Thursday, August 31, 2017

My August Reads



http://www.sarahforgrave.com/category/author-interviews/source

     August, where did you go???? Holy Moses, I cannot believe September is right around the corner! I love Fall and I am excited about it but it just seems unreal that it is here already! Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points! :)
     Looks like I read eight books in August and that I really great for me.  What made it even better was that I finally slowed down on ARCs and was able to read a few books from my massive To Be Read Pile. Woo Hoo!  There is a massive book sale coming up in September and I am trying to decide if I should even go as I definitely don't need more books. What do you think?

 

Here's what I read in August:


The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson: Another hit from the MMD Book Club that I probably never would have picked up on my own. See my full review here.





Twisted Twosome by Meghan Quinn: A great, sexy and hilarious story of opposites attract. All the info is here.






The Other Girl by Erica Spindler: Rather predicable and at times, unbelievable police procedural/thriller. All my thoughts are here.





The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Angel Linconh: This was my book about books pick for my July (oops!) reading challenge and I had heard a lot of great things about it but...it was just okay for me. 3/5 stars




The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn: A historical fiction novel involving Jane Austen AND time travel? I'm in!  All the info over here.






All Signs Point to Murder by Connie di Marco: A little overly detailed but all-in-all a pretty good cozy. See my full review here.







Dark Matter by Blake Crouch: A very fast paced thriller with a science fiction twist. Full thoughts on this one are here.





September Sneak Peek:

 
 

Monday, August 28, 2017

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch


Summary: 


“Are you happy with your life?” 

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. 

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. 

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” 

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.



My Thoughts:


     I keep hearing things about Dark Matter and how amazing it is so I decided to dive in!  Even if you read the above description and decide that it might not be for you, think again.  Yes, it is filled with science/physics stuff that only Sheldon Cooper can fully understand but you'll get the jist of it and you will love the way it makes you think about life.  
     Jason has always wondered how his life might have been different if he hadn't given up his promising physics career to raise a family.  He never thought he would truly get the answer to that question!  It is amazing and slightly scary to think of what might have been but this story will make you stop and truly appreciate what you have and where you are in life.  This may be seen or perceived as a love story but it is a love story about life.  
  This is a very fast paced thriller and a completely new (at least to me) concept and while the science sometimes got to be a little much it was well worth it for the amazing story of growth and learning what is important in life.  One complaint would be that you are left hanging with no resolution on one aspect of the story and I HATE that! 4/5 stars




Favorite quotes:


"That everything which has a probability of happening is happening. Everything that might have occurred in our past did occur, only in another universe."

"There's something horribly lonely about a place that's almost home."



Author's site: https://www.blakecrouch.com/

Thursday, August 24, 2017

All Signs Point to Murder by Connie di Marco


Summary:


Julia Bonatti is alarmed by the astrological signs looming over Geneva Leary’s wedding day, but nobody asked Julia’s opinion and being a bridesmaid means supporting the bride no matter what. Even with the foreboding Moon-Mars-Pluto lineup in the heavens, no one’s prepared for the catastrophes that strike: a no-show sister, a passed-out wedding planner, and a lethal shooting in the dead of night.

With anger and grief threatening to tear the Leary family part, Julia is determined to understand how such a terrible tragedy could occur. As she digs deeper into the family’s secrets, her astrological insights will lead her to the truth about a criminal enterprise that stretches far beyond the California coast.  



My Thoughts:


     This is the second book in Connie di Marco's Zodiac Mystery series.  I did not read the first installment in the series but it was not necessary to in order to get into book two.
     Julia, as a bridesmaid in her long-time friend's wedding, ends up staying overnight in a family home and becoming involved in a murder investigation in which the whole family is suspect.  Geneva, the bride, only trusts Julia to find out what is really going on and this leads Julia into some dangerous situations.
     I liked the character of Julia and found her job as an astrologer to be intriguing and fun to read about.  There were a few times the information was confusing but it did not deter from the story.  There are A LOT of side characters in this story and the first few chapters had me struggling to keep them all straight but once I relaxed and just read, everything was fine.  I really enjoyed Julia's friends, Gale and Cheryl and the side story involving them was also fun.  
   It has been awhile since I have read a nice cozy mystery so this was a nice break and a good story.  Although there were times that there was just too much detail given (step-by-step of driving or other mundane things) I found this to be an interesting mystery and would definitely read more of this series.  3.5/5 stars 

