I Know It's Been A While...

 

So like the title of this blog states, I know it's been a while since I've really sat down and posted anything real to this blog and there is a big reason for this. I wanted to jump on here and do a small post letting you know what's going on with this blog and life in general for me. 

As some of you know I've been around in the blogging/publishing world for a long time. Well, over ten years now. I've always had a dream to not just be a blogger reviewing other authors' books. I've wanted to be an author who has books out that bloggers/reviews are...well reviewing for. That's about to actually happen! That's where I've been and why I haven't been blogging here. Yep, one of my all-time biggest dreams is going to come true starting next year. Hopefully, sometime in January 2022, my first release, First to Fight will be available for everyone to read. The pre-order for the book is actually already available so if you want to check that out you can, just know the date on it isn't correct, but I'll explain that later. 

Pre-order Here: CLICK HERE 

Add to your TBR on Goodreads: CLICK HERE

It's been a crazy journey to get to where I am now. The book is with my editor right this very moment and she's supposed to have it ready for me by next month. I'm super excited! I will have revisions to input and I have to learn how to format the book...oh yeah I almost forget I'm self-publishing my books. Also when I say books, I mean a huge series. Like I have plans for over 15 books in this series so far. I probably should tell you more about the books themselves but I really can't just yet, once I can though I will make another post and tell you all about the series. I will tell you this though they are contemporary military adult romance. The first three of which will be released in 2022! The series is called the First to Fight series and I honestly can't wait to share them with everyone. 

So much has happened it's all a bit crazy. My cover reveal happened yesterday so I can also share that with you here on this post. 

You all might know the amazing cover artist who created this beautiful cover for me and has already created the next two as well. Rachel over at Parajunkee Designs made this for me and I'm seriously in love with it. (If you're an author and need covers, you really should check out her work, she was so fantastic to work with! ) 

The summary for First to Fight will be available soon as well. 

As far as Ali's Bookshelf is concerned, I will no longer be taking review requests. I'm honestly not sure what I want to do just yet with this blog. It's been a part of my life for a long time and I don't want to just leave it. I'm thinking of maybe doing more lifestyle things on it or...well I'm not sure just yet. I will let you all know as soon as I do though. I hope you all will stick with me and go through this author's journey with me.  I will be blogging a lot over on my author's website. You can find that HERE. 

Anyway, sorry for the rambly blog, but I really wanted to just touch base with everyone here and let you all know what's been going on. I hope you all have a great week and as always...

Review and Giveaway: Lover Unveiled by J.R. Ward

 

 

 

I am super excited to share my thoughts with you today on this spectacular book, though I'm pretty sure you all know how much I love any book written by J.R. Ward by now!  I'm also grateful that her amazing team asked me to be part of her book release tour for this book. So I want to send out a huge thanks to them and her as well. 

Lover Unveiled by J.R. Ward

Publisher: Gallery Books

Published Date: April 20th 2021

Format: Hard Cover

Series: The Black Dagger Brotherhood

Pages:  512 pages

Amazon * Goodreads 

Sahvage has been living under the radar for centuries—and he has every intention of of staying “dead and buried.” But when a civilian female sucks him into her dangerous battle with an evil as ancient as time, his protective side overrides his common sense.

Mae has lost everything, and desperation sets her on a collision course with fate. Determined to reverse a tragedy, she goes where mortals should fear to tread—and comes face-to-face with the Brotherhood’s new enemy. She also discovers a love she never expected to find with Sahvage, but there can be no future for them.

Knowing they will part, the two band together to fight against what Mae unknowingly unleashed—as the Brotherhood closes in to reclaim one of their damned, and evil vows to destroy them all…

Oh my oh my, she's done it again! I swear I say this every single time author J.R. Ward releases another book, but honestly it's the truth. She never ceases to amaze me and by now I shouldn't be surprised.  As always I'm going to try really hard not to add any spoilers in this review, though it's going to be so hard because I just want to scream it all from the rooftops. Anyway, let's get to it!

First let's chat about the writing style, as you all should already know, I love the writing style of this amazing author. She captures her readers really quick with her words and honestly you don't want to leave even when you read the last word. Her books stay with you and for me that's something that makes a great book/storyteller. Any book that has me thinking about it days and even weeks after reading it, well to me that's one hell of a book. I didn't want this one to end! 

Second, MMA? Do I need to say more about that...yes I do. I love any book that has MMA characters in it and just that fact alone made me want to read it right away, like as soon as my hands touched this book. 

At first, I wasn't too sure about Mae, if I'm being honest which I always am, I didn't like her at all in the beginning. By the end though I had come to really like her as a character. This book was a total roller coaster for me though, there were ups and downs and so many twists. She did set it up for some fantastic books to come though which is another thing that this spectacular author is amazing at. She always has me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next and this book was no exception when it came to that. Like I said above, I couldn't get enough. 

All in all this book was AMAZING!! I couldn't put it down, not even to make dinner. I can't wait to read more books from author J.R. Ward and this fantastic series. I can't say enough amazing things about The Black Dagger Brotherhood. It's one of my all time favorite series and this book just made it even more of a fav. If you haven't read this one or any of the books in this series, honestly what are you waiting for? 

