Release Day Blitz + Review +Giveaway: The Resolution of Callie & Kayden-The Coincidence Series- Book 6

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

The Resolution of Callie & Kayden

The Coincidence Series- Book 6

Book 3 in Callie & Kayden Saga

By Jessica Sorensen

Synopsis

Things are going good for Callie and Kayden. They’re still dealing with their past and the pain connected to it, but for the most part they’ve moved on. The biggest decision they have at the moment is what they want to do with their lives in the future.

Eventually, though, the past catches up with them and it leaves them with a choice no one wants to make. But Callie and Kayden learn that as long as they have each other, they can make it through just about anything. And in the end, they discover what they really want out of life.

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Excerpt

“She’s just being nice,” Kayden says gazing down at me. His hair is ruffled and his jawline is scruffy and he looks so happy. “And it’s nice… that she wants to be so nice… it could be worse than an overnice mother.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sigh, knowing he’s right, that it could be worse, that I could have a mother like his mother. “I just wish she’d be just a little bit less embarrassing.” I raise my hand and make a pinching gesture with my fingers. “Maybe just a teeny tiny bit.”
“Yeah, I doubt that’s ever going to happen.” Kayden slips his shirt off and chucks it aside. His jeans ride low on his hips, giving me a view of his abs and chest that is crisscrossed with scars. “I did find it funny when she kept cracking jokes all through dinner about how she thinks we’re going to end up getting married.” He kneels down on the mattress, nudging my knees open with his knees until I spread open my legs for him.
“Oh God.” Shaking my head, I cover my face with my hands. “I’m glad you find it funny because I’m sure most guys would be running for their lives.”
The mattresses moves as he leans over me and puts a hand on each side of my head. I crack my fingers apart and look at him. He’s been so much happier since he put the past behind him. He seems to breathe freer, smile more, and it’s probably the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. “Well, just make sure you really want this,” I say as he moves one of my hands away from my eyes. “Because you still have time to run.”
He shakes his head, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to wet his lips. “No running here,” he whispers in a raspy voice that I know only means one thing—he wants me. “Ever.” He moves my other hand away from my face then pins my arms above my head.
A while ago, the movement would have sent my heart soaring and not in a good way. But now… well, it freaking soars like a bird high up in the sky never wanting to return to land ever. It soars because it’s free. It soars for him.
“You want me,” I tease as he leans down to kiss me.
“You’re right,” he says. “And then I want to give you your present.”
“But you already gave me my present.” I pat my pocket where the tickets to the concert are that he gave me. He said it was for a redo of a night that should have been special, but he couldn’t give it to me then, but he was ready now to give me everything I deserve—his words not mine. My mom practically fainted when he said it. And me, well I think I fell in love with Kayden even more.
“Yeah, but that one was only the first part.” He kisses me, then softly bites my bottom lip before he leans back for air. “There’s more,” he breathes against my lips, coming in for another kiss. “But you have to wait.”
“Until when?” I wonder, my heart skipping a beat as his hands wander for the button of my jeans.
“Until we’re done with this.” He gives me a wicked smile as he flicks my button undone.

The Coincidence Series Reading Order

1. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

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2. The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

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3. The Destiny of Violet & Luke

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4. The Probability of Violet & Luke

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5. The Certainty of Violet & Luke

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6. The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

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7. Unbeautiful

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8. Seth and Greyson

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Michel’s Review

I thought that The Redemption of Callie & Kayden was a good ending to their story but I may have jumped too fast.

The Resolution of Callie & Kayden picks up one year later. After these two have finally found each other and new ways to cope with their horrific pasts, we get a glimpse on the struggles they encounter while moving forward.

For Callie, she has made complete peace with her past. She is happy to let go and love Kayden completely. But for Kayden, it is not so easy. Although he is getting therapy and moving in a positive direction there are still some things he has not come to terms with. He never had closure from the final incident with his parents. He is struggling to build a trusting relationship with his brother. He is questioning his ability to love Callie the way she should be loved. He has never experienced any kind of loving relationship and is afraid of failing Callie.

As these two people move forward as a couple, they will learn where their strengths and weaknesses are.

Kayden will finally find the resolution he desperately needs. Callie will reap the benefits of Kayden’s resolution.

This is a powerful story that shows healing takes time and great care. There is no easy fix in life. It takes work, commitment, and care. Their relationship is a learning process. Their ups and downs are the glues for their relationship. It is a story that portrays normal life and the wonders as well as the hardships of lasting relationships.

I am thoroughly happy with The Resolution of Callie & Kayden. They finally found the love and peace they fully deserved.

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

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Release Day Blitz + Review + Exclusive Interview + Giveaway: The Night Belongs To Fireman by Jennifer Bernard -The Bachelor Firemen -Book 6

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

The Night Belongs to Firemen

The Bachelor Firemen – Book 6

By Jennifer Bernard

Synopsis

Daring . . . Sexy . . . Irresistible . . .
They’re the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel

When fireman Fred Breen rescues a bachelorette party after a construction crane collapses onto their limo, the media labels him the “Bachelor Hero.” But all Fred can think about is the petite brunette with the sexy mane of dark curls who bolted away from him faster than a wildfire after he carried her to safety. And when he discovers she’s none other than Rachel Kessler, the daughter of a tech billionaire, the girl whose kidnapping riveted the nation, he intends to learn every intimate detail about this intriguing woman who sets his pulse on fire.

Rachel can’t deny the lean-muscled firefighter is smokin’ hot. But after having one too many drinks at the bar where she first meets him, Rachel knows she’s made a fool of herself. Yet when he rescues her from the limo, she feels safe for the first time since she was held for ransom as a child. Then her overprotective father insists Fred be her bodyguard—and his close presence kindles a burning desire that only he can extinguish.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Exclusive Q & A with Jennifer Bernard

SBJ: Today, I sat down with Jennifer Bernard and talked a little bit about the end of one hot era and the beginning of a whole new ball game.
Mrs. Bernard has had a fabulous run with her “Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel” series and it’s told that her upcoming novel, THE NIGHT BELONGS TO FIREMAN, to be released on September 30, 2014 will be the FINAL novel, but there will also be a Christmas-themed novella, IT’S A WONDERFUL FIREMAN out on December 2, 2014.

