23.7.19

Poignant and Heart-Breaking: Piece of My Heart by Nicole Jacquelyn

What a poignant, eloquent and beautiful story! Nicole always writes stories that have my heart constricted with all the emotions!

"You're the best decision I ever made."

PIECE OF MY HEART
by Nicole Jacquelyn
Series: Fostering Love #4
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: July 23rd 2019 by Forever
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Rating: ★★★★½
Goodreads | Amazon

From the author of Unbreak My Heart comes a heart-wrenching story about a young married couple's struggle to find their way back to each other after an unbearable loss threatens to tear them apart. Nicole Jacquelyn delivers a novel that will break your heart...in all the best ways.

Alex Evans is cool. Collected. Charismatic as hell. But when he meets Sarai Levy, all that chill goes right out the door. An Israeli graduate student, Sarai's far too busy with school to date. But she gives Alex a chance anyway, and after a few whirlwind months, they're getting married. They've heard all the reasons why it's too soon, but Alex and Sarai are madly in love and determined to make it work . . . until a devastating tragedy strikes and their perfect world comes crashing down.

Sarai, who always has a plan, suddenly has no blueprint for handling a staggering loss. As she pulls away from Alex and withdraws from her life, he's struggling to be the man she needs. Their relationship is fraying at the seams, and if Alex and Sarai don't find a way to trust each other with their most painful truths, their heartache could shatter their fairytale romance.

This story killed me in the best of ways. It starts so wonderful, with having Sarai and Alex meeting each other and going on dates, etc. It was so cute to finally see Alex falling for a woman, especially for a woman like Sarai. He completely met his match with her and I was so happy! Both are goofballs! I was having so much fun with them.

Since the second novel, I've been so intrigued by Alex, so when it was announced this was his story, I went crazy! I couldn't wait to get my hands on this pretty! Alex is always the clown and the goofball, but in a good way. He just likes to joke and make people smile and laugh. What I adored the most was seeing Alex and Ani, his foster sister, back together again, acting like complete children. It had me laughing and adoring them once again.

Sarai was a new addition to this story so I didn't really know anything about her. We learn that she's Jewish but she doesn't follow a lot of practices from Judaism. To me, she was like a modern Jewish. Anyway, Sarai is a woman who's there for her friends no matter what. She's also very focused on her studies, has a plan for everything, and doesn't have time for dating, especially for a man like Alex. When she realizes she can't resist him, they start working around their very busy schedule to spend time with each other, even if it's just for a few minutes.

Some of the best things happen when you don't plan for them.

Their lives are going so great, but knowing this author, I knew it was the calm before the storm and when the storm arrived, I couldn't breathe. My heart broke in pieces and I had tears in my eyes for these two amazing characters. They definitely didn't deserve what happened. Yet you could see character growth amidst it all. Especially for Alex. Even though he was beyond affected about what had happened, he knew he needed to be there for Sarai, that he needed to be the strong one so he pushed aside his feelings and focused on giving all to Sarai. I was already in love with him, but it was here that I fell much harder for this incredible man.

I have always LOVED Alex's family, since Unbreak My Heart. They are a bunch who's there for each other through thick and thin. All of them are adopted but you wouldn't think that once you spend just a few seconds with them. Some are loud, others a grumpy and cynical, yet the love they have to give knows absolutely no bounds. They love and give without a second thought. I especially loved seeing Ani and Bram back from Change of Heart.

I loved having Ani back! She's Alex's foster sister and she is always a hoot and I always enjoy her to the max. I was so happy to have gotten to see a little of Kate (another foster sister), but I wish her entire family had been in this book since their story has to be my favorite! Nevertheless, it was great to see the members of this fantastic family that I will truly carry forever in my heart and never forget.

This family shows once again how amazing they are when they band together to help Sarai and Alex. It just showed how giving they all are. If you want an amazing family to read about, I will forever recommend Fostering Love series!

