Read-Love-Blog

Book Spotlight….Forged in Dreams and Magick by Kat Bastion

by Jilly

I’ve got a fantastic book to spotlight today, a book I’ve read and loved…..Forged in Dreams and Magick by Kat Bastion. I’ve also got Kat’s favorite quotes from the book to share with you…fun!

Kat is also hosting a fabulous giveaway with prizes includnig signed paperback copies of Forged in Dreams and Magick and a Pandora bracelet! (enter in the rafflecopter below) Enjoy!

Forged in Dreams and Magick releases September 23

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Isobel MacInnes wakes up in present-day California, lunches in medieval Scotland, and by ten days’ end, falls in love with a man and his country, only to lose them in a heart-wrenching twist of fate . . .

Found in the arms of her second soul mate . . .

Forced to balance the delicate strands of time between two millennia . . .

Shocked by revelations rewriting the very foundations of history . . . of everything.

Isobel, a rising-star archaeology student, is dropped into two ancient worlds without warning . . . or her permission. Her fiery spirit resists the dependency thrust upon her. Amid frustration at her lack of control, she helplessly falls in love. Twice.

She struggles to adjust to the unimaginable demands of two leaders of men—a laird in the thirteenth-century Highlands and a Pict chieftain in a more ancient Scotland. Isobel transforms from an academic, hell-bent on obtaining archaeological recognition, to a woman striving to care for those she loves, and ultimately . . . into a fearless warrior risking everything to protect them.

Kat’s Favorite Quotes from
Forged in Dreams and Magick

“May all who seek refuge, find it. When you find comfort from another, cherish it. Should you be graced with true love, embrace it.” ~ This favorite quote is a portion of Iain’s toast at the Beltane celebration. Not only is it a wonderful philosophy for their clan, but it serves as a creed for us all to offer and value the important things in life.

His low, graveled tone sounded like the softest silk to my ears. “I love the instant reaction you have to me: the quick pulse at the base of your neck, your struggle for breath, those beautiful green eyes all dark and dilated. You’re a breathtakin’ present, beggin’ to be unwrapped.” ~ Iain courts Isobel on a moonlit picnic. {fans self}

“Woman, I would travel to the ends of the Earth to bring that smile to your face.” ~ Iain. Regarding a surprise both mundane and extraordinary, the scope of his statement expresses the depth of his love.

He put his hand on the side of my head, smoothing my hair. Gentle lips kissed my forehead. “Sometimes our emotions rule us. How we handle the consequences . . . defines us.” ~ Velloc praises Isobel in a way that encompasses kindness, forgiveness, and grace, but its profound meaning applies to everyone.

“A deep ache burned in my heart. My head spun. Panic had set in, and I didn’t want to leave. Conflicting emotions threatened to overrule any sense of purpose I’d had since my entire odyssey began. To a wanderer of worlds, knowledge might’ve been power, but human connections had become everything.” ~ I love this poignant moment when Isobel realizes her purpose is no longer about the historical adventure, but those she loves along the way.

“Markers in my journey, every guidepost had simply showed me the way. I went down the path, choosing right or left at forks in the road, but the doorways did not define me. My actions every step of the way determined my course, revealing the person that existed inside.” ~ Isobel accepts the strength she’s discovered inside and commands her destiny, the warrior within her rising to the challenge, no matter her uncontrollable circumstance. The sentiment is great inspiration.

Giveaway:

Kat has put together an amazing giveaway with prizes including:

(5) Signed Paperback Copies of Forged in Dreams and Magick

(5) eBook copies of Forged in Dreams and Magick

(1) Pandora sterling silver Happily Ever After charm with a Pandora sterling silver bracelet.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Kat Bastion is an award-winning paranormal romance writer, poetic warrior, and eternal optimist who loves getting lost in the beauty of nature.

On a never-ending, wondrous path of self-discovery, Kat throws her characters into incredible situations with the hope that readers join her in learning more about the meaning of life and love.

Her first published work, Utterly Loved, was shared with the world to benefit others. All proceeds from Utterly Loved, and a portion of the proceeds of all her other books, support charities who help those lost in this world.

Kat lives with her husband amid the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Visit her blog at www.talktotheshoe.com, her website at www.katbastion.com, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Bastion/382546338470769 ,and her Twitter account at https://twitter.com/KatBastion for more information.

Book Spotlight September 2013

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Blog Tour & Guest Post….Ivy Entwined by Laura Simcox

by Jilly

Welcome to my stop on the Ivy Entwined by Laura Simcox Blog Tour!

I’ve got a fabulous guest post from Laura and the giveaway she has put together is just as amazing! (enter in the rafflecopter below).

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

When Ivy Callahan returns to her hometown as mayor, she doesn’t expect much to have changed. But now her ex-fiancé is the town planner, the biggest business is closed, and the only store interested in Celebration, NY is a Megamart. On top of it all, the liaison for the big, bad, box store is Marcus Weaver, her childhood crush. And he’s still as dangerously delectable as ever.

