Tag: An Ali Highly Rated Novel

An Ali Review: Circle (Roads #3) by Garrett Leigh

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I love him…but he’s forgotten why.


A lot can happen in six years, and Ash and Pete have seen their world flipped upside down more times than most. Being parents to Pete’s young nephew wasn’t in their plan, but life happens to them and they roll with the punches. Or at least they did, until new heartache rocks their hard-won happily-ever-after.

Ash loves Pete as much as ever—more, in fact—but Pete battles alone with a burden that weighs heavily on his heart. Ash is no stranger to dark clouds, but the secret Pete keeps from him is a storm that could break them.

Despite the fierce love that once buoyed them, they’re both drowning until a new friend throws them a lifeline. His wisdom offers insight—for better or worse, real love is rarely a smooth journey. For Ash and Pete to come full circle once more, they’ll have to hit the road and chase it. 
I was both excited and nervous when I saw that this book was coming.  The first book in the series, Slide, was one of the first books I read in this genre and it holds a special place in my heart.  I was happy with how things ended after book two and I wasn’t sure I wanted to revisit these two if their happily ever after was going to be changed.  As it turns out I had nothing to worry about.  This book was fantastic.  I loved every page of it.
When the book starts Pete and Ash are having some troubles.  Pete is really struggling with something and as a result he’s pulling away from Ash emotionally.  The thing that made this ok to read was that despite their struggles, you never doubt how much they love each other.  It jumps off every page at you.  You see that they’re going through something bad but you know that it’s going to work out in the end.  
I’m hesitant to say much about the plot because there are a lot of plot points that can be spoiled.  In fact, I recommend, rather ironically, that you avoid most reviews on this book.  There are just too many things that can be spoiled and I think it’s best to just go in to it with no information.  
This is the third book in this series and can not be read as a standalone. If you want to try this series you need to start with book one. If you are already a fan of this series you can read this without doing a re-read of the previous books.  It takes place a few years down the road and the author does a good job of catching you up on what’s been happening.  I did it without doing a re-read.  Honestly though, I wish I had done a re-read but just because once I got in to this I realized how much I’ve missed these two.  
This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not let me down.  I loved it from the first page to the epilogue that I cried happy tears through.  A must read for fans of this series.
Cover by Garrett Leigh:  I love this cover.  It’s a gorgeous cover and it fits well with the previous books in the series 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 179 pages
Published September 5th 2017
ASINB0758BPRLJ
Series Roads #3

An Ali Release Day Review: Poison Tongue (Afflicted Souls #1) by Nash Summers

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Poison TongueLevi Bell can see a person’s soul just by looking into their eyes. In Monroe Poirier’s eyes, he sees the devil himself.

When Monroe moves back to the small Southern town of Malcome, Levi is repelled by the darkness of the stranger’s soul. But Levi is cursed to love things dark and wicked, and he’s seduced each time he looks into Monroe’s eyes—and drawn to the swamp behind the old Poirier house.

As strange occurrences begin to happen when shadows and visions visit him in the night, Levi sees a flicker of something good in Monroe’s soul. But the need to submerge himself in the swamp’s murky waters grows stronger as Levi’s desire for Monroe becomes unbearable.

In his struggles to help Monroe save his soul, Levi will have to decide if it’s worth losing his own.

There’s not much I love more than a good gothic romance and this book made me very happy. The author did a great job of setting the atmosphere in this story. There are all the things a good Southern gothic should have.  A creepy, decaying house, an even more creepy swamp, terrible nightmares. a curse, a supernatural presence and a love interest that may be evil himself.
Despite Levi’s struggles with the ever increasing dreams of his own demise he still can’t stay away from Monroe.  Monroe is hated by the entire town and he is bullied and picked on.  Levi doesn’t know much about what happened when Monroe lived there before but he knows that Monroe’s soul is covered in black and that no matter what common sense tells him, he can’t stay away.  He doesn’t know if he’ll be Monroe’s salvation or if Monroe will lead him to his doom.  Most of the time he finds he doesn’t care.
The storytelling and pacing were excellent and I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book.  It wasn’t scary per se but it kept me completely focused.  I loved how well the world building was done.  I felt like I was right there with Levi.  Both Levi and Monroe were unique characters and I liked them both.  I felt Levi’s sense of fear around Monroe at the beginning but soon became intrigued with him myself.  The are three prominent side characters and they held interesting roles. There was a mystery surrounding one of them that I never figured out until it was explained.  The romance aspect is a slow burn with a lovely ending.
This was one of the more unique stories I’ve read this year and I imagine it will end up in my top 10.  I can’t say enough good things about it.  This is a definite recommend from me.

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow:  When I first saw this I thought the cover was a bit too dark.  Then I read the book and I realized it is the perfect cover for this story.

Sales Links

Book Details:
ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: August 10th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 163477597X (ISBN13: 9781634775977)
Edition LanguageEnglishSeriesAfflicted Souls #1