Five Loves

Poughkeepsie Begins by Debra Anastasia….Blog Tour Stop & Review (plus a fun freebie!)

Summary:

It ends with the beginning. This legendary, indie, cult-favorite series ends its tale with the story of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood before the tattoo. Before the train station, before the church, before a criminal empire there was a foster home and three teen boys who chose each other as family, because the ones they were born into didn’t existStill in high school, Beckett is already laying the groundwork for a grander life ahead, one where his brothers want for nothing and get some respect for once. But even as he plans, Beckett must decide if he’s ready to make that choice—diving in to a life that trades his chance at a future, his chance at something as simple as first love with a girl named Candy Cox, for their chance to find happiness.

Blake, Beckett, and Cole’s devotion to each other is forged by fists and the driving need to belong somewhere, to do more than just survive this life. Readers of the series know they each get there in the end, but before we count smiles, we must first shed tears. These early days of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood will play on your heartstrings before serrating them with a knife; they’ll lift your soul with music, only to leave you with nothing but a desperate prayer for hope.

And when you reach the end of the beginning, you’ll be ready to start the series all over again.

My Review:

Note: Have a box of tissues nearby when you read this book (trust me) and also, while it totally can be read as a standalone, I loved this entire series and highly recommend reading all of it!

Poughkeepsie Begins is the final chapter in the Poughkeepsie series by Debra Anastasia. I have some serious love for this series, and these characters….so much so that I got that tattoo, and while I am beyond sad to see this series end, I loved every second of this story and was so happy to see how it all began for this unlikely band of brothers.

To say this was an emotional book would be a gross understatement. I knew when I first read the series as a whole that the events leading up to how close these three foster brothers would eventually become had to be gut wrenching. And it was. But it was also beautiful and a reminder that no matter what, love can win. To read the younger versions of the men from this series was so wonderful. To read a young and headstrong Beckett, a hurt and emotional Blake, and a quiet and damaged Cole was beyond anything I had imagined. It was touching and heartbreaking all at the same time. To read their bond becoming something solid and the only good thing in these young men’s lives they can rely on was truly something special. Being able to learn how so many of the little habits that show up on the rest of the series was just so awesome, too. The special handshake being one and the infamous and iconic tattoo being the other both of which I was so elated to read. In a way, this book was like the very end credits of the last Twilight movie…a look back at where it all started and how far it’s come. Poughkeepsie will forever hold a special place in my heart…always.

I also loved reading the moments with their two young foster sisters. These moments showed just how big the hearts of Beckett, Blake, and Cole were…even back then when they were practically kids themselves.

Thank you, Debra, for giving us Blake, Beckett, and Cole. I will forever be thankful.

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1MlhCMp
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Y2d98U
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1MxLcSh
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1MUj7GV
Nook: http://bit.ly/1RKRA90
iTunes: http://apple.co/1Qrqg17
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Y3kuVF

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1NeYnaX

Find the whole Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series here: http://amzn.to/1OfpAtk

Free App as a present from the boys:

Okay, here’s the log in info:

web: http://omnificpublishing.com/PT0111513/chapter-one.html

Mobile app http://poughkeepsieapp.com/Poukeeidebrannnxiv_/

Navigation is on the upper right side.

Any questions? Find me here: http://on.fb.me/1MVcrSB

Excerpt:

