Blog Tour: After the Rain by Renée Carlino - Review


From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a deeply emotional contemporary romance about the second chances waiting beyond the shattered dreams of youth.

Under the bright arena lights of a rodeo show, young Avelina Belo falls for a handsome cowboy with a larger-than-life personality. After a whirlwind courtship, she happily moves away from her family in northern California and settles into married life with her cowboy on a seven-thousand-acre cattle ranch in Montana. One freak accident later, Avelina’s hopes for the future come to an end.

Nate Myers graduated from UCLA medical school at the top of his class, ready to follow in the footsteps of his father, a superstar cardiothoracic surgeon. Six years later, Nate’s career is being ruined by a malpractice suit. Questioning himself for the first time, he retreats to a Montana cattle ranch to visit his uncle and gain perspective. There, he meets a beautiful young woman named Avelina who teaches him more than he ever knew about matters of the heart.
This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Renee’s book Nowhere but Here and the blurb for After the Rain seemed heartbreaking but also really interesting.

Avelina was a superrrrr sweet girl. She was so broken down when she met Nate that she didn’t recognize herself. I hate that she felt that way and that she felt the need to hid herself away from anyone. I was so happy when she met Nate because she finally came out of her shell. It was a beautiful transition.

Nate was such a great guy. He noticed Avelina when she didn’t want anyone to pay attention to her and he loved what he noticed. He had fallen on some hard times but it led him to Avelina and made him a better man. He was a stand-up guy and reminds me why I love good guys so much!

This book, in some places, was super heartbreaking as the synopsis implies. But it also gave me a lot of hope. Both characters were incredibly mature and made some hard decisions that were the best for them but were tough in the meantime.

Score number 2 for Renée! I am definitely on the lookout for her in the future!

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: Before I knew what was happening, I kissed him instantly. He responded equally fast, returning the kiss and pressing me hard against the door to the cabin. Gripping the back of my neck with one hand and moving the other to my hip, he closed any empty space left between us. His lips were soft but his motions were urgent.
(From an advanced, uncorrected reader copy. Quote may not appear in final copy.)
After the Rain
Rating: 4.5/5 Tar Heels!

Blog Tour: Wild by Sophie Jordan - Review + Giveaway!


A good girl goes fabulously bad in the final book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s sexy New Adult romance series, in which three Ivy League suite-mates seek higher knowledge of just how far they can go.


Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she’s ready to change her image, and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of sexual adventure at the secret campus kink club?

In the shadowy den of the kink club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend’s little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light years ahead when it comes to sexual experience. Now he’s telling her to go home—“good girls” don’t belong here!
Georgia is tired of having others define her. She’s going to teach Logan a lesson he won’t forget—one white hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she’s way in over her head, Georgia runs.

Only Logan won’t let her go. Everywhere she goes he’s there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other. 

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Ivy Chronicles is one of my absolute favorite NA series. I was majorly addicted reading Pepper and Reese’s book and I knew I needed Logan’s book.

Georgia is a girl who is tired of being labeled as boring, reliant, and predictable sooooo she decides to break out of her shell. I so enjoyed her being different, even though she has been this girl all along. She has just been hiding, I loved when she finally took charge of her life and stopped listening to others. It was a wonderful moment.

LOGAN! Oh my goodness he was my favorite man in this series. I am always a sucker for a slightly younger guy and he was amazing. He continually worked for Georgia and was always upfront with his feelings. And he was so dang hot! He also cared so much for Georgia. He was a complete package.

It was so nice to see the characters from the previous books. I loved how each of their relationships progressed, especially Pepper and Reese. The girls’ friendship is also so great. The steam is this book is totally insane and palpable.

This was my favorite of the series and I was so sad knowing this was the last book! I wholeheartedly recommend this series!
Wild (The Ivy Chronicles, #3)
Rating: 5/5 Tar Heels!
 

About the Author:

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.

Find Sophie at: