Read-Love-Blog

Book Promotion & Review

Bound by A.M. Hudson….Blog Tour Stop

 A.M. HUDSON

BOUND SERIES

A DARK SECRETS SERIES SPINOFF

New world. New powers. New enemies.
Elora enters the dark world of secrets from her parents’ past, and in the midst of discovering her new abilities and learning how to use them, she will be forced to fight battles she’s unprepared for in a war that supposedly ended twenty-two years ago.
Old enemies forge new friendships, leaving Elora lost and unsure who to trust, until a cocky vampire walks back into her life with a gift and a clue that will set the end of everything in motion.
The final chapter in the two-book Dark Secrets spin-off series, BOUND

 


 
AM Hudson is a music loving, book crazy, ultra passionate writer from Australia. She’s down-to-earth and as normal as a crazy person can be. A young girl at heart, she enjoys alternative music, lives to enjoy life, torture people in her novels and then write happy endings that are never forgotten. Add her as a friend on Facebook at AM Hudson Author then join her and other fans for some crazy conversations at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dark-Secrets-Series

 

Sneak into Bound

 

 


 Interview

1. When did you first start writing?

A: I’ve been writing all my life; from short stories I’d ‘sell’ to my sisters, right up tomy first really terrible novel at 14. But the Dark Secrets series was my first really serious try,which has roughly been years ago maybe more.

2. What inspired you to write?

A: Music. I hear stories in all kinds of music and love to sit quietly and imagine what the story might be.

3. Who are some of your biggest influences?

A: That’s a tough one, because there aren’t really any literary ones these days. I’d say my influences are mostly musicians and filmmakers now. Peter Jackson, Muse,Thirty seconds to Mars and Birds of Tokyo, to name a few.

4. Is there a special place you go and a certain mind frame you like to be in before you write?

A: I have 4 kids. I write when they’re not hanging off my leg.

5. What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you during your writing career?

A: I could say hitting number one several times on Amazon, but I like to think my most exiting thing is yet to happen.

6. How do you come up with all the characters and different exciting plots?

A: I imagine or dream about a character then start writing the story and the rest just falls into place, as if I have an ‘invisible friend’ writing along with me, or as if the story happened somewhere else and I’m just telling it.

7. What authors have inspired you through your writing and how did they inspire you?

A: Stephen King inspires me toss out excuses as to why I can’t write and also to write boldly.

8. Do you have advice for any writer who’s struggling right now?

A: Nothing to it but to do it. The only guarantee you have with writing is that persistence pays and quitting leads to ultimate failure. You will begin as a terrible writer, as we all do, and you will get better. But only by actually writing.

9. What’s the silliest thing that you have ever experienced in your writing career?

A: One star reviews. Ha ha ha.

10. Could you share something extra that you would like your viewers to know about you are your writing?

A: I’m a chocoholic. I suck the candy off M & Ms, three at a time, then eat the chocolate, while I write. I’m also a huge Reign, TVD and Outlander fan.

Extra things your fans would like to know

Your favorite song? Exogenisis Symphony by Muse
Your favorite food? Cadbury chocolate. And Mexican food. But it has to be authentic.
Your favorite movie? Moulin Rouge

My Thoughts

I have really gotten to know Angie and she is is one of the the most down to to earth person I know and very kind hearted. I absolutely love her books. I would read anything she writes. She is so talented her words seem to bleed off the page into you heart lingering in your mind but never leaving your soul. It imprints as Jacob did on Renesseme

If you want to follow her on facebook I have provided a link up above and you can one click her new book here on my blog as well. Go to amazon this site and give her a like please. I would like to that A M Hudson for letting me do this interview during her busy time because I know how hard it could be with writing and kids. Kudus to you Angie.

 

 

One Click her books below

 Bound 1                        Bound 2

 

Bound Paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Bound-1-M-Hudson/dp/1508965471

 

 

Join the Street Team

 

Join the Release party of Bound Series!

Other books

A.M. Hudson Changed her covers!One Click Below to buy!
  Hearts of Ashes Dark Secrets
 Mark of Betrayal  Lies in Blood
 Echoes and Silence book 2Echos and Silence  Willa Wicked

 

Blogs Posting

July 20th

Saucy Reviews on Kinky Korner 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

No Comments »

Call On Me by Roni Loren….Blog Tour Stop & Review

Call On Me Tour Banner

 

CallOnMe4

 

 

Book Blurb:

Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.

Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.

But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.

 

My Review:

Call On Me is the eighth book in author Roni Loren’s Loving On The Edge series and the first in the series I have read. Well, after reading this book I have gone back and bought the entire backlist because this book was phenomenal and Ms. Loren is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

This is an imaginative and original tale of sexy rocker meets reserved single mom with a few twists that made me fall in love with these two characters and kept me glued to every page…which seems like a rarity for me these days.

Oakley is a strong gal with a somewhat hidden talent and a story behind her reluctance to embrace it. I love the many layers to her personality. Her daughter is her life now and she does whatever is needed to make ends meet and give her a happy life. I admired that so much. I also loved how she didn’t give in right away to Pike’s charms….and there were charms aplenty! I think she gave him the right amount of “run for his money” and gives in at just the right time, in my opinion. Which, again, I think is rare in a character these days. She’s a gal I would love to be friends with if she jumped off the pages.

Pike is equally amazing. He gives Oakley the space she needs and time to warm up but his persistence is so heartwarming and sexy as hell. He truly ended up being a knight in tattooed armor and has such a delicious soft side opposite his rocker facade. He was so good with both Oakley and her daughter and I loved the sexy ways he employed to get Oakley to open up to him and try new things.

Together these two are smoking hot and deliver a delectable pairing of smoking hot heat and tender emotion. Now, I will say their journey has a few bumps along the way and the last bit of the book had me crying and my heart breaking but not to worry….Ms. Loren delivered an ending that was totally movie worthy and had me swooning and sighing happy contended sighs. I just loved it!

If you’re looking for a fresh take on the sexy hot rocker meets good girl story with well-developed characters, this is a book for you! As I said earlier, Ms. Loren is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future!

 

5LovesRLBFive Loves

J signature

 

 

Excerpt:

“So,” Devon said, obviously searching for a change in topic, “you know a guy in the next band?”

“The drummer. He’s the one helping out with that music project at Bluebonnet. He gave us tickets, thought Reagan might have fun.”

Dev’s eyebrow arched. “Right. Because he thought your kid might have fun.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Uh-huh.”

Guitar chords blasted through the speaker for a moment as the crew on stage did the sound check. Oakley turned her head as the big screens on the side of the stage lit up with a publicity photo for Darkfall—the wind making the screens ripple and the bodies in the picture come to life. The crowd cheered.

“Look, mom!” Reagan shouted back at her. “It’s Mr. Pike!”

“I see, baby.” Boy, did she. The larger than life image had Pike staring down the camera with his bandmates. Badass. Tough. Beautiful.

“Which one is he?” Devon asked, following her gaze.

“The blond.”

“Whoa,” he said low enough for the kids not to hear. “You had that guy over for pizza and managed keep your clothes on? You have more restraint than I do.”

He had no idea. “I have no interest in being a groupie.”

“Can I be one?”

She shoved his shoulder. “You’re such a tramp. I’m so telling Hunter when he gets back in town.”

“Tell him. He’d agree. But seriously, is the guy a jerk? He looks like he has high potential to be an egomaniac. I don’t want that kind of guy around my baby sister and niece.”

She frowned and dragged her eyes away from the picture. “Oh, he’s got an ego, all right. He’s entirely inappropriate most of the time and a shameless flirt. But I wouldn’t say he’s a jerk. He’s kind of, I don’t know, weird and manic and…funny.”

