Thursday, May 29, 2014

Come on in and meet Eli from Ink Slapped! (A.M. Jones)

Ink Slapped

A.M. Jones

The heart wants what the heart wants—a concept that free-spirited author T.M. Dabney, never understood until she laid eyes on her new cover model, Eli.

Eli Gregor, a struggling musician and mechanic, thinks he knows the true meaning of heartbreak—that is until he accepts a business venture with the alluring Taylor Dabney. With her help, he pieces his life back together when his dreams dangle within reach and once again everything falls apart. And his success comes with a price he doesn’t want to pay.

Caught between better judgment and desire, they find themselves at a crossroads—should they make the best decision for their careers or give in to their undeniable connection?

A torrid tale that weaves humor, drama, and sexual tension, Ink Slapped will leave you reeling and wanting more.

Hey everyone! So all this week different blogs have been sharing different characters with you from Ink Slapped. How cool is that?! Today I'm lucky enough to share Eli with you! Hope you enjoy!

Excerpt from Make Me by Alyssa Turner

Make Me

Alyssa Turner

Willpower is overrated.

Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor, Kyle Hunter, is a Marine Corps vet, the son of a US Senator and the prodigal heir of American corporate royalty. He’s rich, smart and a notorious flirt. Kyle Hunter is also in love with his best friend. So why did he tell Manny they could never see each other again?

Manny Tescadero isn’t about to be hurt twice. He’s lost a lot and if there’s one thing he learned in Afghanistan, it’s to defend yourself and those who need you at all costs. When Rebecca Sinclair lands on his doorstep, his honor won’t let him turn her away. His heart won’t let him pretend there isn’t more to it than a soldier’s code. But new love interests aren’t part of the mission plan; not when he’s still in love with someone else.

Rebecca Sinclair has never been good at letting loose. As a librarian she has her dream job and a new start with an amazing apartment in the city that never sleeps. She thought she was happy until everything she’s worked for is gone in a flash. Turns out having it all may just mean something else entirely.

There are a mountain of reasons why they shouldn’t be together and not one stands a chance of keeping them apart.

Hi everyone! I have a quick excerpt to share with you today from Make Me. Hope you enjoy!

I just loved Knight by Julia Sykes!

Title: Knight
Series: Impossible #2
Author: Julia Sykes
Published: November 2013
Format: Ebook received for review

Abducted. Drugged. Broken. I became a plaything, a possession. If I did ever have a name, I don't remember it now. Slaves don't have names.

My new Master stole me away from the man who tormented me. He saved me and took me for himself. I've found my salvation in his obsession, my freedom in his captivity.

Will his brand of rescue leave me more broken than ever?

Extended Description:
Lydia Chase has been abducted and broken. Her only escape from the pain is the sweet high of the heroin that her sadistic Master gives her as a reward in order to control her. She is found by FBI agent Smith James, and he is determined to save her. But the soul is much more difficult to heal than the body, and Lydia finds herself becoming completely dependent on the Dominant Smith, finding comfort in his control of her body and mind as their relationship becomes sexual. How can she ever become whole again if she can't learn to let him go and take control of her own life? Is this new form of captivity just what she needs to survive?

WARNING: Given the nature of this story, this book contains graphic violence and references to sexual assault, which some readers may find upsetting. It also contains BDSM.

NOTE: Knight is part of the Impossible series, but it can be read as a standalone story without spoiling the other books.

Knight was an awesome book. I just love a tale that's dark and twisty, emotional and sexy. This book definitely hit the mark on all counts.

Mended

Kim Karr

MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO HEAL ALL…BUT NOT ALL BROKEN HEARTS CAN BE MENDED.

Always in control, Xander Wilde considered life on the road to be a perfect fit for him. But when disaster strikes on the Wilde Ones’ latest tour, fate intervenes…and a newly single Ivy Taylor, the only girl he has ever loved, steps back into his life.

After moving past her painful breakup with Xander years ago, Ivy was poised to become the next big name in pop music…when suddenly she withdrew from the limelight—the same day she announced her engagement to her controlling agent, Damon Wolf.

Xander knows he should keep his distance. But once they’re on the road, he can’t resist pursuing her for a second chance. Yet a jealous Damon can’t let her go—and he’s keeping dangerous secrets that could destroy them all.

When the three of them come together, everything falls apart. But if Xander and Ivy can hold tight to the bond that connects them, they just might have a chance at reclaiming the powerful love they thought they had lost forever...

Hey everyone, here's to a great Monday!! Today I'm bringing you an excerpt and giveaway for Kim Karr's Mended, which is the third book in the Connections series. Check it out, let me know what you think!

