Pocket Star eBook Summer Event & Giveaway….Jumped by Colette Auclair

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Your summer Mondays just got more exciting!

XOXOAfterDark, Pocket Star’s romance and genre fiction community site, is hosting a special Summer eBook event!
Every Monday in July and August, you’ll find a Pocket Star-E Night post on XOXOAfterDark featuring three great Pocket Star eBooks…and Read-Love-Blog will also be highlighting one of the amazing titles each Monday!
So, mark your calendars to stop by every Monday to see what exciting new title is highlighted AND for a chance to win an copy of that title!

Jumped COVER

JUMPED

by Colette Auclair

Today Read-Love-Blog is thrilled to feature JUMPED by Colette Auclair!
We will also be having a giveaway for 5 ecopies of Jumped!
Just comment on this blog post to be entered to win.
Thanks for stopping by!

SUMMARY:
A young woman in the equestrian fashion business finds herself head over heels for none other than her ex-husband in Colette Auclair’s steamy sequel to her 2012 Golden Heart finalist and “page-turning debut” (Library Journal), Thrown.

Thoroughly enjoying herself at a friend Amanda’s wedding, Beth finds herself in an unexpected state of shock when she realizes she’s been seated next to her ex-husband, Finn, at the reception. Determined to not let this fluster her, Beth strikes up a conversation only to learn Finn isn’t the same man she walked away from.

Relieved the reception is over, Beth is looking forward to a relaxing weekend against the beautiful backdrop of sunny Aspen at her best friend Amanda’s estate. Little does she know Finn will be partaking in the weekend activities too. But just as Beth decides to keep as much distance between her and Finn as possible, Finn has a terrible accident and Beth is stuck being his bedside nurse.

Over the course of the weekend, Beth and Finn discover that the wounds of their failed marriage are not all that’s left. There are sparks…and hope. But just as they decide to give their relationship another try, Finn confesses a huge secret that could destroy everything he’s fought to get back—Beth, their relationship, and another chance at love.

Will Beth turn away, or will she take a leap of faith and say “I do” once (again) and for all?

EXCERPT:

Around midnight, Bethany came into the cabin with Mingo padding after her and closed the door as gently as she could.

“Mmm,” Finn said from his bed. Mingo went straight for him, a brown cylindrical rocket.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s fine.” He slept with his broken leg propped on a few pillows. He pet Mingo, who was beside himself with happiness, wagging his stubby breakfast-sausage tail as though the earth’s rotation relied on it.

“Do you need anything?” she asked as she turned on a lamp next to the sofa and came to his bedside. He was rumpled. Finn could pull off rumpled like Kardashians pulled off wedding rings. Beth’s mouth went a tad dry.

He shook his head. “No thanks.”

“Have you seen my phone?” She went into the bathroom.

“Uh . . . let me look,” he said.

She emerged and was surprised to find him in the kitchen, scanning the counter.

“You didn’t have to get up!” she said. “I wondered if you happened to see it. I’m not sure where I left it and thought it might be here.” She crossed to the coffee table in front of the couch and looked under an architecture magazine Grady had gotten for Finn.

Finn hobbled over. His expression was . . . unwelcoming. “You have a fruitful discussion with Jack?”

