Saturday, May 31

*** Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway *** Crane by Stacey Rourke


Title: Crane
Author: Stacey Rourke
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publication Date: 26th May 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links:  Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA B&N Kobo Smashwords
Book Trailer: Trailer 






Synopsis 


The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.


But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?



Excerpt 1 

The plush terry cloth robe slipped from Ireland’s shoulders with a whispering caress before pooling in a heap around her ankles. Marble tiles chilled her bare feet as she stepped into the walk-in shower. The tips of her fingers slid across stainless steel. With a flick of her wrist, the trio of showerheads flowed to life. Welcoming heat came at her from all angles, pulsating over her curves with a rhythmic seduction. Ireland turned, a groan escaping her as the streams massaged all the right places. Steam rose, fogging the handle and creating a cloud of humidity that hugged her frame. Tipping her head back, she let the droplets rain down on her face and across her closed lids. Her lips parted, welcoming the rush of warmth that flooded between them. Until it assaulted her tongue with a rush of coppery warmth that clamped her throat shut with a wretched heave. Her hands cupped to catch the droplets, her eyes widening as thick crimson pooled in her palms, seeping between her ivory fingers. Formerly white tiles were now smattered and smeared with blackish-red gore that sprayed from the nozzles. Ireland threw herself from the shower, her feet slipping beneath her. She reached out to steady herself, but found nothing to hold on to. Nothing there to pull her back from the brink, except her own need for self-preservation … and a shadowed silhouette in the corner. Instinctively, she covered herself with her arms. Squinting, she craned her neck to see the figure that was slowly turning to face her.

“Mason?” Her voice echoed around her before she could even speak it.

He stared straight ahead with fixed, unseeing eyes. Blood trailed down his face from various points of origin, soaking the front of his shirt. “Cloak of night, brings Horseman’s plight. His pricy toll, will be a soul.”

“Mason? Are you okay?”

A hard blink and his eyes found focus on her. A desperate panic flared his nostrils, forcing his breath to come fast and ragged. “Help me, you have to help me,” he pleaded, his teeth pink with the blood that streamed past his lips.

Her trembling hand reached for him, then recoiled at her own inept state of confusion. “H-how? What do I do?”

“You have to save us,” Mason’s words became more garbled by the fresh rush of gore that bubbled up the back of his throat. His once handsome face contorted in rage. Leaning forward he balled his fists and screamed with a force that bulged the tendons of his neck, “Save us!”





About the Author


RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013
Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.



Follow the author at these links

Thursday, May 29

***REVIEW & GIVEAWAY*** Sweet Destruction by Paige Weaver


Title: Sweet Destruction
Author: Paige Weaver
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links:  Amazon






Synopsis 



There’s a fine line between love and hate and they were about to cross it.

My name is Samantha Ross and this is my life.

I existed in a world that few know. Rundown trailers and crime-ridden streets were my home. Drugs and alcohol were the norm and happiness was the exception. I lived from day to day never knowing if I would have a roof over my head or food in my stomach. My life sucked. It took from me and gave nothing back.

But there was one certainty in my life. A black smudge on my window of hell.
*****
Cole Walker.

He was a criminal. A thief. He brought hell and damnation with him wherever he went. He hurt and destroyed. He took and gave nothing in return. He was heartache and despair wrapped up in a perfect gorgeous package. Fast cars and fast women were his hobbies. His vices. But he had many.

I was one of them.

I was his addiction and his craving. His enemy on this earth. I feared him. I hated him. I loved him even more.


My Review



In life, sometimes things aren't as they seem. Sometimes you act one way and feel another to protect those closest to you.

Hate vs. Love.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between the two. Is it possible to love someone so much you hate them? Well in the case of Samantha and Cole Walker the answer is yes. So much so they don’t even realize it.

I thought he was an asshole and he probably thought I was a bitch, but for some reason, we wanted each other. It didn’t make sense.

This is a story of two kids born into a life of broken down homes and drugged up or alcoholic parents who do what they have to do to survive.

