Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien - Review and Giveaway





Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Publication Date:  16 February 2016
Publisher: Roaring Books Press
Series:  The Vault of Dreamers, book 2
Genre:  Young Adult Science Fiction
Age Recommendation: 12 and up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.
The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair was expelled from Forge, the prestigious arts school that doubles as a reality TV show. But few know how Dean Berg was mining students' dreams in laboratories deep below the school. And no one, least of all the Dean himself, knows that when Rosie's dreams were seeded into the mind of another patient, Rosie's consciousness woke up in that body--a girl far from Forge, a girl with a completely different life from Rosie, a girl who is pregnant.

Told from alternating points of view between Rosie as she makes sense of her new identity and the shattered subconscious that still exists in her old body, this sequel to The Vault of Dreamers will keep readers on the edge of their seats and leave them hungry for more.


My Review:


A psychological science fiction thriller for the young adult reader that will keep even the 'oldest' readers up all night turning pages.  Rule of Mirrors picks up after Vault of Dreamers pretty epic cliff-hanger.  We find our selves back in Rosie's world only it's not just Rosie's mind we are delving into this time....or is it? Rosie's conscious has shattered in two, one half where it is supposed to be (inside Rosie's body) the other half, across the world and in the body of a wealthy pregnant teen (Althea) who has been in a coma for six months after a terrible accident.  Rule of Mirrors is even more interesting as we are following the story from two points of view that are really one person.

I really enjoyed seeing how Rosie's consciousness deals with the separation from her self and how she handles the differing circumstances she finds herself in.  I will say I have always struggled with this Sci-Fi concept of two people in one body or in this case two bodies and one split conscious, it is a concept that for some reason I have trouble wrapping my 'mind' around, no pun intended.  Caragh does a great job though at keeping this rather difficult to grasp concept easy to follow and to find believable. It's so interesting to watch how this one mind reacts two these two vastly different circumstances and how they choose to move forward.

I also loved seeing old characters coming back, one in particular I think everyone will be excited to see again...Burnham, and finding out more about each of them and what has happened to them.  Linus is back and there is still something between he and Rosie, but there is also a second love interest for the 'New Rosie' which makes things rather interesting.  We also get to meet a number of new characters and of course the scientists/doctors are just as evil as ever...maybe even more so.

Caragh doesn't leave us hanging quite as perilously on the edge of the cliff like in the ending of Vault of Dreamers, but do expect to leave with burning questions you need answered and the craving to have book three in your heads right now!  This is a great series for Sci-Fi lovers.  It can be complicated to follow at times, but once you wrap your head around the concept it just plain works.  Rule of Mirrors is fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful and loaded with amazing characters that you will both love and hate. This is also a great read for the younger YA readership as the romance isn't too heavy or 'graphic'.  I am really looking forward to book three to see how this all plays out, because it's been a pretty wild ride so far!  

~ HAPPY READING ~ 



GiveAway:
1 copy of Vault of Dreamers


GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble



Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O’Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Hunter by Blaire Drake - Cover Reveal and Excerpt

  HUNTERBANNER 


    HUNTER NEW3

AMAZON US   ~ AMAZON UK  


Book Description:
Born into blood, I was a mafia princess. Raised in hiding, I was a Californian sweetheart.
The day my father sold my thirteen year old body to pay off a five year old debt was the day my mother stole me in the dead of night. She protected me as she was supposed to.
My father may have been the king, but my mother was the queen.
The mafia blood was hers.
That was ten years ago. Now… the devil was on the loose.
Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso was my father’s right hand man and the boy I’d loved since I could tie my own shoelaces. He was always the most ruthless and the most deadly of all the children.
He’d thought I was dead until the day his assignment was given: Kill Adriana and Alexandria Romano. Kill the princess, and definitely kill the queen.
What he didn’t know was that the queen was dead, and the princess had taken her throne.
Blood didn’t lie. It smeared, distorted, stained. But it didn’t lie.
My father was going to learn the hard way that the empire he’d stolen belonged to me.
And so did Carlo ‘Hunter’ Rosso.


