Monday, June 30, 2014

Cover Reveal: No Ordinary Bloke by Mary Whitney




Title: No Ordinary Bloke 
Author: Mary Whitney 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+ 
Publication Date: August 2014 
Cover Design: Jada D'Lee Designs 
Event Organized by: Literati Author Services,Inc. 


Synopsis: I’m not a philosophical kind of bloke, but I know something about luck. A childhood on the wrong side of advantage will teach you that. It’s all a matter of chance. It’s both your circumstances and the chances you take. So I've always been a gambler and a ladies' man — they love me and I love them. Now I've found one like no other — an American, Allison Wright. When I met her, the fates were on my side, but too soon I learned the odds were against me.


About the Author: Mary Whitney blames Laura Ingalls Wilder and Margaret Mitchell for her obsession with romance novels. At an early age, Mary fell in love with the Little House series and its dreamy hero, Almanzo Wilder, who only wanted Laura to be Laura. Like many women, Mary later graduated to the ultimate, tall and dark bad boy, Rhett Butler, who loved Scarlett despite her flaws. Mary has lived around the U.S., and after a first career in the non-profit world and politics, she's settled in Northern California with her husband and daughters. She spends her days writing characters she hopes somehow capture the romance of Rhett and Scarlett and Almanzo and Laura. She's a firm believer in what Rhett says to Scarlett: "You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.  
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Cover Reveal: Sweet Fall by Tillie Cole

We're delighted to be sharing the cover for Sweet Fall, Tillie Cole's upcoming release from the
Sweet Home series.

Sweet Fall is Austin and Lexi's story and can be read as a standalone novel.
Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000447_00008]
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TITLE: Sweet Fall
SERIES: Sweet Home #3
AUTHOR: Tillie Cole
AGE GROUP/GENRE: New Adult Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION DATE: 26th August 2014
COVER REVEAL ORGANISED BY: Kelly @ Have Book Will Read
blurb
We all have secrets.
Secrets well buried.
Until we find the one soul who makes the burden of such secrets just that little bit easier to bear.
Lexington "Lexi" Hart is a senior at the University of Alabama. Surrounded by her best friends, her loving family and having fulfilled her life-long dream of making the Crimson Tide cheer squad, everything is going exactly as she always dreamed it would. But beneath her happy exterior, demons lurk, threatening to jeopardize everything Lexi has worked to achieve. When events in her life become too much to cope with, Lexi finds herself spiraling down into the realm of her biggest fear. Lexi falls hard, victim once again to the only thing that can destroy her and, on the way, finds herself falling straight into the dangerous tattooed arms of a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
Austin Carillo, starting Wide Receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide, must get picked in this year's NFL draft. He needs it. His brothers need it. Most importantly, his mother desperately needs it. Brought up in a world where the poor are forgotten, the sick are left to fend for themselves and no hero miraculously appears to pull you out of hell, Austin had no other choice but to make a living on the wrong side of the law—until football offered Austin the break to get his life back on track. But when a family tragedy drags him back into the clutches of the gang he believed he had left far behind, Austin finds himself falling. Falling back into criminal ways and falling deep into a suffocating darkness. Until a troubled yet kindred spirit stumbles across his path, where Austin quickly finds he is falling for a young woman, a young woman who might just have the power to save him from his worst enemy: himself.
Can two troubled souls find a lasting peace together? Or will they finally succumb to the demons threatening to destroy them?
---

About Tillie Cole

Tillie Cole Author PicTillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.


Cover Reveal Organised By

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Release Day Blitz: Grace For Drowning by Maya Cross




Blurb

Hope is a dangerous thing. I know that more than most. Everything good I've ever had has been stolen from me — my friends, my fiancé, my innocence, some would say even my sanity. All I have left is the cage. Fighting is the only thing that eases the ache inside me even a little. It’s the only thing that keeps the bottle at bay.

I was content to ride out my life alone. I was done dreaming that things could be better. But then I met Grace, and suddenly, all I could do was dream.

She's battling those same demons, only she's losing. I don’t want to care, but something about her calls to me. That pain in her eyes is so sharp, so familiar. I know it’s only a matter of time before it pulls her below the surface.

I can help her, and maybe, just maybe, she can help me too. For the first time in what feels like forever, I’ve got hope, and that scares the hell out of me.

