Cover Reveal – Deconstructing Lila

26 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

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First this morning we’re going to look at a book that promises to be a lot of fun, Deconstructing Lila by Shannon Leigh. Check out the cool cover and enter her giveaway. Who couldn’t use a $10 to buy books, especially with something like this in the offering.

*****

Blurb:

Preservationist Lila Gentry returns to her small Texas hometown to restore the famous Chisholm Trial whorehouse where her great-great grandmother was a madam in the 1880s. On her agenda is winning back Jake, the one that got away. But how do you rope a man who doesn’t want to be wrangled?

Jake lives by one creed: Keep it simple. His ex showing up in town, and rehashing old feelings complicates his life and makes him think about things he’s rather forget.

When Lila’s restoration project is threatened before it even begins, she turns to Jake for help. Working together stirs up old feelings but while Lila and Jake always sizzle between the sheets – or wherever the moment takes them – it will involve some sweet-talking and finesse to bring these two together.

Entangled Link: http://bit.ly/1doCpCO

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1h7m6K3

B&N: http://bit.ly/1jsrhYh

https://twitter.com/Shannon_Leigh

*****

Giveaway:

$10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1cb554304/

Guest Post – Driving Mr Wrong Home

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

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Billionaire Matchmaker series, Driving Mr. Wrong Home, Shirley Jump

Now, we welcome the always awesome Shirley Jump to talk to us about this fantastic time of year and then give us a little info on her newest book, Driving Mr. Wrong Home, part of the equally awesome Billionaire Matchmaker series.

*****

WANTED: GREEN THUMB

I don’t have a green thumb. I don’t have anything even resembling a green thumb, because I get too distracted by the busy-ness of life and forget to water my plants or bring them in on a frosty night, or trim the dead leaves.

The problem?

I love having plants—real ones—in my house. Love having fresh herbs I can just snip off a pot and add to a dish when the whim strikes me. Anyone who reads my blog knows I love to cook (even if being on a diet these past few months has kind of limited my cooking). And so having fresh herbs and greenery in my house is something I’m always trying to achieve.

I’m on my third set of herbs, and so far, of the six pots I planted, three are doing fabulous, one is holding its own and two are just…lost causes. Though I keep watering them and hoping because I’m nothing if not determined to succeed.

I heard there was a great new book out about container gardening (though I didn’t keep the newspaper article that mentioned the title). I’m at Barnes and Noble tonight, so I think I’ll look for it. Granted, I already own the Crockett’s Victory Garden books and loads of others guaranteed, they say, to give me great results with everything I plant.

Not so much so far.

But I’m an optimist, and that means I keep beating my head against the same dirt wall, LOL. And getting the same results. (yes, I realize that’s also the definition of insanity!). I kicked around the idea of an outdoors garden this year, but I travel nearly all of the month of July, and as soon as I leave the driveway, I know the weeds start calling to each other: hey, she’s gone. Come on, let’s stage that tomato coup.

Invariably, when I get home, the tomatoes are waving a white flag and the weeds are standing tall and victorious. Sigh. It’s not for lack of trying, though.

What kind of luck do you have with gardening? Any tips/techniques/books you can recommend? What about indestructible houseplants (the only one that has survived my neglectful care is my pothos). Or should I just go straight to silk and skip the real deal? (Probably wouldn’t work so well with the herbs, LOL).

Are you planting a garden this year? Or do you have a great indoor garden? Share! And share your gardening disasters so I feel better, LOL.

Happy spring!
Shirley

*****

Driving Mr. Wrong Home

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Author: Shirley Jump

Publisher: Entangled Indulgence

EBook: 59 pages

Release Date: March 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-1622665037

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Blurb:

Can a feisty four-legged matchmaker help four best friends find the romance of their dreams?

When a handsome man from Gabby’s past agrees to a cross-country road trip, her master plan to re-launch her art career quickly morphs into an unexpected, romantic reunion.

AMAZON* BARNES & NOBLE

*****

Tour Schedule:

March 5

Driving Mr. Wrong Home Featured at Deea’s Book Blog

March 6

The Sheriff’s Secret Featured at Deea’s Book Blog

March 7

Love Unleashed Featured at Deea’s Book Blog

March 10

Love Unleashed Featured at Book Liason

Love in the Shadows Featured at Deea’s Book Blog

March 12

Love in the Shadows Featured at Book Liason

March 13

The Sheriff’s Secret Featured at Manga Maniac Cafe

Barbara Wallace Guest blogging at Becky on Books…and Quilts

March 14

Driving Mr. Wrong Home Reviewed at In the Pages of a Good Book

The Sheriff’s Secret Reviewed at Sleep Deprived Book Lovers

March 18

Driving Mr. Wrong Home Reviewed at Ramblings of a Book Lunatic

March 19

Love Unleashed Reviewed at In the Pages of a Good Book

March 21

Love Unleashed Featured at Manga Maniac Cafe

March 24

Shirley Jump Guest blogging at Becky on Books..and Quilts

The Sheriff’s Secret Reviewed at Rambling of a Book Lunatic

March 25

Shirley Jump Guest blogging at Romantic Reads and Such

The Sheriff’s Secret Featured at Book Liason

Love Unleashed Reviewed at Ramblings of a Book Lunatic

March 26

The Sheriff’s Secret Reviewed at In the Pages of a Good Book

Susan Meier Guest blogging at Becky on Books…and Quilts

Susan Meier Guest blogging at Romantic Reads and Such

Love in the Shadows Reviewed at Ramblings of a Book Lunatic

March 27

Jackie Braun Guest blogging at Becky on Books…and Quilts

Jackie Braun Guest blogging at Romantic Reads and Such

Love in the Shadows Featured at Manga Maniac Cafe

March 28

Shirley Jump Interviewed at Manga Maniac Cafe

Love in the Shadows Reviewed at In the Pages of a Good Book

Love in the Shadows Reviewed at She Hearts Books

March 31

Barbara Wallace Guest blogging at Romantic Reads and Such

Love in the Shadows Reviewed at A Little Bit of R&R

Book Blitz – Bear with me

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

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Bear with me, Half-Breed Shifter series, Miranda Stowe

I don’t know why but I love the idea of a secret love so when I saw the blurb for this one I knew I had to share it. And then I read the excerpt … whew! This one is going to be STEAMY! Although, I guess the cover should have been my first hint, huh?!?

