Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Solu is supposed to be a wonder sweetener - a weight loss miracle that lets you continue to eat everything you want while the pounds simply melt away. Such a wondrous creation deserves no less than a wondrous release and that's exactly what the Cruise to Lose is meant to be. Laurel is comfortable with her weight but her best friend, Viv, is exactly the kind of person Solu is aimed at. And her father has the money to pay for both teens to take part in the week long cruise.

Tom Forelli isn't on the cruise to try out Solu, but has been hired as a celebrity spokesperson instead. And the job could mean big things for Tom's career, which has stagnated since his childhood days on screen. But, career or no, he's started to wonder if hawking Solu is really a good thing. And as the cruise continues, he realizes his misgivings have grave merit to them.

Emmy Laybourne's Sweet is confectionary fun with a dark licorice twist.

Weight loss is a big issue and America (the world?) is constantly searching for a quick fix, a wonder drug or diet that will do exactly what Laybourne's fictional Solu will do. But as Laurel quickly comes to find out, anything that seems to good to be true is. I can absolutely believe that something akin to the Cruise to Lose fiasco could happen. As one character points out, Solu isn't a pharmaceutical, it's a supplement, leaving it free of the testing and restrictions an actual medication would have. And we've seen everything from embarrassing to bad side effects of attempted sweetener/supplements before! Maybe not this bad, though.

Of course as the story progresses, the Cruise to Lose takes a very dark turn, leaving Laurel and Tom to essentially fend for themselves. Laurel is fabulous - a teen who is, as mentioned above, comfortable in her skin. But we see her friend Viv and get little tidbits about her home life that explain why the two girls feel so differently. And honestly, I, like many girls, fall into the Viv camp. It would be great if I could be a Laurel, and hindsight definitely makes me wish I had been at her age!

I didn't love Tom, though. He's a bit too workout obsessed, which no one really mentions can be an equally bad thing if taken too far. It made me wonder if some alternate version of the story had him hitting a breaking point and losing it while madly hitting the treadmill! (My mind goes there. Sorry.) But he likes Laurel in spite of the fact that his handlers tell him not to - she's a no one. So I liked him for that!

Sweet didn't necessarily blow me away, but it was immensely entertaining and had some deliciously cheesy moments. Like a bag of chips (cause it's Doritos not Oreos for me), once I started I couldn't stop and considering there was no shame to be had in gobbling it up in one sitting, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

Rating: 3.5/5

As an added bonus, Emmy Laybourne did pen an e short prequel to Sweet featuring Dr. Elise Zhang.

Li Jing has created a miracle drug. A sweetener that allows you to eat whatever you want and still lose weight. But before she can break the news about her creation, it'll have to undergo years of testing. And Li isn't willing to wait that long. Unbeknownst to her graduate advisor, Li seeks out someone willing to test the product themselves - and the results are nothing short of miraculous. But when the school catches wind of Li's extracurricular activities, they are none too pleased.

I did love this extra taste of Sweet. It serves as a prequel, but I think it works better as a post-Sweet read considering it does kind of hint at some of the Solu side effects. It does also give a lot of insight into the personality of Solu's creator. Both could be considered kind of spoiler-y, all things considered.

And while it's absolutely not necessary to read "Expelled," that insight into Zhang was quite welcome on my part. She plays a fairly small role in Sweet as a whole, sidelined by the other characters in the story, so this is really our only chance to get to know her at all.

Overall, "Expelled" is a welcome addition to the world of Sweet.

Rating: 4/5

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Miranda Beverly Wittemore's latest, June. There is a giveaway here as part of the tour so be sure to read through to the bottom to enter.

Two Oaks has been in her family for generations and now Cassie fears she could lose it all. After her grandmother died, Cassie inherited the home and a meager bank account to go along with it. And the once grand mansion needs way more than a loving hand. 

All of that changes when Cassie receives word that she's in line for a massive inheritance courtesy of a famous actor who claims he's her grandfather. But how can that be, Cassie wonders? Not only has she never met the famed Jack Montgomery, her own real grandfather was very much in the picture until he passed away when Cassie was nine. 

The true story stretches back to 1955 and it's one Two Oaks knows well. Soon Cassie and even Jack's own daughters will come to learn the truth about what happened that year as well. 

When I started reading June, I was immediately pulled into the vivid descriptions and imagery. Anytime an author can make a reader physically feel a story's setting, it's a win. And with a story that promises scandal, a murder, blackmail and more... well you can imagine how giddy I was digging deeper into this one!

