Michelle Kemper Brownlow has gone Indie….Re-Release Day Event

Michelle Kemper Browlow has gone INDIE and to celebrate she’s got a fabulous giveaway with tons of amazing prizes!  Also, In Too Deep is only .99 today!

To be entered to win, just comment on this blog post and one lucky winner will be chosen for one of the goodies…

Happy Indie Release, Michelle!

InTooDeep amazon

Synopsis:

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie’s instincts tell her to stay far away from him and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can’t explain her fascination with him.

Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation.

Jake, Noah’s former roommate and Gracie’s best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie’s world falls out from beneath her and when she breaks she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she’s not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep?

 

My Review:

I am beyond lucky to have received an advance copy of In Too Deep, the debut work from Michelle Brownlow. This was a story that pulled me in and didn’t let go….and I loved it!

Gracie is a happy, innocent, southern good girl with a great life, a great boyfriend with her whole college career, and life, ahead of her.  Everything is going well in her life until she meets Noah, the typical handsome, rugged bad boy with a reputation that screams: STAY AWAY.  As much as Gracie knows all about Noah, and his frat-boy ways, she also knows he shows her a softer side of himself that no one has ever had the honor of seeing.  It’s a rare glimpse into his soul she knows she can’t resist and isn’t willing to run from, no matter how bad his reputation is.

Noah has had his fair share of girls…but there’s something about Gracie.  She makes him want to be a better person.  He realizes he’s fallen for her….hard and fast. The problem is, he’s been the bad boy for so long, it’s all he knows.  The revolving door of girls, the parties, the booze and the cocky attitude that comes with it.  Hell bent on getting Gracie, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.  But when Gracie transfers to his college, even the best laid plans can crumble….and soon Noah’s ability in excelling at being a bad boy prick outshines his efforts to be the kind of guy she needs and deserves.

Gracie and Noah have a road ahead that will end up taking a toll on emotions, friendships and will end up crushing each of them in very different ways.

As I has said earlier in this review, this book pulled me in and didn’t let go until I read the very last word on the very last page….even as I write this review, Gracie and Noah’s story is with me.  This was a high emotion, gut wrenching, beautifully bittersweet love story…one that I’m sure many of us can relate to.  It’s a story about being so in love with a person that no matter what their faults are, the want and need to believe in that person trumps all reason…even if you know deep down inside what you are fighting for simply isn’t worth it.  I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to scream at Noah, and Gracie, while reading.  Michelle has done such an amazing job at transporting the reader into Gracie and Noah’s world and feeling all of the twisted emotions in this story.  I audibly gasped and was actually talking to Gracie while I was reading….I’m not sure if I have ever done that before with a book!  I was so utterly conflicted while reading Gracie and Noah’s relationship and the up’s and down’s that came with it.  And let me say, they were some great up’s and dismal down’s…but I loved it and I felt it.  I felt the hurt and the pain and the happiness.  Gracie grew up before our eyes, thanks to some amazing friends, and I was cheering for her to become the woman she had the potential to be from the very first chapter.  Noah is a sad soul, who I was also cheering for…but there are some things that he did that I had to put my megaphone away for.  The back and forth between them took a toll on me, but in my opinion, that’s the sign of a good book.  I want to feel something in the hours after I’ve finished reading, and Michelle has done that with In Too Deep.

I was a nervous wreck for the ending.  Noah had pulled my back into his corner many, many times throughout the story that I was truly conflicted with if I wanted them together or not.  Well, I won’t spoil it, but I will say I was relieved and delighted with how it played out.  Perfect, if you ask me.

Thank you, Michelle, for an amazing story.  I look forward to reading more from you and I know you have a bright future bringing us your amazing writing talent!

5LovesRLBFive Loves

 

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Synopsis:

Emotional abuse can break both your heart and your spirit. Twenty-one year old Gracie is broken and weak but she’s determined to heal. With the encouragement from her best friend, Becki and her best friend-turned-boyfriend, Jake, she is ready to do what it takes to heal from the pain she suffered while with her ex, Noah. Gracie’s post-Noah days are filled with the gentle love she receives from Jake but in her sleep she is plagued by nightmares that she fears will never go away.

It’s summer on UTK’s campus and Gracie, Jake and Becki have all decided to stay at school for the summer, each for their own reason. Gracie wants to be as far away from Noah as possible, Jake knows Gracie will need him to lean on and, because of a late in the game change of major, Becki has a ton of classes to take before her senior year.

In the beginning of summer, Gracie and Jake continue to steam the windows with their beautiful love-making but Gracie’s internal struggles with self-esteem and confidence weigh heavily on their relationship. Jake’s point-of-view alternating throughout the book will have readers falling even harder for him.

When Gracie’s new counselor suggests she may have jumped into a relationship too quickly, Gracie knows what she needs to do to make a full recovery. With strength she didn’t know she had, she walks away from Jake to recover her spirit. Staying true to the promise he made her the semester before, although heart-broken, Jake remains her closest friend and support system while trying to give her the space she needs to heal.

Gracie has spent years pouring her heart into volume after volume of journals. Gracie starts writing poetry that seemingly pours from her heart, proof that writing is merely an extension of her soul. Gracie also reconnects with her musical talents and takes up guitar again, a talent not even Jake knew about. The beauty in her passion for both playing music and writing renders Jake speechless.

Gracie is inspired by what she’s learning about herself in therapy, writing poetry and lyrics. And as fate would have it, she unexpectedly runs into Calon Ridge, the lead singer of her favorite local band, Alternate Tragedy.

Memories of an evening she spent with Calon two years prior and his sudden intense interest in Gracie throws both she and Jake for a loop. Jake experiences something he’s never had to deal with. He is jealous; fist-clenching, pulse-thumping jealous.