Devon tipped up the bill of his hat, eyeing her with a sly smile. “Oh, so we have a mad crush then?”

“What? No.”

“Oak, you’re here in the Texas heat at a hard rock festival. You don’t even know these bands. And a few weeks ago, when I asked if you wanted to take Reagan to see that 80s cover band, you told me she was too young for concerts.”

Oakley crossed her arms. “Rae has since proven her maturity.”

He smirked. “Bull. Shit. You’ve got the hots for this guy.”

“He’s not my type.”

Dev shook his head and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close so the kids couldn’t hear. “Come on, don’t freak out about it. You work too hard and spend too much time alone. This could be good for you.”

“An ill-advised hookup with a drummer who will drop me as soon as he gets bored could be good for me?”

“Exactly. Look, I know I’m your brother and shouldn’t be saying this, but there’s nothing wrong with a finding yourself a hot, temporary fuck buddy.”

“Dev!”

He laughed. “Oh, don’t be such a prude. I mean, yes, you’re right. The guy’s probably not boyfriend material. But you’re a grown woman and deserve some fun. You know we’re always happy to have Rae over if you need a date night.”

“I think you just flunked big brother school.”

He gave her shoulder a pat. “Okay, fine, want responsible brotherly advice? Use a condom. And don’t let him take video.”

She poked him in the ribs. But before she could respond to his comment, the lights on stage began to flash and the crowd surged forward, excitement like a contagion moving through them.

“Come on, mom! Let’s get closer.” Reagan grabbed her hand and dragged her with the flow of the crowd.

They’d already been pretty close to the stage, thanks to the special passes Pike had sent, but now they were only a ten or twelve rows of people back on the far left side of the stage. Bodies pressed close to them and she couldn’t help but get caught up in the fervor of the crowd.

She pushed onto her toes, knowing the drummer was almost always the first one to come out.

“Is that him?” Dev asked.

“Where?”

Devon pointed to the other end of the stage, and Oakley froze up the moment her eyes landed on Pike. Tight gray jeans, combat boots, and a black sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his ink. All swagger and sex and guyliner. Pike waltzed onto the stage like it’d been built just for him. He lifted his hand in greeting, earning screams from the audience, then hopped behind his drum kit. He put in his earpiece, raised his drumstick, and leaned over to his mic with a cocky smile. “Y’all ready for us, Dallas?”

The crowd erupted. Sound exploded from his drums.

And Oakley forgot to breathe.

Good. God.

The rest of the band ran onto the stage, adding guitars and vocals to Pike’s heavy rhythm, but Oakley barely heard the words.

All she could do was stare. Pike took command of the drums like he had a personal vendetta against them, banging hard and violent but with a sharp-edged grace that made it look like moving art. Every part of his body worked in perfect rhythm—muscles flexing, tattoos dancing, sweat flying—and the expression on his face wasn’t far from what she’d imagined he looked like in the throes of sex. He was taking the songs in his fists and making them his with every swing of his drumsticks.

Oakley swayed on her feet, the pounding beat taking on an erotic edge, vibrating though her and invading her like a drug.

He looked possessed.

He sounded amazing.

And she was toast.

She felt the urge ride up her throat and she couldn’t stop it. Her hands went up with the rest of the crowd and she screamed Pike’s name like a goddamned groupie.

Fucking. Toast.

Purchase links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1T83Tyl

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1QjFB5w

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1dYJGev

iTunes: http://apple.co/1Hkeh1g

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1MD7Kik

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1drAONH

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

RoniLorenAuthorHeadshot2Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.

If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that’s it. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.

 

Places to find Roni Loren:

Site: www.roniloren.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/roniloren

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4877863.Roni_Loren

 

 

No Comments »

Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff….Blog Tour Stop & Guest Post

COLD_MOON_1MB

Huntress Moon

by

Alexandra Sokoloff

 

Synopsis:

Special Agent Matthew Roarke thought he knew what evil was.

He was wrong.

FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke is closing in on a bust of a major criminal organization in San Francisco when he witnesses an undercover member of his team killed right in front of him on a busy street, an accident Roarke can’t believe is coincidental. His suspicions put him on the trail of a mysterious young woman who appears to have been present at each scene of a years-long string of “accidents” and murders, and who may well be that most rare of killers:

a female serial.

His hunt for her will take him across three states, and force him to question everything he believes about evil and justice.

* Thriller Award Nominee, Best eBook Original

 

Guest Post:

What Puts the Thrill in Thriller?

I’m sure every one of us here, thriller authors and readers alike, has ended up on or attended that particular panel by now, also variously called Thrill Me!, You Kill Me, How to Write Suspense, How to Write a Million Dollar Thriller… (and if you’ve got that last one figured out, would you let me know?).

On my Screenwriting Tricks for Authors blog (www.ScreenwritingTricks.com) I talk a lot about specific techniques for creating suspense. But the bottom line to me is always – different things thrill different people. In people, in bed, in life, and in books. So the core issue, and something I never get tired of talking about with thriller writers and readers, is – what does it for YOU?

Because there are all kinds of literary thrills. Many thrillers are based on action and adrenaline: the experience the author wants to create and that the reader wants to experience is that roller-coaster feeling. I myself am not big on that kind of thrill. I love a good adrenaline rush in a book (in fact I pretty much require them, repeatedly). But pure action scenes mostly bore me senseless, and big guns and machines and explosions and car chases make my eyes glaze over. Nuclear threat? Not my cup of tea. Spies? I’ll pass. Assassins? Uh-uh. Terrorists?… Can I go now?

Even though I write a serial killer series, I’m not even really that fond of serial killers (God, I hate it when things like that come out of my mouth. Or hands. Occupational hazard…) unless we’re talking archetypally mythic serial killers like the ones in Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, and in Mo Hayder’s darker than dark thrillers. (And maybe my Huntress series is more aptly called an anti-serial killer series.)

What I’m looking for in a book is the sensual – okay, sexual – thrill of going into the unknown. How it feels to know that there’s something there in the dark with you that’s not necessarily rational, and not necessarily human. It’s a slower, more erotic, and I’d also say more feminine kind of thrill – that you find in The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining. So although I can learn some techniques from spy thrillers or giant actioners, studying that kind of book or movie for what I want to do is probably not going to get me where I want to go.

There’s also the classic mystery thrill of having to figure a puzzle out. Now that’s a thrill I can get behind. There’s a great pleasure in using your mind to unlock a particularly well-crafted puzzle. I love to add that element to my stories, so that even though the characters are dealing with the unknown, there is still a logical way to figure the mystery out.

But conversely, and this is one of my own more peculiar quirks – I also love the feeling of being slowly taken over by complete madness.

One of my very early discoveries as a voracious young reader was Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s terrifying short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, one of the greatest feminist horror stories ever written, in which a new young mother is confined to her bedroom by her physician husband and is not allowed to write because it would stress her. Instead she goes horribly and inexorably out of her mind.

Now, why the vicarious experience of going mad should be such a particular pleasure to me, I can’t tell you – clearly something to do with spending my formative years in Berkeley. Or, you know, all those Grateful Dead concerts. Or those San Francisco clubs where we…

Well, all right, never mind that.

But I have come to terms with the fact that madness is an experience I crave, and I’ve made a careful study of how authors I love (Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, Anne Rice, the Brontes) create that effect. All of that study of the experience of madness and real-life mental illness has come in really handy for writing from the point of view of my killer in Huntress Moon. Because for whatever reason – and there are lots of factors, there – the Huntress does not experience life in the way that most of us do. But by the end of the first book, readers swear that they’re coming around to her way of thinking!

