Friday, January 16, 2015

Blog Tour ~ Dirty Ties by Pam Godwin


Revenge.
I race to finance it.
I evade to protect it.
I kill to attain it.
I planned everything.

Except her.
The alluring, curvaceous blonde at the finish line.
With sapphire eyes that cheat and lie.
Whose powerful family murdered mine.

I hate her.
I want her.

I know she’s hiding something.
But so am I.

Release Day → January 12th, 2015






My Review
Even though Kaci is married, she longs for love. Logan is dead set on revenge, but will the discovery of Kaci change his plans?
Throttle your engines and hold on for a hot sexy ride. A thrilling mystery. Who’s the man on the bike and why does he turn Kaci on? She has so much to lose, but she can’t stop herself from wanting him, wanting anyone to hold her at night. To be ‘her person’.
Revenge. That’s what drives him. He needs to bring down the empire that killed his mother and so many other innocent people.
Complicated, intense. Dirty & sexy! Grabbed me from the first chapter. I really got into this book. It’s something new for me, the sexy motorcycle driver and the ‘older’ executive woman. Kaci & Logan light up the pages with their chemistry. They put me on the edge of my seat…..wanting to know what came next for them. It had me guessing at every turn. Even up to the very end it’s packed with twists and turns.  And WOW! There is some super serious sexy time happening here.  
How was this story going to play out? Were they willing to sacrifice everything they have achieved and their goals to be together? Can they trust their secrets to each other?
Theirs are the dirty ties that bind. 


 Addicted


Excerpt
He knelt over my attacker, his strength visible in the stretch of the jacket over his back and shoulders. His helmet cocked, angled in my direction. “I had this.”
Oh my God, his voice. Okay, it was definitely synthesized, his timbre humming with an electronic overlay, but it was deep and gravelly and so goddamned sexy.
Pull yourself together, Kaci. He was far more dangerous than the man who just attacked me.
“Get out of here.” I nodded to the street behind me, and as if on cue, another squad car zoomed by. “I’ll hold him until you’re gone.”
What was I saying? I didn’t want him to leave.
I thought I heard a chuckle, but couldn’t be sure with the whine of sirens and exhaust pipes. He looked back at my attacker, swung an arm, and knocked him out. Damn. Okay, that worked too.
I lowered the gun. “You won the race?”
“Of course.” He rose and erased the distance between us in three strides.
My nerves shivered, overloaded and amped up, and oh God, he was just standing there, heating the air around me, staring at me. What did he want? I opened my mouth to spew a gushing thank you.
He snatched the gun from my hand.
What the? “Give that ba—”
He lifted my chin and stroked a gloved finger over the nicks on my throat. Each caress irritated the cuts, but I didn’t want him to stop. He raised the finger in front of my visor, blood soaking the leather tip. “Have you learned your lesson?”
His voice reverberated through me, and my knees weakened. Even with the electronic distortion, he sounded pissed.
My heart panted, and a throb swelled, hot and needy, between my legs. All because of a pissed-off synthesized voice? I might’ve just swallowed my self-respect, but I couldn't help it. My body had one mission, and that mission vibrated against me like he wanted to tear me in half. Damn me to hell, but my inner muscles clenched at the thought.
I touched my throat and flinched at the bite of pain. “It’s just a scratch.”
The reflection of my helmet in his visor wavered as he shook his head. He gazed down on me as if he were…considering something? God, I wished I could see his face, his eyes.
His finger returned to my throat, trailed a path beneath my chin, lifting it and catching on the edge of the helmet. He tugged it, like he wanted to rip off the shield and see my eyes, too. “Get on your bike, sweetheart.”
He flicked the safety on the gun and gripped my shoulders, turning my body to face the bike. Both bikes. His and mine side-by-side. Oh, how I loved the sight of that.
His fingers touched my hip, slipping beneath my jacket to stroke my bare skin. I trembled against the brush of his glove, until he opened his mouth. “This is your last race.”
The temperature in my helmet rose by ten degrees, and my cheeks inflamed. I glared at him over my shoulder. “Excuse me?”
Smack. A stinging jolt of fire rippled over my ass, and I shuffled forward. He fucking hit me! I placed my hands on the bike’s seat, and unbidden, a grin took hold of my face. He fucking spanked me.

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.

Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.

Cover Reveal ~ A Stone in the Sea by A.L. Jackson



We are excited to share the cover of this brand new series by A.L. Jackson

A Stone in the Sea will Release on Feb 23



He wanted nothing at all…


Until he found she had everything to give…

Sunder lead singer and guitarist Sebastian Stone has everything—fans, fame, and fortune. He also has a heart full of bitterness and a reputation for a short-fused temper. But an outward reputation rarely reveals the true man inside. Facing assault charges after trying to protect his younger brother, Sebastian is sent to Savannah, Georgia to lie low until the dust settles in L.A.