PREORDER Hunter (1)   


Excerpt:

 “Staying, are you? Figure it's easier to kill me in my sleep?” Once again, he rubbed his hand across his face. He said nothing. “Trying to work out whose life is worth more, right? Mine is probably worth a lifetime of comfort for you. Kill me and everyone's happy, right? My pathetic excuse for a father gets to keep his empire and you're taken care of for life.” He looked at me, and his expression was a little tortured. I was being harsh. I knew that. But I needed to be. It was easier to provoke him and be angry with him than give in to the horrible ache that had settled in my heart. “Adriana...” Weak. The word was weak. I wanted to ignore the indecision on his face, but I couldn't. He was considering it. He really was. I scoffed quietly at him and grabbed the gun from the coffee table. His mask and gloves fell to the floor, but he made no move to pick them up. The safety was on the gun, and I held it out to him. “Here. Take it. I don't care, Hunter. I don't have much of a life here in hiding anyway.” He didn't even look at the gun. His silvery gaze never left mine. I wished he would look away, because in that gaze, I saw the Hunter I knew. The boy who once ripped his favorite shirt to stem the bleeding when I fell and cut my leg, then proceeded to carry me home. The boy who offered to pee on my foot when I got stung by a jellyfish in Mexico on vacation when I was seven. The boy I loved before I knew what love even was. “You're weak, Hunter,” I whispered. Slowly, I turned the gun back to me and touched the barrel to my temple the way he did earlier. His jaw clenched when my thumb edged toward the safety, and when my finger moved to hook around the trigger, he moved. He was like a lightning bolt. He came at me like a flash, snatched the gun from my hand, and dropped it on the sofa. It bounced but stayed on the seat, and then he turned on me with blazing eyes. “Don't,” he ground out, his arms tensing and looking even bigger. “Don't ever fucking put that to your head again.” “Why? I was saving you the job.” The words had barely left my lips when he pounced on me. It was deadly, the way his hands clasped my face and his mouth descended on mine. I staggered back into the wall, gasping at the ferocity of his movement. Shock paralyzed me as he kissed me harshly. His tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, and as I fisted the sides of his shirt, I bit his lower lip. A low growl left his throat, but he didn't relent. He just kissed me harder. He kissed me until I was fucking spinning and could barely string two thoughts together. Until my whole body was alight with his touch and responding to his every movement. He tasted like whiskey. The strong, rich taste that lingered on his lips was heady and only added to the intoxicating way he touched me. And then... It hit me. He was touching me. Kissing me. Twenty minutes ago, he could have killed me.   

    
huntertease1

Blaire Drake is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author who wanted to think outside her box and write the kind of things that would shock even them. She loves taboo romance and pushing boundaries in her work. She also enjoys long walks on the beach at sunset, as long as it’ll be followed by a good, old-fashioned spanking right after. DEAR PROFESSOR is her debut standalone novel, and her next book, HUNTER, is also a standalone novel that promises to be equally as taboo and sexy.
 You can connect with Blaire online at: 


You’re also invited to join her reader group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1660452467533550/

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The Lie by Karina Halle - Blog Tour, Review and Excerpt


 



GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ 

Author: Karina Halle
Publication Date:  15 February, 2016
Publisher: Metal Blonde Books
Series:  Standalone....mostly (see comments in review)
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 Stars
~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 


Book Description:
The Lie is a second-chance romance with a dark, forbidden twist.

Their love led to a lie.

Their truth led to the end.

Scottish enigma Brigs McGregor is crawling out from the ashes. After losing his wife and son in a car accident - and, subsequently, his job - he's finally moving forward with his life, securing a prestigious teaching position at the University of London and starting a new chapter in the city. Slowly, but surely, he's pushing past the guilt and putting his tragic past behind him.

Until he sees her.

Natasha Trudeau once loved a man so much she thought she'd die without him. But their love was wrong, doomed from the start, and when their world crashed around them, Natasha was nearly buried in the rubble. It took years of moving on to forget him, and now that she's in London, she's ready to start over again.