Cole Walker wasn’t a bad kid but losing his mom and growing up with an abusive drunk dad doesn’t really give him a great outlook on life. Then one day he moves to a crappy trailer park and meets a Bentley and his little sister Samantha. His life was never the same after that.

Sam and her brother Bentley are all each other has. Their dad walked out on them and their mom is too worried about her next high or next score to pay any attention. Then one day Cole Walker moved into the neighborhood and their lives were changed forever.

Cole and Bentley quickly became best friends and Sam, being the little sister with an overprotective big brother was never far away. The three of them would do anything for each other even if it meant breaking the law.

Cole was sick of seeing Sam so hungry that her bones would show far more than they should. He couldn’t stand to see her sick and not have the medicine to make her better. Cole couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to Sam so he sets out on a life of crime to provide what little he could for his best friend’s little sister.

Nothing could break the three of them apart until one night the life of crimes gets the best of them and they are forced apart.

Mistakes were made and debts were paid. Through it all Cole Walked learned one thing. Samantha Ross needed to stay as far away from him as possible. He was a lowlife loser who would just bring her down and she deserved better than a criminal reject like him.



In Sweet Destruction we get bits and pieces to their childhood and teen years. Through it we can see and feel the connection Cole and Sam have with each other. But stubbornness and self-loathing always win out so they can never get past the hate they have come to feel for each other.

But their connection is just too strong and eventually they break. Desperate for each other in a way they never thought possible they set to explore the crazy feelings that are between them. And let me tell you… it’s freaking HOT! I’m serious, like the sexy scenes between Sam and Cole are off the charts. I don’t know if it’s the whole forbidden romance thing or what but damn… this book left me wanting to take a cold shower…more than once.



Sam is desperate for love. She wants it all and she thinks she might just want it all with Cole. But Cole can’t love. Never has and doesn’t know how.

This is a great story that will show the lengths one will go to in order to protect the ones they care about. Sometimes it takes a tragic event to open your eyes and see what has always been in front of you. But what happens when it comes times to choose…your life for theirs?

The first fifty percent of this book went pretty slow for me. I loved the story line but during the first half both Cole and Sam concentrated too much on their shit living conditions and their low self-worth. It got a bit repetitive for me. But just after fifty percent the book took off. I loved it. I loved the relationships between the three characters- especially Cole and Samantha.

I loved the ending but it left me wondering if there is going to be a second book or not. Definitely a possibility. Maybe a spin off with Bentley? That would be amazing. Bentley was a great friend and an awesome (but extremely over protective) brother!

Oh and… COVER LOVE. I love that it’s different. It’s sweet yet dark. It’s not you’re the same old typical cover with the bad boy on it. It’s perfect!





★★☆ 4 Stars ☆★★

Reviewed by Alissa Evanson



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About the Author





Paige Weaver’s first passion has always been reading. Many hours of her childhood were spent getting lost between the pages of a book, disappearing into other worlds. That turned into a love for writing at a young age. Her first book, Promise Me Darkness, became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller quickly after being released.

Paige lives in Texas with her husband and two children. When she's not writing or reading, you can find her chasing her kids around and living her very own happily ever-after.



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2 ecopies of Sweet Destruction
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***BLOG TOUR, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY*** Tease (The Ivy Chronicles 2) by Sophie Jordan

Title: Tease (The Ivy Chronicles 2) 
Author: Sophie Jordan
Genre: Romance
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links:  
Part 1 Amazon 
Part 2 Amazon
Part 3 Amazon
Full Book Amazon
Full Book B&N





Synopsis 


A young college woman gets schooled in life, sex, and love in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s sizzling New Adult romance series—where three Ivy League suite-mates testing their boundaries as they seek higher knowledge of just how far they can go.
A born flirt and good-time party girl, Emerson has never had a problem finding a willing guy. She’s always chosen her hook-ups carefully, and she's never broken her three cardinal rules:
Never let them see the real you.
Never fall in love.  
Always leave them begging for more.
Then comes Shaw. A hotty from the wrong side of the tracks, he’s immune to her flirtatious banter and come-hither smile. After rescuing her from a disastrous night at a biker bar, he doesn’t even try to take her to bed—he calls her a tease and sends her home instead. Unable to resist a challenge, or forget the sexy dark-eyed bad-boy biker, she vows to bring him to his knees.
But instead of making Shaw beg, she finds herself craving him. For the first time in her life, she’s throwing out her rulebook. Suddenly, she’s the one panting for a guy she can’t control. A guy who won’t settle for anything less than the real Emerson, who forces her to do things she’s never imagined, including facing a past she thought she'd buried.
A guy who just might leave her wanting more . . .

