Celebration – Read-Love-Blog

Read-Love-Blog is so excited to participate in Berkley Bookmas and we’re hosting an excerpt from SOMEONE TO CARE by Mary Balogh today!

Berkley Bookmas is chock full of exclusive content from authors like exclusive excerpts, deleted scenes, author recipes and more! Check out the calendar of events below:

SOMEONE TO CARE by Mary Balogh

Berkley Bookmas Excerpt

Marcel Lamarr, Marquess of Dorchester and Viola Kingsley have both found themselves stranded by carriage woes in a country village where a fair is about to take place. Marcel had made advances to Viola fifteen years before, when she was the married mother of young children, but she had repulsed his advances. Now he persuades her to spend the day at the fair with him and the evening at a dance on the village green:

They joined the lines for a country dance, less vigorous, more intricate than the reel. He was an elegant, accomplished dancer, as Viola well remembered. He also had a gift for focusing his attention upon his partner, even when he was performing some figures of the set with another.

How wonderful it was, she thought as she danced, the cool evening air on her face and arms below her shawl, to be someone’s focus of attention, to be made to feel even for just a short while that she was the only person in the world who really mattered. It was not that she craved attention all the time. Far from it. She never had. But oh, sometimes it felt wonderful. They were surrounded by pretty, laughing young women, several of whom were darting half frightened, half appreciative glances at the formidable stranger in their midst, but he appeared to see no one but her.

It was all artifice, of course. It was all part of his appeal, and part of the danger. But it did not matter. She was not for a moment deceived by it. When the dancing was over for the evening, or perhaps even before it ended, they would return to their rooms at the inn, and tomorrow they would be on their separate ways and would very probably never see each other again. She did not mingle with the ton any longer.

So tonight—this evening—was to be enjoyed for what it was. A brief escape offered by fate.

All the sets were country dances or reels. They were what the villagers and farmers from the surrounding countryside knew and wanted. Viola and Mr. Lamarr—Marcel—danced two of them and watched a few more. But when one tune started he lifted a finger as though to stop her from saying anything, listened intently for a moment, and then turned to her.

“One could dance a waltz to this,” he said.

She listened too and agreed. But no one else was waltzing. The dancers were in line, performing steps with which Viola was unfamiliar.

“We will waltz.” It was an imperious command.

“Oh, hardly,” she protested.

But he was holding out a hand for hers. “I believe waltzing is something you and I never did together, Viola,” he said. “We will right that wrong. Come.”

“Marcel.” She frowned.

“Ah,” he said. “I like it—the sound of you speaking my name. But come.” He took her hand, and she did not resist as he led her about the green to the side nearest the church, where there were no people, perhaps because full night had fallen and the light from the lamps did not penetrate this far. Here there was heavy shade, though not total darkness. It was a clear night, illumined by both moonlight and starlight.

“You will waltz with me here,” he said. It was still not a question. He was offering her no choice. Neither, of course, was he coercing her.

“But people will see,” she protested.

“And?” She was aware that his eyebrows were raised. “They will see us dancing together. Scandalous goings on indeed.”

“Oh, very well,” she said, raising her left hand to set on his shoulder as his right arm came about her waist. How could she possibly resist? She had always thought the waltz the most romantic dance ever invented, yet there had been no such thing when she was young. There were still people who thought there was something scandalous about it, a man and a woman dancing a whole set exclusively with each other, face to face, their hands touching each other.

He took her free hand in his, listened a moment, and then led her into a waltz, twirling about the uneven ground of the village green, the sounds of voices and laughter seeming far away though they were only just beyond the shadows. She was very aware of his hands, the one resting firmly against the arch of her back at the waist, the other clasped about hers. She was aware that there was only an inch of space between his evening coat and her bosom, that their legs occasionally touched, that he was looking down at her, that she was looking back. She could not see him clearly in the darkness, but she knew his eyes were on hers. She could feel his body heat, smell his cologne, feel his magnetism. She could hear his breath.

She did not know how long it went on. Probably no longer than ten minutes. The dance had already been in progress, after all, when they started. It might have been forever. Viola forgot everything except the waltz and the man with whom she danced it in silence.

“Viola,” he said softly next to her ear when the music stopped. He did not immediately release her, and she made no move to extricate herself from his arms. “Let us go see what is behind the church, shall we?”

A churchyard, she supposed. But actually there was a sort of meadow beyond that, sloping downward to a river she had only half noticed this morning from the carriage window. A willow tree leaned over from the bank and almost touched the water. A humpbacked stone bridge crossed the river a short way to their left. It must all be very picturesque in the daylight. But so was the rest of the village.