The Huntress Moon series is crime thrillers, with just a touch of what MAY be paranormal. But I also write more overtly supernatural thrillers, in my Haunted series. And another thing I know about myself, vis a vis the supernatural, is that I need to believe that it could really happen that way. So I’m a real sucker for the slow, atmospheric, psychological build, and I research obsessively to see what people who claim to have experienced the supernatural actually experienced, and I look for the patterns in the stories: what are the common elements? What has the ring of truth?

This was especially important to me while I was writing my fact-based thriller The Unseen, because it’s a poltergeist story, and unlike with ghosts, there isn’t that much consensus about what a poltergeist really is. It’s a maddeningly elusive phenomenon.

But I love poltergeists! Just the word is thrilling to me. So I created a poltergeist which might be any or all of the things that researchers have postulated that poltergeists are: a psycho-sexual projection, a haunting, some extra-dimensional being, or very human fraud. Creating a story that explored all of those possibilities meant I got to structure in that mystery kind of thrill that I love – only the question was not only “Whodunit?” but also “Whatdunit?”

And that’s always the best for me – that mix of mystery, madness, and the unknown.

So, all you thrilling people – what kinds of thrills do it for you? What are your early influences that will give us an idea of just what twisted kicks you’re looking for in a book?

Alexandra Sokoloff

 

Cold Moon Blog Tour Poster

It is strongly recommended that you start this series with Book 1:

Huntress Moon

Huntress_Moon_TM_CVR-FT

    – Amazon US   http://amzn.to/1z3pSh5

    – Amazon UK  http://amzn.to/1wEwxZo

    – Amazon AU  http://www.amazon.com.au/Huntress-Moon-FBI-Thrillers-Book-ebook/dp/B00NKTTDH4

BloodMoon_TM_CVR

Here are the links to all three books as well:

UK  Huntress Moon  http://amzn.to/1wEwxZo

UK Blood Moon  http://amzn.to/1CPG4Uw

UK Cold Moon  http://amzn.to/1xBtA2U

US Huntress Moon  http://amzn.to/1z3pSh5

US Blood Moon  http://amzn.to/1EqoKax

US Cold Moon   http://amzn.to/1ymNA6b

“This interstate manhunt has plenty of thrills… Sokoloff keeps the drama taut and the pages flying.”

      — Kirkus Reviews

 

“Who you know: Agatha Christie, Gillian Flynn, Mary Higgins Clark. Who you should be reading: Alexandra Sokoloff.”

     Huffington Post Books

About the Author

Sokoloff_midshot_1MBAlexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award -winning, Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of

eleven supernatural, crime and paranormal thrillers. As a screenwriter she has sold original scripts and written novel adaptations for numerous Hollywood studios, and teaches the internationally acclaimed Screenwriting Tricks for Authors workshops. She lives in Los Angeles and in Scotland.

Book details:

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Genre: Mystery, thriller, suspense

ISBN: 1477822046

ASIN: B00NKTTDH4

Available in ebook, paperback and audio: Amazon US, Amazon UK and worldwide; Barnes & Noble

 

Contact details:

AXSokoloff@aol.com

http://alexandrasokoloff.com

https://twitter.com/AlexSokoloff

http://www.facebook.com/alexandra.sokoloff

http://goodreads.com/alexandrasokoloff

www.screenwritingtricks.com

 

1 Comment »

Ricochet by Keri Lake…Blog Tour & Review

Title: Ricochet 
Author: Keri Lake
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: July 9, 2015
The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.
Three years ago, I had everything.
A beautiful wife.
 
A son.
 
A reason for living.
 
Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.
 
They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I’m cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.
A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.
 
I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who’s seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.
Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.
An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.
If she doesn’t destroy me first.
review
I became a fan of Keri’s writing when I first read her Sons of Wrath series.  When I saw she was writing a novel completely out of her paranormal genre, I was quite intrigued.  The synopsis had me hooked.  But what I did not expect was to be absolutely blown away by this story.  Ricochet is the supreme example of why I love reading.
If you have ever had the privilege of reading one of Keri’s others books, you know her books have a darker side.  Well, she definitely upped the ante on her darkness and left me speechless.  I found myself so many times gasping, crying, gripping my kindle in fear of what would happen next and at times not realizing how much time passed by while I was reading.
Nick is very a dark, mentally unstable and rough man.  His light has been snuffed out and all he sees is dark.  Aubree stopped believing in love and white knights a long time ago.  Her rays of hope have been long locked away.  But on the outside, people will never see what goes on behind closed doors.  Even if they did, people choose to be blind then get involved.
Keri writes a very powerful yet enigmatic plot.  The overall idea of seeking revenge is obvious – it’s what lies beneath that keeps you digging for more.  The depth of the characters as we learn who they are and what hides behind their quirks is so enthralling.  You can easily picture the grizzly areas of Detroit and the horrific scenes play out before you.  And just when you think you have finally figured out the who, what and why – Keri throws in more wrenches and WTF moments that just leave you even more baffled.
My words can not explain the true awesomeness that this book is.  If you want a story that is gripping, suspenseful, dark and twisted – this is it.  And I can’t leave out there are some pretty hot and intense scenes too.
Keri – I bow down to you for writing such an amazing story.  The characters, plot, descriptions – EVERYTHING – made this story extremely unique and your writing style made it beyond awesome!

“This book is what would result if The Punisher and V for Vendetta ever had a baby. A super fucked up but incredibly awesome baby.” ~ Dirty Girl Romance

“Holy. Fucking. Hell. Mind is blown and I’m left reeling. I’ve pulled myself together and can now write the review this book deserves.” ~ Sam’s Ramblings

“Ricochet was my first foray into the world of Keri Lake and if I could describe her writing style based on this alone, the words Evil Genius come to mind. ” ~ Smokin’ Hot Book Blog

Keri Lake is a married mother of two living in Michigan. By day, she tries to make use of the degrees she’s earned in science. By night, she writes dark contemporary and paranormal romance. Though novels tend to be her focus, she also writes short stories and flash fiction on the many occasions when distraction sucks her in to the Land of Shiny Things. 
 
She loves hearing from readers

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Leave an honest review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and enter the form below for a chance to win:***SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY OF RICOCHET to the first 10 readers who submit a review
***SIGNED POST CARD to the first 50 people who submit a reviewThe first 50 submissions will receive an email containing a password for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!NOTE: You MUST submit the link to your review in this form to be eligible. Winners will NOT be drawn from the various sites (they will be chosen based on this form): REVIEW SUBMISSION FORM

HOSTED BY:

3 Comments »

Once and Again by Elizabeth Barrett….Blog Tour

ONCE AND AGAIN

 

Once and Again Return to Briarwood # 1

By: Elisabeth Barrett

Releasing July 14, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb

For readers of Shannon Stacey and Susan Mallery, the heartfelt new Briarwood series begins with a tale of forbidden love, broken promises, and second chances.

Growing up in Eastbridge, Connecticut, Carolyn Rivington was a young debutante who did whatever her parents asked. So when her father demanded that she break things off with the boy from the wrong side of the tracks or else, she did. Now Carolyn’s family is deep in debt. She’s no longer a member of the Briarwood Golf and Yacht Club, she’s an employee. And the tanned, tattooed, dangerously handsome stranger who saunters into her lobby isn’t just her new boss . . . he’s also her first love.

The last time he saw Carolyn, Jake Gaffney was in the back of a police cruiser, handcuffed and humiliated. But seeing her again stirs other memories: a blanket on the beach, the moon above their heads, and the most expensive bottle of wine he could afford. Now the tables have turned. As a real-estate magnate and Briarwood’s new owner, Jake doesn’t have to answer to anyone. But now that he’s back home, he’s finding it hard to live down his old reputation.

Before they can move forward, Jake and Carolyn must face their pasts. But it’ll take more than sizzling chemistry for them to heal old wounds and return to the love they once shared.

