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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Quote-Tastic - Bachelor's Special



Hey, we all made it to Monday, congratulations!

Welcome to Quote-Tastic, a feature started by Herding Cats & Burning Soup to celebrate those quotes from books that stick in our brains!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Review/Giveaway: Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane

Title: Secret Maneuvers
Series: Ex Ops #1
Author: Jessie Lane
Published: June 14, Jessie Lane
Format: Ebook provided for review

Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

One 'dear John' letter haunts Bobby Baker's every living moment. It’s the letter he stupidly wrote to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he left to join the Army. The letter that he told her that he wasn't so sure if they were ready for forever yet. But before he can let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, are nothing but a mistake, she up and disappears from the small Georgia town they were both raised in.

Fifteen years later, Belle unknowingly walks back into Bobby's life when her job as an ATF Agent forces her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever is involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico.

Bobby will use this mission to try and soothe Belle's hurt feelings while proving to her that their love is still meant for forever. He'll use every dirty trick he's learned since he joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. But Belle's not making it easy as she keeps him at arm's length in the hopes that mistakes of her own never come to light.


First thing, right away, I love these two teens, Belle and Bobby. Like, I instantly fell for them, I felt their love right to my core. Their combined charisma was great, and I was excited for them and their future together. And then Bobby had to go and ruin it all!! Seriously folks, in my notes I called him a jerk-face. And I can tell you right now that I was thinking even worse than that, but I decided to let him off easy because I knew he was going to try to right his wrongs. But boy, he’d better do it quickly, I thought, because I was mad as hell at that boy!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Review: The Daemon Whisperer by Candice Bundy


Title: The Daemon Whisperer
Series: The Liminals, Book 1
Author: Candice Bundy
Published: October 2012, Lusios Publishing
Format: Ebook received for review

Meriwether Storm discovered the grisly remains of her parents when she was only fourteen—the result of a failed daemon summoning. Meri immediately swore vengeance on the daemon who'd killed her parents, but there was only one problem: she had no idea which one had committed the atrocity. Before their untimely deaths, her parents trained her intensively in the arts, which Meri used to follow in their footsteps, ever seeking the daemon's name. Now, despite her years of searching, she's no closer to the truth and her time is running out.

When a mysterious daemon named Azimuth offers Meri a deadly summoning in exchange for information about her parents’ murderer, she takes it immediately and without intimidation. What does worry her is her attraction to Azimuth: when he touches Meri, her pulse races and she breathlessly awaits the feel of his lips upon her skin. Meri knows she should keep him at arm's length, but her traitorous thoughts obsess over him night and day.

Blinded by her desperation for the truth and her desire for Azimuth, Meri places her trust in the creatures who are her sworn enemy, jeopardizing her need for vengeance. After Meri discovers there's more to the deal than the daemon cabal first promised, can she accept all they have to offer?

When retribution is the only thing that drives you, how much are you willing to sacrifice before you lose yourself to the cause?



There was a lot packed into this book, coming in at almost 400 pages – and I loved every page. I don’t think I have ever read a book like this, and as the first book in a series, I will be on the lookout for more.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Character Interivew/Giveaway: Covert Craving by Jennifer James

Covert Craving
Jennifer James

She just stripped in front of an NYPD detective...

The glow-in-the-dark water at Camp Sunny Woods left Chloe Sanders with the ability to disappear from sight.

Thirteen years later, she uses her “gift” to take out criminals when she can. If she’s got to be part of a freak show, she’s going to do some good while in the buff.

And he’s enjoying studying every luscious curve…

Color blind detective Jacob Greiff smokes to weaken the overwhelming messages his nose sends him. One summer camp trip was enough for him. His priority right now is busting the vigilante leaving burglars tied up with panty hose and women’s scarves.

He thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees a petite, bare foot brunette in an enormous trench coat at his crime scenes because for the first time in years, he’s seeing someone in full color.

He’s not sure he’s buying it, but Chloe sure looks great when she’s “invisible.”