*****

Bear with me

(Book 5 in the Half-Breed Shifter Series)

By Miranda Stowe

Blurb:

Being only one-fourth shape shifter, jaguar-human Rhea Griffin hopes to skip her mating heat altogether. But no such luck. It’s coming, and it’s coming soon. Good news is that advancements in technology have made it so she doesn’t have to turn into a total ho-bag and want sex from every male within a fifty-mile radius. She can take a nifty little injection for a couple of weeks to quell the “urges.” But bad news is the nifty little injection ends up being a dud. And Rhea needs sex. Lots of it.

Bear shifter, Brick Lowery was only supposed to come over to the Griffin house to keep his best good buddy Rhea company during her confinement time. But when everything goes south and Rhea needs a man to satisfy her mating heat before she suffers in agony, maybe even to the point of death, it’s suddenly up to him to make sure she gets exactly what she needs. Except Brick’s secretly been in love with Rhea since he was thirteen and this is not at all how he planned to win her over.

*****

Excerpt:

Brick sauntered forward, his large muscle-packed body surprisingly graceful for a bear. Brick had always been attractive. After he’d grown into some of his body parts, he’d probably become the best-looking boy in their class. But his looks had never made her want to reach out and just stroke his skin before…not like they did now.

An intense tingling spread up the insides of her legs as he drew close and knelt beside her, setting his gaming system between them.

With his head bent slightly and his attention in the cardboard box as he fished around for the right cables he needed, she studied the side of his face, suddenly wanting to just…lick him.

“Okay, we need to plug this one in first, into the…” His words drifted off as he lifted his face. Nostrils flaring, he gazed at her for a moment before his eyes fell to her lips.

When heat flooded her from head to toe, her sex cramped and went moist. He dropped his attention even lower to her breasts where they strained against her shirt, the nipples poking out the front of the pale cotton.

A hoarse groan left his throat. Lifting his hand slowly, he reached out a single digit and barely brushed the back of his index finger over the thin material. If he’d have licked her bare, straining nipple and then bitten it, Rhea didn’t think she would’ve felt the impact of his touch any more intensely than she did now.

With a moan, she threw back her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Heat pulsed between her legs. She wanted him there. Right now. Inside her. Deep, so deep inside her.

As if reading her mind, Brick asked, “Have you ever wondered what my cock would feel like buried in your pussy?” His voice was low and raspy. It shot another sizzling current of electricity through her.

Meeting his gaze, she opened her mouth to tell him—beg, demand, whatever it took—to take off his clothes and get inside of her that very instant. But her mother’s voice at the top of the stairs made her jolt and wrench herself away from him.

He stepped back too and glanced away guiltily, just as Riley Griffin popped her head out of the stairwell and joined them in the den. “Rhea, dinner’s ready if you’re—oh! Brick, you’re already here. Good. You’re welcome to dinner too, dear.”

He cleared his throat and bowed his head. “Thanks, Mrs. G. I’d love some. Can’t feed a bear like me enough, you know.”

“Well, both of you come on up.”

When Brick moved to follow her as Rhea’s mother started back up the stairs, Rhea hesitated, glancing at Brick’s perfect form. Now that he was all the way across the room, she didn’t want him quite as badly.

And it struck her what had just happened. Shit. Her mating heat really was starting.

“Mom?” she called, her voice trembling slightly. “I think…I think I should have my first injection now.”

Brick tensed and paused, but he didn’t turn to look at her.

Eyes wide with surprise, her mother did turn around, though. “Oh! Really? Damn, I wish females could smell another female’s heat. I would’ve already known that. I’m sorry, honey. Let’s get you taken care of, then.” As she came back down the steps, she glanced at Brick.

He refused to meet her gaze as he shrugged. “I must be too diluted of a shifter to notice it yet.”

Rhea knew he was lying; he’d definitely felt something. He’d been just as ready to get kinky as she’d been. She waited a second before her mother entered the back room before meeting Brick’s dark gaze and mouthing the word, “Liar.”

“I want to fuck you. Hard,” he mouthed right back, lifting his eyebrows in direct challenge. For a moment, she was tempted. Two weeks of constant sex with Brick sounded pretty damn good right about now. She could almost feel his hands on her breasts, cupping her and squeezing, his hot open mouth on her throat and his cock shoved deep, pumping through her sex and bumping against her g-spot, over and over again, until—

“Rhea? Are you coming?” her mother called.

Buy links :

AllRomance Ebooks – Amazon – B & N

*****

Author Bio:

Miranda lives with her wonderful, Brad-Pitt-lookalike husband (hey, they’re both blond-haired and blue-eyed) and adorable still-needs-to-learn-the-meaning-of-NO toddler daughter on their spacious corn-field-and-cow-pasture-front property in Kansas. Librarian by day and author by night, she is also published in YA and contemporary mainstream romance under a different pen name.

Author Links : Website Twitter Goodreads

*****

Guest Post – At Death It Begins

24 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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At Death It Begins, Elle Jefferson, In Death's Touch

Today Elle Jefferson is going to share the perfect playlist to get you in the mood to read her books, At Death It Begins and In Death’s Touch. Check out all of the details below!

