New Reviews – Page 134 – Read-Love-Blog

Review…Nice Girl by Kate Baum

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Synopsis:

Graduate student Grace Locke moves from the Midwest to New York City to complete her Masters degree in Criminology. She longs to one day be a college professor. It is a field that is dominated by men. She is worried about succeeding in such an atmosphere. Past sexual relationships have caused her to feel intimidated. Her experiences with college men have left her jaded and unsatisfied. She gives herself a challenge. Time to toughen up or she won’t make it in a career she yearns for. She decides to surround herself with alpha males so that she can practice becoming what she sees as a strong confident woman. She finds power and defiance in her new attitude……..until Vinnie.

When Grace takes a part time secretarial job at a private investigator office, she assumes it will be interesting to watch how the cases unfold. It is close to her campus apartment and gives her the extra cash she needs as a struggling college student. Even more perfect is that the office is surrounded by street wise hardened males. Now, she can get the needed practice at increasing her confidence among men. She wasn’t prepared for Vinnie Lewis. A former hit man who decides to go straight, he is the ultimate “bad boy”. After growing up with a prostitute mother on the streets of New York City, he has no patience for nice girls like Grace. He is difficult to work with. She finds him just plain scary with his six foot four frame, bulging biceps, and a scar from a former knife fight that goes across his right ear to his chin. She shakes in his presence but then ……. is shocked when she can’t stop thinking of him.

My Review:

Nice Girl is the debut work from Kate Baum and also the first in the Girl Series. I was intrigued from the moment I read the synopsis and really enjoyed this book!

Grace and her friends, a group that has been together since practically forever and friends anyone would love to have, have decided that their love lives have completely sucked. None of them have ever experienced sex like they read about in smutty novels. Nope, none of them have ever felt the quivering in their belly or experienced all consuming desire. More importantly, none of them have had the big “O” with a man. Enter: The “O” Pact. They all decide that they WILL find men capable of giving them each a scene right out of a smexy book. Unfortunately, they are each headed in their own directions in life, Grace to grad school in New York and her friends all in other directions across the country. Thank God for Skype because they are so gonna need those girl chats!

Grace starts her adventure in NYC by quickly acclimating to grad school and landing an officer manager position at an up-and-coming private investigation firm which she loves form her very first day. Well, everything except one of the owners, Vinnie, and his perma-scowl and lack of communication skills. Too bad those turn-offs can’t overrule the turn-ons….his handsome face and killer body can’t be hidden behind that gruff personality. And when that personality turns less and less gruff when he’s around her, she realizes she is in way over her head and can’t help but start to hope that he’s the one to cancel her membership in the No “O” Club.

The last thing Vinnie is looking for is a nice girl. He is way to f*cked in the head to ever be good enough for someone like the new hire at the firm. His whore of a mother and screwed up childhood made damn sure he’d never get anyone like Grace. So why did he continue to find himself hoping beyond hope that he could change and be the kind of man she deserved?

Together, Grace and Vinnie are really well written opposites and attract beautifully. His roughness to her softness mesh really, really well and I was pulling for them from the moment they met. The attraction between them grew at a perfect and believable pace…it was refreshing to read that kind of normal life progression.

This was a great read with a lot of fantastic characters woven in between Grace and Vinnie’s interaction. The staff at the firm is instrumental in helping Grace and Vinnie overcome their misgivings and help them realize that it just may be worth a shot and to step out of their comfort zones. I hope we get to see more of them as the series progresses.

I think this is a great debut for Kate and I am looking forward to reading more from her and the Girl Series! Thanks, Kate, for a great intro and for a fabulous read!

Four Loves

Review….Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

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Synopsis:

Warning: This is not a typical love story. This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime.

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without.

This is Eva and Deuce’s story.

It wasn’t easy.

Nothing worth doing ever is.

And love is worth everything.

My Review:

Coming off of Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines, I felt like I needed to find another incredible read. I was talking to a fellow blog friend, Debbie from Talk Supe, and she recommended Undeniable. I was instantly intrigued after I read the *WARNING* in almost every review posted. However, nothing could have warned me for how many nights I’d stay up late reading and ultimately falling in love with a bunch of rude, crude, rough and tumble biker dudes…..damn, I loved this book.

So I will start you off with the *WARNING*: this book is not for the easily offended. If you like hearts and flowers and girly, fluffy love, this is NOT the book for you. If you don’t like foul language, this is NOT the book for you. If you don’t like to read about the really bad stuff that you hear about on the news, this is NOT the book for you. If you like Sons of Anarchy or other gritty, bad-boy driven stories, good news, this IS the book for you! This book is a look into the biker lifestyle, which I’m sure you can imagine is dirty, violent, crude and dark…..however, even in the darkest of places, love can triumph.

We begin meeting a then five-year-old Eva, daughter of a Motorcycle Club President, visiting her father in prison. It’s there she runs into Deuce. Deuce is visiting his father as well; only he and his father are from a rival club. Deuce is also older….twenty-three to be exact. He’s not a total hard-ass though and recognizes something special in Eva. If anything, she was special simply because she was growing up in the biker life and didn’t see bikers as big, scary guys…but as regular people. Her people. Deuce wasn’t familiar with being looked at as a person. He never forgot Eva…..and Eva never forgot him.

Fate definitely had a plan for these two…it just took a long time to get it right.