This is a full length novel with no cliffhanger. There will be a sequel, but this book resolves all the story elements by the end. It is written with dual perspectives, so both Logan and Grace get their say.

Excerpt (Grace POV):

I gave a tiny shake of my head. It felt like a big gesture, one that should have set the earth shaking and the sky falling, but it was strangely liberating at the same time. A moment of clarity in an ocean of confusion. I wanted him. I couldn’t deny that anymore. I wanted everything those absent words implied. His hands on my body, his lips on mine. I knew that given a few days, a few hours, maybe even a few minutes, my pain and self-loathing would resurface and start sabotaging this again, but right now, in that moment, I was free of that.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I lunged towards him. He was so tall that I had to stretch up onto my toes, wrapping my hands around his neck to pull his mouth down to mine. It sent a powerful longing through me, that height, that sheer bulk. I normally hate to be reminded how diminutive I am, but I liked how small he made me feel. There was something strangely comforting about it.

His body stiffened and he mumbled a curse against my lips. For a moment, he barely moved. I could feel the war playing out behind his eyes. But then the fight drained out of him, and his arms enveloped me as he began kissing me back with an urgency strong enough to be almost frightening. Part of me expected it to feel wrong, a betrayal of everything I’d had with Tom, but instead my body simply melted against his like it had always been there, and all other thoughts disappeared.

All my other first kisses had been timid affairs, but this was something else entirely, fierce and hungry; an explosion of everything that was simmering inside us. Though I’d initiated it, Logan quickly seized control. This wasn’t a man who simply stood by and had things happen to him. Leather-rough palms ran amok across my back and shoulders, pulling me against him as though he was afraid I’d be snatched away at any moment. I moaned involuntarily into his mouth as his tongue darted and teased. In some distant part of me I felt ashamed, but it was dwarfed by the fire that was coursing through my veins. I’d never been kissed like that before. Not by Tom. Not by anybody. It felt like a matter of need rather than want. Life or death.

I’d seen him shirtless plenty of times of course, but the sight was different now. Erotic, sensual, and above all, mine. I could barely breathe for how magnificent he looked. Sculpted and tanned and lit with moonlight; a living breathing Greek statue. I wanted to touch all of him, to feel each inch between my fingers, in my mouth, in every part of me. I’d never been so intoxicated by another human being.

My hands took on a mind of their own, dancing hungrily across his bare chest. His muscles were so hard, like his entire body was just skin stretched over stone sculpture. Everything inside me seemed to clench as my fingers took it all in, the perfectly defined grooves between his pecs and his abs, the mountainous curl of his biceps. He was still slick with sweat and hot from the night’s exertion, but that only excited me more. Images played through my head of him in the arena, his body a perfect primal machine leveling all of that power at his opposition.

My lack of control seemed to trigger something in Logan. He reached for my shirt, tugging it over my head, and then his hands turned ravenous, squeezing my breasts, my ass, the curve of my hips. It felt like his fingers were everywhere at once, and my body tingled and burned in response. It was so good to be touched again. I hadn’t realized how long it had been or how much I missed it, but there was something exquisite about it — a tactile euphoria that kept me centered in that perfect moment and scattered all my problems to the wind.

He broke away, breathing heavily, his face twisted into some bizarre combination of pain and desire. Pressing his forehead against mine he locked eyes with me. “Are you sure?” His voice was low, the primordial growl of a man who was just below the cusp where words were no longer relevant.


“I’m sure.”

Author Bio

Maya Cross is a writer who enjoys making people blush. Growing up with a mother who worked in a book store, she read a lot from a very young age, and soon enough picked up a pen of her own. She’s tried her hands at a whole variety of genres including horror, science fiction, and fantasy, but funnily enough, it was the sexy stuff that stuck. She has now started this pen name as an outlet for her spicier thoughts (they were starting to overflow). She likes her heroes strong but mysterious, her encounters sizzling, and her characters true to life.

She believes in writing familiar narratives told with a twist, so most of her stories will feel comfortable, but hopefully a little unique. Whatever genre she's writing, finding a fascinating concept is the first, and most important step.

The Alpha Group is her first attempt at erotic romance.

When she's not writing, she's playing tennis, trawling her home town of Sydney for new inspiration, and drinking too much coffee.