*****

Playlist

While I wrote At Death It Begins, and In Death’s Touch I had a list of songs I played over and over again. I love all these songs and can’t listen to them now without thinking about Lendyn and Callum.

1. Lady by the Chromatics

2. Latika’s Theme (Slumdog Millionaire SDTRK)

3. One too Many Mornings by Chemical Brothers

4. Love Song For A Vampire (Bram Stoker’s Dracula SDTRK)

5. Possibly Maybe by Bjork

6. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven

7. Feel So Close by Calvin Harris

8. Final Movement by Clint Mansell

9. Don’t You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

10. Runaway by Yeah Yeah Yeah

11. Reconsider by Jamie xx

12. I’ll Take Care of You by Jamie xx (featuring Gil Scott-Heron)

13. Cascade by Tycho

14. Believe Me by Katie Stelmanis

15. I Can’t Stop by Flux Pavilion

16. Nitesky by Robot Koch

17. Don’t Wake Me by Robot Koch

18. Jupiter by Robot Koch

Song number 2 and 8 perfectly capture the two main characters Lendyn and Callum. Enjoy.

*****

At Death It Begins

ADIB Book One

by Elle Jefferson

Genre: Paranormal romance

ISBN: 9781484877098

ASIN: B00AUNNJCI

Number of pages: 418

Cover Artist: Krysa Designs

Blurb:

Lendyn Hughes’ grandmother has kept a secret from her for over thirty-one years, who Lendyn’s parents are. A devastating break-up following her grandmother’s death leaves Lendyn alone, confused and determined to find answers. Armed with only a name Lendyn attempts to unfurl the branches of her family tree never guessing it would put her life in danger.

For over two hundred years Englishman Callum Scott lived a life surrounded by beauty. A life free from all those annoying human emotions. That is until the American showed up. Lendyn flipped his world upside down and put him in the worst sort of jeopardy. He’s starting to feel things and a murderer can’t afford to feel.

Amazon Paperback

Book Trailer

*****

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

My hand fumbled through the darkness reaching for Devin. I needed to feel him, know he was there. Something troubled me, but I couldn’t put a finger on what.

A morsel of his flesh beneath my fingers would pacify me. Assure me he was still there. I reached further until my fingers collided with the soft, peach under-flesh of his forearm. I ran a hand across his solid form pausing for a moment to trace a figure eight on the mound of muscle encompassing his shoulder. He had a body fit to be relished even in the troubling hour’s lack of sleep brought.

He purred for a moment before stretching an arm and rolling over to his stomach stifling his rhythmic snoring. I tucked the sheets over him and kissed his golden hair. It was a perfect evening; work failed to interrupt our plans which were a rarity. We went for a moonlit walk along Paradise Cove, an exclusive beach, you had to be a member of to stroll along. This meant no paparazzi to hassle us.

They were one of many drawbacks to dating a celebrity, but as I admired the contours of his body, there were benefits too. Though maybe tonight had been too perfect. That was silly thinking. We didn’t spend enough time alone for anything to be too perfect.

An eerie flash of red in my peripheral caught my attention. I sat up noticing for the first time the clock on the nightstand was flashing 11:41 over and over. One of the problems to living in an old hotel like the Beltmore … things tended to fizzle out all the time. Last month it was the air conditioning, before that, the hot water. Maybe Devin was right, and it was time to move out of this hotel and into an apartment. I shrugged, I’d debate that tomorrow.

I patted the nightstand for my cell; it wasn’t there. Then I remembered I dropped it on the dresser earlier this evening when Devin had pinned me there to deliver one of his toe curling kisses. Trying to keep quiet while navigating the dark became impossible when I stubbed my toe on one of Devin’s Sketchers and tripped headfirst into the dresser. My hand flew to my mouth muffling a scream that rushed to my lips. Devin stirred but didn’t wake.

Phew. The last thing I needed was to wake him. He was a bit of a grump and once he was awake, he’d have to leave. Work always came first.

Along the dresser, I felt the smooth outline of my phone. When the screen lit up the time was only 2:08 a.m. still early and plenty of time to crawl back into bed and snuggle up next to Devin. Halfway back to bed and my phone started vibrating. There were fourteen missed calls and one voicemail, all of which, came from one number—Emma. Now, I was a bit worried. It’d been a while since the last time I’d spoken with my best friend Emma.

Emma had this philosophy about calling once and not calling again until you called her back, hence my worry.

I dialed my voicemail, “Wednesday, 12:15 a.m—Lend, its Em call me as soon as you—BEEP.” Em was calling on the other line. Why was I so nervous to answer it?

“Em what’s going on—” I swallowed, “—is everything okay?”

Emma didn’t even get my name out before she broke into sobs. Maybe she and “Mister Perfect” broke up again.

“Hello,” I said a little louder, “you still there?” All I could hear was sniffling, maybe she accidentally pocket dialed me. I debated hanging up and calling her back when a familiar English accent came on the line—Mister Perfect. “Lendyn it’s Zach … I’m afraid I have bad news … there was an accident involving Gigi,” he paused to take a breath as I held mine, “I’m afraid she didn’t make it.”

The room began to spin, and gravity pulled at me. Was I dreaming? This had to be a dream.

Zach’s voice continued, but I didn’t hear anything except a loud buzzing as my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

*****

In Death’s Touch

ADIB Book Two

by Elle Jefferson

Genre: Paranormal Romance

ASIN: B00IG9USCC

Number of pages: 400

Cover Artist: Krysa Designs

Blurb:

Lendyn Hughes had everything she wanted. A family that welcomed her with open arms and a man who loved her as-is. So what if they were all vampires, love picked you not the other way round. Besides she was half vampire herself.