Unfortunately, not every family is as amazing as this one, which is why it was so tough to read about Sarai's family. Her aunt and uncle are still very Jewish and they're so strict and set in their ways. When Sarai calls them to give them wonderful news, they react so badly. My heart tore apart for her because you could feel her heart shattering in the process. I was happy she at least had Alex's family to rely on. She also had Mr. and Mrs. K. They were so wonderful. They were family friends of Sarai's parents so when Sarai moved back to Missouri, they opened their arms to her for anything she needed.

Overall, Piece of My Heart is a beautiful and poignant novel, just like the rest of the novels in this series. It will have you laughing one minute, and crying the next with a broken heart, but it will mend it in the end. I can never recommend this series enough, nor this author. Nicole Jacquelyn is so underrated and she deserves so much more recognition for the amazing talent she has!

Follow Me:

Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Twitter ❃ Bloglovin ❃ Facebook ❃ Goodreads ❃ Pinterest

Pin Me:

20.7.19

New Fave Book + Bike Ride | Weekly Rewind 7.20.19

PLEASE READ

I don't know if you guys have heard, but things are chaotic in Puerto Rico. A chat with over 889 pages from the governor and his officials came to light, in which he's mocking the 4,464 deaths from Hurricane Maria, where he stole millions of dollars that were sent from United States to help rebuild PR after the hurricane, where he degrades women and calls them whores and sluts, where the director of the Department of Education stole millions of dollars from the department instead of using that money to re-open the 438 schools closed. And there's much more that was said. Everyone wants the governor to quit, but he keeps saying he'll gain the people's trust *insert eye roll*.

But Puerto Ricans are resilient. We don't give up. We unite and band up together to confront this corruption. Even while the people are protesting, others bring in pots filled with arroz con pollo (rice and chicken) to hand out to the people doing the protest. It fills me with pride to see my island not giving up, and rebuilding what was destroyed by the government.

Get informed, please. And if you can, share an image on Instagram with a black background and white letters that say "Ricky Renuncia" (Quit, Ricky), telling the governor to quit, and tag him @ricardorosello and use the hashtags #RickyRenuncia #RickyRenunciaYa

Life Happenings

As you guys know, it was my birthday last Saturday. On Sunday, my husband and I celebrated by going to the park to ride bicycles. We rode for 4 miles! That's a lot for me 😂 It was so nice, though! We ended up stumbling across a market where I found a homemade lotion that I'm obsessed with! 😍

That same Sunday, we went to Mellow Mushroom to eat pizza and we brought our own desserts (orange pound cake from Clark's Bakery 😋). After that, we went to McKay's and got some movies for very cheap! I love McKay's so much!

During the week, we had a seminar. This one has been very relaxed. I only had to help in one Hydrotherapy class and lead out on a cooking class so it wasn't bad at all.

On Friday, we went to the lake and it was so much fun! We got a paddle board that only allows up to 130 lbs. So we had more than 4 people trying to get on it. Let me tell you, we barely stayed on the board 😂

Week In Reading

http://www.whisperingchapters.com/2019/07/breakdown-by-aly-zigada.html

Breakdown was everything I never knew I needed and more. It stole my breath away while at the same time, giving me life. This is a MUST-READ! (Review) And it's a new fave!!! 😍 It took over me in such a way I did not want to read anything else. All week, I've been thinking about this book. I've tried picking up other books but this book has become like a part of me.

Week In Haul

eARCs

I got Piece of My Heart! I love this series so much! We now have Alex's story and I'm so happy! He deserves a happy ending.

Thanks to the publishers, authors and publicists for these copies!

eBooks

Say Yes is completely new to me by Elle Kennedy. I love her so I had to get this freebie.

I loved Dating Games so much that I needed Wicked Games!

Week In Posts

[July 15] Beautiful Accidental Marriage: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Iris Morland

[July 16] Auto-Buy Authors | Top Ten Tuesday

[July 18] Raw, Powerful, Dark: Breakdown by Aly Zigada

Bookstagram

@whisperingchapters

Let me know how was your week below!

