Release

Book Review: The Attic Tragedy by J. Ashley Smith

The Attic Tragedy by J. Ashley-Smith

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 19,20 | 0 Comment

Title: The Attic Tragedy
Author: J. Ashley-Smith
Genre: LGBTQIA+, Coming of Age, Paranormal, Dark Fantasy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes, when I read things written by British or Aussie writers, I feel the story suffers from my lack of knowledge of slang and terminology. It made The Attic Tragedy more beautiful and served its sucker-punches more viciously.

George is dealing with all the things that make adolescence hell: school, the primary devil, and a budding crush with a fellow outcast, Sylvie, a particular demon. Sylvie makes it all worth it though with her gentle whimsy and accepting soul–it doesn’t hurt that Sylvie is magical. It’s not just that she’s beyond a dream, she says she sees ghosts. George can’t help but fall hopelessly for the ethereal beauty. But life doesn’t end at high school; neither does George’s story.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “Don’t ever be sorry. You’re beautiful, George. You’re tree roots and fresh mown grass and the smell of rocks and apples. What’s inside you is so real, so alive. It’s burning you up.”
The Attic Tragedy by J. Ashley-Smith

J. Ashley-Smith weaves a tale of trials, failures, and successes centered around protagonist George and her struggle with self-acceptance and inner squabbles with self-loathing. Centering around vignettes of heartbreak as she watches Sylvie grow up, and away, from the girlhood qualities that made her so unique to become a wife and mother to a smarmy prig.

This book is quite magical. Highly recommendable.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

Book Blitz, Book It, Book Teasers, New Release

Release Blitz: I Dare You by Lylah James

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 17,20 | 0 Comment

Title: I Dare You (Truth and Dare Duet #2)
Author: Lylah James
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 17 June 2020

Summary:

Enemies to best friends and now lovers.

Maddox Coulter.
Was my enemy. Now my best friend.
One night of untamed passion has us dangling over the edge of something dangerous and it could forever break us.

Our hearts are on the line.
Maddox is keeping secrets.
I vowed to never give up on him but I’m not sure he’s the same man I fell in love with anymore.
I’m scared he’d leave my heart bleeding at his feet.
But worst, I’m scared we’d go back to…
… hating each other.

The eagerly anticipated conclusion of Maddox’s and Lila’s story, I DARE YOU, book 2 of the Truth And Dare Duet.

Book It, Book Reviews, New Release

Book Review: Fortune Fae Academy by J.R. Thorn

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 17,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Fortune Fae Academy: Book One (Fortune Fae Academy #1)
Author: J.R. Thorn
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Omegaverse, Reverse Harem
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn’t get it.
I tried.
But by the end of the book, I still wasn’t there.

Seifiek is an Alpha Fortune Fae, a Midnight Fae who denied himself the temptation of blood and evolved into a new species. But at that point, it all goes bonkers, gets complicated, and facts are fuzzy: there is the Web, Dust, Astral world, and me never knowing if we are in the Web or not.

A lot of world-building happens in this book, and it’s confusing despite a helpful glossary of terms. But not just the terminology tripped me up–I didn’t understand the heroine. She’s a brat; Gina isn’t likable. I didn’t understand her motivation. She was running away from the Alpha always, but why? I couldn’t figure it out. As a matter of fact, she’s underdeveloped compared to the male characters who are much more carefully constructed. Alex, Zeke, and Rowan are complex characters. Gina’s entire characterization is escape and sex. She’s boring.

Book Blitz, Book It, New Release

Blog Tour: Rich Prick by Tijan

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 16,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Rich Prick
Author: Tijan
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 15 June 2020

Summary:

He walked into school on his first day and owned it.
I guess that’s what happens when you’re a prick, rich, and you’re best friends with the ruling school’s king.
Also didn’t hurt he’s drop dead gorgeous.
That’s all fine.
I mean, I have nothing to do with them.
I’m a loner, invisible, and that’s how I wanted it to be.
I was even proud of it, until I wasn’t.
Until I saw a girl kneel before him.
Until I couldn’t look away.
Until he caught me watching.
His name is Blaise Devroe. My name is Aspen Monson.
He only knew how to get, command, and demand attention.
I knew how to do everything but that.
And this is our story.

*Rich Prick is a full 100k standalone.

Book Blitz, Book It, Book Teasers, New Release

Book Blitz: The Redpoint Crux

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 15,20 | 0 Comment

Title: The Redpoint Crux
Author: Morgan Shamy
Genre: Gothic Fiction
Release Date: 09 June 2020

Summary:

“Dark and achingly beautiful, The Redpoint Crux will break your heart then make you whole again. Shamy is a true storyteller with a gift for weaving wounded characters with twisting plots and a gorgeous, haunting world.” —Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game

“An addictive mystery woven into a tapestry of lush theatre and ballet lore.” —Wendy Higgins, New York Times Bestselling Author

Fans of The Phantom of the Opera and Black Swan will enjoy this thrilling debut.

When Megan Van Helsburg gets kicked off the U.S.A. Climbing Team, she has no choice but to return home and leave her climbing career behind. With no coach, no money, and no prospects, she joins the corps de ballet determined to improve her strength and agility. But the ballet theater is in dire straits. Not only do a series of murders break loose, but the ballerinas are becoming deathly thin and brain-dead. As Megan investigates, she meets Bellamy, a tortured young man who lives beneath the depths of the theater. Megan falls hard and fast for Bellamy, who becomes her mentor, but something is off about him.

