Jilly

Cover Reveal…Malicious Mischief by Marianne Harden

I am pleased to bring you the cover reveal for Malicious Mischief by Marianne Harden! We also have a great excerpt and a great giveaway from Marianne (rafflecopter below)! Enjoy!

Book Links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Career chameleon, Rylie Keyes, must keep her current job. If not, the tax assessor will evict her ailing grandfather and auction off their ancestral home. When a senior she shuttles for a Bellevue, Washington retirement home winds up dead in her minibus, sticky with a half-eaten s’more, head clad in a cellophane bag, and a pocketed complaint letter accusing her of driving by Braille, her goal to keep her job hits a road bump.

The deceased was thought to be a penniless Nazi concentration camp survivor with a silly grudge against Rylie. However, the victim has enemies who will stop at nothing to keep their part in the murder a secret.

Forced to dust off the PI training she’s kept hidden from her ex-detective grandfather, Rylie must align with a circus-bike-wheeling Samoan to solve the murder, all while juggling the attentions of two very hot police officers.

Excerpt:

~When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty~

Am I a flake? Sort of. But I’m trying to change. My grandfather has property tax issues, and what troubles Granddad, troubles me. Good thing I’ve held down a steady job for months. A major big deal. Not the getting a job part—I’ve had lots—but the held down aspect. Somehow, I always end up unemployed, but not today.

Today, I am Rylie Tabitha Keyes, chauffeur to the seniors at Fountain of Youth Retirement Home (FoY.)

It was dawn Sunday as I eased my employer’s van from one freeway onto another. After that, I concentrated on the wet asphalt up ahead. I didn’t want to think about my job history or our financial woes. Instead I focused on the summery sunrise over the Cascade Mountains due east. I stared at it a moment, charmed by its contrast to the more typical Bellevue, Washington gloom brooding overhead.

I should’ve been asleep, but I needed to toss trash from a fundraiser rolling around in the back of the van. Leland Rosenberg, my boss at Fountain of Youth Retirement Home, had asked me to dump the bags at his second business, Rosenberg Laboratory, as FoY’s Dumpsters were full from a recent bathroom remodel. His mood had been edgy, kind of insistent I dispose of them last night. I confess, before I could carry out this task, a minor traffic accident and an all-important overnight obligation had waylaid me. I didn’t bother to sigh over how blunders always seemed to pepper my work performance. Some things were fated to be. After all, I slogged at my job for money not joy. It isn’t that I don’t like working at FoY, it just isn’t my dream gig. You see, I yearned to be a private detective, a Veronica Mars 2.0. Problem is, my grandfather is against the idea. Dead set against it.

So with the stench from the trash bags mounting, I steered FoY’s van onto the off-ramp and headed toward Rosenberg Laboratory just off the freeway exit. My mind was filled with thoughts of a steamy shower, maybe a few hours of shut-eye before punching the clock at nine. I stared forward, squinted. And iced over. Up ahead. Wrong-way traveling. A panel truck advanced, peeling rubber.

Faster.

Closer.

Zeroed in to hit me.

I whipped the van off the road, the red, white, and blue panel truck whizzing past. I slammed on the brakes, fighting to control the wheel. I wrestled with it, panicked, my mind flashing on one fortunate thing: no seniors were in the van.

Tons of hazards burst before my eyes. I struggled to absorb them. A mangled guardrail zigzagged up ahead; its many gaps from other out-of-control vehicles big as life. Worse was the wall of giant Douglas-firs growing beyond, lower trunks scarred, limbs low and swaying.

I was going to careen through the railing.

I was going to hit the trees.

I was going to die.

Enter to win! Marianne is giving away a $25 gift card to the book retailer of the winner’s choice!

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About the author:

Marianne Harden loves a good laugh. So much so, she cannot stop humor from spilling into her books. Over the years she has backpacked through the wilds of Australia, explored the exotics of Asia, soaked up the sun in the Caribbean, and delighted in the historic riches of Europe. Her goals in life are simple: do more good than harm and someday master the do-not-mess-with-me look. She divides her time between Switzerland and Washington State where she lives with her husband and two children.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Release Day Blitz….Avenging Angel by Cynthia Eden

Welcome to the Avenging Angel by Cynthia Eden Release Day Blitz!

Book Blurb:

EARTHLY DELIGHTS

With a messed up family background and a tendency to grow claws and fangs, Tanner Chance isn’t exactly the boy next door. But he’s a decent cop, and he keeps himself on the side of the good guys. Convenient, because when he rescues a survivor of a horrific shifter attack he finds himself instantly smitten—with an honest-to-goodness angel, as innocent as she is irresistible.