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/04/once-and-again-return-to-briarwood-1-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23395411-once-and-again?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/139110-return-to-briarwood

 

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher

EXCERPT

The conference room was bustling when she arrived. After grabbing a cup of coffee from the sideboard, she took a seat at the enormous table in the center of the room, next to Eric Lefoute, the head chef of Waves, the club’s restaurant. Unsurprisingly, the handsome Frenchman was scowling. Eric hated answering to authority and made no bones about the fact that attending such a meeting was going to take away from the prep time he needed for this afternoon’s luncheon.

Sinking back into one of the slightly worn but still functional chairs, she glanced around and took a bracing sip of black coffee. Everyone was seated now, impatiently waiting for the new owner to appear. Orwell Tippett, the athletics director, tapped a pen over and over again on his notepad. Even Summer Lawrence, the spa manager who’d found a seat on Carolyn’s other side, looked less-than-Zen as she twisted her straight, light brown ponytail into a tight corkscrew.

Summer leaned over to whisper in her ear. “What kind of changes do you think the new owner will make?”

Carolyn shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Do you think everyone will get fired?”

“God, I hope not.”

Getting canned was her biggest worry right now. Despite the fact that members and staff seemed to like her—both personally and professionally—her family’s reputation and the fact that she was the new kid on the block both weighed against her. Now that the family fortune was decimated and the Rivington name was mud, it didn’t matter a whit that her maternal great-grandfather had been one of the club’s original investors.

Just as everyone’s anxiety was reaching a fever pitch, the door to the conference room opened. Her heart skipped a beat just before Richard stepped inside. Beside her, Eric emitted a sharp breath. He was just as worried as anyone else about the changes that might come.

She’d almost collected herself before he stepped in.

Him.

Tattoo Guy.

Everything kind of slipped sideways for a minute while she sat there, barely breathing. He belonged here, didn’t he? And she’d tried to kick him out! It was impossible for this day to get worse.

And then it did.

He removed his sunglasses, and familiar deep-blue eyes swept the room, sizing up everything and everyone. When his gaze finally met hers, his lips curled into the merest hint of a smile and his eyes narrowed.

“Hello, everyone,” he said in a deep voice. “I’m Jacob Gaffney, Briarwood’s new owner.”

At that moment, her heart stopped. Actually stopped, just like her dad’s had last week when he’d suffered a massive heart attack brought on by the huge amount of stress he was under. But Carolyn wasn’t having a heart attack, because her organ kick-started up almost immediately.

Jake.

It had been the best summer of her life—until everything had come crashing down. As she stared at him, trying to morph these new, hard, masculine features onto the boy she knew, Jake stared back. A complicated mix of emotion passed over his face—awareness, desire.

Disgust.

Sure that her cheeks were turning a furious crimson, she looked down at her fingers, now twisting in her lap. For a long time, she’d put up a wall to stop the ache, telling herself it was for the best. That she had been too young. Too inexperienced. But she was just fooling herself. Regret, sadness, and not for the first time, the intense desire for a do-over coursed through her in a wave of emotion. But in life, there were no do-overs, were there?

This hardened, transformed-to-the-point-of-unrecognizability Jake wasn’t going to give her one. Why would he, considering what she and her family had done?

Jake was now introducing himself and laying out the game plan for the staff for the next couple of weeks. The words, the room, even the walls were a blur. She was screwed, utterly and completely.

Because as soon as Jake got her alone, he was going to fire her ass, and then she’d be back where she started: a former socialite with crippling debt and a family on the brink of collapse.

Not that Jake would care, given that the last time she’d seen him, he’d been handcuffed in the back of a police car.

And her father was the one who’d put him there.

 

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

One Loveswept Mug

One Flirt Mug

Ebook copies of:

CLAIMED by Stacey Kennedy

MY OBSESSION by Cassie Ryan

DEEP AUTUMN HEAT by Elisabeth Barrett

TAKE THE FALL by Marquita Valentine

YOUR TO KEEP by Serena Bell

SWEET THE SIN by Claire Kent

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Author Info

ELIZABETH

Elisabeth Barrett lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and spends her days teaching, editing, writing sexy contemporary romance, and enjoying time with her sometimes-bearded husband and three spirited children. She is constantly perfecting her home-work-writing juggling act, but in her free time she loves to hike open-space preserves, grow orchids, bake sweet things her husband won’t eat, and sing in grand choruses. For more about Elisabeth, please visit her website.

 

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

onceandagain-banner_edited-1

1 Comment »

Insider by Olivia Cunning….Blog Tour Stop & Review

Title: Insider (Exodus End #1)
Author: Olivia Cunning
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Find on Goodreads

Toni wants to be an insider.
Logan just wants inside her.
She’s finally ready to rock…
Toni Nichols set aside her dreams to raise her little sister, but now she’s reaching for the stars as the creator of a revolutionary interactive biography about Exodus End. She’s on tour with the rock band to immerse herself in their world, but how will she ever gain the trust of four veteran superstars who’ve been burned by the media before? Nobody said this was going to be easy. Then again, good things can come in hard packages.
He’s always ready to roll…
Adrenaline junkie Logan Schmidt lives for the rush of playing his bass guitar before thousands of screaming fans. When he’s not performing onstage or in the bedroom, he’s looking for his next thrill in extreme sports. So why does a sweet, innocent journalist get his heart pumping and capture his full attention? Is Toni the real deal or just digging up dirt on his band? Logan’s eager to rock Toni’s world and roll her in the sack, but when she starts to get too close to his heart, she takes her insider look to a place he may never be willing to go.

My Review:

Insider is the first book in author Olivia Cunning’s Exodus End series and admittedly the first book of Ms. Cunning’s work that I’ve read. I know, I know…I’ve been missing out! This book was a sexy and sweet rocker story that, once I picked up, I couldn’t put down.

The one thing I absolutely loved about this book was the inexperience factor. Toni was already a character I knew I was going to love from her intro in the first chapter. She’s the daughter of a publishing company owner and has the role of protective big sister to her younger special needs sister. That was reason enough for me to adore her. But add to that her inexperience when it comes to men and sex and her brave face when it comes to deciding to go for it, and she’s a total win in my opinion. I loved her so much. She totally realizes it’s weird that she’s a 25-year-old virgin but is willing to give things a try, and isn’t too shy to ask for help and advice. Cue Logan. I mean if ever there was a perfect teacher for her, it’s him. He finds her innocence a complete turn on and even though he’s a bit freaked to find out she had been a virgin, he’s willing to experiment with her and help her. I know, you’re probably thinking how could that possibly be a hardship for a guy, right? Remember, he’s a member of a hugely popular bad and really doesn’t have to take things on. But he’s been hooked on Tori since she walked onto their tour bus. Together they are so steamy and sexy that I groaned out loud more than a few times! It was so deliciously sexy!

But beyond the heat there’s part of the storyline that had my hackles raised and waiting for something nefarious to happen to poor Tori. A woman working fo her mother’s company had her eye on Tori’s and went to horrid lengths to tarnish and ruin the relationship Tori built with not only Logan, but with the entire band. It was a hot mess at the end and I was sick to my stomach for these two new lovers. Now I won’t ruin anything for you but I will say that I don’t recommend books that end badly…

Overall this was a sweet and sexy rocker romance with a bit of suspense at the end and I loved it. I will be looking forward to see what Ms. Cunning has on store for us next.