They stood halfway between the low churchyard wall and the river, which winked in the moonlight, and listened to the slight rushing sound of water. The music began again, but the sound of it and of voices and laughter seemed far away now, part of some other world that did not concern them. His arm, through which her hand had been drawn, came about her waist to draw her to his side, and she wondered idly, not if she ought to allow it, but if she would. She made no move to bat his arm away or to take a step to the side. Rather, she leaned against him.

She would allow it, then. But she was in no danger. She knew what he was about. She understood. It did not matter.

He nudged her head onto his shoulder, lifted her chin with his long fingers, and bent his face to hers to kiss her.

The giveaway:

one $100 Visa gift card, and a book/galley/bound manuscript by each of the authors participating.

ENTER HERE: http://bit.ly/2zlFxAq

For tomorrow’s fun, head to one of the following blogs:

SmexyBooks

That’s What I’m Talking About

Fiction Fangirls

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Berkley Bookmas!

xoxo

R.L. Griffin is celebrating her 40TH Birthday by giving you the best gifts –

ALL her books at $.99!!!!

Plus she’s having a giveaway for a $40 Amazon Giftcard over on her Facebook page!!

By a Thread (By a Thread #1)

Stella’s future was set, and it was a bright one. She was engaged to a man she adored, and was headed to law school in the fall. Tragically, her perfectly planned future ends just as it was beginning.

With no ties to family or friends, Stella finds herself alone in a new city, spiraling out of control. Her typical day comes to a close with her passed out on the floor; sometimes clothed.

Luckily, her new roommate, essentially a stranger, is dead set on getting Stella past her grief and back to functioning within society. Putting one foot in front of the other, she climbs up from the bottom of a bottle. Even with all her progress, Stella walks through life unfeeling, numb. Defiant, she sends out warning signals for the world to keep away. But, is that what she really wants?

With the steadfast help of a few tight knit friends, she gradually begins to feel again. She starts to savor the flavor of food again; lets herself notice how the handsome bartender glances at her. Still, after allowing herself a fling, she wonders if she will ever be able to let go of her shattered past, fully enjoy the present, or get over what she thought would be her perfect future and with the man who destroyed her heart.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qXXdND

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pQZLNq

B&N: https://goo.gl/jToR1p

Kobo: https://goo.gl/aOczjH

iBooks: https://goo.gl/BvtRre

Tension (By a Thread #2)

The Stella who emerges from the rubble of the bombing in Montana is a woman full of conflict. She knows she should be grateful that she lived when others didn’t, but after waking in the hospital as a celebrity, complete with a new moniker, she’s bitter and distrustful, questioning everything in her life. She’s unsure of her friends, her new boyfriend, and her job. In addition, a face from the past reappears and threatens to take the one good thing in her life.

Stella attempts to deal with the new scrutiny of her life with her usual sense of humor, but she’s filled with a new emotion that she tries desperately to hide: HATE. Her recovery is hastened by her determination to find the man who turned her into a walking scar. She’s going to kill him; she needs to kill him.

Stella isn’t alone. She has her close friends and her dog, Cooper. Will their support be enough to help Stella accomplish her plan, or will this endeavor be her undoing?

This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qY9G4f

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rxnCOG

B&N: https://goo.gl/jRd0f1

Kobo: https://goo.gl/3fJyJR

iBooks: https://goo.gl/NQVpyO

Seamless (By a Thread #3)

Professional, successful, survivor Stella has mastered the art of appearances and conquering what life throws at her. Time after time, she chooses to fight even though she’s consistently poised to break. It’s that fight to get her life back, to make things right, to survive that defines who she is. She’s been loved, left, lost, blown up, shot, and exploited. Physically, she’s almost completely put back together. Mentally, Stella’s one step from a vindictive retaliation that may or may not be her best choice.

In Seamless, Stella has no choice but to step into the ring with someone who she once loved. It’s a dirty fight that will take all she has. Will she do what it takes to win? Will she make it out alive?

You’ll cheer her on until you realize all is not what it seems. Appearances can be deceiving.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pZ8id7

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pQY4zx

B&N: https://goo.gl/uNkbvB

Kobo: https://goo.gl/aDhcQX

iBooks: https://goo.gl/Af212j

Heart in Wire (By a Thread #4)

This book has spoilers in it if you haven’t read the By A Thread series yet, you may not want to read the synopsis. This is a companion book to that series and I highly suggest reading it first. 

Have you ever been involved in an epic love story where you wound up alone? Have you devoted yourself so completely to someone that you lost yourself in their abyss?

Patrick Greer spent the past five years revolving around El. He fought like hell to not feel the emotions for her that were hidden deep in his gut, until he couldn’t anymore. He was so sure of them, of her, of what they were to each other, until he wasn’t.

Patrick couldn’t even imagine the things he’d done for her, with her and to her. El broke him.

He was a liar, a friend, a lover, a fixer, a runner and a killer.

Now he had to figure out who he was without her.

*There are adult situations, tons of cussing and you may enjoy this book with an adult beverage.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qY49KC

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pQWEVP

B&N: https://goo.gl/vnu0qc

iBooks: https://goo.gl/vaU4TV

Razorblade Kisses

Her name is Emery Shaw…Emily Sanders…Emma Simpson. Her family was well off, she ran. They looked for her, she hid. They found her, she ran again. Tragedy strikes, she gets even. The fact is, she doesn’t know who she is, she tried to run, to hide and make a life for herself, but that backfired. No one knows her except her best friend, Rachel, if that’s even an adequate word for what they are to each other. Rachel helps her build a life for herself below the radar, which is fine until the unthinkable happens, knocking Em out of her unfeeling cocoon. When her house of cards comes tumbling down she runs again, until the one person who can change her mind finds her.

**Due to adult situations, language and possible scenarios that may be difficult for some readers to take…take a breath before you start this one. It’s gritty and not pretty. Nothing is pretty here. Whiskey is a good thing.**

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pZ4NDN

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rxuNGw

B&N: https://goo.gl/noC0wX

Kobo: https://goo.gl/aP5RbW

Quiet Lies

I was broken before I met Sebastian Pryor, but he decimated me. I swept the ashes of myself into a pile that I kept safe for thirteen years. Believe me it wasn’t pretty, oh but people thought we were perfect. I hate myself most days. I hate that I feel for him as much as I loathe who I’ve become with him. This story is hard to hear. You know what the worst part is? You’ll see part of you in me. You’ll hate that. You won’t tell anyone.

My story is about cracks. A description or telling of how cracks in a marriage, a life, a personality, a heart and a mind begin and continue for years without anyone knowing. You don’t always see what causes the fissure, but you feel it. Can you remember who you were before all of this started, before your life became a jumble of deceit, longing and regret?

This book isn’t for anyone who needs a happily ever after.

This book isn’t for anyone who needs a fun time out from their life.

This book isn’t for anyone, but me.

This is my story. I won’t apologize for it.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qCzCPD

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pQQ4P8

B&N: https://goo.gl/c7Leu2

Kobo: https://goo.gl/mqKad2

iBooks: https://goo.gl/kBl4Aa

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book – thank you R.L. I really enjoyed reading this story.

Rebecca’s story is one that will make you think and look at things in a different light once you finish it. You will find yourself analyzing things a bit more and questioning people’s actions more. Because her story is real, raw and gripping.

“The funny thing about eating things your body can’t process is it eventually comes out, ripping you apart in the process.”

Rebecca and Sebastian had the perfect life – at least on the outside they did. Rebecca was the perfect puppet but the kicker was she knew it! This story will make you see what she went through and why she endured it. It’s not pretty. It’s effed up in so many ways, you can’t fathom any of it.

I won’t give any details or specifics because one piece will take away from the whole book. Everything part of this book falls into the next part – everything is pieced together perfectly. I have mixed feelings on Rebecca – she is strong yet at the same time she is weak. Sebastian – I absolutely loathe this man – I have not ounce of any compassion towards him.

“My body is not my own. My mind belongs to someone else. I don’t know how to get them both back.”

R.L. wrote a magnificent story that will touch everyone. It will open your eyes. It will move you in some way. My only teeny, tiny gripe is parts of the middle dragged on a bit for me but overall, I loved the flow of the book. I loved how we are given the present and then flipped to the past to things she remembers – not just pivotal points in her life but gives you a better understanding of her life.

This book will captivate you. It’s a story about love, betrayal, deceit. Just when you think you know everything, another bomb is dropped adding a whole new twist to the story. Everything is not what it seems.

A hauntingly beautiful story.

Bleed the Water Red

When Kate Tennison returns to the low country of South Carolina it’s with her tail tucked between her legs. She doesn’t want to be there and face the love of her life, who’s now married with a child. Distance has not broken the spell of fear that surrounds why she ran from her home in the first place.

Her story is a tragic one.

Mom in rehab.

Father dead.

Career annihilated.

When we run from something looking back over our shoulder, we miss the scars on the arms that now hold us.

Can the magic of the water heal her wounded heart or does something dangerous lurk underneath the perfect features of the new man she’s decided to take a chance on?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rximLP

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pR5aEs

B&N: https://goo.gl/tWYbpb

3.5 Stars

First off, let me tell you that I enjoy reading R.L.’s stories. Her book, Quiet Lies is one of my favorite books and my favorite by her. And I was so hoping that this book would rank right up there with it. But somewhere along the lines, things fell short for me.

Bleed The Water Red is not a bad book by any means. I know a lot will enjoy this book more than I. And I do hate that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. But let me explain myself.