Author's site: http://www.conniedimarco.com/

Monday, August 21, 2017

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn



Summary:



London, 1815: Two travelers—Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane—arrive in a field in rural England, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. Turned away at a nearby inn, they are forced to travel by coach all night to London. They are not what they seem, but rather colleagues who have come back in time from a technologically advanced future, posing as wealthy West Indies planters—a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren’t the first team from the future to “go back,” their mission is by far the most audacious: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen herself.
Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common besides the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in. Circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen’s circle via her favorite brother, Henry.
But diagnosing Jane’s fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the continuous convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile the woman she is with the proper lady nineteenth-century society expects her to be. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history intact and exactly as they found it…however heartbreaking that may prove.

My Thoughts:

     I was really excited to read this as I am a great lover of Pride & Prejudice and Jane Austen.  (Confession: I haven't read all of her novels yet...I am ashamed!) I loved the concept of going back in time to not only find out more about the lovely Miss Austen but to also hopefully, find more of her writings.  
     Rachel is a great character and one I could identify with on a few levels.  One, she is a great admirer of Jane Austen and two, as a modern woman she was both fascinated and appalled by the 1800's and the treatment/status of women during that time.   Rachel struggles many times to be meek, quiet and to obey her "brother" and keep her strong, independent nature hidden.  This would be so frustrating! Liam was, at times, stuffy and obnoxious but as the story progresses you begin to know him and he becomes a lot more lovable.
     My only problem with this story is that I felt that just one chapter at the beginning that was dedicated to some sort of explanation of Rachel and Liam's current time (a.k.a. our future) would have helped tremendously.  The very first lines of the book are right at Rachel's jump through time and there was no description of when in time she was coming from and it was a tad confusing at first.  
     If you are a fan of Jane Austen at all I think that you will find this to be a fun little fantasy look into what her life might have been like and what type of person she might have been. Even if you are not a huge JA fan, I still think reading about somewhat modern day people traveling to the early 1800's would make for an enjoyable read.  4/5 stars


Check out The Jane Austen Project website/blog:
 https://thejaneaustenproject.com/

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Additions to The Pile:









source
 

Additions to The Pile:

It occurred to me the other day that I hadn't done one of these in awhile.  In the interest of full disclosure, this may or may not be all of them...
 
 
 

 









 


 
 

Monday, August 14, 2017

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler

Summary:


Officer Miranda Rader of the Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.

However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop—Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda. 14 years ago.

And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right—before it’s too late.


My Thoughts:

     This is my first Erica Spindler novel and as it is a police procedural/thriller novel it seemed right up my alley.  I have to say that the writing was pretty good but there were some instances in this story that bugged me.
     The story of Miranda Rader started out well and sucked me right in but as I kept reading things started falling apart for me.  Great premise and good characters and setting but there were things that were done by Miranda and some of the other police officers that were beyond believable for me.  Without spoiling anything I'll just say that while I can suspend belief a bit and I totally believe that there is corruption in some police forces, especially small towns, no one would be able to get away with some of the things pulled off in this book!
  I really liked the Miranda character and her partner, Jake, but found that occasionally their interactions went from hot and cold for unexplainable (to me) reasons.  I see potential in Miranda and the setting for a series but feel that things need to play out a bit better.  I kept reading to see how the storyline would play out but feel it was totally predictable and at times the personal storyline was immature.  2.5/5 stars

Author's site:


Thursday, August 10, 2017

Twisted Twosome by Meghan Quinn: Review and Release Celebration!!!!!


We're celebrating the release of  TWISTED TWOSOME by Meghan Quinn!