 

4LovesRLB

Four Loves

J signature

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

“Have a seat, Toni,” Dare offered. He stood and took a gym bag from her hand. He set it on the floor next to the spot he’d vacated, making it clear that Toni should sit next to Logan on the sofa. Logan loved the guy. Such a thoughtful son of a bitch. Toni’s dark eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, scanned the interior of the bus as if searching for refuge. Apparently the seat next to Logan was not it. Dare plopped himself down in the only available recliner and extended the leg rest, as if he had no intention of moving for the night.
“Th-thanks,” Toni said, pushing her glasses up her nose with one trembling hand.
Logan wasn’t sure what she was so nervous about all of a sudden. She’d seemed perfectly at ease when they’d been interacting with their fans. Perhaps she’d taken his comment about a lamb in a den of wolves to heart. He’d only been teasing, but he found her skittishness endearing in a world where most women threw all inhibitions to the wind when in the presence of any member of his band, much less all four of them.
The bus rumbled as it rolled forward. They were on the road again. Toni’s hands flew out as the unexpected movement threw her off balance.
She plopped down beside Logan, perching on the edge of a cushion as if the sofa’s back was made of shards of glass. Logan was pretty sure she was looking for the emergency exit. Her gaze settled on Butch, who was standing next to their driver and running over a strict schedule detailing how to get them to their next show in time while making a promotional stop between venues. Their schedule never had an inch of give. Their manager, Sam, was a genius when it came to getting the band the most exposure, but he had the tendency to believe that because they were a metal band, they were made of iron. They didn’t require useless things like down time and rest.
“So tell us more about this book,” Dare said, which was apparently the exact right thing to say to Toni, because her unease evaporated instantly.
“Have you seen the new interactive electronic textbooks?” she asked, her eager gaze moving from Dare to Max to Steve.
Logan was very conscious of the fact that she didn’t look at him once. He’d thought their attraction was mutual, but maybe not. He scooted several inches closer to her because he saw something he wanted and wasn’t one to sacrifice his personal needs for the greater good.
“Textbooks?” Steve asked. “Like for school and shit?”
“Yeah, that’s usually where textbooks are used,” she said, a teasing grin on her lush lips. When no one laughed, her face fell. Logan forced a guffaw about five seconds too late. That got his bandmates laughing. Not at Toni’s understated joke. They were laughing at his blatant stupidity. Nothing new there.
“I can’t say I’ve even seen a textbook since high school,” Steve said.
“These new interactive ones are amazing. Each topic has videos and pictures and links. It presents the information in a way that gets students who are used to constant entertainment excited about learning.”
“So you’re writing a textbook about us?” Dare asked, brows drawn together in a confused scowl.
“What kind of textbook would that be? A manual on mayhem and debauchery?” Toni cringed when no one laughed at that joke either.
Logan guffawed five seconds too late again. He was going to have to pay really close attention to what she said to figure out when she was joking. He didn’t think she lacked a sense of humor, she just looked serious. She’d definitely fit in better at a library than at standup-comedy night.
“The publishing company I work for designs and distributes these interactive textbooks,” she said. “Samuel Baily approached us to make an interactive book about the band, the first of its kind. He’s very forward thinking.”
That got the band laughing. “You might say that,” Max said. “Sometimes he’s a bit too forward thinking. He’s got every minute of our schedules booked for the next eighteen years. He thinks we’re robots or something.”
Toni’s eyes bulged. “Eighteen years?” she muttered under her breath.
Surely she knew Max was joking, so why did she look so unsettled? Wondering if he could make her blush again, Logan scooted a few more inches closer to her. His knee brushed her thigh, and she yanked on her skirt. Other than her hands and face, not an inch of bare flesh was showing. He wasn’t sure exactly what she was trying to conceal. Maybe she wasn’t open to his attempts to seduce her. Which made her a challenge. Which, like her tits, he couldn’t resist. Or maybe she had a nice boyfriend at home. His loss.
“Speaking of robots,” Steve said. “How are the prototypes of our androids coming?”
“Good until they tried to replicate my dick and ran out of materials,” Logan said.
Toni’s sudden intake of breath made him grin. That shocked her? Seriously? Too easy.
“If they ran out of materials, it had to be due to Max’s giant forehead,” Steve said.
“Or your enormous feet,” Max countered.
Toni grabbed a pad of paper out of her bag and started writing furiously. Logan leaned against her shoulder to read what had her so excited. She was writing down their conversation. In the margin, she wrote: Keep video camera close at hand when all band members are together. They’re hilarious.
He was close enough to feel her body heat and inhale the sweet fragrance of her fruity shampoo. He wondered if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
“For the record,” Logan said in her ear as he pointed toward her notes, “I was the one with the big dick.”
Toni leaped from the sofa as if it were on fire. Her gaze darted from one guy to the next, and she pushed her glasses up her nose with the back of her wrist. God, he wanted to take those glasses off, take those clothes off, and do things to her. Naughty, devious, delicious things.
“Um . . .”
The twin bumps poking against her shapeless turtleneck drew Logan’s attention.
Hard nipples? Did his crassness turn her on? That was all the encouragement he needed to behave inappropriately. Visible nipples also meant that her bra was not padded. There was so much win in that, he should have her name engraved on a trophy.
“What’s wrong?” Logan asked. “I won’t bite. But I will nibble. And suck. And lick.”
She stared at him with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Her nipples strained against her sweater, begging him to do all those things and more to the tips of those luscious melons.
She glanced down at her tits and immediately crossed her arms over her chest. “Is, um, there a bathroom I can use?”
“At the back of the bus,” Dare said, nodding his head toward the end of the corridor.
“Don’t take a dump in there,” Steve said. “We stop at rest areas to do that business.”
Face flaming, she sucked in a deep breath, turned, and sprinted to the back of the bus. She fumbled with the closet door and when it popped open, a stack of towels that had shifted during transit tumbled out and pummeled her in the face.
Logan climbed to his feet to rescue her. He decided to take it easy on her for the moment. He wouldn’t want to traumatize her so much she decided to leave. They both bent to pick up the same towel at the same time and bumped heads. They jerked apart and rubbed their heads in unison. Toni looked up at him, her brown, doe-like eyes watery with tears. He wasn’t sure if they were tears of pain or humiliation, but seeing them in her eyes did strange things to his chest. He wasn’t sure why it was suddenly tight.
“It’s okay,” he said, deciding that though it was fun to tease her, he’d better tone it down a bit. She obviously wasn’t used to it, and he didn’t want to harass a woman who wasn’t receptive to provocative flirting. He hadn’t intended to upset her, just wanted to have a little fun and get under that conservative skirt of hers. “I’ll get the towels, Toni. You go ahead and do your business.” He opened the bathroom door for her.
She lowered her hand from her forehead to reveal a large reddened bump.
Logan winced and leaned forward to press his lips to the lump. She sucked a startled breath into her chest. Shit. There he went crossing the line again.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I always kiss boo-boos.”
“I have a pimple on my ass that needs kissing,” Steve called.
Logan closed his eyes and shook his head. “One of the things you should consider stressing in your book is how little fucking privacy a man has while on tour with his band.”
“I can include that,” she said, “but I think fans are more interested in the size of your dick.” She backed into the bathroom. “I know I am.” She bit her lip before closing the door in his face.

Combining her love for romantic fiction and rock ‘n roll, USA Today Best-Selling Author Olivia Cunning writes erotic romance centered around rock musicians.

Raised on hard rock music from the cradle, she attended her first Styx concert at age six and fell instantly in love with live music. She’s been known to travel over a thousand miles just to see a favorite band in concert. As a teen, she discovered her second love, romantic fiction — first, voraciously reading steamy romance novels and then penning her own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

No Comments »

Searching For Always by Jennifer Probst….Blog Tour Stop & Review

SFA_BLOGTOUR

 

SearchingforAlways

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1H8ZIPC
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1dbuKsj
Kobo: bit.ly/1KkwJYd
iTunes: apple.co/1Nq4W8O

Synopsis:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Probst sparks a blissful mind-body connection as her “sexy, satisfying” (Kirkus Reviews) new series continues!