Eva and Deuce cross paths numerous times throughout their lives and each time was a special moment leading them to their own version of a perfect ending. I know I probably sound vague and you’re probably annoyed with my nonsensical blabbering but I just can’t go into too much detail GAH! Each encounter between Eva and Deuce is special and you need to be able to experience it on your own, first hand, without thinking “Damn that Jillian for ruining this scene for me!” Oh, and by the way, Deuce is smoking HOT!!!

This book was freaking INTENSE! I was so nervous so many times throughout this book! I was afraid Deuce would get hurt, or Eva would give up on him. I almost broke my own rule and read the last page just to see if their names were both written on it! But, thankfully, I didn’t because it was worth every nail biting word on every emotionally charged page. This story is amazing. It’s unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s in a league all of it’s own. It’s crude and dark but at the same time beautiful and tender. Also, along the way, we meet characters that I also grew to love. Deuce’s core crew is a group of guys that I hope to see more of in the books to come. They are equally bad-assed and hard bodied with a sex appeal all their own. I was so happy to have had this recommended to me and will absolutely be continuing on with the series.

Thank you, Ms. Sheehan, for a crazy, intense and beautifully touching read!

Five Loves

Review….Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

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Synopsis:

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter.

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother.

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

My Review:

Ok, so I’ve been sitting here for over ten minutes trying to figure out how to start this review….not because I don’t know what to say, but because I have to make sure by the time I’m finished writing it that you will be buying this book. Hell, you don’t even have to read my whole review! But you do have to get this book. Yes, I loved it that much.

We meet Blaire as she is closing a chapter in her life and ready to start over in Florida. Her mother has just died, she had to sell the only home she’s ever known, and has left her old life behind in Alabama. She’s now going to have to deal with the father that left her and her mother years ago, unfortunately he’s the only family she has left. So imagine her surprise when she pulls up to the home he shares with his new family to find he isn’t even there. He’s in France with his wife…for a month. Typical. There is someone home, however…her stepbrother, Rush, and to say he is less than thrilled to see her would be understatement of the year. Problem is, Blaire has $20 to her name and nowhere else to go.

As it is, Rush cannot stand his mother’s new husband. Now, standing in his home, is his stepsister, Blaire. The last thing he needs, and has patience for, is taking care of this issue. He shouldn’t care that she has nowhere to go. He shouldn’t care that she has no money and that her father is all she has left. He really shouldn’t….but there’s something about Blaire that appeals to him the minute he sees her. He won’t turn her away, but he won’t make her stay a pleasant one either.

Neither one of them is prepared for where they are headed….

What a book. What an emotional roller coaster this story was. I loved every damn minute. I devoured it in a little over a day. Rush is a pompous ass of a rich guy. He’s also sexy as hell with an erotic allure he owns and uses with such skill it makes me weak in the knees just thinking about it. Blaire is such a sweet and innocent character and is so opposite of Rush in every way. But as innocent as Blaire is in some facets, in others she’s very much experienced. She has endured unimaginable heartache and has dealt with many very real, very grown-up problems. There were parts of this book that had my chest physically hurting. Rush is a total jerk to Blaire in the beginning and treats her like she’s nothing. You know that feeling when you had a fight with your parents, or even your spouse, and you kind of walked around the house hiding, trying to avoid the angry person? I felt that way when I was reading Blaire’s experiences in Rush’s house. She hid away and tried to avoid Rush at all costs. She made the best of a bad situation by just trying to stay out of sight. Eventually though, her presence alone starts to warm Rush to the idea of having her in his home and his life. And because of his gradual change of heart, and the way he eventually acts toward Blaire, he is now one of my top 5 book men. The push and pull between Blaire and Rush is f#cking amazing. Together they are delicious. There is a scene on a set of stairs that ranks up with the sink scene from J.R. Ward’s Lover Eternal…yep, it’s that good.

I only want to briefly touch on the ending, and warn you now….it’s heartbreaking. BUT, since there is another book coming out in February, Never Too Far, I can’t be angry that my heart has been ripped out and stomped on. Sometimes you gotta go through Hell to appreciate Heaven.

So, if you’ve made it this far, and have read all of my blabbering, thank you….now go buy this book and start reading!

Thank you, Ms. Glines, for that amazingly awesome book (and for giving us Rush Findlay to dream about and drool over!)

Five Loves

And for more yumminess….click here to for a special excerpt from Fallen Too Far told in Rush’s POV from Abbi’s website!

Make sure to visit her site for more info on upcoming releases and more fun stuff!

Review…The Risk-Taker by Kira Sinclair

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Synopsis:

Subject: Totally buff ranger Gage Harper Current Status: Walking wounded—both physically and mentally

Mission: Finally get the girl he could never have

Obstacle: She may just be the biggest risk he’s ever taken

All returned POW Gage Harper wants to do is forget, even if he has to let some gym rat beat him to a pulp to do it. He certainly doesn’t want to tell the tale of his heroism to the tabloids. Especially since he’s no hero. But one journalist is determined to get the inside scoop—and she’s the only girl Gage has never been able to resist.

Hope Rawlings never took Gage’s romantic advances seriously growing up. After all, she was just his buddy, and a guy like Gage could have any girl he wanted. But now she needs his story to get her dream job in the city. And she’s willing to do anything to get it.

My Review:

So I stumbled across this title while searching fro my next read and to be honest, the cover was the first thing that caught my attention. I mean, HE-LLO yumminess! Then after reading the overview, I knew this was a must read for me. Now I’m thanking the Book Cover Gods for leading me to this book because I absolutely lurved it!