To anyone else, Finn’s question would have seemed benign. But Beth heard the edge. She lifted a cushion on the sofa and peered under it as she spoke.
“For the love of God, Finn. Yes. He was great. Thanks for asking.” She made sure to sound happy. Wow, but he could be annoying.
“Business? That’s all you two talked about?”
She rolled her eyes. “My business? Yes, for the most part. I also talked to Harris, Amanda, and Grady. What are you getting at?” She looked under another cushion, then at Finn.
He gave her a look. You know what I mean. “He must be a cheerful guy.”
“Why?”
“You two sure laughed a lot.”
“Do you know your leg will heal faster if you stop being an ass? Go back to bed.”
“Do you trust him? You think he knows what he’s talking about?”
“Jack? Yes.” She picked up each of the five magazines on the coffee table. No phone. “Grady wouldn’t have put me in touch with him if he wasn’t good at what he does. Did you question Grady about the orthopedist he sent you to?”
She needed to stand her ground, so she made a point to stand tall, facing him. Her pulse wasn’t exactly racing, but it wasn’t slow, either. She was letting Finn get to her. She had to Teflon up.
Finn asked, “He’s a good-looking guy, don’t you think?”
Oh, he wouldn’t dare. “Yeah,” she said. “Very good looking.”
She crossed to an armchair, speaking as she looked under its cushion. “Smokin’ hot. Broad shoulders.” She looked under the other chair’s cushion. “Beautiful eyes. Great ass. You bet he was good-looking. A complete and total hottie.” Take that.
“Did he hit on you?”
She faced him. “I think a better use of your time and energy would be to help me find my phone.”
His eyes were dark-denim blue. “Did he hit on you?”
“Oh my God, would you stop! What if he did? What business is it of yours? We’re not married anymore, remember?” Beth wiggled her left ring finger at him. Then she got on all fours and looked under the chair next to him.
Finn’s mouth was a hard seam that turned down at the ends. He looked like a rank stallion. He filled the space above her with his wide shoulders and anger.
She huffed out a breath. “No. It was business.” Before she spoke her next words, she rose and stood directly in front of him. “But if he had, I would’ve said yes and I would’ve liked it.”
If Finn wanted to be this way, fine. She would give it right back to him. She glared. Come on, Finn. You wanna dance? Let’s dance.
She was trying to guess what his next caveman accusation would be. Would he go overtly sexual? A classic character assassination? The dumb jock route, because Jack didn’t work for his business, but got lucky in sports?
Finn wedged the crutches beneath his arms and grabbed Beth’s biceps. She gasped. She hadn’t expected this. A brigade of tingles zoomed up her body from somewhere near her ovaries. Her pulse sprinted. Finn’s stare was unnerving, full of hunger and fury as he searched her face. She wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to say.
He was shaking. After a second he pulled her to him, slanted his lips to hers, and kissed her. More liked possessed her. He cupped the back of her neck with one hand and pressed her mouth to his. In a half heartbeat, she remembered exactly what his lips felt and tasted like. It was surreal, vivid, and hot. They were soft, but his kiss wasn’t gentle. His jealousy was so intense, it was almost a thing, like a flavor on his tongue.

 

Link continuing the excerpt to XOXOAfterDark:
http://xoxoafterdark.com/2014/07/21/pocket-star-e-night-jumped-colette-auclair/?mcd=z?140804_AuclairJump_PSEN

Don’t forget to leave a blog post comment….
Thanks for stopping by!

Shadow Hunter by Kait Ballenger…Release Day Event

FINALLY!!

The release of Shadow Hunter has come…if you haven’t read those prequel to the EXECUTION UNDERGROUND…NOW is the time for ONLY $0.99 cents!

ShadowHunter_FINAL

Shadow Hunter (Execution Underground 0.5)
by Kait Ballenger
Release date: August 4, 2014

 

Blurb:

See where it all began in this exciting prequel to The Execution Underground, Kait Ballenger’s sexy paranormal series about the men who hunt evil and the women who love them.

Vampire hunter Damon Brock’s first assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York. But he isn’t the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family—and she works solo. But when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf, the line between good and evil blurs as they must decide between their lifelong beliefs…and their newfound desires.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299907-shadow-hunter

Buy Links-

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K4M3I26?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00K4M3I26&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadow-hunter-kait-ballenger/1119434584?ean=9781459256347

About Kait:

Kait Ballenger is a full-time romance author, wife, a former professional bellydancer, and soon-to-be-professor. She is the multi-published author of the Execution Underground paranormal romance series about an international network of supernatural hunters who fight to protect humanity.

With a B.A in English from Stetson University (2011), Kait is graduate of Spalding University’s M.F.A in Writing for Children and Young Adults program (2013), where she studied dual-genre in screenwriting.

When Kait’s not preoccupied with paranormal creepy-crawlies, she can be found spending time with her family or with her nose buried in a book. She lives in Florida with her husband, their doggie-daughter Sookie (yes, like the heroine in Charlainne Harris’ books), and two mischievous cats Elliot and Olivia (yes, like the Law and Order characters), near the love and care of her supportive family. Kait believes anything is possible with hard work and dedication. One day, she will be a bestseller and have people name their pets after her characters too.

She is represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.

Author links:

Website: http://www.kaitballenger.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kaitballengerauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kait_ballenger

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaitlynschulzromanceauthor

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review…Jumped by Colette Auclair

 Jumped releases August 4

Jumped COVER

 

Synopsis:

Thoroughly enjoying herself at her best friend Amanda’s wedding, Beth finds herself in an unexpected state of shock when she realizes she’s been seated next to her ex-husband, Finn, at the reception. Determined to not let this fluster her, Beth strikes up a conversation only to learn Finn isn’t the same man she walked away from.