Guest post & Giveaway - Christina Lee, author of Whisper To Me

Whisper To Me

Christina Lee

A hot and consuming New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for star athletes. No one at school knows that she’d had her heart ripped to shreds by her high school sweetheart, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle, and then abandoned her. No one knows the real Rachel Mattson—except one person…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that fateful night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Kai is willing to hide his feelings for her, just to have Rachel touch him again. After all, this is only a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But maybe it had been more all along.

Happy Thursday! So if one thing is obvious about me and my reading habits, I love New Adult. I don't know what it is, I just can't get enough of them! Whisper To Me sounds great, right? Check out this guest post from author Christina Lee, and tell me what you think! Thanks for checking it out!

Title: One Lucky Night
Series: Compilation
Authors: Ana Blaze, Grace Teague, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, Constance Phillips
Published: May 7, 2014
Format: Ebook received for review

One night can change everything…

The crew at Boston’s Brazen Head Pub hasn’t been very lucky in love. Can a mysterious visitor inspire them to look past old hurts and misconceptions and give romance a chance? One Lucky Night is a collection of five sexy interwoven novelettes by Aria Kane, Grace Teague, Ana Blaze, Constance Phillips, and Melinda Dozier.

Lucky Break by Aria Kane
Four years ago, chef Derek Chase walked out of Andrea Rivera’s life after a tragedy neither of them were prepared to deal with. When she’s called to the Brazen Head to repair a dishwasher, old sparks ignite buried feelings.

Lucky Star by Grace Teague
When her life is threatened by a mugger, Charlotte Price realizes she's in love with her best friend, Tommy Leung. The Brazen Head seems like the perfect neutral place to confess her feelings, but nothing goes according to plan.

A New Tune by Ana Blaze
When it comes to dating, Holly Hall has one unbreakable rule: no musicians. Not even gorgeous ones. Especially not gorgeous ones. Dating them only leads to heartbreak. So why did she let singer-songwriter Cian O’Neill kiss her? And why is she thinking about doing it again?

Lexi’s Chance by Constance Phillips
As a bartender, Sean Whelan meets all kinds of women every night, but none turn his head the way that Lexi has. She’s been playing cat and mouse with him for weeks. Tonight, Sean’s determined to get Lexi to quit teasing and take a real chance on him.

Drink or Dare by Melinda Dozier
A bachelorette party Drink or Dare game pairs paramedic students, Rachel Robertson and Killian Whelan, in a flirting match. Soon, the dares threaten to turn their academic rivalry into something much more.

I don't read many compilations. Usually I find the stories too short, too scattered. But one thing I do enjoy is when they are all intertwined together. It's like getting multiple perspectives, and I just love that. So when the opportunity came to read One Lucky Night, I was more than happy to hop on board.

Playing With The Prop by Mina Carter (Excerpt)

Playing With The Prop

Mina Carter

Never mix business with pleasure…

A physical therapist for successful Rugby team, the Strathstow Sharks, Ashley’s golden rule is never to mix business and pleasure. She loves her job and the guys she looks after, and doesn’t want to jeopardise her place with the team. As nicely put together as her charges are, she’s never found herself remotely tempted.

Until now.

Harry James, the team’s newest prop gives her butterflies in her stomach every time she has to treat him, and her fantasies involving his hard, muscled body and sinful lips keep her hot and bothered at night. Luckily, he shows no sign of having noticed her attraction, and hasn’t shown any interest in her…

She’s been his from the moment he saw her…

Harry James marked the pretty little physio the first day they met. For the last year he’s been biding his time, and trying to get her attention. So much so, it’s gained him a few nicknames in the squad. Not that anyone would dare tell her.

When the Sharks win big on Harry’s birthday, can he stop at claiming a birthday kiss, or will he want everything she has to give?

Hey everyone! Have you read Mina Carter before? If not, here's your chance to get a sneak peak at Playing With The Prop! I've read her before, and I loved her writing. I'm super excited for this release, how about you?

Title: Deadland's Harvest
Series: Deadland #2
Author: Rachel Aukes
Published: April 28, 2014 - Surprisingly Adequate Publishing
Format: Gifted

It has been one hundred days since the zombies claimed the world. Cash, along with forty-two survivors, have found safety in the secluded and well-guarded Fox National Park. The leaves are changing colors, a beautiful, brutal reminder that winter is coming. As the survivors prepare for freezing months without electricity and not enough food, they learn of massive zombie herds several hundred miles north…and headed their way.

To save the park, Cash must find a place for the survivors to hide from the migrating herds. If Cash and her small band of volunteers don’t succeed by winter, the Fox survivors just may become Deadland’s Harvest.

(Deadland’s Harvest is a journey through Dante Alighieri's classic tale on the seven deadly sins… zombie apocalypse style!)

