Release Blitz: Girl Crush by Stephie Walls

Cover Design: Wicked by Design

Release Date: September 21, 2017

Synopsis

I was done.Done with men.

Women say it all the time; they get fed up, throw their hands in the air, and vow a life of celibacy—until the next chiseled chest comes into view and then they’re foaming at the mouth and wiping the drool from their chins. But this was different, I really meant it.

I’d been manhandled by the last pig that would ever bring his sausage near me. After one of the nastiest divorces in history, followed by some of the crudest and raunchiest dates, I’d decided to bat for the other team.

…At least I tried.

But creating the next Brat Pack hadn’t been on the agenda. Neither had Collier West. And I wasn’t prepared for finding true love at the end of my gal-pal tryst.

Goodreads

4.5 Stars

Review by Jen Skewes

I LOVED this book!! I adored the characters, loved the friendships and did not want to put it down.  Girl Crush is a light, funny and refreshing read.  It was filled with laugh out loud moments,  and moments that will make you swoon.  In a way this story is also very unique, at least for me.  You know when you read a book where the heroine is done with men but then she meets ‘the one” and she soon forgets that she gave up men.  Of course we all love those books, but what makes Girl Crush different is that Giselle truly wants to be done with men, so much so that she starts dating woman.  This is where the laughter and fun begins.  It was such an enjoyable journey to go on with Giselle and all her mishaps.

As I mentioned, Giselle is done with men.  After a nasty divorce and horrible dates with the wrong men, she is not just done with men.  She has decided to switch teams.  What she just doesn't seem to get is that you just can't decide to become a lesbian.  But no matter how many times her best friend tries to tell her this, she doesn't want to listen.  She is determined.  Until things don't go as planned, dates gone wrong, intimate moments that were not what was expected and then throw a really hot brother into the mix and you have a great story that will make you laugh!!

I cannot say enough about this book.  I loved Giselle but what I loved even more was her friendship with her best friend Ronnie.   They loved each other, had no problem holding back their true feelings, whether good or bad, and have just always been there for each other.  So many times when the two of them were together I fond myself chuckling.  But that wasn’t the only thing I loved about this book or what made me laugh. 

Giselle is one of those characters who no matter how hard she tries something just does not go right.  Her plan of batting for the other team is the perfect example.  She was certainly devoted changing her life’s direction but with so many mishaps along the way, she wasn’t sure this was the right change.  The things she got herself into, the ways she embarrassed herself will make you laugh.  I loved the friendships she formed and how in a way her changing her lifestyle truly did change her life in a way. 

There was also Collier West who I loved.  This man made me swoon.  He may have come off as a complete jerk at first but he was anything but.  I loved the friendship that he and Giselle formed and just loved the direction that the author took where they were concerned.  I cannot explain it in any more detail but I loved how their story went. 

I loved Girl Crush.  It is one of those books that I can read over and over again.  The fun times, the swoony worthy time, even a few moments where your heart broke a little for Giselle.  I loved every minute of it.  The characters were fantastically written, the humor and whit was perfect, not too over the top, and the relationships throughout the book were real.  A Fantastic read!!

Giveaway

Signed Paperback of Girl Crush & $25 Amazon Gift Card

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About the Author

Stephie Walls is a literary whore - she loves words in all forms and will read anything put in front of her. She has an affinity for British Literature and Romance novels and an overall love of writing. She currently has nine novels out, four short stories, and has collaborated in several anthologies/collections with other authors; all provocatively written to elicit your imagination and spice up your world.

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Blog Tour: King of Code by CD Reiss

King of Code, an all-new intriguing and sexy standalone from CD Reiss is available NOW!

King of Code by CD Reiss
Publication Date: September 18th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance

From New York Times Bestselling author, CD Reiss, comes a sexy tale of secrets, intrigue, betrayal, and a love worth crossing a continent for.

Taylor Harden is a man on the edge.

The edge of fame. The edge of untold wealth.

The edge of utter humiliation.

He built an unhackable system, and in front of everyone, it’s hacked.

His reputation goes from king to goat in a split second. Boom. Like that.

Some dude in Barrington, USA (AKA Nowhere) has locked down Taylor’s code, and if he doesn’t get it back, he’s going to be wearing a monkey suit for the rest of his life.

Except, this guy? This hacker from Nowhere? He’s not a guy.