Jenny: Welcome and Thank You for your time.

Thank you so very much for having me!

SBJ: What authors have left an impact on you as a reader and which have influenced you as a writer?

Jenny: The first book I remember really LOVING was Little Women. I adored that book and I think it had a huge influence on what I believe a book should deliver. I cried buckets over the death of one of the sisters. It was truly tragic for nine-year-old me. But despite that very sad event, I drew so much comfort from the book that I used it to lull myself to sleep when I was anxious. I still look for those two things in a book: emotional impact and a sense of hope. As a writer, I think it’s the same. My training as a writer comes from obsessive reading from an early age. As I got older, I wanted books that reflected the adult world. That’s when I got into romance and sexier books. The first sexy book I read was The Story of O — by mistake. Boy, did that one blow my mind!

SBJ: While we are reading the newest Jennifer Bernard book, who are you reading?

Jenny: I’m about to dive into Insurgent. Divergent wrecked me. I read it twice, watched the movie twice, read all the “Four” stories, and now I’m finally ready to approach Insurgent. These might be YA stories, but I think Veronica Roth has created such a fascinating world and characters, I get totally pulled into her work. I know once I start it I’ll lose a couple of days.

SBJ: In the past two and a half years, you’ve given us some fantastic “Bachelor Firemen” stories. The characters have been smart, heart-warming and fun, loyal and courageous, humble and brave. Where did these fantastic men and women come from? And although the series is said to be over, might we see any more of them in the future?

Jenny: Thank you, I love hearing all those kind words about my firemen and women! I like to think of them as being “everymen and women” in the sense that as human beings, we all have the capacity for amazing good. We have the opposite capacity too, of course. But when I write my heroes and heroines, I’m holding up a mirror to you and to everyone else and saying, ‘You’re beautiful and brave and down-to-earth and funny and wow, really really sexy. And you face struggles and triumph over hardship and you find strength in yourself you didn’t even know was there.” I guess I have a very hopeful view of humanity, and that’s where my characters come from. I’m not naive; I’ve seen and experienced plenty of the bad. But I believe the good is so fundamental that it will win out.

SBJ: Who was your favorite fireman? Why?

Jenny: Don’t make me choose!!! Please! I love them all too much. My favorite is always the last one I’ve written, so i suppose at the moment it’s Fred, who is the ultimate “everyman” hero. But I love them all. And back to the question of whether we’ll see them again, I would love that. I have more fireman story ideas, it’s just a matter of finding the time to write them in between contracted books. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Bachelor Firemen made some repeat appearances. After all, there’s the whole B shift to write about!

SBJ: Now that the Bachelors are all married off, what can we look forward to next?

Jenny: I’ve got baseball players on the brain. My next series is about the Kilby Catfish, a wild and fun-loving minor league baseball team from Texas. I am loving these guys and having a lot of fun immersing myself in their world. These stories are a little edgier and sexier than the Bachelor Firemen books. The first, ALL OF ME, will be out in June 2015. I can’t wait!

SBJ: Taken from your very own Hot Readers book group, the ever-intriguing question of “You are sitting at a table with three more chairs. Who’s sitting in those chairs with you?”

Jenny: Okay, now I feel bad posing that question, because it’s such a hard one! Do the other people have to be real? I’ll go with Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Darcy, and Bette Midler. That should make for a fun conversation.

SBJ: Thank you for taking the time to visit and answer some questions, it’s been a pleasure having you here with us. We wish you the best on your upcoming releases and new projects.

Jenny: It’s my pleasure, thank you so much for having me!

The Bachelor Firemen

The Fireman Who Loved Me

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Hot For Fireman

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Sex and The Single Fireman

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How To Tame A Wild Fireman

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Four Weddings and A Fireman

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The Night Belongs To Fireman

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Novella’s

One Fine Fireman

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Desperately Seeking Fireman

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It’s A Wonderful Fireman- coming December 2, 2014

Pre-Order: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

***Provided to me by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. **

To be honest? I chose it because I have really enjoyed the entire series and Mrs. Bernard’s writing syle. She quickly became one of my favorite authors, but in no way does that effect my ability to critique it honestly.

Fred aka STUD, is one of the last-standing bachelor firemen. He’s coming off a martial arts tournament and has Mulligan along playing wingman. They decide to stop into the local bar to celebrate and he soon finds his trophy pilfered by a gal in a veil with a penchant for mishaps.

Rachel leads a normally secluded and overly-protected life for a reason, but when one of her best friends is getting married, she has to celebrate with them. Right? And if that means accepting a dare of stealing Mr. Sexy’s trophy, she just has to do it! After all, it IS a dare!
Fred and Rachel have a brief few encounters at the bar, all revolving around Fred pulling her cute little butt out of harm’s way, but it’s the accident leaving the bar that draws the two closer still. With a paranoid parent, a crazy kidnapper, lingering threats from 17 years earlier and REFUGE isn’t always what it seems, this story never has a dull moment.
— Why did I choose to read this book?
To be honest? I chose it because I have really enjoyed the entire series and Mrs. Bernard’s writing syle. She quickly became one of my favorite authors, but in no way does that effect my ability to critique it honestly.

This should not be read as a stand-alone novel.
Mrs. Bernard has truly done her research when capturing the persona, demeanor and general attitude of a fireman. Her heroes have all been sexy, heartwarming and humble. This is the last full-length novel in the series and I, for one, am sad to see it end. I’ve referred to her writing style in the past as being the equivelant to the tactile sensation of sun-warmed silk sheets or a fountain of flowing, rich dark chocolate. While I found THE NIGHT BELONGS TO FIREMAN to be extremely easy to read and the flow was perfectly fluid, I did not get the same rich and seductive vibe as from her other books. I think this is because of the character persona that was built up by his colleages throughout the series. I viewed him as “the kid” or “the little brother” that the bigger boys liked to lovingly pick on.  I have truly enjoyed this series as a whole, THE NIGHT BELONGS TO FIREMAN is a wonderful concluding novel. Fred’s light and joy truly made me smile countless times. Rachel’s stubborn determination made me want to cheer for her. Fred’s interactions with Mulligan and Vader made me laugh out loud, especially the scene at Double D’s house. The neighbor kids were wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable. The blend of humor and sass are perfectly mixed with the action and intrigue.
The plot was solid. The climax was chaotic, but not in a bad way (More like “when it rains, it pours”). There were a few loose ends that I would have liked seen resolved (ie: the outcome of the refuge and escapees from THE night. Who was TREE?). I’d thought for sure I knew who “he” was, but Mrs. Bernard was NOT that predictable.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