Gage Harper is an Army Ranger who has just returned home to Sweetheart, SC after being rescued from captivity in Afghanistan. He’s happy to be home and out of that desert hell but not happy to deal with his new title of “hometown hero”. He’s even less happy to deal with the all-consuming guilt he’s carrying over thinking he’s the one responsible that he and his men had been captured in the first place. What better place to purge some of that guilt than in a cage match, getting the snot beat out of him? The last thing he needs is to see Hope, his childhood best friend and the first girl ever to turn him down and break his heart, standing amidst the crowd.

Hope cannot believe her eyes. Why on earth would Gage be fighting, or more appropriately, getting his ass handed to him, only a few days after coming home? For now, those answers will have to wait. The mission at hand is to get an interview with him. One he’s refused to any and every reporter since returning to U.S. soil. It’s what she needs to land her dream job at a high profile newspaper. He’s her ticket out of this town. Funny that the only guy that she’s ever wanted to push away was now the very same one she will have to get close to again. Will she be able to ignore his affections like she had all those years ago? Will he even still have feelings for her? Will her heart be able to take another dose of Gage? Hope didn’t realize it, but her resistance started wearing down the minute she laid eyes on him at the fight….she is so screwed.

Together, thanks to the town of Sweetheart’s charity tradition of Cupid’s Couples, they will have to spend a week together. Neither of them really wants to. Now they have no choice but to re-live their pasts…digging up long forgotten feelings both good and bad. One can only hope they good outweighs the bad this time around. They may not get another chance.

I. Loved. This. Story. Gage is a wounded hero, both physically and mentally and is so in need of saving. He broke my heart with the guilt he carries about being captured and for the torch he has carried for Hope for all of the years since he last saw her. He is the ultimate rough and tumble, danger seeking bad boy with a sweet and caring soul at the very heart of him. I could so vividly picture him and feel his emotions. God, I loved every minute of this book. Hope is awesome. She has the perfect amount of toughness and sweetness and gave in exactly when she should have. Not a moment too soon or too late. I didn’t get that frustrated feeling that sometimes happens when there’s a push/pull between the hero and heroine. The ending was seriously a-freaking-mazing *dreamy sigh*

I’m so happy to hear Ms. Sinclair will be giving us more from Sweetheart, cause I know it’s now one of my favorite spots to be! Thanks, Kira, for a kick-ass read! This is definitely one that needs to be on your to-read list, folks!

Five Loves

Renhala by Amy Joy Lutchen…Review and Giveaway

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Synopsis:

Kailey Rooke, timid accountant, dedicated to philanthropic work, finds herself spiraling into a deep depression after she suffers a horrifyingly odd and humiliating assault, to only discover more of these freakish assaults occurring across the globe.

A chance discovery leads Kailey to a meeting with elderly Gunthreon, actual master of persuasion. Gunthreon, who seems to know too much of Kailey’s history for her liking, opens Kailey’s eyes to a coexisting realm she never knew existed: Renhala, while entrusting her with the knowledge of her newfound power as karmelean, serving as a beacon to the Higher Ones. Kailey slowly starts revealing new talents, and Gunthreon is fascinated with what she starts achieving.

She soon discovers that Renhala is in danger, and this danger has been leaking into her own realm. As she uncovers secrets within herself, and attempts to toughen up, she fuses with an unlikely band of fellow travelers (including a dragon, woodsprite, six-hundred-pound greble, her faithful female canine companion, and a “giver”), falls into an unexpected love triangle, deals with her sexy and flirtatious best friend’s “issues,” and finds the courage to master a new deadly weapon.

On her mission to save Renhala, Kailey will find herself running from life-threatening disasters, such as greble Tartarin, who likes to remind Kailey that when he catches her, he plans on eating her brains with ice cream; she’ll run from the deadly meeples: small cute bunnies with talons and an undeniable thirst for imposing self-destruction on others. Kailey will also run into the possibility that a centuries-old Renhalan rumor is true, that advanced technology existing in Kailey’s realm shortens all life spans.

As blood is shed and puzzles near completion, Kailey pulls from deep within herself, conjuring up mystical qualities that enable her to astonish as once predicted at her birth, but despite the newfound strength, Kailey will discover that monsters not only come in ugly packages, but can be easily disguised as those she has come to love and trust.

My Review:

So, as I’m sure you know, I love to read. I’d like to say that I read a lot of different genres and have a broad spectrum of reading material in my bookcases. Truth is, sadly, I don’t. So, when I was introduced to a book titled Renhala, I read the description and knew it was something I had to read. Fantasy and magic was not something I normally read…no particular reason, really. Holy hell, I am so glad I found this book…. I was hooked on Renhala from the very first page.

We meet Kailey in the beginning recuperating, both physically and mentally, from an attack. An attack that she still can’t make sense of. She’s certain her attacker wasn’t exactly human…but surely she must be mistaken, right? In her quest to return to normalcy, her paths cross with an interesting man named Gunthreon. Gunthreon will show Kailey what her true nature is, and he will introduce her to Renhala…an alternate realm she never knew existed. Now, she not only has to learn all she can about Renhala and the creatures and beings that inhabit it, but that she must aid in saving it. Along the way, Kailey meets some amazing and endearing creatures that she learns not to fear but instead, to love. She also meets two interesting men who will both make a play for her affections.

Kailey is a kick-ass heroine. She is developed so well that I feel like I could pick up the phone and invite her over for a glass of wine. She’s spunky, intelligent and has a dry sense of humor that I absolutely ADORE! I mean really, how can you not love a gal who isn’t above sticking her tongue out at someone when they are acting a fool? She’s snarky but delivers her snark with affection and pulls it off every time. Love her!