One brief encounter. One wrong decision took it all away.

Now Lendyn is trying to remember what in the world she’s exactly doing in London, why she’s back with her ex, where she got the bruises covering her ribs from and who the taunting voice in her head is.

I’m sorry. Two words Callum never hated more. They were the two words he’d found on the Dear John note in Lendyn’s room. With one breath she declared her love and in the next breath she left him. Now his future looks bleak without Lendyn to color the way.

Amazon

*****

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day for a wedding. The English countryside provided a glorious canvas of green, while butterflies dancing along flowers provided an array of color, and bees buzzing provided the summer tune making it a day cut from a fairy tale. Surrounding magnolia bushes were in bloom, their fragrance carried along the breeze. From Callum’s bedroom window was an excellent view of the gazebo where Zach, his cousin, the brother his vampire life prevented him from having, was about to marry a loud obnoxious American named Emma. Emma wore on his nerves but she made Zach happy so he would learn to suffer her disagreeable ways.

Decorated in garlands of ice blue roses and white gardenia buds, the gazebo was as lovely as a painting.

Callum’s gaze, however, focused on the gardener pruning evergreens around the gazebo. Every squeeze of the shears flexed the gardener’s biceps. His skin dewed, veins bulging with the exertion wetted Callum’s appetite. Since Lendyn’s release from the hospital, he, along with the rest of his family, had been quenching their hunger from a supply of blood kept in a repository down in the wine cellars within the dungeons below Scott manor.

Sinking your teeth into a plastic IV bag did not bring the same thrill, or relief, sinking into the supple flesh of a neck, or thigh, did.

The gardener put his shears down and leaned against a marble column pressing a hand to his forehead shading his eyes as he looked up towards sky.

Up towards Callum.

Though with his human eyes there was no way the gardener could see this far. Callum watched the gardener’s jugular strain in a thick line along his neck.

Curse his vow not to spill a drop of human blood in honor of today’s wedding. The gardener started to rub at his neck and shoulder beckoning Callum to take a taste.

His blood called to him, sang of it’s sweetness. Callum couldn’t stop his fangs from poking through his bottom lip as he bit down hard. He slammed the window shut, locked it, and pulled the curtains closed. He took another second to get his breathing back to normal.

He tapped his fingers on the doorknob of his wardrobe, his gaze straying back to the window.

No.

He pulled open the doors and gagged at the sickening scent of cinnamon. Marco’s scent. Marco. His cousin and the man responsible for killing Emery, Callum’s mother, he was also the man responsible for putting Lendyn in the hospital in the first place. Originally, Callum believed Marco attacked Lendyn out of spite. A means to punish Callum for all eternity, but that wasn’t the case. As ludicrous as it was, Marco was on a mission to destroy everything. Callum’s unhappiness was just an added benefit.

Marco’s wretched scent continued to hang around attached to the tailored suit he made for Callum. Callum yanked the suit from the depths of his closet and hung it on the door.

Yes, he claimed he’d disposed of it as he’d been ordered to do. Marco’s coup d’état severed all ties to their coven, their family, and in accordance with tradition everything he handled was burned. Callum had never seen Emma smile wider than when she watched every last evidence of Marco’s existence burn to ash, her wedding dress being the last item thrown onto the flaming pyre.

After that she’d become more flippant and rude to everyone, but especially him. Emma’s last injection had been that night and her vampire side was quick in taking over.

He rubbed the suit’s lapel between his fingers which he did every day, every time he examined the suit. He touched every button, rubbed every seam and squeezed every pocket. And, like every other time, he found nothing. Callum steepled his hands together and tapped his fingers on his chin.

Whether it was the way Marco glared at the jacket each time Callum came for a fitting, the cold stare down with Marco right before getting the suit, or the shiver that played down his spine when his fingers brushed Marco’s as he took the suit, he couldn’t say. Whatever instance it was though, made it a compulsion to keep the suit. Callum knew he couldn’t get rid of it because a vital clue hid within the stitching. He just hadn’t found that bloody clue yet.

He sneered at the suit before tucking it back into the depths of his wardrobe. He laid down on his bed rolling over to inhale the scent still lingering on his sheets—lilac.

It gave him chills.

He let go of the sheets and slid from the bed. Better to forget almost moments than try to repeat them. Lendyn consumed his thoughts, his fantasies. If not for continual interruptions from family, one of their almost moments was certain to turn dangerous. Every time her skin touched his he was willing to throw every rule away to never break contact. Worse was that these almost moments could end in blood being spilled; and not his.

He walked over to the wall separating his room from Lendyn’s and ran his hands along it. He couldn’t say what he feared more, giving it all, or withdrawing completely. They’d danced along this knife blade so long he wasn’t sure he could do anything without being cut completely.

As much as he yearned for Lendyn, he feared her too. Logic leapt out a window whenever he was in her company. His emotions, which were lacking before, were a torrent now that buoyed to her, rising and falling with her changing moods.

It was disconcerting to be so attached to another. To worry as he did about Lendyn. He’d vowed to never let another person corrupt him, yet here he was utterly at her mercy. He hoped she was incapable of cruelty in sport or else his heart would be crushed.

*****

Author Info:

Elle Jefferson lives up in northern Arizona with her two beautiful sons, wonderful husband and her German Shepard Dorrie. When she’s not reading or writing she’s painting or enjoying the great outdoors.