Social Media

Website: http://www.mayacross.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mayacrossbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Maya_cross
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6217503.Maya_Cross


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Friday, June 27, 2014

Blog Tour: Talk to Me and Listen to Me by Clare James


Clare James Banner
PUBLIC LIVES SERIES
Clare James
A Steamy NA Romance
 
Talk to Me (Public Lives, #1)
Release Date: June 9, 2014
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1374341_535072776611666_623574297_n  *Caution: This story contains explicit sex scenes with an alpha hockey player … who gives an entirely new meaning to the term Body Checking. *

Finn Daley took the world by storm two years ago when he was drafted by the NHL. The young, handsome, high-scoring player quickly became a fan favorite. He had everything going for him: fame, fortune, a promising career, and his pick of women. But when he made an abrupt exit from the NHL last spring, everything changed and he’s been in hiding ever since.

Casey Scott plans to find out why.

After interning for free all summer at the top television station in the Twin Cities, Casey lands an on-air gig. Trouble is, the new role is Sports Girl—which means reporting from local bars and tailgating parties to create excitement for the hometown heroes. All while wearing tiny team jerseys that are so tight they leave little to the imagination.

But she has a plan. Uncover the biggest sports mystery of the decade, and she’ll be on her way. Question is, how far will she go to get the story?  


4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Talk to Me is the first book in the Public Lives series.  I have to say that I was completely captured from the very beginning.  There is a little bit of mystery and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what the big reveal is with the main character.

Finn Daley is a professional hockey player.  He had it all, a job he loved, fame, fortune and as many women as he wanted.  So why did he suddenly retire with no explanation? Well that is the big mystery and one that aspiring journalist Casey Scott plans on solving.

Casey is trying to get a foot in the door as a reporter.  She didn't work hard tend up as a  sports girl.   If she could just find the perfect story to uncover it would help further her career. And she knows just the story to go after.  What is the real reason Finn Daley retired?

There is definitely a spark between Casey and Finn.  You can feel the attraction and chemistry between these two.  Finn has had many women but there is something about Casey that has resulted in her being on his mind constantly.  They begin to get closer and start falling for each other.  But they both have secrets.  Finn has yet to confide in Casey about his issues and reasons for retiring and Casey hasn't told Finn the real reason for them "accidentally" running into each other.   Casey also needs to decide if her career is worth possibly losing the man she is falling in love with.

What I really loved about this story is the way it is set up.  Casey and Finn are on a talk show together.  And through their responses and their memories of the last few months we learn how these two met, how they fell for each other and how everything became so screwed up.  Casey was feisty and had spunk and I loved her.  And Finn is a hot and sexy hockey player so what's not to love.  The ending will leave you wanting more and with a few questions that still need to be answered, but don't worry because book 2 is already out.  Definitely a must read.


***
Just Listen (Public Lives, #2)
Release Date: June 23, 2014
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Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000446_00070]  *Caution: Just Listen contains explicit sex scenes between an alpha hockey player trying to begin a new life and an ambitious reporter who will do just about anything to get her story … Conflict of Interest doesn’t even begin to describe the trouble these two get into.*


Aspiring reporter Casey Scott knows it was unethical to get involved with retired hockey star, Finn Daley, but she did it anyway. Happily. She also knows that she should tell him about her assignment, but she can’t seem to do it. No matter how many times she tries. With Finn, Casey experiences intimacy, pleasure, pain, comfort, and a strange sort of stability. Things she’s not yet willing to give up.

But when she finally uncovers his secret, the decision she has to make is harder than she ever imagined.

For Finn, his past, present, and future are colliding. And when he discovers the truth about the woman he’s grown to love, and the one he let get away, his world comes shattering down around him. With everything on the line, there’s only one person who can help. But is it too late?

Just Listen is the gripping conclusion of Finn and Casey’s story that began in Talk to Me.  

4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Just listen is book 2 in the public lives series and the conclusion to Finn and Casey's story.

Just Listen starts off exactly where we left off.  I don't want to give too much away, but can say that questions will be answered.  We find out exactly why Finn and Casey are even on the show discussing their relationship and the past few months.  And most importantly we find out why Finn really retired.  Honestly, I had my suspicions but was way off base on that one and so was Casey.  When she learns the truth she is determined to make things right.  She is willing to fight for Finn and his career even if she may have already lost him.

