Release Week Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway:Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Epic Finale in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s

Dark Elements Series...Who Will She Choose?

 

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Don't miss the conclusion to this stunning
Young Adult Paranormal series
filled with danger and romance
published by HarlequinTEEN.

Grab your copy today!

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EVERY LAST BREATH Synopsis:

Some loves will last ‘til your dying breath
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.
 
Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…

“Armentrout is a major talent…I just can’t stop reading!”

--New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

“Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming.”

--#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines on White Hot Kiss

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EVERY LAST BREATH Excerpt 

“Oh my God!” This time my hand connected with his arm. “You’re going to be in so much trouble, Roth! So much trouble.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Defended myself.”

“Defended myself.” I mimicked him, bopping my head back and forth. “You can’t just go around killing Alphas, Roth!”

“You killed those angels?” Stacey asked, so I guessed she did remember them.

He sent her an innocent grin. “Well, I didn’t, but…”

“Roth!” I shouted, backing away before I started choking the ever-loving life out of him. “This is not a joke. You—”

He was damn fast when he wanted to be. One second he was several feet away from me and the next he was there, clasping the sides of my face. He lowered his head so he was eye level with me. “There are rules, Shortie.”

“But—”

“Rules that even the Alphas have to abide by. They cannot attack me without physical provocation. If they do, they tick the Boss off, and then the Boss retaliates in a way that makes what the Lilin could do look like child’s play. I’m not just some random demon. I’m the Crown Prince. They took a swing at me, and I defended myself. End of story.”

But he had provoked them—maybe not physically, but he wasn’t an innocent bystander in this. As the shock ebbed, there was a different kind of bitter pill to swallow. What if Roth had gotten his rules wrong? What if more Alphas were even now on the way to avenge their brethren?

“I’m going to be okay.” His eyes held mine as he stepped closer, lining his booted feet up with mine. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise.”

“You can’t make that promise,” I whispered, searching his gaze intently. “None of us can.”

His hands slid back and he curled his fingers in my loose hair. “I can.”

Those two words were like throwing down a gauntlet to the whole universe. I lowered my gaze as he dragged my hair back, tucking both sides behind my ears. It was then, as he slowly withdrew his hands, that I remembered we were not alone.

I jerked back and my gaze collided with Zayne’s. For a moment, I let myself really see Zayne. I hadn’t almost killed him. I had almost done something much, much worse than that. When a Warden lost their soul, they turned into a horrific creature. I knew that for a fact, because I’d seen what had happened to a Warden after their soul had been taken from them. I’d almost done that to Zayne, and he was still here, standing by my side.

A hole opened up in my chest as I saw the keen wariness in his stare. My stomach twisted something awful and I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say. My heart and head were suddenly tearing in two very different directions. Fortunately, I didn’t get the chance to say anything.

“I leave you alone for a few hours, and you let Thumper fry and eat an Alpha.”

Yelping, I spun around as Stacey screamed. Cayman stood in the center of the destroyed living room. He’d come out of nowhere. Poof. There. He wore dark trousers and a white dress shirt he appeared to have gotten bored with when it came to buttoning it up, and his blond hair was loose around his angular face. When it came to the demon pecking order, Roth had once explained that as an Infernal Ruler, Cayman was middle management. He was kind of like the demon-of-all-trades, and I had a feeling he was more than just a…um, coworker of Roth’s. Whether Roth claimed it or not, they were friends.

“That was quick,” Roth commented, folding his arms across his chest.

Cayman shrugged. “It’s a sign of the times, man. It’ll probably be on some Alpha’s Facebook wall within the hour.”

Alphas had Facebook accounts?

 

And don’t miss the first titles in the Dark Elements Series!

BITTER SWEET LOVE

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WHITE HOT KISS

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STONE COLD TOUCH

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  About Jennifer L. Armentrout: 

 # 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. 

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. 

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Review: Falling (Fall or Break #1) by Barbara Elsborg

Falling is easy. Landing without breaking your heart? Impossible.

Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.

He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.

Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.

Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.

Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.

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What I thought about Falling

This is the story of two men who have had the more than their share of bad times and how their friendship and love changes their lives. When the story opens, we meet Malachi. He's jobless and living with his sister and brother-in-law under less than ideal conditions. He sees a man at the grocery that turns his head.