Shea Bentley is beautiful, kind, and hiding from the very lifestyle Sebastian has always embraced.

When the mysterious, tattooed stranger begins hanging out at the bar where she works, Shea is quick to recognize he is nothing but trouble, but she's helpless to the way her body lights up every time his intense gray eyes tangle with hers.

They both soon find themselves drowning in a sea of desire and passion that won’t let them up for air.


Sebastian knows firsthand secrets never die, and he’s not the only one who’s hiding them.

Loving someone always comes with a price. But will it be Shea’s past that costs them everything?







Get a first look at A Stone in the Sea with Chapter 1 & 2 revealed on these blogs:




Nose Stuck in A Book



a Rafflecopter giveaway



A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including If Forever Comes, Pulled and When We Collide, as well as the New Adult Romance Come To Me Quietly due out January 7, 2014. 

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves. 





Wednesday, January 14, 2015

YA Wednesday! Author Series ~ Nikki Jefford




Nikki Jefford loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. Books, travel, TV series, hiking, writing and motorcycle riding are her favorite escapes. She loves meeting people from all walks of life, from around the globe, and wouldn’t trade her French husband in for anyone – not even Spike!


She’s a third generation Alaskan, born & raised in Anchorage, now living in Northern Washington. Crazy about her dog, Cosmo. (Writer’s best friend.) The dark side of humanity fascinates her, so long as it's balanced by humor and romance.

Her favorite TV heroines are Buffy, Veronica Mars, and Dr. Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan.

Stay in the new release loop by joining Nikki’s email list: http://www.nikkijefford.com/p/email-s...
 

 
 
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter
 
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter (#1)
 
Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2)
 
Stakeout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2.5)
 
Evil Red (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2.6)
 
Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #3)
 
Coming in March
Hunting Season (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #4)
 
 
 
 
Spellbound
 
Spellbound Holiday Set (#1-3)
 
Holiday Magic (A Spellbound Christmas Story)
 
 



Coming Soon






Nikki, I am a HUGE fan of your work.
 
Thank you, Amber. I'm a huge fan of anyone who reads! J

 

1.      When did you start writing and how did you first publish?
 

I handwrote my first novel in fifth grade. I used one of those 120 page ruled spiral notebooks and filled the entire thing (front & back).
 
Entangled (Spellbound Trilogy #1) was self-published in February 2012 on Amazon and the other big online book sellers via Smashwords. Since then, I started publishing directly to sites like Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play and iBooks.

 
I really enjoy YA fantasy and you write some of my favourites.

2.    Are you a huge fantasy fan? Would you ever consider writing contemporary?
 

That is music to my ears. J I am a HUGE fantasy fan! Total addiction that began with books like Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and Matilda by Roald Dahl. And movies like: The Never Ending Story, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Princess Bride, Legend, The Secret of NIMH, Ladyhawke and The Last Unicorn.
 
I’m open to other genres. I read and watch a range of subjects. I have 15,000 words of a contemporary romance novel and even purchased the cover a couple years ago, but fantasy is my first love. If I hit a lull or need a break between series, I’ll revisit that project.

 
3. What does your writing process look like?
I know for your latest book in the Aurora Sky series you wrote a product but then decided to start over. I find that really admirable. How has that process been?
 

Movies are filmed out of order. Likewise, my best novel writing takes place when I write the scenes I’m most excited about first then go from there. For example, one of the first scenes I wrote in Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 1 (now free!) was the public bus—hot kiss—scene between Aurora and Fane. That and her initiation as a vampire hunter. They were both incredibly tense—one sexually, the other a life and death situation. Completing those got me pumped and excited about the book and characters. They were defining moments that helped set the overall tone of the novel.
 
More recently, I began writing books chronologically and—ironically—the process hasn’t gone as smooth.
 
As you know, the last Aurora Sky book (Hunting Season, Vol. 4 – now available for pre-order) got out from under me. I wrote the entire novel… then rewrote nearly the whole thing again from scratch.
 
Despite the financial loss and blow to my confidence, I am grateful I wasn’t locked into a release date and could take the time to start fresh, reconnect with the characters and get them back on track.

 
4. If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your books, who would play your characters?
I can't wait to hear your answers on this!!! :)
 

This isn’t all going to be age appropriate, but I’m sure Hollywood can do their thing with makeup.
 
