Put Me in Detention by Meghan Quinn

Review

I feel that I need to begin with this disclaimer that my expectations were set pretty high on this book. I read the first two books (See Me After Class, Earn Your Extra Credit) and the novella–Mr. Klein is Fine. When I found out that Cora was getting her own book…I was beyond excited. Quinn didn’t disappoint with Cora. I was a bit upset about Pike, but I’ll discuss that later.

Cora’s relationship with her brother Arlo from See Me After Class was beautifully integrated into not only this book but all three books in the teacher series. As usual, Quinn had me laughing at the antics and unusual things that came out of the character’s mouths especially Keeko.

What I adore about this book: the humor and wit from each character. I cracked up at each prank Cora used on Pike which did become a theme in the teacher series. How she was cooking so bad that even she couldn’t take it anymore almost brought tears to my eyes from laughing so hard. Quinn has Cora educating Pike on Americanisms especially since Pike hadn’t been teaching in America for very long. That leads me to….

What I had issues with: Yet when Pike starts using terms of endearment he says “babe” or “baby” both are American terms. For some reason, I can’t imagine a Brit using those terms, not when they usually say “love” or “lovely” instead. And when the barbershop quartet show up at the high school to sing to Cora, someone who doesn’t work there, but has lunch with her friends and brother–a bit of a stretch, somewhat believable. While it’s doubtful that Cora would be allowed to have lunch with her teacher friends and brother, a small school district would allow it. I’m not sure a school in Chicago would allow that, but I suspended belief. I had great difficulties doing that when the quartet showed up to sing for Cora.

I hope you understand that just because my negative list is longer than my positive aspects of the book does not mean I disliked the book. Quite the contrary. I adored it. Honestly, it is one of my favorite Meghan Quinn books. I highly encourage readers to buy the book.

Blurb:

“You got married on your divorce-cation?”

That would unfortunately be correct.

I was hanging with the girls, celebrating my divorce when I saw him, my crush, sitting in the corner of the bar all alone. Being single and looking for a wild night, I asked him if he wanted to join me. To my delight, he said yes.

Drinks were consumed, fun was had and then . . . one drunken conversation with a cranky gondolier in Las Vegas led to an Uber lift through a drive-thru wedding chapel with the incredibly hot, British bad boy, Pike Greyson.

On paper, it seemed like I hit the jackpot. And if I wasn’t fresh from a toxic marriage, I would have absolutely noticed the finer things about him.

But I wanted nothing to do with being married, so when I arrived back home from my eventful weekend in Vegas, the last thing I expected to see was a new doting husband already moved in.

I asked for an annulment, he pulled a Ross Geller and said no.

That’s right, he said NO! Instead, he asked for three months to prove we could be good together.

Insanity clearly knocked him in the head and the only way I could convince him to give up on our sham of a marriage was to show him just how wrong we were for each other. Only problem with that was, he saw right through my every prank, every trick, and every yearning emotion I attempted to mask.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Connect with Meghan:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7360513.Meghan_Quinn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanquinnbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn

Website: http://authormeghanquinn.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meghan-quinn

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LitE4x

And let the marketing begin…

Book 2 has been sent off to the editor. Now, it’s time to start working on blurbs *internal cringe* the cover, and teasers. I’m a little worried because I just wrote the blurb and it sounds great. No way can that be right. It usually takes me days if not weeks to get it just right. Perhaps, I’m overthinking this or it could be that I just finished editing the second book, The Art of Love so the characters are fresh in my mind.

After completing the blurb, the next step is the cover. Should I use a shirtless soldier or an object cover? I see benefits to both, but usually, the object covers or nondescript covers are used by more established authors, but not many new authors. The object covers are nice because people can buy the paperback without worry or judgment from others on their book choice.

But when looking at the top 50 best sellers of military romance 15 out of 50 which doesn’t sound like a lot but when adding in the other types of covers it does. 8 are close-ups with their shirts on. 4 are various covers that honestly don’t describe the book. 2 with women. And 5 couples.

Do I use a sexy shirtless soldier? Yeah, probably. But I think with this book, I’m going to do a special edition cover too.

Marketing challenges

I wish I could say that being an author is this glamourous life where I solely focus on writing, editing, and publishing my best work. That’s less than a fourth of what I actually do. Marketing takes up the largest chunk of each day more so since I have no idea what I’m doing with it or even if the little I know how to do is correct.