With broken souls and passion for music in common, Calon and Gracie reconnect on a different level. Calon becomes a creative confidant for Gracie and with his cocky humor, sexy mannerisms and sensitive spirit, he convinces her to begin to explore the depths of her talent by taking the stage. Jake’s new job as a bartender gives him a front row seat to the sensual connection between Calon and Gracie as they practice. But that connection is just what Gracie needs to lift her confidence as she starts to find herself again.

Becki and Gracie spend more time together than usual because of their shared newly-single status and Becki is completely intrigued by Calon. Becki’s honesty and no-filter humor is gut-busting hysterical and keeps Gracie grounded and giggling. She’s up for a summer fling but may not be expecting the intensity Calon’s soul holds.

And when the end-of-summer festival brings the whole cast of IN TOO DEEP back, front and center for a weekend none of them will soon forget, stakes are set, tempers flare, truth prevails, and unexpected plans are made. And Gracie finally finds herself On Solid Ground.

 

My review:

On Solid Ground is the follow up to Michelle Kemper Browlow’s emotional debut, In Too Deep.  I fell in love with Gracie and Jake in that debut and damn if I didn’t fall in love with them even more in On Solid Ground.

Gracie is just at the very beginning of her personal journey to become stronger and get back to the girl she once was.  The girl she was before she experienced the emotional abuse at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Noah.  Luckily she has the amazing Jake by her side to help her realize the amazing and beautiful soul she is.  But it won’t be an easy road for her and certainly not her and Jake’s relationship.  Will they be able to weather the storm left behind by Noah?

Jake is bound and determined to make his Gracie see just how amazing she is.  He needs to her to see herself through his eyes.  She has been too broken and seeing her like that is killing him.  He will give her whatever it takes to build her back up….even if it means time away from the woman who holds his heart.

Together Jake and Gracie have more hurdles to overcome than anyone they know.  Determined to put the past in the past, and heal the hurt that has been caused, they will need to reach within to find the strength to be survivors…..together.

This.  Book.  KILLED.  Me.  Gracie broke my heart when she opened up and started the healing process.  She is an amazing, strong, determined, resilient and beautiful person.  Inside and out.  She is an inspiration to anyone who reads this book.  I think we can all learn something from her.  To take the steps she knows she needs to get herself to a better place and admit that she needs help getting there is truly amazing and it is gift to be able to read.  Now, let’s get to Jake….*dreamy sigh*.  Damn, where to even begin?  He is truly an amazing partner.  He gives Gracie any and everything she could possibly need to get back to the girl he fell in love with all that time ago.  He is a guy and girl would be lucky to call hers and had me crying too many times to count with his insight and caring soul.

Michelle also introduced us to Calon, the smoking hot lead singer of a local band and one that shares a deep connection with Gracie.  He’s another beautiful and intense person with a story that broke my heart.  I really, REALLY, hope he gets his own happy ending because that boy truly deserves one.

But beyond On Solid Ground, and In Too Deep, I have to say that I think Michelle Kemper Brownlow is one of the most truly unique and special authors I have come across these days.  She writes from her heart and soul and I can feel it in every page.  Rarely does a reader come across a gift like that.  My wish is that my review reaches someone who may not have heard about Michelle and that person decides to read her work.  Thank you Michelle, for another phenomenal story and I look forward to seeing more from you!

5LovesRLBFive Loves

 

Buy links:

 Barnes & Noble   ~  Amazon 

Giveaway:

    • 2 sets of Gracie’s earrings (ITD turquoise)
    • 2 turquoise bracelets w charms
    • 1 turq. beaded charm key chain
    • 5 sets of signed postcards, bookmarks & simple charm keychain
    • 4 framed, signed segments of books (2 ITD, 2 OSG)
    • 1 framed, signed ITD cover
    • 1 framed , signed OSG cover
    • 2 signed books (winner’s choice)
    • 1 IN TOO DEEP pages wreath

Remember, comment on this blog post to be entered to win! 

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About the author:

Michelle Kemper Brownlow likes her music loud and prefers live concerts but will happily settle for the eclectic playlists on her iPhone. This Penn State grad and former high school art teacher is easily distracted by colorful art supplies and Eddie Vedder’s voice. When she’s not in her studio writing, she can be found putting off housework for a good romance novel that has her heart pounding and tears flowing. She is married to her very own “Jake” and is a mom to three fantastic humans, a black lab and a Chinchilla named Wodney.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MK_Brownlow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleKemperBrownlowAuthor?ref=hl

Blog: http://michellekemperbrownlow.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6951309.Michelle_Kemper_Brownlow

 

Seeking Her by Cora Carmack…Release Day Event & Excerpt

We are so excited to share in the Release Day Launch and giveaway for Cora Carmack’s SEEKING HER!! SEEKING HER is a novella in Cora’s bestselling Finding It Series, published by William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins)! Go out and grab your copy today!

Seeking Her

 

About SEEKING HER:

Jackson Hunt gets his turn in this Finding It prequel novella …

Jackson Hunt hasn’t been out of the military for long, but he needs to get a job and find a sense of normalcy if he is going to keep his demons at bay. The job that falls into his lap, though, is anything but normal.

Becoming bodyguard (and babysitter) to spoiled rich girl Kelsey Summers isn’t exactly what he had in mind, but it’s a chance to travel, to get away. The catch: Kelsey’s father doesn’t want her to know she’s being followed.

She’s vibrant and infuriating, exciting and reckless, mysterious and familiar. When Jackson sees her falling into the same patterns he suffered years ago, he decides it’s time to stop watching and help her instead. But getting to know Kelsey is more difficult than he thought, especially because the more he knows her, the more he wants her.