This story was amazing. The creatures Ms. Lutchen has created are so vivid in my mind that I feel as though they are right beside me. Her descriptions of the settings, objects, landscapes and characters are truly a gift given to the reader. There are evil creatures called meeples that are described so richly that I won’t soon forget their evilness…even if they do sorta look like fluffy bunnies. The characters the Kailey befriends along the way are creatures I wish were real. My personal favorite is Bu….a big, hairy, smelly, sorta scary beast that has a heart of gold who speaks like a child and will protect Kailey with his own life if it were to come to it. Then there’s Conner and Ladimer, the two men who suddenly appear in her life and who both want a place in her heart. Each of them have amazing qualities that make it so hard for Kailey, as well as the reader, to decide who her choice should be. The relationship that touched me the most, however, was the relationship between Kailey and her mother. I am actually tearing up as I type this recalling their story. It is just beautiful.

All of that being said, what I found most remarkable was the way Ms. Lutchen told the story. Never once did I feel lost and not understanding of what was going on within the story. We learned about Renhala and all of the creatures and problems right along with Kailey. Not only did Gunthreon teach her what everything was along the way, but he taught me as well. I really appreciated that characteristic of the book. Even if I read a section and was starting to feel a “huh?” coming on, it would be within the next sentence that things were explained and the idea became clear. I can only imagine how difficult a task it must be, from a writing standpoint, to be able to accomplish that.

I feel so lucky to have found this book and I hope that even if fantasy isn’t necessarily your thing, you’ll give this book a try. I’m certain you will love Renhala and what Ms. Lutchen has created as much as I did! Thank you, Amy Joy, for sharing the gift of your imagination with us and I will be eagerly (notice I didn’t say patiently haha!) waiting for the next book!

Four-and-a-Half Loves

And now, because Amy Joy is truly amazing, she has put together the most amazing tea themed Renhala giveaway for you! Kailey, the heroine in Renhala, absolutely ADORES tea and I’m sure would be jumping for joy at this list of goodies!

The Tealicious Goodie Basket includes:

African Nectar tea by Mighty Leaf

Lady Grey tea by Twinings

Chocolate Mint tea by Harney & Sons

Chocolate HobNobs cookies by McVitie’s

Pineapple Chamomile tea by Lipton

Chocolate non-pareils by Streit’s

Meditative Mind (white tea, rosebuds, jasmine pearls) by the tea spot

Various Leonidas chocolates

Paris tea by Harney & Sons

Blackberry Sage tea by The Republic of Tea

and…fancy caramels by Bequet Confections

ALSO …..an eCopy of Renhala!

Enter to win in the RaffleCopter below! Good luck! (U.S. residents only for this giveaway)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heart of the Hunter by Lara Adrian…Review

Heart of the Hunter

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Synopsis:

Ariana of Clairmont would risk anything to save her kidnapped brother, a quest she knows is fraught with peril. Her only ally is Braedon le Chasseur, a formidable knight with a mysterious past, whose scarred face and brooding nature mask a soul filled with pain. Ariana fears this dangerous man and the secrets he strives to conceal–but Braedon’s touch is pure seduction, his kiss a potent lure that tempts her into a passion she is powerless to resist.

Once known as The Hunter, now haunted by a dark legacy he struggles to deny, Braedon lives in a world of shadow and isolation–until he is thrust together with an innocent beauty in need of his protection. Embarking on a journey that will lead them to a legendary treasure, Braedon will be forced to confront old enemies and the stunning secret of his true nature–or risk losing Ariana and the only happiness he has ever known. . . .

My Review:

This is the first in Lara Adrian’s award-winning historical paranormal romance Dragon Chalice Series, and oh my, from the very first few pages I was completely hooked and enveloped into the world Ms. Adrian has created.

The story begins with the old tale of the Dragon Chalice and it’s fabled tale of how it came to be in this mortal world. A tale that lures seekers of unimaginable wealth and immense power, for that is what is bestowed upon the finder of the chalice. A tale that will lead many to their own ruins…

After receiving a ransom letter, Ariana of Clairmont has left her home, and the only place she has ever known, to rescue her brother from the harm that has been brought upon him for reasons she cannot fathom. From the very beginning her journey is a doomed one. Ariana is meeting a merchant who is helping her secure safe passage to Paris, where she has been instructed to bring the ransom…a ransom containing documents her brother, Kenrick, has been working on in secret for years. When she arrives at the pub to meet the merchant, she sees he is talking to a scarred, and dangerously handsome man….a man who will ungenerously end up coming to her aid when the merchant wants more than the price agreed upon for passage.

Braedon, a former Knight known as The Hunter for his uncanny ability to locate anything, is torn between right and wrong when he hears the screams of a woman from the docks on which he is getting ready to set sail. Even more so when he realizes this is the same woman from the pub. The same woman who certainly won’t stand a chance against the unsavory merchant and the thugs he had just dealt with in the pub. But he just can’t ignore her cries for help…and because he once was an honorable man, this is where their journey together begins.