Relieved the reception is over, Beth is looking forward to a relaxing weekend against the beautiful backdrop of sunny Aspen at Amanda and Grady’s estate. Little does she know Finn will be partaking in the weekend activities too. But just as Beth decides to keep as much distance between her and Finn as possible, Finn has a terrible accident and Beth is stuck being his bedside nurse.

Over the course of the weekend, Beth and Finn discover that the wounds of their failed marriage are not all that’s left. There are sparks…and hope. But just as they decide to give their relationship another try, Finn confesses a huge secret that could destroy everything he’s fought to get back—Beth, their relationship, and another chance at love.

Will Beth turn away, or will she take a leap of faith and say “I do” once (again) and for all?

 

My Review:

Jumped is the second book in author Colette Auclair’s Aspen Valley series and after loving the first book, Thrown, I was so excited to get my hands on Beth and Finn’s story. Well, Colette has done it again! This was one hell of a romance and I loved it.

It’s been years since Beth and Finn last saw each other and even the memory of that last encounter was a painful one. It’s also a memory neither one of them can ignore as they sit across from each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. What were the odds? But it was a wedding, and they were out in public, so any ill feelings had to be kept under wraps and the pain of their failed marriage kept left in the dust. If only it were that easy. The problem is, with such a brief and intense history, it was hard for Finn and Beth to ignore each other and just like that, the flame starts to reignite. Were all the issues they had really so hard that the only answer was a divorce? It’s hard to look on all the bad times and the fighting when five years later it all seemed so fixable. Will Finn and Beth get a second chance at love? Fate may have a bit of a twisted sense of humor but she intervenes and sticks Beth and Finn together for a few weeks and with that they will have no choice but to see if the amazing love they once shared is too irreparable.

With a few years of clarity and time spent apart, both Beth and Finn start to wonder if they truly can have a second shot at love and a happily ever after…together.

I feel like one of the main reasons I loved this story so much is that it is so very relatable. I’m sure many of us have had that one breakup where years later we wonder if the breakup was truly the right choice. Or, like me, you break up and take that second chance after time spent apart and get things right the second time around. It’s a story about love and mistakes and the emotions that come along with all of it. Beth and Finn both made their fair share of those mistakes but realize it now, and even if it hurts to admit those faults, they are finally able to do it. If anything it gives them a chance to heal and it was what they both needed. Finn is a total dream guy….now. He’s funny and charming and has a great career. Some of which came as a result of this divorce. Hindsight being 20/20 and all. Beth has had her own time to grown and find herself and I loved who she has become. She’s strong and driven. Loyal and kind. Together they really are a magical couple. I won’t spoil anything for you but I will say that Colette had me crying big fat happy tears at the ending! It was beautiful!

And of course, I can’t go without mentioning the amazing cast of characters from Amanda to Grady, Wave and my personal favorite, Harris…it was a joy to get to see more of them!

Thank you, Colette, for another fabulous trip to Aspen Creek!

4LovesRLBFour Loves

 

Book links:

Amazon  |  B&N

About the author:

I write lighthearted, sexy romances that often include horses and a Portuguese water dog or two. My debut novel, Thrown, will be available as an e-book in Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Star line  on December 16th (you can order it now). Stay tuned for the next book in the series, Jumped, in June 2014.

My agent is the lovely and talented Emily Sylvan Kim of Prospect Agency.

I live in Colorado and—not surprisingly—have a Thoroughbred mare and a Portuguese water dog. Both are smart, sweet and gorgeous. I’m originally from Pittsburgh and am still fiercely loyal to all of its pro sports teams. I studied theatre and advertising at Northwestern University (go Cats!) and have been a copywriter for more than twenty years. If you ever meet me, beware—anything you do or say could end up in a book and I make no apologies.

Personal Interests: Horses are right up there, as well as dogs, food (cooking and eating), wine, chocolate, gardening, Mad Men, hiking, Italy, gazing at the Rocky Mountains, reading, and making my husband laugh hard enough to cause whatever he’s drinking to exit through his nose.

If you want to talk books, writing, horses, food, wine or just about anything else, email me at colettea@gmail.com.

 

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