 

Excerpt:

I was going to have to find some way to cope with this. If not, I was better off calling Mr. Summers and suggesting he find someone else to take over his daughter-watch.

I felt a pang of something at that thought. It was a general kind of discomfort, and I wasn’t sure whether it was the thought of returning home or something else that made that thought so unappealing.

After the cooling walk earlier, and now standing under the cool, calming rush of water, it was easier to think that I could control myself, but I knew better. It always seemed easier in my head than it really was.

I wiped the water from my eyes, and tried to think of some other way to deal. There was always the hope that Kelsey would get bored. That she would mellow out. If she only partied a couple nights a week, I should be able to resist. But that seemed unlikely.

All that restless energy; the way she’d soaked up the attention from the people around her. I couldn’t see her giving that up. And it was working for her. She was still in the phase where partying made her feel good. That was the one thing that helped me stay clean. The few times I’d slipped up since I started the program had left me miserable and angry, and even more frustrated than when I started. I’d found new ways to chase the high. And maybe that wasn’t any healthier, not when one way involved being in the midst of flying bullets.

It wasn’t the same kind of rush, but it did the trick. I pictured Kelsey again, laughing with her head thrown back, her shirt falling off her shoulder and displaying the gentle curve of her neck. It reminded me of the way she’d tossed her head back that first day out in the woods.

The memory of that caused a different kind of rush in me, and I groaned, pressing my forehead into the tile. Before I could help myself, I pictured her long legs straddling that guy in the gardens. The bright green material of her bra, and the way it conformed to her perfect chest. She leaned back, her fingertips trailing from the bark of the tree to his shoulders.

In an instant, the memory shifted into fantasy, and those were my shoulders she clung to, not his.

That was my undoing. There was only so much resisting I could do in one night.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

Seeking Her Release Day Launch Banner

 

 

HeadshotAbout Cora Carmack:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life– boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

 
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Links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Author Goodreads

SEEKING HER Goodreads

All the Pretty Poses by M. Leighton…Release Day Event & HUGE Giveaway

ATPP RDL

ABOUT ALL THE PRETTY POSES:

He never wanted to be a hero…until she needed him to be.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I1SX7GM 

Strength…

It took Kennedy Moore years to put her life back together after Reese Spencer shattered it.  But she did.  Now, years later, strong and independent, she is in pursuit of a single dream—to dance with the Altman American Dance Theater.  Unfortunately, Kennedy is learning that a girl from nowhere with no money and no contacts might never be able to reach her goal.

That is, until Reese reappears, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Kennedy just can’t refuse.  In exchange for working on his yacht for a few short weeks, he’ll get her an audition with the famous dance troupe.  All Kennedy has to do is keep her head down, work hard and resist Reese.  That sounds easy enough, right?

 

Weakness…

Reese doesn’t want to make it easy for Kennedy.  Seeing her again has started a fire in his blood—an unwelcome one.  It took him years to forget about her before, so this time he has a plan.  It’s simple:  Get Kennedy on his yacht, seduce her, get her out of his system, move on with his life.  That sounds easy enough, right?

But the one thing Reese didn’t plan for was Kennedy herself—a girl so strong yet so broken, she makes him want to rescue her, to take care of her.  To save her.  Even if he has to save her from himself.

 

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Giveaway:

What’s up for grabs? 

  • 2- $250 Visa Gift Cards

How do I enter?

Via the Rafflecopter posted here and on each participating site, you may:

  • Like the M. Leighton, Author Facebook page (5 points, can only do once)
  • Follow @mleightonbooks on Twitter (5 points, can only do once)
  • Share the giveaway graphic on Twitter along with one reason that you’re excited to meet Reese (10 points, can do once per day)
  • Tag three different friends in the comments under the graphic on the M. Leighton Author Facebook page with one reason you’re excited to meet Reese (10 points, can do once per day)

 Details!

The giveaway begins at 12:00 am EST on January 14, 2014 and ends at 12:00 am EST on February 3, 2014.  Winners will be randomly selected by 5:00 pm EST on February 5, 2014.  For a complete list of rules, please see the “Rules” section of the Rafflecopter.

ATPP giveaway promo pic

 

 

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About the author:

M. Leighton at deskM. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies.  She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books.  When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

For more about M. Leighton, visit her website at www.MLeightonBooks.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter@mleightonbooks.

 

Links:

 Blog  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Author Goodreads  ~  ALL THE PRETTY POSES Goodreads  ~  Amazon author page

Loving Cara by Kristen Proby….Release Day Launch & Giveaway

We are so excited that Kristen Proby’s LOVING CARA, the first book in her new Love Under the Big Sky Series, is now available!!

 

Loving Cara

 

About LOVING CARA:

In this new Love Under the Big Sky series from a USA TODAY bestselling author, Cara agrees to tutor her former classmate’s nephew—and learns some lessons in love!

Josh King is an expert at running his family’s multi-million dollar ranch in Montana. (And all that outside manual labor has done wonders for sculpting his six-foot-three body, too.) But as sure footed as he is when it comes to the ranch, Josh doesn’t know anything about how to deal with an adolescent boy—so when his twelve-year-old nephew, Seth, is dropped off on his doorstep, looking scared and acting surly as hell, Josh knows he needs help in straightening him out.

Cara Donovan loves her quiet life as a teacher in her sleepy hometown, so she jumps at the chance to make a little money over the summer as a tutor. But when she learns she’ll be teaching Josh King’s nephew, Cara’s sweet summer job gets a little bit hotter. Cara tries to focus all her attention on tutoring Seth, but Josh proves to be a delicious distraction, while Josh’s memories of the shy girl he once teased in high school are nothing like the beautiful woman he’s facing now. Can he persuade her that there’s more between them than a summer fling?