Marcus unwillingly spent his teens in Celebration with his vindictive, drunken uncle. As far as Marcus is concerned, the town’s only use is to cement his rise up the corporate ladder. He needs that Megamart opened, and Ivy is his ticket. But the sexy, stubborn mayor could also be his downfall.

As the unemployed townspeople put on the pressure, Ivy needs to do something. With a fresh downtown-renewal project in the works, Ivy could stop Marcus and his Megamart before they kill the town’s spirit. But with sparks flying between Ivy and Marcus, they each need to decide what’s more important: their careers or their hearts.

Excerpt:

He blinked at her. “Who are you?”

“I’m Ivy Callahan. Who are you?”

He froze. Callahan. The mayor’s daughter? The last time he’d seen Ivy, she was a freckly kid in braces, sitting with her friends in the corner of the drugstore and giggling behind her hand. But now? Gorgeous. And probably pissed at him, despite the fact that he’d just saved her from falling on her face. He stopped, glancing behind him. Where was Alberta Fields? He needed a buffer.

Like a beacon, she walked over to them. “That was a close call, but you didn’t fall, so all’s well that ends well. Ivy, this is Marcus Weaver. Can you believe it?”

Ivy’s mouth dropped open. She turned to Alberta and whispered something in her ear. Alberta nodded.

Ivy cocked her head to the side and looked at Marcus. “Oh. Well, I’d like to speak with you. Walk into city hall with me.”

He raised an eyebrow at Alberta, who shrugged and turned to the crowd. “Inside, everybody,” she snapped out in her practiced schoolteacher voice.

Marcus followed Ivy up the steps, letting his gaze bounce over her killer legs and snug suit. Ivy Callahan. Wow. She sure had grown up.

Ivy turned, a flash of annoyance crossing her face. “You are the investor Herman’s been talking about, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with…” Marcus gave her an automatic smile. “Never mind. What was with the welcome wagon back there? Are you…” He searched for an appropriate word, but he couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound ridiculous. “Famous?”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Depends on who you ask.”

“I see.” Marcus crossed his arms. “In any case, where’s your dad? I’d like to speak with him before the meeting starts.”

“You would? How come?”

“Because I wanted to say hello.”

She flicked a piece of imaginary lint from her spotless red suit. “Great. I’ll let him know. Anything else you need?”

Okay, so she was pissed. But she didn’t have to interrogate him. He had saved her from falling on her ass, after all. Marcus leaned forward, not even trying to keep the hint of condescension from his voice. “Look. It’s been fun chatting with you, but I’d really like to talk to the mayor. Okay, sweetheart?”

She went still for a brief second and then a slow grin spread over her face. “Sure, honey. Go ahead and talk to the mayor. You’re looking right at her.”

Guest Post

From the Stage to the Page

I’ve never had a normal job, and there have been times that I’ve dreamed of working in a cubicle, pulling in a predictable paycheck, going to a break room for birthday cake, and trotting out after work for happy hour with friends. It’s something I’ve never experienced, although I did work as a temp in a lot of offices in Chicago. Lots of people do temp work at one time or another, but theater people? I’ve never met one who hasn’t temped. But temping doesn’t count when temping is your life. Theater work is the ultimate temp work and although I didn’t realize it during my twenty year adventure as a costume designer, theater prepared me to be a romance writer.

There’s nothing like throwing together 300 costumes in three weeks to prepare a girl for deadlines. The only way I stayed organized was to obsessively re-write my three page to-do list (which was separated into five categories) every night before I left the costume shop. I did this on and off for years, because I mostly designed costumes for musicals.

Now, I’m not saying writing deadlines are a piece of cake for me, because they’re not. But being creative under pressure? Yeah, I’ve done that. There was that one time at band camp…err, I mean, during a production of Camelot when I was informed that a character had to fly. And light up. And wear a body microphone. And could I get that ready super-quick-thanks? If I’d had the time, she would have been professionally fitted into a theatrical flying harness, but time wasn’t on my side. Like, at all.

So my solution involved a diaphanous (but not see through!) dress, some strings of fiber optic lights, a roll of electrical tape, a roll of surgical tape, a well-digger’s harness in extra small (chorus girls are teeny) and a big box of maxi pads strategically placed for actor comfort while she was suspended over the audience pretending to be a fairy. And singing notes high enough to shatter glass, with a smile on her face. She was a trouper, and I admired her.

I love to write about women like her- not necessarily actors, but women with a sense of adventure and an appreciation of the weird. I love heroines who fly by the seat of their pants. (Ha, ha.) And I love creating worlds for them to inhabit. Of course, true heroines deserve nothing less than meltingly amazing heroes, so I write about them, too.