Follow Me:

Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Twitter ❃ Bloglovin ❃ Facebook ❃ Goodreads ❃ Pinterest

Linked to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and The Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Pin Me

18.7.19

Raw, Powerful, Dark: Breakdown by Aly Zigada

I had no idea what to expect when I went into this novel but I got so much more than I expected!

"Love for you filled every fuckin' void in my soul."

BREAKDOWN
by Aly Zigada
Series: Perversion Records #1
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: July 18th 2019 by Self-Published
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads | Amazon

Atticus Creed saved my life. His voice talked me down. His lyrics stripped me bare. His tattoos against my hidden scars made me feel beautiful. In turn, I wrecked him with a love that exposed his soul and lies that called to his vilest demons.

We were innocent then.

I’m not a broken girl anymore. Now I’m the woman who reigns over the corrupt record label he abandoned, and he’s a tortured musician who wants retribution as viciously as I want another taste of his lips. Inevitably, he will crash in my arms, and I will burn in his.

Depravity is all we know. It’s in the air we breathe, it’s in our sweat, it’s the music we make.

An unforgettably searing and unapologetically honest romance about enemies, lovers, and the music that binds them.

When I started reading Breakdown by Aly Zigada, I have to be honest, I was not liking it due to a specific character. It disappointed me because I was really looking forward to this novel. At first, I wasn't into it for the first 2 to 3 chapters. As the story progressed and Atticus was introduced, the book blossomed and exploded in the best way possible.

Atticus Creed's voice had reached through radio waves to take hold of me when I was thirteen. I'd loved him before I met him. Before sex. Before heartbreak. I'd been stupid with him, out of my mind for him, absorbed in him.

This book is definitely dark in a lot of areas that had my heart racing and beyond giddy for all that was going down. Yet the darkness makes this story completely wonderful, alluring and thrilling!

Sophie Drew still lived inside me in visceral memory and sharp, senseless cravings.

Breakdown has way more depth than I was expecting and this blew me away. I was majorly impressed with it. There's so much going on, so many layers for each character individually, collectively and for the couples. Each character adds so much to the story. It's not just the main characters, but the secondary characters add a whole lot! I love when secondary characters are ever-present in a novel. It keeps adding more and more to the story.

"Do you know how fucking miserable it is to want everything from the person who'll give you nothing? That's us right now. I want everything from you and you'll give me none of yourself. I don't know who to be without you, but fuck it, maybe figuring that out is my destiny."

The characters are some of the most flawed characters I've read in a long time. Their rawness and depth stole my breath. These characters felt so real! When I stopped reading, I felt such an emptiness in my chest. I know I'm not saying goodbye yet since there will be more books but I still feel empty and scared that I won't be with these characters again once the series ends *cue sobfest*

I applaud Aly for reaching this type of depth in a story, especially her debut novel. I couldn't believe this was her first book! When you read it, it's like someone who's already been writing for years! She completely lured me in like a siren lures her prey. It was definitely a hook-line-sinker type of lure, except I went willingly with a smile on my face, not caring for the consequences.

"I'm high on you and I can't get clean. I can't pretend you don't mean everything to me. I can't detox you out of my veins. I don't want to."

There was one particular scene that changed the book for me from liking it to becoming beyond the normal levels of addicted and obsessed. It has to do with a song that Atticus writes and when he sings it to Sophie, she tells him to speak the words to her, not sing them. When he does it, HOT FREAKING DAMN!!! It's h-o-t! I envisioned that scene so well that I keep replaying it in my head. Not only that, I've re-read that scene so many times, I have it memorized! This is me we're talking about here. I don't memorize shit in books. But this is one I had to engrain in my brain. From this scene on, I was enamored, intrigued, obsessed, and every synonym to those words!!