She is currently working on her follow-up to At Death it Begins, In Death’s Shadow, and hopes to have it released in early December.

www.ellejefferson.blogspot.com

@Elle_Jefferson

Amazon Author Page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elle-Jefferson/509752569110446

*****

Giveaway:

Prize pack 1- e-books of Temp by Kelly Collins, Broken by K. Webster, Ignite by Tessa Teevan, The Hart Family box set by Ella Fox, Fade In by Mo Mabie, Blind Obsession by Ella Frank, and A is for Alpha by Laurel Curtis.

Prize pack 2- ebooks of A Window to Love & Reclining Nude in Chicago by Fifi Flowers, Push The Envelope and Hit the Wall by Rochelle Paige, Save Me From Myself by Stacey Mosteller, Annie of London by L.A. Rikand, Goodbye Caution by Jacquelyn Ayres and Infamous Ellen James by NA Alcorn.

Prize Pack 3- A signed paperback of At Death It Begins and a bag of book related swag (i.e. bracelet, pen, bookmark, 5$ GC to Amazon, notepad) Open to US Shipping

Prize Pack 4-A signed paperback of In Death’s Touch and a bag of book related swag (i.e. pen, bookmark, 5 GC to Amazon, notepad) Open to US Shipping

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112f559

*****

Tour Schedule:

Feb 24 Interview

Pembroke Sinclair.

pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com

Feb 25 Guest blog

Paranormal Romance Fans for Life

www.paranormalromancefanforlife.blogspot.com

Feb 26 Interview

Girl meets Books

http://thegirlmeetsbooks.wordpress.com

Feb 27 Spotlight

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!

http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com

Feb 28 Interview

Fantasy Book Addict

http://www.fantasybookaddict.com/

Feb 28 spotlight

Eclipse Reviews

http://totaleclipsereviews.blogspot.com

March 3 Spotlight

Share My Destiny

http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com

March 3 interview

Darkest Cravings

http://darkestcravings.blogspot.com/

March 17 Interview

Crazy Four Books

http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com

March 17 author interview

Author Karen Swart

http://authorkarenswart.blogspot.com

March 18 Guest blog

Highway-Y.A

http://highway-ya.blogspot.com

March 18 Spotlight

For Your Literary Pleasure

http://foryourliterarypleasure.blogspot.co.nz/

March 19 Spotlight

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/

March 20 spotlight

Annette Gisby

http://agisby.blogspot.co.uk/

March 20 Spotlight

Booklover Sue

http://bookloversue.blogspot.com/

March 21 Spotlight

Nocturnal Predators Reviews

http://www.nocturnalpredatorsreviews.blogspot.com

March 21 Spotlight

A Night’s Dream of Books

http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com/

March 24 Guest blog

Romantic Reads and Such

https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com

March 24 Interview

Butterfly-o-Meter Books

http://butterfly-o-meter.com/

*****

Book Review – Dark Promise

23 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Book Review, Dark Promise, M.L. Guida

Love can unlock the secret to saving two worlds.

As the Golden Aspen Tree withers, darkness consumes the Dragon Demons of the Underworld, turning them feral. Prince Eric Wyvern must keep his darkness at bay and woo the silver-haired human tainted with angel blood whose touch is prophesied to save the Golden Tree and restore light to the Underworld.

Cassandra Wright, a gifted psychic, has dreamed of Eric her whole life. When her dream lover joins her on a ski vacation, he plunges her into a nightmare. Imprisoned in a dying world filled with abuse and torture, she must become the Demon Prince’s mate or remain trapped forever. If she fails to fulfill the prophecy, the darkness will spread to her world. But how can she give herself to this dark and frightening version of the man of her dreams?

Eric will give Cassandra the world, if only he can make her see past the darkness to the man he really is, and help him save it first.

Even though this isn’t one of my favorite books, I’ll definitely be giving this series a chance. There are good bones here, I just wasn’t all that into the execution. The idea is fantastic – I love the parallel fantasy world that Guida has developed – but the beginning of the story spends a little too long on details that don’t seem to matter to the overall story and not enough is given to the important things.

I want to get to know their world better – their history, their culture, how things relate – but we get a lot of posturing by Eric in our world. He’s trying to woo Cassandra but it doesn’t really work and a lot of time is spent on her ex. It makes sense to have Eric get close to her so I’m on board with that but there is way too much time describing the scenery or details about people (some who don’t turn out to be all that important to this story). Maybe it is to set up the scene, I don’t know, but for me it doesn’t go anywhere. There are a lot of pages that could have been spent developing a connection between Eric and Cassandra but don’t.

The action really started when we get to Eric’s world and it was absolutely fascinating. I love the idea of what darkness could do to normally good people. But, because we don’t get a good basis for Eric and Cassandra’s relationship, when they have to become mates it just doesn’t feel warm and fuzzy. I will say from that point on, even though it will be disturbing for some, it is very engaging. The evil things that are done and the way that it is taking over their world is disgusting but it makes the ending that much better.

I really like the fact that there are far reaching effects from this time. Eric has a nephew who isn’t consumed by the dark and is fully aware of all of the things that are done to him and to others. He is just a boy and this will definitely leave some scars. Guida isn’t shy about letting you know that either.

Overall, I think this could be a good start to a new series. I’ll give the next one a shot to see if some of the kinks in the flow have been worked out because I’d love to see more of this world.

Book Review – Empty Net

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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Book Review, Empty Net, The Assassins series, Toni Aleo

In Toni Aleo’s third novel in her hot Assassins series, the chiseled men of this Nashville hockey team can make anything happen when they go all out for the women they want—even turn a one-night stand into a happily ever after.

Audrey Parker is up against the boards. She’s stuck in a job she hates and pining for a total jerk. Meanwhile, her sister Fallon is moving out and getting married to hockey star Lucas Brooks. Where is Audrey’s Prince Charming? Nothing she does has ever seemed to be good enough for any of the men in her life. Audrey’s about to hit rock bottom . . . until she wakes up next to Tate Odder.

