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Review: Welcome to Smellville (Garbage Pail Kids #1) by R.L. Stine

Goodreads Blurb

Goosebumps creator R. L. Stine teams up with the pop-culture phenomenon Garbage Pail Kids for a first-ever GPK illustrated middle-grade series
 
Welcome to the town of Smellville, where nine kids all live in a big tumbledown house and have as much fun as they possibly can. People may think that they’re gross and weird and strange, but they’re not bad kids—they just don’t know any better. In this hilarious new series from bestselling author R. L. Stine, the Garbage Pail Kids—from Adam Bomb to Brainy Janie—get into mischief at their middle school, all while battling bullies and their archenemies, Penny and Parker Perfect.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

If you smell something terrible, I assure you the smell is truly there. I was grossed out by some of the nasty characters. These Garbage Pail Kids smell bad, live together, and look like cute Cabbage Patch dolls, but they are dirty, nasty, intelligent, and weird. The illustrations were amazing. R.L. Stine brings us a group of kids that might give the perfect neighbors nightmares for the rest of their lives. This was a fun read, with a group of kids who are all different and weird. They live together alone and attend school. They are the odd kids in Smellville. Can the Garbage Pail Kids outsmart the Perfect neighbors? I guess you will have to read the book to find out.

Author Biography

R. L. Stine is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children’s literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room, and Fear Street series.

Review: The One and Only Sparkella Makes A Plan by Channing Tatum

Goodreads Blurb

she needs one more very important thing for their sleepover: A castle fit for two royal highnesses. But no matter what she tries, Sparkella just can’t seem to get the castle to work. The leopard stones for the wall are too hard to find! The cardboard breaks when she tries to climb to the second floor! The nails are boring and so NOT glitter-tastic.

Sparkella is frustrated, and worried her castle will never be finished in time. But with a little help from her dad, she soon learns the importance of patience, and figuring out creative new ways to do things when your original plans fall through.

Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This book has everything I love, sparkle, fun glittery outfits, and designs. Sparkella reminds me so much of me. I love how fun and creative she is. She wanted to build a castle for her and her friend and it needed to be exactly how she imagine it would be. Her dad is so awesome for helping her with her plan and being fun and glittery too. I loved Sparkella’s outfits throughout the book. Children will enjoy this sparkly fun book.

Author Biography From Goodreads

Channing Tatum has established himself as a leading actor, producer and now director with his debut film, DOG, which he is co-directing with his production partner, Reid Carolin. Together they founded their production company, Free Association along with Peter Kiernan. Free Association has produced the 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike franchises. They also produce the worldwide stage experience, Magic  Mike Live which premiered in Las Vegas and expanded to London, Berlin and Australia. However, his favorite role to date is being father to his six-year-old daughter, Everly, who loves sparkly, rainbow-y things. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Cover Reveal: Cannetella by Elodie Rowan

BOOK DETAILS:

Cannetella
by Elodie Rowan
Publication date: March 2023
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

A lush and dark fairytale retelling steeped in Italian folklore, Canetella is sure to please fans of Elise Kova, Sarah J. Maas, and K.F. Breene.

Cannetella is doomed to marry. As the only child of the bankrupted King of High-Hill, her twentieth birthday spells the end of life as she knows it. Cannetella dreams of adventure, not refilling the kingdom’s coffers. Determined to keep her freedom, she hatches a plan: Cannetella announces she will only marry a man with a face of pure gold. Pleased with her impossible standards, she prepares for a life unburdened by a husband.

But on the night of her birthday, a mysterious man appears. On his face is a mask made of the finest gold. The relieved King declares Cannetella will marry the man with enough wealth to save the heirless and penniless Kingdom of High-Hill. Cannetella is forced to wed and whisked away from the only home she has ever known. But the gilded gentleman is none other than her father’s most bitter nemesis, Enzo Fioravante, an infamous and feared Stregone, a dark Sorceror.