TWISTED TWOSOME
NA Romantic Comedy
 Purchase: http://hyperurl.co/99udeh
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2uarCWF


     From the first day I met Racer McKay, I knew our interaction was going to be incredibly brief. First impressions really do matter and unfortunately, I didn’t make a very good one.
     At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I was never going to see this man again, right? 
Wrong! When I’m met with the opportunity of a lifetime, there is only one man in the state of New York who can assist me. And can you guess who it is? 
     But what I don’t realize is he needs me just as much as I need him. I have money he’s desperate for, and he holds the key to making my dreams come true. 
     So, we reluctantly join forces.
     Our pranks turn from sarcastic banter, to sexual tension and lust-filled glances. Bickering matches quickly morph into slow burn moments. We’re hot, we’re cold. We push and pull. I need him, I don’t want him. We’re on the verge of combusting with an agreement dangling dangerously between us. Neither one of us can afford to lose one another and yet, we’re finding it quite hard to decipher the line that rests between love and hate.

*Twisted Twosome is a stand alone romantic comedy.





Excerpt:

“Thanks for lunch, I haven’t had a fine peanut butter and jelly sandwich in quite some time.” Racer takes a giant bite from one of three sandwiches I made him. The man can eat; I just want to know where he puts it all. “What is this, crunchy peanut butter?” He looks over the sandwich, studying it intently. 

“Yes, it’s crunchy with mixed berry jam.”

He nods and takes another bite. He talks with his mouth full, which for some weird reason makes him oddly adorable. “Nice touch, George. The peanuts add a nice texture.”

“Are you going all food critic on my PB and J skills right now?”

Lifting his shirt, he dabs away some of the sweat that’s collecting on his forehead, beneath his backward hat. His abs flex with the movement, drawing my attention. Each divot calling out to me to touch, to examine . . . to lick. 

“I think every human should be judged on their PB and J skills.”

I pull my eyes away from his stomach just in time not to get caught staring. “Why do you think that?”

“Because,” he takes another bite, “I think building a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is in everyone’s repertoire, but only the truly skilled know how to make a proper one. And I want to be friends with the truly skilled.”

“Is that so?” I take a drink of my green tea and study him for a second, watching the way the muscles in his jaw move with each bite and swallow. It’s sexy. 

His neck is sexy? Is that possible? 

“So where do I land on your scale of sandwich artists?”

He smiles from my term, and I realize how much I adore his boyish charm. Pulling his eyes away from me, he examines one of the sandwiches I made him and starts assessing it. “Good ratio of peanut butter to jelly. Nice choice in bread. The crunch you added has been a pleasant surprise, and the mixed berry jam is fucking delightful.” I giggle from his girly term. “But . . .” 

I perk up; there’s a but? “But what?”

He quirks his mouth to the side, almost to say, “Sorry, but you’re not quite perfect.” “The bread, it should have been toasted. Toasting it would have taken you to boss level when it comes to the PB and J.”

“Toasting it?”

He nods and takes another bite. “When you don’t toast a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the peanut butter and bread form a paste on the roof of your mouth. Even though it tastes good, it can get quite irritating.”

“But I didn’t have a toaster.”

“Rookie mistake.”

“Well, If I knew I was going to be critiqued, I would have sprung for bacon.”

He pauses mid bite and stares at me over his sandwich. “You’re a beast for bringing up the option.”

I polish off the rest of my sandwich and wipe my fingers. “Well, maybe next time you’ll communicate expectations better. I’m not a mind reader, Racer. Frankly, the fact I didn’t make boss level is on you, not me.”

I stand and gather my trash as he stares me down. “Don’t you turn this on me. You didn’t have a toaster. The toaster is what’s key. This is on you, Georgie. This is on you!” he calls out as I make my way to the back, laughing to myself the entire time. 


