This is the first book for Rachel and I loved it! The genre of course is what I loved to read so I always favor chick lit over others. For the record a main character named “Renee” what an I say? bingo!

To just give my opinion on the story first. So Rachel does a great job setting Renee and her BFF Justine up. They are friends, go to UCLA, live together and are inseparable for about 10 years. Then Justine sleeps with David, Renee’s boyfriend while she is out of town. OK BAD enough but the girl goes to Boston because her grandfather dies and he sleeps with her room mate. What kind of imbeciles are they? Both very bad characters and this is what creates the current situation.  Seriously need a virtual slap for both of them and maybe Justine a hair pulling too!

Enter Dylan Cavalleri, she bumps into his car, he lives in the new building she is moving to, and he is not the typical type for her. So there you have it. Enough said! It was a very real and emotional tale. All about growing up, trust, family, and friends. The lessons of life and life goals are there so read it and don’t miss them. What I loved was Dylan and Renee. I liked the band guys, Beth and Boston. What I did not like …. it was too short. I needed more, maybe I am on a greedy trip but I find myself asking for sequels and secondary POV’s lately. I want Beth to get a story and maybe Justine, give her a POV so I can hate her a little more.

I LOVE this description it is SO true!

Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.

Meet the author …

Nicki has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina with her children for the past eleven years and her husband for the past three years. Her journey has barely begun and she loves every minute of it. Every day of her life seems to bring new adventures, some bigger, better, shinier and prettier than others. She’s still getting used to that new life smell she’s experiencing, a combination of hope, love, and happiness. (The perfect scents to build a new life on…)

For fun, she spends time with those she cares about, cooks, reads, writes, and especially lives to travel. The current travel goal: visit every Margaritaville. Two down! (Eleven to go?)

In addition to writing on Suddenly Single Journey, Nicki is a contributor for Project Underblog. Her writing can also be found on Shine, where she is a Shine Parenting Guru and an award winning Yahoo! Contributor on YourWisdom as the relationship and dating expert. And she has been published by McClatchy News in their syndicated papers.

I loved this blog post!

Silent Symmetry is a “young adult or YA” novel that tells the story of Kari. She is a likeable teen who lost her dad when she was relatively young. It is told in one POV that is Kari’s. When Kari’s mom gets a job with the group called the Temple of Truth, it begins the wild ride! the group is made to be a religious organization and that is the ploy that gets them thrown into this. Kari meets Cruz and Noon (cool names) who are involved with the Temple of Truth. The mission she sets herself up on is to find out who the members are and what exactly this organization does.

It is not too long or short. I bought the Kindle and it says it is 173 pages. I guess that is why I read it in a day. You need to pay attention to the dreams Kari has. they will provide more meaning in the end (oooh trying to be good and stick to no spoilers).

I enjoyed all the mystery, thrills and danger provided. What is unique to me, is that there are no vampires (I am not a fan of vampires) so it is more of a fantasy type read. this I am sure will appeal to much more of an audience then those who normally just focus on specifically on type of this genre. The book paced itself well and has the exact amount of suspense and mystery. No spoliers but there is a cliffhanger. 

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Twitter @johnbdutton

John B. Dutton also writes Young Adult and Children’s fiction under the name J.B. Dutton.

Synopsis:

What would happen if you lost everything?  If the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally were no longer there for you, how would your world change?

That’s exactly what happened to Madeleine Becker when her parents died when she was ten years old.  Ripped from her home and everything that she has ever loved, she is forced to start all over again.  The only way for her to move on is to build walls around her heart and keep everyone at a safe distance. Her logic: she can’t get hurt if she doesn’t fall in love.

That theory is blown to pieces when she meets Reid Connely during her freshman year at college. He is gorgeous and darkly mysterious. He understands Maddy’s pain all too well, but sharing his pain would mean breaking down the walls he put up around his own heart. Conflicted between loving Maddy and hiding his dark past, Reid starts to reevaluate his world.  Maddy’s inner strength, snarky personality and breath taking beauty help Reid to make peace with his past.

Together they find out what happens when they let love in.

Snippet of Maddy and Reid’s first encounter:

There was a group playing quarters on the island and another group lining up shots on the breakfast bar – so not my scene.  I just shrugged my shoulders, opened the door, pulled out a bottle of water and, when I turned around to walk back outside, I face-planted into a wall of solid muscle.

“Hand me one?” His voice was smooth and… gruff at the same time.  Red-faced, I turned back around and got him his water, glad for the cool respite that the opened refrigerator door offered.

“Here you go.” I could not peel my eyes away from his mouth as he moved the bottle to his lips.  They were perfect – beautiful and full in a completely masculine way.  I watched, completely fascinated, as his throat moved, downing the water in three or four large gulps. He wiped his mouth with his forearm and I couldn’t help but let my eyes travel up the rest of his arm to his biceps and shoulders – those were the same as his lips – perfect.  Amazingly, gorgeously, utterly, divinely perfect.  Muscled and tanned, his arms were mouthwatering.

My knees wobbled.  My heart thudded.  Thousands of butterflies spread their wings in my belly.

“Thanks…” he stared blankly at my face for a minute and I couldn’t help but wondering if he liked what he saw.  He cleared his throat and roused me from my little daydream where the gorgeous boy is mesmerized by the maybe-a-little-above-average looking girl.  That’s when I realized he was asking for my name.

“Maddy.  Sorry, my name’s Maddy.” I nearly choked on my tongue to get my freaking name out.

Author Bio: 

I’ve always been an avid reader.  Majoring in English Literature was a no brainer.  Becoming a teacher and instilling my love for reading into my students was also a no brainer.  I’ve spent the last ten years teaching and I’ve loved (mostly) every minute of it.  When I was home on maternity leave for my third son, I discovered a new genre that sparked my creativity.  My passion for writing sprang from my love of reading and once I knew I had a story to tell, I couldn’t wait to get it out there.  I only hope that my readers enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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Book Description:

Chicago native Lacey has dreams of the opera, but life has its obstacles. Lacey has come to know her hardships as part of living in the real world and accepts them fully. When Lacey meets the intense and invigorating Drake, a fire is lit inside her, unleashing those dreams again.

Two paths that should have never crossed prove to create the exact pairing the other needs. But when their worlds take time to catch up, everything they have is tested. Finding the space between the two sides that challenge them will be hard, but it’s the only place that will keep them together.

Excerpt #1

“I like that lip ring of yours.”
“You do, huh?” God, he was so direct. Holy heck, I had to watch myself around this guy.
“Mmmhmm, especially when you bite it. It’s like you’re nervous or something. Do I make you nervous?”
He ran his fingers from my hand and up my arm. He stopped at my elbow, brushing it gently.
My breath caught in my throat. “No, I’m not nervous.” Clearly a lie, but I thought the word came out casually. I shrugged. “It’s just a tick. A habit. You’d bite it too if you had one.”
He laughed his deep laugh again. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah. They’re fun to play with.” I bit down on it. “To suck.” I sucked on it.
His brows shot up, and the brushing of his fingers froze on my elbow. I guess he was the one who was nervous now.
“You should get one. If anything to give yourself something to do when you’re bored. Excellent entertainment.” I sucked down on it a little harder.
He breathed in deep. “You’re making me want to go out and get one right now.”