Tied to Enzo with no way of returning home, Cannetella learns she is a pawn in a game of revenge between the two families, and that Fioravante will do anything to gain what was stolen from him five years ago. But as Cannetella delves into her captor’s past, she uncovers a devious plot burrowed in both of their kingdoms, one of magic, murder, and lust. And worst of all, she learns Fioravante is not the villain he appears to be.

Together with her greatest enemy, Canetella and Enzo must break a curse that has claimed the lives of six others, or become the next victims. And as the unlikely pair grows closer, a dark and undeniable attraction blooms. But when magic is involved, no one’s heart will remain unscathed.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92807227-cannetella

Review: Brat: An 80’s Story by Andrew McCarthy

Goodreads Blurb

Most people know Andrew McCarthy from his movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Weekend at Bernie’s, and Less than Zero, and as a charter member of Hollywood’s Brat Pack. That iconic group of ingenues and heartthrobs included Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore, and has come to represent both a genre of film and an era of pop culture. 

In his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story, McCarthy focuses his gaze on that singular moment in time. The result is a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction, and masculinity. New York City of the 1980s is brought to vivid life in these pages, from scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park to skipping school in favor of the dark revival houses of the Village where he fell in love with the movies that would change his life. Filled with personal revelations of innocence lost to heady days in Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters, Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 Stars

If you watched Pretty in Pink, Mannequin, and Less Than Zero, you are familiar with Andrew McCarthy. In many of his 80’s movies, his character appeared as a quiet good boy. I wasn’t surprised to hear how shy he was and how he wasn’t comfortable with some of the movies they were contacting him to film. The films he acted in were perfect for him. Hollywood is not as you wish it to be. Fame always brings sadness and depression. He fell down the rabbit hole all by himself with his drinking and drug habits. While it was a slow read, it was interesting to hear how he became famous and how he managed to move away from substance abuse and find what he loved. I loved him in many of the 80’s movies and would have loved to have seen him continue making movies.

Review: Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions by Steve Martin, Illustrations by Harry Bliss

Goodreads Blurb

Steve Martin has never written about his career in the movies before. In Number One Is Walking, he shares anecdotes from the sets of his beloved films―Father of the Bride, Roxanne, The Jerk, Three Amigos, and many more―bringing readers directly into his world. He shares charming tales of antics, moments of inspiration, and exploits with the likes of Paul McCartney, Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford, and Chevy Chase. Martin details his forty years in the movie biz, as well as his stand-up comedy, banjo playing, writing, and cartooning, all with his unparalleled wit.

With gorgeously illustrated cartoons and single-panel “diversions” in Steve and Harry’s signature style, Number One Is Walking is full of the everyday moments that make up a movie star’s life, capturing Steve Martin’s singular humor and acclaimed career in film. The perfect gift from the team who brought you the #1 New York Times bestseller A Wealth of Pigeons.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 Stars

Steve Martin and Harry Bliss are fantastic together. I loved to learn about Steve’s movie career through these amazing illustrations that Harry created. The illustrations were perfect and resembled the real live people mentioned throughout the book. I do wonder how long it took Harry to draw all the illustrations for this book? The book included some funny cartoons and a retelling of Steve’s career. Steve’s comedic tales were depicted perfectly by Harry. I loved The dog talking throughout the book. It was great to learn that he wrote a number of films in which he acted. I didn’t know this beforehand.

Author Biography

Stephen Glenn “Steve” Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician, and composer. He was raised in Southern California in a Baptist family, where his early influences were working at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm and working magic and comedy acts at these and other smaller venues in the area. His ascent to fame picked up when he became a writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and later became a frequent guest on the Tonight Show.

Cover Reveal: Frenemies with Benefits by Lydia Sharp

BOOK DETAILS:

Frenemies with Benefits
by Lydia Sharp
Published by: Entangled Teen
Publication date: September 5, 2023
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

One summer. One plan. Two boys.

Jess’s older brother’s best friend—aka her giant crush—is staying at their house for the summer. She either has the best luck ever or the worst. This is her chance to show him she’s not just his best friend’s shy little sister anymore. But he’s a college boy. And she’s…her.

Just turned eighteen. Just graduated high school. Just way too innocent for him.

Jess is a virgin. She’s never been ashamed of that, except now it’s holding her back from what she wants. Her lack of experience is wildly obvious, a repellant for boys who want a partner who knows what they’re doing. So the only way to get the boy she really likes to notice her is to ask the boy she really hates to show her how to be, well, less innocent.

And she hates Benjamin Oliver. Loathes. Despises. Can’t stand the sight of his stupid-hot face. He’s her frenemy throughout and through, and a player, so not the kind of guy she’d ever seriously consider. But she needs his help—and he’s actually willing to give it. All she has to do is promise him one little favor…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62039335-frenemies-with-benefits

Pre-order: https://amzn.to/3WE2QLq

AUTHOR BIO:

Lydia Sharp worked a number of different jobs, everything from retail management to veterinary medicine, before turning their passion for stories into a career. They are now an editor for Entangled Publishing and write young adult novels with lots of kissing and adventures. Lydia lives in Ohio with their family and an ever-growing collection of owls. When not completely immersed in a book, Lydia binges on Netflix, pines for Fall, and hosts mad tea parties in Wonderland. Follow on Twitter @lydia_sharp and visit lydiasharpbooks.com for more details.

Author links:

https://www.instagram.com/lydiadawnsharp/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4379889.Lydia_Sharp

Cover Reveal: Stars Like Gasoline by Jessika Grewe Glover

BOOK DETAILS:

Stars Like Gasoline
by Jessika Grewe Glover
Publication date: April 24, 2023
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Synopsis:

When Celia, a Florida art curator, purchases the haunted house of her brother’s deceased fiancé, the spirits threaten her life and her career. To rid the home of the malevolent ghosts, she enlists the help of her brother, Oscar, and Adrian, the best friend of Oscar’s late fiancé, who’d been killed as an Afghanistan veteran. The three are about to be thrown into a chasm of events involving a dead French artist, a Dutch aerospace heiress, and a missing Japanese painter who is presumed to be dead. Not to mention a stalker that begins to threaten Celia and Oscar.

The link between these events appears to be a hidden journal from the 1980s Celia discovers in the home, belonging to a dead, but revered French artist. As Adrian helps decipher the clues, an attraction burns between him and Celia, raising the stakes of the game someone is playing. A game that no one might make it out of alive.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79330532-stars-like-gasoline

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZXsAVQ

AUTHOR BIO:

Jessika Grewe Glover is the author of Another Beast’s Skin, the first book in a contemporary fantasy trilogy. She grew up in Miami dreaming of magic and other realms in which to escape the heat. She currently resides in the Los Angeles area with her British expat husband, two kids, and the world’s fastest bulldog.

Author links:

https://www.jessikagreweglover.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@jessikagreweglov

https://www.instagram.com/jessikagreweglover/

https://www.facebook.com/JessikaGreweGlover/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21072121.Jessika_Grewe_Glover

Cover Reveal: Play By My Rules by Michelle Karise

BOOK DETAILS:

Play By My Rules
by Michelle Karise
Publication date: February 28, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

All I wanted was a cup of tea, but I got early morning shenanigans.
Stolen beverage order? ✔️
Furious confrontation? ✔️
Asked out by a thieving, sexy, tall drink of . . . ✔️
It wasn’t the best start to my day, but it had to go up from there. Right?
Wrong.
It was my first day at my new job, and I wanted to make the best impression. I arrived at the office with minutes to spare, and who did I bump into again?
The gorgeous thief.
Harrison Cooper was the president of my company and my boss.
It was fine. Really. Resisting the heated flirtations and stormy kisses designed to bring me to my knees would be no problem.
Office romance? ✔️
My past exposed? ✔️
Shattered world? ✔️
Now how do I pick up the pieces?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75368902-play-by-my-rules

Pre-order:

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940166904645
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/play-by-my-rules
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3H26ARh
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445189615

AUTHOR BIO:

Michelle Karise is a type-A romance author of stories featuring black female leads and the men who love them. She spends her days organizing, planning, and executing corporate initiatives. When she’s done with her workday, she spends her evenings crafting titillating tales of infatuation, passion, and pleasure. Michelle makes her home in Missouri with her overprotective dog, Rooney.