My Thoughts: 

     This is a really good story of  opposites (on the surface) attract! Georgiana and Racer are from two VERY different social and economic backgrounds and upon first meeting are like oil and water.  What they never expected was that once they started spending time around each other was to actually get along and find out they are very much alike.
     Just when I think that MQ couldn't write another story that is not only sweet and sexy but funny, she surprises me again!  Racer is a total smarta$$ but also charming and endearing And even though I wasn't sure I would like Georgie at first, I ended up really rooting for her to succeed.  I did not expect to relate to characters in the just-starting-real-life-and-real-relationships category (and usually don't) but Meghan always gives me great characters that make me laugh out loud and feel all of The Feels.  
    Like a lot of romance novels you know where this ride is taking you but with Meghan Quinn the trip is so enjoyable you don't even care:  4/5 stars



About the Author:


Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!


Find me on Goodreads:

Visit my website: http://authormeghanquinn.com/


*Special thanks to WordSmith Publicity for the promo materials and a chance for review!







Monday, August 7, 2017

The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson


Summary:

 Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs' weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman.

It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She's having a baby boy--an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old's life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional, Southern family, her step-sister Rachel's marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she's been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.

Leia returns to Alabama to put her grandmother's affairs in order, clean out the big Victorian that has been in the Birch family for generations, and tell her family that she's pregnant. Yet just when Leia thinks she's got it all under control, she learns that illness is not the only thing Birchie's been hiding. Tucked in the attic is a dangerous secret with roots that reach all the way back to the Civil War. Its exposure threatens the family's freedom and future, and it will change everything about how Leia sees herself and her sister, her son and his missing father, and the world she thinks she knows.


My Thoughts:


     This is my first Joshilyn Jackson book  which I read for the MMD Summer Reading Challenge/Book club and I cannot wait to find more of her books!  This story is filled with tons of great characters, great scenery and enough Southern Charm to make you choke on your sweet tea. 
     I loved reading about Leia's job as an artist and writer of comic books and watching her evolve from single woman with a crazy family into a loving mother and open-hearted caretaker.  This book is chock full of people who will make you laugh out loud, cringe and even cry a little but you will absolutely fall in love with Birchie and Wattie almost immediately.  
     The sign of an excellent story written well to me is that I am reading and I don't even care to try to figure out where the story is going or where it might end.  The Almost Sisters was one of those books! I enjoyed every single word written by Ms. Jackson and never stopped once to try to figure out the mystery aspect of the story or wonder where she might be taking us.  I was just along for the wonderful, touching, thoroughly enjoyable ride! 5/5 stars

Author's site: http://www.joshilynjackson.com/jj/

Thursday, August 3, 2017

We're celebrating the release of  TWISTED TWOSOME by Meghan Quinn!


TWISTED TWOSOME
NA Romantic Comedy
 Purchase: http://hyperurl.co/99udeh
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2uarCWF


Racer McKay is a broody bastard.

From the moment I met him, he’s been rude, irritable, and unbearable. 

A contractor working to remodel my parents pool house for extra cash, he stomps around in those clunky construction boots with his tool belt wrapped around his narrow waist, and a chip on his shoulder.

Racer McKay is also infuriatingly . . . sexy as hell. I want to take that pencil tucked behind his ear, and draw lazy lines slowly up and down his body all the while wanting to strangle him at the same time.

We try to stay out of each other’s way . . . that is until I have no other option but to ask for his help.

But what I don’t realize is he needs me just as much as I need him. I have money he’s desperate for, and he holds the key to making my dreams come true.

Our pranks turn from sarcastic banter, to sexual tension and lust-filled glances. Bickering matches quickly morph into slow burn moments. We’re hot, we’re cold. We push and pull. I need him, I don’t want him. We’re on the verge of combusting with an agreement dangling dangerously between us. Neither one of us can afford to lose one another and yet, we’re finding it quite hard to decipher the line that rests between love and hate.

*Twisted Twosome is a stand alone romantic comedy.





Excerpt:


**GEORGIANA**

“So, are you ready for tonight?” Madison asks. 

The heat of the sun intensifies with the mention of tonight. It’s beating down on me, building up the pressure, circling me in an inferno of what’s to come. 

Tonight

I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my entire life. Even when I was forced to go with Danny Leshay to senior prom because it was part of my father’s business deal with a client. My dad buys out a lumberyard, and in return, I have to go with the guy’s son to prom. Thoughts of being stabbed and murdered on the side of the road by someone I didn’t know terrified me. Thanks, Dad!