2 Ebooks- The Night Belongs To Fireman

1 Swag Pack

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Release Day Blitz + Review + Giveaway: Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh-Rock Kiss Series- Book 1. 5

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

Rock Courtship

A Rock Kiss Novel- Book 2

By Nalini Singh

Synopsis

What happens when the Gentleman of Rock decides to play dirty?A drummer for the hottest rock band on the planet, David has a single, powerful weakness: Thea, the band’s publicist and the woman who steals his breath away with her every move.Only problem is, Thea doesn’t date clients—or musicians. Emotionally scarred by a cheating ex, she’s not about to risk her heart with a man who has groupies buzzing around him like flies. Even if his sexy smile ties her up in knots.What she doesn’t know is that David is a one-woman man…and he’s madly in love with her. David’s determined to prove he’s worth the risk, and willing to court her, step by exquisite step. Thea’s about to discover just how long and hard this handsome drummer can play.

Buy : Amazon / ITunes

Excerpt

“Beer—whatever you have on tap,” David said to the grizzled bartender and grabbed a stool, his eye on the rugby game in progress on the TV screen bolted above the bar.

He’d hardly taken a sip of his beer, the dark liquid bitingly cold, when he felt a presence at his back. Instincts honed by a childhood in one of the toughest areas of New York had him focusing on the mirror behind the bar to check out the situation before he turned. A big, bald, and heavily muscled male with a spiderweb tattoo on his neck was standing behind and just to the side of David, a smirk on his pockmarked face.

Belly heating, David turned with a slight smile. “Problem?”

The bald man bared his teeth and, laughing, looked to a table to his right. “Hear that, boys?” he called out to his friends. “The pussy rock star here wants to know if there’s a problem.”

Laughter and shouts from that particular table, while the rest of the men in the bar went quiet. David didn’t move, taking a measure of the players without letting it show. “Always know your opponent” had been one of the first things his father had taught him—Vicente Rivera didn’t believe in turning the other cheek; he believed in teaching his sons how to put bullies on the ground and keep them there.

“Yeah, there’s a problem,” the bald guy said, shoving at David’s shoulder. “This is a real bar for real men. Not pussies.”

Like that, then. Good. He was in the mood to do some violence. Lifting his beer, David took a long drink, then slammed it down… and punched Bald Head in the jaw at the same time that he kicked out with his foot to connect with the other man’s knee. The jackass went down like a ton of bricks.

Roaring in rage, the man’s friends came at David.

He grinned and started to show them what this “pussy rock star” could do.

It wasn’t until they’d broken a table and several chairs, and the bartender had called the cops that David realized Thea would have to deal with the fallout from this. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he thought as he was shoved into a cell alone, his erstwhile opponents in the cell opposite. Sliding down the graffiti-marked wall to the floor, he thought about the phone call the desk sergeant had said he could make and decided against it.

Fox had Molly with him—the band’s lead singer had been waiting for his girl to arrive since the instant Schoolboy Choir set foot in the city. As for Noah and Abe, they both had their own plans. He knew any one of the three men would drop those plans in an instant to come to his aid, but since the cops had made it clear he’d be spending the night in a cell no matter what, why mess up their plans?

“You do or say anything that’ll hit the media, you call me. Day or night. I hate surprises—so don’t you dare surprise me.”

Thea had given that order to all four of them when she’d agreed to act as their publicist. Her up-front nature and dedication to her job was part of the reason they’d hired her; Thea was the best and she didn’t take any shit from her clients. He wasn’t doing himself any favors by not calling her.

Right then, David couldn’t find it in himself to care. It wasn’t as if she could hurt him any more than she already had. And Jesus, how long was he going to carry this torch that was burning him alive? “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he said aloud, banging the back of his head against the wall.

Michel’s Review

Nalini Singh got her groove back and came out rocking! Rock Courtship, book 1.5 in the Rock Kiss series was exactly the kind of book readers expect from Nalini Singh.

Reader’s met David, the drummer from Schoolboy Choir’s band in Rock Addiction. David has the hots for their publicist, Thea. Thea is a no nonsense, take charge kind of woman. She does not date her clients. Ever! She has no use for fame, media attention, or the crap that goes along with her star clients. So how is this sexy drummer going to get her attention and really make her take notice? By memo’s of course.

Talk about memo’s that would make a woman stand up and take notice! David has a way with words that will make your panties wet! With his classy choice of words , dirty mouth, and the romantic messages, you will want to be David’s groupie.

Thea may have trust issues and be weary of her “stars” but she will quickly learn to pay attention to her memo’s.

David and Thea’s relationship is sizzling hot and fun. It was a fresh and unique rock star romance.

I am looking forward to the other guys, Abe and Noah , to get their own books.

I highly recommend Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh if you are looking for a red hot rocker romance.

The Rock Kiss Series

Rock Addiction -Book 1

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be…

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

Buy: Amazon / ITunes

Author Bio:

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about a hot and wickedly tempting rock star. If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Once Rock Addiction is out, swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the book.

STALK HER: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

$50 Gift Card

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Release Day Blitz + Review + Giveaway: Scratch by Rhonda Helms

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

Scratch

By Rhonda Helms

Synopsis

The most painful scars are the ones you never see.
In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that’s the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she’s reserved, practical–all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she’s put up. Like Casey, he’s a senior. In every other way, he’s her opposite.

Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can’t fathom, he’s intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that’s messy and unpredictable. He doesn’t know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach–or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.

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Excerpt

He looked down at my mouth again, then back in my eyes, and his eyelids grew hooded. He leaned a fraction closer. “I have a confession.”

My pulse kicked up just a notch. “Why?”

“Why . . . what?”

