The Proposition ( The Proposition # 1) – Katie Ashley

* We purchased this copy for our own enjoyment *

Book Description

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Emma Harrison finds her biological clock clanging and the elusive knight in shining armor yet to appear. She’s running out of options, especially after her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor. Of course, there’s always a sperm bank, but Emma fears a donor mix-up might impregnate her with the spawn of Satan.

Resident company womanizer, Aidan Fitzgerald, is used to always getting what he wants, especially in the bedroom. When Emma spurns his advances at the company Christmas party, he’s determined to have her no matter what it takes. After Aidan learns of Emma’s predicament, he is quick to offer a proposition that will benefit them both. He will father Emma’s child, but she must conceive it with him naturally. Not one for hook-ups or casual sex, Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer, but his charm, coupled with her intense desire for motherhood, wins out.

Soon their baby-making sessions become more than just physical. Aidan can’t seem to walk away from her while Emma begins to wonder if Aidan could be the one. But can Aidan leave his past behind to become the man Emma needs him to be?

Our Review

We have seen this book EVERYWHERE! We have heard about this book MANY TIMES! Everywhere we looked we saw the catchy book cover of The Proposition by Katie Ashley and we were dead set on finally ( !!! ) reading this book. What we thought was only a stand-alone turned out to be an actual series. We love series * sigh *. The emotional hangover never ends with a series. ANYWAYS…..After long months ( which felt like 2 years ) we found time * yay!* to start this book.
We´re glad we did!

We loved almost everything about this book. Let´s start with the cover: It´s simple, sensual, and a total eye catcher, and that´s what we love. The Story was far from what we expected it to be, even after reading other reviews, etc, regarding this book. The writing style from the author was also very good. We had no problems at all while reading this book.

The story was unique because we hardly ( okay okay…..we never ) get to read about a woman who is dead set on having a baby, no matter what. All of us divas have children ourselves, so  it was a blessing to read about a character who was 30 and had a realistic dream, namely…..a baby!  Now….don´t start thinking we go all mush when we read about kids. We are all NOT the types to go nuts when a baby is mentioned. It was just really great to read about a subject that didn´t involve abuse, constant sexy ass whipping, or candle wax torture.

We know a few women who never wanted kids in their lives and then one day…BOOM they heard their biological clock ticking. There is hardly anything else to talk about other than babies once the clock starts to tick. So, this subject is kind of desperate and unkind ( or it can be ) We´d like to say that this is maybe one of the toughest issues to cross because there are so many situations that can come out after expressing the wish to have a baby. And let´s just think about the most extreme possibility for a woman with a loud ticking clock: We´ve met women who´s lives were worth nothing to them anymore just because they weren´t able to have a baby, for whatever reason. So, see? It´s a hard subject. But the author did a fantastic job in juggling the matter and that made the story really really good! Even considering the age of Emma. Is it a bad thing that her clock started ticking with 30? Is 30 considered old? haha….Now that´s a subject alot of women can argue over. We believe that when you´re ready to have a baby…then you´re ready. 30 is NOT old. Us divas can´t argue with any ” first-time mother over 30″ anyways because we paid our due´s in our 20´s. So we approached this character neutral. And her reasons for a child were understandable.

And now to the main characters. Emma and Aiden were fantastically displayed. The moment Aiden made Emma the proposition….we felt our faces light up because we knew this book was going to be a ride * nodding all together * What we enjoyed most about these two was that they were pretty normal folks with normal lives. Absolutely realistic characters. Aiden was not anything we all have been reading in other books. Nope. He was just….normal as any good looking ” hubba hubba”, womanizer can be.lol. And Emma…well, we fell in love with her character because after all the downs in her life, she was still standing.

You will most definitely NOT find the typical “Love at first sight” in this book. And these characters will not rocket themselves to the stars and marry after a week. You will get a story about a desperate woman who wants nothing more than a child and a man who offers himself to save the day. The way Aiden and Emma´s relationship developed throughout the book was also just as grand. They actually got to know each other better with time even with the offer Aiden made.

Now….the end has a HUGE WTF moment. We just cannot start to say what we felt when we reached the end. One of us had  the urge to go all Misery on the author, but luckily….there´s a book 2, so no need to kidnap Katie Ashley..:-) All we can say is that we´re 100% positive that the end will knock you out of your knickers! Hell, your knickers will probably turn purple out of pure frustration after this book.

So…if you´re looking for something new ( yeah yeah….we know this book is not a new release ), a story that is refreshing….and if you´re looking for a story that will make you feel all kinds of emotions….GET THIS BOOK!

