Monday, May 12, 2014

Special Announcement from Tracey Garvis-Graves


We are thrilled to announce that best selling author Tracey Garvis-Graves will be releasing an Adult Romantic Suspense novel this year! 

Please be sure to watch the gorgeous trailer for EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU, read the excerpt, and don't forget to add it to your reading list!

Title: Every Time I Think of You
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Release date: TBA 2014

Book Description:
Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child.

Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe.

Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before.

And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost.

Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.


TRAILER


EXCERPT

My watch said 11:00 p.m. Way too late to show up unannounced, but I knocked on Daisy’s door anyway, picturing her tip-toeing quietly to look through the peephole. It took a full minute because I’d undoubtedly roused her from a sound sleep. But then she opened the door far enough for me to cross the threshold and locked it again behind me.

The apartment was dark, save for a small beam of light that spilled into the hallway from her bedroom. As my eyes adjusted I noticed her hair. I’d never seen it down before. It fell way past her shoulders and was slightly messy, like she’d been tossing and turning in her sleep before I arrived. She wore a pair of pajama pants and a tank top with narrow straps, one of which had fallen off her shoulder.

“What is it?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“My mom died,” I said. It felt strange to say the words out loud. My voice sounded flat, unemotional.

“I’m so sorry, Brooks,” she said, but she didn’t say anything else.

I wanted something that would take away the empty, restless feeling inside of me. Something solid and real. She was standing close enough that one step was all I needed to close the gap between us. She must have taken a shower right before she went to bed because when I plunged my hands into all that hair, grabbing fistfuls and pulling her up against me, I felt the dampness and smelled the faint traces of her shampoo.

I moved my hands to the sides of her face and cupped it. She didn’t miss a beat when I pressed my lips to hers. She was probably wondering how I could possibly kiss her at a time like this, but it didn’t stop her from putting her arms around me and kissing me back like it was exactly what she needed, too.

Like the steady turn of a release valve, everything that had been bottled up inside of me escaped slowly through that kiss. I hadn’t realized how rigidly I’d been holding my body until it slackened against hers. How tightly I’d been clenching my jaw until I relaxed it to kiss her. All the tension I’d been feeling disappeared when she opened her mouth and let me in.

It was a long slow kiss, the kind that wasn’t meant to lead to anything else and was all the more powerful because of it. When I’d finally had enough I said, “I don’t know why I came. It’s late. I woke you up.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I don’t mind.”

“Go back to bed,” I whispered.

She nodded and I opened the door. “Lock this behind me,” I said, and I waited in the hallway until I heard the tumble of the lock clicking into place.




About the Author:

Tracey Garvis-Graves is the author of On the Island and Covet. She lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa with her husband, two children, and hyper dog Chloe. She blogs at www.traceygarvisgraves.com using colorful language and a snarky sense of humor to write about pop culture, silly television shows, and her suburban neighborhood. You can e-mail her at traceygarvisgraves@yahoo.com. She’d love to hear from you.

Tempting the Bodyguard by J. Lynn Release Day Launch

We are extremely excited to celebrate the release of J. Lynn's TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD!!! TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD is an Adult category romance novel being published by Entangled Publishing’s Brazen imprint and is a part of Jennifer’s Gamble Brothers Series!


Tempting The Bodyguard



 TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD Synopsis: A sexy category romance from Entangled’s Brazen imprint…

 He can protect her from everyone except himself.

 Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous.

Chandler Gamble has one rule: don't protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he's caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she's at his complete mercy.

 She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose...

   Amazon Barnes and Noble   



TTB RDL Banner 2


 

Author PhotoJennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn Bio: # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY 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, working out, 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. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Jennifer L. ArmentroutGoodreads

Novel Goodreads ** J.LynnGoodreads

Friday, May 9, 2014

5 stars for The Last Good Knight by Tiffany Reisz



I'm so excited to be part of this blog tour! Thanks to the tour host, The NOVEL TEASE and don't forget the giveaway after the review!

The Last Good Knight: An Original Sinners novella told in five parts


Part I: Scars and Stripes

It's lust at first sight when Mistress Nora encounters a sexy newcomer to The 8th Circle. She's happy for the distraction, since she left her lover, Søren, but her session with Lance is cut short when her boss, Kingsley Edge, reveals they're all in danger….