My background in theater has given me tons of stories like the flying fairy and inspiration to draw on for years. It’s also taught me to be creative under deadline and make lists like a champ. I just hope that I never get over my love affair with the kookier side of life. When I wrote Ivy Entwined, I kept kooky at the forefront of my mind, and my heroine, Ivy sure does thank me for it. Or I thank her. Yeah, that’s it. I’m proud of her and I would love for you to get to know her!

Giveaway:

Grand Prize – ‘Celebration in a Basket’. (In keeping with the series theme – ‘Something to Celebrate’) Includes: fun party supplies for a girlfriends-type party (champagne glasses, napkins and plates, party food recipe cards written by the author), Mardis Gras style beads, candles, chocolate, hard candy, and a deck of ‘Ivy Entwined’ playing cards.

Three runner-up swag bags – Includes: Ivy Entwined bookmarks, magnets, pens and a purse charm-style keychain. Each bag will contain two sets…one for the winner and one for a friend who loves to read romance, too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

After spending twenty years in professional theater as a costume designer, with a few of those years also spent as a college instructor, Laura abandoned the nomadic lifestyle to sit in a comfy pleather office chair at a beat up ginormous second hand oak desk and write. The result? Romance novels! Her favorite thing ever since she was, oh, about twelve. She writes contemporary, light novels and enjoys creating quirky characters and funny dialogue. Still, the love story is the focus and Laura has a huge soft spot for a sappy, happy ending. She lives in North Carolina with her husband (true love is real!) and her adorable, high energy four year old son who is currently obsessed with pirates. When not playing mamma pirate, she loves hearing from readers and you can find your favorite way to say hi via the social media buttons on her website: www.laurasimcox.com

Having a bad day? Read a romance novel.

Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest Blog

Blog Tour September 2013

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Read-Love-Blog’s Cowboy Summer….Selene’s review of Chasin’ Eight by Lorelei James

by Jilly

Read-Love-Blog’s Cowboy Summer continues with Selene’s review of Chasin’ Eight by Lorelei James

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads

Synopsis:

She wants it. He’s got it. And the chase is on.

Bull rider Chase McKay has finally landed in a pile too big to charm his way out of. Caught with his pants down, he finds himself bucked right off the PBR tour until he can get his act together.

Hollywood actress Ava Cooper became the tabloids’ favorite target when her longtime boyfriend was outed as gay. She needs a place to lay low and a chance to prove to herself that she can satisfy a red-blooded man between the sheets. The sexy, rugged cowboy she finds holed up in her Wyoming hideaway seems like the answer to her every fantasy.

But Chase has sworn off women. Forever. Or at least a month. Whichever comes first.

When they take to the road to get Chase more hands-on bull riding experience, they have every intention of keeping their hands off each other. But the two headstrong stars quickly end up riding a hot and heady rodeo circuit all their own—until the press gets wind of their affair. When the dust clears and the lights of the paparazzi fade, are they ready to give up chasing the dream for a chance of finding forever?

Selene’s Review:

A very different setting from the other books, but it definitely works!

Chasin’ Eight is a sweet, wild, and sometimes heartbreaking story. Main characters Ava Cooper and Chase McKay are both fiery celebrities with very different plans of action in mind; she wants some and he’ll have none. Sparks fly upon their first meeting and while Chase is exactly what Ava wants – a straight hunky cowboy that will make her kick up her bootheels all night long, she is exactly what he doesn’t want: a very , very fine distraction. Their stubborn natures prove to be a riot, but also a great way for their chemistry to sizzle right off the page. It’s absolutely fantastic when she tries to make him jealous with an older gentleman cowboy type!!! But by the end, as per Lorelei James’s style, they get it together…after seriously getting it on.

A sweet but heartbreaking side story is the one with a young up and coming cowboy who befriends Chase and Ava. I think it helps both of them realize what’s important and who they are and want to be to each other. It was definitely a tearjerker though so bring your tissues with you when sitting down to read this one.

This book also provides a new revelation about one part of the McKay family and it’s a good one! Definitely took me by surprise!

I would definitely read this one again as it had great romance, one-liners, story, and those extra steamy love scenes!

Four Loves

From author website:

A bit about me: When I’m not squirreled away behind my laptop writing fun, sexy, contemporary erotic romances set in the modern day Wild West, I can be found reading everything under the sun, practicing yoga until I’m a pretzel, shootin’ my .22, watching the Professional Bull Riders tour on Versus, and running a kid’s taxi service, all in the guise of avoiding housework and rustlin’ up vittles.

Why do I have a particular fondness for all things western? Well, I’m a fourth generation South Dakotan, living in the Black Hills, which is chock-full of interesting characters, including cowboys, Indians, ranchers, and bikers. The geographical diversity of the surrounding area showcases mountains, plains, and badlands. Living in and writing about rural settings gives me a unique perspective, especially since I’m not writing historical westerns. Through my fictional world, I can show the ideals and the cowboy way of life are still very much alive.