Braeden and Ariana begin a voyage to find her brother that turns into an amazing and enthralling tale of adventure and truths and maybe, just maybe, love. Braedon’s enemies of old are somehow involved in Kenrick’s kidnapping and he is determined to find out why. They encounter many things that lead them to question whether the myth of the Dragon Chalice could, in fact, be true. Is it possible that shape shifters and magical powers really can exist? Surely a man who has a sixth sense to hunt and locate anything can find the answers to these questions…

As I had said earlier, the world Ms. Adrian has created is so mesmerizing that I was hooked from the very start. I loved the historical descriptions of the clothing, buildings, fare and dialect of the time. Braeden is a wounded hero whose reputation should leave people turning and walking in the other direction. However, even though he has tried denying it, he is an honorable man at heart. Ariana is a spitfire who refuses to back down and will do whatever it takes to get her brother home. She is loyal and kind and although I’m not usually a fan of heroines, I am totally Team Ariana. They relationship they forge is one I can believe in. I understood where each of them were coming from personally and appreciated the strides they made together and have faith their bond will remain unyielding in the years to come.

There were a few twists in the story that made me love it even more. I won’t give away any spoilers but I will say this….it was everything I want in a book! I am eager to start the next book in the series, The Heart of the Flame, which is Kenrick’s book. Thank you, Ms. Adrian, for an amazing story!

Five Loves

Visit Lara’s website for more information on her Midnight Breed Series as well as info on the Dragon Chalice Series, upcoming releases, events, contests and download the FREE ORIGINAL short Story, NIGHTDRAKE!

Blood Vine by Amber Belldene….Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway

Buy Blood Vine at Amazon or at Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

In Blood Vine, bites are an inconvenient bliss, exiled vampires are wasting away, and the fate of their kind depends on the perfect PR campaign.

When public relations pro Zoey Porter arrives at an enchanting California winery, she discovers her sexy new client is the almost one-night stand she can’t forget. After her husband’s suicide, Zoey has vowed never to risk her heart again. But can she walk away from the intriguing winemaker a second time?

Driven from Croatia by his ancient foes, vampire Andre Maras has finally made a blood-like wine to cure his fellow refugees. Now he needs Zoey’s PR expertise to reach them. After his wife’s death, Andre has a vow of his own—never to risk another painful blood bond. And one taste of the tempting Zoey would bind him to her eternally.

His secrets stall her PR plans. Her jealousy is stoked by the blissed-out beauties leaving his bedroom. At every turn, he utterly fails to resist her. When she discovers he is a vampire, will she be lost to the golden-eyed Hunters, or lose herself to the emptiness in her heart, before she can help him save his kind?

Exclusive excerpt:

To die on the Hunt was the greatest honor, though it offered little solace at the moment. That smug son of a bitch Ethan had been right—he shouldn’t have come alone. Blood pounded in his ears. Would they make him watch while they ripped out his entrails?

One of the vampires called out to him from the darkness. “Hunter, don’t they teach you to stand down wind?”

Words pressed against the lump in his throat.

“Too bad for you,” the other said.

Then they were on him. One pushed him to the ground and placed a knee into his back. Dirt and dust filled his mouth, choking him, and he spit, trying to get the grit out. A hand gripped his shoulder and flipped him.

He looked up into the eyes of his target.

“It will have to be gory,” said Andre Marasović. “If we do not make an example of him, they will think they’ve won.”

“Can’t have that,” the son said.

“Kill him first. Then we will make our example.”

Surprise was the last emotion to flutter through the Hunter’s heart—a vampire had shown him mercy.

My Review:

The minute I received this information on this book, I was intrigued. I was eager to start and see just how this spin on the vampire world would play out and I gotta say…WOW! This story was a-freaking-mazing!

Zoey is a talented PR agent working for a successful firm in California. She’s beautiful, young and should be feeling like she’s got it all…only she knows she doesn’t. She’s been mourning the death of her husband for a few years now and has put up an icy wall that no one will be able to penetrate. It’s easier that way. After all, if you don’t let people in, you can’t get hurt if they leave. So she’s managed to keep her love life to a fling with her boss and one attempt at a one-night stand with a handsome stranger she met in a bar. However, for some reason, the minute she laid eyes on that stranger, she knew there was something more to him and it was a bad idea…so she shored up her icy reserve and left him where he sat on the barstool. Imagine her surprise when the owner of the vineyard she’s now representing is the very same man she left sitting on the barstool….

Andre is a centuries old vampire living on his vineyard and desperately trying to come up with a cure for the disease that is slowly killing him and his fellow vampires. Since the Hunters, a group of zealots hell-bent on wiping out the vampire race, have exiled him and hundreds of other vampires form Croatia, he has been working on a cure and believes he’s finally found it….in the wine he has made using the vines from his homeland. Now, with the help of a PR firm, he needs to get word out to his fellow refugees. Could it be fate has more in store for him when the woman that left him dumbfounded, sitting on a barstool months earlier is the very same woman sent to help with his PR work?

Together, Zoey and Andre, along with his friends, house staff and two sons, they have the fight of a lifetime ahead of them. The Hunters are closing in, the wine and the vineyard need to remain safe so the vampire race can be cured, and they need to figure out if this attraction between them is something worth exploring.

This book kicked ass. I know, I know…we’ve all read a million vampire stories but this is a book I highly recommend no matter how many vampire tales you’ve explored. The dynamic between the characters is fantastic. Every move Zoey made in this book is EXACTLY what I would have done. She wasn’t unrealistic or overly emotional. She took things at face value and was level headed where many other heroines would have gone into hysterics. I really appreciated Zoey’s genuineness. She was strong and stoic when she needed to be yet somehow kept her soft side.

Andre is delicious. He is kind, determined, responsible and oh-so utterly male. His love for his sons and for the staff that helps him in his quest to save the vampire race, is so endearing. He is a man who knows what he wants at when push comes to shove, he gets it.