Aurora Sky – Adelaide Kane (I just started watching Reign about Mary, Queen of Scots on NetFlix and am impressed with Adelaide Kane. She has an air of naivety and kindness, yet is unrelenting when push comes to shove).
 
Dante – Chris Pratt (I could not stop thinking about Dante when I saw Christ Pratt as Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy. They have that same goofy, headstrong nature. They even like to sing fun songs. And he looks like the clean-cut, hottie poster boy.)
 
Fane Donado – Can we resurrect James Dean? So far I haven’t come across any actors who remind me of Fane. Maybe there’s some undiscovered new talent out there. ;) 
 
Noel Harper – Lucy Hale
 
Valerie Ward – Isla Fisher (She has the red hair! I’ve never seen Fisher play a mean part, but she’s got the right look and I’m a fan and I’m sure she could pull Valerie off!)

 
I really love romance but I really gravitate toward YA romance novels.
5. How hard is it to write romance?
 

I’m also a romance buff. Writing the romantic bits is the most fun part of the process. They’re my favorite scenes to read and write so long as lives are at stake and/or the world is falling apart. I have A.D.D. big time, which is probably why I’ve never gotten into contemporary romance. The only thing that seems to be keeping couples apart in contemporary romance is poor communication, social status, jobs, and/or family dynamic. It’s very formulated. I like to be surprised.

 
 Speaking of romance you write one of my favourite book boyfriends and my favourite vampire of all time, FANE!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. What inspired FANE?
 

Killer! I am so happy to hear that. Fane was inspired by Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I fell for him, HARD, during a back-to-back, binge-watching Buffy marathon in 2011. Then the series was over and no more Spike!
 
I was at a low point in my life—getting old and going nowhere kind of thing. Joss Whedon reminded me of why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place. He inspired me to put the ideas I thought were too “outlandish” to paper. That the sky was the limit.
 
For over a decade, I’d tried to be a literary writer, then a historical romance writer. When I returned to my first love: fantasy, the world unfolded before me. It was life altering.
 
As for Fane, he helped get me through Spike withdrawals.

 
7. Out of all the characters you write who is the most like you? Who is the least like you?
 

Probably Graylee Perez from the Spellbound Trilogy. She puts a lot of focus and energy on magic (her passion), the way I’m focused on writing. It can get in the way of personal relationships and come across single-minded. But if someone she cares about is in trouble, she’ll drop everything in a heartbeat and fight to the death. We’re also both food obsessed. Aurora doesn’t care about food. Gray and I are chocoholics who love yummy, bready things. We both leap before we look, which leads to adventure and misadventure. We enjoy language and world travel—though I love the French language, which Gray doesn’t. She’s into Spanish. I’m a Francophile all the way, including a French husband I met and married in France!
 
On the flip side, the character least like me is Gray’s twin sister, Charlene Perez. I’ve never come close to being suicidal over a boy. I can’t stand selfish, shallow behavior. She does horrible, murderous things for her own benefit with no remorse. She makes Valerie Ward from the Aurora Sky series look like an angel in comparison.

 
8. What writing advice do you have for aspiring writers?
 

Read at least 50 books a year.
Watch TV series and pay attention to characters and plotlines that grab your attention and keep you hooked. (How can you recreate this effect in your writing?)
Write! At least a few times a week.
Jot down notes, bits of dialogues—whatever comes to mind—in a notebook.
Edit! Nothing comes out perfect the first time. Keep working on your craft and find beta readers who can give you honest and insightful feedback.

 
9. What are some of your favourite YA reads/authors?
 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
John Green! (Big love!)
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Grimoire Saga by S.M. Boyce
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 
10. What do you have in the works next?
 

Something I'm super mega excited about: Losing It – a collection of never before published sex scenes from 20 bestselling YA authors. We’re taking fade to dark scenes from previously published YA series and revealing what went on behind closed doors.
 
Heather Hildenbrand and I organized this collection and it’s been interesting to see the reactions. It pushes a lot of writers outside their comfort zone, but we managed to round up an incredibly talented (and brave!) group. Sex and nudity is a sensitive subject, especially in the U.S. Yet violence is acceptable and I have to see dismembered body parts on the evening news. I’d rather see a boob than a bloody arm any day of the week. Besides, reading about sex is what kept me out of trouble growing up. I’m reading submissions as they come in for the collection and let me say this, readers are in for a real treat!
 
The Losing It collection releases next month and will be available for pre-order very soon.
 
Thank you so much for having me, Amber!