I swallowed, fought every instinct to stare at his mouth. His full lips, now only six inches from mine. My body began to respond to his nearness, and I dragged in a ragged breath of his cologne. He smelled fresh, like a soft breeze on a spring day at the lake. I wanted to inch closer. No, stop it, I ordered myself. This was dangerous, to let myself even be this close to him.

“Um, why are you confessing something to me?” I finally asked him.

“You ask me the most unusual questions.” He gave a ghost of a smile. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I feel like I want to talk to you all night. Which is why I wanted to confess that I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.”

I swallowed, let his words sink in, then swallowed again. His honesty was disarming me, chipping piece by piece at the careful shield I had around myself.

“Casey,” he said on a soft breath. “You intrigue me.”

He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could get out another word, I pushed my head forward, past the last few inches separating us, and pressed my lips to his. Daniel froze in surprise for just a moment, then slipped a hand to my forearm, stroking down until his fingers met mine.

With his other hand he cupped the back of my head and teased my mouth open with his tongue, tilting so he could deepen the kiss. He tasted like chocolate and Coke and something purely male, a combination that intoxicated me more than the beer.

My heart thrummed in a wild, erratic beat as he drank from my mouth. I opened wider, our tongues slipping and sliding, my breaths falling into his mouth in little pants. I moved closer, breasts brushing his lean and firm chest. His hand tangled deeper in my hair, and his body heat flooded through my thin shirt into my torso.

I was dizzy, drunk on him, aching with a surge of something intangible coursing through my veins. My core tightened; my belly fluttered.

He pulled back for a moment with a small gasp of air, eyes nearly black as he peered down at me. Then he gave me a crooked smile and kissed me again. Took my mouth in a sensual move that fluttered my lower belly.

I cupped his shoulders with both hands. His muscles bunched and flexed beneath my fingers. Heat poured off him, thickened the air around us.

His fingers stroked my scalp as he tasted me. The thumb on his right hand brushed against my thigh then moved up my leg, to the crease between my thigh and torso. The sensation of him so close to my stomach gave me a brief pause.

When his hand moved aside the bottom of my shirt and the very tip of his fingers brushed my bare stomach, I jerked away, pulling back to the other side of the car. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head. I tugged my shirt down as low as it could go, heart jackhammering against my rib cage.

God, please tell me he didn’t feel it, I prayed. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready.

Michel’s Review

Scratch by Rhonda Helms was a sweet and delightful new adult romance. We meet Casey, a young woman that secludes herself from others. She is haunted by a horrible event in her young childhood that affected her life. This horrific event is kept a mystery through most of the book and isn’t revealed until the end. Her only escape is her work as a DJ and the music. This is where she meets the charming Daniel.

Daniel is one those guys you can’t help but love. He is not a bad boy or a guy with a lot of issues. He is a truly nice guy. He sees more in Casey than she sees in herself. Through patience and love, Daniel finds a way into her heart.

It is a sweet love story, but the overall story focuses on Casey’s past. I would have liked to see a little more heat and grit in Daniel and Casey’s relationship.

Overall the book was well written and plot was well executed.

If you are looking for an angsty new adult book, go read Scratch by Rhonda Helms.

Author Bio:

Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.

When she isn’t writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.

Website ~ Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads

Author Interview:

Music is a strong running element in SCRATCH, which even includes a playlist at the end. How has music factored in your own life?

I started in music when I was 9—I played clarinet. Stayed involved in band through high school and college. I sang in a jazz ensemble, was a singer in a cover band, and I even DJ’d for a while. In short, music was a huge part of my life for a long time. I miss performing and have even been considering getting involved in it again!

Where did you get the idea for SCRATCH?

Part of it came from a real-life incident I’d heard that had stuck with me for many years. I always wondered what had happened to the girl who’d gone through such a traumatic event. How did she cope? How did she move on to love and trust again? This book was my exploration of how a woman who’d gone through hell could move forward and find real happiness.

Which scene in SCRATCH was the hardest for you to write?

Oh, it had to be the scene where Casey confesses to Daniel about her past. Finally opens up and divulges the painful truth. I sobbed as I wrote it—her pain was so vivid to me that I couldn’t shake it off for a while afterward. That was actually one of the hardest scenes I’ve ever written in my whole publishing career.

What is the follow-up book to SCRATCH?

The sequel to SCRATCH is BREAK YOUR HEART, which is her roommate Megan’s story. I can’t wait for you guys to read it—this one’s a little sexier, a little scandalous. And Nick is so foxy. 😉 Coming end of July, 2015!

You write young adult novels too—what do you have coming out in teen romance?

Next year I have two teen romances coming out with Simon Pulse—SPARKS IN SCOTLAND, which is a Scotland-set story about a girl who falls for a local Scottish boy while on vacation, and PROMPOSAL, which follows a girl and her best guy friend as they navigate love and drama during prom season. You can go to rhondahelmsbooks.com to find out more about the other teen romances I have out, too!

Giveaway

$25 ITunes Gift Card

Ecopy of All I Ever Wanted

Paperback Copy of Scratch

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Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Two Roads by Lili St. Germain-The Gypsy Brothers Series- Book 6

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

Two Roads

The Gypsy Brothers – Book 6

By Lili St. Germain

Synopsis

The sixth book in the #1 iBooks bestselling Gypsy Brothers series.

Juliette and Jase may be out of Dornan’s immediate reach, but as tensions rise, will they end up walking right into the enemy’s trap?

Can Juliette forgive Jase for his devastating betrayal, or will it destroy everything they’ve been fighting for?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Excerpt

He killed my father. I’m having his baby.

Those two sentences are on repeat in my head, the agony of the rolling waves almost too much for me to bear.

And the agony of my nausea slams into me again with the violent rock of the waves that carry us to safer shores. I think. I hope.

But really, how safe am I? I’m suddenly questioning everything, stuck in a vortex of swirling paranoia and doubt. Is Jase on Dornan’s side? He killed my father. He didn’t even try to deny it.

I can’t believe it, I can’t accept it, and I just wish I could think straight for five fucking minutes. I wish I didn’t feel like this. I’ve left one prison, the one Dornan constructed for me, only to be trapped in one of my own making. The one in my mind that goes over and over and over again.