Until she sees him.

Because some loves are too dangerous to ever rekindle.

And some loves are too powerful to ignore.

Can you ever have a second chance at a love that ruined you?



My Review:

I am so happy that we got Brigs book. I know from Facebook posts, Tweets, etc that Karina struggled with this book, that she wasn't sure if this Brigs story could be told without her fans rebelling against the story and the characters.  I gathered from her posts and tweets that she repeatedly almost walked away from this story and all I can tell you is that I am so glad her fans pushed her to keep going and that she never gave up on Brigs and Natasha.

That all said this is an emotional ride of a book.  It is a book were your feelings may get a little muddled, where you may find that you don't really know how to feel about a lot of the characters.  Your heart is going to break, if you don't shed a tear or two I just don't know about you (haha),

This is a story about how life (REAL LIFE) doesn't always go the way we think it will.  It is the story of how everything can change in an instant, how a persons decisions affect more than just themselves, and how love can be sweet, painful, messy, healing, heartbreaking, and redeeming. This is a story that reminds us that love isn't always finite.  That love is an ever evolving and fluid feeling.  That no matter how much we hate to admit it, feelings of love can and do fall away.  This isn't the story of a perfect happily ever after, this isn't the normal 'fairy tale' romance, this isn't a book that will leave you completely swooning and happy.  When you close the pages of this book you will know happiness for this couple, you will know it is a happiness that they fought for, that they earned, that they deserve.  With that said, this is a book that will have you questioning your feelings about love, guilt, and second-chances.  I have seen/heard this book being called controversial and while I don't know that I agree with that I do know that your feelings are going to get all jumbled up in this story.

We know from Lachlan's (The Play) story that Brigs lost his wife and his toddler son in a horrific car accident.  We know that he lives with tremendous guilt and a deep and heartbreaking sadness.  What we don't know is the how and the why and I won't get into it here because that would be me telling you the story and I think I should leave that to Karina.  I will tell you I loved Brigs and Natasha despite how they come about.  I love that they are not perfect people.  I love the honesty in their relationship and the rawness of their feelings, both in love and in grief.  I will tell you that I wish to have seen more of Brigs and Lachlan together, to see them heal with each other, because while their relationship in the past has been strained but we really see them begin to connect in this book and I would have really liked more of that.  I will tell you that I am a bit fearful that we haven't seen the end of Melissa (Natasha's 'best' friend)...to me her story just didn't seem complete and I kind of would like to know what happens to her but at the same time, I loathe her so much I am not sure that I could handle a story about her.

This is a sad SAD story and it can be hard to not feel like you have to walk away for a minute to gather your feelings so I wouldn't call it a quick read necessarily, it is a book that takes a lot of time to process as you go through it, but it is a book that will keep you coming back for more until you turn that last page.

This is a standalone and you will be perfectly fine if this is the first Karina Halle book you have ever picked up but I would recommend at least reading The Play (and Winter Wishes, a novella) first if you can.  It will just give you a little background information and set you up to understand the relationship between the McGregor brothers.  Also, while these books are not considered a 'series' as such there are two other books that fall into the same 'world' as The Play and The Lie.  Those are The Pact and The Offer and they revolve around cousins of Lachlan and Brigs.  You definitely do not have to have read either of those to go into The Lie.  They are both really great reads though so if you have a chance I totally recommend them.

This is a fantastic read for any Contemporary Romance fans, just grab yourself your favorite beverage, a box of tissue and settle in for a meaningful and emotional journey.  This is an HEA but getting there is not an easy ride.

~ HAPPY READING ~ 



Excerpt:

Without even thinking, I end up in Natasha’s neighborhood, on her street. I pull the car over and stare at her building. I can drive off. I can go blow off some steam with Lachlan. I can drive and scream and wish to god that things were different.

But I don’t want to do it alone.

I get out of the car and head to her flat.

I knock on her door, wondering if she’s even in, if she might still be sleeping. It’s still early on a Saturday and we don’t see each other on the weekends without it being work related, such as seeing a classic film at the cinema. I hadn’t planned to talk to her until Monday, her last week of work as my research assistant before going back to London.

My heart pinches at that thought.

She’s leaving me.

What the hell am I doing?

But then the door opens slowly and she’s staring at me with wide eyes, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, a fluffy robe around her body.

“Sorry,” I say quickly, immediately feeling bad. “Did I wake you up?”

She yawns. “Kind of, but I should be getting up anyway. What’s, um, up?”

I rub my lips together. “I…I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a drive?”

“Where?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Far away. But not too far. I have to be back by twelve-thirty for Hamish.”

“What time is it now?”

“Eight-thirty.”

She rolls her eyes. “And you were wondering if you woke me up. I should still be sleeping for at least another two hours.”

I nod, embarrassed at my enthusiasm. I’m being inappropriate. “I should go.”

I turn around, but she reaches out and grabs my arm, holding tight. “No, don’t,” she says. “I want to go with you. Just give me five minutes, okay?”

I turn to look at her and she’s flashing me a persuasive smile.

“I’ll be in the car,” I tell her.

Somehow she’s true to her word. In five minutes she’s jogging down the steps of her building, dressed in jeans and a tank top that shows off the tawny warmth of her summer tan. She hasn’t touched her hair at all; it’s still up in that bedhead bun, and there isn’t a bit of makeup on her. She doesn’t need it. She looks joyful. She looks absolutely beautiful.

“You’re fast,” I tell her as she slips into the passenger seat.

She giddily drums her hands across the dash and beams at me. “I’m fast when I want to be. I love this car. Where are we going again? Oh right, somewhere far away. Can we get coffee first? I’m dying.”

I can’t help but grin at her as I turn the key. The car starts on the first turn. She’s my good luck charm. “You don’t seem like you need coffee.”

“I always need coffee,” she says emphatically. “You know this. So where to?”

“I honestly don’t know. You pick.”

“Do you have a map?”

“Of Scotland?”

“Yeah.”

I nod at the glove compartment. “In there.”

She opens it and it falls open with a clunk. She takes out an old faded road map and starts looking it over.

“Anything strike your eye?”

“I’m looking for Loch Ness.”

“That’s too far.”

“Okay, is there like another lake with a swamp monster?”

“Nearly all the lochs are in the Highlands.”

“Arrrrrrrrrr in the Highlands,” she says playfully, imitating my accent.

“Okay, maybe no coffee for you.”

“Don’t be cruel, Professor Blue Eyes.” She goes back to studying the map but the mention of my nickname makes a small fire build inside me. And not one of anger.

She points on the map. “Here. Balmoral.”

“That’s where the Queen lives.”

“I know. I want to say hello.”

“It’s a two-hour drive,” I point out.

“Well, then we better get cracking,” she says. “The Queen is expecting us.”

She’s definitely full of spirit today. It seems to latch onto me and I ingest it like a tonic. She’s erasing all the humiliation and pain from the morning.

We head out of the city, taking the A-90 to the M-90 and speed north. After we get her some coffee and we share a couple of sausage rolls for breakfast, I warn her that we literally will see the estate and have to head back. But she doesn’t mind.

And honestly, neither do I. I crank the old radio on the car to pick up an oldies station playing a special on Otis Redding. The day is warm and gorgeous, and even though we’re going fast, our windows are down, enjoying the wind and the sun on our skin.

About an hour into our drive, Natasha turns to me and says, “Tell me the truth. Why did you come to get me this morning?”

“Was it that unusual?” I ask without looking at her.

“Yes,” she says. “The last time you came to my house without me knowing…”

“Back then I was following up on an email. I wanted to know if you were all right,” I tell her before she can tell me anything else about that night.

“And now I want to know if you’re all right,” she says gently.

I glance at her. There’s a softness in her eyes that undoes me. I grip the wheel hard, conscious of my every movement and how they might appear to her. A good man, after the night she kissed me, the night I kissed her right back, would have never been alone with her again.