Marna may be angelic, but she’s not stupid or weak. She can take care of herself. Tanner is more temptation than protection anyway. Or so she thinks, until someone wearing her face starts taking out some of New Orleans’ more unsavory paranormals. With police and predators both gunning for her blood, Marna has no choice but to trust Tanner…even though what’s sparking between them is hotter than anything holy.

“Avenging Angel” By Cynthia Eden

EXCERPT

The delicate angel had broken.

Did she even realize that tears slid down her cheeks? Tanner Chance kept guard by her side. His hand was on her arm, stroking her.

He couldn’t seem to stop touching her.

They’d found her body in the swamp. At first, he’d thought that she was already dead.

So much blood.

Then she’d moved, and he’d realized just what his sick freak of a brother had done.

Sliced the wings right off an angel.

Her lashes lifted and her eyes, the palest blue he’d ever seen, locked right on him. No, those eyes seemed to see right through him. Tanner cleared his throat. He was a cop. He’d spent too many years seeing blank expressions like that on the faces of victims. “You…you’re safe now.” He’d keep her safe. “You just need to rest.”

She didn’t speak, and he didn’t know what else he was supposed to say to her. He never knew what to say to the victims. He just knew how to make the bastards who hurt them pay.

He was very good at delivering justice. But this time…

An angel.

She had to hate him. She knew who he was. Knew that his brother was the fucked-up asshole who’d tortured her. Tanner cleared his throat and finally managed to tell her, “I’m not like him.”

Her eyes never left his.

And he was still touching her. Her skin was the softest he’d ever felt. The smoothest. Her flesh was golden and perfect.

Or, it had been, until claws had ripped into her back and torn that flesh wide open.

Her breath exhaled softly. “When I’m stronger…”

Tanner leaned closer because he could barely hear her words. “What is it? What do you need?” Anything. He’d do—

“When I’m stronger, you should…stay away from me.”

He glanced at her small hands. They’d had to bind her wrists when they strapped her down. Not to hurt her, but to keep the little blond angel from hurting them.

The angel before him—Marna—she wasn’t some sweet and gentle guardian angel.

She was an angel of death. One who could, and had, killed with just a touch.

He could touch her all that he wanted. That was the way the game worked with angels. But the instant her hand touched him…

Dead.

If she wanted him dead, all she had to do was touch him, and she could send him straight to hell.

She smiled at him. The smile made her seem even lovelier and then the angel said, “When I’m stronger, when I’m free…get as far away from me as you can.” The faintest of pauses then, “Because I’ll have my vengeance.”

She didn’t look so broken anymore.

“Remember…to run, shifter.”

He didn’t move, and he damn well kept touching her. “I’m not the running kind.” Not anymore. The scared kid he’d been had died long ago. Now he fought any bastard who came his way—and he made sure to win his battles.

His angel kept her cold smile and told him, “Wait and see…you will be…”

Book Links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Books A Million ~ IndieBound

About the Author:

USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA^® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.

Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.

Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.

(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people). Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.

Website/Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB Author Page ~ Goodreads

Release Day Event….South of Surrender by Laura Kaye

South of Surrender Release Day Blitz Giveaway

From the amazing Laura Kaye:

“I am thrilled to welcome Chrysander Notos to the world today! Chrys is the hero of South of Surrender, the third book in my Greek-mythology inspired Hearts of the Anemoi series. The Anemoi were wind gods the Greeks associated with controlling the wind, the weather, and the seasons, and as the summer god, Chrys is the hottest of them all! Need more proof? Check out this hot excerpt and the giveaway that follows!”

Unable to resist the draw to her any longer, Chrys claimed her mouth, devouring, searching, taking.

Laney froze, then was right there with him.

Their tongues met, dueled, twirled. He fisted his hand in her hair and guided her, deepening when he wanted, restraining her when he needed.

Her hands slid up his chest toward his neck.

Chrys gasped into the kiss, but fought the reflexive desire to pull away. Instead, he pushed her back one step, then another, until her back encountered the door. He grabbed her arms and pressed them to the surface over her head. The control flooded relief through him and fueled his arousal another notch.

“I want to touch you,” she whispered around a kiss.

His brain scrambled for a moment, and then he wedged his body in tighter, the ridge of his cock coming in snug against her belly. She unleashed a strangled moan as Chrys plundered her mouth, relished her sweet taste, bathed in her life-giving heat.

