All I Want by Jolene Perry, Kaylee Baldwin and Rachael Anderson – Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Dec 032012
 

All I Want: Three couples. Three stories. One Holiday.

Authors: Jolene Perry, Kaylee Baldwin, Rachael Anderson

Publisher: HEA Publishing

Published Date: October 2012

Paperback/Kindle; 225 pages

Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance

ISBN# 978-1480115231

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free Kindle copy in exchange for an honest review

***See below for summaries of each story and giveaway details.***

Review

I love Christmas romances. As soon as Thanksgiving is over I start looking forward to all of the holiday romance movies on the Hallmark channel. I know, but I can’t help myself.

I was so excited to take part in the All I Want blog tour. Three Christmas romances written by three authors whose past books I’ve read and loved? Count me in!

I read All I Want straight through. All three stories are enjoyable and well-written. It was fun reading and recognizing the style of each author. These women are talented storytellers and I appreciated the toe-curling yet clean romance in each story.

I loved each hero. I couldn’t begin to pick a favorite. I really liked the heroines, too. While Pretty Near Perfect, Six Days of Christmas, and Twist of Fate are all novellas, they were so well done that at the end of each I felt as if I’d read a full-length novel.

I highly recommend All I Want to anyone who enjoys a good romance. It’s a bargain at $2.99 on Kindle. I am adding All I Want to my list of Favorite Christmas Reads, though I’m definitely not waiting until next Christmas to read them again.

Tour Schedule

 

ALL I WANT

THREE COUPLES. THREE STORIES. ONE HOLIDAY

Pretty Near Perfect

by Jolene Perry

The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancé’s parents’ home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.

Six Days of Christmas

by Kaylee Baldwin

When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother – someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.

Twist of Fate

by Rachael Anderson

When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty’s mailbox, Ty’s faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancé is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her – make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.

Purchase All I Want

 Kindle Ebook * Paperback

 

Author Jolene Perry

Jolene Perry is an enigmatic figure. She is most often seen behind her laptop, staring at the words flying onto the screen with reckless abandon.

She survived growing up in rural Alaska, driving like a lunatic, and her husband’s careers in the military, as a perpetual student, and an Alaska State Prosecutor. She also survived as a middle school math teacher using her degree of Political Science and French.

One day Jolene was playing her guitar (probably some-thing juvenile for her kids) when she wondered what it would be like to write a song for a rockstar, and her first book was born. (that book is shelved)

She now lives a very glamorous life as a stay at home mom, elbow deep in dirty dishes and peanut butter sandwiches. She doesn’t even attempt to keep up with the laundry because non-writing time is precious, and her family is sorta awesome.

Links:

Website * Twitter * Blog * Facebook

 

Author Rachael Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She’s the mother of four, can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Links:

Facebook * Website * Twitter

 

Author Kaylee Baldwin

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in English literature.

I currently live in southern Arizona with my husband, Jeremy, and our three children. When I am not writing, I enjoy reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with my family.

Links:

Facebook * Website * Twitter

 

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card

Ends 12/24/12


Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com
Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase
necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen
by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new
winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any
other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of
winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


A Rafflecopter Giveaway
 

Official All I Want Blog Tour Schedule

Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin – Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews, Special Features
Jan 102011
 

Welcome!

I am so excited to be the one to kick off the blog tour for Meg’s Melody! Kaylee sweetly agreed to take part in our Countdown to Christmas 2010 last year and it was great learning a little more about her. You can read her interview here.

Kaylee is also giving away a copy of Meg’s Melody to a lucky commenter at the conclusion of her blog tour, so be sure to comment on each of the posts during the tour. Trust me when I say Meg’s Melody is worth the effort to win!

About Kaylee

Kaylee Baldwin grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in English literature.

She currently lives in southern Arizona with her husband, Jeremy, and their three children. When she is not writing, Kaylee enjoys reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with her family.

For more about Kaylee visit her website/blog.

About Meg’s Melody

From the back cover:

She paced the small confines of her bathroom as she waited the obligatory two minutes for the result. Yet, part of her sensed the truth. Not only did Austin take her self-esteem and plans for happiness, but he also took her get-out-of-this-marriage-free card.

The plus sign glared at Meg from the white plastic frame of the pregnancy test. The test fell from her hands and clattered into the bathtub as Meg’s back slid against the wall until she reached the floor.

“I’m pregnant,” she said into the quiet.

Meg never imagined she’d end up like this. With nowhere else to turn, she’s forced to rely on the family she pushed away, the church she abandoned, and an unexpected friendship to help her find her forgotten melody. Meanwhile Matt is still mourning the loss of his wife. But determined to keep things together for his daughter’s sake, he decides starting over in a new place might be just what his family needs.

This touching story combines romance with redemption and real conflict to remind you it’s never too late to find joy. Kaylee Baldwin’s capable hand renders a sincere, heartfelt story of rediscovery and hope. Perfect for romantics of all ages, this book will captivate your heart and rekindle your belief in the magic of music.

My Review

This might be Kaylee’s first novel, but it doesn’t read like it. She has put a lot of effort into studying her craft, and it shows. I like the cover; the softer colors and expectant mother are appropriate for the story, and the music notes and flourishes are a really nice touch.

I can only imagine what an expectant single mother must struggle with, as I’ve never been one myself, but I feel like Kaylee did a good job capturing what that situation might be like for someone in Meg’s situation. While she had very supportive family around her, they weren’t perfect. They were a pushy with sneaking in “dates” without Meg’s permission, which was one thing that kept me from liking Meg’s sister, Missy, very much.

One thing I really appreciate is how well Kaylee wrote Lilia, Matt’s four-year-old daughter. I have read many books with children that made me cringe because they were either too… well, just too much- or simply not believable in voice or behavior. I loved Lilia, and feel like there was a great balance of her presence in the book as well as an appropriate level for how a 4-5 year old girl would speak and behave.

There is a bit of a love triangle, or square if you count Austin, though the reader can guess pretty quickly who Meg will most likely end up with. The question is if they can get through the extra baggage they’re carrying to be together and if it is just too soon for both of them. I found the second love interest to be a bit over the top at times, but there are guys like that out there, so it wasn’t unbelievable. I didn’t like Austin. But I wasn’t supposed to like him. One thing I didn’t understand was how easy it was for certain characters to dismiss the fact that Meg was having a baby and everything that meant.

Meg experiences some spiritual progress as she returns to church after her husband leaves her, though I didn’t find the book preachy at all.

The romance is clean with a few toe-curling scenes that were very well done. I really liked the love interest, and while things might not have gone exactly how I hoped, I found the ending quite satisfying.

Meg’s Melody is available for purchase from Deseret Book and Amazon.

My rating: 4/5 stars

Would I-

  • read it again? Yes
  • recommend it? Yes, especially to LDS women who enjoy romance
  • read more by the author? Definitely. I’m looking forward to it!
Heads Up
  • Language: none
  • Violence: none
  • Drug/alcohol use: none
  • Inappropriate sexual situations: none

Don’t forget to comment on each day’s blog tour post to be entered into the drawing for a copy of Meg’s Melody! Here’s the schedule:

January 10th
Shanda at LDSWBR

January 11th
Tristi Pinkston

January 12th
Jolene Perry

January 13th
Shaunna Gonzales

January 15th
Taffy Lowell

January 17th
Heather at Fire and Ice

January 18th
Marsha Ward

January 19th
Alison Palmer

January 20th
I am a Reader Not a Writer

January 21st
Rebecca Talley