If you didn't already know by my review above and the image at the top of this post LOL I'm giving Lover Unveiled an Ali's Bookshelf rating of...

 

 

J.R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South her family.

Alright, so this giveaway is for 1 copy of Lover Unveiled by J.R. Ward. So the main thing you have to do is be over 18 years old, live in the U.S. (Sorry to anyone who doesn't!) That's pretty much it. The enter to win all you have to do is leave a comment below, I'll use a random generator to pick the winner. Good Luck!!

 

Review and Giveaway: The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

I am super excited to be part of this blog tour and bring you my thoughts on The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis. As a lot of you already know, Jill Shalvis is one of my all time favorite authors. So, I always jump at the chance to be part of her blog tours. I want to thank William Morrow/Harper Collins publishing for letting me be part of this tour and for sending me this fantastic book for review.

Remember my thoughts on all reviews are my own and just because I receive the book for review doesn't sway my opinion at at all!

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

Publisher:  William Morrow Paperbacks

Published Date: June 2nd 2020

Format: Paperback

Series: Wildstone #5

Pages: 384 Pages

Goodreads * Amazon *

Brynn Turner desperately wishes she had it together, but her personal life is like a ping-pong match that’s left her scared and hurt after so many attempts to get it right. In search of a place to lick her wounds and get a fresh start, she heads back home to Wildstone.

And then there’s Kinsey Davis, who after battling serious health issues her entire twenty-nine years of life, is tired of hoping for . . . well, anything. She's fierce, tough, and pretty much the opposite of Brynn except for one thing: they're half-sisters. Kinsey is keeping this bombshell, and a few others as well. Long time frenemies from summer camp, there’s no way she’s going to tell Brynn they’re related.

But then Brynn runs into Kinsey's lifelong best friend, Eli, renewing a childhood crush. He’s still easy-going and funny and sexy as hell. When he gets her to agree to a summer-time deal to trust him to do right by her, no matter what, she never dreams it’ll result in finding a piece of herself she didn’t even know was missing. She could have a sister, love, and a future―if she can only learn to let go of the past.

As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that’s right in front of them.

Like I said above I jumped at the chance to read The Summer Deal and I'm super happy that I did. Each and every one of this fantastic authors books always pull me in and this one was no different. I'm not sure if it was the camp stories or the multiple POV's or even the secrets of each character that had me so drawn that I just had to know what happened next or if it was Jill's writing style, but whatever it was I'm so glad it did. Honestly, I've been in a bit of reading funk lately. With this crazy world the way it is and my hand being messed up, it was hard to get into a book, but The Summer Deal did just that for me.

I loved the journey this book took me on as a reader, reading each word and seeing how far each character comes in this book was just perfection. I connected with each character on such a different level and that made me want to read this book even more. I didn't want to put this one down, even when I was working and had to clock back in after my break, I wanted to continue reading. I couldn't wait to get home and read some more. I don't know about you but in the Summer time I'm such a mood reader that contemporary romance is just the thing for me and this one was the perfect summer read for me.

Even though I yelled at a few of the characters throughout this one at times and rooted for them in the next few pages, honestly it just made me love each second of reading The Summer Deal even more. I couldn't get enough of it. I've been waiting for a few weeks and trying really hard not to spoil anything when it came to this book so this review could go live.

I must talk about Eli, the boy is just wow! I must say though at times I was wondering if he had his head on wrong. Keeping secrets isn't something I agree with, sometimes those secrets have to come out and in this one it could have saved a lot of heartache if it had come out sooner. Though then again, the characters keeping said secrets were what kept this story going. So I totally get it! I really enjoyed the little snippets from each of the girls camp journals, those parts cracked me up and gave us the perfect glimpse into each of their pasts.

I loved this reading this book and hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did. I'm pretty sure you will. Make sure you pick up your copy today! The Wildstone series is all in all one of my favorites and I can't wait to read the next one in this series.

Multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is … mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning heartwarming and full of humor novels wherever books are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Her most recent book, ALMOST JUST FRIENDS, was just published last month and her next book, THE SUMMER DEAL, comes out in June.

Look for Jill's ALMOST JUST FRIENDS and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold. Visit http://www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and fun blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Connect with Jill:
http://instagram.com/jillshalvis
http://facebook.com/JillShalvis
http://twitter.com/jillshalvis

If you didn't see the top image lol, I'm giving The Summer Deal and Ali's Bookshelf rating of...

And now for that giveaway!! Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis. I'll use a random generator to pick the winner. Sorry, but this giveaway if for US and Canada entries only and you must be 18 years old to enter. I'll announce the winner here on this review in one week!

Life Update: My Hand and Some Upcoming Posts

 I know it's been awhile since I've posted much here on Ali's Bookshelf. I wanted to get a post up to let you all know what's going on with my hand. Trust me, this isn't how I wanted my year here on the blog to be. I had planned out a great year filled with new posts and reviews, I had plans for new things to happen on this blog. Then of course, I hurt my hand at work and all those plans fell through. Right now my hand is still messed up pretty badly. I can't go into great detail because, well I hired a lawyer and I'm not really allowed to. All I can say right now is that it's not getting any better. I'm in physical therapy and his word the other day is let's get some function out of it.