But I’m not a good man.

I’m a man who is slowly but surely falling in the wrong direction.





Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website ~ GoodReads


 You can also visit her website to sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.



Monday, February 15, 2016

Strong Signal by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell - Release Day and Giveaway!





Book Description:


I was counting down the months until the end of my deployment. My days were spent working on military vehicles, and I spent my nights playing video games that would distract me until I could leave Staff Sergeant Garrett Reid behind.

That was when I met him: Kai Bannon, a fellow gamer with a famous stream channel.

I never expected to become fixated on someone who'd initially been a rival. And I'd never expected someone who oozed charm to notice me—a guy known for his brutal honesty and scowl. I hadn't planned for our online friendship to turn into something that kept me up at night—hours of chatting evolving into filthy webcam sessions.

But it did. And now I can't stop thinking about him. In my mind, our real life meeting is perfect. We kiss, we fall into bed, and it's love at first sight.

Except, like most things in my life, it doesn't go as planned.


*Strong Signal is a standalone, full-length novel with no cliffhanger*



Enter to Win a Kindle Fire!





Megan Erickson is a former journalist who switched to fiction when she decided she liked writing her own endings better. She likes to pretend she has control now, but usually her characters are the ones who hold the reins. Her romance novels have a touch of humor, a dash of nerdy, and always a happily ever after.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids, and two cats named after John Hughes characters. She's still waiting for the party she was promised when she grew to five feet... maybe because she never got there.






Megan's Books

In Focus series
Trust the Focus
Focus on Me
Out of Frame (Coming soon)

Bowler University series
Make it Count
Make it Right
Make it Last

Mechanics of Love series
Dirty Thoughts
Dirty Talk
Dirty Deeds

Gamers series
Changing His Game
Playing for Her Heart
Tied to Trouble
Leveling the Field (coming soon)




Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.
Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.







Santino's Books

Five Boroughs series: 
SUTPHIN BOULEVARD 
 SUNSET PARK 
 FIRST AND FIRST coming in April 2016 


Standalone books by Santino Hassell: 
STRONG SIGNAL (with Megan Erickson) 
STYGIAN 
AFTER MIDNIGHT

Spy Girl by Jillian Dodd -Cover Reveal

SPY GIRL BY JILLIAN DODD- COVER REVEAL 

image1


*iBooks has an exclusive sneak peek*

Book Description:

 What happens when you get pulled out of spy academy before graduation because you look good in a bikini? 
 Your mission, should you choose to accept it:  
Get close to the hottest prince on the planet. 
Uncover the plot to assassinate him. 
Keep him safe. 
Kill the bad guys. 
Don’t blow your cover. 
And don’t fall in love. 

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 12TH 2016


Jillian DoddAbout Jillian Dodd Jillian is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thirteen contemporary romance novels, from the The Keatyn Chronicles and That Boy series to Vegas Love. She grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She currently lives in Florida.  Checkout Jillian's website for added content and sneak peaks at: www.jilliandodd.net and be sure to sign up for her newsletter there.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

To The Stars by Molly McAdams - Excerpt and Giveaway

To The Stars - Release Week Banner  

I am so excited to help bring you the Release Week Blitz for Molly McAdams’ TO THE STARS! 

TO THE STARS is a contemporary romance novel being published on February 9th by HarperCollins’ William Morrow Impulse imprint and is the second novel in Molly’s Thatch Series.

    To The Stars

Grab Your Copy Today!

Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay

     

 Book Description:

In the second standalone book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Molly McAdams’ Thatch series, Knox Alexander must convince his long-time love Harlow Evans that they’re meant to be together.