Good gods, her body was absolutely alive with her arousal. She clenched and unclenched her hands, her arm muscles flexing where he restrained her. Her abdomen writhed against his, creating a maddening friction against his erection. Her thighs shifted and squeezed.

It was only with the barest of restraint that he resisted willing her clothing away, turning her to face the wall, and tugging her hips out so he could bury himself deep.

Lost in the imagery, Chrys didn’t notice the change in her movements until she slowly dragged her injured leg up the outside of his. Her wrists pressed against his hold and a yearning moan worked up her throat. “Chrys,” she whimpered, her thigh moving higher and wrapping around.

His pulse lunged into a sprint. Damnit. He pulled back and stepped away, the phantom feeling of her flesh trapping his spiking fear through him. “I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his lips, regret a rock in his stomach. He could still feel her, taste her. Making sure she was steady on her feet, he dropped his hands from holding hers.

GIVEAWAY!

Win 1 of 5 $50 gift cards to winners’ choice of Amazon/B&N/iTunes!

HOW TO ENTER?

Did you have a favorite line from the excerpt? Comment with your email address to enter to win! Open to international! Giveaway runs for one day and ends at midnight PST on May 28!

Visit more participating Blitz Day sites for more excerpts and more ways to win! And look out for the South of Surrender Blog Tour to start next week with more excerpts and giveaways! Check out the awesome early reviews coming in for the book, too!

Thanks for reading!

Laura

About South of Surrender:

She’s the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within..

Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious storms that threaten the mortal realm and dangerously drain Chrys.

Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather’s horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible—and beautiful—creature crashing down from the heavens.

Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can’t resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who’s ever loved the real him.

Buy at Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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Review….Tangled by Emma Chase

Buy from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything – or anyone – derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

My Review:

Tangled is the debut from author Emma Chase. By the third page I was laughing out loud and completely hooked!! This book was deliciously AMAZING!

This story open up with Drew Evans, über successful investment banker and ladies man extraordinaire, complaining to us about his awful bout with the flu….or so he is trying to convince us (as well as trying to convince himself). Turns out Drew is the newest member of the Broken Heart Club, something he’s totally unfamiliar with. You see, Drew is a wealthy, handsome, successful, young and single playboy. He loves his life. Working hard and playing harder. It’s a new girl every weekend and that’s how he likes it. He has no desire to be tied down…well, at least in the whole relationship sense that is *wink*. It’s at the start of one of those bachelor weekends that he meets a stunningly beautiful brunette who turns him down flat….a concept he’s also unfamiliar with. Naturally he can’t stop thinking about her…and as luck would have it, he won’t have to wonder about her for too long as she is the newest member of his family’s investment firm. Drew isn’t sure whether to curse or thank the fates for this little surprise. Kate is totally off limits…not only does she work with him, she’s engaged to another man and there’s also that little problem of her shutting down every advance he makes. Drew has never wanted anyone more than he wants Kate. Ever. Will he be as successful with Kate as he is in every other aspect of his life? God, he sure hopes so.

So as I had said, by page three I was HOOKED! This book is effing HILARIOUS! I will say, I have never read a romance told from the guy’s perspective, but Emma kicked ass! Drew is seriously a guy any gal would be lucky to have. He is funny, charming, handsome, the whole package. He’s loyal to his bro-friends. He loves his family, even if he has a colorful nickname for his sister and although he’s pretty much a womanizer, he does it in the cutest way! What’s most enjoyable about this story is that he talks to the reader. Actually speaks to us. It plays out like a Ferris Bueller movie! Like, in the middle of a scene, Drew stops and makes side notes to the reader. I LOVED that! It was such a different reading experience and will be really hard to beat. I loved Kate as well. She is a perfect match for Drew. And she knocks him to his knees…hard and fast and it is delicious to watch play out. Oh, I should probably mention there are some of the hottest and well-written smexy scenes I’ve had the pleasure of reading and had me drooling! Damn, Emma can write a sex filled weekend like no other! Over all I LURVED this book and devoured it. It was one of those take-your-ereader-everywhere-you-go-in-case-you-have-a-mesely-five-minutes-to-spare kind of reads.

If you’ve started your summer reading list, move this one to the TOP! And if you haven’t started your summer reading list, who cares….buy this book and read it now! You will not be disappointed! Thank you, Emma, for a kick-ass, fresh and addictive read….I will certainly be looking for more of your work in the future!

Five Loves

About the author:

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Frisky Friday featuring Ruby & Troy from His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey

This Frisky Friday features Ruby and Troy from Tessa Bailey’s latest release: His Risk to Take….Enjoy!

Buy from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble

When his hot gaze landed on her mostly naked body, he sucked in a breath. She forced herself to stand still, keep her hands from covering her breasts like they were tempted to do. Let him look his fill. Finally, when she thought she might catch fire under his heated gaze, he stalked toward her.

Troy kept coming until he’d forced her back up against the hallway wall. His arms shot out to rest on either side of her head, his gaze burning a path from her breasts down to her bare legs and back up again. Her skin felt bathed in fire everywhere he looked. Her nipples puckered for his attention. Goose bumps broke out along her arms. She couldn’t take it a second longer.

“Are you going to spend all night looking? Or are you actually going to do something about it?”

He took another step closer, bringing their bodies flush, growling deep in his throat at the contact. She watched as a transformation took place in him. Gone was the man concerned for her safety who’d cooked her an omelet. He’d been replaced by someone raw and assertive. The change should have intimidated her, but she couldn’t deny feeling a rush of excitement. Anticipation. “You might get away with running that smart mouth to other people. But you won’t get away with it here. If you continue to challenge me with every word out of your mouth, I will fuck you repeatedly until you learn to play nice.”

Part of her screamed in offense, the other half wanted to beg him to do it. In this moment, with a thousand sensations pouring through her, the latter half won hands down. “You’d better get started, then.”

“You’re going to regret that.”

His mouth descended, hard and punishing, on hers. Her desperate moan collided with his as he forced her lips open and licked into her mouth. Ruby immediately went light-headed, her balance deserting her. She clutched the front of his shirt to ground herself, give herself the leverage to return his kiss, but his mouth dominated hers, rebuking her for challenging him. She fought back, pulling him closer to suck his tongue, bite at his lips. He sunk his hands into her hair, tugging just enough to let her know how close to the edge she’d pushed him. Finally, he pulled away for breath, air racing in and out past his lips.

When he spoke, his voice sounded raw. “What changed your mind?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.” He leaned in and nipped the underside of her jaw. “It damn well matters.”

Heat pooled between her legs, stealing even more of her breath. She couldn’t think of anything but the truth. “Maybe I just decided to live in the moment.”

Troy pulled back to study her, scrutinizing her expression. Base hunger clouding his features, he shook his head once. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

Using his teeth, he scraped a path up the side of her neck. “I mean, when I sink my cock between those insane thighs, I need to know you’re not going to regret it afterward.” He dropped his hand to the underside of her panties, where he palmed her roughly. “I need you right there with me, loving every second of me riding you. Knowing I’m going to do it all over again within the hour.”

She bit back a moan as he applied pressure right where she needed it. “You’re turning me down? It doesn’t feel like it.”

“I’m not capable of turning you down,” he said on a pained laugh, gaze devouring her breasts. “I’m going to take you to my bed and pleasure the fuck out of you. But the panties stay on. It’s nonnegotiable.”

Her entire system rebelled against his words. How could he touch her, kiss her like this, and refuse to take it all the way? It didn’t make sense. Men didn’t have that kind of willpower, did they? She certainly didn’t have that kind of willpower. “W-what? Is it too late to give a different answer about why I changed my mind?”

“Yes. But don’t worry, baby.” Before she could register his intention, he’d swung her up into his arms. “Even with your panties on, it’ll still be the best sex of your life.”

Blog Tour, Giveaway & Review….Chica Bella by Carly Fall

I am honored to be a part of the Chica Bella by Carly Fall Blog Tour!

Also, Carly is giving away a $10 gift card to one lucky winner so be sure to enter to win in the rafflecopter below and enjoy the excerpt below my review!

But from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Landon “Blackhawk” Walker is ready to get out of the Navy SEALs. He has seen and done enough, and can’t wait to get to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where three tasks await him: get back into civilian mode, take a boat out to the El Arco Rocks, and win back the heart of the woman he lost because of his career.

Maya Gonzalez has tired of the heartbreak that comes with Landon’s deployments year after year. When he walks back into her life, she cannot deny her heart, despite her reservations.

As they lose themselves in each other and the beauty of Cabo, their passion is rekindled once again, but Maya knows that one phone call means deployment for Landon, putting an end to their reunion, and possibly their relationship.

My Review:

Chica Bella is the first work I have read by Carly Fall and is part of her Honor Guard Series. Being a sucker for a man in uniform, I was eager to dig into this book and was happy I did….it was a great read!

Landon Walker is a Navy SEAL who has recently come off of assignment and has come to realize that he may be finished with the SEAL life. He is back in Cabo San Lucas and hoping the woman he has had to leave behind more times than he cares to think about will take him back…again. Only this time, he hopes he will be able to stay with her, forever.

Maya can’t believe he’s back, sitting here at her bar, and bringing all sorts of emotions back to life within her. Hurt, relief, longing, lust, just to name a few. He had left her nine months ago and she has been worried sick and trying to live a life without him…and now he’s back. Popping in just as he always does. This time she isn’t sure she has the strength to love him and have him leave without a word until he can return again. Sure, she understands his service to his country comes first, but she’s tired of coming second.

Landon and Maya only have two weeks, maybe less, to reignite the flame they have between them and enjoy as much of one another as they can. Landon is praying he gets the call he desperately wants…the call that they have found his replacement and he can spend the rest of his life at peace, with Maya.

Even though this story is only 53 pages, is has everything a 300 page story has. Love, emotional turmoil, lust and eventually, happiness. I really enjoyed Carly’s writing style and was drawn to the characters from the beginning of the story and was entertained until the very end. I will definitely be checking out more of her work!

Thank you, Carly, for packing a whole lot into a small package!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Four Loves

Excerpt:

“Where were you?” she finally asked, her voice quiet.

“Afghanistan.”

He didn’t look at her, but he felt her body tense next to his. “Were you hurt?”

He shrugged, but then thought better of trying to blow off her questions. Maya had always said she wanted nothing but honesty from him, and he had been the one to offer this Q&A.

“I took some shrapnel in my chest, but it was all superficial.” He gazed down at her as she studied his chest as if she could see the wounds he was talking about.

“Did you kill?” she whispered, her stare never leaving his chest.

Dammit. This was the part he hated because she abhorred violence, but killing was his job. If he didn’t take out the bad guys, they would kill American soldiers, and he would be damned if that happened on his watch. “Yes.”

She closed her eyes for a moment.

“Did you think of me?”

“Oh, God, Maya.” He put his finger under her chin and turned her face to his. Her brown eyes sparkled with tears that made his heart feel as though it might quit beating. “Maya, it’s always you. It’s thinking of you that made me want to stay alive. It’s the thought of your smile, your face, your body pressed up against mine that kept me warm at night, the sound of your laughter that made me smile when I felt like I couldn’t smile again. Maya….”

He didn’t know what else to say, so he did what he had wanted to do since the day he left her almost a year ago.
He brought his lips to hers.

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About the author:

I am a wife, a mother and a slave to Nicky the dog.

I think chocolate and wine should be considered their own food group, and I wish Christmas happened twice a year.

I love the hot summer nights here in Arizona when my family and I play in our pool until late at night, and I hate 99.8% of politicians.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website

Book Blast….Horn Gate by Damon Suede

I am beyond excited to be a part of the Book Blast for Horn Gate by Damon Suede! Enjoy and don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter below!

Buy from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble ~ Buy from All Romance ~ Buy from Dreamspinner Press

Book Blurb:

Open at your own risk.

Librarian Isaac Stein spends his lumpy, lonely days restoring forgotten books, until the night he steals an invitation to a scandalous club steeped in sin. Descending into its bowels, he accidentally discovers Scratch, a wounded demon who feeds on lust.

Consorting with a mortal is a bad idea, but Scratch can’t resist the man who knows how to open the portal that will free him and his kind. After centuries of possessing mortals, he finds himself longing to surrender.

To be together, Isaac and Scratch must flirt with damnation and escape an inhuman trafficking ring—and they have to open their hearts or they will never unlock the Horn Gate.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. Though new to romance fiction, Damon has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades. He’s won some awards, but counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year. Get in touch with him at DamonSuede.com.

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Google + ~ Amazon ~ Facebook ~ Manic Readers ~ GLBT Bookshelf

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Blog Tour, Giveaway & Review….His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey

Being a huge fan of Tessa Bailey and her writing, I am thrilled to be a part of the Blog Tour for His Risk to Take!

I am even more thrilled to be able to give away an e-copy of His Risk to Take! You can enter to win in the rafflecopter below…good luck!

Buy from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

The greater the risk, the hotter the reward…

Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control—until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he’ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.

Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy’s avoiding, but when she walks into O’Hanlon’s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her—risks be damned. But there’s a connection between Ruby’s shadowed past and a case Troy’s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?