Cowboy Summer September 2013 Uncategorized

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Get it on Your Bookshelf Giveaway….Two Roads by L.M. Augustine

by Jilly

I’ve got a great book to give away today…and one I have on my own to-read list! Enter to win in the rafflecopter below.

Two Roads by L.M. Augustine

Book links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barens & Noble

Synopsis:

The only person poetry-loving Cali Monroe hates more than herself is Logan Waters, the geeky kid who lives in the dorm building next to hers.

Ever since Cali’s parents told her she would amount to nothing, she has felt entirely inadequate. Friendless and alone, she takes on the mean girl role in hopes it will make her feel better–and Logan serves as the perfect target. He infuriates her with his obnoxiously long lashes, his all too perfect dimpled smile, and his complete lack of personality outside of his intelligence. It doesn’t hurt that he’s part of the reason her brother is dead, either. So Cali hates him, and he returns the favor. Thus, their prank-filled, insult-driven rivalry is born, and torturing Logan quickly becomes the highlight of her life.

But when Cali’s parents set them up on a blind date, she begins to realize Logan might not be as boring as she always thought. He shares her love of poetry, takes a sadistic pleasure in making fun of crepes, and he makes her blush when he calls her smile pretty.

And hey, maybe those long lashes of his aren’t that obnoxious after all…

Two Roads is New Adult Romance about finding love, standing out, and learning to embrace who you are. It contains some language and mild sexual content.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

L.M. Augustine is a YA romance author who is obsessed with writing about dorky teenagers, love, and happy endings. He currently lives in New England, where he spends far too much time reading books and screaming at his computer, and he believes that the solution to the world’s problems can be found in chocolate cake. Click To Subscribe is his first novel, but it won’t be his last.

Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Get it on your bookshelf giveaway September 2013

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Spotlight Tour….Stolen Chances by Elizabeth Naughton

by Jilly

Welcome to my stop on the Spotlight Tour of Elizabeth Naughton’s Stolen Chances!

Book link:

Pre-order

Book Blurb:

Nine years ago, Archaeologist Maren Hudson lost everything when a member of her team was killed during a routine dive. Now she’s been drawn back to Mexico and the career she walked away from in order to protect the most precious thing in the world: her daughter.

One desperate phone call brings salvage expert Thad Leighton back to Mexico. For his murdered brother, he’s ready to settle the score, but one look at Maren and everything changes. Years may have passed, but she’s still as mesmerizing as she once was, and a few days on site together have him questioning his priorities and why the hell he walked away from her so long ago.

Sparks between them reignite, but Thad knows Maren is holding something back. Thrust together in the middle of the sweltering Yucatan, Thad is more than willing to strip away her layers. But while the truth might offer the second chance he’s been searching for, forgiveness may be as elusive as the relic they’re both hunting. Because when Thad unearths Maren’s biggest secret and discovers who she’s really working for, suddenly it’s not just about a life that was stolen from both of them, it’s about staying alive and outwitting a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

About the author:
I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time.

Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories.

My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.

Author Links:

Website/Blog: http://www.elisabethnaughton.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElisNaughton

FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.naughton1

Eternal Guardians FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/EternalGuardians

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2002988.Elisabeth_Naughton

Book Spotlight September 2013

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Review…Dazzled by Jane Harvey-Berrick

by Jilly

Book links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis:

When Hollywood calls, is the price for fame too high?

Miles Stephens is a young actor from London. Out of work, unemployable, and fired from his last job, he gets the chance to star in a break-out role in a big-time Hollywood film.

The film is a great success, propelling him to worldwide Hollywood fame – but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and the pressure starts to get to Miles.

Throughout, he is supported by his friend, Clare, the girl next door whom he grew up with – and who is secretly in love with him.

Miles finds out that fame and fortune isn’t everything he’d dreamed about.

My Review:

Dazzled is the newest release from author Jane Harvey-Berrick. I am a huge fan of Jane and always look forward to new material from her and while this was a little different from the style and feel of her previous books, I really enjoyed it!

Miles and Clare have been best friends for as long as they can both remember. And for as long as she can remember, Clare has been madly in love with him. After all, what’s not to love? Miles is gorgeous, talented, kind and humble….the perfect package. Surely he would never be interested in the plain Jane she was. He deserved so much more, according to her. So when he’s called away to Hollywood to audition for and snags the role in the anticipated next big hit, she supports him like she always has. This is what he was meant for and she would be there for him whether it was to build up his ego when the Hollywood life crushed it, or protect his kind heart when the media tried to break it. She would also continue to pine over him in secret and love him from afar…in other words, doing what she’s been doing for years.

This was a whole new world for Miles. Hollywood, stardom, fame, fortune, tabloids….all of it. It was so overwhelming at times and the only thing keeping him grounded was his rock. His best friend, Clare. He doesn’t know how to handle these kinds of things and sometimes it ends up coming out sideways and unfortunately Clare was the one who paid for it. She was the only one here in this fake, plastic world that truly cared for him and he knows he isn’t showing her just how much he appreciates her. His constant salvation, she was the person who mattered most in his life. He also knows she can’t stay with him forever in Hollywood. She had a life back in the UK and eventually she will leave him. Will he be able to bear it? Could it be she means more to him than just a friend?