When she ducked under the bleachers, he was a dick, right off the bat. His buzz was wearing off, but he was still high and broken at the closeness of her. “You’re missing your boyfriend during his lawn ballet.” He assumed a stance—douche mixed with confrontational—that he knew stopped people. It set up his walls real nice. With everyone.
Everyone but her. She walked right up to him. She pushed him hard once, twice, until his back hit one of the supports. And then she slapped him.
He took the slap and rolled his eyes. “That all you got for me, pink princess?”
And then she was kissing him. Oh, God. Kissing him and palming him with the same ferociousness he felt. He grabbed the metal behind him to keep from attacking her and nailing her right on the concrete floor littered with cigarettes and chip bags.
She pulled away and slapped him again, growling, “Fuck you, Beckett Taylor. Don’t you ever do that to me again. I’m worth more than that, and you know it.” She stepped back, leaving cold space and his heated erection between them.
He swallowed, his pounding heart trying to beat some common sense into his brain again. It wasn’t working. He let go of the bleachers and advanced. “You have some fucking nerve. You’re the one up there prom-queening it with goddamn Ryler.”
She stood her ground as he came at her. And he knew he was intimidating. Shit, full-grown men stepped aside when he was coming. But Candy raised her chin. He was amazed at the fight in her, right there. He pulled her into a dip, just like fucking Pyler had, except he did it like a man who wanted a woman and knew what to do with her body. Candy needed to push him away; she needed to turn her head.
Instead she groaned and bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. He put his hand between her legs and dragged it up to her breast, squeezing hard so she would feel it through her coat. She sunk her nails into the skin at his neck. She was a buried treasure. He was sure as fuck no one knew about this side of her. Only he could get her panting like she was. He spanked her bottom once.
“Ow.” She was shocked.
He stopped kissing and looked her in the face as he spanked her again, more forcefully this time.
Her “Ow” was quieter, and the hunger in her eyes far deeper than her years.
Again he spanked her. And this time she purred. Fucking purred. He began slow, circular caresses over the denim that covered her ass. He was desperate to see the red imprints from his hand.
“Fuck it.” Beckett picked her up and set her back against the metal support he’d tried to cling to before.
They weren’t alone. Red tips of cigarettes glowed, gentle murmurs of illicit behavior could be heard if you knew how to listen for trouble. Still, he held her against the pole and mimicked the motions he was desperate to do with her. He dropped his mouth to the zipper on her coat, which kept her safe from all his intentions. He used his teeth to pull it down to her cleavage. He buried his face, licking and nuzzling her sweet-smelling neck. He used his chin to move material so he could access more of her chest. She smelled like goddamn candy. His dick could pack gunpowder in a cannon it was so fucking hard.
After a moment, the murmurs added up. Too many. He glanced around and noticed the cigarettes being stubbed out. He let his prize slide down the metal gently. He leaned down to kiss her lips, then her forehead, right under the edge of her fuzzy hat before whispering, “Go. Cops are here. Go.”
And then Candy, sweet-smelling, homework-doing Candy, stuck her hand in his jacket’s hidden pocket and took the gun out. He pulled her hands and his gun close to make sure the safety was on before letting her tuck it into her bra.
“Anything else?” she asked.
And then he slipped the rest of the merchandise in his left pocket into her right one. She turned and left.
“And don’t you ever talk to me again, Taylor. I have a boyfriend!” She stormed away as the resource officer stepped up next to him.
“You have a way with the ladies, son.”
“I’m not your son.”
“That’s the truth right there. ’Cause if you were, you’d be on that field kicking footballs instead of selling at my school.”
When Beckett was let off with a warning due to lack of evidence, his one thought was of her. Candy was so perfect for him it hurt.

Just One Taste by Lexi Blake…Excerpt & Review Blog Tour Stop

Just One Taste

Masters and Mercenaries~Topped Book 2

By Lexi Blake

Coming November 17, 2015

One Hot Chef….

Eric Vail has always loved a challenge. After leaving the Navy, he mastered his passion for cooking. As the sous chef at Top, one of Dallas’s hottest restaurants, his skills are pushed to the limit every night. Unfortunately, his ultimate prize still eludes him. Server Deena Holmes is the sweetest thing he’s seen in forever, but she’s as distant as she is beautiful. When they’re put together in the same training class at the infamous club Sanctum, he knows this is his shot. And this former SEAL never misses.

A Woman Who Lost Her Taste for Love…

Deena thinks Eric is the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen, but her heart has been burned too many times before. She’s sworn off relationships for good and she can’t trust herself with a man that easy to fall in love with. She takes a spot as a trainee at Sanctum in the hopes of finding a safe place to explore and experiment. When she discovers her partner is the same chef she dreams about every night, Deena knows she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

A Perfect Recipe for Passion

While exploring the world of Sanctum, Eric and Deena find themselves learning about each other and finding an intimacy neither expected. But when the ghosts of her past resurface, old wounds are reopened. Can their newfound love survive when it’s put to the test?

My Review:

Just One Taste is the second book in author Lexi Blake’s Masters & Mercenaries: Topped Series and without fail, each time I read a new book by Ms. Blake, I am reminded that I really, really, need to go back and read the books I have missed in the series. Yes, I know, I actually haven’t read them all and I must because Ms. Blake has definitely moved into my top ten favorite author list.