She’s an expert in helping others de-stress, but Arilyn Meadows is running on fumes. Along with her job counseling singles seeking soul mates at the Kinnections agency in Verily, New York, she’s a yoga teacher, animal shelter volunteer, anger management therapist, and helping hand to her beloved grandfather. No time to find Mr. Right—but after discovering her yogi boyfriend in a compromising asana, Arilyn would rather dog-sit for her honeymooning friend Kate than risk her heart on another downward dog. And when police officer Stone Petty—radiating masculinity and bad-boy attitude—is sent to her for mandatory lessons in cooling off when the job gets too hot, Arilyn vows to ignore his seductive glances and sexy grin. But there’s no halting their sizzling flirtation—a red-hot, high-speed chase that’s breaking all the limits

 

My Review:

Searching For Always is the fourth book in author Jennifer Probst’s Searching For series, a series I love more with each release. I think I probably said with the previous book that it was my favorite of the series and I have to change my vote…..this book, by far, is my favorite!

If ever there was a enemies to lovers/opposites attract story to fall in love with, this is it. Officer Stone Petty and yogi Arilyn Meadows have been at odds since the first met…and it gets more and more heated with each exchange they have.

He’s a meat-eating, tough ass, rough and tumble burly cop. She’s a vegetarian, animal loving, loving yoga instructor. He loves the chaos of a good police chase; she loves her meditation and calm surroundings. She fosters dogs of all kinds; he can’t stand them. Truly, opposite in every way.

Of course that only means the push and pull between the is off the freaking charts smoking hot and when the heat finally combusts into a flame, it is white-hot! The range of emotions I felt while reading this book was all over the place. Both Arilyn and Stone have heartbreaking pasts that helped shape who they are today and, ironically, it’s the pasts they tried to keep hidden that brings them together when it surfaces. I loved these two together and I loved reading their journey. I laughed and cried and gritted my teeth in frustration and in the end it all added up to one of the most amazing stories Ms. Probst has written.

I also have to say again that Ms. Probst writes some of the best, swoon producing, movie worthy endings I have ever read…..this book was no exception! All I have to say is: big, bad, uniformed police man holding cute little doggie in a pink studded collar. (you guys MUST read this book!)

Thank you, Ms. Probst, for once again giving us an incredible romance with brilliant characters and tons of heat and emotion!

5LovesRLB

Five Loves

J signature

 

SFA_RescuePet

SFA_LIVE
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the author:

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Website: www.jenniferprobst.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst

 

No Comments »

The Clockwork Kraken by Aidee Ladnier…Excerpt Blog Tour Stop

Klockwerk Kraken

The KlockWerk Kraken cover (1)

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ iBooks ~ All Romance ~ Kobo ~ MLR Press

Synopsis

When the right space pilot walks into his bar, a desperate bartender uses all his wiles (and tentacles) to talk the man into business and his bed–but the spacer is still enslaved by his past and isn’t sure he can deal with a two-handed lover, much less one with six.

As the supply shipments stop coming, Teo Houdin needs all his tentacles to keep his waystation bar open. Facing a riot by thirsty miners stranded in the backwater of the galaxy, Teo helps a greenie space pilot buy a ship in return for a regular haul of liquor. But he longs for the courage to invite the enigmatic spacer to fill his lonely bed as well.

Still smarting from his newly implanted navigational ports, Jimenez knows owning his own ship will prevent him from ever being bought and sold again. For a former slave, transporting cargo through the emptiness of space sounds like paradise, but after meeting the compassionate and sexy Teo, his heart feels empty, too.

At the edge of the galaxy’s spiral arm, can Teo convince Jimenez that the heart has its own tentacles and theirs should be entwined forever?

Excerpt

Jimenez opened the bar’s airlock and the urge to run out again washed over him like a splash of cold water. He commanded his frozen legs to shuffle forward and inside. This could turn ugly if he lost his concentration for even a moment. But he wouldn’t. He’d been practicing, becoming accustomed to groups larger than this for revs now.

He could be just like everyone else.

None of them would see the scars on his back or the brand of his tattoo that had marked him since puberty.

Men and women filled half the tables and booths, some laughing and drinking, a few puffing blue smoke. The gaming tables on the side were empty, while a lone player at the billiard table opposite pocketed ball after ball. The room rang with loud voices, clinking glasses, and raucous music.

Jimenez slid into an empty spot at the pale stone bar and caught sight of the clearest, happiest eyes he’d ever seen, a shade lighter than the man’s tousled brown mop above. A dimple quirked at the side of his full lips, mesmerizing Jimenez. The loud voices behind him slid away and for a moment, it was quiet in his mind. Jimenez flinched when his shoulder was jostled and the spell broke.

“Hey, you okay, buddy? First time? What can I pour for you?”

Jimenez blinked, realizing the tall bartender was speaking to him. The man’s smiling eyes crinkled at the corners of his bronzed face. Jimenez swallowed, and he ducked his chin, trying not to stare again, trying to hide his hot cheeks. He’d never been so close to such a handsome man.

“Did you want a drink?” The bartender quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah… I mean yes. Whiskey neat.” His voice came out gruffer than he expected.

“Bourbon, Scotch, Rye…?”

“Surprise me.” It was a game Jimenez played. He’d order whiskey and discover what the bartender served. If he reached for the rail bottle closest to hand, it meant he would pour either the cheapest or the local favorite. If he pulled something from the top shelf, the bartender angled for a bigger tip. But if he grabbed a decanter off to the side or behind another bottle, he’d score the bartender’s personal pick.

“Coming right up.”

The bartender raised a tentacle in greeting, calling out to another patron.

Oh, God. The man was a Pod.

Of course he was.

In a joint named the Klockwerk Kraken, who better to tend the bar than a tentacled man?

guy with tentacles

Drinkcard

AideeNOH8About the Author

Aidee Ladnier began writing fiction at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician’s assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee’s to write both romance and erotica with a little science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.

You can find her on her blog at http://www.aideeladnier.com or on her favorite social media sites:


 

GIVEAWAY CENTRAL

Coloring Contest

Aidee is holding a Coloring Contest!! Visit the link below and download one of her coloring sheets and upload it once you have finished coloring for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card plus a signed LIMITED EDITION of the Klockwerk Kraken. So get some crayons and grab the kids because the more you enter the more chances you have to win.

http://www.aideeladnier.com/2015/01/coloring-contest.html

Blog Tour Giveaway

Aidee is giving away a prize pack filled wth gift cards and lots of Kraken style goodies!

2015-06-14 20.32.10

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 Comments »

Ultimate Temptation (Book one of the Temptations Series) by K.A. Robinson….Blog Tour & Review

KAUltimateTemptationsBookCover6x9eBookSm

Blurb

 Ella Wilkins only wants one thing out of life—to graduate from high school and escape her hometown where everyone knows her and the dark cloud surrounding her family.

Everything is going according to plan until two new students show up at her school. Asher and Cain, identical twin brothers, take an interest in her, and she can’t help but wonder why two gorgeous brothers would want anything to do with a social outcast like her.

As she gets closer to the brothers, she’s torn between the two. Asher’s kindness pulls her in and comforts her while Cain both tempts and infuriates her with his sarcastic and devious ways.

When she learns who they truly are—or rather, what they are—things start to get a little tricky.

Ella might not know it, but she is the key to winning the ultimate battle between heaven and hell. Both realms want her, and neither is willing to let her go.

She’s torn between the ultimate temptations of heaven and hell. Which side will she choose?

ULTIMATE TEMPTATIONS is now live!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1O2ebvJ

Nook: http://bit.ly/1JfCLWi (NOW LIVE!)

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Mqidxd

iBooks: http://apple.co/1HqYw7q

Excerpt

I watched as Asher hurried over to where I was standing. Cain rolled his eyes before joining the opposite team. I made room as Asher crowded between me and the boy standing next to me.