Part II: Sore Spots
With a potential stalker on the loose, Kingsley hires Lance as Nora's bodyguard, but stipulates no sex while he's on duty. Frustrated by the ex-SEAL's noble chivalry, Nora is driven to seek release with the one man she's trying to forget….




Part III: The Games Destiny Plays

Shocked to see Nora's bruises, Lance is furious that she put herself in danger and demands to know where she got them. As Nora confesses her true nature, she's equally shocked to learn that Lance has some secrets of his own, drawing them together despite Kingsley's orders….


 
Part IV: Fit to Be Tied

With her feelings for Lance warring with her recent encounter with Søren, Nora returns to Lance's bed and finds herself toying with the idea of…toying with him on a permanent basis. But after she gets a glimpse into his personal angst, Nora realizes she has the power to rescue this white knight….


 Part V: The Last Good Night

Now that the perpetrator has been apprehended, Nora sadly acknowledges she doesn't need a bodyguard anymore. She adores Lance and wants to keep him but is faced with a dilemma -- if she uses her connections to help Lance, she'll have to give him up forever…



What I thought about The Last Good Night


Oh, I loved this story!

The Last Good Knight is told in five parts and each installment picks up right where the last one ends. There’s a good dose of S
øren in this for Søren fans, but it's Nora’s and Lance’s story that sings here.


Lance shows up at The 8th Circle and Nora is immediately attracted to him. He's super sexy and submissive, and it isn't long before they end up in Nora's room.
I loved Nora and Lance together -- they complemented each other beautifully and really clicked for me.

But as Nora starts to fall for Lance and even considers a collar for him, someone lurks in the shadows, and it isn't just Søren. I've noticed he's never far away when Nora shows interest in another man.  There's a bigger threat and Lance gets hired as Nora's bodyguard, putting a little damper on their relationship.

When Nora learns something about Lance that can break them apart for good,  The Last Good Knight showcases the part of Nora that I love -- that unselfish part of herself that we’ve seen before with Griffin, and Michael and Wesley.

Each part of this was fairly short and has a lighter quality to it than the full length novels. Perfect for when you want a quick read. One of my favorite side-stories to this series.
Recommended. 

Buy Links:

Amazon: (US Links)

Part I: http://amzn.to/1fVdUvP


Part II: http://amzn.to/1eWQFnw


Part III: http://amzn.to/NMCpAK


Part IV: http://amzn.to/1iM7joW


Part V: http://amzn.to/1l2A69

Barnes & Noble:


Part I: http://bit.ly/RM6jI5


Part II: http://bit.ly/1f4uVWV


Part III: http://bit.ly/1gRvhuS


Part IV: http://bit.ly/1fqp3BX


Part V: http://bit.ly/1ifT9rr


And a giveaway too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tiffany Reisz lives with her boyfriend (a reformed book reviewer) and two cats (one good, one evil). She graduated with a B.A. in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is making both her parents and her professors proud by writing BDSM erotica under her real name. She has five piercings, one tattoo, and has been arrested twice.

When not under arrest, Tiffany enjoys Latin Dance, Latin Men, and Latin Verbs. She dropped out of a conservative southern seminary in order to pursue her dream of becoming a smut peddler. Johnny Depp’s aunt was her fourth grade teacher. Her first full-length novel THE SIREN was inspired by a desire to tie up actor Jason Isaacs (on paper). She hopes someday life will imitate art (in bed).

If she couldn’t write, she would die.


Thursday, May 8, 2014

4 stars for Protecting Portia by Pavarti K Tyler


Protecting Portia - Synopsis

This is the second of the erotic romance series of Sugar House Novellas.

Jackson Grady met the love of his life. Unfortunately, he was running drugs for a pimp named Sasha at the time, who asked him to keep an eye on their new acquisition from Russia, the bedraggled beauty named Portia. She touched his heart and forced him to confront the kind of man he’d become.

Now, Portia and Jackson both work at The Sugar House. He continuously looks out for her, and longs for her with his every breath, but knows he is unworthy of such an angel. What will Portia do to win not only the heart, but also the body, of the man she loves?

Welcome to the world of The Sugar House, and the men and women who will fulfill your every fantasy. But can they find a way to fulfill their own?

Be sure to check out the other Sugar House Novellas, starting with Sugar & Salt, already available, and ending with Dual Domination, coming in December 2014.