My Review:

This is the second story in Tessa Bailey’s Line of Duty Series and after devouring her first, Protecting What’s His, I was dying to get my hands on this novella…oh boy, Tessa has done it again! This book was a-freaking-mazing!

Ruby Elliott is expecting a typical night of pool table hustling when she heads into O’Hanlon’s Pub. What Ruby isn’t expecting is an instant zing of sexual awareness when it comes to the sexy stranger at the bar. She certainly isn’t expecting her reaction of wanting to take him up on his offer of a safe place to stay for the night when the boys she’s hustled out of some serious bank decide to make things a bit unsafe for her to walk home alone. Now the question becomes does she use her street smarts and brazen attitude to lure this sexy stranger in, or push him away?

Troy Bennett just wants to enjoy a night out with his new NYPD colleagues without the haunting memories of his former life in Chicago constantly nagging at him. Although, it isn’t really easy to erase the horrific memory of your partner being killed. Lucky for Troy he just may have found the distraction he’s been looking for in the leggy brunette having her way with a game of pool and blindsiding a bunch of schmucks out of too much cash for their liking. Hopefully he can ignore the fact that he’s a cop and she’s clearly walking a thin line between legal and illegal activity…and hopefully he can convince her she has no choice but to come home with him.

Troy and Ruby, while coming from two completely different backgrounds and current stations in life, may just find the balance they both need in each other’s differences.

Dear all things holy on this earth, this story was on freaking FIRE! I was hooked from the very first sexy convo between Ruby and Troy in the first chapter. Troy takes alpha male to a whole new level, and damn, it’s gonna be hard finding another book boyfriend to live up to him. He is sexy, strong, determined and talks a game that he backs up with undisputable proof that he is all that and a bag of chips. He makes dirty talk a freaking form of art! I do believe I actually groaned out loud while reading some of his dialogue. Ruby is kick ass. She has had a rough life but has made the most of it, sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and is doing all she can to make a normal life for herself on the right side of the law. She is strong-willed and gritty with a hard exterior but also has a soft side with a loyal streak that can’t be beat. The two of them together are explosive and beyond sexy. They find each other’s buttons immediately and waste no time pushing them…and damn if it doesn’t make for one hell of a show! There’s a scene in this book that goes up on my list of hottest scenes ever written (hint: pool table!). Besides the heat factor, this story is also about overcoming obstacles and learning to love and be loved. For as many sexy moments there are, there are as many tender and heartwarming ones. I honestly went from fanning myself one minute to crying for Troy and his pain the next minute. I consider that the mark of a great read.

Thank you, Tessa, for another sexy, emotional, exciting and satisfying story. You will forever be on my go-to author list and I will continue to look forward to reading your work!

*I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Five Loves

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About the author:

Tessa lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

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ARC Review….Lockout by Maya Cross

Lockout releases May 22

Synopsis:

Who is Sebastian Lock?

Sophia had never felt attraction like that before. Raw. Electric. Irresistible. Swept off her feet by the dashing, enigmatic billionaire Sebastian Lock, she was taken on a journey of self-discovery, taken to places she never dreamed she’d go.

But things are never as simple as they appear. Sophia’s trust is a fragile thing, and Sebastian seems insistent on testing it. He has his own demons to battle, and nobody has brought them to the fore like she has.

As their relationship deepens, and Sophia begins to break down his walls, all that greets her are more questions. Why is Sebastian fighting so hard to keep her at a distance? Who is the girl on the background of his phone? And why does the strange tattoo on his chest seem so familiar?

These puzzles plague her, but as Sebastian’s mysteries begin to unravel, she must face an entirely different truth. Staying in the dark may be painful, but finding the answers could be deadly.

My Review:

This is the second installment of The Alpha Group Series by Maya Cross and picks up where book one, Locked, left us. I was eagerly awaiting this story and finding out what was to come next for Sebastian and Sophia.

Sophia is enjoying what started out as a casual fling with Sebastian, but is slowly turning into something much deeper…to her at least. She has been burned in the past and knows that Sebastian wasn’t looking for a serious relationship when they first got together but she knows she sees the same feelings developing in Sebastian that she has developed herself. Now she must decide if she’s ready to lay it all out on the line and express what Sebastian is coming to mean to her. Will he reciprocate?

Sebastian is a mysterious man with a lot of secrets. Some secrets he is willing to share with Sophia, as she is coming to mean much more than a casual fling to him. Some secrets aren’t his to share. He knows Sophia is going to want more from him besides great sex…and the problem is he is finding he wants the same things from her. Sebastian realizes it’s only a matter of time before she asks him to open up and let her in, and he knows not being able to let her in completely will break what they have found.

Together, Sophia and Sebastian will have to walk a perilous line between letting a relationship grow or cutting off the sunlight and letting it wither and die completely.

As I had said earlier, I was anxiously awaiting part two in the Alpha Group Series, Lockout, and I wasn’t disappointed. Sophia and Sebastian continue their hot and heavy love affair with heated nights together and delicious chemistry…this time, however, we get to see the bliss spent in the hours after which eventually turn into mornings after. Sophia, of course is thrilled but something is bothering Sebastian. Eventually Sophia calls him out on his aloof attitude, because honestly, that’s what kind of a kick ass heroine she is. He shares some things about his past, and we learn to love Sebastian for more than his wealth and devastating good looks. He has come from some very humble beginnings and has loved, and lost, along the way. But it’s when Sophia wants to know more about his work that turns things into an ugly direction. All of this, added with more hint of mystery and an unsolved murder, has Lockout earning a spot on my recommendation list!

I am looking forward to seeing what Ms. Cross has in store for Sophia and Sebastian as the series continues! Thank you, Maya, for another fabulous read!

Four Loves

About the author:

Maya Cross is writer who enjoys making people blush. Growing up with a mother who worked in a book store, she read a lot from a very young age, and soon enough picked up a pen of her own. Her previous work spans many genres including horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and she has now started this pen name as an outlet for her spicier thoughts (they were starting to overflow). She likes her heroes strong but mysterious, her encounters sizzling, and her characters true to life.

She believes in writing familiar narratives told with a twist, so most of her stories will feel comfortable, but hopefully a little unique. Whatever genre she’s writing, finding a fascinating concept is the first, and most important step.

The Alpha Group is her first foray into erotic romance, and she absolutely loved writing it.

When she’s not writing, she’s playing tennis, trawling her home town of Sydney for new inspiration, and drinking too much coffee

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ARC Review….In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

In Too Deep releases June 6

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Synopsis:

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.

Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

My Review:

I am beyond lucky to have received an advance copy of In Too Deep, the debut work from Michelle Kemper Brownlow. This was a story that pulled me in and didn’t let go….and I loved it!

Gracie is a happy, innocent, southern good girl with a great life, a great boyfriend with her whole college career, and life, ahead of her. Everything is going well in her life until she meets Noah, the typical handsome, rugged bad boy with a reputation that screams: STAY AWAY. As much as Gracie knows all about Noah, and his frat-boy ways, she also knows he shows her a softer side of himself that no one has ever had the honor of seeing. It’s a rare glimpse into his soul she knows she can’t resist and isn’t willing to run from, no matter how bad his reputation is.

Noah has had his fair share of girls…but there’s something about Gracie. She makes him want to be a better person. He realizes he’s fallen for her….hard and fast. The problem is, he’s been the bad boy for so long, it’s all he knows. The revolving door of girls, the parties, the booze and the cocky attitude that comes with it. Hell bent on getting Gracie, he’s willing to do whatever it takes. But when Gracie transfers to his college, even the best laid plans can crumble….and soon Noah’s ability in excelling at being a bad boy prick outshines his efforts to be the kind of guy she needs and deserves.

Gracie and Noah have a road ahead that will end up taking a toll on emotions, friendships and will end up crushing each of them in very different ways.

As I had said earlier in this review, this book pulled me in and didn’t let go until I read the very last word on the very last page….even as I write this review, Gracie and Noah’s story is with me. This was a high emotion, gut wrenching, beautifully bittersweet love story…one that I’m sure many of us can relate to. It’s a story about being so in love with a person that no matter what their faults are, the want and need to believe in that person trumps all reason…even if you know deep down inside what you are fighting for simply isn’t worth it. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to scream at Noah, and Gracie, while reading. Michelle has done such an amazing job at transporting the reader into Gracie and Noah’s world and feeling all of the twisted emotions in this story. I audibly gasped and was actually talking to Gracie while I was reading….I’m not sure if I have ever done that before with a book! I was so utterly conflicted while reading Gracie and Noah’s relationship and the up’s and down’s that came with it. And let me say, they were some great up’s and dismal down’s…but I loved it and I felt it. I felt the hurt and the pain and the happiness. Gracie grew up before our eyes, thanks to some amazing friends, and I was cheering for her to become the woman she had the potential to be from the very first chapter. Noah is a sad soul, who I was also cheering for…but there are some things that he did that I had to put my megaphone away for. The back and forth between them took a toll on me, but in my opinion, that’s the sign of a good book. I want to feel something in the hours after I’ve finished reading, and Michelle has done that with In Too Deep.