Harper Watson’s all woman. And she has a plan for Taylor, his code, and his body.

Excerpt:

“About time!” the older lady shouted.

“Is Harper back?” I asked, handing the bags to the blushing redhead.

As if summoned, Harper came through the swinging door, keeping it open so everyone could get past. She looked at me through the screen.

“You coming in?” she asked.

“We need to talk.”

“Did the decryption key work?”

The door slapped closed behind her as she came out, and we were alone. The way the setting sun hit her cheeks made her glow, and the strands of gold hair at the edges looked translucent. She belonged on a postcard.

I kept forgetting she was holding me hostage. I kept forgetting I needed to think strategically. I had more at stake with this girl than I’d ever had with another.

“Did you doubt it would work?”

“Not really. I’m just making conversation.”

“What are the thorns about?” I pointed at the thorn bed that had eaten my phone and went down the stairs to the yard.

She came after me. “Don’t you have these where you’re from?” She snapped a dry twig off the end.

“Roses? Yes. Impenetrable, groomed thorn bushes in our yards? No.”

“It’s not normal to give the gardeners in town something to do?” We walked around the perimeter.

“You are not normal.”

“It still blooms in spring. It’s really nice. You should see it.”

We were at the back end of the yard, where the very top of the factory’s roof cut the horizon.

I took her hand, pulling her to a stop. “Harper.”

“Taylor?” Her hair flew in her mouth when she turned, and she drew her finger across her cheek to get it out.

What was I supposed to tell her again? That I knew we’d interviewed her. That I didn’t give her the job despite her having a leg up on everyone else we saw.

But was I contrite? Accusatory? Was I just going to relay information? What did I want out of her after I told her I knew?

“Thank you for helping today,” she said. “If you’d asked me when we met, ‘Would Taylor Harden help clean the factory?’ I would have said, ‘No, not for any reason.’ But there you were. Pushing a broom. Scooping up shit. Not being an asshole.”

“My watch was at stake.”

“Yeah. Whatever. You can say what you want to keep your reputation as a shithead intact.”

“I have a reputation as a shithead?”

“You know you do.”

I did know it, and I reveled in it.

She faced me and put her other hand out. I took it, holding both hands between us. I couldn’t help it.

“Well, you guys are such a bunch of sad sacks I had to help. And let me tell you, every guy in Barrington has a little asshole in him. Trust me. I’ve played pool with them.”

“I want to say…” She stopped herself as if she really didn’t want to say. “Let’s get together tonight and get you another decryption code. But… saying this is stupid.” She bit her lip.

“Say it anyway.”

“The sooner you get four codes, the sooner you leave.”

I looked at our hands so I wouldn’t have to look at her.

“I’m not sure if I want that,” she said.

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About the Author

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

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Blog Tour: Dear Bridget I Want You by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

AVAILABLE NOW

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Dear Bridget,

I’m writing this letter because it’s highly doubtful I’ll ever garner the courage to say this to your face.

So, here goes.

We’re totally wrong for each other. You’re the proper single mum with a good head on your shoulders. I’m just the carefree British doctor passing through town and temporarily living in your converted garage until I head back to England.

But here’s the thing… for some bloody reason, I can’t stop thinking about you in very inappropriate ways.

I want you.

The only reason I’m even admitting all of this to you right now is because I don’t believe it’s one-sided. I notice your eyes when you look at me, too. And as crass as I appear when we’re joking around about sex, my attraction to you is not a joke.

So, what’s the purpose of this note? I guess it’s a reminder that we’re adults, that sex is healthy and natural, and that you can find me just through the door past the kitchen. More specifically, it’s to let you know that I’m leaving said door cracked open from now on in case you’d like to visit me in the middle of the night sometime.

No questions asked.

Think about it.

Or don’t.

Whatever you choose.

It’s doubtful I’ll even end up sliding this letter under your door anyway.

--Simon

5 stars

Review by Lisa Kane

If the Publisher Clearing House folks were knocking at my door, and I was reading a Ward/Keeland book, that thousand dollars a day for life, yeah they would have to wait until tomorrow. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is coming before these two authors and anything they write! 

Bridgett Valentine is catching hell. Actually, it’s her butt that is catching hell. While attempting to teach her son how to cast a fishing line, she hooked the hook in her butt. Being a nurse, she knows when something is outside the scoop of her capabilities-this little dilemma-yep, it’s outside. Or rather inside her buttocks.

