Blog Tour: Shaken Not Stirred by Sawyer Bennett

The Last Call Series: Tenn’s Story

Release: March 17, 2015 

Publisher: Big Dog Books, LLC 

Goodreads: http://www. goodreads.com/book/ show/24308751-shaken-not- stirred

Casey Markham is a man-eater in a rut. Swearing off relationships may keep her heart safe, but she's beginning to question if her casual flings will ever leave her satisfied. She's wondering if it's finally time to let go of the past and stop letting history control her future. 

Bad boy biker, Tenn Jennings can't get Casey off his mind. A chance encounter with the beautiful blond has left its mark, and now he's determined to prove her wrong about everything she thought she knew about men. 

It’s safe to say… Casey Markham has met her match. 

4 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Shaken Not Stirred is the fifth book in the Last Call series but can be read as a stand alone.  First can I just say how much I loved Tenn! I think that he may just be my favorite male character of this series.   Actually I don’t think it, I know it.  I have loved this series from the start.  And what I loved about it was the group of friends that this series revolves around.  They have all found love except for one.  And that is Casey Markham.

Casey is considered to be the man eater of the group, the last single woman and right now she is fine with that.  She was in love once but when that love left her with a broken heart she swore she would never give her heart to another man again.  She built a wall up around her heart that no man will ever break through.  I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t sure if I liked Casey in the beginning because she just seemed a little too stuck up for my taste.  The men that Casey uses to fulfill her sexual needs are basically rich, narcissitic men.  She knows what she has and she uses it to get men.  So from the outside most people would define her as a gold digger.  But when you really get to know Casey and see the hurt that she went through when she was younger, it all begins to make sense.  No one knows what she has been through or her reasons for never wanting to settle down.  But a few moments with Tenn Jennings and he is already seeing past the layers that Casey has worked so hard to create. 

Tenn is new to this series and new to the small town that they all call home.  He just quit his job and needs to decide what his next move is.  He is on his way to North Carolina to visit his daughter who just moved there with his ex-wife.  Him and his friend Kyle come across a very sexy blonde on the side of the road who is in need of some help.  After helping her they go their separate ways only to meet again later when they find out that they have a friend in common.  There is certainly an attraction and spark between Casey and Tenn.    But we all know that Casey doesn’t do relationships at all.  So will one night with each other be enough?  When it is over can they both just walk away and never look back?

There was so much that I loved about this book.  For one I loved how Casey and Tenn first met and the instant connection that you feel when they do.  Tenn wanted Casey and not just in a physical way.  He knew that there was a wall around her heart and he had every intention of finding out why it was there and then breaking it down.  He was this sexy biker who had a heart. The relationship that he had with his daughter just proves how big his heart really was and what an amazing man he was.  Any man that has that special bond with his daughter, is sexy as hell and rides a motorcycle will make any woman weak in the knees.  Tenn Jennings was just that man and I loved him!!  I loved how he helped Casey to open up and embrace their relationship.  

I grew to love Casey once I understood what had happened to make her shut off herself off from love.  She was a beautiful and confident woman who also had a heart, she just wasn’t ready to give is up so easily again.  She had a wonderful relationship with her best friends and she loved her brothers as well.  Her friends and family were the most important people in her life.  But meeting Tenn changed her.  She slowly opened herself up to him no matter how much it scared her.  I loved watching these two characters fall in love with each other.  They had struggles that the both had to face, both separately and together.  They made some decisions that may not have been the best, but we all make mistakes and we learn from them.  This series is one of those series where you just fall in love with the characters.  You feel like their friends and you feel all of the emotions that they are going through.  I loved seeing each member of this close knit group find their match and fall in love. Tenn Jennings had me from the start and I wanted nothing more than for him to get the woman he love and deserved.  I loved how quickly Casey and Zoey connected and how much she meant to Casey. I loved the roles that her friends played when it came to her relationship with Tenn.  I am hoping that this is not the end for all of them.  Because it will be hard to say goodbye.  There are two characters that I would love to see get their happily ever after, Tenn’s brother Woolfe and his best friend Kyle.  Keeping my fingers crossed. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and

three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, Cold Fury Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series.

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Blog Tour: Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle

A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author.

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go—even when you know you have to say goodbye.