“What are we playing?” he asked.

“Dodgeball,” I said.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Seriously? You’ve never played dodgeball before?”

He shook his head.

“Basically, everyone attacks each other with those balls in the center of the gym. The goal is to hit as many people as you can without getting hit yourself. Once you’re hit, you’re out.”

“Seems simple enough,” he said.

I glanced at the muscles in his arms. I had no doubt that hurtling balls at innocent students would be easy for him. “Just don’t hurt anyone.”

He grinned when he noticed me staring at his arms. “I wouldn’t.”

Mr. Reynolds blew the whistle, and everyone took off at a full sprint toward the balls—that is, everyone, except for Amanda and me. We were both smart enough to stay against the wall as balls started flying.

Over half of both teams were hit within the first five minutes. After they were gone, things got harder for me. Without as many bodies to aim for, I soon became a target. I ducked and jumped out of the way as several students tossed balls at me. One hit right beside my head, and I winced. Whoever had thrown that one meant business.

I looked up just in time to dodge another ball flying right at me. It hit the wall just as hard as the other one. I glanced at the opposing team and noticed Jenny glaring at me. Of course it had been her.

She grabbed another ball and threw it. I dropped to the ground just in time.

The next few minutes passed in a blur as I dodged ball after ball. Almost all of them were from Jenny. Finally, she managed to hit me. Luckily for me, it was in the chest instead of the face. I glared at her before walking toward the bleachers to sit down with Amanda. I winced as another ball hit me in the back.

“Whoops. Sorry, Ella. I didn’t realize you were already out!” Jenny shouted sweetly.

“Skank,” I muttered under my breath as I sat down.

Two seconds later, I heard Jenny shriek in protest. I looked up just in time to see a ball nailing her in the chest. She frowned across the room at Asher before walking to the bleachers. Asher shot me a smile before turning his attention back to the game. I couldn’t help but smile back. He’d seen what she did to me, and he’d gone after her. I was really starting to like Asher.

For the rest of the game, my attention was split between Asher and Cain. I whistled under my breath as Cain nailed another guy hard enough to knock him down. The boy didn’t mess around. I counted my blessings that it was Jenny who’d hit me instead of him.

Finally, it was just Asher and Cain still standing. I looked back and forth between the brothers. They both openly glared at each other.

“This should be entertaining,” Amanda said from beside me.

“My money’s on Asher,” I muttered.

From across the room, Asher turned and grinned at me like he’d heard what I just said.

I rolled my eyes at myself. That’s ridiculous.

He was twenty feet away from me in a roomful of noisy seniors, and I hadn’t spoken very loud.

“Quit standing there, looking at each other, and throw the balls!” Mr. Reynolds shouted at the brothers.

Cain’s glare disappeared, and his trademark smirk returned. He grabbed a ball off the floor and threw it in Asher’s direction. Asher jumped out of the way just in time and grabbed a ball of his own. He threw it at Cain, and I tensed as it bounced off the wall. He’d thrown it with a lot more force than necessary.

“Come on, brother. That all you got?” Cain taunted as he tossed a ball at Asher.

On and on it went.

Both boys were throwing their balls without holding back in the slightest. The class went silent as we watched the epic dodgeball battle in front of us. My mouth dropped open when Cain did a flip in midair to avoid Asher’s ball. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he tossed a ball at Asher. It missed by inches and hit the wall next to the mats. I was only a few feet away, and my eyes widened in disbelief when I noticed the indent in the wall.

That’s impossible.

There was no way he could have thrown the ball hard enough to dent the wall. I was pretty sure the walls were made of concrete.

Cain growled in frustration when he saw that the ball had missed. Asher smirked as he picked up two balls at once. I watched in awe as he launched both of them at Cain. Cain dodged the first one, but the second made contact. It hit his lower stomach with enough force that he flew backward several feet.

Damn. That’s going to leave one heck of a bruise.

“Now, that’s how you play dodgeball!” Mr. Reynolds shouted.

Cain stood back up. Neither brother paid any attention to the teacher. Both were locked in a glaring contest.

Finally, Asher broke it. He glanced over at me and then back at Cain. “That all you got, brother?”

 

UTemptationsFACEBOOK2

Review

Once again, K.A. delivers another amazing story!!
Ultimate Temptations is about Heaven and Hell but with a slight twist on it.  Ella’s life completely changes one day but not the way she expects.  Cain and Asher enter her life when things are spiraling out of control.  But it’s the other actions when no-one else is around but her that make her question everything.   And that is all I am giving you about the story and even that I feel may too much.
K.A. does a perfect job of building up the plot of this story and giving us the background on the characters and each of their stories.  I love the new spin she puts on Heaven and Hell and how everything in between works.  I was immediately drawn into this story from the very beginning.  There are certain things that will be quite obvious to any reader, but it’s how Kelly writes that keeps you hooked and wanting to know where the next step leads.  There are quite a few things going on and you definitely need to pay attention to EVERYTHING!  While certain things seem obvious, they are other twists and turns that will leave you with even more questions as the story progresses.
“Do not fear me. You will be stronger that anything they’ve ever seen.  This is the gift I give you.”
K.A. really knows how to paint a picture with her words.  I am really excited to see where the next book takes us in this adventure of other realms.

C signature

Facebook giveaway: http://on.fb.me/1M3Rjx6

About the Author

K.A. Robinson is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of several New Adult and Contemporary Romance novels. She is both self-published and traditionally published through Atria Books (Torn and Twisted). She is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

She lives in West Virginia with her toddler son and husband. Her addictions include books, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy, coffee, and Rock Music.

Author links:

www.authorkarobinson.com

www.facebook.com/karobinson13

www.twitter.com/karobinsonautho

No Comments »

Trouble Me by Beck Anderson….Excerpt Blog Tour Stop

Trouble Me Banner

 

TroubleMe_FINAL FRONT

 

Trouble Me Synopsis:

In Fix You, movie star Andrew Pettigrew (Andy to his fans, Andrew to his friends) somehow found the level-headed love he was looking for in young widow and “regular girl” Kelly Reynolds. Now, as they work to mesh their growing relationship with his gold-statue ambitions, things go a bit sideways, in true Hollywood fashion.

Though they’re still wonderfully in love, it’s challenge enough for Andrew and Kelly to decipher what it means to be a family—and a growing family at that—between takes on set. But Andrew also brings history with a temperamental co-star, assorted paparazzi, and someone out there who has serious, perhaps obsessive, issues with him into the mix. Suddenly the Reynolds-Pettigrew clan must fight not just to stay together, but to stay safe.

In Trouble Me, the sequel to Fix You and third novel from Rita finalist Beck Anderson, Kelly and Andrew struggle to stay sane within their whirlwind life. It’s a life that’s equal parts amazing and amusing, less glamorous than you might expect, and spiked with very real fears no amount of stardom can overcome.

Will Andrew and Kelly be torn apart, or will they help each other stay strong at their broken places?

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Excerpt:

I grew up with sisters, and it was a good way to grow up. I mean it when I say I appreciate and admire women’s strength, tenderness, and instinct. But now that I’ve made that clear, I also have a gripe. What I hate about women is the insecurity. I can meet the most amazing girl, but she’s consumed by it. I mean, I don’t walk around feeling like God’s gift, but I also couldn’t live my life if I were a quivering mass of “do you like me?” and “are you mad at me?”

Since that first visit to Boise, I’ve wanted Kelly to be mine. She is mine. I want to possess every inch of her, and she has the audacity to look up at me with those eyes and ask if I still like her.

Seriously? When a man says he wants to move in with you, it’s not because he’s wishy-washy. It’s because he wants his life to be your life.