I’m curled as tight as I can get into a ball on a bed in the main cabin of the boat. We must be going pretty fast, or be in some crazy swell, because I swear if the boat tilted a little more, it’d capsize.

The door is closed. I made Elliot promise he wouldn’t let Jase come in here. I’m going to have to face him eventually, but I just can’t face him now. I don’t want to hear his excuses, if he even has any. He killed my father.

I’ve never been afraid of drowning before, but right now, I’m terrified. Drowning in this ship. Drowning in lies and in blood. Drowning in my own treacherous deceit. For so long, I’ve had only one goal – to destroy Dornan. I was too busy focusing on his suffering to notice or care about my own, and now, I feel so damned broken. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to feel normal again.

In fact, come to think of it, I don’t even know what normal is.

I jump as a warm hand touches my shoulder.

“Hey,” a low voice murmurs beside me.

I turn over to see Elliot lying beside me, his pose mirroring mine. I can see water lashing against the small round window that looks out to the cruel sea we travel within.

“You’re shaking,” Elliot says, frowning as he reaches out a hand to me. Without thinking, I shrink back, an automatic response after three months of Dornan’s psychotic hands being the only ones to reach for me. Elliot’s face crumples into something resembling sadness—despair—as he reaches out to me again, slower this time, and pushes my lank hair back from my face.

Am I even here? I’m not sure. This could all be a dream. An elaborate, drug-induced hallucination. The thought makes me reel. Am I out? Or am I still in the basement? Is Elliot in front of me, or is it Dornan?

I scramble away from Elliot, clambering off the bed and backing up to the far end of the tiny room. Behind me, waves pound violently into the thick glass porthole, the only thing separating us from the deadly currents beyond. The movement of the waves catches my attention and I turn, mesmerized, as I press a trembling palm up to the freezing cold glass.

Am I here? Am I alive?

A nudge in my stomach, nothing more than a flutter really, propels me back to sanity.

Yes. I am here. I am here, while Elliot hovers behind me, and Jase and Luis are somewhere beyond the door that keeps me safe in this room.

And I am carrying a baby inside me. A baby that should never have existed.

And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a terrible thing.

The Gypsy Brothers Series

Seven Sons – Free-Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Six Brothers- Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Five Miles- Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Four Score- Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Three Years- Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITune

Two Roads- Barnes and Noble / ITunes

One Love- Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Lili writes dark romance, suspense and paranormal stories. Her serial novel, Seven Sons, was released in early 2014, with the following books in the series to be released in quick succession. Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.

She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Giveaway

One Grand Prize winner will win a charm necklace

PLUS a Gypsy Brothers Swag Pack.

Two additional winners will win a

Gypsy Brothers Swag Pack along with

Gypsy Brothers “Revenge is Sweet” rubber bracelets.

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Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: All Things Pretty by M. Leighton

Posted on 09/30/2014 by shellbellereads

We are so stoked to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton’s ALL THINGS PRETTY! ALL THINGS PRETTY is a Contemporary Adult Romance and the third novel in M. Leighton’s Pretty Series. Sig’s book is here!

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Excerpt:

Her lips are still curved when she turns her attention back to me. Something about the moment hits me like a punch to the gut. I think for a second that I could stand here and stare at her, just enjoy her smile and her happiness for hours. Days, maybe. But I can’t. We can’t. So, instead, I brush a clump of mud from the end of her nose. “Have fun?”

“I did. Thank you. This was so good for him.”

“And you.”

“And me,” she concedes.

“You can be the real you around me anytime. I won’t tell a soul.”

“So you prefer this?”

“Oh, hell yeah! I don’t need glamorous. Or proper.”

“I’m not proper.”

“You forget that I heard your…expressiveness that day on the side of the road. And it didn’t consist of ‘darn’ or ‘golly gee’. But I haven’t heard anything like that come out of your mouth since then.”

“Ladies aren’t supposed to talk that way, according to Lance.”

“I don’t want a lady. I want a woman. One who knows her own mind. One who wears what she’s comfortable in, one who says what she’s thinking.” I take a step closer. I can’t help myself. Her scent draws me in. Even covered in mud, she smells like sexy sunshine. “I want the woman who kisses like she’s on fire and makes me feel like I’m the only one who can put her out.”

“Sig,” she begins.

I break in to cut her off. I know her objections. And I know how much I don’t want to hear them. “I’m just being honest. I’m not even touching you.”

Her eyes are glued to mine, a damn near irresistible gravity pulling us together. “It’s not like you can anyway. I mean, we’re in public. With my little brother. What could you possibly touch?”

I reach down and smear my hand in mud. With her eyes locked on mine, I reach between us and flatten my palm on her chest, right over her heart. “This. I’d touch this.”

ALL THINGS PRETTY Synopsis:

Pretending to be something they’re not, afraid to trust anyone completely, destined to tear each other apart– this is the story of unlikely love and unbearable consequences.

Sig Locke is a cop. He was raised by a cop and all his brothers are cops. He bleeds blue, believes in right and wrong, and sees in black and white, never in shades of gray.

But that was before he met Tommi.

Tommi, with her long legs and bright green eyes, she captured Sig’s interest from the moment he saw her. Even after he discovered who she was–the girlfriend of a drug dealer, the beauty behind a criminal–he still found her utterly irresistible. What Sig doesn’t know, however, is that she has a secret even a cop can’t uncover.

Tommi Lawrence hasn’t had an easy life, and it only got more complicated the day she met Sig. She learned long ago that she can’t trust anyone. Her gut tells her that Sig is no exception, her heart tells her that he is. But that was before she found out his real identity.

Can love be forged in a fire of lies? Or will the truth destroy them both?

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, M. Leighton finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days M. Leighton enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

A note from M. Leighton: I love coffee and chocolate, even more so when they are combined. I’m convinced that one day they could be the basis for world peace. I also love the color red and am seriously considering dying my hair.

Twitter | Author Goodreads | Website | ALL THINGS PRETTYGoodreads | Facebook

Giveaway

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Release Day Blitz + Review : Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

Posted on 09/29/2014 by shellbellereads

Stepbrother Dearest

By Penelope Ward

Synopsis

You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be.

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here.

I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room.

But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him.

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California.

It had been years since I’d seen Elec.

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again.

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel.