Would we recommend this book?
– OOOOOOH YEAH! We most definitely would!

Would we re-read this book?
– ABSOLUTELY

The Divas are giving The Propostion ( The Proposition # 1 ) by Katie Ashley 5 out of 5 champagne glasses.

Surrender To Fate (Part 1 of Fates Path series) by Jacelyn Rye

Jacelyn Rye’s debut book- Surrender To Fate (part 1 of Fate’s Path series)

Synopsis

Some say fate holds the cards. But what if love deals the hand? No love goes untested. Ever. Indeed, true love is left to prove itself. And that is exactly where fate steps in to play the game.

For William and Sarah, that game begins with growing up, in the unspoiled mountains of Colorado. In a time and space as clear as the Rocky Mountain skies above, these young souls together learn about life, what matters most, what endures, what doesn’t, and about love. Innocent young love moves ever so surely toward lives they both can picture, lives spent loving each other in a place they know so well and cherish.

Will and Sarah are ecstatically swept away in the swells of new love. And it is in their rarefied bliss that they make the fragile promise of first love, a promise that fate will soon rock and pound into doubt, guilt, and epiphany.  

Unexpected and unprepared, these young lovers are suddenly torn apart, first by distance, and then by the far greater pressures of temptation that test the very fidelity of their heart-held promise. No longer able to console each other, hold each other, touch each other, they face the inevitable decision: move on to other loves, or cling to the faith that they will someday be together, again.

Will and Sarah stare down an unknown path, sensing destiny will not wait long before it comes to take them. Wracked with doubt, they wonder if their love was real. Caged by guilt, they both feel tempted by others intent on stealing their hearts.

Fate plays hardest when love is tested. And Will and Sarah are no exception, letting go of their happy past to embrace hope for an uncharted future. Love plays hardest when fate tests. And so it is, even through their trials of the heart, Will and Sarah never really stop loving each other. Theirs is a love so real and pure that each just wants the other to find happiness, even if it’s with another. 

But fate does not surrender so easily. Dealing blow upon blow, both Will and Sarah are each struck by jolting events that take them to the very edge of life, itself. 

Sarah and Will hold tightly to their past, but steadfast promises begin to wane. Life continues, filled with romance, drama, and two souls yearning to understand the challenges brought with coming of age, and learning that fate is ultimately in control. What happens to love when life is on the line? Can they both relinquish control when love is on the line? Will fate even allow them to find out?

 

Diva’s Review

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK!  It took a minute to get into the story which is pretty common for me but a few chapters in, I was hooked!  This is a beautiful, sweet romance based in the late 1930’s early 1940’s about two young people who fall in love but are torn apart by circumstance.  Separated by fate, Sarah and William try to stay true to their feelings, but with no access to each other they both struggle with what path they should choose.  Do they keep faith that one day they will find their way back to each other or do they move forward with how their lives are naturally unfolding?  

 With this being Jacelyn Rye’s debut album, I pleasantly found her story very well written and completely believable!  She made me fall deeply in love with all the characters which made me feel everything they were feeling!   Although this is a fiction, I could see this story happening many times over during this specific time period and it really pulled at my heartstrings!  

 If you are looking for a beautiful yet heart-wrenching love story, go out and grab Surrender To Fate today!  The Divas are giving Surrender To Fate by Jacelyn Rye 5 out of 5 champagne glasses!

* Allison*

My friend and other Diva wrote a fantastic review on this book, so I won´t go ahead and write another one with the same content. Since I read this book too, I´ll just write what I felt about the whole story. 🙂

Surrender To Fate was actually one of the best books I’ve read this year. Each and every emotion the characters went through were 100% natural and remarkable. It felt as if I was feeling what the characters were feeling. Very few books allowed me to go through such emotional pain….and Surrender To Fate sent me from Heaven to Hell within a few seconds! I loved how this story started out so innocent and became more serious. The heartbreak Sarah endured was painful and I had no other choice as to mourn with her. Her thoughts and feelings were no strangers to me, so I really connected on an emotional level with her.

Considering the time this story takes place in ( 1940`s), I believe it´s really authenticly written. The behavior, the language, even the amount of money people made back then….everything was right and therefore perfect. I also liked that the author made sure her audience understood what hard work meant back then. The roles women played and what happened when someone couldn’t afford to feed his family. The author did NOT once over-stress a scene or a subject and that made everything realistic…because, in the end…..life does go on, even for book characters.:-)

The lovestory in Surrender To Fate was like a ghost. When the main characters ( Sarah & Will ) were together, all was perfect. And even if they weren’t even near each other…. they always felt the others absence and their love never faded completely. Their love, even if they were ripped apart by tragic events ( tragic as in moving…not dying….lol) was still haunting them in the worst way possible. You will never forget the first love of your life, right? 🙂 And you will find a way to see one another someday, true?