5 Star Review by Review by Allison East

I absolutely love Karina Halle. Whether it is her lighter more fluffy reads, like The Pact, her angsty reads, Love in English, or her paranormal reads- the Experiments in Terror series- I love it all. It's not the type of book that attracts me about her, it's her writing- and how she intricately weaves a story that you can get caught up in. I'm sure my husband enjoys me reading those types of stories; I just can't look away from them. And that is exactly what Karina's new novel, When Sea Meets Sky has done. Not only was it a fantastic read, it was a five star read, and it got me out of my book rut. I LOVED the cover, and the characters- were phenomenal. The setting totally sucked me in, and transported me to New Zealand- so much so, I wanted to go there myself- to travel with the characters in the story. 

Josh Miles is stuck. Stuck in his life in Canada with dreams of making it big with his graphic art and his comic book. Stuck at a dead end job as a fry cook, waiting for something more. I love Josh. He is  my new book crush. He was never afraid to speak his mind, or try new things. He didn't want to be stuck and it took meeting Gemma to get him out of his rut. 

"I love you, I think as my heart seems to expand inside me. And you'll hurt me. You'll burn me. You'll mark me. But it's already worth it."

Gemma Henare is a backpacker traveling all over the place and she hails from New Zealand, she is a little like Josh in the sense that she is kind of stuck too, stuck waiting to see if she would get the personal trainer job she wants, stuck with Nick, the douche owner of the gym that keeps her hanging on whether they are in relationship or not- and she is tired of not experiencing and being in one place. I love Gemma too, even though she is super strong on the outside, you can see she does have major insecurities everywhere. 

"I'm in love with Joshua Miles, and its bringing me to life. It's killing me. It's making me crazy. I think I love that part, too." 

Then they meet each other on Halloween, and have a one night stand. Everything changes from that point on. When she leaves Josh can't seem to get her out of his mind, no matter how hard he tries. So he decides to be spontaneous for once in his life, like his sister who moved to Spain for love, and go to New Zealand, not necessarily to find Gemma, but to experience life. But the unimaginable happens, and he finds her! Which was amazing. I was so happy they found each other. The kicker for me- Gemma reminded me of a typical male- not overly clingy, hard on herself, thinking herself not worthy of love- when it's  typically the females that rush to fall in love. That role was played by Josh- and he was just wonderful in every way.The way Karina writes is just absolutely hilarious, and the little digs and insults she has for Nick, the trainer that was messing with Gemma, are brilliant.

"Love is a f***ing head trip. It's a bad idea. It's utterly distracting and ironically, I think love is bad for your heart."

Just genius, absolutely brill, and I can't wait for the next thing this writer puts out. . She has become one of my favorite authors!

About the Author

Karina Halle is the New York Times bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, The Pact, Love in English, and other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, 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.

Find Karina Online

Website: authorkarinahalle.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle/140649372629593

Twitter: @metalblonde

Instagram: @authorhalle

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Blog Tour: Sweet Hope by Tille Cole

Title: Sweet Hope

Series: Sweet Home #4

Author: Tillie Cole

Age group: New adult

Genre: Contemporary romance

Release date: 29th March 2015

GOODREADS LINK

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18759355-sweet-hope?ac=1

BLURB

From the USA Today Bestselling Sweet Home Series, comes Sweet Hope.

My name is Ally Prince and I've always been unlucky in love. I don’t know why, I just always… have.

When all of my best friends were falling for their soul mates in College, I was left behind. I was Ally, the pretty cousin of superstar quarterback, Romeo Prince. I was Ally, the best friend to the most amazing group of girls I've ever known—a title I loved, but one I became tired of 'just' being. And I was Ally, the one on which they could all rely.

But to me, I was Ally, the girl with the heart no one had claimed... And I was, Ally, the girl, who underneath it all, was heart-breakingly lonely.

I LOVE love; the thought of it, the nervous excitement of falling for Mr. Right, the desire of someone becoming my entire world... of me becoming theirs. I’ve always wanted passion, heart-stopping, epic, life-changing romance... I’ve always wanted the fairytale… I’ve always wanted it all.

It just never seemed like I would get it.

For the past few years I've thrown myself into my career as a museum curator. I’m the best of the best, the person every museum wants to hire, so when an opportunity came up to move to Seattle, I jumped at the chance. My cousin and my best friend lived in Seattle and I needed a change.

I needed a new beginning.

I wasn't expecting to meet anyone in the Emerald City. I wasn't expecting to work closely with the reclusive new sculptor my all-important gallery design was centered around. And I certainly wasn't expecting to fall for him... heart-stopping, epic, life-changing love...

My real life fairytale come true.