Harper has just been released from prison after ten years. Emotionally, he's a mess. His life has turned into a nightmare at the hands of others, and he's desperately trying to figure out how to live in this post-incarceration world.

My heart immediately went out to these two men, and when circumstances bring them together, Barbara Elsborg's writing shines a big beautiful light on what is so lovely about two people connecting, much in the same way she did in one of my favorite books from her, Strangers.

I've read some reviews of this title that thought this was insta-love, but for me, it wasn't. Maybe insta-lust is more accurate, after all these are two men that have been deprived of the human touch for some time, but the love-- I thought that took time to take seed and develop between these two and I loved how their relationship went from explosive sex to heart-wrenching feelings for each other.

There's a lot going on in this title, but central to the story is Malachi's attempts to prove Harper's innocence. Some reviews have said this plot line is hard to believe, but I didn't think so. It demonstrates just how mean and vindictive people can be, and I can get behind that. I thought it was a well crafted suspenseful plot line that could have ended in tragedy. Yes, there's lots of angst in this, starting with Harper's insecurities and ending with Malachi's beautiful heart and sense of rightness. Oh, and did I mention Malachi's humor? He brings a lot of light to what otherwise might have been a very dark story.

I really enjoyed Falling and found myself getting invested in needing to know what happens to Harper and Malachi. I'm not rating this 5 stars because I thought the sex at times took way from the tension of the story and once their relationship was established, I almost felt like a voyeur. A few of the sex scenes toward the end could have been cut to make things flow better for me. as I found myself skimming over them to find out what was going to happen next.

Overall, I would recommend this. Harper and Malachi are definitely worth the time.  

I'm off to read 

Breaking, 

the second book in this series,

 releasing  July 28, 2015

Breaking

Category: Contemporary Romance

Orientation: MM

Available 28th July 2015 with Samhain

Archer Hart is on the move before the man he’s just killed is found. When a bullet whizzes past his ear, he realizes hunter is now hunted. So much for his retirement plans. Someone wants him dead and all he can do is keep running.
Downed by a hit and run driver, barrister Conrad Black is certain the ‘accident’ was deliberate but he has no proof or support. In recovery, struggling to work out of partial paralysis, he has plenty of time to wonder who regrets not striking him harder. At this point, running anywhere is a distant dream.

The confidence, determination and stamina of two alphas males will mean little if neither is willing to bend—seize the love offered—and work together to understand why they’re suddenly both marked men. Not easy for either when Archer has broken the law in the worst possible way and Conrad is the law.

Available for purchase at:

About the Author


Barbara Elsborg lives in West Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed that to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Vulcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide. After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.

Her books feature quirky heroines and bad boys, and she hopes they are much fun to read as they were to write.

http://www.barbaraelsborg.com/

Release Day Blitz & Review: HIM By Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

A new M/M title from
Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

What I thought about HIM

**Spoiler free review** 

When Ryan Wesley and Jamie Canning have a short-lived reunion four years after things got a little too close, it's clear the feelings between them haven't disappeared like magic. Wes is torn between wanting more from his friend, and knowing that Jamie could break his heart in an instant with a rejection. He believes his friend is straight.

Jamie wants to reconnect too, but his uncertainty goes deeper than Wes's. He gets to struggle with questions central to his sexual identity. It's a bit intimidating, but Jamie handles finding himself with a maturity that made me fall for him myself. I loved his interactions with Wes, his friends and family, especially how he treated his friend Holly. He's hot, he's introspective, and with Wes he finds something beautiful. 

It was easy to get invested in Wes and Jamie's happiness. I loved their story and the hockey backdrop was perfect.

I love it when an author, or in this case authors, can write characters who are so clearly unique and identifiable that the dialogue is easy to follow. The writing here is tight and I couldn't stop reading. There's just so much to enjoy in HIM -- it's a wonderful friends to lovers story that covers a lot of ground and will make you want more by the time you get to the end.  

ARC provided for review.

 

ADD to Goodreads

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​Sarina

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Elle

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ARC review: What Emma Craves (Pushing the Boundaries #3) by Amanda Abbott

What Emma Craves

Releases July 27 

It took a lot for Pete Slater to convince his wife, Emma, to move to the suburbs. But once she arrived, she found it had a deliciously steamy underbelly. Her neighborhood is filled with hook-ups, affairs, and scandal. It's better than any reality TV show.