Despite his own supernatural abilities and the raging lust between them, Greiff wonders if Chloe isn’t some kind of nut who gets off on public nudity. She insists she can disappear from view when naked, that he’s the only one who can see her when she’s in the buff.

Their shared past comes to a treacherous intersection when a man shows up at Chloe’s apartment and informs them at gun point it’s time to report for duty—or else.


Jennifer James is one of the most awesome people I've met since becoming a book blogger.  She is hilarious, kind, and extremely talented when it comes to the written word.  So today I am very excited to tell you I have her here on the blog, interviewing her character, Jacob.  Check it out, and check out the giveaway at the end.  Thanks!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Review: The Look Of Love by Bella Andre


Title: The Look Of Love
Series: The Sullivans, Book 1
Author: Bella Andre
Published: First published 2011, re-released 2013 by Harlequin MIRA
Format: Print copy provided by Media Muscle

Sometimes one look is all it takes

Chloe Peterson has vowed never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Her reasons are as vivid as the bruises on her cheek. So when her car skids off a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced the gorgeous guy who rescues her must be too good to be true.

As a successful international photographer, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women. He's satisfied with his life; until he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley.

With every loving look; and every sinfully sweet caress; the attraction between them sizzles, and Chloe can't help but wonder if she's met the man who may be the exception to her rule


Ok, I’m guilty. I sometimes prejudge books based on their covers. On this book, I saw this cover and I thought it would be a sweethearted contemporary romance. I really enjoy the darker reads that can take you to a place a bit… well, darker. I was a bit concerned before I began reading this that it wouldn’t pique my interests as much as I’d like. I’ve heard of Bella Andre, and I know she gets fabulous reviews, but I was still concerned.


So what was my experience with The Look of Love? I read this dang book in one day. I couldn’t put it down. Yeah, no need to worry about heat, sensuality, plot, excitement or drama. The Look Of Love had it all. Bella Andre absolutely deserves all of the wonderful accolades she receives, and I am an instant and eager fan. Her ability to put me into the story, to make me feel like I was there was excellent, and everything just flowed together flawlessly.

The Look Of Love is the story of Chase and Chloe. Chase is a photographer from a large family, the Sullivans. They have success and good looks locked down, and that includes Chase. He’s currently on his way to his brother’s winery after a family party when he sees this woman on the side of the road, in a rainstorm. Chase, meet Chloe.

Chloe is a bit distraught. Her dramatic past came knocking on her door, and she took off like a bat out of hell. But when it’s dark and stormy, and you are on the winding roads in Napa Valley, you should watch where you are going, lest you find yourself on the side of the road – walking.

I really enjoyed both of these characters on their own. We got to see the story from both of their points of view, so I definitely felt like I was getting everything I needed in order to root for them fully as a couple. But when they get together, sparks fly. Chase has been raised well by his momma, he treats women well. Even when his body is telling him he wants to ravage Chloe and make her moan his name, his head wins out and makes him a gentleman. Well, for the most part haha! There is a funny situation that takes place in a bathroom that definitely will have you doing the Cheshire grin. Chase is patient, patient in a way that makes you yearn for him – and he delivers in such delicious ways. He’s a good man, through and through. Chase is the type of hero that makes me wonder if there even needs to be more books in the series, after the first one. How can this author possibly top him?

As for Chloe, I think she gave the whole thing of “not falling for Chase Sullivan” a valiant effort. But her heart was a goner long before she even realized it was a possibility. I really liked her character; she had a strong need to be independent and to take care of herself that I really admired. But there were times I had a love/un-love relationship with her. When she would let go and stop thinking so much, everything was great. But her inner monologue can tend to be one of doubts and fears, and sometimes I just wanted to take her aside and say, “hey, you’ve got a chance in a million here – stop overthinking!” Chase has to bust down her walls – and fast. Every bit he breaks, she shores back up.