It isn’t until the company announces they’re doing Giselle for the fall performance that Megan realizes the parallels between the ghost story and the lives around her. Megan must find a way to not only save her climbing career, but balance her feelings for Bellamy, and stop the murders and dying girls before she, too, is numbered among the dead.

Book Blitz, Book It, New Release

New Release Her Greatest Mistake by Eve L. Mitchell

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 13,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Her Greatest Mistake
Author: Eve L. Mitchell
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 13 June 2020

Summary:

I knew the moment I saw Aiden that he was the kind of man who would break a woman’s heart. With his looks, he could grace the cover of any book or magazine.

Even as I got to know him, his hard no-nonsense attitude was alluring. He was as captivating as he was intense, and having his attention was as intoxicating as it was overwhelming. My pulse raced and my stomach fluttered when I was near him.

Yes, Aiden would break a woman’s heart. If she let him.

Maybe, even if she didn’t.

I didn’t mean to let him break mine. I didn’t mean to let him get so far under my skin that he got into my heart.

One moment of passion—that’s all it was. I was reckless. I was stupid.

I didn’t know.

He ripped my heart out without even breaking a sweat.

He said he could explain. I don’t want to hear his lies.

I was stupid that night, but I can’t be again. I can’t let him close enough to make the same mistake twice.

Book Blitz, Book It, Book Reviews, New Release

Book Review: Fractures by Alice Reeds

Steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 09,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Fractures (Echoes #2)
Author: Alice Reeds
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Augh. Miles? Fiona? What is happening? I love it. I hate it. I can’t deal.

If you read Echoes you know what to expect going into Fractures, and Alice Reeds does not disappoint! As a matter of fact, she doubles up!

Miles and Fiona are off the Island; the hunt is not on, but they are still in the clutches of the Briola Bio-Tech peeps. The dark corporation takes a more insidious turn this book as Alice Reeds cracks open the bad apple and takes us into the Garden of Evil. The new mind fracture has them in Poland at a villa where they are being tortured by Briola, as well as on a remote freighter searching for survival in unsurvivable conditions.

Book Blitz, Book It, New Release

Release Blitz: One Night Only By Lauren Blakely

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 09,20 | 0 Comment

Title: One Night Only
Author: Lauren Blakely
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 07 June 2020

A delicious new After Dark novella featuring a strong, protective bodyguard and the beautiful, brilliant hotel heiress he protects…

I shouldn’t want my bodyguard the way I do. His job is to protect me. It’s not to fulfill all my filthy wishes.

And so I resist him, fighting the enticing pull of the strong, powerful man who watches over me.

Until the night we combust in my penthouse suite.

It won’t happen again, we say the next day.

Besides, my mission is singular — pull off the event of a lifetime — a one-night only concert with one of the world’s biggest rock stars.

A man my bodyguard happens to know.

And a good bodyguard knows all sorts of things about his client. Turns out he knows my secret desires, and he wants to make them come true. Including a VIP engagement so I can experience both men at the same time…

I want to say yes, but what if I fall even more in love with the man whose mission is to keep me safe?

ONE NIGHT ONLY is a red-hot, sexy love story with a toe-curling, sheet-grabbing MFM sequence.

Book Blitz, Book It, New Release

Book Blitz: Summer Fling Anthology

steal and share this

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On June 08,20 | 0 Comment

Title: Summer Fling Anthology
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward, L.J. Shen, Willow Winters, Helena Hunting, R.S. Grey, Sarina Bowen
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 08 June 2020

Summary:

SUMMER IS HEATING UP!

Six FREE standalone summer themed short stories!

For a Good Time Call by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Ever see For a good time call scribbled on the bathroom wall of a bar? Sure you have. Ever wonder what would happen if you had a few too many drinks and actually called the number? Well now you don’t have to wonder anymore, because I’ll tell you… It blows up in your face when you suddenly realize who Mr. Good Time is.

Eternal Sunshine by L.J. Shen

Adam Mackay is my brother’s best friend, turned Hollywood heartthrob, who is now my brand new, infuriating boss.

Sounds complicated? You have no idea…

Stay Right Here with Me by Willow Winters

I can’t tell you how many mistakes I’ve made sitting in this very spot in this small town bar. Watching the iron doors swing closed as the broad-shouldered man who just walked in sits across from me, I already know he’s on that list of, “I shouldn’t have done that…”

Damsel Dude in Distress by Helena Hunting

I thought I was helping a damsel in distress. Turns out my damsel was actually a hot dude with some bad luck. It started with a broken down car and ended with a gross motel, an indoor campout and a set of Kama Sutra sheets.

The Beach R.S. Grey

I’m not supposed to be on vacation with my best friend’s older brother. I’ve wanted him for so long, and now we’re unexpectedly alone in a tropical paradise. Naturally, I packed a lot of bikinis, but I should have brought armor if I want to have any hope of surviving my week away with Noah Martin…or should I say, Dr. Martin.

Lucky Shot by Sarina Bowen

Rookie sports agent Bess Beringer gets a real education on the night of her first glitzy New York business dinner. But the things she learns have nothing to do with roster rules or contract negotiation. Luckily, rookie hockey player Mark “Tank” Tankiewicz is a pro-level teacher…