Blog Tour Giveaway & Feature: Cooking with Caden from The Queen by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I've got something a little different on the blog today! I'm so excited to share with you one of the most anticipated books of the summer -- The Queen by Jennifer L. Armentrout. 

I can't believe the wait is over and The Queen releases next week!  I was lucky enough to score an advanced copy and The Queen is everything you've been waiting for!  This is a terrific paranormal romance novella series with exactly what I want in a romance -- great characters who belong together, an emotional rollercoaster to the HEA in a world that is exciting and scary all at the same time! You are going to love The Queen!

Today's feature highlights two of my favorite things -- cooking and reading (not necessarily at the same time, although my e-reader is never far away) -- and The Queen has inspired this Cooking with Caden post. 

This feature post is my homage to Caden, one of the swooniest heroes in Jennifer L. Armentrout's vast repertoire of romantic male leads. 
                                                                       

 

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

The King must have his Queen....

Bestowed the forbidden Summer’s Kiss by the King of the Summer fae, Brighton Jussier is no longer just human. What she is, what she will become, no one knows for sure, but that isn’t her biggest concern at the moment. Now Caden, the King, refuses to let her go, even at the cost of his Court. 

When the doorway to the Otherworld is breached, both Brighton and Caden must do the unthinkable—not just to survive themselves, but also to save mankind from the evil that threatens the world.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

 Amazon

*Note: This is only available on Amazon for the first month,
then is available on other retailers. 

Cooking with Caden

My inspiration for this post is Caden's pet name for Brighton. I adore it when the hero has a special name for his lady, and I get all the feelz when Caden says it. His explanation for this term of endearment just make me feel all warm and gooey inside, so I'm sharing one of my family's favorite breakfast with you, renamed for this special occasion.

Caden's Sunshine Eggs

Every morning should start out with a little sunshine,
and you've probably made these eggs yourself. 

They really are quite simple, lots of fun to make and

guaranteed to put a smile on your loved ones faces!

Start with your favorite whole wheat bread

and cut out your favorite shape. I used a cookie cutter.

Since this is a Caden-inspired recipe,
there's no other choice than a heart for his Queen! 

 

Toast both sides of your bread in your favorite egg pan.  

Here's a little secret -- when it's time to put the egg in the toast -- crack it into another cup and then pour gently into the hole. This lets you control where the raw egg goes and extract any shell pieces that may be present. (note the shells in the picture -- I know what I'm talking about here!)

No one likes the shell! 

 Cook your egg to order! 
If you like sunnyside up eggs, cover and cook
until you have the consistency you like.

Or if you rather over easy eggs,
just flip the toast gently once the bottom has set. 

That's the best part about eggs,
you can cook them the way your lover likes them! 

 And it doesn't take long to get to the finished product! Ta Da!

Caden's Over-Easy Sunshine eggs with heart toast!
Add bacon bits or other breakfast meat as desired,

 and serve to your sweetheart!

  Bon Appétit
Thanks to hubby and kiddo who volunteered to
taste test this plate for this blog post!

 

 And now for the giveaway! 

Winner gets a character in a future JLA book named after them!
(Blog hosts can enter, too!)

FIVE Paperback copies of the Summer King Bundle

Open Internationally

Runs 7/6 - 7/21 (ends at 11:59PM EST on the 21st)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Blog Tour

7/6      Mom With a Reading Problem
7/7      Romance Schmomance
7/8      Red Hot + Blue Reads
7/9      Woven From Words
7/10    Of Words and Wanderers

7/13    The Book Whisperers
7/14    Gwendalyn’s Books
7/15    Heart’s Content
7/16    Book You Very Much
7/17    A Leisure Moment

7/20    The Book Brontosaurus
7/21    The Rambling Book Nerd

The Summer King Bundle 

(includes all three novellas, including The Queen)

Synopsis:
 
From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes The Summer King Bundle…

THE PRINCE

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….

THE KING

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.
 
THE QUEEN

The King must have his Queen....

Bestowed the forbidden Summer’s Kiss by the King of the Summer fae, Brighton Jussier is no longer just human. What she is, what she will become, no one knows for sure, but that isn’t her biggest concern at the moment. Now Caden, the King, refuses to let her go, even at the cost of his Court. When the doorway to the Otherworld is breached, both Brighton and Caden must do the unthinkable—not just to survive themselves, but also to save mankind from the evil that threatens the world.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Amazon Buy Link  

About the Author

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, 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, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo, six judgemental alpacas, two rude goats, and five fluffy sheep. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Author Links:

Website: www.jenniferlarmentrout.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_l_armentrout/

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/JLAandFriends/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JLArmentrout_author/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-l-armentrout

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YTN4RQ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout

Special Feature: Spotlight & Review on The Gravity Series by Sarina Bowen

I've had this series on my e-reader since earlier this year, saving it for when I knew I'd have enough time to devour all three books.  Because once I start anything by Sarina Bowen, I know my head is going to be thinking about her characters and stuck in her world long after I finish the book.  

Conquering fears and overcoming obstacles are what the stories in this series are about. Each one is a lovely romance with perfectly imperfect characters and loads of emotion. Sarina crafts these stories perfectly, too, interconnecting each book in the series so nicely, this is a 5-star series for me.
So here's more about the Gravity series, and a mini review for each book!

While the stories are interconnected, each book can be read as a standalone.

And check this out...Coming in From the Cold is free right now, and you can get the second book in the series in the Unconditional anthology for 99 cents.  What a Deal!

---

Set in Vermont, the Gravity series
follows snowsports daredevils
in the small town where they live and train.