This book had some seriously sexy moments between the two of them. Whenever they were around each other you could practically feel the sexual tension crackle. But even aside from that, there is a great story. Chase has always been a playboy, and Chloe has an abusive past. The winery makes the perfect backdrop for a couple of strangers to fall in love. Every sunny morning they woke up there, I wanted to inhale a big breath of morning fresh grape scented air. Bella Andre’s world building is top notch.

So this book is definitely on my “hey, why don’t you read this book!” if someone were to ask me. Next month I have the next book in the series, From This Moment On. That one is Chase’s brother’s story, Marcus. Marcus is the oldest of the siblings, and I think his world is about to be rocked. Yep, I definitely can’t wait to dig in to that one!

Follow Bella Andre Online

Having sold more than 1.5 million books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre’s novels have appeared on Top 5 lists at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s Sullivan series will be released in paperback in a major global English language launch in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia in continuous back-to-back releases from June 2013 through April 2014.

Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine ”Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into nine languages, and her Sullivan books are already Top 20 bestsellers in Brazil. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post has called her “One of the top digital writers in America” and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and most recently in TIME Magazine. She has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in 2012 on her self-publishing success.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.




Review: The Look Of Love by Bella Andre


Title: The Look Of Love
Series: The Sullivans, Book 1
Author: Bella Andre
Published: First published 2011, re-released 2013 by Harlequin MIRA
Format: Print copy provided by Media Muscle

Sometimes one look is all it takes

Chloe Peterson has vowed never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Her reasons are as vivid as the bruises on her cheek. So when her car skids off a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced the gorgeous guy who rescues her must be too good to be true.

As a successful international photographer, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women. He's satisfied with his life; until he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley.

With every loving look; and every sinfully sweet caress; the attraction between them sizzles, and Chloe can't help but wonder if she's met the man who may be the exception to her rule


Ok, I’m guilty. I sometimes prejudge books based on their covers. On this book, I saw this cover and I thought it would be a sweethearted contemporary romance. I really enjoy the darker reads that can take you to a place a bit… well, darker. I was a bit concerned before I began reading this that it wouldn’t pique my interests as much as I’d like. I’ve heard of Bella Andre, and I know she gets fabulous reviews, but I was still concerned.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Excerpt/Giveaway Bloodlust and Metal by Lisa Carlisle

Bloodlust and Metal
Lisa Carlisle


On the run from a master vampire, young vampire Layla Black flees London to reinvent herself as the singer of an Eighties cover band in Boston. Devon St. Clair is the bounty hunter hired to track her down. As a shapeshifter with extraordinary skills, his reputation is known throughout the supernatural world. Capturing Layla should be an easy gig that will net a nice profit.

The situation does not go as Devon plans. He wants Layla in his bed, but. shapeshifters and vampires don’t mix. They should hate each other, but instead they’re keeping the sheets steamy. When circumstances force them on the run together, their preconceived notions are challenged. If they can evade those hunting them and convince his fellow shapeshifters to help her even though she’s a vampire, they just might have a chance to explore where all that hot, sweaty sex can take them.

Hi, I’m Lisa Carlisle. I’m very excited to guest here and share news about my two new Ellora’s Cave releases – Rock Me Tonight and Bloodlust and Metal. Two books released in one month! Both are part of my Underground Encounters series with Ellora’s Cave, hot paranormal erotic romances set in an underground Goth club. 



Bio: I love to read and write stories with dark, brooding, isolated characters (think Heathcliff, Dracula, Darth Vader, and Severus Snape) and tough, independent, caring heroines. For much of my professional career, I’ve written non-fiction, although I’ve recently discovered writing romance is much more fun. ;)


Life took a strange turn when I was younger and I ended up enlisting in the Marines, where I served in Parris Island, the California desert, and Okinawa, Japan. Then I backpacked alone through Europe, and lived in Paris, France for little while. These experiences have provided me enough settings and characters for a lifetime of writing. Currently, I live in New England with my fantastic husband and kids.