Author links:

http://www.michellekarise.com/

https://michellekarise.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a2145b7a092fc8f05508798cd&id=743927a7a7

https://www.facebook.com/MichelleKarise/

https://www.instagram.com/michellekarise/

https://amzn.to/3D8huUr

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-karise

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19029745.Michelle_Karise

Cover Reveal: Love the Way You Lie by Gracie Graham

BOOK DETAILS:

Love the Way You Lie
by Gracie Graham
(Boys of Riverside, #1)
Publication date: February 17, 2023
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Torn between my best friend and the boy who makes my heart beat again, learning the truth might break me…

My entire life changed in an instant.

One violent moment took my mother and destroyed me.

And I can’t even remember it.

All I know is…it was my fault.

Now I’m entering senior year after hiding away from the world as long as I could.

The only distraction I have from the heavy weight of my scars is my best friend, Graham.

He’s been my rock through it all.

But when his cousin Atlas appears…my world suddenly tilts on its already unsteady axis.

Everyone warns me to stay away from the star football player with a bad boy reputation and a chip on his shoulder.

I should…

Yet from the moment I climb on the back of his motorcycle, sparks fly.

Despite all the reasons to keep him at a distance, my need for the truth about the accident drives us closer.

Until the truth destroys everything…

One-click this angsty and emotional YA small town, opposites attract, love triangle romance about two best friends and the broken boy who comes between them on the search for the truth that could change everyone’s world.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75332401-love-the-way-you-lie

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WGzXhT

AUTHOR BIO:

Gracie Graham writes contemporary young adult novels and is the pen name for adult author Tia Souders.

Author links:

https://www.facebook.com/GracieGrahamBooks/

https://www.tiktok.com/@graciegrahamauthor

https://www.instagram.com/graciegrahamauthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15102652.Gracie_Graham

Cover Reveal: Expiry Dating by Isobel Reed

BOOK DETAILS:

Expiry Dating
by Isobel Reed
(Bluestone Series, #2)
Publication date: February 21, 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Sparks start more than a fire… They start an explosion.

Alice is not happy. Her ex screwed her over, literally. One day her mother is dreaming of a white wedding, the next, Alice is hurling hardbacks at a naked boyfriend caught in bed with her best friend. So she did the only logical thing she could think of. She got the hell out of there. In fact, she left the country.

It’s not long before she discovers the perks of small-town living, and she even finds herself a job. There is just one thing stopping this all from being perfect though. One infuriating person she just can’t seem to shake. Brady Mitchell. It figures that the hottest man she’s ever seen also just so happens to be the most annoying one on the planet.

Brady is back home and trying to come to terms with life outside the military. Adjusting to a new job and new limitations from his injury, he expected to settle into a slower pace of life, maybe even a quiet one. That was until Alice Hart came bulldozing into his world. The woman was anything but quiet. Loud, angry, and sexy as hell, yes. But definitely not quiet.

Alice and Brady ignite inside and outside the bedroom. But will they survive the burn?


EXPIRY DATING- the second book in the Bluestone Series is a funny, wild romp along the lines of Stephanie Berget’s cowboy romances or Sarina Bowen’s True North series. EXPIRY DATING features a retired marine and the feisty young woman who steals his heart. While it is a part of a series, Expiry Dating can be read as a standalone. Grab your copy today.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75558408-expiry-dating

Pre-order:

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQNTQ7MW
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/expiry-dating
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1142866444
APPLE: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445191554

AUTHOR BIO:

Isobel was born and raised in London. She still lives along the River Thames with her husband and her substantial book collection. Ever the hopeless romantic, she fell in love with the genre from a young age and was inspired to write her own stories. When she’s not feasting on romantic comedies or binge-reading her hoard of contemporary romance novels, Isobel is writing.

Author links:
https://www.facebook.com/isobelreedbooks
https://www.instagram.com/isobelreedbooks/
https://www.isobelreed.net/
https://www.amazon.com/author/isobelreed
https://www.goodreads.com/Isobel_Reed
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/isobel-reed