So, let me continue with how I reacted to this book:
I cried. Like…..alot. There was one scene that actually sealed the deal for me. The scene when Sarah has to move and she and Will meet for the last time. Will gives Sarah a stamp so that she can write him. The poor boy saved all his money ( and we´re talkiing about scratching pennies over a longer period of time together!! ) just so he could gift Sarah a stamp! OH MY GOD! I was muush after that. I had to stop reading and get that sad image out of my head as quick as possible! How romantic! ( that just shows the small things in life count!! )  Basically, the whole story had me….but reading that little scene crushed me. I also found a little humor in Surrender To Fate. Not much, since I thought the whole ” 2  kids feel they belonged together, then the kids actually decided to go steady or be exclusive, then girl moves and both live seperate lives BUT still stay in love with each other” story was devastating and heart crushing.

This book was very well written and above all……it was simple. The easier a story is, the more smoother the pages turn. The author found a good balance between Sarah´s and Will´s thoughts. Meaning: a reader has the chance to see what each of them was going through while they weren´t together. And it isn´t easy, because…..you just know that Sarah and Will are meant to be together FOREVER, but life just sometimes has other plans. 🙂

I am so grateful to have read this story. And I will charish it forever!

*Julia*

 

About the Author

 Jacelyn spent her childhood growing up in the mountains of Colorado.  After graduating from college, she moved to Southern California, where she still resides with her husband and two young sons.  

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Tour-Wide Giveaway  (Gifted from Amazon or Smashwords)

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Purchase Links

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I Surrender- Monica James Blog Tour

🙂 Here it is, people! The Divas are hosting a Blog Tour for our lovely friend Monica James! Her debut novel I SURRENDER will be released July 30, 2013 and the Divas Book Blog are so happy to have this chance to promote her womderful work! I Surrender is a YA, Romance that will keep your eyes glued to your kindle, ebook reader, or whatever gadget you might have in hand! Or you might get a copy as an actual hardcover! Woo-hoo!

The Blog Tour starts on August 7-16 and will have multiple stops every day! 🙂
expert:

“AVA!” damn this woman is like a pit-bull. I turn and see V waving over uncontrollably for me to join her and Lucas (I hope that’s Lucas!) Sighing, as I feel they have exchanged enough saliva and the coast is clear for a repeat performance, I walk over. My heels are too high, and it takes a while for me to get to them. Why does this feels like the walk of shame? I know V has told Lucas all about me, and I suddenly feel self conscious.
However, before I can process another thought, my breath catches in my throat as I look past the doting couple and see the biggest pair of cerulean eyes observing me curiously. With a strong angled jaw lined with light stubble, he is gazing at me with his head cocked to the side amusingly. But OH MY GOD with that face that is undoubtedly out of this world, his dark brown, almost black hair sits in a frenzied, wild mess. It’s longer on the top, with shorter sides and he’s running his long fingers through it, tousling it further. Holy Fuck! Who is this person with the untamed bed hair?
While trying not to stare and be too obvious, I trip (damn these heels) luckily catching onto the bar for support. OhMyGod! Seriously kill me, like now!”

Truly, Madly, Deadly – Hannah Jayne

I must admitt….I´m not a fan AT ALL when it comes to reading thrillers. I can´t really handle psych-thrilling-mysteries……Naah. Not my thing. I really like to sleep at night, Thank you very much! 🙂 My thoughts were: ” Okay… a little mystery in a book won´t kill you, Jules…knock it off and start reading!” So, I started reading because, in my case, curiosity got the best of me. THANK GOD ” Truly, Madly, Deadly” was a short read! It was spooky. And at times…I was scared. This book is considered to be a YA novel ( I only think it´s called YA because it has teenagers in it). I would really rather see this book in a different category.

Besides the creepy parts, I wasn´t blown away from the story. Truly, Madly, Deadly was predictable ( which is a totally turn-off for me) and it didn´t make me want to re-read the book when I finished it. I was actually glad it was over. I´m not saying the story was bad…..it just wasn´t what I expected it to be. Now you´re asking yourself what I expect in a book like this one? Well…..when I saw the cover, I had goose bumps. That´s good because any good cover can do that to me. It just has to be attractive to me. And this book cover was cool! The title captured my attention right away. So….maybe I just got my hopes up to high on those two facts.