***EXCERPT***


Devon

On the flight from London, I studied a road map to drive from Boston up to the nightclub Vamps where Bloodlust Diamond was playing. Vamps was hidden in the warehouse district in Caterina’s Cove, a little coastal village on the coast north of Boston. A brochure advertising condos described it as a quiet seaside setting, the perfect place to have access to the ocean without the typical tourist crowd that attacked most of the other beaches on the North Shore.

The brochure conveniently left out how Cat’s Cove, as it was called, was also home to an underground/Goth club that attracted “freaks and weirdoes” as one regular had described it online. In my word-of-mouth research, I discovered it also attracted a small, but growing crowd of supernatural beings. Rumor spread it was once owned by a vampire. After an explosion took out a good chunk of the club, it was bought and rebuilt by the current owner. Employees described him as tall, dark and utterly mysterious; some speculated whether he is a vampire as well.
Vampires. I hated them. Always have. Cold, dead creatures stalking the Earth and sucking sustenance out of humans.
Pathetic.
When I got the call from a vampire named Stefano, one part of me cringed. I loathed dealing with these blood-lusting walking corpses. Since this one was willing to pay a large fee and it sounded like an easy gig, I swallowed my revulsion and took the job. All I had to do was hunt down a female vampire who stole from him and ran away. If he disposed of her, even better. One less vampire in the world.
After we landed in the U.S. and waited at the long lines at Customs, I found the car rentals. Earlier I had requested a black car with tinted windows and plenty of space in the back seat and trunk, either which might serve as a temporary abode for Miss Costa. Of course, I told the rental agent I had a lot of luggage. I smirked at the visual of having that bloody vampire bound in the car. Then I drove north to Cat’s Cove.
Stefano knew better than to hire a human to find Layla. They relied on paper trails and online transactions, both of which vampires kept to a minimum, especially considering their extended life periods. He needed someone like me, with abilities beyond a typical human’s. With those and the skills I’d learned in the British military, I had established a lucrative career as a bounty hunter. A job I enjoyed more than I like to admit.
Most of my targets were scumbags. They deserved to be caught and brought to justice. Not all, though. On a few occasions, I suspected the person whom I was hired to bring in might be innocent. But I had to stay objective. It wasn’t my job to judge a person’s guilt or innocence. It was my job to track them down and bring them to whomever hired me. This time, it was the thieving little vampire, Layla Costa.
Tracking her down wasn’t that difficult, but it did take longer than I had expected. I caught her scent all over Stefano’s place. It was rather sweet, reminding me of herbs and flowers, and not the smell of the dead I’d associated with most vampires. This distinctive scent helped me track where she’d went next. With her photograph in hand and scent imprinted in my mind, I asked about her at each location. One location led me to another. And eventually I discovered that Layla Costa was now portraying herself as Angelica Blackwell, a singer for a heavy metal cover band called Bloodlust Diamond. She changed her appearance dramatically, but I could still discern the same features.
She was quite striking, I noted. Both as the dark-haired vampire Layla Costa and the wild heavy metal singer with teased multi-colored hair Angelica.
What did her looks matter, I corrected myself. She was just another job. I would simply grab her, take her to Stefano and collect my money.

Layla
I teased my variegated black and blonde hair to get into character for the show. After all these years as a brunette, it was strange seeing myself with blonde. The hair stylist I paid big money to “reinvent me” insisted this is the look to capture attention as the new singer of an Eighties hair band.
“Heavy metal,” I’d corrected.
He’d snickered. “Okay, princess.”
What did he know about music anyway?
He’d bleached one side of my hair a platinum blonde and dyed the other side black. Then he added a few streaks of black amid the blond and white amid the black.
If I turned one way in the mirror, my reflection showed a raven-haired woman. When I turned the other way, my reflection showed the blonde. Amazing how the hair color made me look like two different women. Then I looked at my reflection dead on from the front. Whoever was looking at me would focus on my wild hair, which commanded attention, rather than my face. Money well spent. The better I disguised myself as Angelica, rock singer, the less I resembled Layla Costa. Which would make it harder for Stefano to find me.
I accentuated my eyes with black eyeliner, extending them slightly beyond my lash line to give me a cat’s eye style. Then I added two coats of black mascara. It was too easy for features to wash out under the stage lights. With some blush and a dark maroon lipstick, I made sure it wouldn’t happen tonight.
I put on red stiletto boots over the tight black vinyl pants and readjusted my tank top in the full-length mirror. Then I took a nip of the blood from my flask. Just a little bit to take off the edge. Immediately after drinking blood, I felt almost drunk so I tried not to overdo it before going onstage. But a little sip was my ritual to fortify me for the energy I’d expend tonight.

