Cover Reaveal: All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

A very good friend of mine is having her book released this winter, and I must say, the cover will suck you in, and it's a very new take on the Young Adult Contemporary. 

What if your life wasn’t your own?

 Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

Blurb

Olivia reached up, feeling the tender spots on her head. Her fingers brushed across a row of—were those little ridges made of metal?

            “Careful. The staples are almost ready to come out, but it’s still going to be sore for a while.”

            Staples?!Her stomach rolled. I have staples in my head? She lowered her now-shaking hand. “Can I get a mirror?”

            Mom looked at Dad, then back at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not until you’ve healed a little more.”

            Mom patted Olivia’s leg. “You just relax. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

            The two of them left the room, but when Mom swung the door closed, it didn’t latch. Olivia could hear their voices in the hall.

            “I still think we should…” She couldn’t make out the rest of Dad’s muffled words. “…know if I can do this.”

            “…late for that,” Mom said. “We’d lose everything, including…” Her voice faded as they got farther away. “…have to move.”

Olivia could tell the conversation was tense, but the words were impossible to decipher now. Holding a hand in front of her face, she turned it back and forth. A plastic tube ran from her arm to a machine next to her bed. She peeked into her nightgown and stared in horror at the long red stripe running down her chest.

            Sick.

            You’re alive. You shouldn’t be thinking about looks.

            Lowering her hand, she scanned the room. I wonder how my face looks. From the way Dad stared at me, plus the fact Mom won’t let me see a mirror, it must be bad.

            Brains are more important than looks.

            That’s what ugly people say.

            Olivia put her hands on her head and squeezed. “Stop it,” she whispered to her arguing thoughts, hysteria bubbling up and squeezing the air from her lungs. What was happening to her? Why didn’t she recognize her parents or know where she was? Who she was? Tears ran warm trails down her cheeks. “Just make it all stop.”

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.

Hollywood Ever After by Sasha Summers

Happy Endings are for fairy tales. Or the movies. Not for real life. At least, not in Claire’s life. Even though she’s starting over, she knows better than to want too much this time. But when she falls, literally, into the strong arms of Hollywood’s ‘it’ boy Josh Wiley, Claire’s in for some surprises. Her plans for rest and relaxation are forgotten as one incredible night with Josh becomes two… And her heart begins to want him as much as her body. Will two kids, one bastard ex-husband, and Josh’s juggernaut career mean the end of their affair? Or can Claire find her happy ending after all?






I think this book would most likely be defined under contemporary romance and chick lit. There is a lot of romance in the book which I really like because I love romance. This was such a sweet story. For this being her second published romance novel, it's pretty good. Makes me think I can find someone in Hollywood.

This reminded me of some of my favorite Lifetime movies, Flirting with Forty, the one with Heather Locklear. I just found out the author was writing a holiday sequel to it, and I am anxiously awaiting to read it!

This was such a magical book. I wish there would have been more, but I spoke to the author and she said there will be a sequel published coming out this winter so excited.!

The Carny by Brooke Moss

MOVE OVER DANIELLE STEELE AND NORA ROBERTS! There is a new romance author making her way and her name is Brooke Moss!

At a town fair on the coast of Oregon, handsome Native American carny, Vincent Youngblood, bestows an unforgettable kiss on shy, awkward teenager, Charlotte Davenport. Then disappears without another word, leaving her baffled and enamored. Ten years later, Charlotte is still living in the small fishing town of Astoria, while being trained to--reluctantly--take over for her philandering hotelier father when he retires. After all, who else will do it? Her two perfect sisters are busy being married to their flawless husbands and having cookie cutter children, while Charlotte remains single, childless, and every bit as mousy as she was a decade ago. As Charlotte struggles to climb out from underneath her judgmental parents thumb, the carnival rolls back into town, and Charlotte finds herself face to face with Vin again. He's back to run his father's carnival, walking away from a promising career in medicine he started in Chicago. Will her biased and judgmental family accept her relationship with a man who is not only a Native American, but works as a carny for a living? And what unsavory secrets bind the well-educated and seemingly superlative Vin to that ramshackle carnival? After all, you can t judge a carny by its cover.

When I first read the synopsis from the publisher, I was so excited to begin reading it. I was anxiously waiting and waiting until the book came out, and when I finally got the opportunity to read it, I couldn't put it down, I read the book in five hours. I spoke to the author and she told me she poured her soul into that book. I read it and I was very pleased and impressed. This book has to be the most addicting book I have ever read! There were plot twists every few chapters, and moments that leave you in awe and made you get a bit angry at the characters, this is my kind of book! I wanted to slap Regina and Charlotte's family for how horrible she was to Charlotte. 

I felt so sorry for Charlotte, she had a horrible family to her and she found her true love and someone who appreciated her for who she was and didn't want to change a single thing about her. That is my kind of man. I am so happy this book is getting published and I urge people to read it. If you have been a fan of Nora Roberts or Danielle Steele, it's nothing compared to this book!

Call of the Sea by Rebecca Hart

I LOVE PIRATES! If you are a fan of the films Pirates of the Caribbean you will find yourself enjoying this book.

Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth. Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O'Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Siren's Call. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.  Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other if they are to have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.

I really enjoyed this book. It's really good paranormal read for those who want to read something else other than the trend of vampires and dystopian novels. Selkies, pirates, and a teenage girl who wants nothing more than to sail at sea, and then the teenage girl falls in love with the selkie, it was such a beautiful and original piece of work. I was very fortunate to get a copy of this book because it was truly amazing to read and gave me some entertainment when I was blue this past week. Thank you Rebecca Hart for writing an amazing book!

Rating 5 STARS!

Big Sigh

Rejections

Nothing but the big fat thanks but no thanks. I know it's hard to get published but still it really hurts.

Some of the responses from the agents were really mean, but a few were nice. Some said they liked the story but because of the market they were afraid to take on the project.