**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward will be on sale for $2.99 Release Day Only

Michel’s Review

Wow! Stepbrother Dearest is one of those books that held me prisoner from the very first word to the end. I was captivated by the story and felt like I knew Greta and Elec personally. Their story seemed very real and touched my heart.

We meet Greta and Elec when they are both teenagers. Greta’s mother married Elec’s father. Do to circumstances in Elec’s home life, he is forced to go stay with his father. He’s an angry young man with a chip that is larger than a boulder on his shoulder. He’s prepared to be hostile and belligerent. He’s prepared to share his misery with every member in the family, including his stepsister Greta. On the surface we see a very angry young man, but under the nasty exterior, there is a boy that is hurting very deeply.

Greta is a happy, go lucky, naïve teenage girl. She’s excited to finally have a sibling to share her life with. What she gets instead of a brother is a bully. A brother that fully intends on making her life miserable. She has a hard time understanding Elec’s monstrous behavior. That is until she looks beneath the surface. Once she begins to see the real Elec, her opinion changes drastically. Once he knows he can trust Greta, Elec begins to show her the real Elec that hides beneath the sneers and smart mouthed punk.

Greta and Elec become close. They realize they have feelings that go beyond brotherly sisterly love. One forbidden night will change their lives forever. One forbidden night will never be forgotten. One forbidden night is the end of their time together.

As the years go by, neither Greta or Elec has forgotten that forbidden love. Life has taken them in different directions. Both have moved on in their lives. They are pursuing careers and building lives of their own. All seems well until there is a family tragedy that brings them together once again. Now they are adults that can make their own destinies. They will have to chose between the new lives they have built for themselves or chose to pursue their forbidden love.

I can’t say too much more about this book without giving spoilers. I will say Penelope Ward wrote a powerful story of love and redemption. The story was written from duo POV’s and was easy to get inside the characters minds. She portrayed the characters maturity and emotional levels with perfection. The teenage Elec and Greta were exactly as teenagers should be. The adult Elec and Greta had matured gracefully and became strong individuals with a great sense of self. They had become the children most parents want their kids to become in their adult lives. How they handled their reunion was with the utmost care and consideration for those in their lives. The love they shared was a powerful once in a lifetime love that time could not take away.

Penelope Ward is a talented writer. She creates characters that are very real and memorable. Their stories are emotional with a strong dose of reality. Stepbrother Dearest deserves a 6 Star Review!

I highly recommend this book.

Tracey’s Review

Greta is seventeen when her stepbrother, Elec, comes to live with her family for the year.Not quite sure what to expect, Greta is hopeful that Elec will be the brother she never had.

‘I had a stepbrother.

That was a weird thought. I hoped we would get along. As an only child, I had always wanted a sibling. I laughed at how stupid this was, fantasizing that this was going to be some kind of fairytale relationship overnight, like friggin’ Donny and Marie Osmond or Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal.’

But paradise it isn’t. Elec’s arrival is less than friendly, and he is very clear about not wanting to have any kind of relationship with Greta or her parents.

‘He wouldn’t look at me, so I used the opportunity to continue examining him as he dumped his bag on the floor.

Thud.

Was that my heart or the bag?’

With his dark good looks and bad boy demeanor, Elec inspires thoughts that are anything but sisterly in Greta. Sibling rivalry just got a lot sexier.

I was absolutely hooked from the first page of Stepbrother Dearest. There was no way that I was going to be able to put this book down without finding out exactly what was going to transpire between Greta and Elec. There was some serious sexual tension going on; the smolder between these two had me fanning myself, and waiting for the moment when the spark became full-on combustion. But this is not just a hot and sexy read. There is so much more to Elec than is apparent at first glance. His painful past has shaped him completely, and there are secrets that he refuses to share, even as he and Greta grow closer. When events arise that cause Elec and Greta to go their separate ways, Greta knows that she will never be the same. And, when the find themselves together again, it’s clear that she is not alone in her feelings.

I am personally a fan of stories where we, as readers, get to see the perspective of each of the main characters, so I was not disappointed that there was dual POV in Stepbrother Dearest. Reading about how Elec felt, in his own words, allowed us to see the issues that had driven him from the first time he met Greta, and gave him much more depth. And, even seven years later, the chemistry between Greta and Elec was off the charts hot, and seeing how both of them felt made it a much more satisfying read for me.

Penelope Ward has done another fantastic job with Stepbrother Dearest. I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough, and give it 5.5 deeply satisfying stars.

Author Bio:

Penelope Ward is a USA Today Bestselling author.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers. She spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career.

Penelope lives for reading books in the new adult genre, coffee and hanging out with her friends and family on weekends.

She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 8-year-old boy, both of whom are the lights of her life.

Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.

She is currently working on her fifth novel, Jake Understood. She is the author of Gemini, Jake Undone, My Skylar and Stepbrother Dearest.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Be sure to connect with Penelope Ward on Facebook During Stepbrother Dearest release week for prizes and more….

ARC Review: Tempting The CEO by Angela Claire-Sleeping With The Enemy-Book 1

Posted on 09/29/2014 by shellbellereads

Tempting The CEO

Sleeping With The Enemy – Book 1

By Angela Claire

Synopsis:

A sexy category romance from Entangled’s Brazen imprint…

Never mix business with one night of playful, sizzling pleasure…

If lawyer Angie O’Hare needed another reason to hate New York City, this would be it. Locked out of her room and stranded in the hallway. Wearing only a towel. Lovely. But then, rescue arrives—in the form of the wickedly hot, funny guy in the penthouse next door. Angie is so relieved that she ignores her usual buzz-kill tendencies, and agrees to have a drink with Mr. Sexy Salvation…

But things don’t stop at just a drink. Or even a hot make-out session.