“Here we go again,” I said to my reflection. Then I drove to the rehearsal space to meet up with the rest of Bloodlust Diamond, the band I’d joined six weeks ago. Their lead singer had quit to enter drug and alcohol rehab. I was looking for a new opportunity after running away from Stefano. What would be more fun than reinventing myself as a sexy rock star for a fun metal band?


Buy Links

Social







*And be sure to check out Rock Me Tonight!



Lily Everett needs sex, but won’t consider a permanent relationship, because she harbors a secret she’s certain no one will understand. When she meets the singer of a rock band at an underground nightclub, she’s disarmed by his sensual voice and mischievous good looks. After an icy introduction, Lily warms up to Nico’s charms.

A computer geek by day, Nico dons a rock singer persona by night. He’s tired of women pursuing him just because he’s in a band—the sex may be handy, but he wants something more. He’s intrigued by Lily’s reticence.

Keeping her emotional distance proves difficult the more Lily uncovers the intelligent, considerate man hiding behind Nico’s bad-boy persona. Their encounters are hot-hot-hot, but Nico wants more from Lily than sex. When Lily lets down her guard and reveals her other side, Nico’s shock destroys their closeness and they both doubt they can overcome their differences.
A Romantica® paranormal/shapeshifter erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt/Giveaway Bloodlust and Metal by Lisa Carlisle

Bloodlust and Metal
Lisa Carlisle


On the run from a master vampire, young vampire Layla Black flees London to reinvent herself as the singer of an Eighties cover band in Boston. Devon St. Clair is the bounty hunter hired to track her down. As a shapeshifter with extraordinary skills, his reputation is known throughout the supernatural world. Capturing Layla should be an easy gig that will net a nice profit.

The situation does not go as Devon plans. He wants Layla in his bed, but. shapeshifters and vampires don’t mix. They should hate each other, but instead they’re keeping the sheets steamy. When circumstances force them on the run together, their preconceived notions are challenged. If they can evade those hunting them and convince his fellow shapeshifters to help her even though she’s a vampire, they just might have a chance to explore where all that hot, sweaty sex can take them.

Hi, I’m Lisa Carlisle. I’m very excited to guest here and share news about my two new Ellora’s Cave releases – Rock Me Tonight and Bloodlust and Metal. Two books released in one month! Both are part of my Underground Encounters series with Ellora’s Cave, hot paranormal erotic romances set in an underground Goth club. 

The Future of Rough Riders by Lorelei James

The last McKay standing is knocked to his knees…

Three years ago, Dalton McKay looked across the altar and saw the woman he knew he’d love for the rest of his life…only it wasn’t his bride. That’s when he took the McKays’ love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation to new heights—fleeing the ceremony and Wyoming.

Now a family issue has brought Dalton back to Sundance, giving him a chance to prove to everyone—especially the woman he thought he lost—that he’s a changed man.

Aurora “Rory” Wetzler has fallen for cowboy hottie Dalton’s smooth-talkin’ ways too many times. So he’s determined to convince her he’s playing for keeps this go around? Fine. She’ll call that bluff—she can’t ignore their intense chemistry or resist smokin’ hot sex, but she’s not willing to gamble her heart again.