 He promised to wait for her. She told him he was wasting his time. Not waiting for him ended up being the biggest mistake of her life. When they were younger, Knox Alexander swore to Harlow Evans that he would wait for her to turn eighteen so they could be together. But that was two and a half years away, and Harlow couldn’t ask him to give up all the fun and thrills of going away to college for her. As the years passed, Knox remained a constant in her life but when her eighteenth birthday came around, Harlow’s heart belonged to someone else. Every day for the last four years, Harlow has been haunted by that fateful choice. And though he may appear unaffected by what happened in their past, Knox has always tried to fill the void Harlow left. But when he comes stumbling back into her life and refuses to leave, will Harlow finally let him into her heart…?  

To The Stars - RWB Teaser 1

Excerpt:

“Relationship,” Knox huffed. “Low, I’ve told you, you could hardly call it that. Besides, I told her about you before whatever she and I were ever started,” he said. “It’s not my fault she thought I was joking.”

“Well, it’s kind of weird, don’t you think? Telling her, ‘hey, sure I’ll be your date for this group thing, but there’s this girl I’m waiting for, and she’s my priority’, seems like a way to say you don’t want to get too attached at the beginning.”

“But I told her,” he reasoned.

“You’re horrible.”

“Not horrible. I’m just in love with you, and I have a year and a half left until I can have you.”

I gripped at my warming chest and tried to ignore it as I sighed. “I’m going to stop answering your calls whenever you get a new girlfriend.”

“There won’t be a new one, and I know you wouldn’t.”

My eyebrows rose even though he couldn’t see me. “And how do you know that?”

“Because you love me too. Through all this bullshit, you love me, and you need these calls as bad as I do.”

“I do love you, Knox,” I whispered into the phone. It wasn’t the first time I’d told him, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. “I love you to the moon and back.” My eyes fell to my dresser where my monthly bouquet of red poppies sat. These had come just a few days ago. The card, as always, had read: I’m still waiting for you.

“To the moon?” A deep, husky laugh filled the other end of the phone. “The moon isn’t that far, Harlow.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. Not far enough.” There were a few beats of silence before he confessed, “I want to love you to the stars.”

My mouth parted and a soft huff slipped past my lips. I closed my eyes and let his words replay in my mind and move through my body as I agreed, “Then to the stars.”


  To The Stars - RWB Teaser 2    

And don’t miss the first book in the Thatch Series…

  Letting Go - cover

LETTING GO

Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay ~ Audio

   
Author PhotoAbout Molly McAdams: Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband, daughter, and fur babies. When she’s not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies and fried pickles, and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm … or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren’t really happening.        

Website ~ Tumblr ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google+

TO THE STARS Goodreads ~ Molly McAdams Goodreads

    To The Stars - Available Now    

InkSlinger PR Blogger Banner - New

Soulless by T.M. Frazier - Excerpt Reveal




Let's just add in a whole lot of fan-girl type screaming here!  
I can not wait for this book!

Bear & Thia’s epic finale releases on 
23 February 2016




Excerpt:

"I'll deal with you when we get back to the house," Bear snapped, his words loaded with so many different meanings I trembled with both fear and anticipation. 

"You're going to deal with me?" I asked. "How are you going to deal with me?" My attitude and confidence faded with each word until the last was merely a whisper. 

"Yes, DEAL with you," Bear warned, suddenly pausing to take in my appearance. Slowly, from top to bottom, like he’d only just realized I was standing there. His eyelids hung heavy over his sapphire blues as he licked my body with his eyes, drinking me in like he was thirsty. 

No, not thirsty. 

Hungry.

When he licked his lips I could have sworn he was about to eat me alive. I tingled all over. The awareness of him in such close proximity after so long washed over me. Angry or not, my body didn’t care. I didn’t care. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, reassure him that he had no reason to be angry, but part of me liked that I could draw that kind of reaction from him. He came alive when he was pissed, and something inside me loved that he became this primal possessive beast out to remind me who it was I belonged to. 

Bear clenched his jaw and the muscles in his neck tensed and strained. He looked as if he were ready to either kill or fuck. All I knew was that, one way or another, I was about to de devoured. 