The attending doc in the ER is a gorgeous grown up version of Doogie Howser. (please say you are old enough to know who he is) And he’s British to boot. No way is this guy going to be seeing her ass, especially as she has her Tuesday panties on and it’s Friday. Something that Dr. LooksSoGood can’t help but remark on-

“Your knickers. It’s Friday. They say Tuesday. I was wondering if you’d been wearing them for three days or just got your days of the week mixed up.”

Seems Dr. Simon Hogue has quite the sense of humor. So let’s see; he’s a hot resident, smart, witty and skilled. Um…what’s not to love.? Jump on this woman! 

Bridgett is all about work and being a good mom to Brendan, her 8-year-old son. Her husband Ben died unexpectedly a couple of years ago. There’s been no one since and she really doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to jump back out there. Even if she wanted to do any jumping. Which she doesn’t. He’s 29 (she interrogated him, when he first came in the room) She’s pushing 35 and has a kid. He wouldn’t be interested anyway. 

After she’s all stitched up, there’s no reason to linger. 

“Take care now. Watch your back, Bridgett. Or rather, your backside. “

“Wait,” I blurted out.

He stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

A piece of his blond hair had fallen into his eyes. He was so handsome.

I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry if I was…”

“A pain in the arse?”

My cheeks felt hot. “Yes.”

“No worries.” He winked. 

Three months later, Bridgett helps out her friend Calliope, who is trying to find a place for her best friend to live for a few months. Just until he’s done his residency and goes back to England. Hmm…I sense a close encounter of the third kind coming my way!

Yep, the best friend is Simon, and it seems Bridgett is the new landlord!

Dear Bridgett is funny and sexy and has just the right amount of angst to keep my engines revved. Now this is a Ward and Keeland collaboration so you know there’s going to be that moment when you are laughing while holding that Kindle, lulled into a word coma, just easing back in that lounger. Thinking I am loving this book. And then….boom! I had to read that paragraph again. Huh? Say what? Yeah, thanks ladies. Dying over here…

“You’re not enough, Bridgett.”

My heart was racing-where does this evil duo-the Cruella DeVils of the written word-come up with these storylines? Delicious! The angst slut in me was doing the Happy Dance!

I devoured this book like it was Get a free slice of cheesecake day at the Cheesecake Factory. This is one of those books that’s going to end up being one for the re-read pile. You know when you want comfort food for your eyes and you don’t want to start a new book, you want what you know works. Yep, add this one to that short list of go-to’s. 

“You can’t write a new story for your life when you won’t let new characters in.”

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of thirteen novels. With over a million books sold, her titles have placed on the New York Times Bestseller list seventeen times. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 12-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 10-year-old boy. Penelope, her husband, and kids reside in Rhode Island.

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Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. With more than a million and a half books sold, her titles have appeared in over eighty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in seventeen languages. She lives in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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Blog Tour: Exes With Benefits by Nicole Williams

***He wants a second chance. I want a divorce. To get what I want, I’ll have to give him what he does.***

From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Nicole Williams:

The only benefit I want from my ex is a divorce.

We got married for all the wrong reasons. The one thing we got right was our separation. I should have known better than to think I could bet on forever with a guy like Canaan Ford. Everything about him screamed impermanent, from his wild eyes to his restless soul.

When I left him and the small town I’d spent my whole life in, I swore I’d never go back. Never only turned out to be five years. Canaan claims he’s changed, but he hasn’t—same knowing smile, same rough demeanor, same body crafted from sin and sinew. And yet, something is different. He thinks this is his chance for redemption. My disagreement comes in the form of divorce papers dropped in his lap. He refuses to sign them. Unless . . .

He wants a month to prove himself to me—that’s his offer. One month to make me fall in love with him again and if I don’t, he’ll sign the papers. As much as I want to say no, I agree. I can suffer my ex for a short amount of time if that’s what it takes to be free of him once and for all. I fell for him once; I won’t make that same mistake twice.

He says we’re not over. I say we were over before we got started. Only one of us can be right, and I can’t let it be him.

4 stars
Review by Lisa Kane


Goodbye.

It was the one relationship guarantee we could all expect.