Let's talk about the romance. Sophie and Atticus are electric together. There's so much angst, tension, anger for a betrayal, while at the same time, unconditional love and care. These two had my heart from the beginning. The way they tread around one another, the way they speak to each other, their love... *sighs dreamily* It was everything I could hope for for them. They've gone through so much and seeing them come together after so long and letting out that pent-up anger and frustration was all kinds of deliciousness!

I didn't even know I had a craving for these characters until I finished and realized this craving won't be satisfied because I want and need more of this story. This was one of those stories that I need it to breathe (or it feels that way).

Breakdown is a deep, raw, powerful, wonderful, dark story that will lure you in beyond what you'll be prepared for. It's filthy in a way you'll be wanting more of. It stole my breath away, while at the same time, it gave me life!

Follow Me:

Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Twitter ❃ Bloglovin ❃ Facebook ❃ Goodreads ❃ Pinterest

Pin Me

This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

16.7.19

Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors

There are just certain authors that I just keep close to my heart. Anything they publish, I'll get my hands on immediately!

Links lead to reviews!

Taylor Jenkins Reid: One True Loves

Lauren Layne: Someone Like You, Passion on Park Avenue, For Better or Worse

Sarina Bowen: Bittersweet, Keepsake, Hard Hitter, Top Secret

Corinne Michaels

J. Daniels: Four Letter Word, Hit the Spot

Penelope Douglas: Hideaway, Kill Switch

Elle Kennedy: The Deal, The Score, Top Secret

Holly Renee: Where Good Girls Go to Die, Where Bad Boys Are Ruined

New-To-Me

I just discovered these authors and I need more more more!

Aly Zigada (Her writing gives me life!)

Ella Maise (Creates beyond wonderful stories!)

Tessa Bailey (Gives me all the deliciousness)

Katee Robert (Out of my comfy zone yet I crave it all!)

Have you read anything by these authors?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

Follow Me:

Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Twitter ❃ Bloglovin ❃ Goodreads ❃ Pinterest

PIN ME

15.7.19

Beautiful Accidental Marriage: He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Iris Morland

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not lacked Morland's magic touch from the first book in this standalone series. Yet it was still a wonderful addition that I thoroughly enjoyed.

HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT
by Iris Morland
Series: The Flower Shop Sisters #2
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: July 16th 2019 by Blue Violet Press LLC
Format: eARC
Source: Author
Rating: ★★★½
Goodreads | Amazon

I'm a good girl—until I got drunk in Vegas and married a panties-flaming-hot Irishman.

Oops.

I’ve always lived my life by the rules. Unlike my two sisters, I’m the good one. The responsible one. Going outside my comfort zone is when I wear red lipstick before five PM.

That comfort zone of mine? It’s smashed to smithereens on a wild night in Las Vegas when I met—and married—Liam Gallagher.

After one shot of tequila, then two, then too many to count, a good girl’s rules tend to disappear. And so do her panties, and her bra, and various other articles of clothing when she’s with an Irishman who knows his way around a woman’s body.

Now my husband wants us to stay married. For six months. He says it’ll be worth my while. Considering our chemistry underneath the sheets, I can’t say that he’s wrong.

Liam isn’t safe, though. Liam definitely isn’t comfortable. He’s like the male equivalent of wearing red lipstick in the daytime all wrapped up in an irresistible, dangerous package.

Yet this stubborn Irishman isn’t about to let me go, drunken Princess Bride-themed Vegas wedding or no.

Now I have to decide if I’m brave enough to break the rules for love.

As I mentioned above, this story didn't have the same touch that the first book in this standalone series had. While the first book was light, fun and hilarious, this book took a more mature approach.

Mari is a someone who always does the right thing and follows the rules to the T. When she gets drunk in Vegas and gets married to a semi-stranger, Mari doesn't know how to handle it at all. All she knows is she needs to get away from Liam because he causes her to react in a way that she likes but isn't safe.