Cue one night of hot, ultra-x-rated sexy time. No names. No personal information. And the next morning, Angie sneaks out, returning to her prim-and-proper life, every hair in place. But New York City isn’t done with Angie yet. Because her meeting that morning is with CEO Jed Worth… whose bed she did everything but sleep in last night! And Jed isn’t the sort of man to take “conflict of interest” as an answer…

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tina’s Review

Angie O’Hare is a Detroit lawyer and is in New York for her client. After a long day of conference meetings, she finally checked into her room after midnight & all she wanted was to take a long, hot bubble bath. She’s been kindly upgraded to a penthouse suite but when she leaves the room to get ice, her key card decided to no longer work, leaving her stranded in the hallway wearing nothing but her towel and mortification. Her decidedly bad day only got worse when her neighbor, Mr Gorgeous Guy, spotted her locked out. To her embarrassment and amazement, he came to her rescue & offered more…

Jed Worth is the CEO of Worth Industries. He took his grandfather’s flailing inheritance and began to build it into a conglomeration of mostly computer based business, buying out smaller companies. When he’s called into an acquisitions meeting because the opposing lawyer is being a picky little bitch, the last person he expects to see is the woman who sneaked out of his bed earlier that morning.

My Thoughts:

First thought: Heh, ain’t that some twisted irony?

You have to appreciate the sardonic nature of walking into a conference meeting, expecting to go head-to-head with your opposition only to learn that you were more than head-to-head with the opposition’s client just a few, short hours ago.

This is a VERY short story that literally revolves around 2-3 days then flashes forward to a day six months later. This would make a good build-up prequel novella, but as a complete novella I felt it was lacking some plot substance and the ending was a little weak and vague.

The characters, primary and secondary, were enjoyable. The interaction between Angie and Bob was fun. The chemistry between Jed and Angie was nice, not overpowering. While there really was not a lot of dimension to this novella, it was well-written and flowed smoothly.

Final thought: The ending felt rushed and incomplete. I would have liked to seen the story wrap up a little tighter.

Author Bio:

Angela Claire’s first love was romance novels, but she resolved to give them up temporarily for law books (which were considerably less fun). In a quest for a ‘responsible’ career, she headed off to law school, obtained her diploma and settled into a corporate law practice in New York city… which she hated! After staying in the rat race long enough to pay back her massive student loans, Angela returned to her roots in the Midwest to raise her two sons and worked as a lawyer at a more leisurely pace than big city law firm life would allow. She writes in her spare time and finds romance in real life with her husband of 28 years.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Day Blitz + Review: Torture To Her Soul by J.M. Darhower-Monster In His Eyes- Book 2

Posted on 09/29/2014 by shellbellereads

Torture Her Soul

Monster In His Eyes- Book 2

By J. M. Darhower

Synopsis

Don’t say it unless you mean it…

It’s a simple concept, one I’ve said time and again, but something people don’t seem to comprehend. You should choose every syllable carefully, because you never know when somebody will hold you to your word.

Somebody like me.

I’m not a good man. I’m not. I know. I have enough darkness inside of me to rid the world of every stitch of light. But there’s one I could never harm, one light I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out.

Karissa.

She thinks I’m a monster, and maybe I am. I taunt her with my touch, get a thrill out of torturing her soul. But I’m not the only one. The world is full of monsters, and I’m not the most dangerous one out there.

Not even close…

God help me, I love her.

I do.

And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Robin’s Review

Sometimes a story is so noteworthy, so very exceptional, that I can hardly wait to begin writing my review! I am excited to share my thoughts about the novel Torture to Her Soul, but my enthusiasm actually extends to the entire series written by author J.M. Darhower. Monster in His Eyes is a two-part series that includes Monster in His Eyes and Torture to Her Soul. If you love romantic suspense, action, drama, and dark characters, take note of this series.

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man. He admits that. Karissa Reed knows this. Even knowing this, Karissa fell right into his web. Monster in His Eyes is told from Karissa’s point of view, so we really don’t know how deep his scars run. Nor do we know what Naz is ruminating on while he lays awake at night, or what he is doing when he gets out of bed and leaves the house at 2:00 in the morning. What are his motivations? We learn all of this in Torture to Her Soul.

Powerful. Intense. Thought provoking. Dramatic. Torture to Her Soul is all of these things, but so much more. Darhower seems very familiar with the ways of criminal organizations such as the mafia and mob and uses this knowledge to her advantage. The drama is extremely realistic. The writing is crisp, creative and completely in character. This description of danger is only a small sample of the writing that left me astounded while I was reading:

“The biggest dangers have smiles on their faces and sweet words on their lips. They don’t threaten or coerce…..they entice. They have the power to make you believe whatever they want you to believe, and they do it with manipulation, through seduction.”

In my opinion, the most profound writing in Torture to Her Soul is found at the beginning of chapter 10, while Ignazio is lying in bed, reflecting on death. The introspection here was extremely dark. Darhower was so in character while writing this scene, she had me convinced I was in the head of a man who kills. Just imagining the thought process behind writing this passage has me floored. It was truly amazing writing, so be sure to watch for it if you decide to read this novel.

Character development is a strength for Darhower. I was most impressed by the character development found with Naz and Karissa, especially in the progression of their relationship and feelings towards each other. Just in this novel alone, Karissa underwent a huge transformation from beginning to the end. And the character development between Naz and many of the secondary characters was instrumental in how the events of this story played out. The schemes Darhower came up with were perfect for the mob, perfect for a killer.

As usual with novels written by J.M. Darhower, the building of suspense leading up to the conclusion is super intense! I found myself wondering how things could possibly work out between Karissa and Naz. I feel like there is so much more that I could share about Torture to Her Soul, but much of what can be shared just needs to be experienced. If you haven’t read Monster in His Eyes, I highly recommend it! And when you have finished Monster in His Eyes, be sure to read the exciting conclusion of the series, Torture to Her Soul. One of my favorites for 2014, I am giving Torture to Her Soul a rare 6-star rating!

Monster In His Eyes Series

Monster In His Eyes – Book 1

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man.

I suspect it, the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds the man. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I’m thinking before I even do.

It’s alarming and alluring. It’s dark and deadly. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted but the last thing I truly need. Obsession.

It doesn’t take him long to draw me into his web, charming me into his bed and trapping me in his life, a life I know nothing about until it’s too late. He has secrets, secrets I can’t fathom, secrets that make it so I can’t walk away, no matter how much I beg him to let me go. I see it sometimes in his eyes, a darkness that’s both terrifying and thrilling. He’s a monster, wrapped up in a pretty package, and what I find when I unmask him changes everything.

I want to hate him.

Sometimes, I do.