Dalton has plenty of fences to mend with the McKays, but his biggest fear is that Rory doesn’t believe they have a future. He’ll have to pull out all the stops to show her they belong together for the long haul.

Warning: Contains a sexy cowboy who tames his sassy lady love with his romantic and his kinky side. In explicit detail.
The Future of the ROUGH RIDERS
Slick from Guilty Pleasures:  Since I just finished reading Redneck Romeo about the last McKay man standing, Dalton, I have to ask who will be the focus of book 16 and is that truly the end?  Because I have to tell you having Ky driving and into girls is going to open up a whole can of worms about when the kid's stories are going to be told. 


No fun, I know, but no comment on Rough Riders book 16 yet...I'll clue you all in a bit further down the road. I get a bajillion questions about why I'm ending the Rough Riders series at book 16. And yes, I could probably write a second generation of McKays (Love Love Love my readers but you guys are driving me insane with the "When will you write Boone and Sierra's book?! Crazy rabid fans, I keep threatening that if you keep nagging me it'll be...never -- ha ha, yet I'd never do that because I want to know what happens too!) but I've always considered this series a western saga that DOES have an end. I've been fortunate that I've been allowed to write the books how I want, at the pace I want, with the subject matter I want--all with 100% publisher support. That is rare. Since the books have such a great following, there is that mindset to continue to "cash in" on the popularity of the series and characters. But I won't do that because at what point do the new books just become a rehash of the older books? I'd much rather end the series on a high note, at the height of popularity than wait until the series might be considered "tired" and I start to lose readers. Plus, I have lots of ideas, situations, characters and areas to explore in other fictional worlds. I hope readers come along for the ride.




Lorelei James is celebrating the release of REDNECK ROMEO with a SEVEN day party.  SEVEN great giveaways, SEVEN different posts.  Stop by all the amazing blogs participating in the party to increase your chances to win!!! Each blog will post a special REDNECK ROMEO post all seven days (no weekend posts)

RR-Release-Party (1)


The Future of Rough Riders by Lorelei James

The last McKay standing is knocked to his knees…

Three years ago, Dalton McKay looked across the altar and saw the woman he knew he’d love for the rest of his life…only it wasn’t his bride. That’s when he took the McKays’ love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation to new heights—fleeing the ceremony and Wyoming.

Now a family issue has brought Dalton back to Sundance, giving him a chance to prove to everyone—especially the woman he thought he lost—that he’s a changed man.

Aurora “Rory” Wetzler has fallen for cowboy hottie Dalton’s smooth-talkin’ ways too many times. So he’s determined to convince her he’s playing for keeps this go around? Fine. She’ll call that bluff—she can’t ignore their intense chemistry or resist smokin’ hot sex, but she’s not willing to gamble her heart again.

Dalton has plenty of fences to mend with the McKays, but his biggest fear is that Rory doesn’t believe they have a future. He’ll have to pull out all the stops to show her they belong together for the long haul.

Warning: Contains a sexy cowboy who tames his sassy lady love with his romantic and his kinky side. In explicit detail.
The Future of the ROUGH RIDERS
Slick from Guilty Pleasures:  Since I just finished reading Redneck Romeo about the last McKay man standing, Dalton, I have to ask who will be the focus of book 16 and is that truly the end?  Because I have to tell you having Ky driving and into girls is going to open up a whole can of worms about when the kid's stories are going to be told. 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Quote-Tastic - Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye


Welcome to another round of Quote-Tastic!! Quote-Tastic is the fun weekly meme started by Herding Cats & Burning Soup to celebrate some of our favorite books!


This week I am sharing from Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye.  If you haven't read this book, I urge you to do so immediately.  There is just something so special, so wonderful about it... It instantly made it to my all time favorite's list.   For those who don't know, it's the story of a man and a woman - stuck in an elevator. 

Caden didn't respond, and Makenna was almost certain she'd put him to sleep.  Then he said, quietly, "I really like the sound of your voice."