Believe it. End of story. Let it go.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beck Anderson Bio:

Beck Anderson loves to write about love and its power to heal and grow people past their many imperfections. She is a firm believer in the phrase “mistakes are for learning” and uses it frequently to guide her in writing life and real life.

For Beck, the path to published novelist has taken lots of twists and turns, including a degree in anthropology, a stint as a ticket seller at a ski resort, a much-loved career as a high school English teacher, and a long tenure as a member of the best writing group ever, hands down.

Beck balances (clumsily at best) writing novels and screenplays, working full-time as an educator, mothering two pre-teen males, loving one post-40 husband, and making time to walk the foothills of Boise, Idaho, with Stefano DiMera Delfino Anderson, the suavest Chihuahua north of the border. Learn more at authorbeck.com.

Links:

Simon and Schuster — http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Beck-Anderson/488435494

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/beckandersonauthor

Twitter — https://twitter.com/BeckAndersonID

Website — authorbeck.com

Goodreads — http://www.goodreads.com/beckandersonauthor

Pinterest — http://www.pinterest.com/authorbeck/

Wattpad — http://www.wattpad.com/user/BeckAndersonID

 

 

 

 

1 Comment »

Toxic by Kim Karr….Blog Tour & Review

 

TOXIC IT'S LIVE

Will they or won’t they?  #ToxicLove

Meet Phoebe & Jeremy in this second chance romance!

NOW AVAILABLE

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Hu5onD

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1HiL7eA

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

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1g3Ih7e

iBooks: http://apple.co/1efjb3Z

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1KpMRcv

RELEASE DATE: July 7th, 2015

toxic

New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr turns up the heat in a smoking hot, emotionally compelling romance that takes you into the world of Manhattan’s elite. Meet Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, brooding entrepreneur who goes after what he wants, and Phoebe St. Claire, a socialite-turned-CEO who’s been drifting through life searching for something she thought she’d never find again–the right man to share her future.

Phoebe St. Claire has devoted herself to saving her family’s hotel empire–but her best efforts have not been good enough. With her whole world in turmoil, the tenacious go-getter turns to the once love of her life. Far from innocent, Jeremy McQueen was the guy from the wrong side of the tracks who her parents would never have approved of. Their years apart have only made the sexy bad boy more irresistible than ever–and their reunion is explosive.

When she asks Jeremy to help her salvage her family business, he agrees immediately, with only one condition–he wants her in his bed.

But soon surprising circumstances leave Phoebe reeling. Was this fairy tale romance just too good to be true? Will Jeremy’s secrets pull them apart all over again?

THIS IS A STANDALONE SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE WITH NO CLIFFHANGER ENDING.

toxic teaser 4

Excerpt

Phoebe St. Claire

Feeling a bit drunk and overwhelmed with so many and so few choices at the same time, I needed some time alone and snuck off toward the beach path.

I ran toward the ocean and twirled in the sand as the wind blew around me. Once I started to feel dizzy from twirling, I still wasn’t ready to head back to the party, so I took the path that would lead me to the large Olympic-sized pool. I tugged my sandals off with thoughts of putting my feet in the water to rinse the mud and sand away. As I approached the pool, I noticed how it glowed like it was lit by small pale fires. Lost in the enchantment of it, the sudden movement beneath the surface startled me.

A fair-haired boy emerged from the water. He pulled himself up and out so quickly that I was momentarily stunned. And then when he drank me in with his eyes, I shuddered.

I couldn’t help it, the way he looked at me just made me shiver. No one had ever looked at me like that before and I found myself gazing back into his intense eyes.

He was utterly beautiful. His bare chest was sculpted but not overly bulky like Danny or Jamie. They worked out every day pumping obnoxious amounts of iron to look the way they did. In contrast, the boy standing before me had a swimmer’s build.

He stood stoic and a cautious look crossed his face. He was long and lean in a pair of bright green neon swim trunks.

Right away I could tell he didn’t care what anyone thought about him.

I loved the idea of that.

So I smiled at him.

He shook his head and his hair fell into his eyes.

I wanted to reach out and push it away. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short. It was perfect.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing a towel off the ground.

It didn’t belong to the club. It was small, beige, and a bit worn—not the large hunter-green fluffy ones monogrammed in white I’d always gotten when I used to come here to swim as a kid.

“Hey,” I said back, swinging my sandals nervously.

He grabbed a pair of jeans that lay next to where the towel had been and walked right by me.

I turned to watch him as he strode into one of the cabanas and dropped his trunks. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I shouldn’t be watching him but then opened them quickly when I couldn’t resist maybe catching a glimpse.

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you it isn’t polite to stare?” His voice was low and sexy, and it tugged me out of my own head.

I put my hands on my hips. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to undress in mixed company?”

He pulled his jeans on and laughed. “My mother might have mentioned that once or twice but I’ve never been good at following the rules.”

And it didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t put any underwear on first.

Hot. Totally and completely hot.

I didn’t see anything I shouldn’t have seen, it was too dark, but something inside me electrified at the thought of seeing him naked and I stepped closer. That’s when I noticed the scuffed-up black work boots on one of the lounges with a T-shirt thrown next to them.

I raised a brow. “Is this your changing room?”

He laughed again but this time added a smile and put his hands up. “Okay you caught me. I better get out of here before anyone else does.”

He was adorable and charming and my heart skipped a beat or two.

Then I stepped even closer and entered the cabana entrance, effectively blocking his way. “Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”

He shrugged but he didn’t try to move around me. “I usually swim in the ocean but when the water is too rough, like tonight, I come here.”

I bit my lip in contemplation before speaking. “Does it really matter if you get caught?”

He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Let’s just say it’s not just the swimming. It’s more that I’ve been caught doing a few too many things that I shouldn’t have been doing in the past.”

A bad boy.

The thought made my pulse thunder. “So you’re not a member at this club?”

He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “No,” he laughed but his laugh was anything but genuine. “Are you?”

I hesitated as I considered my answer. “No, I was just walking the beach and wanted to rinse my feet. I’m Phoebe,” I said extending my hand. Technically, I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t a member, my parents were. I hadn’t even been here in years. And I was out for a walk.

Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “Jeremy,” he said back.

When I chewed on my lower lip, I noticed how his eyes focused on it.

Mine focused on the entirety of his mouth—his strong, firm jaw, his sensuous lips, and his tongue that had snuck out to lick his lips.

That mouth.

It was almost too much.

Almost.

toxic teaser goes with excerpt 1

REVIEW

When Kim Karr promises to deliver an angsty story – she definitely delivers!
The story of Jeremy and Phoebe is definitely an up and down roller-coaster ride.  Just when you think these two can finally get themselves together and work it out, something else is thrown into their path.  But one thing that can not be denied between them is their undeniable attraction and connection.
Kim does a great job of making Jeremy and Phoebe’s love for one another come to life.  Their struggles, their feelings – all of it is so real and very relatable.  Even the smallest things can turn into something monumental.
Jeremy and Phoebe definitely prove why a love this story can be toxic – but only if you allow it.  There were many times I wanted to smack the hell out of these two with how they were reacting to situations.  I found myself many times wanting to strangle my kindle as I read certain scenes or felt like screaming to the characters “WTH are you thinking?”  And when a book is able to draw out strong reactions from me, no doubt this book is definitely a winner!!
Every single character played a key role in this whole book.  And they were all so realistic too.  I am looking forward to hopefully future stories on these characters.  I became quite invested in them as much as Jeremy and Phoebe.
Overall – fantastic job Kim!   The story moved along perfectly and Kim unfolded everything smoothly.  You definitely want to read this one!

toxic teaser

About the Author:

 

kim karr bio

I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I’ve always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing.

Stalk Her:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

TOXIC BOOK TOUR

No Comments »