I pressed my thighs together, trying to manage the pulsing between my legs, but the contact only ignited it further. Bear chuckled and glanced down to where my ankles were crossed. He closed the gap between us in two short strides, taking me off guard. I stumbled backward, tripping over a lose rock in the road. he reached out and roughly grabbed my arm before I could fall, pulling me flush into his hard chest. His warm skin radiated through my thin dress. I bit my lip, suppressing a moan. My legs grew weaker and weaker as he lowered his head, inching closer and closer, until I was sure his lips were going to meet mine, when without warning he released my arm and spun away. "Get in the fucking truck, Ti," he called back to me. 

I stood there, unable to move, and trying to catch my breath while he headed over to King’s truck like that moment never passed between us. When he noticed I wasn’t behind him he growled and stalked back over to me. He grabbed me by the waist, his fingers digging into my skin. He lifted me up, my short dress bunching up over my butt cheeks and slung me over his shoulder like I was a rolled up rug.

Wack.

He slapped my ass with his open palm. Hard. The bite of the smack stung where I was sure he’d left his mark. He tossed me into the truck with a caveman grunt and slammed the door behind me. 

I was confused as all hell. 

I was so angry. 

I was also elated. 

I was in lust so hard that I was in physical pain. 

I was really fucking angry. 

I was head over heels in love. 

Motherfucker.





Haven’t read this series yet? Go back to where Bear and Thia's story began in:

Lawless





T.M. Frazier is a USA TODAY bestselling author. She resides in sunny Southwest Florida with her husband and young daughter. When she's not writing she loves talking to her readers, country music, reading, and traveling. Her debut novel, The Dark Light of Day was published in September of 2013 and when she started writing it she intended for it to be a light beachy romance. Well...it has a beach in it!


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Consequence of Seduction by Rachel Van Dyken - Blog Tour and Excerpt











Book Description:

From New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken.

Reid Emory has never had reason to question his luck with the ladies. As the owner of a lethal set of aqua-blue eyes and a devastating grin, this Hollywood heartthrob always brings his A game…but lately his luck seems to have run out. The actor is in need of some help, and there’s only one person he can trust to take his love life—and his career—to an explosive new level.

Jordan Litwright’s newest client is trying her patience. As a publicist, she’s more than content to stay in the background and let others shine. But when a publicity stunt backfires, she suddenly finds herself thrust into the spotlight—as Reid’s new love interest. And while other men usually overlook her, Reid is focusing in with laserlike intensity. There’s no denying they have serious chemistry.

But once Reid breaks into the big time, can they turn their made-for-the-media romance into a forever love?



EXCERPT:

I wasn’t nervous. Please. The nervous guy was always played by a dude who had no fashion sense, had never kissed a girl, and thought that foreplay was an actual play—in baseball.

I had killer fashion.

Had kissed tons of girls—even secured my first by the age of four from a six-year-old riding the bus to school.

And foreplay was my specialty. I like to think that some men are just gifted in that area—not to boast, but I’m one of them.

Oh, and I was a hell of a baseball player.

So that weird, shaky feeling currently residing in my stomach, slithering its way up my chest? Heartburn.

I popped two Tums.

“Hey, you okay?” Jordan asked. Her big brown eyes were makeup free—making them look even prettier—more natural. She’d given up on her hair so it was wildly cascading in every direction known to mankind, giving her a sex kitten look I wasn’t at all comfortable her sporting outside my apartment.

“Yeah.” I coughed. “Heartburn.”

“Weird. I wonder why you have heartburn after all those shots, five slices of pizza, and three glasses of red wine?”

I grinned. “Beats me.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the remote from my hand.

“What are you doing?” I asked calmly, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

“Changing the channel?” she answered without looking at me. “The movie ended an hour ago and you usually go to bed at eleven, so . . .”

“But this is date night.”

“Uh-huh, and now date night is over. I’ll tell you what.” She turned and tucked her legs beneath her. “Since you’re new at this whole dating thing, I’ll give you a free pass and let you in on a little secret.”