I totally just have to bow down to Rachel Aukes. She.Is.Awesome. Seriously! Have you started this series yet? It is a must read for you apocalypse loving fans out there! Why? Well, first there was 100 Days in Deadland where we meet Cash and Clutch. Deadland's Harvest picks up where that left off. That one left off in a hell of a battle-type scene, where Cash was stranded on a roof for better or worse. Now we get to find out which it is!

A Beautiful Distraction totally stole my attention! By Kelsie Leverich (Review & Giveaway)

Title: A Beautiful Distraction
Series: Hard Feelings #3
Author: Kelsie Leverich
Published: May 6, NAL Trade
Format:EGalley, courtesy of Penguin (Thank you!)

First Sergeant Rafe Murano did everything to the extreme. He trained harder, he fought harder, and, unfortunately, he loved harder. And falling for the wrong woman nearly destroyed him.

Home from a deployment, and without his missions to consume him, Murano is ravaged by memories of his heartbreak. So he drinks until he’s numb and drowns himself in meaningless one-night stands. But they only take the edge off…

Until he meets Fallon.

Haunted by her past, Fallon Kelly knows all too well about the desperate desire for an escape. So when she sees the tatted-up bad boy who’s one punch away from a ride in the back of a squad car, she offers a distraction—one that quickly becomes an addiction.

Little does she know, this bad boy can love so hard, it can break her…

Well well well, the third book in the Hard Feelings series, and it's definitely not losing any steam! I just realized there is a book 2.5, so I need to go hunt that down (Trevor's book!) But as someone who has read all 3 books, I can tell you each book is similar, but very different. You get that undercurrent that these are military men in love with strong women, but every story is a completely different setting and set of rules. If you like military romances, you should check out this series!

Excerpt & Giveaway from Elisabeth Staab for Hunter By Night!

Hunter By Night

Elisabeth Staab

She wants out

Party girl Alexia Blackburn is only hanging around the vampire compound until her best friend—the queen—has her baby. After that, nothing is going to stop Alexia from getting back to daylight, safety, and feeling like a normal human being. But leaving the vampire world has one big catch...

He needs her to stay

Head of vampire security Lee Goram has hated and distrusted humans for centuries. Feeding on vampire blood has kept him strong...but now it's killing him—and he's horrified to discover that Alexia may hold the key to his cure. He'd rather die defending his king than admit his weakness, but time is running out for the great vampire warrior...

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a fabulous Thursday! Today I have Elisabeth Staab here with an excerpt from Hunter By Night and a giveaway for some signed swag! You might remember her from when she was here in January with her release, One Week! I hope you all enjoy Hunter By Night (right after you get done drooling over the cover, right!?) and good luck on the giveaway!

A bit of a walk on the dark side, with Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

Title: Tears of Tess
Series: Monsters In The Dark #1
Author: Pepper Winters
Format: Personal Purchase
Published: August 2013

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

Wow. Sometimes a book comes out, and there is so much hype, you wonder if it will really be that good. That's how it was for me with Tears of Tess. I'd heard countless rave reviews. I was super excited to read it, but afraid it would hit the mark, like so many other books have done. So what was the result?

New Pack Order - by Eve Langlais (Excerpt!)

With the death of Roderick, an evil hybrid vampire, Marc and the other freed wolves should have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, a new menace has arisen. It will take courage and cunning to battle it–or a cold hearted vampire who, despite his loner ways, not only forms a bond with a shewolf and a rogue, but establishes a New Pack Order.

Marc can’t escape the me mories of what he did while under Roderick’s mental control, but he can attempt to atone. He begins his quest by saving a female Lycan who needs guidance—and a mate. The problem is convincing her to accept his help, and his love.

Thaddeus has lived too long to waste his time playing the games the other vampires indulge in. However, when it comes to keeping his kind safe from the notice of humans, he’ll do what it takes to stop a madman intent on starting a war. He embarks on a one man quest to avert disaster, but along the way discovers even a killer can become a hero—and a lover.

Antonia might regret losing her humanity, but with a werewolf and a vampire at her side, she discovers an inner strength and passion to not only live, and fight, but to love, not just one, but two very special men.