What I thought about Protecting Portia



Really liked this story of Portia and Jackson. He’s security at The Sugar House and she works there too. Whenever they are together, there’s heat.  He wants her.. .she wants him. But the problem is that he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her. He knows what she’s been through. He knows what sort of man he is. So Portia must convince him that she’s ready for him, and Jackson puts up a bit of a fight.

I’ve got to give Portia some credit. She finds a very creative and sexy way to encourage Jackson to get over his reluctance to touch her. In a very hot scene, Portia takes him to a special place where there is no way he can resist giving into his desires. (not going to tell you where, because it would spoil it, but it’s really a very erotic scene!)

But once the sweet glow of desire fades in the morning light, Jackson can’t quite deal with everything that happened between them, and after protecting Portia for months, he’s MIA when she needs him most. In a shocking conclusion that sets up the next book in the series, Portia shows everyone she can take care of herself, opening the door for her and Jackson to take their relationship to a new place.

I really enjoyed this title. The pacing was very good, much improved imho from the first novella in this series. I had a hard time putting this down. Maybe it was just Portia and Jackson. I loved them in the first book, and wanted more, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything worked for me here… the writing, the pacing, and the characters.

So if you are looking for an edgy slightly dark erotic romance, you might like this title. It’s a quick read with likable characters. Definitely looking forward to the next and final book in the Sugar House series, Dual Dominion.

Links:











Tuesday, May 6, 2014

5 Bright Stars for Rush by Nyrae Dawn

This new adult, male/male romance will capture the audience who fell in love with Nyrae Dawn's Games Trilogy.

For the love of the game.

Brandon Chase has always defined himself by one thing: football. Tough and athletic, he is a great college player who enjoys the hard hits and the sweaty grind of the gridiron. But when Brandon is injured, only one person can help him get back on track-a forbidden love he's desperately tried to put behind him.

Alec Andrews has never quite forgiven Brandon for walking away when their friendship turned into something more. But he can't deny help to one of his closest friends. As the two spend the long, hot summer working together, their old attraction comes flooding back.

Now as Alec thinks about coming out to his conservative family and Brandon considers revealing he's a gay football player, the two men must be strong to fight for a love that could be the greatest rush of their lives. 


What I thought about Rush



One reason I like reading New Adult titles is that these titles typically deal with a lot of “firsts” -- first love, first loss, first adult problem that isn’t easily solvable. Nyrae Dawn does an incredible job of portraying many firsts in this novel, and her love of these characters and their story really shines through in Rush.

I was hooked on this book from the very first scene. The anguish between Brandon and Alec jumped off the pages, as Brandon leaves Alec in the lurch because he can’t face his own sexuality. I loved Alec’s reaction when Brandon tells him, “I want things to be easy. I don’t wanna be different, Alec, and I don’t want to hide calls to you and pretend things are going to magically change. It’s so fucking hard to be all these different people. Maybe it’s just you. I mean, I felt attracted, but I never touched any other guy until it was you. Maybe...maybe if I don’t always have you in my mind all the time, I can move on.”

But Brandon can’t move on and some rather serious circumstances bring them back together. When they finally get to live like they want to, what follows is a wonderful story of love and awakening, as Alec and Brandon accept their feelings about each other and figure out their place in the world. I absolutely loved the way Nyrae Dawn slowly unfolds their story for the reader, touching upon so many different aspects of falling in love, coming out and just being true to yourself. Let’s put it this way -- I felt the love, too.

My heart soared when Brandon finally decides to come out to his family, only to be broken again when Alec’s father discovers the truth. And that’s not the end of it. Brandon has to decide what he’s going to do about coming out to his teammates. My heart hurt for both of them and I thought Nyrae Dawn nailed the emotions in this part of the book, especially Alec’s pulling back and his hesitancy to put his heart on the line one more time..

Even though the secondary characters don’t get a lot of page time, I liked Logan, Nate and Charlotte. It was good to know that Alec and Brandon had some support.

If I had to describe Rush in just a few words, beautiful love story comes to mind. Somehow Nyrae Dawn manages to craft this novel so that it’s all about the love. I’m still sneaking back to read parts of Rush, even though I finished it over a week ago, because there is so much beauty here, as these two men come to terms with who they are and what is in their hearts.

I think Nyrae Dawn says it best in her dedication… “Love is a beautiful thing. Love always wins.” She shows the reader just that in Rush. There is an uplifting quality to this story that just hasn’t gone away for me. Highly recommended.