We're introduced to Two Oaks in its heyday through June and Lindie in the summer of 1955. The promise of a wedding and a movie being made in their tiny hometown of St. Jude, Ohio, are at the forefront of the girls' minds. But we're only given a small taste before jumping forward to Cassie, present day, and her predicament.

Cassie is basically hiding out at Two Oaks. She's broke and she's literally letting the house fall down around her. So of course finding out she's in line to inherit the massive estate of a Hollywood idol would be more than a saving grace. Except for the two things: as mentions above, Cassie knows nothing about the man much less that he might be her grandfather, and Jack Montgomery has his own family who are chomping at the bit to contest the will.

The story alternates between the two timelines, intertwining the past and present stories, and giving readers a chance to see the story play out not only for the immediate players in 1955 but for those who would come to learn the truth of the consequences present day. I loved every single minute of this story!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Miranda Beverly-Wittemore and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

And now for the giveaway! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, June 20. Open US/Canada only and no PO boxes please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for K.A. Tucker's latest, He Will Be My Ruin.

Maggie Sparkes couldn't be more shocked to learn that her best friend has committed suicide. When she arrives in New York to help empty Celine's apartment, however, she quickly decides the case is suspect. Celine had everything to look forward to, including starting classes in an elite art program and her mother's recent remission from cancer. And the fact that Celine's phone is missing is another telling clue. 

Then Maggie learns about Celine's secret life. One she did everything she could to keep under wraps. But she chronicled everything in diaries and the last one seems to have gone missing as well. Now Maggie is determined to learn whether Celine's death was indeed suicide or murder. 

Tucker's latest is a real page turner. Perfect for summer reading in fact - I brought it to a friend's pool and a crawfish boil this weekend. Distractions not included, this would have been a one sitting read considering I later found myself frantically turning the final pages as the story drew to a close.

Maggie is a rich girl who throws herself into humanitarian efforts thanks to the dirty deeds of her family's company. Celine, her best friend, was actually her nanny's daughter. But Maggie always felt more close to Celine and her mother than her own work and money focused parents. So of course when such a tragedy strikes, she's overwhelmed but also fiercely protective. And the longer she spends time in Celine's home, the more convinced she is that the case can't be as open and close as the authorities believe.

Chapters are interspersed with some of Celine's own final months in New York, filling in gaps for the reader that Maggie herself isn't privy to. It personalizes Celine, giving a nice balance between what Maggie recalls about her friend and what's gleaned from the journals in addition to providing some additional clues as to her fate.

He Will Be My Ruin probably won't trick a careful reader - there are red herrings and the author does a good job of turning the reader's suspicion from one suspect and possibility to another. I found, though, that there were a few places where I wasn't quite thrown and wasn't surprised to find I'd figured out Celine's unfortunate end. It was still, as I mentioned above, a tense read. And one that I couldn't put down!

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on K.A. Tucker you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

New Releases 6/7/16

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Dark Horse by Rory Flynn

A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

End of Watch by Stephen King

Liar Liar by M.J. Arlidge

Forever Beach by Shelley Noble

The Girl From the Savoy by Hazel Gaynor

Heart of Stone by James W. Ziskin

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey

The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman

Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger

Mystic Summer by Hannah McKinnon

The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer

What We Become by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell

Dishonorable Intentions by Stuart Woods

The Second Girl by David Swinson

The Cavendon Luck by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam

With Malice by Eileen Cook

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

The Flip Side by Shawn Johnson

The End by Charlie Higson

The Marked Girl by Lindsey Klingele

The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

The Leaving by Tar Altebrando

Rocks Fall Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar

New on DVD:
Mr. Right
Hail, Caesar
Zootopia
The Other Side of the Door

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

When I heard about Ezekiel Boone's debut I immediately knew it was something I wanted to add to my TBR. Of course as I said this I also had a gut clenching ewwwww reaction as well!

An astonishingly inventive and terrifying debut novel about the emergence of an ancient species, dormant for over a thousand years, and now on the march.

Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these incidents begin to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at a Washington, D.C. laboratory. Something wants out.

The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake.

This creepy crawly horror read hits shelves in July thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler. 

Roses and Rot by Kat Howard

Imogen and Marin didn't have a happy home life. Their mother pitted them against one another, criticizing their every move, and ensuring that they doubted everything they ever put their heart and soul into. But Imogen was lucky enough to escape by earning a spot in boarding school. Unfortunately it meant the sisters were separated at an early age.