Maggie can do this anymore. Watching her husband Canaan Ford come home late every night, battered and bruised. And drunk as a skunk most likely too. She’s had enough. They’re barely kids, newly married and it breaks her heart to see him like this. His promises that he will change are falling on deaf ears.

“I can change.” 

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. How many times had I heard those words come from his lip? Those same lips that claimed ownership of my first kiss?

“Yeah, you can.” I steeled myself against him a little more. “That’s not your problem. Your problem is that you won’t change."


So Maggie Ford put the pedal to the metal and got out of Dodge. Five years later, she’s right back where she started from. But her grandma died and she needs to be here to make the arrangements. She’s got a good life back in Chicago, and makes a nice living as an artist. She doesn’t want nor need to see her ex, but she’s no fool-she knows it’s a matter of time until their paths cross. 


This had been my home for most of the first eighteen years of my life. At the same time it felt alien, it reminded me of crawling into my favorite set of sheets. I was home. Chicago might have been where I'd resided for the past five years, but Farmington would probably always feel like home. 


Canaan Ford is a man with scars from his past. Since the story is told from Maggie’s POV, we don’t get to know what Canaan thoughts are but he has them-lots of them-and almost all of them are about being a better person and getting his wife back. Good luck with that!

"We were a couple of kids playing house. We should have known better than to think we could make a marriage work at eighteen."

"I wasn't playing anything." His eyes flickered to mine, fire burning in them. "You and me, that was the most real thing I'd ever known. I wasn't playing."


Exes with Benefits is another great example of the depth of Nicole Williams’ writing. She can write sass and comedy and heartbreak. This one has a little of all three in it. 

"I didn't fall for the wrong guy. You could never be the wrong guy.:

My fingers notched through his. "I fell for the right guy, at the wrong time."

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“One month. That’s nothing in the scope of a person’s life.” He slid a bit closer.

“One month is everything when it comes to opening myself back up to you.”
He didn’t argue that. He let silence speak for him instead.
“What exactly are you expecting during this one month?” I might have winced when I heard myself say those words.
He rubbed his mouth, trying to hide whatever was trying to form. “For you to give me another chance. For you to be my wife.”
The term made me nauseated. “Your wife? As in your indentured servant? No way.”
It was a smile he was trying to hide. Not very successfully. It made me thankful I’d slipped into these old boots so I could give him a solid kick in the ass if necessary.
“Like be willing to spend time with me. That’s it. That’s all,” he added when he correctly interpreted the question in my eyes. The question.
“What will we be doing during that time we’re spending together?” I pulled at the chest of my dress when I noticed the way his gaze had lingered there a moment too long.
His shoulder rose. “Got any ideas?” There was an unmistakable glint in his eyes.
“No,” I answered instantly.
“You used to have plenty of ideas for filling the time.” He took a swig of his Coke.
“And then I learned how to use my brain.”
He studied my fake smile, almost like he was contemplating what it would feel like against his mouth. “Dinners. Dates. Simple stuff like that.”
I held my best poker face, considering his offer. I didn’t want to stay married to him. If one more month was what it took to be free of Canaan Ford, I could suck it up. I’d already made it five years. “No expectations of anything of a physical nature?”
“If I remember right”—his eyes narrowed as he rubbed the back of his head—“it was generally you who instigated all of that back then.”
I shoved his chest. Bad idea. Solid. Firm. Home.
My jaw ground as I worked to erase that word from my conscious where he was concerned. “And you were just the perfect gentleman.”
Canaan snatched my hand before I could pull it away. Holding onto it, he dragged me closer. Not so close that our bodies touched, but close enough the separation was painful.
“Exactly,” he said in that low voice of his. The one he’d whispered my name in so many times as he moved inside me. “A gentleman gives his woman exactly what she needs. As many times as she need it. Just doing my part.”
“How noble.”
“That’s right. So if you want to make any changes to this one month agreement, consider me your humble servant.” When his hand dropped to my waist, his touch hesitant at the same time it was insistent, I didn’t flinch out of instinct the way I should have.
Instead, I had to remind myself to pull away from him; to flinch at his touch. “I have a boyfriend, Canaan.” Even to my ears, it sounded like a weak protest.
His hand didn’t fall away when I stepped back. “You’re a married woman, Maggie.”
“My husband forfeited his rights years ago.” My eyes found his, expecting them to shoot away once mine made contact.
They didn’t. His gold eyes held to mine. “He’s here to reclaim them.”

Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

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