Former Navy SEAL turned chef Eric and Top employee Deena have managed to hide their attraction for one another…well, at least they think they have. The entire staff knows it’s only a matter of time before they act on that attraction. Soon enough they get the chance when they are both accepted into Sanctum’s training program and wind up being paired in a D/s relationship. They both know this relationship doesn’t have to be one involving sex, and being burned by her ex as badly as Deena was certainly not ready for that type of connection. Eric was wiling to go any route she wanted. He just wanted to be given the chance to prove that all men aren’t terrible and if anyone was able to make her believe in love again, it was him…

Eric and Deena may have been able to keep their emotional distance while keeping their relationship strictly business, but once that barrier is broken, will it be the push they need to take things to the next level? To possibly love again?

Oh, how I loved this book and Eric and Deena. I know I’ve said this before about Ms. Blake’s books, but it bears repeating that she puts so much emotion into her characters and brings so much more into the D/s relationship and I love it.

I’ve read a lot of books involving BDSM and most of the time, that lifestyle takes over and takes away from the hero and heroine’s relationship. Never the case with Ms. Blake. The couples always dominate the story and the D/s relationship never defines who they are. Yes, it’s a part of them and it builds a deeper level connection, but it’s just a piece of who they are as a couple. And let me say, this couple is just wonderful.

Eric, while looking damaged on the outside, is solid on the inside. He is loyal, kind, patient, understanding, and loves with his whole heart. But make no mistake…he is all Dom and when he flips that switch? Holy yum! Deena is rightfully wary of men after her ex really did a number on her. She doesn’t want to have feelings for Eric and wants to keep him at arm’s length. Of course with a guy like Eric, that is surely easier said than done. They nicknamed him Captain America, and he lives up to that persona and then some. He has been through so much, from war to family loss, and he never once let it have any other effect on him than to learn to appreciate the good he still has and always to look forward to the future.

Their relationship moves at a slow and steady pace and was an absolute joy to read. I was pulling for the from the very first page and loved to read their relationship unfold. Of course, we also get to see a lot of the characters we have grown to love over the series and I always enjoy what they bring to the table in each book. Such a wonderful gang of characters! If you’ve never read a Lexi Blake book, you truly must.

Thank you. Ms. Blake, for another emotional and sexy read and for giving us Eric and Deena!

Five Loves

Excerpt:

“Why? Why would you want me?” All her arrogance was gone.

“Because we’re friends and I like you and you’re gorgeous. I’ve wanted to sleep with you from the moment I saw you. That might not be what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. I think we could be good for each other. Neither one of us has had a lover in a long time. Am I right?”

“You’re right,” she replied. “I haven’t even dated anyone since my divorce.”

“Then why not try? If it doesn’t work, we’ll go back to being friends.”

Her head shook. “That never happens.”

“I don’t know what kind of douchebags you’ve been dating, but I’m still friends with almost every woman I’ve ever dated. It doesn’t have to end in either happily ever after or hate. Especially if we’re both honest. The contract is for six weeks. I can promise you right now that I’m still going to like you after six weeks. You be honest with me. Were you planning on experimenting with your training Dom if you’d had chemistry with him? Before you knew I was the Dom. Would you have given that Dom a chance?”

She nodded silently.

“Well, then I suppose we’ll have a very abstinent training period and then we’ll go our separate ways when it comes to the club. I guess Big Tag and the shrink aren’t as smart as they think they are.” He wasn’t about to give up. This was only the beginning of a very long battle, but it was time to retreat. “We’ll talk about the contract later tonight and set up all the rules. I’ll still have to touch you during the scenes, but I’ll make it as impersonal as possible.”

“We don’t know that we have chemistry,” she said quietly, making no move to grab the bags.

He shrugged. “I guess we won’t know.”

He turned to begin helping her. He would take the bags out to her car and then let Grace know she was on her way. Someone would meet her in the parking garage to help her bring everything up. He would spend the afternoon planning menus with Chef and heading to the farmer’s market to find fresh vegetables for dinner.

A hand on his arm gently pulled and he turned.

Deena was standing right there, her face turned up to him, her eyes wide. “Shouldn’t we know?”

She went on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. He went still, unwilling to frighten her away. Soft lips moved over his as her hands found his waist. She was tentative, but he could sense the fire in her. Those hands told the real tale. They moved restlessly, as though she had them on a leash. He wanted that leash taken off.

When she ended the kiss and stared up at him, he decided to go for broke. She wanted to see if they had chemistry? He could show her how volatile they could be.