The thrill of moving up from the minors to the Nashville Assassins was a welcome distraction. But not even becoming the first rookie goalie to tally three shutouts in the Stanley Cup finals alleviates the pain. With the loss of his parents and sister weighing as heavily on his soul as ever, Tate Odder can’t keep pretending he’s okay. That’s when he meets smart, sexy Audrey. Her gentle warmth and quirky sense of humor make him feel whole for the first time in too long. But to stay that way forever, Tate must find a way to accept his past and learn to live for love.

I should accept by now that these Assassins books are just going to be an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve read Taking Shots and Trying to Score and both of them broke my heart at least a couple of times. Empty Net proves to be no different.

Audrey has some serious self-esteem issues that she has to work through and a pretty big secret that has caused her to seek out only bad relationships. We got a glimpse of how bad her latest one with Levi is in Trying to Score but we get a little bit more of it here. Unfortunately those issues cause her to fight her feelings for Tate for most of the book. There is a lot of back and forth on her part and that man has the patience of a saint to put up with it. But the nice thing is that once she gets everything straight in her head it goes much better for them.

The blurb makes it seem like Tate has some issues of his own to work through, but I didn’t really see it. For being only 21 years old, he is amazingly mature and he handles the curveballs thrown by Audrey with a lot of grace and understanding. He’s centered and caring and giving, the Prince Charming that Audrey needs. He just has to wait for her to realize it.

I love that we get some updates on the previous characters and a hint at what is to come. Blue Lines looks to be just as much of a heartbreaker as the stories that have come before it, but I’m looking forward to every heart wrenching moment.

If you are brave enough to take it on, and I totally suggest you do, Empty Net may leave you wrung out but it will also leave you satisfied.

Book Review – Beefcake and Cupcakes

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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Beefcake & Cupcakes, Book Review, Judi Fennell

Sugar is sweet, but so is revenge …

All Lara Cavallo wants to do is make her bakery business, Cavallo’s Cups & Cakes, a success, and be able to stop accepting alimony from her rotten, cheating ex-husband. But first she needs to find her clothes and escape the strange hotel room she wakes up in before she embarrasses herself any further in front the owner of that gorgeous naked keister she spots through the bathroom door. She needs to keep her mind on her cupcakes. She doesn’t have time for beefcake, no matter how enticing.

Cupcakes are sweet, and so is Lara…

All Gage Tomlinson wants is to find a way to help his single-mom sister pay the hospital bills for his six-year-old nephew, badly injured in a hit and run accident. Working construction during the day and as the owner of the exotic male dance troupe BeefCake, Inc. by night doesn’t leave much time for indulgence. Too bad the sweetest thing he’s seen in ages passes out on him and then takes off before he even gets a nibble. He’s got a sweet tooth, and only Lara’s “cupcakes” will satisfy him.

But when cupcake finally meets beefcake, it’s hot enough to melt the buttercream right off the cake.

Ingredients:

Lara Cavallo, a baker who’s just starting out after a divorce,

Gage Tomlinson, a stripper who’s been around the block and needs money for his nephew’s surgery,

Cara and Bryan, two best friends who mean well,

And Jeff, the ex husband who doesn’t.

Mix them all together at the social event of the season and you get one sexy batch of dancing “cupcakes”!

I stumbled across this one totally by accident and couldn’t resist giving it a try. I mean, come on it stars a male stripper! But of course there is so much more to Gage than the fact that he takes his clothes off for a living … although that isn’t anything to sniff at. But he’s also hard-working, smart, funny, and giving. He’s got a load of responsibilities on his wide, strong shoulders and he’s doing his best to keep moving forward. Then he meets Lara, only to have her run out on him, a new experience for the gorgeous Gage. Of course he can’t resist seeing more of her.

Lara is coming out of a bad relationship and has always been the good girl. Waking up in bed with a man she can’t remember is very much out of character. But when she finally meets the man with the tempting behind she doesn’t resist for long. He ex-husband tore her down and left her feeling like she’s no match for the oh-so-tempting Gage but he’s go the patience and is willing to make her believe.

It’s fun watching these two try to figure out if they want to get involved and how they can rearrange their lives to make room for a relationship. There isn’t a ton of drama – most of it centers on their complicated lives and Lara’s lack of confidence than about any real trouble. Of course there is a little bit around the way they met plus what Gage does for a living, not the easiest thing for a good girl to accept, but it is handled with that perfect mixture of warmth and sizzle. I’m definitely going to pick up the next in the series, Beefcake and Mistakes, and I hope to see more from Fennell in the future.

Book Review – Where the Heart Is

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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Book Review, Darcy Burke, Ribbon Ridge series, Where the Heart Is

Home is more than a place . . .

Breaking free from her structured life, Chloe English quits her high-powered job and moves across the country to work as an art teacher. The simple life is all she hoped it would be until her house burns down, leaving her homeless. When a handsome firefighter swoops in to save the day, she can’t believe her luck. He’s laid-back and unassuming, everything she’s looking for in a man—or so he seems. It turns out he’s as ambitious as her ex, comes with a family who could be more stifling than hers, and harbors dark secrets he may never be able to share.

Orphaned as a teenager, Derek Sumner has found a place in his best friend’s family. However, the love and support of his surrogate parents and siblings can’t erase the grief and loss he struggles every Christmas to banish. But this year he meets the fun and sexy Chloe, whose optimism and sense of joy are incredibly contagious. Can she help him face his bleak past so they can forge a happy future?

I found Where the Heart Is to be a touching and sweet contemporary romance. Granted the characters seemed to fall in love awfully quick, but they realize that too so it makes it more realistic. Both Chloe and Derek are engaging and their relationship has warmth and charm. Their problems aren’t necessarily as dark as the blurb makes it seem – they really have to figure out whether they are moving too fast and if they can get past their own hang-ups to make a relationship work. I can easily relate to them and their problems, and the story totally work for me.

We also get introduced to the Archers, Derek’s adopted family. They are going to play a role in upcoming stories and I’m looking forward to everyone one of them. There is a good mix of personalities and difficulties in the siblings and it promises to supply a lot of material for other books.

At a little over 100 pages, Where the Heart Is is a fast-read but it is also satisfyingly real-life. I’ve read one of Darcy Burke’s books before, Never Love a Scoundrel, and loved it so I shouldn’t be surprised that her contemporary stories are just as good. With believable and fun characters, an interesting and heartwarming story, and the promise of some great books coming soon, Where the Heart Is is a must read.

Book Review – Size Matters

21 Friday Mar 2014

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Book Review, Handcuffs and Happily Ever Afters series, Robyn Peterman, Size Matters

A few hard truths…Don’t bet on Hasselhoff, Bigfoot might actually exist, and searching for the impossible may lead you to your heart’s desire…

It’s a big fat hairy deal when I lose yet another bet to my best friend, Rena. Not only do I end up attending Bigfoot meetings with her kooky Aunt Phyllis, I find myself traveling with a band of reality TV, Sasquatch-hunting nut-jobs! Not to mention a suspiciously shady film crew. As if those little nuggets weren’t enough to send me on the express-train to Crazytown…I stupidly swore off men!

Clearly all this would mess up any gal’s social life, but the worst part of the story? The minute I send my libido on vacation, I meet Mitch. Yep, Mitch, the sexiest cop ev-ah. The hottest, best kissing, finest tushied, SINGLE guy I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’d rather be hot on his trail than anything that involves the word Big or Foot. But sometimes what you’re hunting for has been right in front of you all along …

I giggled and giggled reading this one. You have to be OK with zany, over-the-top humor, creatively foul language and steamy (sometimes weird) adult content but, if you are, then prepare yourself for a romping good time. Size Matters is quirky, so far out of the box that it can’t even see it anymore, hilarious, cheesy, sweet, and touching.

The characters are as out-there as you can get but they are still very appealing in their wackiness. Colorful and crude, they still have big hearts – they care about each other and are supportive. After spending some time with them, Kristy realizes that there is so much more to them than the wackiness they show the world. Add in a romance with a hot cop (with a mighty fine butt), plus something weird going on in the woods of Minnesota, and Peterman manages to deliver an enjoyable and interesting plot mixed in with some of the craziest (but loveable) people in the North.

If you are ready to laugh out loud, to the point of snorting, Size Matters is the book for you. You have to be in the mood for screwball comedy (think old I Love Lucy shows times ten) but underneath all of the ridiculousness and silliness, there is also a love story and a heartfelt tale about there being more than meets the eye – the perfect combination to make you laugh and sigh.

(Size Matters is part of Peterman’s ”Handcuffs and Happily Ever Afters” series, but only in that some of the characters are recurring – this is my first and I didn’t notice any problems keeping up with it and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Well, except all the fun that had to have happened if it was anything like this one.)

Blog Tour – Cover to Covers

21 Friday Mar 2014

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Alesandrea Weis, Book Review, Cover to Covers

Today we’re going to take a look at Cover to Covers by Alexandrea Weis, complete with a sneak peek and my thoughts on the book. If you decide to read it, and I suggest you do, come back here and tell us all what you think.

*****

Cover to Covers

by Alexandrea Weis

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: World Castle Publishing

Word Count: 79,000

Cover Artist: Laura Hildalgo

Available at:

Amazon

Blurb:

A man driven by his desires

Tyler Moore is considered cold, ruthless, and determined to get everything he wants. CEO of a flourishing oil company, he thrives on order and never gives up control to anyone.

The woman from his past

Monique Delome has left her unhappy past behind to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. Love is something she believes is better suited to the pages of her novels and not meant for real life.

Whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, Tyler Moore is always in charge. But when Monique Delome walks back into his life, everything changes. A successful romance author, all the sexy leading men Monique writes about strangely remind everyone of Tyler. Intrigued, Tyler sets out to seduce the one woman he could never forget. Soon Tyler gets more than he bargained for, and his grip on his well-ordered life is turned upside down.

Tyler Moore is about to find out what happens when a romantic tale jumps from the pages and comes to life between the sheets.

*****

Author Info:

Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Her first novel, To My Senses, introduced readers to the world of Nicci Beauvoir and garnered numerous awards and rave reviews.

Her popular second Nicci Beauvoir novel, Recovery, won the Gold Medal for best romantic suspense from The Reader’s Favorite Book Awards 2011, and was named best Romantic Suspense novel by the Spring 2011 NABE Pinnacle Book Awards.

Her fourth novel, Broken Wings, won best Contemporary Romance by the NABE Pinnacle Book Awards in 2012, was a Silver Medal winner in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards for Romance, as well as a finalist in the USA Book Awards for Romance in 2012, and a finalist in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards for Contemporary Romance for 2012.

Diary of a One-Night Stand, was released in August 2012 and was named a Paranormal Romance Guild’s Best Reviewed of 2012. Her last novel, Acadian Waltz was a Readers’ Favorite Book Awards honorable mention winner for Best Contemporary Romance, and finalist in Best Southern Fiction.

A permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans.