My biggest challenge with marketing is social media. What do I post? How often? How much should I post about my books…my writing process? Should I share things about my personal life? How much of that should I share? What types of postings should I have? In-feed, stories, reels, etc. If I take the advice from social media experrts I should be on more than one format. Who has the time or the energy for that? I barely know how to use Instagram let alone TikTok. I do spend way too much time watching TikTok videos. I can see the merit in learning how to manipulate that format especially with book sales. It’s scary and intimidating as all get up.

I started developing a plan on how to tackle all of this starting with listening to a marketing podcast. I will admit that I’m only a few episodes in. The first three things the podcast recommends is create a simple goal. Nothing big like be a best selling author or make the New York Times best seller list. Those are too broad and might be unlikely especially for me at this point in my writing career. My original goal was to sell 25 copies of my book. Looking at my sales, it didn’t appear that I’ve sold that many, but when I pulled all my sales reports together I realized I’ve almost accomplished this goal–by two books! I patted myself on the back and asked myself–what would happen if I actually put effort into my marketing. I sold 23 books with only posting on my own social media and three of my author friends’ facebook groups.

I revised my goal to 35 books. It’s not much, but I want to start small. I’m going to start with small changes too. First revamp this website. I’m still working on that. I haven’t found a theme that fits quite yet. That’s still a work in progress and won’t be a small change. I’m struggling with the web design because I think a complete overhaul might be in order and that will take some time.

Next, is focusing on one social media format. I’m going to be honest, I don’t have very many social media followers. But I’m not complaining about that, I appreciate the number of followers I do have. It has been brought to my attention that I don’t consistently post, if I’m not consistent, I could lose followers.

I’m starting with Instagram. I think more of my readership will be there. I’m also going to post once a week to TikTok. In order to pull this off, I’m going to need a schedule. I have a few ideas and themes I’m thinking about.

Another upcoming change is the return of cover reveals and book reviews. I dropped out of doing those in favor of my own writing, but those offer me a break and those authors get more exposure.

Let me know what you think of the changes. You can follow me on Instagram at: https://instagram.com/randaknight.

One week away!

One more week!

We are one week away from the release of A Change of Heart! I’m excited, scared, and slightly proud. I’ve been working on A Change of Heart for over two years. I know that’s a long time, and honestly, the story has been done or close to done for quite a while, but I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. I kept playing around with it. Move a chapter here delete there. Add some details, sprinkle in some conflict. I did much of the editing myself. Let it rest so my mind is fresh and completely unbiased. I could treat it like someone else’s story. I did that a few times which means months went by between edits hence the two year wait. Oh, and hiring a copy editor working with her on tweaks and fine tuning everything.

Flash forward to today. In a matter of days, other people will have my book in their hands. It’s still hard to believe. There’s a lot left to do before release day.

The scariest part of all this isn’t that others will have my book in their hands–that’s exciting. The scary part is preparing it for launch. I know there are tools I’m not utilizing either because I don’t know them or due to the lack of funds to use them.

I’m going to try to take a moment each day to be grateful for what I have accomplished thus far. I did write and publish a book. I designed the cover and created each teaser for it. Believe me, remembering how to use photoshop was no small feat. That was another small accomplishment for me.

Writing and Marketing…

One of the many, many things I was naïve about before entering my writing and publishing journey is marketing. Yes, I knew I would have to do it. I would need to pay for ads, create teasers, make a launch packet, and so forth. I didn’t realize how much work and effort goes into creating the small things for a book launch. The teasers take hours to create. Finding the right short quote to the picture and font/color. That’s the least of my blown overhelmed mind when it comes to marketing. Let’s remember, I’m still in the writing phase. Yet, my published author friends are giving me timelines that require the marketing to begin four months ago! Needless to say, I’m behind on the eight ball already. That isn’t what bothers me. Honestly, the book can sit while I pull the marketing together after the writing, editing, and proofreading is complete.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

This is what bothers me: creating a mailing list and keeping up on social media. How am supposed to create a mailing list if I don’t have an actual book yet. The authors, I follow offer a free book or an extended epilogue to that particular set of characters. One piece of advice I was given is add my friends and family. Umm…no. My family is not my target audience. I would rather skip this part for now. This is my crossroad. Do I skip it? Do I move forward with my social media presence and hope I gather enough followers to create the mailing list? If I go with the later, that requires creating and posting to social media at least 3-4 times a week. The actual posting isn’t what gives me anxiety. But having enough ideas about myself, my writing process, and my book to have enough posts each week.

Don’t get me started on TikTok videos. Those make me feel so old. I’m learning. Some videos are fun to make. Jeeze, there’s so many options available. The rules are changing faster than I can keep up with.