“My turn,” he whispered before he took control. His hands slid up her neck, fingers sinking into the soft, silky strands of her hair.

He kissed her, moving his lips over hers, commanding her. The minute he took control those hands of hers started to move, sliding up the muscles of his back, her body pressing in. He felt her relax as though happy to not be the one in charge. Deena could take control of a room of diners and work that floor with an iron will, but she was shy about this. She needed him to take charge of the physical part.

He could do that. It wouldn’t be sexy if she weren’t so together in the rest of her life. He kissed her again and again, his tongue finally moving over her full bottom lip. She groaned and her mouth opened, welcoming him inside.

The kiss turned wild, their tongues playing against each other as their bodies came together. He could feel her rubbing against him. He would bet her body was soft, her pussy already getting slick and ready for him.

He was so ready for her.

And if he took her right here on the prep table, she would likely run away forever. She wasn’t ready. Not even close.

He broke off the kiss, brushing his lips lightly against hers one last time. He’d promised her control. It was damn iron will that got him to take his hands off her. She was so sweet looking with her hair mussed and her lips puffy from kissing. This was how he wanted to see her all the time. Sweet and willing and ultimately satisfied.

Satisfaction would have to wait.

“We have plenty of chemistry, sweetheart.”

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26054327-just-one-taste

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

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1MSR0XX

iTunes: http://apple.co/1VhLOl4

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

Google: http://bit.ly/1VkB7sy

Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/1KK0K3p

All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1OlzVqq

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Q8MBQU

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1NOPiVk

About the author:

Her first novel, Their Virgin Captive: Masters of Ménage, Book 1, was a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black. There are five more books available in the series: Their Virgin’s Secret, Their Virgin Concubine, Their Virgin Princess, Their Virgin Hostage, and Their Virgin Secretary. The next book in the series, Their Virgin Mistress, is coming to Amazon this April.
In addition to the Masters of Ménage series, she is the author of the Masters and Mercenaries series. The first seven novels, The Dom Who Loved Me, The Men with the Golden Cuffs, A Dom is Forever, On Her Master’s Secret Service, Love and Let Die, Dungeon Royale, and A View to a Thrill are available now, along with the novellas Sanctum, Unconditional, Dungeon Games, and Cherished. The eighth novel, You Only Love Twice, is coming in February of 2015, along with two new novellas, Luscious and Adored, coming in May of 2015.
In 2013, Lexi also began releasing her urban fantasy series, Thieves. The full series, Steal the Light, Steal the Day, Steal the Moon, Steal the Sun, and Steal the Night, are available now on Amazon. The first book in a spin-off of the series, Ripper, released in January of 2015. Look for Addict, the next book in the spin-off series, to be released in Fall of 2015.
Lexi will again collaborate with Shayla Black in a new series The Perfect Gentlemen. The first book, Scandal Never Sleeps, will release on July 7, 2015.

Sign up for Lexi’s FREE newsletter at http://lexiblake.net/contact.html#newsletter.
For more information about her books, her appearances and her wacky life visit her Facebook page http://goo.gl/q2IHnJ or her website http://www.lexiblake.net .

Point of Origin by Rebecca Yarros….ARC Review

Possess – An Alpha Anthology, which includes Point of Origin, is out TODAY!

Synopsis:

Point of Origin – After six years, Sebastian Vargas is home, fighting to restart the elite team of firefighters known as the Legacy Hotshot Crew, but it’s the girl he left behind that could leave him burned.

My review:

Point of Origin is the newest work from author Rebecca Yarros, an author I am completely obsessed with and devour any and everything she writes. To say that I loved this novella would be an understatement. Huge understatement.

The small Colorado town of Legacy was devastated years earlier when a wildfire took the lives of their local hotshot crew. The local hotshot crew that consisted of fathers…husbands…friends. Now the children of those lost firefighters have grown, but never forgot the devastating loss they all share. The loss that was felt every day and shadowed everything these young people did. Some stayed, some went their separate ways, but Legacy was always in their hearts.

Bash was one of those children who grew up and left. And when he left he took Emerson’s heart with him. They had grown up as best friends, had both lost fathers in that terrible tragedy, and when they both realized they had grown from friends to much more, they decided to take their relationship to the next level. They had loved each other for as long as they can both remember. Their attraction had grown as they had and as adults the heat and fire between them was undeniable…and beyond intense.