I loved these two together.  And the truth is my heart book for the, a little bit in this book.  Casey loved Finn, but sometimes people make decisions that may not always be right or are a result of their feelings at that moment.  But she tried to make things right and I loved and admired her for that.  I loved Finn.  He was trying so hard to make things in his life right and with hope and determination get back in the game.  He loved Casey, but can you forgive someone you love when you find out of their betrayal?  

I was rooting for Casey and Finn all the way.  There was still a bit of suspense in this one not knowing how their relationship would end.  Would they get heir HEA and would they be able to forgive.   For me personally I would have loved to have more of the background story regarding Finn's secret.  Wanting to know more about how it affected him.  But overall I really enjoyed their story and would love more of them.  This is the first series by this author but will definitely be checking out more of her work.   Oh and I loved Nate and would love his story.  




Purchase the series
 
Talk to Me (Public Lives, #1)
 
Just Listen (Public Lives, #2)
   
About the Author
1653678_528246570627620_130823666_n
Clare James is the author of steamy contemporary romance and new adult novels: BEFORE YOU GO, MORE and DIRTY LITTLE LIES. A former dancer, Clare still loves to get her groove on—mostly to work off her beloved cupcakes and red wine. A fan of spunky women, gorgeous guys, and super-hot romance, Clare spends most of her time lost in books. She lives in Minneapolis with her two leading men—her husband and young son—and loves to hear from her fans. Find her at: www.clarejamesbooks.com @clarejamesbooks http://www.facebook.com/clarejamesauthor   Giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway   love 2

Release Day Blitz: Sins and Secrets by Jessica Sorensen

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BUY YOUR COPY OF SINS & SECRETS
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Smashwords


Synopsis


SinsandSecrets_ebooksmLies. Betrayal. A double life. Lola Anders isn’t who she seems. Two years ago she ran away from a dangerous life she’d been living since she way born in order to stay alive. She changed her name and reinvented herself into a good girl… at least part of the time anyway. A secretary by day and an escort by night, Lola lives a double life in order to maintain balance and survive. And things are going well, until a ghost from her past shows up out of nowhere. Sexy and dangerous Layton Everett enters Lola’s life again without warning. Not only does Layton know who Lola really is but he also used to work for her family’s sworn enemy . Lola worries he’s shown up to finish the hit put on her two years ago, so she tries to stay away from him, but it’s difficult when he seems to be everywhere. Plus, she’s attracted to him more than she likes to admit. The closer Lola gets to Layton, the more her life gets turned upside. She ends up getting caught up in Layton's dangerous world and ultimately the life she ran away from catches up with her again. **Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.
Excerpt
Finally he pulls away and looks at me again. His eyes are a little watery, like he’s been crying. “Run away with me.” There’s desperation in his eyes, a silent plea. I bite down on my lip. “What?” He sits up and traps my face between his hands. “Run away with me, Lolita. We can start over and I’ll keep you safe. Please tell me you trust me enough to run away with me, like you said to me when we were fourteen. God I wish I would have just done it… Things would have been so different if I just done it back then.” He pulls me against him again, embracing me tightly. I remember the day my mom died, right before I found her in my dad’s arms in the driveway, I’d suggested to Layton that we run away. I’d never liked the world I grew up in and leaving seemed like such a great idea—still does. I just wish I could permanently leave it all behind. “Where would we go?” I ask with my face tucked against his chest where I can hear his heart thudding almost violently. I think about Dannie and Mary Lou and how I’m just going to disappear, leaving them to wonder what happened to me. Then there’s Nyjah. I don’t know whether he was with Reagan on blackmailing me or not, but I still wish I could say good-bye. I feel guilty about it, but know in my heart that I can’t go back to Glensdale. Maybe one day, if this all ever settles down. One day. I hope. I hope. I hope. Layton swiftly slants back, looking flabbergasted. “You’re seriously considering it? After everything?” “You know I’m crazy enough.” I try to make a joke but miss the mark badly—it’s been a long time. Not knowing what else to say, I shrug. “I have to run anyway. Might as well be with someone.” I give him the best smile I can summon, but there’s too much darkness in me at the moment to be happy. He smiles back, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know, but I want to make sure.” I think I’m sure. The last thing I want to do is leave Layton when I just got him back. “Layton, can I ask you a question?” He nods, this time with confidence. “You can ask me anything.”