The plot line was amazing. I love how we were given small snippets throughout the story and were able to piece together our own thoughts. What I didn’t like was how things felt disjointed at times. It’s hard to explain without giving away parts of the story, but things are left out it seems or overlooked. It makes the writing come across as scattered. And that’s what hurt the story and pace for me. I felt all over the place at times. And I do understand that part of a psychological thriller is to have pieces left out, but in this particular scenario, the pieces were obvious but at the same killed the vibe for me. I knew what would happen in the end because of this. And for me, that really sucked.

Like I said, this book is good. I love R.L. and her writing. However, her writing in this book was not what I have to come expect from her. I know that this story came to her fast and I get that you just need to get it out. However, as a beta reader, proofreader and editor, there are a lot of things that I personally would have changed/edited. I am in no way knocking any of the proofreaders or editors on this, there is nothing wrong in that aspect. But for me, certain things were not working and made it plainly obvious what the outcome was going to be.

The characters are very well written. I love their backgrounds and where they are from. The amazing friendship between Layla, Poppy and Austin is awesome – I love these three so much. I enjoyed learning about Layla’s past with Gent and how all that comes together in the end. This part of the story was beautiful and heart-wrenching to watch unfold. Layla has some growing struggles to deal with it and does come in to her own eventually. It’s a really good story with different avenues that all come together in the end.

With that being said, please give the book a chance. It’s a great story line. I loved how this is tied to Quiet Lies. If you have read it before, you will like the tie-in. If you haven’t, it won’t hurt the story at all. I gave this book 3.5 stars because my only gripe was the disjointedness that I felt and how I was able to figure the ending immediately but the overall story line was what kept me moving forward and not stopping.

Will I continue to read R.L.’s books – hell yes! She’s writes amazing stories. This one just want for me and that sometimes happens. But it won’t stop me from reading any of her books.

Sunshine & Whiskey (Drinking #1)

Sometimes the best things in life come from the unexpected. So if you lower your expectations, then you’ll never be disappointed. Sound cheesy? It is, but it’s also true. Clichés come from a grain of truth…like a man with a Porsche is compensating for something, or once a cheater always a cheater—you get the idea. Sorry, I digress. I’m supposed to be telling you what this book is about.

I’m Megan Walker, a lawyer at one of the hottest boutique law firms in Atlanta. I’m on the fast track to making partner and have my entire life planned out…or I did.

We all know how that goes, right? Best laid plans and all that.

Life just threw me a couple curveballs, so I’ve set out to take things into my own hands. By throwing caution to the wind and getting out of my A-type personality bubble, I’m learning more about myself than I have in my twenty-seven years.

Sound like a chick flick, doesn’t it?

It’s not.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qXVrw8

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rxtaZo

B&N: https://goo.gl/xZyxcD

Kobo: https://goo.gl/NSTs9X

iBooks: https://goo.gl/G2Chgh

Manbuns & Martinis (Drinking #1.5)

My name is Brad Ellis. You think you know me. You don’t know shit. I’ve been a hustler my entire life. I work three jobs to get what I want, but I’m not there yet. I live with a roommate that has been my best friend for over a decade and we make it work, but life is hard. It’s always been hard, until I met Megan Walker.

Sometimes people come into your life and you think it’s just for fun and games. Then they turn into one of the most important people. Don’t take anyone for granted, because as soon as you do they will be gone.

I’m a cover model.

I’m a dreamer.

Never stop hustling.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rknt4V

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rxjgag

B&N: https://goo.gl/xvuYS4

Kobo: https://goo.gl/ESBm3R

I enjoyed reading this novella about Brad Ellis, aka “Meat.” And as scary as it is the admit this, I didn’t know who he was because my dumbass has yet to read Sunshine and Whiskey (please don’t beat me)! But I promise at some point that I will.

But back to the book. This was very entertaining and humorous read. It’s the backstory on Meat, who is obviously in Sunshine and Whiskey. However, I can attest that if you have not read it (like my moronic self), you are still ok, it not better, reading this first. It gives you a glimpse of who is he and what goes on inside his head.

I have to say – RL does a fantastic job of writing from a male’s POV. They really aren’t hard creatures to figure out. LOL However, this book will have you laughing, wanting to smack Meat upside the head and also high-fiving Madison.

RL – I loved this and look forward to reading more from you!

About R.L. Griffin

R.L. lives in the Atlanta area with her husband, son, and two dogs. After going to law school at American University, Washington College of Law, she settled back in the state in which she grew up but only after she fell in love with D.C. She worked in the Senate during the impeachment trial and the Department of Justice.

Website: http://rlgriffinauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/R.L.GriffinByAThread/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RLGriffinauthor

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rkzqHv

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1254833.R_L_Griffin