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The Divided Twin (The Divided Series Book 2) by M. Billiter with Kyle Thomas – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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The Divided TwinThe Divided Twin by M. Billiter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Divided Twin in the 2nd book in the Divided Series by M. Billiter. This book is co-written by Kyle Thomas, and is the continued story following A Divided Mind. You should read them together, in order. I loved the first book, and loved this one just as much. It gives us a deeper look into Branson’s life with psychoaffective disorder. I liked that we got to see Aaron’s life as well, as they navigate into adulthood. They have branched out and now attend different schools but continue to lean on each other. We are introduced to the “third twin” David, who lives in one of their minds. The characters in the story are wonderfully written, and very realistic. The reader develops feelings for the boys as they cope with hardships. It is emotional at times, so be prepared for some heavy moments. Overall, I Highly recommend this book.

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A Divided Mind (The Divided Series Book 1) by M. Billiter – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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A Divided MindA Divided Mind by M. Billiter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Divided Mind is the first book in the Divided Series by M. Billiter. It is my first venture with this author but I LOVED it. I have always had an interest in psychology and why people do what they do, so this series is right up my alley. The synopsis is real short so I dont want to give too much away, but I love the way this book was written. The author explains before the book that she has written the book as a work of fiction, but with first hand experience. The book tells the story of Branson Kovac, a teenager who hears voices and may or may not have an imaginary friend. It shows the adjustment period after learning you suffer from mental illness. The stages of denial, anger, acceptance and steps in coping for both the patient, and their family and friends. This book was wonderfully written and I am on to the 2nd book in the series. Highly Recommend this book!

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Confidentiality (Scope of Practice Book 2) by Jessica Aiken-Hall – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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ConfidentialityConfidentiality by Jessica Aiken-Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Confidentiality is the 2nd Scope of Practice book by Jessica Aiken-Hall. It picks up right where Boundaries left off. It cannot be read as a stand alone, as it is a continuation of the story. This book was very well written, even if I did figure it out about halfway through. I still like the characters and the theme of the book. It is told from Val’s point of view and I like that it shares her thoughts and feelings, struggles, and love for her family and friends. Val has always kept to herself, shielding herself from being hurt. But now she is surrounded by close friends, has her Gram and her son back in her lift, and is engaged to Tim. There is now a serial killer in town, and Tim is investigating. But Val isn’t scared, but wants to find out who the killer is. There are too many connections, and she thinks she has figured it out. She was close, but not quite there. I don’t want to give it away, but I think this book (and series) is worth reading. I hope there is a 3rd book, because I want to know what happens next!

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TWO HEARTS UNSPOKEN TARGETS (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 11) by Tamara Ferguson – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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TWO HEARTS UNSPOKEN TARGETS (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 11)TWO HEARTS UNSPOKEN TARGETS by Tamara Ferguson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have always loved Tamara Ferguson, since the first book I read of hers. The Two Hearts Wounded Warrior series is wonderful, and you should binge read them all. Two Hearts Unspoken Targets I liked because it was more than just the romantic story unfolding. We spend the first third of the book just getting to know Zach, as he spend time with his cousin in a house of his youth. Then he moves to the famous Crystal Rock, central location for all Two Hearts books. It is here that Zach meets Beth, and they both feel an instant attraction, however, they fight it for months. Both have their own stuff going on, and want to shield the other from it. But in a small town, that’s next to impossible. Zach begins working with Beth’s son daily, and they have mutual friends who bring them together over and over. There is some intense topics, like most of her books, but it does give us the happily ever after. I love these books because the chemistry between the characters is always wonderful. There is a good balance of romance and real life, so its realistic. And finally, the characters overlap from book to book, so we feel like we know the town and its residents. Or maybe that’s just me, after reading nearly a dozen of the books. Either way- do yourself a favor, grab any Ferguson book and curl on the couch. You wont want to put it down.

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The Wandering Isles: A Crown of Stones Novella (The Crown of Stones Novella Series Book 1) by C. L. Schneider – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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The Wandering Isles, A Crown of Stones Novella (Novella Series #1)The Wandering Isles, A Crown of Stones Novella by C.L. Schneider
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t normally read this genre, but have made an exception for this series. C.L Schneider has such a way with words, that I find myself sucked into the book. The Wandering Isles is the first novella, following the Crown of Stones series. Normally novellas are small tidbits of information the author adds on, but this feels like it could be a full story. The imagery is wonderful, and the connection between Ian Troy and Jarryd Kane is one I’ve never seen before. While I will admit, I was lost and confused the first half of the book, the characters were too. So I don’t take it too personally, haha. I love being able to see things unfold from their point of view, and feel what they are feeling. I am glad to know the author plans to put more novellas.