SinsSecrets5







jessicasorensenAboutTheAuthor The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Giveaway

Review: Learning to Forgive by RD Cole





This isn't your Typical Everyday fairytale. 
This story isn't sweet or sugary.
Instead... 
It's Raw and Dark
It's Rough and Dangerous
And It's Definitely not for kids under 17 years of age.

So turn back now if you're not ready for Lyric and Blaire's story. Because shit just got Real.


“I’ve learned a lot this past year, but there are two things I’ll never forget: one, People aren’t what they seem, and two, I fucking hate liars.” –Blaire

Blaire Morgan was a quiet, grief stricken girl when she left Mobile, Alabama, a year ago after her brother’s unexpected death. She returns a year later with fresh wounds from another betrayal, and she’s not the same person. A woman letting her tortured past rule her life, her “take no shit” attitude is catching the attention of everyone that crosses her path, including the bad boy front man of Lyrical Obsessions—the new band that plays at Jay Jay’s. When she learns he has something she wants, she plans on doing whatever it takes to get it.

What is a demon? An evil spirit possessing a person, acting as a tormentor in Hell?

Lyric “The Demon” Devereux is that tormentor and Hell is any place he sees fit, either in the fighting ring or on the streets. He killed his first person at seventeen years old, and that list has grown over the years—as well as his list of enemies—but his biggest enemy is himself and he doesn’t know how to win that battle.
When Blaire comes into town like wildfire and turns heads, Lyric’s temper emerges—uninvited and unexpected. His plan to stay at a distance for her safety, and his sanity, changes when she continuously shows up with her defiance and seductive pull. He now has no choice but to face his past that could possibly destroy the both of them.


Tempers will detonate. Lust will consume. Truth will destroy. But will love forgive?




4.5 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Learning to Forgive is the third book in the Learning series.  I absolutely love this series and R.D. Cole has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  I fell in love with Trudy and Jax in the first book and wasn’t sure that any couple could top them but I think I may have been wrong.  This is Blaire and Lyric’s story and while the other books in this series have drama and angst I must say that Ms. Cole completely stepped it up a notch with this one.  There is a bit of a dark edge to Blaire and Lyric’s story that I loved.  It has mystery, suspense, angst and drama with a love story in between.  Blaire and Lyric are intense and I loved every minute of their story.

We briefly met Blaire in the first two books and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her to be honest.  After reading her story and seeing her hurt and pain over losing her brother and finding out about her past, you cannot help but love and admire her.  She had a tough childhood, actually tough isn’t even the word.  What she went through was horrific.  The one person that she could always count on was her brother, but he had his own battles that he was facing with drugs and unfortunately the drugs won.  Blaire left town after her brother’s death because she just couldn’t face it.  But a year later she is back and trying to get back on her feet.  She meets Lyric at the bar she works at and while she knows that she should stay away from him she cannot help the feelings that he brings out in her.  Staying away is not that simple.

Lyric is a sexy, tattooed bad boy who I just loved. He is certainly dangerous and intense but he also has a compassionate side to him especially when it comes to Blaire.  He has his own issues from his past that he is dealing with.  He knows that he needs to stay away from Blaire.  She just doesn’t belong in his life right now and she deserves better.  But Lyric finds himself following his heart and giving into his feelings where Blaire is concerned.  These two together are intense and passionate.  Blaire opens up to Lyric and has let her guard down with him.  But in the back of Lyric’s mind he knows that being with Blaire means putting her in danger.  He has a secret that he is keeping and that secret could destroy everything.  How far will someone go to protect the one they love?  Will hurting them be worth keeping them safe?

Learning to Forgive is dark and gritty and filled with drama and suspense.  Lyric and Blaire were amazing together.  I loved how much Lyric wanted to protect her and comfort her.  He may be a bad boy but he has a heart and he completely captured mine.  Blaire was a bit complicated.  She was so broken and hurt over her childhood and the loss of the one person who meant anything to her.  And I think that hurt and pain clouded her judgement when it came to certain people.  We finally see why she has harsh feelings towards Trudy.  Between that and her childhood you begin to truly understand why she is so angry and broken.  But Lyric helps take that anger away, he makes her happy and makes her feel things she hasn’t felt in a really long time.  Together they learn to forgive and heal as well. 


I love how intense this book was at times.  Lyric and Blaire’s story is one hell of a roller coaster ride.  But so worth it! 





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