 

Loving Cara Release Day Launch Banner

 

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

Author photoKRISTEN PROBY is the USA Today bestselling author of the popular With Me in Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type—fiercely protective and a bit bossy—and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, and sunshine. And naps. Visit her at KristenProby.com.
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Links:

Website: http://www.kristenproby.com/

Twitter: @handbagjunkie

Facebook: www.facebook.com/booksbykristenproby

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kristenproby

LOVING CARA Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18115028-loving-cara

 

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker….Release Day Event

OTL Paperback Tour_edited-1

Paperback buy links:

Amazon Buy Link  ~  Barnes & Noble Buy Link

Tucker_One Tiny Lie cover

Synopsis:

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents’ tragic death and Kacey’s self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would…and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

Giveaway:

K.A. Tucker is giving away a set of a signed TEN TINY BREATHS and ONE TINY LIE

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About the author:

KathleenTuckerBorn in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

 

Blog  ~  Website  ~  Author Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Novel Goodreads  ~  Author Goodreads  ~  Atria

 

Release Day Celebration with Gina Maxwell & Katee Robert

Happy Release Day to Gina Maxwell and Katee Robert! Thanks so much for stopping by and joining in on the fun!  

Below you will find two fabulous excerpts and the rafflecopter for the release day giveaway with prizes that included signed print copies of these awesome books!

Enjoy!  

 

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 New York Times bestselling author Katee Robert kicks off her new Out of Uniform series with IN BED WITH MR. WRONG, a hilarious enemies-to-lovers story you don’t want to miss. Air Force Pararescuer Ryan Flannery avoids his hometown at all costs, so he’s not thrilled when he’s set up on a blind date—until he meets mousy librarian Brianne Nave. Her sweet curves and kissable lips are a siren’s call, but her smart mouth? Not so much. How can two people have so little chemistry outside the bedroom when they fit together so perfectly in it? When Ryan and Bri are stranded in a cabin by their friends, they’ll be forced to find out…if they don’t kill each other first.

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Gina L. Maxwell comes out swinging with the latest installment of her New York Times bestselling Fighting for Love series, FIGHTING FOR IRISH. When he learns a friend’s sister has forty-eight hours to make good on an ex’s debt to a crime boss, former MMA fighter Aiden “Irish” O’Brien heads to Louisiana to offer himself up as collateral. But to satisfy the debt, he has to do the one thing he swore he’d never do again: fight. With more than just money on the line, can Irish reclaim the man he once was for the woman he can’t live without?

AMZ  B&N  Kobo  iTunes

 

 

 

The dynamic duo took the NYT and USA TODAY lists by storm the last time they released together, so we can’t wait to see what shenanigans they have in store for 2014!

 

 

Excerpt: In Bed with Mr. Wrong by Katee Robert

“Don’t think for a second you’re getting a good-night kiss.”

“A kiss from you?” He stepped forward into her finger, forcing her to open her hand against his chest or take a step back. She refused to budge. He leaned down, crowding her. “I’d rather kiss a snake.”

“Then it’s too bad it’s winter, because they’re in short supply.” She pushed at his chest again, nearly snarling when he didn’t move. “You should just burn something else down. That might draw a few to the heat.”

“Or maybe I’ll just set fire to your goddamn granny panties. That’s sure to create a big enough blaze.”

Her jaw dropped open and she swallowed hard. “As if you could.”

“Watch me.”

He grabbed her hips and yanked her against him. Bri gasped. There was so much heat in his blue eyes, it was a wonder every single article of clothing she wore didn’t go up in smoke. “You—”

But then she saw it. The challenge hidden behind the heat. He didn’t think she could handle this. Handle him.

His mouth curled into a smirk, and his hands tightened on her hips. The feel of his fingers digging into her flesh through the thin fabric of her skirt made her want to throw all caution to the wind. He thought he’d won, did he?

“Screw it.” She grabbed the lapels of his shirt and went up on her tiptoes to smash her lips against his. He froze, then stumbled backward and slammed into the wall of her screened porch, taking her with him. A wave of victory went through her. For all his talk, he hadn’t expected her to make a move. She moved one hand to the back of his neck and tipped his head down so she could set her teeth into his bottom lip.

Just like that, he came alive in her arms and pulled her tighter against him. His tongue delved into her mouth, stroking hers with no hesitation, igniting her passion until she couldn’t fight back a moan. How could one giant brute taste so decadent? She slid her tongue along his, not sure if she was searching for an answer or simply enjoying the way her very nerves seemed to spark and dance at every place they touched.

Would her whole body do that if they were naked?

Whoa. Where had that thought come from? She was proving him wrong, not jumping into bed with the man. She tried to pull away. “I think—”

“Stop talking.”

 

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Excerpt: Fighting For Irish by Gina Maxwell

Aiden dropped his hands to her hips and stepped closer. “Will you stay tonight?” he asked softly.

“I’ll stay.”

One night. He could do that, couldn’t he? Then he could get this need for her out of his system and focus on winning the tournament to free her from any danger. His job would be done, his debt paid to Jax, and he could move back home to continue his daily penance and meaningless existence.

But right now he wanted to feel alive again, if only for a night in the arms of the woman who’d had his balls on lockdown for months. She was the reason no one else even appealed to him anymore. He needed her, just this once. But he wouldn’t do it without an understanding between them.

“Kat, can I be honest with you?” Aiden was aware of the fine line he was walking. Now he just had to do it without sounding crude or disrespectful, which would be a challenge. He was no smooth-talking Romeo.

Meeting her expectant gaze, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for the possibility of getting slapped. “I wanna be with you tonight.”

“As in, with me with me?”

“Yeah,” he said, amusement lifting a corner of his mouth. “With you with you. It’s been a really long time since I wanted someone as much I want you.”

“Really?” she asked breathlessly.

“You sound surprised.”

She offered a weak shrug and suddenly found interest in the floorboards. “You seem like you’d be more into exciting, exotic looking women. Like one of those sexy, new-age pin-up girls with the flawless skin and beautiful tattoos.”

He almost laughed until he realized she was serious. She had no idea what she did to him. Grabbing one of her hands still resting on his shoulder, he slowly dragged it over his chest and down his stomach until they finally reached his stiff erection straining against the restrictive boxer briefs under his shorts.

Aiden groaned as he molded her hand over his cock. The feel of her gripping him nearly redefined the word “premature.” She drew in a quick breath and raised her eyes to his. Her cheeks filling with a pretty shade of pink did crazy things to his insides. The more her innocence showed through the more he wanted her.

He couldn’t make sense of it. She was right. Typically he went for the larger-than-life women who treated every day like it was their own personal thrill ride. Kat was something else entirely. Worldly beyond her years, yet somehow more innocent than she should be.

“This is how into you I am, sweetheart. Believe me when I tell you I couldn’t fake this kind of interest,” he assured her. “I want you, Kat. Wicked bad. But I don’t have anything more to offer you than one night. That’s me being honest. So if you wanna give me the red light now I’ll understand, but you gotta let me know while I still have use of some of my brain.”

“Green.”

Keep reading: AMZ  B&N  Kobo  iTunes

 

 

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Forced Autonomy by Lila Felix….Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

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Welcome to the Forced Autonomy by Lila Felix Release Day Launch!

All my dystopian fans, this one looks fabulous and there’s a giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card…Happy Friday!

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Book links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Goodreads

Trailer:

http://animoto.com/play/bkFjEM4opCOTchQU6wrTUg

Synopsis:

The United States has collapsed. Those citizens who are left are in one of two classes. One: Citizens who have undergone forced lobotomies, as mandated by the United Nations. Two: Those who fight against their tyranny.

Petra Kingsley falls under both classes. She falls in line with the drones, pretending her procedure worked. Four years she’s existed among their ranks, hiding in plain sight, being worked to the bone and starved almost to death.

Lawson is a bounty hunter of sorts. His target isn’t the guilty, it’s those who are lost in the folds of a broken society.

When he spots Petra working in the masses, he stops at nothing to help her escape.

But he has no idea who exactly he’s helping—and who will now be hunting them both?

 

Excerpt:

Year 2031

Subject 99856691

This is how I’m gonna die. Not by machine or a shot to the head. I wouldn’t be lucky enough to just get thrown into the furnace. No, this effing hangnail—well, used to be hangnail, would be the end of me. A throbbing, pustule filled toe cavity would evolve into a full blown infection and then sepsis. Yes, death by sepsis. Now that sounds like my luck. Fever and a bum toe, so damned classy.

I would’ve dug into myself, pulled out a lung and happily traded it for a dollar store first aid kit and some toe nail clippers at that point—I really would’ve. I’d picked the object of my malcontent from my toe with a sliver of metal I’d found on the ground in the factory. I didn’t often find metal in my factory, so I scooped it up at once, hoping the cameras didn’t detect my movement. That night by the light of a flashlight I’d stolen from one of the maintenance drones, I fashioned a rudimentary pair of tweezers out of the sharp, ragged metal. They didn’t work very well. Jerking and pulling, it took me nearly a damned hour to release the painful, jagged hangnail from its solitary confinement on the side of my toe. And I used the same tool to break through the bubble which had taken residence in its place. Hissing through my teeth at the sea sick green globule emerging from my toe, I wished for hydrogen peroxide—or that new skin stuff that burned like glowing brimstone itself. It released its prisoner of infection and throbbed in protest. I washed it the best I could with grime water courtesy of the hyper-recycled water bottle I’d once found behind the building. I used it to steal water from the bathroom in the factory.

I’d never stolen in my life before the collapse.

I’d once perfected the good girl routine, at least superficially. I dressed the part, cutesy vintage dresses that showed just the peep of a knee and nothing more. I kept my hair at that length, below shoulder—so that I could be accused of neither having short hair nor long. I certainly didn’t want to anger anyone with the length of my hair. My shoes were not flats which registered goody two shoes, but they weren’t too high, because that registered whore. I made straight A’s, I smiled when prompted and I never—ever moved an inch out of my little square. That’s what was expected of me. And I didn’t let anyone down.

But that time of my life and my family were long gone.

I tore a strip of cloth from my blanket and tied the wound up in a makeshift bandage. It would have to do until the next day. Then I’d have to take it off, letting the open, gaping hole exposed to the elements, the filth of the streets and the dirt of my work. It would get infected for sure. A wound that before could be cured with a hefty co-pay and five minutes of the good doctor’s time. But all the doctors, nurses and anyone else who had the knowledge or knowhow they needed had been swept away to other countries.

Robots didn’t need medical care.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the author:

1383564_252813381537702_513104051_nLila Felix made the decision to write a book after being encouraged by friends. She is a stay at home mom to three wild children and three boisterous dogs and her high school sweetheart husband encourages her daily. Between writing books, she loves to read and watch sappy 80’s movies. Favorite things: ice cream, anything purple, roller derby and any kind of music she can get her hands on. If you’re looking for her, try looking in the swamp, she’s probably duct taping something under the shade of a Cypress tree.

Website:  http://www.lilafelix.com/

Blog:  http://www.authorlilafelix.blogspot.com/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/authorlilafelix

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLilaFelix?ref=tn_tnmn

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519682.Lila_Felix

FORCED AUTONOMY Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18780670-forced-autonomy?ac=1

Out Of Time by Jen McLaughlin Release Day Blitz & AMAZING Giveaway

Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin

December 2013

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Buy links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Desperate to keep him…

I’ve finally gotten everything I ever wanted: love, freedom, happiness, and, most importantly, Finn. Our love is everything I expected it to be and more. We’ve finally found each other, but the world seems determined to tear us apart. We thought my father was the only obstacle between us, but now it’s the military. With Finn’s departure looming, we’re squeezing in every moment together before we run out of time.