Website: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/index.html

Blog: http://alexandreaweiscom.blogspot.com/

FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/To-My-Senses/113609858681394

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1211671.Alexandrea_Weis

Author Amazon BN

*****

Excerpt:

“If I can be of any further assistance, Mr. Moore,” a peppy blonde with too much black eyeliner said to the man in the impeccably tailored, dark blue Hugo Boss suit. “Please, let me know. I have your suite key.” She pushed the white key-card over the surface of the front desk. “Your usual order of Veuve Clicquot and strawberries will be waiting in your room,” she added with a welcoming smile.

The self-assured gentleman removed his dark Porsche sunglasses and let his deep-set dark brown eyes linger over the young woman’s attractive face. “Afraid I won’t be needing that this time, Missy,” he murmured, getting a glimpse at her nametag.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Moore. I was informed you are always to have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot waiting in your room whenever you stay with us.”

Wandering over Missy’s stout figure, his eyes fixated on the way her blue blazer clung to her ample bosom. “I usually do when I’m staying here for a relaxing weekend. This time, however, is all business.” He placed his sunglasses in his jacket pocket.

Missy leaned forward, revealing her cleavage as her blue eyes meandered up and down his body. “I am very sorry to hear that, Mr. Moore.”

The flirtatious pout that puckered her red lips made Tyler Moore wipe his hand across his chin, attempting to hide his cocky grin. At six-foot-one, with black, wavy hair outlining his chiseled cheekbones and determined, square jaw, he was used to getting such suggestive looks from the opposite sex. But he knew that looks could only get you so far with a woman.

“How sorry are you?”

Missy’s eyes popped with interest. “I…I’m not sure what you mean, Mr. Moore.”

“How sorry are you that I won’t be having any fun this weekend, Missy?”

She fingered the lapel on her blue blazer adjacent to her right breast. “I would hate to think your stay here would only be about business, Mr. Moore. If there was anything I could do to change that….”

He felt a kick of satisfaction as he gazed into her hopeful eyes. “Perhaps you might come up with a few suggestions of other ways I could spend my weekend in your wonderful hotel? We could go over them later…at the bar, after you get off work.”

The pale blush blossoming on her cheeks was so becoming that Tyler almost began to believe their playful repartee had been worth the effort.

“I’ll think about it, Mr. Moore.”

“You do that, Missy. When you have an answer, you know where to find me.” He motioned to his overnight bag and black suitcase by the desk. “Be a sweetheart, and have the porter take my bags to my room. I have to meet a client in the bar before I go up to my suite.”

The flush on Missy’s cheeks was positively radiant. “Yes, Mr. Moore. Right away.”

Tyler turned from the polished reception desk, unable to hide his smug grin. No matter where he went, the lust in a woman’s eyes never got old. The entire episode with the desk clerk had only reinforced his belief that it was his confidence, and not his looks, that always got a woman to give him what he wanted. He had learned long ago that his handsome face could only take him so far in life, and had made a concerted effort to take control of any situation. It was a philosophy he had incorporated into every arena of his life.

“I’ll have to check back in with sweet little Missy. See how she looks without the blazer.” He strutted across the lobby toward the arched entrance of the Rattlesnake Bar.

A warm glow of honey, onyx, and a contemporary Western-theme greeted him as he stepped into the cool bar. Perched on the brown leather barstools, an array of women sipped on a myriad of colorful alcoholic concoctions while trying to chase away the sweltering afternoon heat. Tyler noted how more than one set of eyes turned his way as he strolled up to the bar. He checked his confidence at the door and pushed all thoughts of possible late night hookups from his mind.

His flourishing oil and gas business was always more important than women. Besides, women were nothing more than a distraction at this point in his life. Having just passed the milestone of his fiftieth birthday, Tyler pondered that perhaps it was time for him to stop pursuing such meaningless liaisons and settle down with a tolerable woman who could cater to all of his needs.

“Two divorces is plenty,” he reasoned as he arrived at the onyx marble and teak-topped bar. Lightly stroking the smooth surface of the marble, he remembered many of the encounters he had experienced in that very bar. Snapshots of blurred faces and forgettable names skipped across his mind. Some of the women had been exciting, a few horrific, but none had been…memorable.

You know who was memorable, don’t you, Ty? his inner voice taunted. She was the one you let slip through your fingers.

Tyler snickered at his self-remonstrations. He hated to admit his inner demon was right, but it was. She had happened so long ago, but he found it funny how advancing age only seemed to make the memories of youth more poignant. It was as if growing older brought into focus the emotions that the impetuosity of youth seemed to blur.

*****

Review:

I found Cover to Covers to be refreshingly different – there’s still that quest for a happy ending (and plenty of steaminess), but it’s told from Tyler’s point of view and covers his growth as a person as much as his romantic interests. Plus, this is a second chance romance where instead of being in their 20s or 30s, the heroine and hero are in their early 40s and 50s. It’s nice to get a story with characters who are a little more …. experienced with life, even if they aren’t any smarter about it.

It kinda reminded me of a Danielle Steel novel I read years ago. I think it was called Rogue and featured a couple who are divorced but when life decides to throw them some curves it causes them to reevaluate their choices. Tyler is like that only it is Moe who throws him those curves, when after decades apart, and failed relationships for both of them, a chance meeting in a hotel lobby brings them back together again.

But Tyler has a ton of baggage he needs to work through and until he does he’ll never open himself up for a true relationship. It’s an interesting journey as he looks at what makes him happy and realizes that only he can make the decision to embrace those things. That even if it is hard or uncomfortable there is so much more out there than what he’s let himself have and that he needs to look to himself first to truly fix anything.

*****

Tour Schedule:

March 3 Interview and review

Book Chick

http://bookchick2013.blogspot.ca/

March 3 spotlight

Author Karen Swart

http://authorkarenswart.blogspot.com

March 4 Spotlight

Stories of Romance

http://storiesofromance.com

March 4 Spotlight