Emerson never thought he would leave her. But he did. And six years later she still wasn’t over it, no matter how she tried to pretend otherwise. And now he was back. In Legacy. With an idea that would threaten to crush her. He wanted to bring a new hotshot crew to Legacy. Could a heart be crushed enough that it would eventually stop beating? Because Emerson was pretty sure her heart had just about reached that limit…

This story. This town’s history. These characters. They were everything. This novella reminded me what it is to read stories that touch you on a whole other level. It reminded me what it is I love about reading and how I fell in love with the romance genre in the first place. Every once in a while you just connect with the characters and their story and it’s a gift. Point of Origin is one of those gifts and Ms. Yarros is one of those amazing authors capable of delivering it. She gives her characters such depth that you can’t help but feel as if they’re real. Little things like Emerson’s tic-tac habit and the town’s local café wall being scarred with the carved letters of lover’s names. Call me silly, but I love these little nuances and I think it brings a palpable authenticity that is, sadly, lacking in many of today’s reads.

Of course, the heat and chemistry between Bah and Emerson is delicious and the cast of secondary characters is just as amazing as they are. Add to that a back story that was so heart wrenching that I couldn’t stop crying at times, and I have zero doubt this series to come will be a series I fall head over heels for.

Thank you, Ms. Yarros, for giving us the town of Legacy. I cannot wait to see what’s next for this amazing group of hotshots!

Five Loves

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N

About the author:

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of thirteen years, and they’re currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado.

Take The Storm, Rising Storm Episode 6, by Rebecca Zanetti…ARC Review

Take The Storm releases this Thursday, 10/29

Synopsis:

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.

My Review:

Take the Storm by Rebecca Zanetti is the 6^th episode of Rising Storm and I’m sure I’ve said I before, but whoa…this one may be my fave! I loved it and with so many things headed into a fevered pitch, Ms. Zanetti had me glued to every page!

In this particular episode Patrick Murphy and Marisol Moreno are at a crossroads. Patrick wants more from her. More from their relationship. Marisol would love nothing more than to give that to him but she knows she can’t. She’s got way too much on her plate and he deserved more than that. Of course all of that turmoil led to so many emotions and I was a nervous wreck! I’m really pulling for these two!

Adding to the story is the *ahem* relationship between Senator Rush and Dakota, which I can only assume will be ending in some major disaster, and Brittany Rush’s meddling grandmother who will undoubtedly be making some serious trouble for her and her budding relationship with Marcus. Man, things just keep heating up and getting better!

Thank you, Ms. Zanetti, for adding more fuel to the drama fire and for one heck of a juicy read! I cannot wait to see what’s next!

Five Loves

Book Links:

Rising Storm Website

About the author:

New York Times Bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the USA Today, NY Times, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Scorpius Syndrome, The Dark Protectors, The Realm Enforcers, The Maverick Montana Cowboys, and the Sin Brothers series.

Website

All Hallows Eve by Heather Graham…ARC Review

All Hallows Eve releases tomorrow, 10/27

Synopsis:

Salem was a place near and dear to Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall — it was where they’d met on a strange and sinister case.

They never dreamed that they’d be called back. That history could repeat itself in a most macabre and terrifying fashion.

But, then again, it was Salem at Halloween. Seasoned Krewe members, they still find themselves facing the unspeakable horrors in a desperate race to save each other-and perhaps even their very souls.

My Review:

All Hallows Eve is the part of author Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters Series as well as novella number 16 in the 2015 1,001 Dark Nights line-up. I adore the Krewe of Hunters and am a huge Halloween junkie, so this novella was a total win for me! I loved every spooky minute!

Jenna Duffy and Samuel Hall find themselves back in Salem, investigating a murder that happened in a haunted house attraction. What was thought to be a hanging dummy was, in fact, a very real, very dead person. What goes on after that is a true who-dun-it mystery led by the dead man’s ghost and I was kept on the edge of my seat until the very end.

One of the many things I love about Ms. Graham’s writing is the description she puts into her stories. I can very much feel like I am there, walking alongside of the characters, through graveyards and Salem city streets. She writes with just the right amount of creepy and scary mixed with the perfect amount of suspense. I have yet to be let down by one of her books. Adding to this novella is a dash of romance with the relationship between Jenna and Sam, which really rounded out the entire package. Just perfect!

This is the perfect Halloween tale and one I highly recommend. Thank you, Ms. Graham, for another wonderful addition to The Krewe!

Five Loves

Book links:

Amazon | 1,001 Dark Nights

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Calm Before the Storm, Rising Storm Episode 5, by Larissa Ione….ARC Review

Calm Before the Storm releases this Thursday, 10/22

Synopsis:

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sister’s in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.

My Review:

Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione is episode 6 in the Rising Storm series and honestly, this series is getting seriously intense and with an author like Larissa Ione writing an episode this far into things, you can just imagine how awesome it was!

Marcus Alvarez’s return to Storm is just as scandalous and amazing as I had hoped it would be. I mean this guy is all mysterious and sexy with a past we get to see bits and pieces of and I loved it so much. He’s missed his family and his best friend, Logan, while he was gone and is now in turmoil in deciding to go back to Montana, where he found a safe haven after fleeing Storm, or stay with the people he loves most. Adding to his turmoil is the beautiful Brittany Rush. She had grown into a gorgeous woman and now, with her obvious attraction to him, wants nothing more than to stay in Storm. Of course that appears to be a pipe dream when Brittany’s family gives him a harsh reminder that he was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks and not even close to being in the same league as they were. Man, reality can really bite.

I was ready to throw my iPad across the room when I read this story…not because I didn’t like it but because my emotions were all over the place! It was so good! Again, coming from Larissa, I knew it was going to be. Now, I’m just sitting over here, biting my nails, and waiting anxiously for the next episode!

If you haven’t started this series, you really need to….it is SO good!

Five Loves

Rising Storm Links:

Rising Storm Site | Calm Before the Storm

About the author:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Dance in the Wind, Rising Storm Episode 4, by Jennifer Probst….ARC Review

Dance in the Wind releases TOMORROW!

Synopsis:

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope.

My Review:

Dance in the Wind by Jennifer Probst is the fourth episode in the Rising Storm Series. With each episode I get more and more sucked into this amazing and uniquely written series and with each episode I swear it’s my favorite one! This was no exception. It was amazing.

I know I’ve said it before but I need to say it again: if you haven’t read the previous episodes you will be pretty lost so make sure you’re all caught up!

Ok, Dance in the Wind has my favorite story line so far…Logan Murphy and his return home. I just knew when Elisabeth Naughton introduced him in episode 3, Crosswinds, he was going to be someone special and boy is he ever. He’s caught between being happy to be home back in Storm and not really feeling like he fits in. Luckily he rekindles a bond he shared before he left for the Army with Ginny. Of course Ginny has her own host of issues with her pregnancy and secrets she’s hiding, but they are very similar in their struggle to just handle day-to-day life. I love them together. Things are still a bit of a mess with Luis and his girl problems and there is one HUGE bombshell that he overhears one afternoon that had me texting Liz Berry as soon as I read it. This bombshell threatens to unravel so many things and oh man, am I a worried mess! I’m totally sitting on pins and needles waiting for the next episode!

Again, the seamless transition from each story and author to the next is truly awe-inspiring and this will continue to be a series I highly recommend!

Thank you, Ms. Probst, for another stellar episode packed with drama and emotion!

Five Loves

Book links:

Rising Storm Website

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, and spent 26 weeks on the New York Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a “romance phenom” by Kirkus Reviews.

She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team.

Need You For Always by Marina Adair….ARC Review

Synopsis:

Emerson “Emi” Blake dropped out of culinary school to care for her ailing mother, but she has bigger dreams than running St. Helena’s most popular pita cart. First on the menu: upgrade to a gourmet food truck. A new part-time job as a personal chef will definitely provide the funds, but it also forces her into close contact with her one and only one-night stand, Dax Baudouin, who’s daring her to try a second taste.

Former army Ranger Dax has a clear mission: come home, get healed, and get gone. Yet Emi’s tough-girl exterior and hidden soft side are even harder to resist than her mouthwatering baklava. After years of battles, he knows better than to try and rescue anyone—not that she’ll let him get close enough to try. Truth is, Dax is starting to think that Emi’s the one person who can save him…if he can just persuade her to give him another shot.

My Review:

Need You For Always is the second book in author Marina Adair’s Heroes of St. Helena series and honestly, I just love each and every single book Marina writes. This was no exception. I can’t stop swooning over Dax and Emi’s story!

Now, because the synopsis for this book is pretty detailed, I won’t waste time and get right into why I loved this book.

Every single detail of this book, the small town setting, descriptions of the food Emerson expertly makes, the deliciously sexy banter between Emerson and Dax, the emotions both Emerson and Dax are battling within themselves, the family drama Emerson is going through, Dax’s own family dynamics, is done so beautifully and expertly. There isn’t one thing about this story that isn’t done well. Not one. The characters are so multi-faceted and have so many layers that I feel as though they could be standing in front of me. As with all of Ms. Adair’s books, they play out like a movie in my mind’s eye and I can’t even tell you how much I adore that. The growing attraction between Emerson and Dax was simply delicious and very real. There stories both individually and together are real life and relatable. Real life is messy and responsibilities are overwhelming at times. There are bills to pay and kids events to take care of and the way Ms. Adair incorporates those real life moments with a beautiful romance is just spectacular.

And I have to mention that the ending of this book had me crying big happy tears and was BEYOND amazing! Totally movie worthy!

If you haven’t read Marina Adair, I URGE you to pick up one of her books. I know you will not be disappointed and will become hooked on her writing as much as I am! She is an author I will recommend over and over again and one I will always look forward to reading.

Thank you, Ms. Adair, for Dax and Emerson!

Five Loves

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

About the author:

Marina Adair is a National bestselling author of romance novels. Along with the St. Helena Vineyard series, she is also the author of Tucker’s Crossing, part of the Sweet Plains series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter.

As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive.

Stroke of Midnight by Lara Adrian…ARC Review

Stroke of Midnight releases TOMORROW!

Synopsis:

Born to a noble Breed lineage steeped in exotic ritual and familial duty, vampire warrior Jehan walked away from the luxurious trappings of his upbringing in Morocco to join the Order’s command center in Rome.

But when a generations-old obligation calls Jehan home, the reluctant desert prince finds himself thrust into an unwanted handfasting with Seraphina, an unwilling beauty who’s as determined as he is to resist the antiquated pact between their families.

Yet as intent as they are to prove their incompatibility, neither can deny the attraction that ignites between them. And as Jehan and Seraphina fight to resist the calling of their blood, a deadly enemy seeks to end their uneasy truce before it even begins…

My Review:

Stroke of Midnight is novella number 15 in the 2015 1,001 Dark Nights line up as well as part of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series, a series I have loved for years now. This novella from start to finish was a complete package of heat, emotion, and even some suspense. I loved it!

Seraphina and Jehan find themselves in quite an unwelcome predicament. The bond that has kept their two families from warring for the past few centuries is in danger of becoming no more and the only two people who can save it is them. Together. As in mated. Not something either one of them was interested in…ever. And yet here they were, stuck in this ridiculous hand fasting ceremony that is supposed to last eight long days. They figure it will be fine. They can spend the eight days on opposite ends of the villa they were sequestered to. There was only one problem: there was no way ignoring the spark of attraction they felt towards each other would be that easy. Of course fate would have a hand in pushing them together as well…

Whoa. Who would have thought that so much scorching heat and emotion could be poured into anything other than a full length book? I should have known better. I mean it IS Lara Adrian after all. She was able to out so much into these pages and I loved everything about Sera and Jehan’s meeting and mating. It started out with a slow burn and soon turned hot and heavy between them and oh my, it was positively delicious. As if that wasn’t enough tot love about these two, Ms. Adrian threw in some suspense and duplicity I never saw coming and it added a wonderful element to this story. Bonus? It only drew Sera and Jehan closer together which had me swooning!

The midnight Breed series is a series that continues to grow and evolve with each installment and never gets stale or old. I can only imagine what a feat that must be for a writer: to not only keep established fans of the series wanting more but to also gain new fans. Kudos to Ms. Adrian for continuing to do so year after year.

Whether you’re a fan of the Breed already or looking for something new, Stroke of Midnight is a story for you. Thank you Ms. Adrian for a beautifully heated read peppered with just the right amount of action!

Five Loves

Book Links:

Amazon | 1,001 Dark Nights

About the Author:

Lara Adrian is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series and seven award-winning, historical romances, previously released under the pen name Tina St. John.

Lara’s Midnight Breed series is available in hardcover, mass market paperback and e-book through Random House, and in limited edition through Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody Book Club, Book of The Month, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Unabridged audio editions are available through Tantor Media, Random House Audio, Amazon, iTunes, etc. Lara’s new releases regularly appear on all of the key bestseller lists including including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. There are more than 2 million copies of the Midnight Breed novels in print in the United States.

