First Sight Re-Launch Tour!!!!

About First Sight

Maddy Smith writes for a trendy website in Washington DC, has two fabulous best friends, and her own apartment. When a girl’s night out ends with her locking eyes with the handsome stranger across the room, the last thing she expects is for him to show up at her office on Monday morning.

Travis Emerson, her attractive and single new colleague, just moved to town. Although an immediate friendship between Maddy and Travis forms, she soon finds herself wishing for something more. After a misunderstanding between them occurs, not only is her hope for a relationship ruined, but their friendship is in jeopardy as well. Is any chance that Maddy had with Travis over? Or could he possibly be what she’s been looking for all along?

Follow Maddy and Travis on a series of adventures that will quickly have you cheering them on. First date jitters? Not when you’ve been in love since First Sight!

About Laura Donohue

Laura Donohue is a graduate of George Mason University. She spent ten years working as a technical writer and editor before publishing her first novel. She lives in Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

Contact Laura Donohue

Website: www.lovechicklit.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LoveChickLit?pnref=story

Twitter: @lovechicklit

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Kud3Ad

Publishing/Marketing Contact
Kathy Marks
Book Marketing Manager
Booktrope Publishing
kathy.marks@booktrope.com

About Booktrope

Booktrope is a new type of publishing company, founded in 2011 in Seattle, WA. Committed to the creation of quality books and to our unique marketing methods, we’re pioneering a book development process called team publishing. Learn more at www.booktrope.com.

My Review:
A wonderful story about the sort of relationship we wish would happen to all of of. An instant connection, a solid friendship and the chance for something more. I loved both of the main characters. They're easy to connect to and root for and their relationship progresses extremely realistically.

Short and beautifully sweet, a love story for all to enjoy!

Giveaway!!!!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/58fc50c33/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="58fc50c33" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_mi2of99v">a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

A Brief Summary:
A Bollywood star who's been ruining from her past for the last ten years, but now her cousin is getting married and she will be forced to confront it. Rita hasn't been home in ten years, after she made the decision to honor one promise and break the other. When her decisions come to light, will she be able to back to the life she made for herself, or will everything change?
My Summary:

I really liked Rita, she's sweet and tries extremely hard to do the right thing, however hard it may be. She's loyal to her family and never quite got over her first love. Vikram, Rita's first love, is honest, dependable and can definitely hold a grudge. He's also incredibly smart and loves kids. Pretty much an ideal leading man.

The relationship between Rita and Vikram, develops quickly but believably due to their history together. Also their relationship with the side characters are well developed and really helped tie the story together.

I really liked how you got a feel for Indian-American culture and some of the their traditions. I grew up in a tiny primarily Caucasian town, so I haven't really had a chance to experience other cultures. This book gives great, easy to follow, descriptions of  the culture.

This was a wonderful book, it touches on mental health issues and the fear that you'll inherit the illness, family bonds, and, of course love. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books

We Never Asked For Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A Brief Summary:
What is a mother? Someone who gives birth to you, someone who nurtures and takes care of you. Well for most of her children's lives Letty Espinosa was just someone who gave birth to them, while they were raised by their grandparents. So when they decide to return to Mexico and leave Letty to take care of her children, she's terrified. Will she be able to handle being a full time mother for the first time in her life or will she crack under the pressure?

My Review: 

Told from the view of Letty and her son Alex, giving you a fuller understanding of their life. Letty is preoccupied with making sure they have food in their stomachs and a chance to her kids to have a better life. Alex, however, is focused on his first love and finding out about his father. While Alex and Letty butt heads they really try to develop a better relationship.

Along with their family struggles Alex worries about Yesmina, his love. She's a little smaller than most girls in his class, and is also undocumented. Their young love is idealistic, sweet, and very realistic.

Letty also has her own dilemma about love, her first love and Alex's father comes back but she's also starting to fall for a guy at work.

This book deals with some hard topics. I know a lot of people who have little sympathy for people they think have abandoned their responsibilities and even less for undocumented immigrants. This book brings their struggles to light in a powerful way. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballatine in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman

A Brief Summary:
A healer of the haunted is Dr. Grace Blades. A psychiatrist that specializes in working with people who have gone through traumatic experiences. With the perfect blend of knowledge and empathy, she can relate as few others can, for she has gone through her own share of traumatic experiences. Now when present and past collide in the most shocking and terrifying ways will Grace be able survive?

My Review: 

I really liked this book. It's filled with twists and turns keeping you in suspense the entire book. Personally, I absolutely loved Grace. She is brilliant but still feels relateable. I also enjoyed how you get to watch Grace grow up concurrently with the story, about every other chapter, it gives you a good feel of how Grace became the person she is.

The silent antagonist also had a traumatic beginning to his life but the choice he made were very different. It's an interesting dynamic, I'd love to know more about his young adult years but oh well.

The flashbacks to Grace's childhood are where we see most of the action occurring. In the present most of her battle is mental, planning and preparing with little real action.

This book was exceptionally well written, once you pick it up you're not going to want to put it down. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys psychological thrillers.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for my free and honest review.

Among the Ten Thousand by Julia Pierpont

A Brief Summary:
Family's look perfect from the outside, but what happens when you take a closer look? Join the Stanley's as their world come crumbling down as Jack's secret is revealed.
My Review:

This book takes a very real view of a family falling apart. How a partners infidelity revealed can cause a tenuous relationship to crumble, it was remarkably well done.

You get to see everything unfold from the entire family's perspectives. How it affects the woman who was betrayed, the father who made a mistake, the eleven year-old daughter, the son about to be come a man, you see everything.

They books layout was an interesting choice, jumping around in the timeline, with the futures of the family being told in the middle, and the end of the book taking place in the middle of the timeline. It shows a certain inevitability to events that take place, that no matter what, they'll end up in the same place.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House publishing in exchange for my free and honest review.

Those Girls by Laura Saft

A Brief Summary:
Every school has those girls, you know the ones pretty, popular, and seem to have it all together. What you don't know is those girls have just as many if not more problems than the rest of us.


My Review:
This book brings me right back to high school. The girls that seem perfect from the outside, I was never one of them personally but I knew a few of them.

Of the three girls my favorite was Alex. She is the most down to earth/ relateable of the girls interested in music and the boy next door. Alex's main vice is smoking weed. Mollie is my second favorite desperate for love and for her boyfriends approval and admiration. Her boyfriend, however is someone I don't love, he's borderline sociopathic.

Veronica I really didn't like, probably because I had a hard time empathizing with her. She is desperate for love, that's just not me. She does a lot of crap without remorse most of the time, I really don't her behavior or attitude.

I'd definitely read a sequel, if only to figure out what happens next in these girls lives.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Silence by Stacey R. Campbell

A Brief Summary:
Silence follows Blakely Henry as she tries to find her birth-father, something that most kids who are adopted try to do at one point or another in their lives. Blakely has a slight advantage over most, she's a queen so strings can be pulled and information can be found much quicker. Will this adventure end well, you're just going to have to read and see.

My Review:
This is a great short story. Seeing as it's a novella it's a very fast read, and in my opinion a very sweet one. It's set the summer after the events of Whisper, and brings back Blakely the protagonist of Hush.

Silence answers the question of what happened to Blakely's father. We knew he had been banished from Tamura when Blakely was conceived, but nothing more. So it was nice to learn a bit about where she came from.

I really enjoyed getting to read about Blakely again to see how she's changed from the first book. Also getting to see her interact with her family was a treat that wasn't really in the other books.

I received this book from the author in exchange for my free and honest review.

Scream by Stacey R. Campbell

A Brief Summary: 
One more year at Lakeside. One more year with Alex and Izzy, until everything changes. Or that's how it's supposed to go, but when Alex sees something that he shouldn't see a chain of events that will change everything.  

My Review: 
I really love this series. One thing that I particularly love is that each book is very much self contained. There are characters that are in every book but the protagonist changes between them.

This particular book focuses on Halle. Getting embroiled in a mystery innocently then pursuing it when her boyfriend gets punished for something he didn't do. I really enjoy her almost black and white sense of right and wrong. Being willing to defend Alex through everything even when it gets scary and dangerous, brave but kind of stupid.