Clare and Miles have a strong relationship with a strong background that makes their journey an emotional ride. Miles is the shy artistic one while Clare is the strong opinionated one. They really balance each other out quite well and it felt very real. Miles really broke my heart while reading him trying to cope with all of the new things in his life….and he doesn’t cope very well at times. Poor guy. I just wanted to bring him home with me and make him tea and chocolate chip cookies. Clare was a real spitfire! Loved her tenacity and fierce loyalty when it came to defending Miles and being his rock. Plus, her snark was brilliant! She was quick witted and a total smart ass at times and it was a treat! I also loved that Jane had two Brits in the U.S. making fun of the slang differences. Lift vs. elevator is just an example. Again, this was different from Jane’s other works in that it was more lighthearted to me compared to the intensity of The Education of Sebastian, for example. Still just as enjoyable, though.

Thank you, Ms. Harvey-Berrick, for a fun and witty read!

Four Loves

About the author:

I love to write.

Out of the crowd of voices in my head, I love to thread together their thoughts and tell the kind of stories that I want to read.

I’ve written my whole life, in one form or other, but it’s only since I started writing adult/new adult books that everything finally made sense.

I’ve lived in the metropolis and now I live in a small village by the sea. Inspiration comes from unexpected places and often when I’m walking my dog.

I hope my stories make you laugh and cry, and feel every emotion in between, because then I guess it’s job done.

Without you, there’s no me. Thanks for reading. jhb x

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

New Releases New Reviews September 2013

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Get it on your Bookshelf Giveaway….Love, Succumb by Eve Davids

by Jilly

Happy Thursday, gang!

Today, I have an HUGE eCopy giveaway! FIVE copies of Love, Succumb by Eve Davids are up for grabs (enter in the rafflecopter below). There’s also a fantastic excerpt….enjoy!

Book links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Goodreads ~ Smashwords

Synopsis

Two souls …

Destined to be together
But just can’t be …
Eve’s life is going well -A job she enjoys, friends she loves, and a boyfriend who loves her and is dedicated to helping her achieve her end goal: Revenge.
Rene Ackerley happens.
A brilliant, beautiful man who has the world at the tip of his fingers. Money, Power, Respect, he has it all.
At thirty, he is the leader of a world-wide syndicate so powerful that its existence is almost legendary.
He is also the leader of the very men who took everything away from Eve.
The instant their eyes fall on each other, obsession becomes as real as the air they breathe.

They crave each other like drugs. They can’t bear to be apart.

But there is Bash. The man who has been in love with Eve since he was a young boy. She is all he knows. He will rather die or kill than be without her…

Excerpt

“I hate you, I fucking hate you. Do you understand?” Rene says in his low, mesmerizing voice.

My heart shatters, stops beating. “Why?” I whisper.

He grabs my hair and pulls hard. “Because you, my dear sweet Eve, have broken me. Destroyed my world. Before you, I’m not a man. I am nothing but a confused boy, sick with a longing for you that’s so great and terrible; sometimes, I feel as if death will be easier.”

A violent shiver rocks my body. I turn my head, and stick my tongue out, yearning for his mouth.

He groans, wild and hungry.

He tightens his grip on my hair. His other hand grabbing my breast squeezes tighter. “You … you.”

Rene’s wide sensual mouth covers my ear. His tongue dips in, and he licks, fast and wet.

Moans spill out of my lips, and my heart rages inside my chest.

My mouth is jealous. My pussy is angry. They want the bloody attention he is giving to my ear!

“Rene,” I plead.

“Hmm, Mon Coeur,” he whispers lazily, and slides his lips down to my neck. He continues licking.

He is doing this on purpose.

I am naked. Physically. Emotionally.

He has me on my knees with my ass in the air. His muscular body pins me down, holding me prisoner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

My first love was reading, then writing. I am obsessed with Movies, Books, Music, Fashion, and Art. I’m a hopeless romantic, a dreamer, a traveler, a pessimist. If I can disappear into a movie or book world for the rest of my life, I will die a happy girl. As long as I can bring quarts of Greek yogurt, and grapes, and chocolate along!
I always go with my heart, never my head.
At the end of the day, I’m just a young writer on the pursuit of happiness.
Love, Succumb is my first published novel. It’s a story dear to my heart because it saved me from darkness.

My website is: http://evedavids.blogspot.com/

My Facebook is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eve-Davids/201741106661387

My Twitter is : https://twitter.com/Evedavidsauthor

Get it on your bookshelf giveaway September 2013

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Blog Tour stop & review….Hollywood Homecoming by Sasha Summers

by Jilly

Welcome to my stop on the Hollywood Homecoming by Sasha Summers Blog Tour!