“I’m prepared but so freaking nervous.” I turn on my side and face Madison. “I have that sinking feeling he’s going to say no.”

“How can he say no, G? You’ve run through your presentation a million times. I’ve seen it. You are solid with all your numbers, with your projections; it’s an easy yes.”

“To any other businessman, my presentation is an easy yes, but to my dad . . . I have this horrible feeling it’s going to be a hard pass.”

And that’s the honest truth. He’s a good man, but when it comes to me, I’m his little girl, not an aspiring entrepreneur. 

“You might be surprised.” Madison takes a big sip from her drink. “He wasn’t happy at first about you going to Northwestern and earning your master’s in business, but he changed his mind about that.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, because on paper, I’m more appealing to one of the ‘husbands’ my dad has chosen for me. An educated girl is a girl with goals and motivation, one that will be able to participate with knowledgeable commentary in dry, pointless conversations at charitable events. My entire life leading to this point has been a long and drawn-out finishing school run, and operated by my father, preparing me for the very moment I meet the one man I can stand at his side, woo his clients, and be the trophy wife I’ve been morphed into.” I set my drink on the table between us and rest my hands under my cheek. “I want so much more, Madison.”

“If you had red hair and was brushing it with a fork right now, I would think you were the little mermaid.”

“I’m serious.” I laugh just as cursing from a thousand men breaks up our little conversation. 

From the side of the pool where renovations for the pool house are taking place, the lone construction worker is holding his finger between his jean-clad legs. 

Madison sits up and lifts her sunglasses to get a look at the commotion. “Did you hammer a nail into your finger over there?”

The man who’s been working on the building for a few weekends looks up at us. His head is covered by a backward black baseball cap, his chest is bronze from working many hours outside this summer, and it’s hard not to notice the corded muscles wrapped around his entire body, from his chiseled stomach to his powerful biceps. To be honest, it hasn’t been a chore watching him these last few weekends.

What’s-His-Name looks up and pops his finger in his mouth, sucking on it as his body ripples under the brightness of the sun. 

“Damn,” Madison mutters under her breath just as the man pops his finger out of his mouth. “Mama likes.”

Unable to hear Madison slowly discredit his self-respect, he gruffly says, “I’m good.” Not giving us a second thought, he shakes his hand and turns back toward his project. 

Never having spoken to the man—I’ve only seen him around—I cautiously say, “You sure? Kind of looks like you’re hurt.”

Slowly he turns his head in my direction, his eyes cutting me a look of indignation. “I’m good, Princess. No need to set your cocktail down to check on me.”

Pardon me? Was that attitude?

I sit up, my legs straddling my lounge chair and tip my sunglasses up so he can see my dissatisfaction in his choice of words. “It’s Georgiana, not princess.”

Picking up his hammer, he shoves it in a holster attached to his side and says, “Could have fooled me.”

“Oooooo,” Madison says as if she’s in grade school. “Burned.” She sits back in her chair, taking a sip of her drink as if she’s preparing for the show of a lifetime, one she might just get. 

Slowly, I set my drink down and stand. I adjust the fabric of my swimsuit bottom so it’s covering my ass and saunter over to the man, now sorting nails as he casually glances in my direction. 

When I stand in front of him, I watch his eyes travel over my barely covered frame until he meets me head-on. His staggering height doesn’t intimidate me, even though he towers over my petite frame. He appears strong and powerful with a hard set in his jaw. 

“What did you say?” I ask, a hand on my hip. 

Not giving me his complete attention, he says, “You heard what I said or else you wouldn’t be over here trying to put on a front.”

“Put on a front?” My voice sounds a little shrill from the accusation. “I’m not putting on a front.”

“Yeah?” He pulls a rag from his back pocket, lifts his hat, and wipes his brow. His blond hair sticks up in all different directions with beads of sweat at the tips that aren’t covered by his hat. “So you’re not trying to act intimidating in front of your friend? You know, push around the hired help to make yourself feel better?”