My Review


Emerson AKA "Tease" is a girl who doesn't do boyfriends and has to be in control of her hookups. 
Emerson puts on a persona that she's a bad girl. Due to a horrible past with her family that's how she chooses to come off as.


Until she meets the hot biker Shaw.

Shaw sees through her and is intrigued to get to know her. Emerson does what she does best and tries to push Shaw away and run, but Shaw fights back just as hard and has Emerson scrambling because she loses all control around him.



Shaw is a very patient and smart man. You can't help but to swoon over him! He slowly breaks Emerson's walls down and sees who she really is. Emerson is exposed and she is confused with her feelings for Emerson. No man has ever cared about her or her feelings. Usually they want to hook up and leave and she was fine with that. But with Shaw she started to see hope.



I loved there banter between one  another and I loved how Shaw would tell her like it is.

He was real with her. Shaw has a alpha, possessiveness about him when it comes to Emerson and I fell more in love with him more!:)



There is a surprise during the story and I was like Really???

Also you learn why Emerson is the way she is.

The next book in the series is going to be about Georgia, Emerson's best friend and roommate!

 I look forward to reading it!



★★☆ 3.5 Stars ☆★★


Reviewed by Ashley Lenderman





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About the Author



Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.

Follow the author at these links

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Wednesday, May 28

***BLOG TOUR, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY*** That Man Series by Nelle L'Amour




Title: That Man 1
Author: Nelle L’Amour
Genre: Erotica/Romance
Publication Date: April 11, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon



Synopsis 

There’s a new beautiful player in town…

Blake Burns, the sexy head of SIN-TV, who goes through women like some go through water. Until he meets Jennifer McCoy, his outspoken new assistant and development executive.

Newly engaged Jennifer has no idea that her devastating new boss is the man she kissed, blindfolded, in a game of Truth or Dare. That kiss, that man, that beautiful stranger she cannot forget.

Blake hasn’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss either…and he’ll do anything to win Jennifer —even if it means being a beautiful bastard and breaking all the rules.










My Review


Can a simple game of Truth or Dare at a bar with some friends help you to realize that your stuck in a lack luster relationship? Can a panty-dropping kiss with a stranger while blindfolded make you question your newly engaged status? Surely it’s just a fluke that all you can think about now is That Man. That Man, who you kissed in a silly dare, That Man, who unbeknownst to you happens to be your new boss!

If your name is Jennifer McCoy then the answer is a resounding YES!


Nothing like a good ol’ game of truth or dare to grab your attention. Not to mention the searing kiss that follows said game. Question: What do you do when the girl who laid a boxer brief droppin’ kiss on you the night before while blindfolded at a bar just happens to be your new hire? Not to mentioned she’s engaged? Yes, the same girl who you can’t stop thinking naughty thoughts about? Umm, well if you’re Blake Burns, you ELIMINATE THE COMPETITION! 
So bring on operation “dickwick”.

This was my first time reading a Nelle L’Amore book, and I can say that I absolutely enjoyed the many laugh out loud moments and witty, read between the line sexual innuendoes. I often found myself grinning ear to ear. Especially at Blake and some of his dirty thoughts. He is just yummy! Who knew that a Shabbat dinner could be so funny?

A big plus for me is the story being told from a duel point of view, I enjoyed hearing the inner dialogue of both Blake and Jenn. Blake’s thoughts are so funny, add to that his dirty dirty mind, and you’ve got a recipe for hotness! I constantly found myself just wanting him to unleash is inner alpha upon Jennifer over and over.