Sasha is having a terrific giveaway (enter in the rafflecopter below) and find out how much i ADORED this book in my review….enjoy!

Book links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Make-up artist to the stars. The favorite aunt. Dance teacher. Baby sister. Talented musician and song-writer.

Single.

Why did that word rank above the rest? Helen loved her family and understood they wanted her to have the real love they’d all found. It’s just that she’d found her someone special and learned to live without him. She’d been too young for the quirky, idealistic doctor-off to save the world-to notice. And, really, if she had it her way, he’d never know how she’d felt. Now, he was one of her best friends, a pen pal, losing him would be too much.

Seeing him at their parents wedding, Helen realizes the horrible truth: she still loves Joseph… which wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t in the situation she was in.

But she was. And her secret will change everything.

Will it destroy hope for a Hollywood happy ending too?

My Review:

Hollywood Homecoming is the third book in Sasha Summers’ Red Carpet Series and sadly, the first in the series that I have read. Well, I can safely say that after reading this book, I now own all three books in the series because this book has got me hooked! I absolutely loved, and devoured, this book!

If you asked Helen, she would tell you herself that she was totally content with her life. She was a make-up artist in Hollywood, working with special effects and amazing people, she had a wonderful family and was dubbed the favorite aunt to her nieces and nephews. The only piece of the puzzle missing was from her love life. But, she was working on that. She was finally coming to terms that the man she’s been in love with since her teen years, Joseph, would never return her affections, and she was certain that she was finally over him. He was a doctor working in Africa and hadn’t been around in two years and that time away has helped strengthen her resolve to move on. But when he returns for their parents wedding, she realizes how wrong she was in thinking she was over him. Her heart knew the truth…she would never, ever be able to forget Joseph.

Joseph is back and realizes just how much he’s missed in the past two years. Things have changed. The kids were bigger, he’d missed too many birthdays and holidays and has vowed to never miss that much time away from his family again. They all had meant too much. One person especially….only she had no idea how much she meant to him and how much he looked forward to the letters she sent him while he was away. Would he have the courage to tell her how he felt?

Helen and Joseph have a long standing history that can either help or hinder the secret feelings the both harbor….and now, when they just might each be wiling to admit their feelings, they are blindsided with a situation that will change everything.

My interest in this story was piqued after reading the synopsis and it only grew after I started reading. I adored Helen. ADORED! I don’t normally fall in love with the heroine in a story….I also don’t get along with a lot of real life women (ha!) but I absolutely love Helen! She is so quirky and honest and refreshing. She had me laughing at her sarcasm and had me bawling my eyes out during the last few chapters. Full-on, tears running down my face, sobbing. She is totally a gal I would love to hang out with and truly appreciates the love and goodness in life and looks for it in even the most dismal of situations. Joseph is an all-around great catch. He’s a handsome, intelligent, philanthropic doctor who has the biggest heart and loves without limit. He is a guy anyone would feel lucky to know and is a prince among men.

The cast of characters, as a whole, is stellar. An enjoyable and loving family anyone would want to be a part of. As I had said earlier, I haven’t read the previous two books in the series but that didn’t affect how much I loved this story. I never felt I was missing something or didn’t quite understand a reference. I really appreciate when an author is able to do that for a reader. You can enjoy one, or all, in the series without feeling lost.

There were more than a few memorable moments in this book and more than a few dreamy-sigh-worthy moments that I cherished…but the last few chapters absolutely slayed me. I was a WRECK! Talk about speed-reading to make sure things worked out ok….WHEW! I can’t give you any spoilers so you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

Hollywood Homecoming was a title I texted to my best friend the second I finished reading it with the: “you MUST get this book right this instant!” text. Yep, I loved it that much. Thank you, Sasha, for an emotional and charming read filled with characters I won’t soon forget.

Five Loves

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the rest of the tour here

About the author:

Sasha is part gypsy. Born June 9, 1974, stories have always played an important role in her life. Her passions have always been storytelling, Hollywood, history, and travel. It’s no surprise that her books include a little of each. Her first play, ‘Greek Gods and Goddesses’ was written for her Girl Scout troupe. She’s been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she’s doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.

Website/Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB Author Page ~ Goodreads ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube

Blog Tour New Releases New Reviews September 2013

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Official Release Day Blitz & Giveaway…Out Of Line by Jen McLaughlin

by Jilly

Welcome to the official release day blitz of…..

Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin

September 2013

Book summary:

Desperate to break free…

I’ve spent my entire life under my father’s thumb, but now I’m finally free to make my own choices. When my roommate dragged me to my first college party, I met Finn Coram and my life turned inside out. He knows how to break the rules and is everything I never knew I wanted. A Marine by day and surfer by night, he pushes me away even as our attraction brings us closer. Now I am finally free to do whatever I want. I know what I want. I choose Finn.

