INTERMISSION ROMANCE REVIEW TOUR

 INTERMISSION is three novelettes and one bonus short story 
from the cast of The Bridge Series.

THE INTERLUDE ~“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward in the same direction.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

When the snarky Natalie LeGrange meets a handsome stranger on a train to New York City, her immature philosophy on life is suddenly challenged. A casual relationship quickly evolves into a beautiful friendship, but the ultimate sacrifice must be made in order for the other to follow the stars and dream.

THE INTERPRETATION ~ "Evian is naïve backwards." --Reality Bites

Chloe LeGrange lives impulsively in the moment... but what if she receives a glimpse into her future?
Join the dynamic heroine of The Ballad as she struggles with her present, yearns for the simplicity of her past and anticipates the inception of her future.

THE INTERMEZZO ~ "Je ne regrette rien." --Edith Piaf

When Zach Parker returns to NYC on leave from Afghanistan, he only wants two things: Natalie LeGrange and Virgil's barbecue. Continuing the heartwarming story of The Interlude, Zach and Natalie prove that love is selfless and timeless.
Set against the charming backdrop of a Manhattan Christmas, Zach and Natalie will once again capture the essence of love, laughter and the power to dream.

THE MISINTERPRETATION ~ When eighteen-year-old Adam Ford crashes a party in Toronto, a brief encounter with a beautiful girl interrupts his superior perception. Being wrong has never felt so right...

MY REVIEW

These books take place in various locations that really add to the stories, but most of it is set in NYC. It might have been the city, or it might have been Natalie and Chloe, but no matter how hard I tired, the feeling of euphoria while I was reading these books was the same one I had every time I watched a certain TV show set in NYC about true friendship and finding the most epic kind of love.

I finished Intermission and The Ballad a couple of days ago. When I came across the acknowledgements, this hollowness engulfed me. It was mind-boggling that this story was over. What was more crazy is that it made me think of my absolute love for Sex and the City (which I watched religiously for 7 years) and how even after almost 10 years since the last episode, I'm still not over that show. When it ended I cried. And when withdrawal becomes too hard even now, I put the DVD of the last few episodes and vicariously relive the best nights of my life, set in the most magical city in the world - NYC.

These books are not something I can get over. They're not something I want to get over. I will reread these books when withdrawal from Natalie, Chloe, Adam, and Zach becomes too difficult. I will reread them anytime I hear any reference to Saved by the Bell. I will reread them whenever I read a book that doesn't get true and honest love right. In 10 years, these books for me will still a perfect example of how some writers just get it right.

Add to GR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18976696-intermission

Buy Links 

Intermission

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/qx9jaok

The Ballad - Just 0.99

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/moax6ht

AUTHOR ASHLEY PULLO 

When did you become an author?  I have always been a storyteller, but I became an author when I hit “publish” on July 2, 2013.

What is your writing process like?  I’ve written a couple of screenplays and tend to use the same technique for my novels.  For me, it begins with the characters.  I develop them to the point where I know their secrets, their psyche and what clothes are hanging in their closets.  The characters need a place to live outside my head so I create a visual setting based on what I know.  The last step is the dialogue, or script.  Yes, my characters are given a script and and they almost always follow it.  I never force a plot, I'd rather have a theme and a distinctive style. 

Where do you draw inspiration?  Mostly from music, sometimes from television characters.  I also people-watch and combine people I know into a singular character.  Oddly, I get a ton of ideas in my sleep or in the shower, maybe because these are the only places my children don’t bother me.

Do you have a favorite author?  Andre Gide.  He’s dead, so he won’t appreciate my shout-out.  Gide’s subject matter is considered vile and risqué, but his style of writing is amazing!  He perfected mise en abyme by giving the reader stories within a story, on top of a story and after a story.  And that dude rocked the ellipse.  As far as contemporary authors, I love John Green.  His characters are impeccably developed and relevant to several generations.  Check out Will Grayson, Will Grayson... genius!

What is the best compliment someone can give you?  That I'm a genius.  Joking.  That I look like Charlize Theron.  Honestly, the best compliment is being appreciated for my style of writing.  That truly makes me proud.

I LIKE the following things:  words, vivid colors, dogs, Pottery Barn, the ocean, dichotomy and Christian Bale.

I LOVE the following things:  my children, my husband, my family, red velvet cupcakes, Starbucks, LOST, television in general, Brandi Carlile and my fans, always.

Texas forever, New York for now. ​

Social Links 

Web: http://www.ashleypullo.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7161911.Ashley_Pullo

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ashleypullo

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ashpullo

THE BRIDGE SERIES

The Ballad

The Intermission

The Interlude

The Interpretation

The Intermezzo

The Misinterpretation

  

The Refrain

Coming Soon!