Trying to make every moment count…

Being Carrie’s bodyguard was one thing. Being her boyfriend is another. Every day she’s mine is a day the sun shines in my life. Yet our time together is running out. Her father will never think a tattooed Marine will be good enough, so I’ll do whatever it takes to be worthy of her love. But the road will take me away from the girl who makes me feel alive–the girl I can’t live without.

Time only gets us so far…

But first, Jen is having a PAR-TAY! You can stop by any time on Tuesday, the 3rd and join in!
She is having a giveaway for a diamond necklace, too! And, there will be several other authors stopping by to chat and give away more prizes. 
Join here and please share this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/456550377788774/

 

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Excerpt:

When he closed his mouth over mine, I shut off my mind and stopped thinking. He’d already told me all he could tell me about the call, so focusing on it wasn’t the healthiest choice. We had to wait until this weekend to hear anything more. Until then we were just sitting ducks.

And if I was going to be forced to wait, then I’d do it my way.

He picked me up and carried me to his bed. He was so hard and solid and it drove me insane every time he moved his tongue over mine like that. His teeth scraped my lower lip, and I whimpered into his mouth. His fingers moved over my butt, slipping between my legs and rubbing against the spot where I needed him most.

As he lowered me to the mattress, he started to climb on top of me, but I broke the kiss and shoved at his shoulders. “No,” I said, locking gazes with him. “It’s my turn. Just stand there.”

He stilled, instantly giving me what I wanted. “Your turn for what?”

“Control,” I said, my cheeks heating. “I want to undress you. And then I want to wrap my lips around your…your…”

When I drifted off, uncertain what to call his penis, he chuckled. “Cock. It’s a cock, Carrie. Say it.”

My cheeks heated. I knew what it was called. It just sounded so dirty and wrong. “Around your cock,” I said in a rush, my cheeks getting even hotter.

“Okay.” He fisted his hands at his hips, watching me from beneath his lowered lids. When he looked at me like that—like I was his dessert or something—it made everything inside me quiver and beg for his touch so much it hurt. I licked my lips and crawled to the edge of the bed on all fours. He twitched and took a step toward me; as if he couldn’t hold himself back anymore, but then he stopped.

He stood there because I’d asked him to.

I ran my hands over his chest, then up over his shoulders. Just touching him made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and I wanted to do everything to him. Everything in the romance books I read at night, and then more. Even though my mother had never figured it out, I used to sneak them out of her library after she was finished with them. I’d started it in sixth grade. Now I bought them with my own money.

And I had a lot of ideas stored away in my mind that I wanted to try out on Finn. 

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BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY:

Jen is giving away 4 $10 Amazon Gift Cards and an amazing grand prize!
The grand prize winner will get to help name a character in book 3 of the series, and will get their name in the acknowledgement section of the book!

Contest is international.

If the book happens to hit the top 10 on amazon during the blog tour, there just might be another special surprise in the works!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Diane Alberts Author picJen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Website  ~  Facebook Fan Page  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads

 

The World Without a Future by Nazarea Andrews….Release Day Blitz & FANTASTIC Giveaway

The World Without a Future by Nazarea Andrews

December 2013

Goodreads

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Buy links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

She was born the day the world ended…

Nurrin has lived her entire life with zombies—trapped behind walls meant to keep them safe. She’s mostly happy there. But when a zombie horde breech the walls of her Haven, she has to trust her brother, Collin, and his best friend to keep her alive.

He just wants his past to die…

Finn O’Malley has given up on voicing warnings that are ignored. No one cares that the zombies are changing. Now all that matters is keeping Collin and Nurrin safe from what’s outside the walls of a Haven. But when Nurrin’s best friend picks up a contact infection, he agrees to get the medicine needed to save his life. Forced together, relying on each other in a strange Haven, zombies aren’t the most dangerous thing they’re facing.

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GIVEAWAY: 

Nazarea is giving away a really awesome prize! The grand prize winner will receive a zombie survival kit and 25 edited pages of the manuscript and swag — with notes from Nazarea.

A runner up will receive the zombie survival kit and swag. This contest is US only.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

photo-11Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

 

Site  ~  Blog  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  “The Infects” Street Team

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Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout Release Day Launch & Excerpt

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Jennifer L. Armentrout’s amazing novella in her new The Dark Elements Series, BITTER SWEET LOVE, is out and we are excited to join in the release day launch for it. BITTER SWEET LOVE is the Prequel Novella for The Dark Elements Series and is full of Wardens, fantasy, and romance. The first novel in the series, WHITE HOT KISS, will be released February 25, 2014. Check out what we have for you today! There’s also a fantastic excerpt for you to check out below!

Excerpt:

Moving lightning fast, Dez shifted and I was suddenly underneath him. His arms were on either side of my head, caging me in. Our bodies didn’t touch, but I felt him to the tips of my toes anyway.

The teasing grin disappeared when I dragged in a deep breath and my chest brushed his. Everything changed in an instant. The playful mood faded, replaced by primal heaviness. Our gazes collided and locked. Neither of us moved. His closeness sent a series of shivers skittering across my skin and made it hard to take slow, even breaths. My body tensed when his gaze dropped to my mouth.

He tilted his head to the side. “I… I honestly have no idea what we were talking about.”

“Good. Neither do I.”

He shifted his weight onto one arm, bring him closer. “Have you enjoyed your trip so far?”

“Yes.” I felt as if I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

“Good.” He lowered his head. His breath was minty as it moved across my cheek and then my lips. “I’m glad.”