All of that changes when they're both accepted into Melete, an exclusive artists' retreat that should help them both in their careers. Melete is an odd and magical place, both figuratively and, as Imogen and Marin soon learn, literally. Aided by the Fae, Melete fosters creativity, artistry, and passion. And every seven years, Melete pays tribute to its otherworldly benefactors by offering up one of their own. It's an honor beyond all honors and one that means magnificent success for the person chosen. But when Imogen and Marin are both selected as candidates, it could mean a break between the siblings that can never be healed. 

I was pretty immediately enchanted by the world of Roses and Rot. Even before beginning the book, to be honest. The cover is exactly the kind that catches my eye and haunts me until I have the title in hand!

Imogen and Marin are both artists - Imogen is a writer whose focus is fairy tales, many of which are drawn from her own unhappy childhood, and Marin is a dancer. It's Marin's idea to apply to Melete, but both are lucky enough to get in and to be able to share living space while they're there.

The sisters have a bad background thanks to a mother who never seemed to be able to show any affection for either of them. Well, that's not totally true. She apparently showed affection for Marin when it meant hurting Imogen more. In the beginning of the story, though, there's a lot of allusion to their horrid mother with no examples to actually back it up. It made the balance of the story somewhat off kilter for me personally.

Of course the real conflict comes when the sisters both begin to gain the attention of the fae. Both want to succeed and both want to escape their mother's clutches once and for all. Melete offers both of those, temporarily at least, and once again pits the sisters against each other. Though not in the way you might immediately think.

Melete plays on a lot of the traditional Fae elements - there's a seasonal market akin to the night markets/goblin markets seen frequently in fairy worlds, there are rules galore (the fae are nothing if not sticklers for rules - and for finding ways to break them), and of course there are enchantments like the fact that folks at Melete can't actually tell outsiders the truth about the retreat. I do so love fae legend and seeing how different authors handle the topic. I wanted Roses and Rot to have a darker undertone and a more gothic feel (that cover!), though, and that simply wasn't the case. In truth it felt as though the nitty gritty of the world was never fully formed. Howard gave us glimpses of something that I wanted to see much more deeply into.

I also found myself inevitably comparing it to Borderline, which I read very recently and also concerns the fae/fey and their interactions with the "real" world. Unfair though it may be, Mishell Baker's snarky lead and Hollywood blend worked better for me in a lot of ways than Howard's artist retreat setting and emotionally embroiled siblings.

Which is not to say at all that I didn't enjoy Roses and Rot but simply that I a. had different expectations for Roses and b. should probably plan my reading more appropriately!

Rating: 3/5

Mini Reviews Part VI

It's time for my latest set of mini reviews! Just two today, I'm afraid.

First up, Matthew Norman's We Are All Damaged. This one is brand spanking new this week.

When Andy's mom calls to let him know that his grandfather is dying, he drops everything to very reluctantly return home. It's not that he doesn't want to see his grandfather, it's just that his hometown holds so many bad memories. Like his divorce and the fact that he ruined his best friend's wedding by punching the groom's father (Andy's own ex-father-in-law). And things haven't improved since he's left. Now his mother has been groomed to be a Fox News speaker whose rantings have caught the attention of a gay mafia. Plus, his ex still calls the town home and Andy finds it hard to resist staking out their old house on really drunken evenings. 

Andy desperately needs a redo. 

We Are All Damaged is actually quite funny. Andy's made some mistakes but it's not like his family is much better off either. In truth, as the title says, they're all DAMAGED. In spite of all of that, Andy is quite an appealing character. It's easy to feel sorry for him and to want things to get better. He could be a sad sack whose moaning and drinking gets old quite fast, but that's not at all the case. His is a sweet story with plenty of laughs. I guarantee you'll root for him!

We're All Damaged is out today.

Rating: 3.5/5

Next, Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson.

Jude is on the run and looking for a place to hide out for a while. The tiny town she visited some time ago on vacation seems like the perfect spot, and a job in the cramped and cute used bookstore the perfect thing to tide her over. Fortunately, the job also comes with a place the stay. Unfortunately, there are complications that come with the job as well. And then there's Jude's personal life and the past she's running from!

I wanted to love this book. Frankly it sounded quite perfect for me and the cover (and previous McPherson stand alones) promised a creepy vibe. Maybe.

I should note that I'd never read anything by McPherson before this so I really had no personal experience to back up my expectations.

Sadly, Quiet Neighbors didn't come through for me. The story meandered like an achingly slow Sunday drive. High points promised a pick up in the plot that never became reality as I muddled through waiting and hoping the story would get better.

Rarely do I feel reading a book is a waste of time, but I have to admit this was one that made me mourn for my lost hours.

Rating: 2/5