That being said, I had to keep reminding myself that this is a story being told in three books. There were times when I felt it was lagging and needed some sexing up! But as the book progressed so did the sizzle between the characters. I really needed these to just finally get it on, but of course… they don’t! So, we are left until book 2 to see if Blake can pull off Operation “Dickwick". Eliminate the competition, and FINALLY get into not only Jenn’s pants but her heart.

As for the books ending we are left with a doozy of a cliffy to add on top of our mounting sexual frustration!


★★ 3.5 Stars ★★



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Title: That Man 2
Author: Nelle L’Amour
Genre: Erotica/Romance
Publication Date: March 18, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon



Synopsis

The romantic tension between Blake Burns and Jennifer McCoy heats up in this highly anticipated sequel to THAT MAN 1.
Still engaged to her college boyfriend, Jennifer finds herself more and more attracted to her sexy as sin boss yet has no clue he’s that man she kissed blindfolded in a game of Truth or Dare. Unable to suppress her feelings, she wonders: is fantasizing about your boss a form of cheating?
Meanwhile, Blake, a player who’s never had a relationship, has no clue how to get to first base with Jennifer. Determined to prove that her fiancé, Bradley Wick, DDS, is a dweeb and definitely the wrong man for her, he puts Operation Dickwick into full force. No holds barred.
An unforgettable weekend in Vegas and an unexpected discovery change the game for both of them—for better and for worse.
The THAT MAN trilogy concludes with steamy and suspenseful THAT MAN 3, coming in April 2014

My Review

Book 2 in the That Man trilogy picks right up where we left off. Just as it seems our little Tiger has found herself in one scary situation with a hella sleazy producer…here comes Mr. Yummy…Thatman! Blake arrives in the nick of time, saving his ladylove from what could have been a very traumatic event. All I could think was, thank goodness for a Jenn obsessed Blake, who just had to see her (this cliffhanger drove me crazy!)

I loved the tenderness Blake showed toward Jenn in the pages following the attack. I was really hoping this would be the catalyst to make Jenn own up to her feelings for Blake. But that would be way too easy! Thus, resulting in Blake’s “operation dickwick” being put in full effect.
  
I love Blake in this book, he is constantly being a dirty bird and I love it! His inner dialogue is always so witty and usually involves Jenn in a compromising sexual act or position. I had so many laugh out loud moments especially when Jenn asks him simple questions that result in Blake thinking up some very dirty responses and requests. I have to acknowledge the skill it takes a writer to be able to include humor all the while building the sexual tension and not overshadowing the romance with humour.

As the book progressed we started to see the chemistry between Jenn and Blake Snap, Crackle, and Pop! In Vegas I started thinking Yay! Finally! Their gonna do it! 
But NO, THEY DON’T!! They had so much fun and were all flirty flirts. It’s at this point I feel the sexual tension oozing off the pages, and I just need these two together already!

After what feels like forever Blake gets the break he needs in operation “dickwick”! And sometime later...Mission accomplished, Bam! No more engagement ring!

After my original thinking that a catalyst for change in Jenn's feelings would be Blake's heroic act, I discovered that I had completely underestimated the power of Mistletoe. Oh Mistletoe, how I abso-friggin-lutely love your capabilities to bring people together! 
Yeah! Finally! 
With the help of another panty dropping kiss and Blake's important revelation, 
“Yeah, tiger. I’m that man”, we get some super hot SEX!!! 
Blake’s POV during these scenes are sooo hot! 
Way to go “Blakemeister!”


“Let’s get out of here, I think you need to be more than kissed.”


But of course after not one, not two but three orgasms, Jenn has to go and let her big brain get in her way of finally giving herself over completely to Blake.

“This is all wrong. You’re my boss.”

“Blake, it’s just a onetime thing. A fluke. I’m vulnerable. You caught me on the rebound.”

Nooooo! And of course the books ends with Blake and Jenn headed for separate Christmas holidays after an awkward exchange at the office the next day!

“Enjoy your holiday, Mr. Burns.”


Ahhh!  I need book 3 now!!!!!!!!!!!