I wasn’t really following the conversation and I wasn’t sure that he was fully aware of what was coming out of his mouth. I searched my hazy brain for something to say and wet my lips. I-

The sound that came out of Dez’s chest rumbled through me. A stuttered heartbeat passed and then his lips were on mine. There was nothing slow about this kiss. It scorched my skin and caused my body to stretch tight like a bowstring. The kiss deepened, spinning my senses. I shuddered when his hand curved over my shoulder and drifted down to my waist, his long fingers spreading out under the hem of my shirt, grazing the bare skin of my stomach.

I gasped, floored by the raw sensations pounding through my blood. My skin felt as if I was about to phase. Maybe I was.

“Jasmine,” he whispered, the word falling against my lips, and then his body was pressing mine into the mattress, heavy, sweet and hard.

 

Bitter Sweet Love Buy Links:

AMAZON  ~  BARNES AND NOBLE  ~  iTUNES

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Bitter Sweet Love Synopsis:

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series The Dark Elements, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn’t just Jasmine’s crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn’t help that Jas’s father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he’s back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn’t taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again…

Don’t miss White Hot Kiss, book one in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s The Dark Elements series from Harlequin TEEN!

 

About the author:

Author-photo# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links:

Website  ~ Twitter  ~  Facebook

BITTER SWEET LOVE Goodreads  ~  WHITE HOT KISS Goodreads

Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads  ~  Jennifer L. Armentrout Amazon

WHITE HOT KISS Buy Links:

 AMAZON  ~  BARNES AND NOBLE  ~  iTUNES

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Hard as it Gets by Laura Kaye….ARC Review & Release Day fun

Happy Release Day to Laura Kaye and HARD AS IT GETS! 

Please  enjoy my review, a fun Q&A with Laura and the fab book trailer!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Book links:

amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Kobo  ~  iBooks  ~  Goodreads 

Synopsis:

Tall, dark, and lethal…

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome — pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

 

My review:

Hard As It Gets is the debut novel in a new series, Hard Ink, from Laura Kaye and oh my, what a mouth watering first course!

Being an ER nurse, Becca Merritt is used to dealing with chaotic circumstances and loss of life in her line of work.  Unfortunately loss and chaotic circumstances have worked their way into her personal life as well.  Becca had lost her mother and older brother years ago and most recently her Army Colonel father.  He was killed along with half of his unit in Afghanistan.  Now, the only family she has left, her younger computer wiz brother, is missing.  The only glimmer of hope in a dismal situation she’d been trying to deal with is the note she’d found telling her to get in touch with her father’s former second in commend, Nick Rixey. Becca has had no luck with the police and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere else to turn to for help. Her last piece of faith depends on a total stranger helping her get her brother back and lands her at the Hard Ink tattoo shop, staring back at the very unwelcoming face of Nick Rixey.  Will she be able to appeal to his sense of honor and loyalty to her father to gain his help? God, she really hoped so….or she’d lose the last family she had left.

To say that Nick Rixey was shocked to see the daughter of the man who betrayed him and his brothers in arms standing in his tattoo shop would be a gross understatement.  One year later, and he was still trying to come to terms with the disloyalty of his Commanding Officer that had gotten half of his unit killed and the remaining men dishonorably discharged from the Army.  The very last thing that will help him pick up the pieces of his old life and try to build a new one would be to help Becca Merritt.  The wounds her father cut were entirely too deep and too raw.  What would he care if Becca’s brother was missing and why in the hell would anyone have sent her here knowing damn well that he is the last person who would be willing to help? So why was it so hard to turn her away and why was he still thinking of her all those hours later after telling her to pound sand? Curiosity, and a pull toward Becca, has him suiting up to do a little surveillance on Becca and ends up throwing him into the middle of a mystery involving the biggest gang in the city and digging up the past. Now, Nick has to call on the remaining brothers in his unit for help and at a chance to right the wrongs Colonel Merritt caused in Afghanistan a year ago.

With so much at stake and with so many secrets being unearthed at such a breakneck speed, the only thing Becca and Nick have to hold onto is each other.  Will something true and good come from such a dark and ugly situation?

I was SO looking forward to reading this after seeing the cover and reading the summary.  Tattoos, military hunks and mystery…oh my! This kickoff to the Hard Ink series is a stellar one. Becca is an admirable book heroine in every way.  She’s honest with her feelings and not once did she handle a situation in a way that annoyed me. Come on, you know a lot of book women get on your nerves with how long they drag things out and you’ve yelled at your e-reader telling her to just “SAY IT ALREADY!”…well, not with Becca.  She’s strong and real and just gets it. She knows life is too short to not say all the things you mean or to give everything your best shot.  She’s well rounded and also admits her fears and doubts and doesn’t sugar coat things.  She was refreshing to read.  Nick is a lost soul.  His work with the Special Forces was the only thing he has done where he felt like he was home.  Now, he’s trying to figure out a new home and it killed me to hear how lost he felt.  He’s loyal and trustworthy and also learns quickly how to be real with his feelings.  There was no yelling at him, either! Together, they work so well at balancing each other out. The sexual tension between them is delicious and really well done, too.

The introduction we get to the members of Nick’s old unit has me so flipping excited for the rest of the series! These guys are a cast of characters filled with guys who each have their own cross to bear after what happened in Afghanistan.  I’m sure I will be shedding tears for more than a few of these guys.  Broken heroes, each with a personality and story all their own….sign me up!

The pieces of the mystery we get to uncover while reading are just the very outer edge pieces of the puzzle.  I can assume that with each book, we will find more and more pieces in the pile that will help create the puzzle as a whole.  Hard As It Gets gave us just enough to start and it has me going over all the possible scenarios in my head.  Laura nailed the suspense aspect for sure!