Trying to play by the rules…

I always follow orders. My job, my life, depends on it. I thought this job would be easy, all the rules were made crystal clear, but when I met Carrie Wallington, everything got muddy. She’s a rule I know I shouldn’t break, but damn if I don’t inch closer to the breaking point each time I see her. I’m ready to step out of line. And even worse? I’m living a lie. They say the truth will set you free, but in my case…

The truth will cost me everything.

Buy Links

Amazon – http://amzn.to/17HLrFu

B&N – http://bit.ly/17hfkvi

For a limited time, Out of Line is on sale for only .99! Hurry!

…..and your version for the first week of release will have a special signed message from Jen!

Giveaway:

Even though the book was just released, it is already zooming up the charts on Amazon and B&N. To celebrate this, Jen is offering a one-of-a-kind prize for a lucky reader! Anyone who helps spread the word about OUT OF LINE (through tweets, facebook messages, leaving a review, etc.) gets entered to win 30 pages of the manuscript, which include editing marks and special never-before-seen notes from Jen! You will have all the deets on what Jen changed, deleted scenes, and special extras.

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Author Information

Jen McLaughlin writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, is due out September 2013. She also writes Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts. She is a multi-published, bestselling author and is represented by Louise Fury from the L. Perkins Agency. Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing.

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 too write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Website: http://dianealberts.com/

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin

Book Blitz New Releases Release Day Event September 2013

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Blog Tour Stop & Review….Feeling This by Casey Blue

by Jilly

Welcome to my stop on the Feeling This by Casey Blue Blog Tour!

Casey is hosting a fabulous giveaway (enter in the rafflecopter below) and there are some great teasers also below……enjoy!

Genre: New Adult (Romance)

Cover Design: B Design

Event Organized by: Into the Night Reviews

Book links:

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA ~ Smashwords

Synopsis: Whoever said life is hard didn’t know the half of it! Completely devastated when his life is ripped out from underneath him, Jordan Rhodes decides to take a break. A break from everything he’s always known; the country club life-style, his life-long friends and his overbearing parents. He just wants to be free to get lost and not feel the pain he has endured. Kimber Maguire has been dealt the tough card her entire life. An ailing mom, a sister who refuses to face reality and a yearning for the one that got away, she finds putting one foot in front of the other as her only saving grace. What she really wants is to be free of feeling the pressure that is her life to get lost. But when Jordan finds Kimber while losing himself, they both discover, sometimes you just need to feel to be found.

My review:

Feeling This is the debut novel from author Casey Blue. Kimber Maguire is tired. She’s tired of dealing with entirely too many problems for entirely too long. She should be enjoying her youth, not taking care of a sick alcoholic mother and sister who wants no part in their life. But she’s trying to get out of this dead-end life. She’s taking classes at the community college, working as a bartender and helping out with the family that has always been there for her and her mom. Things are looking up from time to time. One of those times is when a handsome, quiet stranger comes into the bar. Little does Kimber know just how much this stranger will come to mean to her. Having grown up in the lap of luxury, Jordan Rhodes hasn’t ever known real suffering. He’s smart, educated, wealthy and has the love of an amazing woman. Things are going really well for him….until he starts to notice some changes in how the love of his life is behaving. Concern drives him to speak to her family and he is entirely unprepared for the tragedy that is about to unfold. Needing to get away he leaves his life behind in search of something new. That something new comes in beautiful package serving him his beer in the small town he stopped in. Together, Kimber and Jordan have enormous personal demons to slay and they will need to relay on the strength they give one another to overcome. They can do it…as long as they have each other. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I thought the emotional turmoil both Kimber and Jordan have to endure was really intense and well done. Both of their situations deal with really powerful issues and as an intense as they both are, I feel they are extremely prevalent social issues many people deal with and can identify with. If I have one complaint, it’s that around the middle of the book, I lost my connection with Jordan and Kimber and it didn’t build as well as I thought it should have. It was a tad rushed, I felt. The ending, however, held up to what I had envisioned as their happy ending. So as a whole package, I did enjoy it….and went through my share of tissues during the first half! You know how much I love to cry during a book…strange to some, I’m sure, but I do love it! Thank you, Casey, for bringing emotional, intense and very real situations to life in your writing! I’m happy that Kimber and Jordan found each other and helped one another heal.

Three-and-a-Half Loves

*Review note: I received an advance copy of this title and I feel, on the off-chance that all mistakes weren’t corrected before publication, that I should mention I did notice more than a few punctuation errors within the work. It was slightly distracting to me as a reader, and as a blogger, I don’t want my word to be tarnished by not warning fellow readers of the possibility of missed corrections in the final published work. Thank you and in no means do I feel the errors should sway you in buying, and enjoying, this title.