“Excuse me?” Two seconds ago I was irritated, now I’m mad. “How dare you make such an awful accusation about me. You don’t know a thing about me.”

“I know enough,” he answers and turns around to nail another board for the new siding. His incessant hammering has ensured a headache all morning.

“Hey.” I poke his sweaty back, trying to ignore how amazingly tight it feels under my index finger. “I suggest if you want to keep your job you show a little respect.”

Whoa, can we all say it together? Georgiana, you’re a bitch. The words felt dirty leaving my mouth. I really don’t act like this, like my—gulp—parents, but I’m tired, anxious about meeting with my dad, and irritated. It’s a cataclysmic combination and when that happens, nothing good comes from it. I’m about to apologize when he starts to go off on me. 

“Respect? You want to talk respect?” He spins on his heel and holds up his hammer. “What do you know about respect, Princess? From where I see it, you know nothing. Every weekend I’ve been here, you’ve ordered people around, watching them wait on you hand and foot, complained about not having any money, gossiped about every bad boob job in town, and have yet to be pleasant to anyone who stands an inch beneath you.” He goes to hammer again but turns around once more and says, “And the heels you just had to wear out to the pool ripped a fucking hole in my nail gun hose, giving me no other option than to nail these boards by hand, adding on time I can’t afford. So, Princess, excuse me for upsetting you, but I’m sticking with the nickname. It fits you to a T. Oh, and just so you know, sandals. Sandals are the proper footwear you should be wearing around the pool.” He rolls his eyes, turns around, and starts hammering another nail into the siding of the pool house. 

How dare he!

“That’s what you think I am? Some whiney brat?”

“If the unnecessary high heel fits, Princess.” 

Unsure of what to do. I stomp my foot and say, “Well, I’m not.” 

Pretty sure my reaction just solidified his assumption. 

“Tantrums don’t work on me; try your daddy.” He continues to hammer away, his back muscles shimmering with each movement. 

“Maybe I will. We’ll see what he has to say about this little conversation.” 

He places another nail against the board and starts hammering. “Wouldn’t be shocked if you did. You step on my hose, ruin my chances of getting this project done today, which only prolongs my time here, cutting down on my chance to make more money since I’m getting paid a flat rate, and now you want to get me fired. Sounds about right. Can’t take the blame for anything.”

No one has ever been so disrespectful to me. 

“How was I supposed to know I stepped on your stupid hosey thing?”

“Maybe if you pay attention to people and objects around you, you may have noticed.”

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” He has me all wrong, and it is really bothering me that he pictures me as a spoiled, inconsiderate, self-consumed brat. That’s not who I am at all. 

“How do you figure? Because the way I see it, you’re the jerk.” His body fully turns around to face me, challenge in his eyes, maybe a bit of humor at the corner of his lips as he awaits my answer. 

Holding my chin high, I say, “Because, instead of having a hissy fit like a petulant child, you could have come over to me and said, ‘Miss Westbrook, sorry to bother you, but you seem to have poked a hole in my hose.’ But instead you decided to stew over here and then pick on me when I was trying to see if you were okay from your inability to hammer a nail into a piece of wood properly. It’s called being an adult.”

He studies me, hands on his hips, not showing any kind of reaction. “Being an adult, huh? And you think you’re an expert at that?”

“I would say I’m well-versed in the topic.”

He nods, his teeth biting down on his lower lip as his eyes flick to where Madison is sitting. “Well-versed, interesting. Tell me, when did adults start eating dinosaur chicken nuggets for lunch?”

Just when I’m about to reply, Madison calls out, “Nuggies are ready, G. Come eat T-Rex’s arms with me. Roar!” 

I shut my eyes tight, willing for this moment to disappear, maybe praying for the ground to swallow me whole due to Madison’s poor timing. The infuriating man says with a smile, “Your nuggies are ready, Princess. Don’t want them getting cold.”


About the Author:

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!


Find me on Goodreads:

Visit my website: http://authormeghanquinn.com/