Overall, this book has everything I love….and kept me busy searching for pictures of yummy tattooed guys for an evening or two.  If you love a suspense filled with emotion, mystery, lots of heated moments and super sexy tattooed ex-Special Forces soldiers, then by all means, get this book on your to-read list! You won’t be disappointed!

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Q&A WITH LAURA KAYE

 

HARD AS IT GETS is one steamy read! How did you first get into writing?

Thanks so much! And thanks for having me here! I’ve been a writer all my life. I’m a historian by training, so writing non-fiction was a part of my job for the fifteen years I worked as a college professor. But I started writing fiction in 2008 in kind of an unusual way. I hit my head on July 4, 2008. I didn’t think much of it that day, but soon after I realized I’d really hurt myself, and it turned out I had a minor traumatic brain injury. As I recovered, I was filled with an amazing urge to be creative, so I started taking guitar lessons (still not very good at that!) and wrote my first novel in 12 weeks (fortunately, I’m better at that LOL!). The experience of writing that first book was truly transformative. It was what I was supposed to be doing, so I revised that book until it sold and kept writing new ones. And I haven’t looked back since!

 

Why did you choose to write romance?

I had been an avid reader of paranormal romance for years at that point, so I wrote what I loved. But I also picked romance—unconsciously, I think—because to me it’s an incredibly hopeful genre. Romance stories are inherently stories about people who can’t find love or think they don’t deserve it who overcome the odds and find it in the end. In the years leading up to starting writing, I experienced a number of very hard personal losses, so writing in this genre was one way I worked through those issues.

 

What does “Hard Ink” refer to? What importance do tattoos play in your story?

Hard Ink is the name of the Rixey brothers’ tattoo shop in the Hard Ink series. Nick and Jeremy Rixey are co-owners, though Nick (the hero of book one, Hard As It Gets) prefers to be more of a silent partner, despite Jeremy’s efforts to put Nick’s artistic talents to work. In this series, tattoos are a way people remember, pay penance, or highlight what’s important to them. The act of creating permanent marks on skin has deep meaning to them. And the shop creates a gritty setting where diverse kinds of people meet and interact in the series. I really love it!

 

Describe Becca—what do you love most about her? And Nick?

I’d love to! Because I really loved writing these characters!

Becca Merritt is smart and strong and honest and protective. I really loved the way she was willing to stand up for those she loves, even against people and forces who might be stronger and even a little scary. There’s a scene in particular when she dresses down Nick’s Special Forces teammates after a fist fight where I was particularly cheering for her! LOL

Nick Rixey is, omg, so freaking hot, you guys! He’s brooding and tortured and honorable and when he falls he falls  so hard. I especially loved Nick’s mix of hard, alpha edges with his artistic side. When Nick shows Becca what her idea for a tattoo might look like on her skin, it’s just scorching!

 

What significance does the military play in the book?

Military themes are central to the whole Hard Ink series. The military isn’t just sexy window dressing nor is it just there to provide an intriguing backstory. The prior SF guys are this series are entirely defined by their military experience good and bad. It informs their identity, their sense of honor and duty, their view of the world, and of course gives them the skill set required to fight the battles they face in the series. The overall series mystery the characters are working to solve revolves around a military conspiracy in Afghanistan, so even though they’re out of the Army, the military themes are central.

 

If you could describe your book in a 140 character tweet, what would it be?

In #HardAsItGets, an ex-soldier joins forces w/his dead commander’s daughter to regain his tarnished honor & save her brother from a gang

 

Is there a particular author or book that has influenced your writing?

There are a number of authors that have influenced me, but if I had to pick one it would be J.R. Ward. A lot of what I know about how to write sexy, authentic male point of view comes from reading her books. And I definitely learned the importance of a good bromance to a romance novel from her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, too. Given my ginormous fangirling, you can only imagine how flipping excited I was when this happened:

 

“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”

~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets

 

You guys, I bawled like a baby in the middle of a huge workshop put on by my publisher. For real. LOL

 

What advice would you give aspiring writers looking to get into the publishing industry?

Here’s my advice:

1) Write, write, write. You can’t revise what you haven’t written and you can’t sell what you haven’t written. And the psychological and emotional boost you’ll get from writing “The End” for the first time cannot be overestimated.

2) Revise, revise, revise. That first time you type “The End”? Yeah, you’re nowhere near done. Your book will need to be edited, by you, several times before you ever put it in front of an agent or editor. You get one shot with them, so don’t waste it by not showing them your very best and most polished work.

3) Find critique partners. And your mom, siblings, and best friend do not count (unless you’re really lucky, like me, and your best friend happens t also be a professional author). You need other aspiring writers in your genre who will give you honest but constructive feedback about how to improve your manuscript. Let them catch all the embarrassing goofs and plot holes you thought you caught before it gets to an agent or editor.

4) Want to be a professional, then act it. And by that I mean join the professional organization(s) of the genre in which you write. Through them you will find classes to help hone your craft, critique partner match-ups, networking opportunities, calls for submission, and other opportunities invaluable to breaking into publishing.

5) Don’t give up. You will hear way more no’s than yeses, particularly early in your writing career. Stick with it. Believe in yourself. Give yourself one day to wallow in the rejection and eat a bunch of chocolate and then get right back on the horse. If your first book doesn’t sell, chalk that up to learning and write a second.

 

What can fans of HARD AS IT GETS look forward to next?

I’m currently writing four series: two contemporary (Hard Ink, Heroes) and two paranormal (Hearts of the Anemoi, Vampire Warrior Kings). I’ll have books from all four of those releasing in 2014. My next release is Hard As You Can (Hard Ink #2) coming 2/25/14!

 

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

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