I am taking it little by little. To help keep my anxiety down and keep my organized, I designate 30 minutes a day just for marketing. Sometimes, that’s creating videos. Other times, like today, it’s updating and focusing on my website.

New Journey

I took an incredibly long hiatus from blogging to pursue my first love of writing…well, novel writing. The first novel is complete and has been sent to my copy editor. The second novel was completed in January and is with the developmental editor. I don’t want to share too much about each book since I do have the blurbs up. I adore these books. I can’t wait until I can share them with everyone! The covers are beyond gorgeous which you will see soon.

I will still be sharing my reviews of other authors and hopefully returning to doing review tours, cover reveals, and so forth in the coming weeks. After all, I still have book three to finish writing. That one is so powerful and angsty, I have to walk away from it. Boy, does it give me the chills. Right now, it is still untitled. The perfect title hasn’t jumped out at me, yet.

All of these books are part of the Boys of Bragg series with spin off books scheduled. These guys are all Airborne and super hot!

Blog Tour and Review: Unforgettable by Melanie Harlow

Review:

Book five of the Cloverleigh series and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I’ve been looking forward to April’s story since the first book, Irresistible. I laughed at the Sawyer sisters and their antics. Loved, loved, loved Fran and Mac’s wedding and updates on each sister. I cried at what April endured and sacrificed in her younger years. The impact of those choices haunted her for years to come.

April Sawyer loves her family and the life she’s built at her family’s farm. But something is missing. At first she thought a vacation was needed. A break from all the demanding brides and pushy clients she plans events at Cloverleigh farms, but the vacation left her melancholy. She begins therapy without telling anyone in her family, something that just not done in her close-knit family. The one person she thought she would never see again walks back into her life. Tyler Shaw.

Tyler doesn’t know which is worse: returning home after his fall from grace or his sister forcing him out of seclusion for her wedding? No, it’s seeing the only woman he truly loved–April Sawyer. He lusted after her all through high school. She always took care of him and his sister. He never made a move until his last night home. Right before he left to start his baseball career. His career crashed around him during the World Series. He never recovered. He finds a life he never knew he wanted. A life after baseball.

Can their future survive the skeletons of their past?

“Holy SWOON! This is a sexy, small-town romance at its finest.”
— Claire Kingsley, Amazon Top 10 Bestselling Author 

Blurb:

Unforgettable, an all-new swoon-worthy not-to-be-missed second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is out now! 

Back then, I had it all.

Wicked fastball. Killer instinct. Cocky grin. Full package.

(And believe me, I knew how to score.)

My senior year, I was a first round draft pick with a two-million-dollar signing bonus. Before I could even legally buy myself a beer, I made my Major League debut.

Point is, I was invincible.

Until one day I wasn’t.

After tanking my career—during the World Series, no less—the last thing I want to do is return to my hometown, where every jerk in a ball cap has an opinion about what went wrong with my arm. So when my sister drags me back to town for her wedding, I vow to get in and out of there as quickly as possible.

Then I run into April Sawyer.

In high school we were just friends, but I’d always wanted her, and I’d never forgotten her—the red hair, the incredible smile, the crazy, reckless thing we did in the back of my truck the night we said goodbye. It’s been eighteen years, but one look at her and I feel like my old self again. I can still make her laugh, she can still take me down a notch, and when the chemistry between us explodes, it’s even hotter this time around—and I don’t want it to end.

But just when I think I’m ready to let go of the past and get back in the game, life throws me a curveball I never saw coming.

Download your copy today or read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XGWsYT
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/unforgettablemh 

Add UNFORGETTABLE to Goodreads: https://harlow.pub/Unforgettable-GR

Excerpt: 

“Baseball was the only thing I ever did that made my dad proud. Without it, what’s left?”

I swallowed hard. “How about the rest of your life? All the amazing things you’re going to do and be? Maybe you can’t see them yet, but I can.”

He turned around and looked at me. Took my face in his hands. “No one has ever seen me the way you do.”

I smiled. “Maybe no one ever bothered to look beyond the surface—I mean, you’re Tyler Shaw. The surface is pretty nice to look at.”

He kissed me hard then, and deep, his tongue penetrating my lips, his hands sliding into my hair. The kiss grew hotter as he moved me backward toward the bed, shoving his pants down, and lifting me onto the sheets.

“God, April,” he whispered as his mouth traveled down my throat and his hands roamed over my skin. “I want you so much. I want you so much it scares me.”

“Why?” I arched beneath his lips and tongue and teeth and palms and fingers as they moved over my body. I put my hands in his hair. 