But it doesn’t stop me from loving him, too.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This book is intended for a mature audience only, due to some dark and erotic content.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Author Bio:

JM Darhower is the author of countless stories and poems, most of which only she has ever read. She lives in a tiny town in rural North Carolina, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and speaking out against human trafficking, and when she isn’t writing she’s usually ranting about those things. Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a Twitter addiction. You can find her there.

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Release Day Blitz: Understatement Of The Year by Sarina Bowen- The Ivy Years-Book 3

Posted on 09/29/2014 by shellbellereads

The Understatement of the Year

The Ivy Years Series- Book 3

Release Date: September 29, 2014

By Sarina Bowen

Synopsis:

What happened in high school stayed in high school. Until now.

Five years ago, Michael Graham betrayed the only person who ever really knew him. Since then, he’s made an art of hiding his sexual preference from everyone. Including himself.

So it’s a shock when his past strolls right into the Harkness College locker room, sporting a bag of hockey gear and the same slow smile that had always rendered Graham defenseless. For Graham, there is only one possible reaction: total, debilitating panic. With one loose word, the team’s new left wing could destroy Graham’s life as he knows it.

John Rikker is stuck being the new guy. Again. And it’s worse than usual, because the media has latched onto the story of the only “out” player in Division One hockey. As the satellite trucks line the sidewalk outside the rink, his new teammates are not amused.

And one player in particular looks sick every time he enters the room.

Rikker didn’t exactly expect a warm welcome from Graham. But the guy won’t even meet his eyes. From the looks of it, his former… best friend / boyfriend / whatever isn’t doing so well. He drinks too much and can’t focus during practice.

Either the two loneliest guys on the team will self destruct from all the new pressures in their lives, or they can navigate the pain to find a way back to one another. To say that it won’t be easy is the Understatement of the Year.

Warning: unlike the other books in this series, this heartbreaking love story is about two guys. Contains sexual situations, dance music, snarky t-shirts and a poker-playing grandmother.

Buy: Amazon/ Kobo

Michel’s Review

The Ivy Years series by Sarina Bowen has been phenomenal. Each book has addressed some very different and difficult subject matters. They were written with compassion and great care. The characters are larger than life and jump off the pages. The reader’s completely connect with their stories, their emotions, and their lives. The Understatement Of The Year has followed in the same excellent standard that the previous books in the Ivy Years has set.

The Understatement Of The Year approaches the very difficult subject of homosexuality in the world of sports. Not only did it lay out the difficulties of a college athlete being gay, it also showed the difficulties of “coming out of the closet”.

John Rikker was kicked out of his former college and kicked off the hockey team because his homosexuality was exposed. Harkness College, known for being a liberal school, accepted John Rikker in the middle of hockey season. Not only is John a very gifted athlete, he is the first athlete to be outed in college hockey. This has put him on the media’s radar. It has also put in him a position where he has to prove himself as an all-star athlete to his teammates. It’s hard enough being the new guy on the team, add being gay and it makes the welcoming committee very sparse. To add ugly to ugly, Michael Graham is on his new team.

Michael and John have a history. They were best friends in middle school and high school. They also discovered their sexuality together. A very bad incident separated the two of them. John was sent away to live with his grandmother. There he was able to become open about his sexuality. For Michael Graham it was quite a different story. He denied his homosexuality to himself and all those around him. Now he’s threatened that John is going to expose his secret.

This book not only focused on the discrimination of being gay, it also showed a very emotional side side of being a homosexual. The emotions from hiding your secrets, denying yourself love, and fighting the very person you are is gut wrenching. Also the emotions that go along with being the odd man out, having your life on display, and having to go far and beyond to prove your worth as a player, friend, and human being will tear the reader up. Add a secret affair, an emotional romance, and self discovery and you have the perfect book.

The Understatement Of The Year is one of those “must read” books. I absolutely loved this book and can honestly say is my favorite in The Ivy Years series.

Sarina Bowen is a gifted writer. Her writing is not only romantic, it is highly emotional. Each story reflects the glory of the human spirit. She tackles some very difficult and unique subject matter and gives her characters a life that jumps off the pages. Her delivery of an emotional romance is phenomenal.

Author Bio:

Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction from the wilds of Vermont.

The Year We Fell Down, Book #1 in The Ivy Years series, began breaking hearts in March 2014. Book #2, The Year We Hid Away, is brand new.

For Harlequin-E, Sarina writes the Gravity series. Coming in From the Cold features an angsty downhill ski racer and one of the most unique plot conflicts in contemporary romance today.

Sarina enjoys skiing, coffee products and a nice glass of wine. She lives with her family, eight chickens and more ski gear and hockey equipment than seems necessary.

She would be honored to connect with you at http://www.sarinabowen.com.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter~ Goodreads

Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Release Day Blitz + Review +Giveaway: The Resolution of Callie & Kayden-The Coincidence Series- Book 6

Release Day Blitz + Review + Exclusive Interview + Giveaway: The Night Belongs To Fireman by Jennifer Bernard -The Bachelor Firemen -Book 6

Release Day Blitz + Review + Giveaway: Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh-Rock Kiss Series- Book 1. 5

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Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: All Things Pretty by M. Leighton

We are so stoked to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton’s ALL THINGS PRETTY! ALL THINGS PRETTY is a Contemporary Adult Romance and the third novel in M. Leighton’s Pretty Series. Sig’s book is here!

Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks

Twitter | Author Goodreads | Website | ALL THINGS PRETTYGoodreads | Facebook

Release Day Blitz + Review : Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

ARC Review: Tempting The CEO by Angela Claire-Sleeping With The Enemy-Book 1

Release Day Blitz + Review: Torture To Her Soul by J.M. Darhower-Monster In His Eyes- Book 2

Release Day Blitz: Understatement Of The Year by Sarina Bowen- The Ivy Years-Book 3

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We are so stoked to bring you the Release Day Launch for M. Leighton’s ALL THINGS PRETTY! ALL THINGS PRETTY is a Contemporary Adult Romance and the third novel in M. Leighton’s Pretty Series. Sig’s book is here!

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks

Twitter | Author Goodreads | Website | ALL THINGS PRETTYGoodreads | Facebook

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Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks