Say You Still Love Me - Review

Say You Still Love Me

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: August 6th 2019 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm, and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus, she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé—a fellow VP—on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller—the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group Industries, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counsellors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now, but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is not only alive but stronger than ever, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences.

Ugh I did it again guys! I waited a week and a half after finishing this book to even sit down to type this review. I hate doing this to myself because it makes reviewing the book so much more difficult. Thankfully, I've only read one other book in between Say You Still Love Me and writing this review so I don't have too much muddling my brain.

KA Tucker said in the acknowledgments that she only wishes that someone reading her books might be entertained. I was certainly entertained reading Say You Still Love Me. I'm not surprised because I always seem to devour her books, and Say You Still Love Me was no different.

I typically don't love "then" and "now" books where we jump around in chronological order, but KA Tucker seems to do this frequently. Yet she does it in a way that I don't hate like normal. In this case, I was invested in both the "then" and the "now" which helps.

My curiosity needed to find out what happened to cause Kyle to leave and not contact Piper in the past and also what was causing him to keep his distance in the present. This is where KA Tucker really excels in her writing. I had questions. I needed answers. She kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Unfortunately, the answers to the questions were actually a bit predictable and slightly anti-climatic.

Despite this, I still found myself enraptured with getting the answers to the questions. This was the best part of Say You Still Love Me. I feel like I should have more to say about the story, but the distance between reading and reviewing strikes again. Oh, I will say that the PC statements abound and I just really wish they'd been left out altogether. KA Tucker succeeded in entertaining me for sure. Yet I don't think I'll look back on Say You Still Love Me as a particular favorite. Say You Still Love Me gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Say You Still Love Me? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

Top 10 Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish, but is currently hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors.

Interestingly enough, there are no 100% auto-buy authors for me. I have authors that I've read all of their published books and would certainly check out anything else they publish in the future. But I have certain topics that are just off limits. So *shrugs* this is as close as I get to an auto-buy list. I've done this topic in the past and it was interesting to go back and see which authors have fallen off my top ten list and which have remained. Here's my list from 2015 and 2013.

1. Colleen Hoover - So I've been a CoHort from way back when. Slammed was my first read by her when it was available on NetGalley. I've loved all of her books and have read each and every one of them.
2. Kasie West - I've read all of her published books. And since her content has always been clean I can pretty much guarantee that unless my reading tastes drastically change I'll always count Kasie West as an auto-buy author.
3. Mary E Pearson - I still have Mary E Pearson's earliest releases to read, but since the Remnant Chronicles I at least want to check out everything else she decides to do.
4. Sarah J Maas - Confession: I don't actually own any of her books although I've read all but Kingdom of Ash (cutting my eyes at you Holly). I've just borrowed them all from Holly. But all of her books are good enough to own, and certainly good enough to make this list. I can see where she might one day venture into territory that I'm not up for, but I'll always look into her books.
5. Amy Harmon - There are quite a few that Amy Harmon has written that I still haven't read, but all of the ones by her that I have read have been really good. I'm skeptical of What the Wind Knows because it is about time travel, and I don't usually enjoy that subject.
6. Katie McGarry - I've read all of Katie McGarry's books and haven't found one that I didn't like. Will definitely continue to check her books out in the future.
7. KA Tucker - Another author that I've read all of her releases. Wait no. I take that back. She has some very early releases that I haven't read even though I own the first one. I need to get around to that one soon.
8. Robin LaFevers - I always hesitate to add authors to lists like this when I've only read a few of their books or only one series because a different series could be vastly different. But I think I can trust her writing to be good.
9. Kristi Ann Hunter - Christian Historical Fiction - You can't go wrong. Well...maybe you could, but Kristi Ann Hunter has never led me astray. Probably an actual auto-buy author for me.
10. Jenn Bennett - Ok so Jenn Bennett is a tricky one. I've loved everything I've read from her, and I certainly want to read more of her books. However, I do know that she can trickle into subject matter that I'm not a fan of, and one of her books hasn't gotten the best reviews. So...we'll see.

Which authors are on your auto-buy List? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Say You Still Love Me

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Say You Still Love Me

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: August 6th 2019 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm, and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus, she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé—a fellow VP—on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller—the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group Industries, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counsellors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now, but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is not only alive but stronger than ever, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Be the Girl

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Be the Girl

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: January 21st 2019 by K.A. Tucker

pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the national bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and The Simple Wild comes a poignant story about a girl trying to change her future while evading her past.

Almost sixteen-year-old Aria Jones is starting over. New postal code, new last name, new rules. But she doesn’t mind, because it means she can leave her painful regrets behind. In the bustling town of Eastmonte, she can become someone else. Someone better.

With the Hartford family living next door, it seems she will succeed. Sure, Cassie Hartford may be the epitome of social awkwardness thanks to her autism, but she also offers an innocent and sincere friendship that Aria learns to appreciate. And Cassie’s older brother, Emmett—a popular Junior A hockey player with a bright future—well … Aria wishes that friendship could lead to something more. If he didn’t already have a girlfriend, maybe it would.

But Aria soon finds herself in a dicey moral predicament that could derail her attempt at a fresh start. It is her loyalty to Cassie and her growing crush on Emmett that leads her to make a risky move, one that earns her a vindictive enemy who is determined to splinter her happy new world.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

The Simple Wild - Review

The Simple Wild: A Novel

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: August 7th 2018 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.

Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago.

It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

The Simple Wild was so, so, so good. The begin (not the prologue exactly, but the first two chapters) did immediately have me invested in Calla. The book begins with Calla having just about the worst day possible. This made her relatable which would come in handy later in the book. It took me 20-30% to feel thoroughly hooked. Fortunately, I'm familiar enough with KA Tucker's books that the slow start didn't cause me to slow my pace or put The Simple Wild down.

Calla has had an easy life in that she grew up with her mother and stepfather who have a great relationship. Her stepfather has helped her process most of her major life events and emotions as he's a therapist. Her family is well off financially. But Calla's life has not been without pain. Her father has disappointed her time and time again. But when she finally takes that trip to Alaska her world view opens up. Even though she's lived a life of privilege (especially compared to the lives of those in Alaska that she meets), she's open to changing. She's not spoiled exactly. But she's just never had to consider some of the things she encounters while in Alaska before now.

And then there's Jonah. He really has a chip on his shoulder where Calla is concerned. He sees her privilege and resents her for it. He also resents that she's taken for granted her father being alive and the time she has left to spend with him. Yet as he gets to know her he realizes that he's been a bit harder on her than she deserves. Yet we see glimpses of Jonah's real personality in the little gestures.

I absolutely loved Calla and Jonah's back and forth banter. Their love/hate relationship. I couldn't stop cheesing like an idiot during the clippers scene.

Calla's relationship with her father was something else I loved. It really pulled at my heartstrings and I even teared up towards the end. As a parent I'm able to see both sides of relationships like these that previously I just wasn't able to do.

Favorite quotes:

-Because no matter how many times I’ve lain in bed, wondering why my father didn’t love me enough, the little girl inside me still desperately wants him to.

-How do you form a relationship with someone without forgiving them first?

I will say that my one complaint with The Simple Wild was the period of time where Calla doesn't see her relationship with Jonah going anyway, yet she thinks "Letting that happen with Jonah this morning was a bad idea. I don’t regret it—how can I regret anything that felt that good?—but it can’t lead anywhere, so what’s the point?" I hate this line of thinking. The "it feels so right, how can it be wrong" attitude. Quite frankly, there are tons of things in life that might feel very good in the moment but are not good for us at all. And we can't succumb to the feel goods of the moment to the detriment of what is actually right.

All of that being said, The Simple Wild gets 4 stars. I loved the characters, the setting, the relationships, the lessons and story... all of it added up to a wonderfully enjoyable experience. I texted my sister right before I finished and told her to add this one to her list as soon as she can. Have you read The Simple Wild ? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for The Simple Wild

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Simple Wild: A Novel

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: August 7th 2018 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.

Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago.

It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

Love KA Tucker. Looking forward to this one! What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Keep Her Safe - Review

Keep Her Safe

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: January 23rd 2018 by Atria Books

448 pages

Genre: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Making a Murderer meets Scandal in this story of police corruption, family secrets, and illicit affairs from bestselling author K.A. Tucker, celebrated for her “propulsive plot twists and searing seduction” (USA TODAY).

Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that's been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family's life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

Complex, gritty, sexy, and thrilling, Keep Her Safe solidifies K.A. Tucker's reputation as one of today's most talented new voices in romantic suspense.

Keep Her Safe is told from altering points of view mostly between Noah and Gracie in the present but also between Noah's mother, Jackie, and Gracie's father, Abraham. These points of view also jump around in time. This is usually something that I dislike in books. Despite most authors having a legit reason to write this way, I still struggle. I don't enjoy jumping around and any time the story moved to the past I found myself putting Keep Her Safe down because the past wasn't as interesting to me as the present. Of course, KA Tucker does have a legit reason for presenting her story in this way, so it all made sense in the end. But I still needed to mention that this is something that I struggled with and don't usually enjoy.

I thought I would dislike Gracie more than I did. She started the book with some serious attitude. It's understandable given everything that she's been through and the circumstances that she's currently living in. I can even see myself responding to life and others in a very similar way as Gracie does due to her experiences. Noah was easy for me to like. I felt so bad for him given where he begins the book and the things he learns about his family throughout the story. He was a genuine, stand-up guy and I couldn't find anything that I really disliked about him. I appreciated the slow build between Gracie and Noah considering her trust issues. And I really enjoyed that KA Tucker kept the physical scenes pretty non-descriptive and to a minimum in frequency.

While I didn't predict all of the ins and outs of the story and mystery behind everything that went on between Jackie and Abraham in the past or how Betsy fit into the picture, I did easily pick out the main villain of Keep Her Safe pretty early on in the story. Now I will say that KA Tucker kept throwing things in there that made me doubt what I thought to be true, but I was never fully swayed from my thoughts. Turns out I was right.

Keep Her Safe was an easy and fast read that I kept wanting to come back to, except the sections written in the past that I found easy to put down. While I didn't predict everything, I did nail two pretty big details that should have been surprises. Ultimately, I enjoyed this read, but I can't imagine that Keep Her Safe will be one that I remember much about in say a year or two. Keep Her Safe gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Keep Her Safe? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Keep Her Safe

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Keep Her Safe

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: January 2nd 2018 by Atria Books

448 pages

Genre: Adult, Romance, Suspense

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Making a Murderer meets Scandal in this story of police corruption, family secrets, and illicit affairs from bestselling author K.A. Tucker, celebrated for her “propulsive plot twists and searing seduction” (USA TODAY).

Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that's been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family's life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

Complex, gritty, sexy, and thrilling, Keep Her Safe solidifies K.A. Tucker's reputation as one of today's most talented new voices in romantic suspense.

I've really enjoyed KA Tucker in the past, and I'm excited that she's branching out more and more into suspense. What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Until It Fades - Review

Until It Fades

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: June 27th 2017 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description-- Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

Until It Fades was a bit different from KA Tucker's last couple of books. It wasn't as dark or mysterious, instead Until It Fades was more hopeful and happy. It doesn't exactly start out that way though. The book begins with Catherine in high school. Without giving too much away, Catherine experiences something that makes her the talk of the town. She basically leaves her parents' home as soon as she turns eighteen, but that isn't the last of her being the talk of the town. She finds out that she's pregnant, and yet again she becomes the talk of the town. Catherine is the first to admit that her teen years were a bit troubled and now that six years have passed, she knows that she's changed a lot.

Beyond all the local gossip about Catherine, she really hasn't had it easy. Her relationship with her parents is strained at best. She's not without blame there also. She's working every day that she can for as long as she can to make ends me and provide a home for her daughter. And she's single momming it because Brenna's dad isn't around. But she has a few solid people in her corner, and her little girl makes life worth living. But there hasn't been a man in her life in a long time.

Brett was easy to like. He feels immense gratitude toward Catherine for saving his life, and that's kind of what starts their relationship off. Having this shared traumatic experience bonds them. They get to know each other and the relationship builds. Brett's a bit more game for things from the beginning, but Catherine's past makes it hard for her to trust Brett or his intentions. It takes a lot for her to open up and trust him, to trust that he likes her for her--ordinary as she may be--and trust that if she gives her heart to him that he's not going to rip it up and hand it back to her.

Until It Fades ended up being a feel good story for me. I enjoyed the process of Catherine and Brett developing their feelings for each other. I loved Catherine's relationship with her daughter, Brenna. I really liked her brother Jack so much that I wouldn't mind knowing more about him. Even though Brenna's relationship with her parents was rocky, I enjoyed that too. Brett's family was pretty awesome too considering their outstanding circumstances. I appreciated KA Tucker's positive use of God. Don't get confused, this isn't a religious story, but she mentioned God three times in a positive way and in today's culture and literature this was extremely refreshing for me. The physical scenes were scarce (but present), and the language was present also but not overwhelming. Until It Fades gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Until It Fades? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Until It Fades

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Until It Fades

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: May 2nd 2017 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description-- Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

I'm a huge KA Tucker fan, so I'm really excited to get my hands on her next release! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

He Will Be My Ruin - Review

He Will Be My Ruin

By: KA Tucker

Published: February 2nd 2016 by Atria Books

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series makes her suspense debut with this sexy, heartpounding story of a young woman determined to find justice after her best friend’s death, a story pulsing with the “intense, hot, emotional” (Colleen Hoover) writing that exhilarates her legions of fans.

A woman who almost had it all . . .

On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself?

A man who was supposed to be her salvation . . .

Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life.

Until he became her ruin.

On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered.

You know those books that completely ruin you from reading something else after you finish them? He Will Be My Ruin was one of those kinds of books for me. I've read 9 KA Tucker books before this one so I could pretty well figure that I would enjoy He Will Be My Ruin; however, this one has such a different premise than all of her other books that I've read. Then I started seeing people update their Goodreads status with nothing but good comments about this book so I knew I needed to go ahead and get it read sooner rather than later.

I do have to say though that I'm really not a fan of the cover for this book, and I hope they do a redesign soon.

And truthfully I'm not sure how much I can say without giving anything away. But KA Tucker had me questioning everyone and everything. Every character has their secrets, and those secrets keep them from being fully trusted. I even questioned the little, old crime-novel-writing-next-door-neighbor at one point. KA Tucker did a wonderful job of dropping little morsels of information in just the right way. I was thinking one way, and then the other, and then back, and then back again. It was the perfect amount of intrigue and mystery.

I will say that this is no love story. While there are some romantic and physical entanglements with multiple characters, don't go reading this looking for an epic love story happily ever after. I'm not really commenting on how things end, but I am saying that this is just not what this story is about. KA Tucker writes just the right amount of give and take in this area to keep readers interested who look for this kind of thing when it comes to picking a good read.

Favorite quote:

-"Where is that confident Maggie Sparkes who liked to dress up and tease me...?" I glare at him. "She's been kidnapped. It doesn't suit her."

I truly feel like I just can't say anything else without ruining anything, and this is a book that needs to be experienced the way that it was meant to. Just know that you're in for a ride--one you won't want to put down. There were a lot of f-bombs and a few physical scenes. But overall, I was obsessed with He Will Be My Ruin. 4.5 Stars. Have you read He Will Be My Ruin? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads of January - June 2016

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads of January - June 2016.

1. Built (Saints of Denver, # 1) by Jay Crownover
2. Morning Star (Red Rising Trilogy, # 3) by Pierce Brown
3. Never Never Pt 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
4. Beautiful Burn (The Maddox Brothers, # 4) by Jamie McGuire (not pictured
5. He Will Be My Ruin by KA Tucker
6. The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead
7. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, # 4) by Maggie Stiefvater
8. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, # 1) by Cassandra Clare
9. Riders (Riders, # 1) by Veronica Rossi
10. The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2) by Rachel Harris
11. The Last Star (The 5th Wave, # 3) by Rick Yancey

Which 2016 releases are you excited about? Let me know!

Surviving Ice - Review

Surviving Ice (Burying Water, # 4)

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: October 27th 2015 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and Burying Water—which Kirkus Reviews called “a sexy, romantic, gangster-tinged page-turner”—returns with a new novel packed with romance, plot twists, and psychological suspense.

Ivy, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is finally looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have found it in San Francisco, but all that changes when she witnesses a terrible crime. She’s ready to pack up her things yet again, when a random encounter with a stranger keeps her in the city, giving her reason to stay after all.

That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter wasn’t random. Not at all…

The Burying Water series hasn’t been as good to me as the Ten Tiny Breaths series by KA Tucker overall. Although, I did absolutely love Chasing River. Ivy has been present in more than one book in this series, but I can’t say I was particularly looking forward to her book necessarily. I mean I expected it to be good, but I guess I just don’t really relate to her aversion to commitment and stability. I can appreciate that not everyone is like me, but the more I can relate the more connected to a character I feel. I really enjoyed Ivy’s relationship with River’s brother in Chasing River. I guess it’s more realistic that her relationship with him would be temporary, but I guess I was more interested in him than I was her.

Ivy’s finally finds herself drawn to potentially settle down and call San Francisco home. Her uncle owns a tattoo shop there, and she’s been living with and working for him. Even though he was her uncle by marriage and not blood, he’s the reason why Ivy fell in love with tattooing to begin with. He sparked and cultivated her passion. And truly he’s been more like a father figure than her own even though he’s surly and often cold. As the description says, Ivy witness a horrible crime that results in her being very much alone in a place that was beginning to feel like home. And even though she’s normally tough and completely capable of taking care of herself, she finds herself jumpy and scared. Enter Sebastian.

Once a Navy SEAL who served multiple tours overseas, Sebastian now works for a private security firm that is contracted by the government to handle some jobs that the government can’t get their hands dirty in. He’s fully invested in his job as being necessary for the greater good. He might have to kill a few to save thousands…maybe even millions. And he’s okay with that. He gets a call for a new assignment…there’s an incriminating video that a young woman may or may not know anything about that could destroy the company he works for with lies. His assignment: recover the video and determine if the woman is a risk that needs to be eliminated.

Of course, feelings begin to develop and Sebastian realizes that Ivy needs his protection more than his employer does. These two develop feelings and their relationship progresses pretty quickly. It didn’t necessarily feel too quickly while I was reading the book, but looking back the timeline really only spanned a couple of days before things started heating up. There weren’t too many descriptive scenes even if the reader knows what’s going on, I appreciated the description level being kept to where it was.

It really took no time for KA Tucker to hook me into her story and have me more involved in the characters than I expected to be. While I didn’t relate to Ivy’s typical anti-commitment nature, I could connect to her love and passion for her uncle, for her art, her fear over what she witness, and of course her feelings for the handsome stranger. Sebastian had me with his struggle to do the right thing even when it meant going against someone he cared about and respected. I blew through this book and any time I was forced to put it down I was thinking about it and wanting to come back to it.

Surviving Ice is probably my second favorite book of the series. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and of course everything tied up perfectly. But I didn’t let that ruin my experience as I couldn’t quit thinking about this book when I was away from it. I connected to the characters more than I expected to, and I enjoyed how the pieces of the puzzle ended up fitting together. Surviving Ice gets 4 Stars. Have you read Surviving Ice? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Authors (Books) To Read if You Like Colleen Hoover

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Authors (Books) to Read if You Like Colleen Hoover.

So Colleen Hoover is one of my favorite authors. So far all of her books have been extremely romantic, but also carry some element of surprise and often deep sadness. The characters usually have some pretty big hurtles to overcome, and the writing really sucks me in. So that was my criteria for this top ten list: 1) romance, 2) surprise twist or deep sadness (bonus if the two are combined), 3) something to overcome, and 4) writing and characters that hook me quickly.

1. Katja Millay (The Sea of Tranquility)
2. Katie McGarry (specifically the Pushing the Limits series)
3. Claire Wallis (the Push series)
4. Rebecca Donovan
5. Rebecca Shea (specifically Unbreakable)
6. KA Tucker (specifically Ten Tiny Breaths)
7. Tammara Webber (specifically Easy)
8. Jamie McGuire (specifically The Maddox Brothers series)
9. Anne Eliot (specifically Almost)

Are there any books you'd recommend to me because I love Colleen Hoover? What do you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors.

Ok so I don't COMPLETELY have auto buy authors where the description of the book doesn't matter. Even though there are authors that I've loved every single book I've read that they've written, I still know my reading preferences well enough to know that some subjects are just not enjoyable for me. And so barring any crazy jumps into these territories, here's a list of authors that come closest to being considered "auto-buy" authors for me.

1. Colleen Hoover
2. Richelle Mead
3. Maggie Stiefvater
4. Katie McGarry
5. Jamie McGuire
6. KA Tucker
7. Francis Chan
8. Stormie Omartian

There are a few other authors that I contemplated adding to the list, but I thought these were really the closest to a true auto-buy author list. What about you guys? Who are your auto-buy authors? Let me know!

Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Authors I've Read the Most.

I expected this ask to be rather daunting, but it really wasn’t. Figuring out which authors I’ve read the most was pretty easy. Here they are…

1. Richelle Mead – (16) Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice, Bloodlines, The Golden Lily, The Indigo Spell, The Fiery Heart, Silver Shadows, The Ruby Circle, Storm Born, Succubus Blues, Gameboard of the Gods, The Immortal Crown
2. Jessica Sorensen – (16) The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden, The Destiny of Violet & Luke, The Probability of Violet & Luke, The Secret of Ella and Micha, The Forever of Ella and Micha, The Temptation of Lila and Ethan, The Ever After of Ella and Micha, Lila & Ethan: Forever and Always, Breaking Nova, Saving Quinton, Nova & Quinton: No Regrets, Wreck Me, Ruin Me, Tristan: Finding Hope, Delilah: The Making of Red
3. Abbi Glines – (16) Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far, Existence, The Vincent Boys, The Vincent Brothers, Twisted Perfection, Breathe, Because of Low, While It Lasts, Just For Now, Sometimes It Lasts, Misbehaving, Bad for You, Hold On Tight, Until the End
4. Colleen Hoover – (12) Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, Maybe Someday, Maybe Not, Ugly Love, Confess, Never Never, Never Never Pt 2
5. Janet Evanovich – (10) One for the Money, Plum Lovin’, Finger Lickin’ Fifteen, Sizzling Sixteen, Smokin’ Seventeen, Explosive Eighteen, Notorious Nineteen, Takedown Twenty, Top Secret Twenty One
6. Maggie Stiefvater – (10) Lament, Ballad, Shiver, Linger, Forever, Sinner, The Scorpio Races, The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue
7. Amanda Hocking – (9) Switched, Torn, Ascend, My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, Wisdom, Hollowland, Hollowmen
8. Cassandra Clare – (9) City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire, Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess
9. Katie McGarry – (9) Pushing the Limits, Crossing the Line, Dare You To, Crash Into You, Take Me On, Breaking the Rules, Chasing Impossible, Nowhere But Here, Red at Night
10. KA Tucker – (8) Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, Four Seconds to Lose, Five Ways to Fall, In Her Wake, Burying Water, Becoming Rain, Chasing River

I’m pretty sure Lois Duncan and Lurlene McDaniel have to fit into this category too, but as these are both authors I read in my early teens and I wasn’t keeping up with my books read on Goodreads way back when, I can’t really remember which books I’ve read by them and which I haven’t. I KNOW Lurlene McDaniel surpasses 10 books read though. The ones I can remember reading for sure by her are: Six Months to Live, I Want to Live, So Much to Live For, No Time to Cry, To Live Again, Angels Watching Over Me, Lifted Up by Angels, Until Angels Close My Eyes, Till Death Do Us Part, For Better, For Worse. I know I read a few of the One Last Wish series and a few others. I just can’t remember which.

What about you guys? Which authors have you read the most? Let me know!