Ski racers and snowboarders, anyone?  

He can't have her. And he can't tell anyone why.

Ski racer Dane "Danger" Hollister does not do relationships, though he keeps his reason a secret. The real-life curse he's inherited from his mother will eventually cost him everything: his place on the Olympic ski team, his endorsement income, and his ability to fly downhill at top speed.

Reluctant country girl Willow Reade meets Dane by accident. Literally. Her skidding truck forces him off the road during a blizzard. Stranded together in his Jeep as night falls, the two loneliest people in Vermont find themselves sharing more than they'd planned. And not just conversation.

Yet neither can guess how their unlikely tryst will threaten Dane's frightening secret and Willow's tentative peace with her own choices. Only mutual trust and understanding can end their pain and give them a hard won shot at love. 

What I thought about Coming in from the Cold 

Dane is a cocky downhill racer, but he carries a dark secret with him. When he meets Willow on a snowy night, she fills that empty space in him, but the big question is whether Dane can move past his "once and done" behavior when it comes to women.

Unexpected news and circumstances force Willow and Dane together, and even though Dane can be quite the s.o.b., my heart broke a bit for him when his reasons for keeping arms length from Willow are revealed. Good thing the lovely Willow has faith and understanding. I loved Dane's journey from cocky, love-em-and-leave-em sports star to where he ends up.

 

 Buy Links 
Amazon   ||  iTunes

 She's the woman he doesn't remember. He's the man she can't forget.

Bad boy Hank “Hazardous” Lazarus used to have everything: a gorgeous girlfriend, a career as a freestyle snowboarder and a spot on the US Olympic team. Nine months ago, after a bad crash in the half pipe, he woke up in the hospital, unable to move his legs. Now he’s landed there again, but gravity is not the culprit. With his family pressuring him to try a groundbreaking treatment, Hank self-medicates with too much tequila instead.

Doctor Callie Anders has the courage to restart a patient’s heart with a thousand volts of electricity, yet she’s afraid to risk her own. So she doesn’t confess to her newest patient they they met just before the accident, an encounter that he doesn’t remember. Even as their friendship develops, she won’t admit that she regrets turning down his dinner invitation, or that her heart stutters every time those inked shoulders roll through the door of the therapy department.

With another Vermont winter coming again, Hank needs a hand out from under the avalanche of his disappointments. If only Callie were brave enough to take the job.

This book is a standalone novel, no cliffhangers, no prior experience necessary.

What I thought about Falling from the Sky

When we meet Hank "Hazardous" Lazarus, he's a cocky snowboarder, a risk junkie, someone that probably wouldn't give Dr. Callie Anders a second look.  But his life is about to get turned upside down after a serious accident ends his career. 

Dr. Callie Anders is a good girl, works hard, and genuinely cares for her patients and her friends. But her heart has been beat up when she catches her live-in boyfriend in compromising position, forcing her to put up some serious walls around her heart to protect herself.

When their two worlds collide, things are touch and go. Callie's definitely attracted to Hank, and Hank is interested in Callie, but they both have some emotional baggage to get over before they can make a go of it. 

I think it's awesome when love stories develop gradually, until the chemistry between the two parties just won't be denied.  In Falling from the Sky, both Hank and Callie have to get over their fears of rejection if they have any chance of making it work, and it takes a little convincing to get there.  That was a fabulous part of this story.  It's the obstacles that make the love story so very satisfying.

Buy Links

Amazon  |  iTunes

Check out this deal! 

Unconditional:A Love without Limits Anthology

(includes Falling from the Sky and priced at 99 cents) 

  

For one night she had everything.

Pro snowboarder Stella Lazarus has always loved her brother's best friend. But the one time she tried to show him, she was shot down faster than you can say "competitor disqualified."

Until one blissful night in Tahoe, when Stella finally gets her man.

Or does she? In the morning, Stella and Bear wake up to horrible news. The sort that sends them racing back to Vermont, and straight into the arms of guilt and family obligations.

For all of Bryan “Bear” Barry’s life, three natural laws held true: his best friend Hank was destined for greatness, Hank’s sister Stella was off-limits, and Bear would always manage to negotiate the rocky paths that life threw his way. In the space of two days, that’s all shattered.

Bear can't believe he slipped up so badly with Stella. Even if his best friend wasn’t lying broken in a hospital bed, it would still be unforgivable. Determined to do better, he devotes himself to his friend's recovery, denying himself the very person he loves. And the very thing he needs.

What I thought about Shooting for the Stars

I love the stories in this series, but there is something about Shooting for the Stars that has me picking this one as my favorite (not an easy choice!)  

Stella just wants to race but her parents aren't exactly supportive.  They have some good reasons to feel that way, but Stella is determined.  She's also determined to try to get her brother's friend Bear to realize that they could have something special together.  

There's a lot of longing between Bear and Stella, although Bear doesn't really show it.  When they do get together, it's a very happy moment.

I loved Bear's commitment to his friends, and how he also considered them his family.  Hank's reaction to finding out just what's been going on between his best friend and his sister is priceless, and the series wraps up with such a wonderful moment, I had tears in my ears.  So yeah, loved this one a lot, and really this entire series is on my "re-read" list.

Buy Links

Amazon  || iTunes

 

About the Author

Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Vermont's Green Mountains with her family, six chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

http://www.sarinabowen.com/

https://instagram.com/sarina.bowen/

https://twitter.com/SarinaBowen

https://www.pinterest.com/sarinabowen/

https://plus.google.com/112499013400740482133/posts

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