So right now that's the main plan. I'm going to try, if you notice I say try, to post a few posts here in July. I'm working on a few, but it takes me a long time to get them ready. Typing hurts and honestly it's a lot of pecking the keys with one hand.

The plan for the blog now is try to post reviews, I am still reading like crazy. I have several books I can review right now and that's the first posts I'm going to be working on for July. I have one that's for a blog tour and that's going live tomorrow. (It's already to go!) Please stick with me, I promise there will be posts going live here shortly! For those that have stuck with me, thanks so much, it means the world to me.

Anyway, I hope you all are doing great in this crazy world we now live in. Just remember I am trying to get posts up for you all but it will take me some time. Thanks and as always...

Review and Giveaway: The Sinner by J.R. Ward

I am super stoked to be sharing my thoughts on one of my favorite author's books today. I want to thank Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of The Sinner for review. You all are amazing!  Author J.R. Ward is one of those auto-buy authors for me, you know the ones that as a reader as soon as their books are released you are there buying your copy, yep that's how it is for me with this spectacular author. She's also an amazing author to see in person, you will laugh so hard, so if you get the chance to hear her speak about her books...do trust me! Anyway, below is my thoughts about her newest release The Sinner. 

 The Sinner by J. R. Ward

Publisher:  Gallery Books

Published: March 24th 2020

Format: Hardcover

Series: The Black Dagger Brotherhood

Pages: 496 pages

Goodreads * Amazon * 

 Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he not only crosses the path of the vampire race’s new enemy, but also that of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.

Fate anointed Butch O’Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male—or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?

With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against true evil. In the end, will love true prevail...or was the prophecy wrong all along?

First off I want to start this review by saying a huge thanks to this author for writing this whole series, in times like we are living right now, these books are the best stories to dive into and forget everything else around you. That's exactly what I did with The Sinner. I honestly squealed like a little girl when this one arrived. Then I stopped and thought about one of my best friends and how I knew she was going to kill me as soon as she found out I had my hands on this book lol. Just kidding, she might not actually kill me but...that's the kind of passion these books kindle though. Which isn't a bad thing! That's the kind of passion these books kindle though, she had been waiting to get her hands on this story. Once you finish one you can't wait to have the next and it's hard to wait. Though I try very patiently to wait each time. 

There are so many things I want to say about this book but I'm not sure where to start, I guess I'll just start with the writing itself and go from there. It's hard to actually describe how happy this book made me, it was so full of emotion. I love that about this series as well, J.R. Ward can write books that have you laughing one minute and holding your breath the other. I will say I have found a new favorite in this story, which I didn't think would happen because Z is my fav. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, back to the best part... the writing. I really don't know how she keeps up with everything in these books, so much happens the twists and turns, not that I'm complaining one bit, but I would love to know how she keeps track. I love the style in which she does tell her stories, they grab you and don't let you go even after you finish each book. They make you want to dive right back in and re-read the whole series. It doesn't leave you! Which makes them some of my favorite books of all time. 

  Now let's talk about characters, OMG let's talk about these characters. Funny, sexy, with dark pasts, families and all that goes with them being vampires! That's just a couple of words that I can come up with and honestly I have about a dozen more.  I love these characters. Syn has become a new favorite of mine! Like I said above I wasn't sure that would happen. I love Z! He's still my all-time favorite, but Syn and Butch are up there on the list now too. J.R. Ward knows how to create characters that make you fall in love with them just as much as their true love.  Honestly, she knows how to make you want to be their love!  That's one of those things she knows how to do best. That's one of those things that keeps us all coming back for more each and every time. I know for me I can't get enough of it. 

These books, including, The Sinner plays out in your head as you're reading them, like a movie that you star in. (Again, the best part!) I loved reading this book as I knew I would. If you couldn't already tell, I love this whole series. 

Oh, I have to mention two more things real quick, then I'm going to stop rattling on about this amazing author and her books. I must mention this cover, I think it's one of my favorites. The color is just perfect with the cover model OMG. I think when I opened this book standing at my mailbox I stood there staring for a little bit longer than I meant to. Whoever that model is WOW!  Her covers are always amazing and eye-catching but they really did an amazing job this time. 

Once this book was released I made sure I purchased the audiobook,  Jim Frangione has the perfect voice for these books, making us all love them even more than we already did! I listen and follow along as I read. I love doing this. Makes it come alive even more. If you have a chance to listen and read this book, do so! 

All in all, The Sinner is one of my favorite of the Black Dagger books. I loved this book, I'm pretty sure you already know that by now! Anyway, if you haven't read any of this series, what are you waiting for, get a copy today and start. If you have, let me know below your thoughts! I love hearing from you all. 

As if you didn't already know this, I'm giving The Sinner by J.R. Ward Ali's Bookshelf...

J.R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South her family.

The awesome publisher is offering one copy of this fantastic book for one of my readers. This giveaway will be for U.S. readers only. You must also be 18 years old to sign up!

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