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Jan 27 

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Jan 28

www.fortheloveofallthatisreading.blogspot.com

Jan 29

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Jan 31

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Raw by Belle Aurora

WARNING - this review contains a few more swear words than normal and what some may consider spoilers.

Is the title of this book Raw because it's War backwards? Because people who read this book will most likely start riots that will lead to war? Is that it? Did I get it right? I think I did.

Not going to lie, but a damsel in distress falling in love with her stalker was...unwise. Not completely out of the realm of acceptance, but still okay-what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you uncomfortable. Then I read a bit more, totally loved the characters, and all of a sudden, Twitch was okay. Now by this point, I kind of figured some things out, and yet I saw no reason to quit. This freaking book owned me. 

I wasn't crazy about some of the parts though. I mean, if you've read the story (and liked/loved it), and know what happens during training, you'd be heartless cow to think nothing of it. But still I put my heart on the proverbial chopping block. And you know what happened? It got fucking julienned. Belle Aurora did to my heart what Julia Child did to freaking carrots!

Of course towards the end I'm convinced that my iPad is a piece of shit and broken. Because there's no way I'm at 95% and I'm reading THAT! Stupid Apple. They need to make reliable products that don't mess with readers' heads. But NO! I actually get to 100% and turn my iPad around to see if I'm missing something as if I was reading an actual paperback. So now my heart that was shredded was tossed in the blender, and the damn appliance was set to puree. Just great. Just fucking great. I have domestic obligations and I'm hangover like a college kid on spring break.

War - what is it good for? To spell Raw. Because that's exactly how I feel right now.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Let's get some warnings out there first.

This is not meant for young readers. So if you can't buy alcohol, can't join the army, can't vote, and still carry around fake ID, you should probably wait to read this book. With saying that though, I'm sure there are adults twice my age who are not open to thinking outside the conventional norms and probably shouldn't read this book either. You've been warned.

Lochlan and Maya are brother and sister.

They're essentially parents to their three younger siblings.

They love each other.

Not the love with a small 'L'; the big one.

The true one that consumes your being and gives you hope.

The one that destroys you the moment you are forced to think you might lose it.

The one that you would give up everything for.

This is quite possibly the most beautiful writing I've ever come across. EVER. This story is absolutely heartbreaking and it doesn't sugarcoat the realness of the consequences. This is not a light read. It batters you from the very beginning. A part of you feels crushed because of the utterly shitty circumstances surrounding this family. I didn't find a moment of reprieve from this soul-shattering story. It just kept brutalising me. Over. And over. And over.

At Chapter 23, I was done. I couldn't take it anymore. Nothing catastrophic has happened, and yet I was seriously considering making this my first ever DNF. Not because I hated it. Because I desperately wanted them to be magically transplanted to a farm, away from judgement, and have their love. I didn't set out to be cheering for Lochlan and Maya to make it through this and get their happily-ever-after. But after intruding in on their own personal hell, I began silently wishing for the opportunity of maybes. I was hoping for things that I had never considered.

But that doesn't happen. I'm inconsolable. My body is shutting down because it's the only way it can deal with the pain. Devastation steals my ability to breathe. Eventually my lungs remember their purpose but it's too late. I feel lesser. No amount of praying at the altar of this author can repair me.

Note to potential readers: If you loved this book, do not listen to Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars. The lyrics and harmony will eviscerate you. I speak from experience.

Coming Home by Priscilla Glenn

Dear Priscilla (because I've met you and I feel like we can be on first-name basis),

There are authors who absolutely kill it when in the way they can write billionaires. There are authors who excel at rock-stars, while others manage to make bikers very appealing. There are authors who write books that tear your heart out and leave you manic for days. And then there are authors who write these realistic, simple, consuming, love stories that stick with us for days -- this is you.

I adored Danny. I laughed when he made jokes. I wanted to smack him when he was an ass. I cried when he his heart shattered.

I didn't hate Leah. At no point did I want to strangle her. At moments I felt pity towards her, but if she was standing beside me, she would have told me to quit it. She was the perfect amount of hopeful and realist mixed together.

I didn't finish Coming Home with a need to throw my ereader against a wall. I didn't have a breakdown because it was over. Instead, I felt calmness spread throughout knowing that this was how it was supposed to be.

You have this way of weaving the characters into our lives and then leaving us thinking about every aspect of their story for days. You write the best kind of unadulterated love.

Keep doing what you're doing!

Sincerely,
me

DISCLAIMER: I was provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own, and you have every right to disagree with them.

Intermission (Novelettes) and The Ballad (The Bridge #1) by Ashley Pullo

Intermission is essentially 4 novelettes all told from the point of view of the main characters from The Bridge series - Adam, Natalie, Chloe, and Zach.

The Ballad is the story of two of these characters and their hate, life, and glorious love for each other.

These books take place in various locations that really add to the stories, but most of it is set in NYC. It might have been the city, or it might have been Natalie and Chloe, but no matter how hard I tired, the feeling of euphoria while I was reading these books was the same one I had every time I watched a certain TV show set in NYC about true friendship and finding the most epic kind of love.

I finished Intermission and The Ballad a couple of days ago. When I came across the acknowledgements, this hollowness engulfed me. It was mind-boggling that this story was over. What was more crazy is that it made me think of my absolute love for Sex and the City (which I watched religiously for 7 years) and how even after almost 10 years since the last episode, I'm still not over that show. When it ended I cried. And when withdrawal becomes too hard even now, I put the DVD of the last few episodes and vicariously relive the best nights of my life, set in the most magical city in the world - NYC.

These books are not something I can get over. They're not something I want to get over. I will reread these books when withdrawal from Natalie, Chloe, Adam, and Zach becomes too difficult. I will reread them anytime I hear any reference to Saved by the Bell. I will reread them whenever I read a book that doesn't get true and honest love right. In 10 years, these books will still consume me. 

I'm too tired to regurgitate the synopsis that you can easily find on Amazon or Goodreads, but needless to say, if it means that I've just spent 20 minutes on one of the most uncomfortable computer chairs known to man to write my thoughts about these books, you should be one-clicking anything by this author like your next meal depended on it.

Cover Reveal, Excerpt, and Giveaway (Oh my!): Enjoy Your Stay by Carmen Jenner

Title: Enjoy Your Stay (Sugartown #2)

Author: Carmen Jenner

Publisher: Independent

Genre: Contemporary New Adult

Release Date: March 3, 2014

Cover Designer: Frankie Rose

 

Synopsis

The last thing Holly Harris expected was to wind up nineteen, knocked-up, and all alone. When Coop left to pursue his dreams of becoming a rock god, he left a tiny piece of him behind.

Holly wishes he hadn’t.

Jackson wishes he hadn’t.

Jackson Rowe tried filling the void his family left by drinking, screwing around, and leaving a string of heartbroken women in his wake. Moving back to Sugartown should have been easy, but he hadn’t counted on the fact his sometimes attraction to Holly would still be alive and kicking—and he sure as hell hadn’t counted on her being pregnant with another man’s baby.

They drive one another crazy, and yet they can’t stay away.

When old flames resurface, and even older wounds are torn open, can two people so similar make it work? Or will their stubbornness only drive them further apart? 

*Content Warning. Intended for a mature 18+ audience. Contains angst, a crap-tonne of profanity, short-tempered Australian wildlife, and some very pregnant sex.

 

Excerpt

Holly “We gonna talk about last night?” “No. We’re not going to talk about it. We’re not going to have a repeat performance, and we’re not talking about it.” “Okay then.” Jackson snatches up another handful of popcorn and shovels it in his mouth before chewing with it half-opened. I swear, one day I’m going to shove my fist in there, and then maybe he’ll learn to shut the hell up. “So you don’t want me to eat you out right here on the couch?” I drop the bowl and popcorn spills out all over my lap. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and whisper, “I hate you.” “No you don’t. You want to, but sweetheart, you got all kinds of feelings for old Jack, and none of them are based on hatred.” “Would you please not refer to yourself as old Jack? You sound like a paedophile.” “Night, Hols. Old Jack’s going to take a shower before hitting the hay. I might even forget to lock the door so you don’t have to kick it down.” “I hate you!” I scream as he saunters away chuckling. “Sure, sweetheart, you just keep telling yourself that.”  

Meet Carmen

Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something author, doctor, pilot and CIA agent.

She's also a compulsive, flagrant prevaricator who gets to make things up for a living.

While Sugartown may not technically exist, Carmen grew up in a small Australian town just like it, and just like her characters, she always longed for something more. They didn't have an Elijah Cade, though. If they did, you can be sure she would have never left.

Website | Welcome to Sugartown Website | Facebook | Twitter |

Goodreads | Carmen Jenner Street Team | Pinterest

 

Other Books By Carmen

Welcome to Sugartown (Sugartown #1)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon Paperback |

Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

 

Giveaway

(5) eBook Copies of Welcome to Sugartown

(1) e-ARC of Enjoy Your Stay

(2) Swag Packs

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