I was a nervous wreck for the ending. Noah had pulled my back into his corner many, many times throughout the story that I was truly conflicted with if I wanted them together or not. Well, I won’t spoil it, but I will say I was relieved and delighted with how it played out. Perfect, if you ask me.

Thank you, Michelle, for an amazing story. I look forward to reading more from you and I know you have a bright future bringing us your amazing writing talent!

* I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Four-and-a-half Loves

About the author:

Michelle Kemper Brownlow has been a storyteller her entire life. Her debut was on the high school cheerleading bus granting requests to re-tell her most embarrassing moments for a gaggle of hysterical squadmates.
Earning her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University in Art Education and then marrying her very own “Jake,” she moved to Binghamton, NY where she taught high school. After having two children she quit work and finished her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at Binghamton University.
The Brownlow family of four moved to Michelle’s hometown of Morgantown, PA while the children were still quite young. A few years after moving, her family grew by one when they welcomed a baby into their home through the gift of adoption. The family still resides in PA, just miles from where that high school cheer bus was parked.
Michelle has been an artist for as long as she can remember, always choosing pencils and crayons over toys and puzzles. As a freelance illustrator, her simple characters play the starring roles in numerous emergent reader books published by Reading Reading Books.
“Writing is my way of making sense of the world. When I give my characters life on the pages I write, it frees up space in my mind to welcome in new stories that are begging to be told,” says Brownlow.

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Book Tour & Giveaway…Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier

Synopsis:

Amanda Larson is dedicated to her job and doesn’t want to make time for anything else. Until she runs into Jake Edwards. He used to be the cute boy next door; now he’s a sexy, big shot lawyer.

Jake Edwards isn’t interested in commitment. He’s successful, sexy, and single–and that’s how he likes it. When he reconnects with Amanda, Jake realizes he might have to rethink his philosophy on the carefree, bachelor lifestyle.

But, is it too late for them? Or can he convince her that he’s ready to give her his heart?

Excerpt:

In high school, Amanda was someone special. Hell, even before then. Their parents were best friends, which had forced Jake and Amanda together. At first, he’d thought it was a hindrance. Later, when she developed longer legs and a bigger bust, he found himself around her more. After discovering her quirkiness, her love of art and her sense of humor, he actually enjoyed being around her. But he never touched her.

He contemplated running his fingers through her hair like he did his first year of college –– the last time they were alone –– the night he left town and never saw her again.

Did she remember the night he left? Of course she did. Seven years ago, he’d ruined their friendship. He knew Amanda almost as well as he knew himself. Well, he’d known her. Now she was a different woman.

Jake leaned in closer, running his hand down her arm. “Know what I’m thinking?”

Amanda fiddled with her coaster and smiled at him. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

“I’m thinking we should spend a lot more time together.” He reached over and held her chin. “It’s been way too long.”

Amanda licked her lips, and damn it, it actually turned him on. Sweet little Mandy Larson wasn’t so sweet anymore. She was driving him crazy.

She moved closer bridging distance. “Why wait? There’s no time like the present.”

“Exactly.” He drank the last of his beer as the waiter returned with her martini sans olive.

Jake leaned on the table with his elbows, folded his hands together and studied her. “Look at you, drinking a martini, living the life in New York City.” He examined her from head to toe. “A sexy skirt. Tall boots.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “A beautiful face.”

Amanda hiccupped and put down her glass. “Now, wait a minute. I know it’s been a while, but some things never change, including you.” She wagged her finger at him. “No smooth talking with me. Don’t forget I used to know you better than anybody.”

Because his fingers actually ached with the need to touch her again, he reached over and held her hand. “Yeah, but things have changed, Mandy. We’re two different people now, and I can’t wait to get to know who you are now.”

Melinda will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate and an ecopy of Time Changes Everything. Winner will be announced on Melinda’s blog May 25. Good luck!

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About the author:

Reading romance has always been at the top of Melinda’s favorite past times. After hectic days of teaching English to middle school students, Melinda finds time to write and read in the evenings. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband, three boys and German Sheppard. She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they are grown. Melinda loves reality TV, traveling, blogging and playing Words With Friends.

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