"New Pack Order"

(Pack Series #4)

by Eve Langlais

Zombies and Suprbat - Hell Yeah! (Review & Giveaway, Confessions Of The Very First Zombie Slayer by FJR Titchenell)

Title: Confessions Of The Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know Of)
Series: Standalone
Author: FJR Titchenell
Published: May 6, 2014 - Jolly Fish Press
Format: Ebook received for review

The world is Cassie Fremont’s playground. Her face is on the cover of every newspaper, she has no homework, no curfew, and no credit limit, and she spends her days traveling the country with her friends, including a boy who would flirt with death just to turn her head. Life is just about perfect—except that those newspaper headlines are about her bludgeoning her crush to death with a paintball gun, she has to fight ravenous walking corpses every time she steps outside, and one of her friends is still missing, trapped somewhere in the distant, practically impassable wreckage of Manhattan. Still, Cassie’s an optimist. More prone to hysterical laughter than hysterical tears, she’d rather fight a corpse than be one, and she won’t leave a friend stranded when she can simply take her road trip to impossible new places to find her, even if getting there means admitting to that boy that she might just love him, too. Skillfully blending effective horror with unexpected humor, this diary-format novel is a fast-paced and heartwarming read.

Confessions Of The Very First Zombie Slayer (that I know of). Yeah, it's a mouthful. I wasn't sure of what to expect with this book. The blurb sounds awesome, right? Well, no worries, the book followed suit!

Title: Payment
Series: The Payment Series Boxed Set
Author: Cassandra Carr
Published: May 2014 - C-Squared Publishing
Format: Ebook for review

The Payment series (Prized, Possessed, Purgatory)-

Catrina Carter is in over her head. Way over her head. She’s in debt and, short of bankruptcy, which wouldn’t happen fast enough to pay the creditors nipping at her heels, Catrina has few choices. Eviction is coming any day, and even though she traded in her great car for a “more affordable” model, it's about to be repossessed too. Catrina goes to Debt Management Associates, or DMA, for help.

The cost for DMA's help is something she never thought she could pay, but out of options, Catrina agrees to serve a man who pays her debt in full, and begins training in how to please him. Jared. Her new benefactor. He is tasked with helping Catrina get her life back on track, in addition to taking his pleasure with her and ordering her to oblige friends, colleagues, and even total strangers sexually on his whim.

When Catrina leaves the DMA program after her one year term of service, will she be able to keep the lessons Jared literally spanked into her topmost in her mind, or will old habits rear their designer heads?

I was pretty excited to read the Payment Series, by Cassandra Carr. I've read many of her books, and she is undoubtedly one of my favorite authors. So to say I was excited to see what she would do with a darker subject matter would be putting it lightly!

Lucas Maxfield - I love you! (Review of Breakable by Tammara Webber)

Title: Breakable
Series: Contours Of The Heart #2
Author: Tammara Webber
Published: May 6, 2014 Penguin Berkley
Format: Print copy received for review

He was lost and alone. Then he found her.
And the future seemed more fragile than ever.

As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.

All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…

As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.

I finished Easy and I was oh-so-more-than-ready to read Breakable. I mean, I was like a rabid dog, frothing at the mouth to take a bite. What I found inside Breakable drove me insane – in all the best ways. I was expecting a basic retelling of Easy, but in Lucas’ point of view. WRONG!! I mean, yes, this book does cover a lot of the things in Easy, but it is SO much more. Today is release day for Breakable, and I’m ecstatic to share my thoughts on the book with you.

Easy by Tammara Webber is everything I want in a book!

Title: Easy
Series: Contours of the Heart #1
Author: Tammara Webber
Published: Nov 6 2012, Penguin Berkley
Format: Print Copy received for review

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

Ok this is one of those books that completely stole everything I had, and I was completely invested in the story of Lucas and Jacqueline. This is one of those series where book one, Easy, is in Jacqueline's point of view, and book 2, Breakable, is in Lucas' point of view. Their story hit me hard out of no where, and I was blown away!

Title: Perfect 10
Series: Stand alone
Author: Erin McCarthy
Published: May 13, 2014 by Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin
Format: Galley - thank you HQN!

Katrina’s Lesson in Social Media Disasters or How Technology Can Bite You In The Ass!

Katrina Phillips is an expert social media manager. But that doesn’t mean she can’t make mistakes. Horrible, hide-in-your-closet-forever mistakes... like accidentally syncing her BootyBook app with her online profiles.

Blammo. Now everyone in the world can see who Katrina has dated and how they rated in appearance, sexual performance, and (OMG) detailed descriptions of their manly parts! Now her phone is blowing up with irate exes—and an out-of-the-blue text from the only guy who came close to a perfect score...

Katrina has had a thing for Drew Jordan since forever ago, even if a booze-fuelled one-nighter did destroy their friendship. So why is he suddenly texting her now—and is it because she rated his Sexy Staff Of Manliness as “magnificent”? Now the only way to satisfy her curiosity is to reunite with Drew... and rate him all over again!

Bite Size Review!

I picked this book up on NetGalley because it was by one of my very favorite authors, Erin McCarthy. So I didn't even have to read the blurb or anything. Perfect 10 turned out to be a fun and quick read!

Cover Reveal: Hard To Come By by Laura Kaye

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…