Giveaway

Prizes are:

Ebook of Two Roads by L.M. Augustine ~ Ebook of Tied Up in Heartstrings by Felicia Lynn ~ Paperback of Tied Up in Heartstrings by Felicia Lynn ~ Ebook of Love Notes by Heather Gunter ~ Ebook of Heartstrings by Heather Gunter ~ Paperback of Heartstrings by Heather Gunter ~ Ebook of Fatalism by LK Collins ~ Ebook of So Much It Hurts by Melanie Dawn ~ Ebook of Sweet Contradiction by Peggy Martinez ~ Ebook of I Have Her Liberation and SWAG by EL Lea ~ Ebook of Fading by E.K. Blair ~ Ebook of Every Rose by Lynetta Halat ~ Ebook of Everything I Never Had by Lynetta Halat ~ Ebook of Feeling This by Casey Blue ~ Paperback of Feeling This by Casey Blue

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About the author:

Casey Blue is a hopeless romantic always striving for the perfect love in which to write about. Her ideal swoony boy constantly changes. She is the Hyde to Jekyll and Hyde; whatever her other half does, she’s a little naughtier! J She is addicted to caffeine and loves Jelly Bellies. She loves imperfect characters because in the end we are all imperfect. She has been writing her whole life but ‘Feeling This’ is her first New Adult masterpiece. She is happily married with kids and lives in the sunny state of Florida.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~ Goodreads

Blog Tour New Releases New Reviews September 2013

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Cover Reveal….Dazzled by Jane Harvey-Berrick

by Jilly

I’m thrilled to bring you the cover of the latest work from one of my favorite authors, Jane Harvey-Berrick….

Introducing:

Dazzled

Releases Autumn 2013

Genre
Adult romance with humour

Mature new adult, with scenes of a sexual nature

Synopsis:

Miles Stevens, young actor from London. Out of work, unemployable, fired from his last job he gets the chance to star in a film of the hit novel ‘Dazzled’.

The starring film role sees him playing an angel sent from heaven to help the town of Flatrock, northern California, become a friendlier place. He falls in love with a girl called Esther.

The book has sold millions around the world. Miles wins the audition but has to get in shape and have his light brown hair bleached. In fact, the film studio seem to want to change everything about him. He needs to be breathtakingly beautiful but also able to have fiery anger and appear in a blaze of glory. It’s against the rules for him to fall in love.

The film is a great success, propelling him to worldwide Hollywood fame. But fame and wealth is not all is cracked up to be – and the sharks start to circle.

Throughout, Miles is supported by his friend, Clare, the girl next door whom he grew up with – and who is secretly in love with him.

The story is mostly set in Hollywood, and is a picaresque journey through the weird and wonderful.

Who is Miles?
A sensitive, easy-going 20 year old guy who happens to be gorgeous and talented. He’s also shy and insecure despite his ability as an actor and a musician (he plays the alto sax and loves jazz).

His beauty is almost otherworldly and he is truly beautiful, rather than handsome. He’s also slightly naïve and has to learn that hard way that not everyone is his friend.

He comes from a working class background and is hampered by dyslexia, which fuels his insecurity, becoming easily flustered. But he has a warmth and humour that draw people to him. His one blind spot is Clare – not realising that she is hopelessly in love with him – and always has been.

Who is Clare?
Short, fiery, a little overweight – sees herself as the plain, girl next door. Fiercely loyal and good at cutting through the bullshit that surrounds Miles. She’s been in love with him forever but has had to learn with the fact that he never thinks of her as a girl, but his best friend.

She’s clever and not afraid to tell it like it is, but she feels like a mongrel in a pedigree world when she gets to Hollywood to help Miles.

It takes time, but eventually he realises that she is the girl for him.

Who is dazzled?
The title is multi-layered. It refers to Miles being dazzled by the blinding light of Hollywood, fame and stardom; at times, he’s blinded to things that are important; he’s blinded to Clare’s love for him – and then dazzled by it. Clare is dazzled by Miles’ beauty, his stardom, and – eventually – his love for her.

‘Dazzled’ is also the title of the book and film mentioned in this story.

Cover Reveal September 2013 Uncategorized

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Book Promotion & Review

Forged in Dreams and Magick releases September 23

Synopsis:

Kat’s Favorite Quotes from Forged in Dreams and Magick

Giveaway:

Book links:

Synopsis:

Excerpt:

Guest Post

Giveaway:

Book links:

Synopsis:

Selene’s Review:

Four Loves

Two Roads by L.M. Augustine

Book links:

Synopsis:

Book link:

Book links:

Synopsis:

My Review:

Four Loves

Book links:

Synopsis

Excerpt

Welcome to my stop on the Hollywood Homecoming by Sasha Summers Blog Tour!

Book links:

Synopsis:

My Review:

Five Loves

Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin

Book summary:

Buy Links

For a limited time, Out of Line is on sale for only .99! Hurry!

Giveaway:

Book links:

My review:

Three-and-a-Half Loves

Giveaway

Dazzled

Releases Autumn 2013

Synopsis:

Kat’s Favorite Quotes from
Forged in Dreams and Magick