“Because I keep imagining this life with you, this life full of things I’ve never wanted before.”

“What kinds of things?” As much as I loved his dirty mouth, his sweet words were just as thrilling, and I wanted to hear them all.

“I want to share a bed with you every night. And wake up to you every morning. I want to make breakfast for you, see you in the stands at Central High baseball games, reach all the stuff in the high cupboards in the kitchen. I want to be the one you come home to.”

I smiled. “Don’t be scared. I want all those things too.”

“But what if I fuck it up?” He kissed his way up the center of my chest and braced himself above me. “What if I’m not good at it? What if I don’t deserve it?”

“Tyler.” I took his face in my hands. “You deserve it. Do you hear me? You deserve to be loved the way I’m going to love you.”

Then his mouth was crushing mine and we were pressed chest to chest, rolling sideways with our arms and legs tangled as we tried to get under each other’s skin. He left my side only for the twenty seconds it took to put a condom on, and then he was back, easing into my body. When he was buried deep, he stopped and looked down at me. “I don’t know what the second act of my life is going to look like, but I know you’re the best part of it.”

My heart, already beating hard, threatened to burst right out of my chest. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Tell me again, I wanted to say, even as his mouth possessed mine once more and he began rocking into me with deep, steady strokes. Let me hear those words again, because they meant I didn’t have to be alone anymore. They meant the risk was worth it. 

They meant that finally I could say to myself . . . This is what it feels like to fall in love.

About Melanie

USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie
Facebook – Amazon – Bookbub – Instagram – Pinterest

Stay up to date, sign up for Melanie’s mailing list: http://bit.ly/2P7MATT
Website: www.melanieharlow.com

Cover Reveals–Samantha Chase and Susana Mohel

Reveal # 1

Samantha Chase

Book 2 in Roadtripping Series Release date: May 5th, 2020

Wrong Turn

Chelsea Cooper thinks her best friend’s fiancé is the world’s biggest jerk.

She’s never really been one to make waves, but when it comes to that guy, Chelsea’s willing to make an exception. There’s just no way she can let her best friend make the biggest mistake of her life by marrying him. She’ll do anything to stop the wedding, even if it means teaming up with the one person who’s an even bigger jerk—the groom-to-be’s best friend.

Drew Russo thinks his best friend’s fiancée’s best friend is the prickliest woman alive.

Everything about Chelsea aggravates him. She’s too structured, too uptight, and too opinionated—especially when it comes to her thoughts on his best friend. When he’s tasked with keeping her away from their best friends’ secret wedding, Drew knows he’s in for one hell of a challenge. Never mind the days he’ll have to spend trapped in a car with the world’s most annoying woman.

The plan is simple enough—keep Chelsea from interfering with the wedding. But between distractions, delays and detours, they discover they aren’t the enemies they thought they were. And sometimes a wrong turn can lead you in the right direction.

Warning—This sweet, sexy, and laugh out loud funny romance is filled with all the most ridiculous road trip stories you can imagine and will make you realize sometimes being wrong can be a lot more fun than being right.

Goodreads: https://geni.us/WrongTurn-GR 

Amazon: https://geni.us/WrongTurnKindle

Apple: https://geni.us/WrongTurnApple

Nook: https://geni.us/WrongTurnBN

Kobo: https://geni.us/WrongTurnKobo

Google Play: https://geni.us/WrongTurnGoogle

Reveal # 2

Test Drive

Book 3 in Roadtripping Series Release Date: June 23, 2020

Willow Andrews would do anything for her grandmother.

Rather than having to keep fielding questions about her love life, making up a boyfriend to ease her grandmother’s worries didn’t seem like such a big deal. It was the perfect plan – until Gammy requested that Willow AND her boyfriend attend her 75th birthday party. Or else. There’s no way she can find a real boyfriend in time. Her only option? Asking the hot bartender she’s been crushing on…who just so happens to be the inspiration for her fake boyfriend.

Levi Sullivan would do anything for a friend in need.

Though he’s never told her, Levi has always wished Willow was more than a friend. When she tells him about the little white lie she told her grandmother, Levi is more than willing to step up and play the part of her boyfriend. After all, Willow IS a friend and she’s most definitely in need.

Agreeing to be Willow’s fake boyfriend was a no-brainer – even if it means embarking on a long road trip. But somewhere along the way, this fake relationship starts to feel like anything but a test drive.

Warning – This sweet, sexy, laugh-out-loud funny romance is filled with all the most ridiculous road trip stories you can imagine and make you realize that sometimes pretending might just lead you to something real.