Makenna's flush ran down into the neck of her silk blouse.  Saying she was pretty hadn't gotten to her, but his sayign he liked her voice set butterflies loose in her stomach.

"Me, too.  I mean, your voice.  I like it, too.  Your voice, that is."  Makenna bit her lip to cut off the spectacular stream of nonsense coming out of her mouth, then pretended to thunk herself in the forehead.  In that moment, she was glad for the darkness. 

It's on my list to write a review up, maybe I will actually get to that this week.  In the meantime, just go buy it.  You definitely will be glad you did.

So that's my quote for the week.  What's yours?  Sign up on the link, and have some fun with us!




Hearts In Darkness










Quote-Tastic - Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye


Welcome to another round of Quote-Tastic!! Quote-Tastic is the fun weekly meme started by Herding Cats & Burning Soup to celebrate some of our favorite books!

Fun Facts About Lorelei James

The last McKay standing is knocked to his knees…

Three years ago, Dalton McKay looked across the altar and saw the woman he knew he’d love for the rest of his life…only it wasn’t his bride. That’s when he took the McKays’ love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation to new heights—fleeing the ceremony and Wyoming.

Now a family issue has brought Dalton back to Sundance, giving him a chance to prove to everyone—especially the woman he thought he lost—that he’s a changed man.

Aurora “Rory” Wetzler has fallen for cowboy hottie Dalton’s smooth-talkin’ ways too many times. So he’s determined to convince her he’s playing for keeps this go around? Fine. She’ll call that bluff—she can’t ignore their intense chemistry or resist smokin’ hot sex, but she’s not willing to gamble her heart again.

Dalton has plenty of fences to mend with the McKays, but his biggest fear is that Rory doesn’t believe they have a future. He’ll have to pull out all the stops to show her they belong together for the long haul.

Warning: Contains a sexy cowboy who tames his sassy lady love with his romantic and his kinky side. In explicit detail.
Fun Facts about Lorelei James

Favorite book?  This is cheating but I'm currently reading an arc of THE MISTRESS by Tiffany Reisz.
Favorite thing to do in your free time? Drink and drunk text. KIDDING! Hang out with my family, zip around on our boat, catch up on my TV shows and watch the occasional movie.
Favorite flavor of Vodka? Pinnacle Gummy Fish.
Favorite pair of boots? A rocking pair of red and black Old Gringos with silver studs.
Favorite sexual position? All of them! 
Favorite time of year? Summer

Favorite Guilty Pleasure? Oreos while I'm reading Entertainment Weekly.


Lorelei James is celebrating the release of REDNECK ROMEO with a SEVEN day party.  SEVEN great giveaways, SEVEN different posts.  Stop by all the amazing blogs participating in the party to increase your chances to win!!! Each blog will post a special REDNECK ROMEO post all seven days (no weekend posts)

RR-Release-Party (1)


Fun Facts About Lorelei James

The last McKay standing is knocked to his knees…

Three years ago, Dalton McKay looked across the altar and saw the woman he knew he’d love for the rest of his life…only it wasn’t his bride. That’s when he took the McKays’ love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation to new heights—fleeing the ceremony and Wyoming.

Now a family issue has brought Dalton back to Sundance, giving him a chance to prove to everyone—especially the woman he thought he lost—that he’s a changed man.

Aurora “Rory” Wetzler has fallen for cowboy hottie Dalton’s smooth-talkin’ ways too many times. So he’s determined to convince her he’s playing for keeps this go around? Fine. She’ll call that bluff—she can’t ignore their intense chemistry or resist smokin’ hot sex, but she’s not willing to gamble her heart again.

Dalton has plenty of fences to mend with the McKays, but his biggest fear is that Rory doesn’t believe they have a future. He’ll have to pull out all the stops to show her they belong together for the long haul.