But, like in every fairytale, there’s a villain, a dark and tortured soul... I just didn't know that the villain and the hero in my story would end up being one and the same.

New Adult Romance Novel—contains adult content, sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.

4.5 Star Review by Lisa Kane

"A toast...to taking a chance, because that chance taken may be the very path that leads you to your happily ever after."

This review is a little harder than most, as the true identity of the hero, Elpidio, of the story is to remain a mystery and not be spoiled. So I will focus on the relationship of the two leads.

Ally Prince has admired Elpidio's work for a long time, so when a position as the curator of his first official exhibit comes up, she is determined that she will be the one to showcase his work. His sculptors move her and make her feel things that few artists have ever made her feel. When she lands the position and is told it will be in Seattle, it's a double bonus. Her cousin Rome and his wife Molly, and her friend Lexi and her husband Austin and his brother Levi all live there. Rome and Austin play for the Seattle Seahawks and Ally can't wait catch up with them.

Elpidio is a recluse, he hides from the public. Filled with self loathing and guilt, he turns to blocks of marble to express what he can not say. His works represent the sorrow in his soul, and he turns his emotions into beautiful works of art. He is amazed anyone would want to see the things he creates. But he still hides in the shadows, never showing the true person he is to anyone.

When he meets Ally, or Aliyana Lucia, the name she uses professionally, he is drawn to her, but he keeps his guard up. First she enthralls him because of her beauty, but then it is because she sees into what he tried to convey with his pieces.

Eventually, they give in to the feelings of want and passion they both feel, but still neither knows each other's real identity.

At that sight, something seized my body, ran like lava through my blood. A thing I hadn't dared let myself feel for...I didn't honestly know if I ever had felt it before...
Hope. 


Elpidio knows that once Aliyana finds out the despicable things he keeps hidden, that she will leave him.

But here, deep inside the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, the woman who just got me, I was bartering with God to let me keep her...just for a while...to keep feeling...this...whatever this was...

Ally finds out Elpidio's real name by accident and is shocked. How can she love this man? He is no less shocked to find out she is Ally Prince, daughter of the powerful oil company owners.  Can she accept this man, with his beautiful soul? Can she forgive him? But more importantly, will he ever forgive himself for his mistakes?

"Did I like it?" I asked with a single laugh, "I can't...I can't believe that's how you see me...your hope...your wish come true..."
"You are my hope, Ally. You're every hope I've ever dared to have...la mia luce."



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amazon & USA Today Best Selling Author, Tillie 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.

Being a scary blend of Scottish and English, Tillie embraces both cultures; her English heritage through her love of HP sauce and freshly made Yorkshire Puddings, and her Scottish which is mostly demonstrated by her frighteningly foul-mouthed episodes of pure rage and her much loved dirty jokes.

Having been born and raised as a Teesside Smoggie, Tillie, at age nineteen, moved forty miles north to the 'Toon', Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where she attended Newcastle University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Religious Studies. She returned two years later to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching High School Social Studies. Tillie, regards Newcastle to be a home from home and enjoyed the Newcastle Geordie way of life for seven 'proper mint' and 'lush' years.

One summers day, after finishing reading her thousandth book on her much loved and treasured Kindle, Tillie turned to her husband and declared, "D'you know, I have a great idea for a story. I could write a book." Several months later, after repeating the same tired line at the close of another completed story, she was scolded by her husband to shut up talking about writing a novel and "just bloody do it!" For the first time in eleven years, Tillie actually took his advice (he is still trying to get over the shock) and immediately set off on a crazy journey, delving deep into her fertile imagination.

Tillie, ever since, has written from the heart. She combines her passion for anything camp and glittery with her love of humour and dark brooding men (most often muscled and tattooed – they’re her weakness!). She also has a serious side (believe it or not!) and loves to immerse herself in the complex study of World Religions, History and Cultural Studies and creates fantasy stories that enable her to thread serious issues and topics into her writing -- yep, there's more to this girl than profanity and sparkles!

After six years of teaching high school Social Studies and following her Professional Rugby Player husband around Europe, they have finally given up their nomadic way of life and settled in Calgary, Alberta where Tillie spends most of her days (and many a late night) lost in a writing euphoria or pursuing a dazzling career as a barrel-racing, tasselled-chap wearing, Stetson-sporting cowgirl... Ye-haw!

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

http://tilliecole.com

https://twitter.com/tillie_cole

https://www.facebook.com/tilliecoleauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole

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