Along with Zoey and Andre, we meet Lucas and Pedro, who are amazing. They absolutely broke my heart…I cannot wait to see what the future holds for them. Andre’s sons, Kos and Bel, are also characters that capture your heart as well and I also am excited to see what happens for them in this series. This book had everything I love in a great story…love, loss, conflict, devious villains, heroes and heroines worth rooting for and great originality.

I won’t go into too much more detail, because I am not a spoilery kind of gal, but I will tell you this….put this book on your to-read list and settle in for a great read. I absolutely LOVED this book and see this series becoming a success we will be talking about for some time. Thank you, Amber, for a remarkable read!

Four-and-a-Half Loves

And now, because we all love giveaways, I have an eCopy of Blood Vine to give away! Enter in the RaffleCopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

Amber Belldene grew up on the Florida panhandle, swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops…when she could pull herself away from a book. As a child, she hid her Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons—an irony that is not lost on her when she preaches these days.

With a B.A. in comparative religion and an M.A. in theology, Amber is a Christian minister and student of religion. She believes stories are the best way to explore human truths. Some people think it is strange for a minister to write romance, but it is perfectly natural to Amber. She believes the human desire for love is at the heart of every romance novel and God made people with that desire.

Amber is addicted to vampire stories, but loves to read all kinds of romance and literature. Her favorite books examine history and cultural origins, like Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, or Salmon Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. And, yes, she was named after that Amber, of the classic romance novel Forever Amber.

From the wine country of Sonoma County to the foggy neighborhoods of San Francisco, all of Amber’s fiction is set in Northern California, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Author Links:

Website: http://amberbelldene.com/

Blog: http://amberbelldene.com/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmberBelldene

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6537150.Amber_Belldene

Fall in Love With the Sullivan Family: The Sullivan Series by Bella Andre Blog Tour….My Review of From This Moment On

Today I’m continuing the fun in The Fall in Love With The Sullivan Family Blog Tour with my review of From This Moment On.

In Bella’s sexy, emotional and funny contemporary romance series, each member of the Sullivan family will eventually find true love…usually where he or she least expects it.

Synopsis:

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is…or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger – and the sinful promises – in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions – and sizzling attraction – keep drawing them closer together.

Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?

My Review:

From This Moment On is the second book in the Sullivan Series and oh…..my…..God…..I loved this book! Devoured it in two sittings and ignored all responsibilities (apologies to my family for not having clean clothes) to make sure I could give this book the proper attention it deserved.

Nicola has had it with her lonely existence as pop princess “Nico”. Sure it’s glamorous and she loves to write and perform her music but when the lights on the stage turn off and the crowds are gone it’s a solitary life lived in hotel rooms with no one to see who the real Nico is. After being hurt the last time she trusted someone, she’s weary to ever let anyone in again. But tonight, after staring out of her hotel window, Nico has decided she’s going to throw caution to the wind and find someone for a hot one-night stand to make her lose herself and forget all her troubles. Only the last thing she expects is to find a smoking hot stranger who makes her want to be more than the one night of passion she had planned.

Marcus Sullivan is tired of being the ever responsible, always perfect, oldest brother of the Sullivan clan. Now, the life he thought was perfect is crumbling around him. After leaving his brother’s engagement party, he realizes he needs to figure this mess out….only not tonight. Tonight is for finding a warm body to spend the night with and try to erase the hurt he experienced this afternoon at the hands of his now EX-fiancé. What he wasn’t expecting was Nicola. She’s walked into his life and turned everything upside-down….and he unexpectedly loves every minute of it.

I’ll say it again; I loved this book. Nicola is such an amazing character. She’s written so well and with such feeling that I actually physically felt her loneliness and her craving to be loved for who she is, and not the image created for the public. She is such a fighter and has amazing strength and courage. Marcus is a-freaking-mazing. He’s held his family together in the years since his father has died and doesn’t realize that it’s his turn to find his own true happiness in life. He is so wholly male and dominating, yet has a softer side that I think even he hadn’t realized he had. Together, they are HOT!! Marcus, and his “I’m in charge” attitude is freaking delicious. Some of the scenes in this book, with Marcus giving Nicola commands…holy hell…I still get the chills thinking about it. Simply delish. I will be diving in to the rest of this series and can’t wait to see if any of the other Sullivan brothers make me swoon like Marcus does. Thank you, Bella, for another yummy read!

Four-and-a-Half Loves

Tour Notes:

The Sullivans are on tour with Novel Publicity. Follow along for your chance to win amazing prizes. We’ve got special romantic swag baskets for each book, an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, and Kobo eReader, and Amazon and iTunes gift cards. WOW!

You’ll also get introduced to this amazing contemporary romance series via excerpts as well as interviews with and guest posts from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Bella Andre. You’ll definitely want to learn more about the family that has captured the world’s heart.

All the info you need to join the fun and enter to win amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To Win the Prizes:

Purchase any of the Sullivan ebooks by Bella Andre for just $4.99 (optional)
Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity (go here or enter below)
Visit today’s featured social media event (that’s where the HUGE prizes are – visit: http://www.novelpublicity.com/the-sullivans/ )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall in Love With the Sullivan Family: The Sullivan Series by Bella Andre Blog Tour….My Review of The Look of Love

Keeping the fun going today in the Fall in Love With the Sullivans Blog Tour with my review of The Look of Love.

In Bella’s sexy, emotional and funny contemporary romance series, each member of the Sullivan family will eventually find true love…usually where he or she least expects it.