But Emma finds she isn’t satisfied any more. After seeing Piper and Michael become adventurous again as a couple, it's made Emma realize that's what she wants in her own life. She craves to be noticed again. She decides what the two of them really need is a vacation. The STD girls throw her a travel shower, gifting her some sexy starters, and she and Pete are off to the Bahamas.

Their destination is a super exclusive resort situated on a tiny island where anything and everything can happen. When they meet a young couple at the airport, who end up in the suite next to theirs, things go from fun to incredibly steamy fast. Emma drives Pete crazy flirting, and it pays off. For the first time in their marriage her husband is jealous of another man. What Pete does to win her back turns out to be exactly what Emma craves. 

*This book is off the charts hot. It contains: explicit sex, group sex, and voyeurism.

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What I thought about What Emma Craves

In this third book in the Pushing the Boundaries series, Emma Slater is experiencing one of those dips in her marriage. Her husband doesn't seem to look at her like he once did, and sex has become unexciting.  When her husband Pete arranges a vacation at a exclusive sex resort, it becomes a question of whether they can enjoy their time there when there are many unspoken issues between them.

One thing I like about this series is the exploration of sexual lifestyles by committed adults. But it's the separation of love and sex that sometimes gets them confused too.  After years of an open lifestyle, Emma is looking for something else.  She just can't quite put her finger on it, or explain it to her husband, although she does try to.

I felt a little sorry for Pete in this, as Emma's discontent blindsides him to some extent, and he spends some of his vacation in a very agitated state.  But it all ends well, and I liked that about it too.  

This is a different sort of erotic series based on couples in committed relationships. I'm glad to see that there will be more in this series.  Amanda Abbott does a nice job of keeping up the temperature between these couples, and keeping guilt out of the equation. I like that.

ARC provided for review.  

Bio:

Amanda Abbott lives in the Midwest. She's the author of many books, both on her own and some published in New York. She loves traveling, seeing the world, and above all she loves to write. These stories have blossomed out of her pure love of all kinds of romance, but especially humor + sexy combined. Taking the question of "what if" and making it real was an absolute thrill to write. And there's more in the hopper! To keep up with new series and new releases, head to her website www(dot)authoramandaabbott(dot)com and be sure to sign-up for her newsletter!

Website: http://www.authoramandaabbott.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAAbbott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaAbbott

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13778727.Amanda_Abbott?from_search=true

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1GzfRb1

 

Two Weeks of Wolfies Blog Tour: Black Gold Review & Laird Wolf Spotlight

Blurb: 

He’s a wolf in a kilt. That pretty much says it all… 

Pulling off a rescue mission at a remote castle in Scotland should be an easy task for lone wolf Damon Black. He’ll flash some muscle, show a little Alpha power, and do whatever it takes to ease Addie MacShay’s fears. But the woman who throws herself into his arms and cries boyfriend is more intriguing than anticipated. The sexy she-wolf’s got more curves, more tantalizing scent, more of everything he desires.

Addie’s job cataloguing an estate at the Sterling-Wylde Manor is complicated by the ongoing discovery of new wills and the two creepy heirs who won’t leave her alone. But her fake boyfriend turns out to be a far greater threat—not only is he fun and flirtatious, he looks delicious in a kilt. She craves his touch, but with her empathic skills on overdrive, touch is the last thing she needs.

Damon’s fighting his unruly inner beast. Addie’s fighting their incredible sexual pull. They’ll both have to lower their guard to make this more than a Highland fling. 

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Black Gold (Takhini Wolves #1)

Lone wolf Shaun Stevens s automatic response to the words happily ever after? "Kill me now." Yet with all his friends settling down he s begun to think there may actually be something to this love-and-roses crap.

One things for sure: his dream mate will have to out-cuss, out-spit and out-hike him. So he never expected the one to push his forever button would be a blue-blooded Southern debutante with a voice as dark and velvety as her skin.

When Gemmita Jacobs steps off the plane in Whitehorse, Yukon, it s about more than her caribou research project. It s her declaration of independence from an overprotected upbringing. Except there s something in the air she can t quite define something that unexpectedly rouses her mating instincts.