Nikki is giving away one audio edition of Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter. Enter here via Rafflecopter or enter HERE  on our Facebook page.






a Rafflecopter giveaway





Friday, January 9, 2015


Title: Now Leaving Sugartown
Series: Sugartown #4
Author: Carmen Jenner
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Cover It! Designs
Release Date: March 2, 2015


Synopsis


Pepper Ryan grew up the troublesome, spoiled child of a rock god. With her less-than-stellar parentage, and the bipolar disorder that has plagued her existence, to say this little firecracker is a handful would be the understatement of the century.

Sammy Belle spent more than half his life saving Pepper. He’d been her strength, her sanity, and the protective brotherly figure she never wanted to have.

They were never meant to be together.

They gave in anyway.

And just when Sammy thought he had everything he wanted, Pepper ran.

Now twenty-three, Pepper returns to Sugartown, a failed tattoo artist with one too many screws loose who’s down on her luck, wielding an ice cream van as beaten up as her heart.

Sugartown’s most coveted bachelor has always been content with the quiet life he leads until Pepper, the hellion from his past, returns to test his strength, his patience, and perhaps even his sanity. But two can play at that game, and Pepper is about to learn that Sam can give as good as he gets.

Can this good country boy survive Pepper’s cruel city world, or will the whole thing be put down to a bout of temporary insanity?

One thing is for certain:

He’s crazy about her.

She’s just crazy.

Warning: Intended for an 18+ audience. Contains sexual content, oodles of profanity, a firefighter so hot you may need a very cold shower, and one pink-haired crazy Harajuku girl.








Pre-Order


**Sorry, no Amazon pre-order available**



Available Now


#1 Welcome to Sugartown

AMAZON US / UK / AU



#2 Enjoy Your Stay

AMAZON US / UK / AU



#3 Greetings from Sugartown

AMAZON US / UK / AU








Excerpt


Pepper

I stare at Sammy for entirely too long. He absentmindedly brushes a hand over his chin, an attempt to remove crumbs that aren’t there. Because why the hell else would I be staring at him like I wanted to give birth to his giant, Viking children?

“What?”

“You’re a lollipop man and you work in a nursing home?”

“Yeah.” He mutters around a mouth full of bread.

“You’re like mother fucking Teresa.”

“Don’t start. Jake gives me enough shit over this stuff.”

Jake lets out a chuckle that has me impaling him with a single look. “You haven’t even heard the best part yet.”

“There’s more? What, did he create the fucking universe?”

“Sam’s a volunteer firefighter.”

OH. MY. EXPLODING. OVARIES.

I think I just came a little.

“Was, a volunteer firefighter. Now they pay me for it. And I don’t think you can claim sainthood from an occupation.”

“Dude. See that? That glazed over look in her eyes right there? This is why you need to be telling bitches that shit when we go out to pick up. Look at her, right now she’s imagining sliding down your fireman’s pole. I’m telling ya, you gotta use that shit, man. It’s fucking gravy, baby.” He laughs again, and then says, “Or baby gravy, depending on which way you look at it.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Sammy says.

Something occurs to me just then. Sam is a fireman. Okay just for a second, put aside the fact that you’re imagining those rock hard abs all greased up and covered in soot, and ash, and splashed all over the month of January, and think about this. Sam is a fireman. Fireman S—“Holy shit!” I exclaim, so loud that every pair of eyes in the room turn to look at me “You’re fireman Sam! We used to watch that show?” I implore, and then, because I don’t feel I’ve made enough of an arse of myself I sing the theme song, finishing with a pointed, “You are the hero next door!”
Jake’s loud guffaw fills the room. “Fireman Sam. Dude that’s fucking gold!”




 Author Bio


Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA TODAY Best Selling Author, doctor, pilot and CIA agent.

She's also a compulsive, flagrant prevaricator who gets to make things up for a living.

While Sugartown may not technically exist, Carmen grew up in a small Australian town just like it, and just like her characters, she always longed for something more. They didn't have an Elijah Cade, though.

If they did, you can be sure she would have never left.



 Author Links



Giveaway
Wednesday, January 7, 2015

YA Wednesday! Favourite reads of 2014 & most anticipated reads of 2015.


Hello darlings! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and Happy 2015!

Below is a list of my favourite YA reads of 2014.  


 
 
 
 
I read a HUGE amount of YA in 2014 but these really shined among the crowd.  I loved each and every page of these books.
 
 
 Here is a list of my most anticipated YA reads of 2015. Those that have covers right now, anyway.



What YA novels did you all love in 2014? What are some of your most anticipated reads in 2015? Drop me a line in comments.

Cheers to 2015!
Monday, January 5, 2015

Blitz~ Shadow Fire by Kimberly Leigh Wheaton


Release Date: 02/24/14
Astraea Press
310 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.
All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire - adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power? 


Buy Links:
Amazon│Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.


Author Links:
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