When Sawyers abusive boyfriend dies in a car accident, a wave of relief washes over her. No one ever knew that the abuse even existed and Sawyer was glad to keep that secret to herself. Until one fine day…..she receves a message in an envelope about her boyfriends accident with a note attached to it that only has ” you´re welcome” written on it. ( now that´s spooky! I would have died on the spot!)

After that…..the guessing begins. Who is it? Who could it be? For me, I didn´t guess for long since I kind of figured the book out pretty fast ( again….this was a total fast read!)

The story was dark and some scenes were really great, but something was missing for me.

If you´re a sucker for thrillers….then you won´t want to miss this book! And if you´re not that into mystery solving, angsty and frustratng thrillers, I wouldn´t recommend Truly Madly, Deadly at all. Not even if you want to kill time.

The Divas are giving Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne 3 out of 5 Champagne glasses.

Rock My World – Sharisse Coulter

When I read the title, my first thought was ” Hopefully another Rockstar book! “…..And I was right. *smile* But Rock My Work by the very talented Sharisse Coulter wasn´t your typical teenage romance with ” to die for” sexy rock Gods. This was actually a more realistic and mature version of a rockstar world. Nothing was picture perfect and there was some real trouble in paradise. There wasn´t really anything to complain about, since I´m a huge fan of halfways realistic stories. Rock My World came pretty close to the real deal in life.
I had a break from all the drama overload happening around 16 – 23 year old characters and I had a chance to read about a rockstar life with characters in their mid 30´s. Not that I´m complaining about the other YA books out there. I´m really not. I was just surprised to read about older characters and the way they handled things. Love can be tough at times when you´re actually in love with someone. But has anyone ever thought about characters who have been in love with each other since high school, about how their lifes would be after being together for so long? And what about those characters having a child? People have other issues to deal with at a certain age… and if a teenager is involved you´ve got a whole lot of thinking and worrying to do.

That´s where the story starts out. Jenna had it all until one day, she became pregnant during high school. Her life gets turned upside down! She marries the love of her life and lives a picture perfect dream. Married to a Husband who is on the road of fame, and having a teenage daughter, Jenna lives a life anyone of us could have.
When Jenna wants to surprise her Husband for their anniversary she bumps into a situation that changes her whole life!

I will stop right here before I start ranting on about the story. What I really enjoyed about this book was that it was simple and also a quick read. I read it within two nights and I was left happy at the end! I had alot of ” Oh, that just did not HAPPEN!” moments, and of course, I was riding the emotional wave here too. There were many situations where I was just saying ” Noooooooo!”. I couldn´t believe the things that happened in this story. ( it´s always bad to know stuff that isn´t right between couples). And I personally would have dealt much differently with the situations..but thats just me.

The characters were true and human. If you´re looking for devoted love, happiness, sorrow, betrayal and anger……you´ll really enjoy this book!

The divas are giving Rock My World by the lovely and talented author Sharisse Coulter 4 out of 5 Champagne glasses.

Author, Book, Genre and ratings….

N J Cole – Midnight Caller  ( Erotica, Paranormal Romance, MA 18+) 5*

Linzi Clarke – Dark Sanctuary Series  ( Paranormal) 5*

J. R. Ward – Black Dagger Brotherhood Series  ( Paranormal) 5*

Kresley Cole – The Immortals After Dark Series ( Paranormal ) 5*

Stephenie Meyer – The Twilight Series ( Paranormal Romance) 4*

J. R. Ward – The Fallen Angel Series ( Paranormal) 4,5*

P. C. Cast – The Doddess Summoning Series ( Fiction/ Fantasy/Romance) 3,5*

Tina Reber – Love Unscripted ( Contemporary/ NA/ Romance) 4,5*

Tina Reber – Love Unrehearsed (Contemporary/NA/ Romance) 4,5*

S. C. Stephens – Thoughtless Series ( YA/ NA/ Contemporary/ Romance) 5*

S. C. Stephens – Collision Course ( YA/ Contemporary/ Romance) 3,5`*

Tammara Webber – Easy ( YA/ Contemporary) 4,5*

Colleen Hoover – Hopeless (YA/ Contemporary/ Romance) 5*

Colleen Hoover – Slammed ( YA/ Contemporary/Romance) 5*

Colleen Hoover – Point of Retreat ( YA/ Contemporary/Romance) 5*

Sylvia Day – The Crossfire Series ( NA/Contemporary/ Erotica) 5*

Jamie McGuire – The Beautiful Series ( YA/NA/Contemporary) 5*