The House by Christina Lauren…ARC Review

Synopsis:

Gavin tells Delilah he’s hers—completely—but whatever lives inside that house with him disagrees.

After seven years tucked away at an East coast boarding school, Delilah Blue returns to her small Kansas hometown to find that not much has changed. Her parents are still uptight and disinterested, her bedroom is exactly the way she left it, and the outcast Gavin Timothy still looks like he’s crawled out of one of her dark, twisted drawings.

Delilah is instantly smitten.

Gavin has always lived in the strange house: an odd building isolated in a stand of trees where the town gives in to mild wilderness. The house is an irresistible lure for Delilah, but the tall fence surrounding it exists for good reason, and Gavin urges Delilah to be careful. Whatever lives with him there isn’t human, and isn’t afraid of hurting her to keep her away.

My Review:

The House is the newest work from authors Christina Lauren and was honestly unlike anything I have ever read…it was one hell of a phenomenal experience!

Let me start out by telling you that I adore all things that go bump in the night. I will watch any scary movie, love creepy places, and have loved reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz since I was a kid. I also want to say that I haven’t read YA since Twilight came out. But because I am a huge Christina Lauren fangirl, I knew I had to read this book and I am so incredibly glad I did.

From the very beginning I was hooked. I was hooked on Gavin’s dark and mysterious persona. I was hooked on Delilah’s fascination with him and wanting to know more about him and learn what lurks beneath his exterior. I was hooked on this unlikely couple and their blossoming relationship. I was hooked on The House. There was so much to love about this story. It was fresh and exciting. It was goose bump inducing and spine tingling.

What started out as an almost youthful and playful vibe turned into something very grown up and sinister. I loved the juxtaposition between the beauty of the love growing between Gavin and Delilah and the darkness seeping out from the house when it feared it was losing Gavin. Yes, the house was very much a character in this story and was one hell of a manipulative villain. That too was a fascinating aspect…typically inanimate objects being treated as people. The way the authors wrote things like Hallway Table, Fireplace, and Piano, with proper names really ratcheted up the creepiness factor.

Beyond that, the mystery of how Gavin grew up in that house was truly a doozy. I certainly never expected it to end the way it did but I was so glad that’s how things ended up. I can’t give anything away but be prepared for one hell of a ride!

I have two other creepy books that have stayed with me for years: Thinner by Stephen King and The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz. I can honestly tell you that The House now has joined that list. I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of fascinating darkness in a young love story. Thank you Christina and Lauren for a fantastic book!

Five Loves

Book Links:

Amazon | Christina Lauren Website

About the Authors:
Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you’ll probably find her on tumblr. She is married and absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 14 year old (right??), thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter. She also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.

Rising Storm Episode 3: Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton…ARC Review

Crosswinds releases tomorrow!

Synopsis:

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Lacey Salt’s world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory’s new boyfriend, Luis.

My review:

Crosswinds by Elisabeth Naughton is the third episode in the Rising Storm Series, a series I am totally 100% addicted to. I can tell you that Ms. Naughton did a spectacular job at heating things up to a scorching temp in this latest installment. It was amazing!

Ok, now I will tell you before I even begin that if you haven’t read the first two episodes, you really need to otherwise you’ll be totally lost. That being said, Crosswinds takes the situations that have been going on and really kicked it up a notch! Lacey Salt is starting to act out after the death of her brother and in the worst way possible…by going after her best friend’s boyfriend. Yep, the claws really came out in this story and I had more that a few “oh no she didn’t” moments! I really wanted to slap some sense into Lacey and tell her to knock it off. On top of all that we still have the drama going on with poor Ginny being pregnant and living with the Salt family, which is turning into quite the stifling living arrangement if you ask me. Poor girl really needs some space.

My favorite part about this story, though, is the very end and meeting Logan Murphy who has just returned from the military and being away at war. Even from the few pages he was introduced in I can tell this man is going to rip my heart out and make me swoon all at the same time. He is totally a broken hero and I adore those types!

I cannot wait for more of this series and highly recommend picking it up if you haven’t already! Thank you Ms. Naughton, for this fantastic episode!

Five Loves

Book links:

Rising Storm | Crosswinds

About the author:

Before topping multiple bestseller lists–including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal–Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A voracious reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned into a flame, and Naughton now writes full-time. Besides topping bestseller lists, her books have been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, such as the RITA® and Golden Heart Awards from Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Golden Leaf Award. When not dreaming up new stories, Naughton can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home.