I must be insane. I needed to get my brain examined. If I had an MRI done, they'd most likely point to a part of my brain and diagnose me with Liam Gallagher Syndrome. It's curable, but only if you run far, far away from the virus himself.

We have Liam, who's completely captivated by Mari and would love to spend more time with her. When she suggests divorce, he agrees only if they keep up the pretense for 6 months but not for selfish reasons. He has a sister who's about to get an inheritance. In order for her to receive it, Liam needs to act like hehas his life together. Divorcing isn't in the cards.

It was definitely entertaining to watch Mari break out of the shell of a life she has. She thought she knew what she wanted: get married to David, continue working in the boring job she has and have kids. But when she gets cheated on and the wedding gets cancelled, she realizes that there's more to life. That maybe she should take a little risk and be her own boss, doing what she loves.

Liam helped Mari to step out and view things differently. I have to mention Liam's accent. Okay, hear me out. 99.99% of the time when I read a book with a character that has an accent, it's so hard for me to get my head to accept the fact that the character has an accent. I never knew why. I thought it was just how my brain was wired. BUT! Iris Morland changed that for me and made me realize it was never me! She wrote Liam's character so authentic to his Irish roots with all the slangs included that it was so easy for me to switch to an accent while reading his parts. You guys have no idea how exciting that was for me. Iris, I applaud you!

Speaking of Liam, it is so noticeable how much love he has to give, especially for his sister. He'd do anything to assure she has a great future, even if it means having Mari invade his home, his privacy, with all her makeup covering the entire bathroom counterspace and having Mari making loud noises early in the morning.

The chemistry that Liam and Mari had was off the charts. The tension!! I just wanted Mari to give in. I mean, I wouldn't be able to resist this Irishman. Just one word from him and I'd be a pile of goo in his hands.

Kate's lips lifted at the corners. "Jacob isn't company. He's family. So he should get used to the fact that I like to talk about how hung romance heroes are at dinner."

Mari's entire family is hilarious. The family dynamics are back again in this second installment and I was here for it! This family is one of my absolute faves! I loved watching Dani and Jacob make an appearance in this novel! I freaking adored them a lot in the first book. And now, I'm beyond excited for Kate's book! That story will be a hoot, just like Dani's!

Follow Me:

Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Twitter ❃ Bloglovin ❃ Goodreads ❃ Pinterest

13.7.19

It's My Birthday! | Weekly Rewind ~ 7.13.19

TODAY (JULY 13TH) IS MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M OFFICIALLY 25 YEARS OLD! I already got a lovely card from my dad! I'll be going to Puerto Rico soon and that's where I'll celebrate my b-day :)

My husband woke me up early to give me a card, two movies and some Venus Razor Blades I've been desperately needing 😂 I can always count on him to provide 😂 ❤️

After church, we usually have potluck. We had Haystack and it was freaking yummy! Well, suddenly, they start singing happy birthday and in they come with Coconut Cake from the best bakery ever, Clark's Bakery! 😋

I'll probably update this post as the day goes on with all the happenings :)

Life Happenings

I spent a morning making Waffles. The kitchen was smelling so good. It had me wanting to eat them all 😋

I went to the Chiropractor twice this week. First time I ever go to one and I was so sore! But my back is getting better!

Once again, I'm going crazy with all this coding business. I've been trying to add a Custom Pinterest Pin It button and I actually managed to do it, BUT! When I do it, it completely shuts down the post-slider at the top of the website and it leaves a huge blank area on the blog. I NEED HELP! *SOBS*

I received a wonderful card from my dad that scared the living daylights out of me. When I open the card, it immediately starts playing "Celebration"!

Week In Reading

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not was a cute read. I expected more since I absolutely adored the first novel in this standalone series, but still really good.

The Prenup was freaking amazing!!! When I started it, I wasn't sure if I would like it, but very soon I was beyond invested! Definitely a fave of this year!