“I’m listening.” Okay, so I was trying to listen while my eyes zeroed in on her low-cut blouse and fringes of the black lacy bra that was peeking from beneath. Focus. Focus. Focus. Did she have pizza sauce on her breast?

“When girls come home from a date, they don’t take a hot shower and run their hands all over their body moaning and groaning and replaying every touch, every caress, every kiss.”

Can’t. Look. Away. I leaned forward. Yup, definitely pizza sauce. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

“Usually, they pour themselves a glass of wine, toss off their tall heels, turn on the TV, put on their sweats, and read while New Girl plays in the background.”

How was it possible she wasn’t aware she had food on her chest?

“Reid, are you listening?”

“Of course I am!” I nodded. “Wine, heels, TV, books, New Girl.” I know, neat trick, right? Just pull the details out of what they said and repeat them. Works nine times out of ten. Unless you’re Max. If you’re Max, you usually just get punched, because he tends to brag about the fact he remembered in the first place.

“What?” Jordan looked down. “What are you staring at?”

“Sauce.”

“Huh?”

“Sauce.” I pointed. “Right there.”

Jordan rolled her eyes. “I’m not falling for that trick where you point and I look down and you hit me in the face. How old are you, ten?”

“No, seriously.” I moved forward. “You have pizza sauce right here.” I swiped it with my thumb and then licked it off.

“That should be gross,” she breathed.

“I know.”

“But it was kind of sexy.”

“I know.”

“Stop saying ‘I know.’”

I smirked. “Sorry . . . oh, look, you have something right here too.”

This time she did look down. And my ten-year-old self cheered as I knocked her in the chin and said, “Gotcha.”

Defeated, her shoulders slumped forward. “I deserved that.”

“I couldn’t help myself.” I watched in a hypnotic trance as her tongue sneaked out and teased her lower lip. It was the perfect moment for a kiss, but the line had been . . . skewed. I wasn’t sure if it was okay, in the privacy of my apartment, to actually kiss her. I mean, I’d kissed her, but this felt different, more intimate.

“This is the part”—Jordan leaned forward and gripped my shirt with both hands—“where you either kiss me or cough awkwardly, make an excuse, scratch your balls, and cower back in your bedroom.”

“Wow, so many choices,” I mused, meeting her halfway. “Eenie, meenie, minie—” Our mouths met in a frenzy. She tasted like wine and pizza.

Holy shit, it was hotter than it should have been.

My hands moved to her hips as I tried to pull her onto my lap. But her skirt was too tight.

“Damn it.” I tugged harder and heard a split.

Jordan reared back. “Did you just rip my skirt?”

“Small tear.”

“Rip.”

“No.” I gripped the fabric until it gave with a scratchy tearing sound. “That’s a rip.” With a grin I tossed the discarded remains onto the ground.

Jordan stared at the skirt for a few seconds before wrapping her legs around my torso and fusing her mouth with mine. “You owe me a skirt.”

“Can I rip you out of that one too?”

She laughed against my mouth. I stood, lifting her with me, and walked her backward toward my bedroom.

We looked good. She was half-naked, sexy, I was carrying her around like a badass, and then things went . . . south.

And not a good south.

“Watch out for my shoes—”

I tripped over two spiked heels, sending Jordan flying into the wall. She slid down said wall and landed on the plant—yes, the plant, the one she’d kept alive for all those years.

“My plant!” she yelled. I burst out laughing as remnants of dirt and plant sifted through her hands. “You killed it!”

“Whoa!” I held up my hands and backed up, tripping over the damn shoes again and stumbling to the floor.

I shit you not, Jordan giddyup crawled toward me, faster than lightning, straddled me, and started fighting.

“We’ll get you a new plant!” I yelled as she smacked my chest. I gripped her wrists and flipped her onto her back. “Don’t you think—”

She bucked beneath me.

“—it was probably time to let the plant go? You know, cut the apron strings!”

“It’s not my child!” she wheezed, tuckering herself out.

“Exactly.” I nodded, then released her hand and patted her cheek.

Her eyes went wild.






The Series:





Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .