LIVE! The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. 

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.

1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.) 
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee). 
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

Add to your GOODREADS TBR

ONE CLICK on Amazon

Christy's Review: 

 

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a story I think all bookworms can relate to in some form or another. I really enjoyed the story, Nina's character, the family dynamic, and I am 100% obsessed with this amazing cover!

Nina is in her late 20's and is a self proclaimed bookworm. She has a calendar filled up with things like trivia dates and 'free time' ie- reading and works at a book store. She's introverted and is happiest when around books. When Nina finds out her father, who she never knew, passed away and left her something, shes's shocked. She's also shocked when she finds out he comes from a huge family and she has a brother, sisters, nephews, and nieces. It was always just Nina and her mom (more like Nina and her beloved nanny) and she doesn't know how to feel about all this.

Among everything going on in the family, the bookstore she works at is having trouble financially and one of her trivia rivals who she's been interested in for the longest time asks her out. There is a lot on Nina's plate and she feels extremely overwhelmed. I loved Nina and Tom's relationship and rooted for them. I also liked watching Nina interact with this new family she was a part of and seeing how she fit in with them.

Even though Nina is near 30, this is very much a story about self discovery. Watching Nina grow and come into her own was a wonderful thing. This book is part romance, part chick lit, and part cont. fiction. I truly enjoyed it and recommend it to everyone who wants to read about someone who loves books as much as they do!!

   

“I want to be with you the way you are, the way you’re going to be, and the way you end up. Every way you are is beautiful to me.”

Black Sheep by Meghan March available on audio!

Every family has a black sheep. In the infamous Casso crime family, that black sheep is me - Cannon Freeman. 

Except I’m not a free man. I’ve never been free. Not since the day I was born. I owe my loyalty to my father, Dominic Casso, even if he won’t publicly acknowledge me as his blood. 

I’ve never had a reason to go against his wishes...until I met her. 

Drew Carson turned my world upside when she walked into my club looking for a job. 

Now, my honor and my life are on the line.  

Going against my father’s wishes might buy me a bullet straight from his gun, but black sheep or not, it’s time to make my stand. 

She's worth the fallout.

Narrators Andi Arndt and Sebastian York bring this steamy love story of untold truths to life.

Grab your copy on AUDIBLE

Christy's Review: 

 

Black Sheep was my first book by Meghan March and I can see why readers love her. Her writing is addicting and the story line of this book kept me intrigued all the way through. And that ending… Holy wow. I can’t wait to get to the second part of this duet! I’m so happy it’s coming next month!

This story follows Drew Carson who is a journalist going undercover looking for answers. She tries to find them by getting a job at Cannon Freeman’s club. Cannon is the black sheep of the Casso crime family, but he’s still her best shot at finding answers. What Drew doesn’t expect is to start to fall for him. Drew turn’s Cannon’s world upside down. He’s thinking things he’s never thought and feeling things he’s never felt. But learning the truth about her… it may change everything.

I listened to the audio version of this book and it was narrated by two of my favorites, Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. As always, they did an incredible job narrating this. These two always seem to bring their characters to life and keep the story flowing perfectly and I love listening to books narrated by them.

Reading Black Sheep kept me on the edge of my seat. It was captivating, suspenseful, and steamy. I am excited to listen to the next book in this series and I’ll definitely be checking out more from Meghan March in the future!

Blog Tour: 5 stars for The Other Side!

We're celebrating the release of The Other Side by Kim Holden! One-Click your copy today!

Title: The Other Side

Author: Kim Holden

Release Date: Coming Soon!

Genre: Young Adult, Coming of Age

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MAkXDg

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2KxtTXt

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2Kxm3gz

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/31fRdyD

Goodreads #TBR ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45310112-the-other-side?ac=1&from_search=true

Synopsis:

Denver, Colorado

1987

There are two sides to every story.

The surface reality that’s presented to the world.

And then there’s the other side.

The real one.

The one that matters.

Seventeen-year-old, self-proclaimed asshole, Toby Page, is alone.

No friends.

No family.

He trades maintenance work in exchange for room and board.

Every day he fights demons no one else can see.

Every day he wants to give up.

But he can’t.

Not yet.

When Alice Eliot moves in downstairs, she offers Toby some light in his dark world.

At a crossroads and barely hanging on, it’s hard to have perspective.

It’s difficult to see your own worth when you’re the villain in your story.

Luckily for Toby, Alice brings things out in him that no one else ever has.

As the two sides of Toby’s story are revealed, and the full reality comes into view, truth is gained.

Improbable alliances prove that kindness is fundamentally human.

Unlikely heroes emerge.

The question is, Will it all be enough to save him?

Christy's 5 star review:

 

   

“People aren’t perfect. It’s not about loving them when it’s easy and convenient; it’s about loving them even more when it’s hard.”

I've read every book of Kim Holden's and what I love about her stories is they're always different and special. Her writing is truly a gift and the way she can tell a story is like no other. The Other Side is an important read. It's heart-wrenching, focuses on difficult topics, and is a book that needs to be read.

This book focuses on 17 year old Toby. It's written in the present day, but we also get a lot of scenes from 2 years back when Toby's life changed drastically. Toby's pain was real and raw and I felt it deep down. I ached for this boy. I don't want to go too far into his story because I think it will be much more impactful if you read it without knowing much.

I feel like this book tackled the deep depression/mental health topic very well. It's a hard thing to read about and I'm certain it's hard to write about, but it's something that needs to be talked about more and you could tell Kim knew how this felt and conveyed it in Toby's words and feelings.

Sadness is melancholy. Depression is a black hole of despair. I always imagine it’s like drowning. There are short bursts of fresh air, like Alice, but the past, the hopelessness, the guilt, and self-loathing is a pair of lead shoes that always pull me back under.

I loved seeing the other side of Toby. I wasn't sure what direction that was going in, but it was so well done. My heart was so happy and I shed a few happy tears. Honestly, that last 25% was just a sob fest for me. Some tears were happy, some were sad, but it felt cathartic.

This story is profound. It's emotional, heavy, and breathtaking. It's not an easy read, but I hope people pick it up and get something out of it like I did. I loved the connections the characters had, the way they held each other up and the love that was there. Thank you Kim Holden for this book, and for sharing this story with the world. You are loved and you are important. Hugs.

About the Author:

Some of my favorite things: reading, writing, the two coolest guys on the planet (my husband and son), my bicycle (my husband built it for me), Facebook (I'm fairly certain it's an addiction at this point), iced coffee (hazelnut), and music (LOVE Sunset Sons, the 1975, Dredg, the xx, Balance and Composure, Teenage Bottlerocket, and 30 Seconds to Mars). I also love dreaming, which brings me to my next point. I have one bit of advice for anyone reading this ... follow your dreams. It's never too late. Get started today ... heck get started RIGHT NOW! I wanted to write a book 20 years ago. Instead I waited. And waited. I should've been writing. But I didn't. I don't do regrets, because the past is just that, the past. But let me tell you there's nothing in the world like achieving something you've dreamt about for years and years. So, get started. Make your dreams reality. 

I love to hear from other readers. Send me a message or find me on Facebook (https://facebook.com/kimholdenauthor) and tell me what's up in your reading world.