Warning: Contains a sexy cowboy who tames his sassy lady love with his romantic and his kinky side. In explicit detail.
Fun Facts about Lorelei James

Friday, June 21, 2013

A Little Bit Of Time With Madeline Sheehan, Author of Unbeautifully

Unbeautifully
Madeline Sheehan


Warning: This is not a story about fate or destiny. This is a story about pain, sorrow, and suffering. This is an impulsive whirlwind romance between two lovers that are not meant to be together. Theirs is not a world with sunshine and roses. Instead, their love blossoms in a secret world full of crime, violence, and death. Their story is about what can be born from nightmares.

Danielle “Danny” West is the daughter of Deuce West, President of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. A sweet and beautiful girl, she loses her way, searching for things that are always out of her reach. Erik “Ripper” Jacobs is the Sergeant of Arms in the Hell’s Horsemen. Once a man who always had a smile on his face, his life takes a turn for the worst when a tragedy befalls him, leaving him scarred and broken. During a midsummer night, Danny and Ripper’s paths cross, forever changing their lives. Hastily, their lust turns to love until another tragedy forces them apart. On a journey that is marred with ugliness and chaos, Danny and Ripper must discover if their unforeseen connection can find the beauty in their world.

This is Danny and Ripper’s story.

Everything has beauty. Even the ugly. Especially the ugly.
Because without ugly, there would be no beauty.


For today's post I got to pose a couple questions to author, Madeline Sheehan.  Nothing big and fancy, just something simple and easy.  So that is what today is about.  Have you read these books? Tell me how much you love them!  They are on my short list, but I'm not one of the lucky ones yet.  Thanks for coming by today!




How do you get into the right mindspace to write a book like this, and is it easy to get back out of?

          You know…  Maybe I’m a little crazy but its not hard for me to get into the mindset to write damaged characters, it is however hard to get back out.  After a day in the head of Deuce, I’m often left feeling less than okay, and ready to down a bottle of Prozac.  But that’s the beauty of writing, you get to be whoever you want whenever you want!

Who would you pick to play the main characters?

Deuce: Josh Holloway
Eva: Mila Kunis

 


Danny: Hillary Duff
Ripper: David Beckham

 


Where did the idea come from to write this series?

          I have absolutely no idea. Seriously. I was working on the second book in my PNR series and needed a break, but not writing is never an option, so I pulled up a new Word Doc. and…Undeniable fell out of my brain.  I’ve  never written a book so fast, or enjoyed it so much as I did Undeniable.  



UnBeautifully-Coverblog





***Mini Excerpt***



The first time I fell in love it was with a pair of blue eyes and a wide dimpled grin.

“Your old man loves ya, Danny girl,” He whispered. “You never ever forget that, yeah?”

I never did. And I never thought I could ever love any man as much as I loved my father. But as we grow, we change, we begin to make our own decisions and thus become independent and self sufficient and start turning away from our parents and turning to others. We form friendships, strong bonds and ties and begin experiencing life outside of the bubble we grew up inside of. 
And we fall in love…a second time.

The second time I fell in love it was with a badly scarred face, the stuff of nightmares; the sort of disfigurement that mothers steer their children away from. Ugly, jagged slashes marred the skin from the top of his skull, down over his right eye, an eye that had been dug out of his face with a serrated blade. The scars continued across his cheek, over his lips and down his neck, ending at the top of his shoulder. His chest was a hundred times worse; scar tissue as far as the eye could see.

“Baby,” He said gruffly, “Man like me got no business with a girl like you. You’re nothin’ but fuckin’ beauty and I’m a whole lot of fuckin’ ugly who’s already halfway to hell.”

But he was wrong.

Everything has beauty. Even the ugly. Especially the ugly.

Because without ugly there would be no beauty.

Because without beauty we would not survive our pain, our sorrow, and our suffering. 

And in the world I lived in, the world he lived in, a secret world within the world, a world of of constant crime and cruel, cold, death, there was almost nothing but suffering.

“You may not be beautiful the way you were before,” I whispered, placing my hand on his hard chest. “But you’re still beautiful. To me.




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