Alex and Halle's relationship isn't very a mature relationship, but I feel it's not supposed to be. After all it's their first relationship, it isn't perfect but it doesn't have to be and that makes it very fitting.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. I also happen to be part of the Street Team for this book so I will be shamelessly promoting it as the release date nears.

Fleeting Visions by Rene Natan

A Brief Summary: On a cold snowy night a dangerous chain of events that bring three lives together for better or worse. There is Louis Saura a young man who was dragged into a prostitution ring due to debt, Jocelyn a pharmacist who was in the wrong time and Detective Stevenson the person who's trying to put all the pieces together. Add in illegal immigration, underage prostitution and one very dangerous kingpin and you've got a recipe for a story that keeps surprising you at every turn.

My Review:
This book is an incredible read. You switch POV's constantly so you get a true feel of what's going on. You get into the head of nearly every one from Louis our protagonist to Camlio our antagonist. This lets us understand the characters motivations and makes the book just that much more realistic.

There's also a lot of interweaving story-lines, that are masterfully done. Smaller plots woven throughout the main story that keep everything moving and help keep the reader interested.

This book deals with the kidnapping of minors and underage prostitution. There is nothing explicit but if that's a subject you're uncomfortable with I'd suggest not reading this book.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

All This Time by Tiffani Burnett-Velez

A Brief Summary:
Having a loved one with PTSD can be extraordinarily difficult but when they decide to take their life it's tragic. Lydia's fiancee took his life just after he started getting help. However what happened while he was on tour wasn't what was reported to the media. Join Lydia as she tries to find the truth of what happened to her fiancee while he was overseas.

My Review:
This book was so incredibly touching. Throughout enormous hardships Lydia stands by her fiancee's memory as she searches for the truth.

I love that this book deals with some harsh realities. The fact that if you happen to be the same race as a small group that has caused atrocities, you will be judged even blamed for their actions. That our military has and will cover up things that don't paint them in the best of lights. Life is a spectrum of grays and this book portrays that exceedingly well.

Lydia is an incredible character. Dealing with the repercussions of going against her family's wishes, reconnecting with them, and dealing with who her fiancee became after coming home from his tour in Iraq, her strength is incredible.

All in all an amazing book that I recommend for everyone.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow I'm hosting a blog tour stop for this incredible book and a new cover reveal.

Say Something Series by Brandy Jellum

A Brief Summary:
Both have dark pasts that are coming back to haunt them. But secrets don't make friends, and they can make relationships impossible. Will Reid and Lisa be able to conquer their demons and work toward the future.

My Review:
Personally I liked If I Say Yes better. Characters that I'd grown fond of changed in If I Say No in a way I wasn't really fond of. That being said both books were really good. I just preferred Lisa in book one. Reid however was more humanized in the sequel. You get to see his dark side, instead of the Mr. Perfect he's portrayed as in the first book.

I enjoyed all of the different relationships in the series. They all have variances that make them believable, and easy to get invested in.

Thank you to Good Tales Book Tours for my chance to read this series. It's a great read. Don't forget to check out my last post for a chance at an awesome giveaway!!!!!

Night School: Genesis by C.J. Daughery

A Brief Summary:
When everything is spinning out your control you do whatever you can to regain control. Allie tries to regain control by rebelling, and when the ends in her third arrest her parents ship her of to Cimmeria Academy. A prestigious boarding school that isn't quite what it seems. The more Allie learns the more she questions.

My Review:
Extremely well paced, believable characters, the overarching villain being set up, and the beginning of a love triangle. All in all a great start to a series.

One character I liked in particular was Sylvain. One he's French, two he's a dynamic character and I love how he developed, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for him.

I'm also extremely curious about Allie's family and how she fits in at Cimmeria. Seeing as ever other student has a tie to the academy and she doesn't.

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova

A Brief Summary:
Joe O'Brien has been a Boston police officer, devoted husband and father for most of his adult life. Now he's been a major curve ball. A diagnosis of Huntington's Disease, a lethal nerodegenerative disorder. Along with him having this disorder his four children have a fifty-fifty shot of developing the disorder. Join Joe and his family as they face this terrifying disease.

My Review:
Before reading this book my understanding of Huntington's was limited to how it was portrayed on T.V., specifically on House M.D. Meaning I didn't understand but now I have a general understanding of what it is, and what it does. It's a brutal disease, attacking you both physically and mentally claiming your life in the end, it's also a dominant trait. Meaning if you have it your kids have a fifty-fifty chance of being handed a death sentence.

That's a lot to take in. I really like seeing how Kate Joe's youngest child handled the possibility of having HD. Mostly because that's how I'd react. I'd want to know, but I'd be terrified. She wavers back and forth on her decision. Unsure if she wants to start a life with this hanging over her.

Joe's transformation throughout the book is heartbreaking, and heartwarming at the same time. He displays remarkable courage in the face of his disease. His disease progresses at an alarming rate, a year after the diagnosis he seems to be going downhill quickly.

I absolutely loved t his book but the ending was so frustrating!!! It is a major, emotionally charged cliffhanger that will most likely never be resolved!

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Nobody's Angel by Sarah Hegger

A Brief Summary: Going home can be hard, but going home to make amends is way worse. Nine years after leaving town with her friends boyfriend Lucy is back, to help her mom figure out what to do with her father who's getting older and starting to lose his mind. If dealing with one monster from her past wasn't bad enough, she has to confront and make amends to the man that she left behind.



My Review:
If you want a book with characters that will touch your heart this is it. All of the characters have their own issues. From our hero and heroine to characters you only meet a couple of times they're all exceedingly well developed and wrench at your heart. Personally I loved how the parents of the protagonists are portrayed. Lucy's parents consist of a dominating dad, and a people pleasing mother. Where Richard's mother, on the other hand, is a pretty typical soccer mom.

I also really loved how the love story developed between Richard and Lucy. It feels natural, has a history and depth, and it's fair share of problems. Namely Ashley and Elliot, Richard's soon to be ex-wife, and Lucy's would-be knight in shinning armor.

I also admire how Lucy's problem with alcohol is handled. In the story she's a recovering alcoholic on step nine of the twelve step program. She faces extreme challenges being in her childhood home. Her struggle is realistic and one that so many people face every single day.

I received this book compliments of NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Operation Cinderella by Hope Tarr

A Brief Summary:

Macie is from a tiny town in bible country, gone full fledged New Yorker. Ross is a charming radio personality with a daughter with a wild streak of her own. Now Macie is going undercover as "Martha Jane" a nanny and housekeeper with old fashioned values to get back at Ross for slandering her article on his talk show. But will she get the dirt or will she fall for his southern charm?

My Review:
This is a sweet little love story, a classic opposites attract. He's super conservative she's extremely liberal.

I liked the characters a lot, he's very much a prince charming type, however you find out that he has flaws. Not many but still it humanizes him to a relatable level. Where as she is a major rebel due to her not so perfect high school years. This gives us two main characters that we can identify and sympathize with and Ross's daughter also has some secrets of her own.

The shoes that Macie receives from her friends before the beginning of "Operation Cinderella" are seeming like they're going to be what ties the series together. After all they have a story of their own and get passed on. I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

All The Rage by Courtney Summers

A Brief Summary: What do you do when you tell the truth and are labeled a liar? You deal it's all you can do, you build your armor and fight the daily battle. Finding whatever you can to keep you together. In a small town your name determines what your value is and when you challenge someone with a better name you lose. But the towns golden girl goes missing and new information comes to light she has to decide whether to speak up again or to stay quiet.

My Review: 
This book hits you hard. Don't expect to dance over issues. You get to see and confront the aftermath of a girls worst nightmare. It's so full of feels.

Growing up in a small town I'm all too familiar with the name game. I can remember guys from varsity egging, and TPing several places in town but not getting any trouble because it was homecoming week. And a girl who was drunk and doing really stupid stuff on the weekend getting inducted into NHS that following Monday. It's ridiculous and way too common in a small town.

Then when you add small town name game to rape culture it just gets worse. For those of you who don't know what rape culture is, it's a combination of victim blaming/ shaming, saying she asked for it by what she wore, that they wanted it. It's despicable and has become a way too common and accepted phenomenon. When it's not okay, it's wrong and a violation at the most intimate level and that people justify that it's the victims fault is just sickening.

For a better description of victim blaming check out this video Lacigreen explains it way better than I can.

Anyway! On to an actual review! Sorry for the rant this is a sore subject for me. This book is amazingly well written. My heart hurts for Romy. That her life got ripped away from her by one persons despicable action, and everyone sides with that person. You see the slander and mental abuse she deals with daily. Romy is an incredible character I'm glad to have read her story.

Every girl should read this, it has important lessons to learn. Guys should read it too, and hopefully they'll learn something too.

I loved this book it hurt my heart because it's real and it something that should be shared. If this is how Courtney Summers usually writes I need to read more of her work.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Broken by Kelly Elliott

A Brief Summary: She grew up a privileged girl with the perfect boyfriend, he grew up in conditions unfit for anyone. Then Whitley followed Roger to New York ,where he morphed from perfect man to abusive jerk, and when Layton's brother died his girlfriend left him the next day. Now running from Roger Whitley moves to Llano to make a new start, how is she to know the cowboy with a broken heart is exactly what she needs?

My Review:
I'm a sucker for a good love story and this is an amazing one. Whitley and Layton are made for eachother. They help one another heal and its just sweet and amazing and awww.

One thing that I loved was that all the loose ends from their previous relationships were all neatly tied up. They each get a clear ending of those life altering relationships.

Also I love the subtle setting up of the next book. Introducing us to the new main characters in a way that adds to Whitley and Layton's story, and makes us care about them.

I look forward to reading more of this series. It's a good one.

The St. Valentines Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree

A Brief Summary: Investigative reporter turned food columnist Kat Archer stumbles upon a cookie murder. That is murder by poison cookie not a murdered cookie. Anyway this murder could be the big story Kats big break at the Gazette, that is if she can help figure out whodunit.


My Review:
Such a sweet feel good mystery. One that if you can guess the murderer before the end, well then you're smarter than me. It twists and turns, and I adored every second of it.

I loved Kat her sense of humor is a lot like mine. Likely to get us into trouble and a tendency to slightly exaggerate. Kat also doesn't exactly have a filter when it comes to her opinions, which some others aren't exactly a fan of. Such as owners of restaurants she's reviewed for her column, honestly but not exactly tactfully.

With a potential love triangle in the works this series has the potential to be one I turn to when I need a pick-me-up. Short, sweet, and keeps you interested. I look forward to reading more of this series.

Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram

A Brief Summary:
When tragedy strikes you're supposed to be able to rely on your family and friends right? But for Ellamara that's a little bit difficult, as her mother died in th car wreck that changed Ella's life forever, and her best friend is an internet friend. Now living with a dad she hasn't seen in ten years and his family that she didn't know existed she must rebuild her life. Cinder, her internet best friend, might just be the key do doing that if she can deal with learning who her best friend is in real life.

My Review:

This is a really sweet love story. A Cinderella storyline with well developed characters. A personal favorite moment was what was left instead of a shoe.

This book splits perspectives between Cinder and Ella. Which I enjoyed because it helps you understand some of the decisions they make. And some look pretty bad if you don't know the logic behind it.

I also like how the step sisters aren't one dimensional. They're actually dynamic characters and one in particular I grew to like. The other well... she gets slightly more tolerable.

Bond & Benevolence: Good Radical

Warning!

This book contains spoilers for Bond & Benevolence: Good Raider if you haven't read it go read it. NOW!!!

A Brief Summary: When we last saw Samantha she had been kidnapped while in Darfur now she is being held captive and Ophelia and Mrs. Doyle are trying to cope with the loss. However, they're more focused on getting her back. But getting her back isn't going to be near as easy as they had hoped.

My Review: What can I say this book was just as captivating as the first. As in the first book the story splits perspectives between Samantha and Ophelia. With this being primarily from Ophelia's prospective.

In this instalment of the story you get to see how someone who is so close to a person who has caused incredible destruction copes. How their life is all about survival. Getting through the next day.

You also see Ophelia growing up at an alarming rate. Training to help find her sister. Her family had been shattered before but now it's been splintered and she's clinging to what she has left.

This book was amazing, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

I received this book courtesy of the author in exchange for my review which I freely and honestly give.