With THE LOOK OF LOVE, bestselling author Bella Andre introduces you the Sullivan family. In this fun and emotional contemporary romance series, when a Sullivan bad boy falls…he falls hard. And it’s forever.

Synopsis:

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will she let him?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her—and every sinfully sweet caress—as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart

My review:

Poor Chloe Peterson is really, really, having a bad go of things. Upon trying to get her life in order, and leave a bad situation behind, she ends up in a ditch, in a rainstorm in the middle of who knows where. Can’t anything go her way? Maybe the handsome stranger who just offered to get her out of the rain and give her a ride into town can finally restore her faith in humanity….

Chase Sullivan is certainly not one to leave a woman stranded on the side of the road, especially knowing how he would feel if it was one of his sisters out here. Luckily, he’s in town for a photo shoot at his brother’s winery and can lend a hand to the beautiful, intriguing and waterlogged damsel in distress. The problem is, once he lays eyes on her, he knows he’ll be using the extra room at the winery’s guesthouse to his advantage….

Together they start a HOT romance that will not only restore Chloe’s faith in humanity…but will show her how to trust and love again. Could this romance also take the photographer playboy, Chase, off the market for good?

Whoa….this book was DELISH! If there’s one thing Bella Andre does very well, it’s write up some amazing romance and some ridiculously hot sex scenes. Holy hell. There were parts of this book that had me biting my lip and groaning out loud. There were also parts that had my heart hurting. Hurting for Chloe and Chase and their rocky path to happiness. Chase is seriously the perfect guy….kind, romantic, considerate, hot as hell and all male. Chloe is a girl I was rooting for from the very first page. I so wanted her to find her happy ending. She really pulled at my heartstrings from the very beginning when we met her on the side of the road. Together they have amazing chemistry that is what the stuff of good contemporary romances are made of! If you’re looking for a fun, sexy, romantic, sultry read, then I say make sure this lands on your list! Thank you, Ms. Andre, for a delicious story and I am so looking forward to meeting the other Sullivan’s!

Four Loves

Tour Notes:

All the info you need to join the fun and enter to win amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To Win the Prizes:

Purchase any of the Sullivan ebooks by Bella Andre for just $4.99 (optional)
Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity (go here – also posted below)
Visit today’s featured social media event (that’s where the HUGE prizes are – visit http://www.novelpublicity.com/the-sullivans/ )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review….Revving Her Up by Joy Daniels

Synopsis:

Sarah Lange’s career as a New York lawyer is in high gear—and the stress has left her hormones sputtering. With strict doctor’s orders to relax, she books the cure: a spa vacation in the cool, green mountains of Virginia.

When a pothole sends her Porsche to the side of the road, she finds herself stuck in small-town Rapture. She’d love nothing more than to blow this Hicksville and be on her way…until she meets sexy stockcar mechanic Cole Cassidy.

Coles knows exactly how to handle that fancy car, and its uptight driver. Sarah’s not his type, but neither can deny that their attraction is firing on all cylinders. Soon he’s introducing her to the thrill of speed at the local track—in his car, and on it.

But Sarah’s troubles aren’t so easily left in the dust. Unless she forces herself to decide if she’s willing and able to let someone else take the wheel.

Warning: Contains a false start, breakdowns of the automotive and erotic kinds, creative uses of shower massagers and silk ties, and thrill-rides in, on, and outside of a racecar.

_________________

My Review:

This is the debut novella from author Joy Daniels and let me tell you…..I finished this story last night, in one sitting, and am STILL daydreaming about Cole almost 24 hours later! Whoa, this is one hell of a read!

Sarah Lange is on a mission to get some R & R. She’s ditching her high stress job as an attorney in NYC for some spa time to decompress and try to get back to center. Not only has the stress of her job had her working way too many hours, but it’s affected her hormones…so much so that achieving the big “O” has become a distant memory for her *GASP*. Now, that last thing she needs is to nail a pothole from hell and be stuck in some Podunk town. However, the key to her *ahem* release just may be a yummy mechanic-in-shining-armor local with Southern charm and a body made for sin.

Cole Cassidy vowed he’s left the “uptight city girl” kind far behind when he broke it off with his ex. Too bad the striking blond stranded on the side of the road is too tempting to ignore…after all, his mama raised him to rescue the damsel in distress even if she does scream “city girl” like a Manhattan skyscraper in the middle of a cornfield. Now, he’s not only offered to fix her car, but give her a place to stay until he can get the parts he needs. He’s in need of fixing more than just her broken car parts…. he just doesn’t know it yet.

Yum….that about sums it up for me. I loved this novella. I find novellas sometimes are hit-or-miss. Revving Her Up was definitely a HIT! The characters are really well developed and both have a unique way about them. Total opposites attracting. Sarah starts off as rigid and unfriendly, although knowing about her “issue”, it doesn’t make her unlikable. If anything, it made me feel for her. As the story progresses, we really get to see a softer side of her and it’s really charming. Cole is a swoon-worthy Southern gentleman who also shows us a totally different side as we get to know him. He’s a grease monkey with a lot of intelligence that’s not only proven by his degrees hanging in his garage, but in the way he handles Sarah. Together they are scorching! There are scenes in this book that almost melted my e-reader.

One of the things I liked most about this story was it was hot without being trashy. I can only imagine that writing a scene to come across that way must be a challenging task. I also loved all of Cole’s car talk! I am married to a car nut…it’s what he does for work and play so trust me when I say, Joy nailed it! This wasn’t an overly flowery romance and I found it refreshing to read. This is surely a fantastic beginning for Joy and I can’t wait to see what she has on store for us next!

Five Loves

Revving Her Up releases on January 15, 2013 and is available for pre-order now!

Buy it from Barnes & Noble here Buy it from Amazon here

Fun stuff….the Revving Her Up playlist Joy put together can be found here

Review, EXCLUSIVE excerpt & SIGNED ARC Giveaway….Prince of Power by Elisabeth Staab

Synopsis:

This Fight Is Personal…

Wizards and vampires have been mortal enemies since the beginning. Now Anton, son of the Wizard Master, has one last chance to steal the unique powers of the vampire king’s beautiful sister, Tyra…and then kill her. But when he meets Tyra face-to-face, everything changes…

Tyra will stop at nothing to defeat the wizards, until Anton saves her life and she suddenly sees an opportunity she never could have imagined…

As the sparks ignite between them, together they could bring an end to the war that’s decimating their people, but only if they can find a way to trust each other…

_______________

My Review:

This is the second book in the Chronicles of Yavyn series and follows King of Darkness. I was so looking forward to this book and the story of Anton and Tyra and I will say…Elisabeth friggin nailed it!

We first meet Anton and Tyra in King of Darkness and this book picks up where we had left off.

Vampires and Wizards have always been at war. However it is at this juncture that things have reached a critical point. Anton is the son of the Wizard Master and has been charged with the task of kidnapping the vampire king’s sister, Tyra. The Master wants to kill Tyra and absorb the unique powers and abilities she was born with. Only once Anton starts his surveillance, he realizes how amazing Tyra is. She’s caring, fierce, beautiful and strong…. there is no way Anton can kill her and deprive the world of one such as her. He’s never truly fit into the Wizard world of violence and certainly has no love for the “father” that has beaten and neglected him his entire life. He cannot continue to live a lie and he realizes he needs to act, and it must be soon. Now, he just has to figure out how to save not only Tyra’s life, but also his own.

Tyra has been lucky in finding something she truly loves…her work at the homeless shelter. In the intense, brutal war she, her brother the king, and their vampire guard have been waging against the wizards, this is the one thing that brings her peace. However, nothing like a mysterious, handsome, stranger saving your life to throw a wrench into things. Now she has to figure out who has is and why he knows so much about her…and if she can ever learn to trust a wizard.

What a fantastic book this was! We got see deeper into the wizard and vampire cultures and learn more of the web the two sides weave together to create the conflict they have been living for years. There are some intense fight scenes that had me gripping my e-reader with white knuckles and parts that I audibly gasped at. I love to feel that from a book. I love to feel like I’m there, watching it all play out in front of me. However, the parts I loved the most were the moments between Anton and Tyra. Anton broke my heart. Totally crushed it. He is a broken soul who wants nothing more than to be worthy of Tyra and her love. He has known nothing other than hurt and violence…hate and pain. I absolutely love him. Tyra is the exact amount of hard and soft in a heroine that I love. She’s a female fighter in a war but when all is laid bare…she’s a woman we can all identify with. A woman just trying to make sense of life and trying to learn to let her guard down and give love a chance.

I found this book, like King of Darkness, to be a fresh take on the vampire world. One of the things I enjoy most about all of the characters Ms. Staab has created is that they don’t have all the answers. They are vulnerable in an endearing way. They all have a weakness that we are able to see in their private moments. Hell, we get to see the strong guys cry every now and then! I appreciate that. It gives the characters an authenticity that is frequently lacking.

We also get to see more of our favorites from King of Darkness….Thad, Isabel, Lee, Alexia and Siddoh. Plus, there’s a secondary story involving Theresa and Xander that put me through the emotional wringer…and I loved every tear inducing moment! I cannot WAIT for the next book and know this is a series I will be keeping up with in the future! Thank you, Elisabeth, for another amazing read! Oh, and for getting me to cry!

Four-and-a-Half Loves

I spoke with Elisabeth and asked her what one of her favorite moments in this book was and, well, she didn’t just tell me, she is sharing it with all of you in this EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT! Enjoy!

Excerpt:

Dark shadows lingered underneath Anton’s gray eyes, and he needed a great deal of effort to hold himself up. He was worn out. Keyed up. She would bet he was running on fumes.

“I’ve been in torpor,” she said. “How long?”

On the desk lay a stack of those little two-packs of saltine crackers. The kind that came from the salad bars of restaurants. Or in this case, probably the shelter dining hall. He scratched his head, then picked each one up and counted as he slapped them back onto the desk. “One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… Ten days.”

Tyra squeezed her eyes shut.

He pointed to the crackers. “I brought some back for you every day from the dining hall at dinner. Stupid, but it made me feel like I was doing something for you. Other than that–and taking a piss–I didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t want to leave you alone.”

Holy cow. He’d watched over her all that time. She didn’t know quite what to say to that. And odd warmth bloomed in her chest…

And, because Elisabeth is incredibly generous and full of awesome, she has given me a SIGNED ADVANCE PAPERBACK COPY of Prince of Power to give to a lucky fan! How awesome!

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About the Author:

Elisabeth Staab still lives with her nose in a book and at least one foot in an imaginary world. She believes that all kinds of safe and sane love should be celebrated but she adores the fantasy-filled realm of paranormal romance the best. She lives in the Washington DC area

with her family and one big scaredy cat, where she loves to spend time with good friends, go dancing, collect wacky coffee mugs from which to drink her favorite beverage, and sing off-key in her kitchen (when she isn’t making characters fall in love, that is).