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Wrapped Up In You by Erin Bevan – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Wrapped Up In YouWrapped Up In You by Erin Bevan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wrapped up in You is not your every day love story, but I have loved all the books I’ve read by Erin Bevan, so I dove right in. I ended up loving it. It is a cute love story, but with a magical Christmas twist. The connection between Jenny and Logan was instantaneous, but the circumstances complicated things. Jenny is the daughter of Santa Claus, and has to pick her husband within the next 3 weeks, in a bachelorette style contest. Weeks before Christmas, on the night of her big Gala, Logan crashed his plane into the toy workshop, destroying half a years work of work, and has lost his memory. In an attempt to urge everyone to pickup extra shifts, Jenny agrees to marry the hardest working. The level of competition, sabotage, and trickery is fun to read about, both elf and human. We discover more about Jenny and Logan little by little, as they get to know each other. We also get to know her suitors a bit more, and I must say, I want to know more about Benigan. Its a cute story, and is clean which is always a plus in my opinion. I love the Christmas twist and the little hints and secrets of Christmas magic that are inserted here and there. Recommended reading, and once again, Bevan did not disappoint.

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Love Comes In The Mourning by Erin Bevan – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Love Comes in the MourningLove Comes in the Mourning by Erin Bevan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Love Comes in the Mourning by Erin Bevan is an amazing story. The description summarizes it as a typical love story of second changes and finding love, but it was so much more. There was a wonderful story within the story. While the main focus is on Lesley and John, we also hear about her great aunt’s story, through journal entries. Lesley is recently divorced and inherited her great aunt’s house, which she dreams of turning into a bed and breakfast. However, it needs a LOT of work, more than she expected. John is a local contractor hired to do repairs, and is struggling to make ends meet after his wife passed away from cancer. At first the two don’t get along, and struggle to work together on the house. But before long they find middle ground and start to make a pretty good team. There are a lot of highs and lows in the story, and topics of love, loss, confusion, friendship, and more. We find out at the end there is more to Aunt Myrtle than anyone knew, but I won’t give it away. I actually loved her story more than Lesley and John’s, due to the way it was written. There was surprise after surprise and we didn’t get the full reveal til the very end. Highly recommend and cannot wait to read more by Erin Bevan!

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Boy on Hold by JD Spero – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Boy on HoldBoy on Hold by J.D. Spero
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Boy on Hold was my first reading of JD Spero, and I really liked it. My only complaint is the character of Henry was written to be a seven year old, but behaved and thought more along the line of a 5 year old. Once I got beyond that, I really loved it. I was struggling with not knowing what exactly Tyler suffered from, so I was glad to have answers by the end. It was weird at first that it switches between point of views, but in the end, I think I liked that best. We got to see the same story unfolding from everyone’s own perspective. I highly recommend this book, to any preteen or adult, with the disclaimer it does involve mental illness, drug use and murder. It was wonderfully written, and I felt like I could feel the pain and struggles along with the characters. I like that it was all a mystery until the end, slowly unfolding.

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Dares & Dice (Spicetopia #5) by Phoebe Alexander – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Dares & Dice (Spicetopia Book 5)Dares & Dice by Phoebe Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dares & Dice is the 5th book in the Spicetopia series by Phoebe Alexander. I have read the whole series so I knew what I was getting into with this book, and it followed similar to the previous books. Each book focuses on one couple, and takes place in Spicetopia, the adult theme park in the Bahamas. The characters in this one are Makenna and Ty, who travel to Spicetopia on their bachelorette and bachelor party. They are not engaged to each other, but rather are travelling with their bridal party, looking for one last good time. They are in a casino, and their groups join up for a drink, and maybe a little fun… When they are approached by a Spicetopia employee, offering them a competitve scavenger hunt with a $10,000 prize. They quickly pair up and set out for a wild night. What they didnt expect was for sparks to fly, leaving both questioning their future.
You can probably read this book as a standalone, but I don’t recommend it. The series is fun and spicy, and have overlapping characters.

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Boundaries (Scope of Practice Book 1) by Jessica Aiken-Hall – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

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Boundaries (Scope of Practice, #1)Boundaries by Jessica Aiken-Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Boundaries is the first book in the Scope of Practice series by Jessica Aiken-Hall. It was not at all what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. I am curious to see what will come in a followup book. The book centers around Valerie Williamson, an anti-social social worker for a hospital. Her office is in the basement, and rarely gets visitors, as she likes it. She has closed herself off from the world for half her life, but I will not say why. It is a big reveal that guides the direction of the story. Her boss instructed her to start a support group for those suffering trauma. At first she hates the idea, but after the first session yields a small group of women, she discovers maybe she needs this group as much as they need her. There are a couple interesting turn of events, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I will just say, I didn’t see it coming.

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Reviewed by @way2gosmartguy