 
Four Summers   P. S. You can get more Alec and Brandon in the novel, Four Summers, which covers how Alec, Brandon, Nate and Charlie met. I was so happy to find this on my ereader! 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

ARC Review: Laugh by Mary Ann Rivers


Mary Ann Rivers continues her Burnside family series—perfect for readers of Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Ruthie Knox—as two people try to share their hearts without losing their cool.

Dr. Sam Burnside is convinced that volunteering at an urban green-space farm in Lakefield, Ohio, is a waste of time—especially with his new health clinic about to open. He only goes to mollify his partner, suspecting she wants him to lighten up. Then Sam catches sight of Nina Paz, a woman who gives off more heat than a scorcher in July. Her easy smile and flirty, sizzling wit has him forgetting his infamous need for control.

Widowed when her husband was killed in Afghanistan, Nina has learned that life exists to take chances. As the daughter of migrant workers turned organic farmers, she’s built an exciting and successful business by valuing new opportunities and working hard to take care of her own. But when Sam pushes for a relationship that goes beyond their hotter-than-fire escapades, Nina ignores her own hard-won wisdom. She isn’t ready for a man who needs saving—even if her heart compels her to take the greatest risk of all: love.


What I thought about Laugh


What I liked most about Laugh was Sam. He’s a guy that pulls you in while pushing you away. He was such an ass in the previous book in this series, and Laugh made me see him in a completely different light.

When Sam meets Nina, all sorts of sparks fly between them. There is some serious heat between them from the start. Their connection is not just sexual, and Nina understand the heart of Sam in a way no one else does--it's the sort of connection that soul-mades are made of. Although she resists him for a while, it isn't long before these two are steaming up the sheets.

Sam is still Sam though, and before long he messes things up, and not just with Nina. He’s not on such good terms with his brother or sister either. I love the Burnside family dynamic in this series -- it's messy and real.

Laugh is very much Sam’s story, about his journey of understanding himself with the help of a good woman. If you’ve read Mary Ann Rivers, you know you get very close to the characters thoughts and feelings, and I loved the way that Sam worked through what he wanted in life. I could relate to his tendency to beat himself up, to be impulsive, to love his family so much that it just comes out wrong. Where he ends up at that end of this book is pure joy.

I like this series. I can’t wait for Paul’s book!

ARC courtesy of publisher and Netgalley

Thursday, May 1, 2014

ARC Review: 4 stars for Island Peril by Jill Sorenson

I just love this series! It's fun, romantic and has a good dose of action and adventure. And the good news is that Island Peril is  "free" right now on Amazon.  


Island Peril (Aftershock, #3.5)

Island Peril (Aftershock #3.5) Synopsis

Red-hot writer Jill Sorenson brought readers to the edge of their seats in Aftershock. Now they can catch the beginning of Paul and Ella's relationship in this fast-moving novella packed with danger and delight!

It started as a girls' outing to California's beautiful Channel Islands State Park. When Ella Hammond embarks on a kayaking trip with sexy adventure guide Paul Dawson, sparks fly—but so does gunfire from a boat of drug smugglers.

Now Ella and Paul are on the run, soaked and stranded in a rocky hideout. Ella feels like she'll never be warm again. Until Paul shares his body heat—igniting a fire between them that's nearly too hot to handle!

The adventure continues in Backwoods, and pick up Paul's sister's novella in Passion and Peril, both from Harlequin HQN!

What I thought about Island Peril


I just love this series and tend to eat up these stories like a box of bonbons. There's a good amount of adventure and suspense and the characters are interesting and real. Island Peril introduces the reader to some new characters in this series, Paul and Ella. Paul's sister Paige was a main character in Passion and Peril, so if you haven't read that one, I would recommend it.

Anyway, Paul is the outdoorsy type, an ocean kayaking guide. Ella is his client. They accidentally come upon some illegal activities and so the adventure begins. This story is short, just perfect for when you are between books and you want something good to read. It also is a great prelude to Backwoods, the next full book in this series.

Like all of what I've read in this series, I enjoyed Island Peril. Although its a novella, there's lots of adventure and smexy times between Paul and Ella. It made me want to go back to the beginning of the Aftershock series and read them all again.



ARC courtesy of
Harlequin HQN and NetGalley




Review: Brimstone Hollow (Annie Gore #2) by Archer Sullivan

Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard , private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow , bringing readers back to...