Moments after their eyes lock, the deed is done and done thoroughly. When the pheromone dust settles, though, all the reasons they don t belong together become painfully clear.

It s enough to make a wolf learn a whole new set of cuss words.

My Review of Black Gold   

It's South meets North when Gem Jacobs travels to the Yukon for her research project. It's more than a project to her, it's her opportunity to prove that she can manage things on her own, away from her well-to-do wolf shifter family in the south. 

Shaun's just come out to his alpha regarding the fact that he's alone and lonely, but he's really not looking for a mate.  But when Gem arrives in town, wolf mating magic takes hold and it's clear that Shaun and Gem are destined to be wolf mates.  One problem -- Gem is planning to return south once she completes her research.  Will Shaun want to go with her?

There's some drama on the way to the research site, with the bear shifters causing all sorts of trouble, and the lure of quick money from a wolf-napping. When Gem's father arrives in the Yukon, everything between Gem and Shaun might just fall apart. 

Black Gold was an easy, pleasant sort of read that works great on an afternoon in the sun or when you want a romance with just a touch of drama.  I loved the way Vivian Arend weaved the wolf elements into this story. 

A copy of this book was provided for review.

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About the Author:

Vivian Arend in one word: Adventurous. In a sentence: Willing to try just about anything once. That wide-eyed attitude has taken her around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water.

Her optimistic outlook also meant that when challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one.  Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.

Website: www.vivianarend.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vivianarend

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vivianarend

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Review:Exposed by Brighton Walsh

Title: Exposed

Author: Brighton Walsh

Imprint: St. Martin’s Griffin

On Sale: July 21, 2015

Formats: Trade Paperback Original & eBook

Price: TPO $14.99 / eBook $9.99

ABOUT THE BOOK

Love can be lost but never forgotten.  Beautiful, sophisticated, and engaged to the son of a Senator, Evie Masterson has the perfect life. Except for one thing: it's all based on a lie. Five years ago, she created a new identity for herself and cut all ties to her criminal past. But she can't run forever, because something she witnessed years ago comes back to haunt her. And the only person there to help is the man she thought she left behind forever—the one man she's never been able to forget.

Devastatingly gorgeous and just as ruthless, Riley Everett is the criminal for hire who once stole Evie's heart. Years have gone by, but he's never been able to forget her either. Now her life is in jeopardy, and even after all this time, he'd still do anything to protect her, even if that means breaking into her mansion and stealing her away.

As they hide from the world, their long-lost passion reignites. But despite their undeniable chemistry, Evie can't give up the perfect life she's been working toward...and Riley has no part in it.

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Kobo: ||  Amazon(Canada)|| Amazon (UK) 

What I thought about Exposed

Okay, I'm not going to talk too much about the plot of this book because there's a lot of tension derived from not knowing what's going to happen, so I don't want to spoil it for anyone.  In this follow-up to Captive, Gage's brother Riley reunites with Evie, and things get serious by degree as both Riley and Evie will have to answer for their prior activities.

I really liked the chemistry between Evie and Riley.  It didn't take long for things to heat up between these two but even more, I loved the conversations they had with each other.  Okay, it's not all conversations, but the dialogue here is well done, as is the phsyical activities these two get into while in hiding.

Riley was just about perfect too -- strong and yet sensitive. Not afraid to show his emotions or say what he meant.  I (really) liked that about him.  Evie is a little more complicated, although I guessed at what it was early on in the book. But that was okay -- there was enough satisfaction in her telling her story.

Gage makes a few appearances in this, and there's a hint of Madison from the previous book, but this works very well as a standalone too. I was glad I took another look at this author because Exposed really worked well for me in terms of characters, pacing and plot.  

ARC provided for review.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brighton Walsh is a storyteller at heart. Love is her first love, and writing about it is a dream come true. When she's not overwhelmed by the incessant chatter in her mind, you can generally find her with her nose buried in a steamy book or partaking in some retail therapy in the Midwest where she lives with her own real life hero and her two energetic kids who (fortunately) know nothing about the naughty things she puts down on paper.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Brighton Walsh

Website: http://www.brightonwalsh.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writeasrain_

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Goodreads (Author Page): https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548902.Brighton_Walsh

Goodreads (Book Page): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23014703-exposed

SMP Romance

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