Goodreads: https://geni.us/TestDrive-GR 

Amazon: https://geni.us/TestDriveKindle

Apple: https://geni.us/TestDriveApple

Nook: https://geni.us/TestDriveBN

Kobo: https://geni.us/TestDriveKobo

Google Play: https://geni.us/TestDriveGoogle

About the Author

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

Website: https://www.chasing-romance.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamanthaChase3 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaChaseFanClub/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthachaseromance/ 

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2xU05xE 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-chase

Reveal # 3

Susana Mohel

Thunderstorm

Book 3 in The Perfect Storm Series Release Date: April 9, 2020

Adrik Houston means nothing but trouble.

I’ve spent years building my career, and I’m not about to let him push me away from the goal I’ve set for my future.

I don’t care if he’s handsome, cocky, and fixated on getting me. On my charts, he’s Lucifer himself filling a panty-melting uniform.

But he doesn’t know how stubborn I can be when my heart is in the line of fire.

He’s ready to fight.

So am I.

We aren’t a match made in heaven. We’re two energy charged clouds ready to collide.

I’m Jordania Zanetti.

In war the winner takes it all, and the battle is about to start.

Goodreads: https://smarturl.it/Thunder-Goodreads 

Amazon: https://smarturl.it/Thunder-Amazon 

About the Author

Author, wife, and mother of a girl and a puppy. I love the happily ever after. Believer & dreamer. I live in my own world, sipping Ginger Ale and lime. I’m always plotting my next book, coloring pages, and reading.  

Website: https://www.susanamohel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanaMohel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanamohel/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SMohel

Release Blitz: Foul Play by Vixen Kane

Release Date: February 6, 2020

BLURB

I only meant to go after the brother…

He took my best friend’s starting spot on the basketball team, and he was only a sophomore. As team captain, what was I supposed to do? Let him humiliate my best friend? No.

Things got a bit messy. 

I couldn’t have known he had a sister, or that she’d be so protective. I certainly couldn’t have known she’d be Becca Allen. 

So now it’s war, and Becca seems to think she’ll be the victor. But I’ve got some bad news for her…

I don’t play fair.

**Foul Play is a high school enemies-to-lovers romance intended for a mature audience. It is a full-length standalone with a guaranteed HEA.**

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49227341-foul-play 

PURCHASE LINKS

US: https://amzn.to/2UgqdOO
UK: https://amzn.to/2GNHS8d
CA: https://amzn.to/390oxx0
AU: https://amzn.to/2GKoKYZ 

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Vixen Kane is the author of nail-biting romance. Whether that be steamy, taboo, or suspenseful, she loves writing it and sharing it with the world. Vixen doesn’t shy away from much, and all of her books are guaranteed to deliver an HEA.

AUTHOR LINKS

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19754219.Vixen_Kane 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vixen-kane 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vixen_kane 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorvkane 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vixen-Kane/e/B081N19TG5 

GIVEAWAY

There is a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card

Review: The Boyfriend Sessions by Belinda Williams

I have to admit that I wasn’t totally in love with the main character Christa until about chapter 3. I was pretty indifferent. I didn’t hate her, but I wasn’t completely rooting for her. I continued to read because I was in a mood. I figured my aversion was of my own doing not due to the writing or characterization. I’m grateful that I continued on. I received this book through Bookbub’s edeals which I love when I’m in between ARCs.

Christa literally ran away from a proposal at the Eiffel Tower by a romantic French man. Who does that? Christa–the commitment phobic gal. What should her girlfriends do but stage a relationship intervention showing her exactly what she’s doing wrong in each and every relationship she’s had beginning with her first love to the French man. During this journey, Christa is forbidden to date, flirt, or have any type of romantic relationship with the opposite sex. She’s to focus on being single and enjoy single life. Find herself. Figure out what when wrong in her romantic life. Step 1–Thursday night boyfriend sessions where they evaluate her previous boyfriends. Step 2–return to her exercise regiment, …ok she usually quit after a few sessions which is why the gals signed her up for a Boot Camp courses in the park to ensure Christa attends, Max (Maddy’s geeky older brother) will escort her. No one warned Christa that geeky Max is now hot as sin or that he’s had a crush on Christa since the girls were teens. But Max also pushes Christa out of her comfort zone both in and outside of the boyfriend sessions.

One kiss changes everything between them. Is she willing to risk her lifelong friendship with Maddy for Max?

Would her friends ever forgive her for betraying their trust?

Can Max forgive Christa for not being honest with him or herself?