★★ 4 Stars ★★


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: That Man Book 3
Author: Nelle L’Amour
Genre: Erotica/Romance
Publication Date: May 15, 2014
Add to: Goodreads 
Purchase Links: Amazon


Synopsis 

The steamy and suspenseful conclusion to the bestselling THAT MAN trilogy!

Let’s cut to the chase. A sweet little Midwestern girl with a dimpled smile had shown me there was a connection between my cock and my heart. She was in my bloodstream bringing them together. Making me feel emotions and sensations I’d never felt with anyone.
~
The Kiss had changed everything. The painting had turned my heart upside down and torn me apart. I could no longer deny my feelings. I missed him for only one reason. I was in love.
~
Blake and Jennifer finally succumb to their passion and are unable to get enough of one another. A shocking discovery, however, threatens to pull them apart. And danger looms.

Will the two of them survive an outside force that promises to bring their love to a cruel and tragic end?








My Review

After being forced to spend some time a part from Jenn, (her choice, not his) we pick up in book 3 with a sulky and miserable Blake on Christmas vacation skiing alone. Despite being miserable he still manages to be his usual funny self.

            OMG! Right from chapter 1 Blake is hilarious! Umm, did he just have a conversation with his dick? Yes, yes he did. It was so funny I read it over twice!

Blake quickly decides he’s had enough of this separation and takes matters into his own hands. He packs up, rents a car and heads out in a Blizzard on Christmas Eve to go get his girl.
The reunion between Blake and Jenn is so sweet! Jenn has been just as miserable without Blake that seeing him is the best present ever. Finally, we see these two characters come together and confess their love for the other!

“Meaning. I’m fucking in love with you, Jennifer McCoy.”

“And. That’s why I’m here. You’re my world, baby. You’re everything to me. Everything.”

Holy swooning at this long awaited reunion! Could Blake be anymore hot?

            Between I love you’s and orgasms at the dinner table, I was completely hooked on this book by chapter 2! I know I had felt that there were parts in the last two books where the story lagged, but man let me tell you this book makes up for it in spades!

I could not get enough! As the chapters progress we are witness to so many hot and dirty sex scenes that I was blushing and gushing! Who knew eggs could be so good? Being written in duel POV only makes reading this book better, I love reading both perspectives, it only adds to the hotness of the scenes and L’Amour keeps in perfect character while writing both Blake and Jenn’s views.

Again, L’Amour easily keeps the perfect balance of sexual innuendos, hot hot sex and laugh out loud moments. Page after page their chemistry grew and they were perfect! I found myself happy that Blake and Jenn were finally getting the relationship I was wishing them to have.

I’ve spent so much time being a Blake fangirl that I need to mention Jenn’s character. She’s great too, I think she is strong and independent and gives back to Blake just as good as he gives to her. I liked watching her self-image and confidence bloom in the series. With Blake’s constant need for her and the sexy things he says to her, how could she not be confident? Best of all, she was never annoying or clingy, which are things I can’t stand about in a heroine.

Pancakes…mmm pancakes, I will never look at pancakes and maple syrup again the same for the rest of my life! Holy sizzling hotcakes!!!! Hottest kitchen sex scene I have EVER read (and I have read a lot of books).

Of course not all things can stay perfect in the story, stupid Blake completes operation “dickwick” but forgets to delete some important info, and of course Jenn has to find it! Thus, causing some separation time and drama for him and Jenn. Then there’s the return of the super sleazy producer Don Springer. But after everything is said and done we are given the Happy Ever After we, the reader and Blake and Jenn deserve.

I abso-friggin-lutely recommend this series!



★★☆ 5 sexy shmexy stars ☆★★




Reviews by Gillian Grybas


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About the Author

Nelle L’Amour is a former executive in the entertainment and toy industries with a prestigious Humanitus Award to her credit. While she gave up playing with Barbies a long time ago, she still enjoys playing with toys with her husband. She aspires to write juicy stories with characters that will make you both laugh and cry and stay in your heart forever.

Her other books include the erotic romance series, Seduced by the Park Avenue Billionaire and the highly acclaimed erotic love story, Undying Love.




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