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Release Blitz + Excerpt : The Offer by Karina Halle

Posted on 06/14/2015 by shellbellereads

The Offer

By Karina Halle

Synopsis

She thinks he’s an arrogant playboy.

He thinks she’s an uptight prude.

But he’s about to make her an offer she can’t refuse.

Nicola Price used to have it all – a great career, the perfect boyfriend, an excessive shoe collection and an apartment in one of San Francisco’s best neighborhoods. But when she gets knocked up and her asshat boyfriend leaves her high and dry, Nicola’s perfectly crafted world comes tumbling down. And stays that way.

Now, Nicola is the proud single mom to a five-year old daughter and living a giant lie. She can barely afford their ghetto apartment and all the men she dates run when they hear she comes with a child. She’s struggling and scared – and nowhere near where she thought she’d be at age thirty-one.

Her saving grace comes in the form of a tall, handsome and wealthy Scotsman Bram McGregor, the older brother of her friend Linden. Bram understands a thing or two about pride, so when tragic circumstances place Nicola at rock bottom, he offers them a place to live in the apartment complex he owns. It’s pretty much the perfect deal, so as long as she doesn’t mind living beside Bram, a man that, despite his generosity, seems to antagonize her at every turn.

But nothing in life is free and as Nicola gets her feet back on the ground, she discovers that the enigmatic playboy may end up costing her more than she thought.

She might just lose her heart.

Those McGregor brothers are nothing but trouble…

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

(Other Buy Links Coming Soon….)

EXCERPT

When reality starts to fade in a bit, I find myself being walked to the door of my apartment building, my arms draped over both Kayla and Steph. We go up the stairs and now I’m standing in front of my door, wobbling back and forth, trying my hardest to look as sober as possible.Steph goes to knock on the door but it’s already open. I guess we are being loud, giggling, in the hallway.Bram looks at the three of us and my God is he a sight for sore eyes.“We brought her home,” Steph says, motioning with her hand for Bram to get out of the way, “your shift is over.”

“No,” I tell them as they shuffle me inside. “He can stay.”

I know the three of them are exchanging a look over my head.

“I’ll make sure she goes to bed,” Bram explains. “No funny business, I swear.”

“Pinky swear?” Steph says and I turn to see her holding out her pinky to him. “You know I don’t break those.”

Ugh, Steph and her damn pinky swears. She wouldn’t even be married to Linden if it weren’t for one.

But Bram does a pinky swear with her.

“No funny business,” Steph warns him.

“Good thing I’m not funny!” I yell as I flop down on the couch. The room is beginning to spin.

“Nic, that was, like, five minutes ago,” Steph says. She reaches over the couch and pats my head. “Do you want us to undress you because Bram’s not allowed.”

“No one undresses me but me!” I yell, throwing my fist up into the air.

“Have fun with her,” Steph says to Bram. “And remember, she’s untouchable. Don’t make me make your brother punch you in the junk or something.”

Bram makes a scoffing noise. “Last time he tried to do that, I got him back good. You just ask him what happened on January 16th, 2005 and why he’ll never eat pudding again.”

“I mean it,” Steph threatens and I hear her and Kayla leave and the door closing.

I close my eyes too. Drift away for a moment. The spinning has stopped and there’s a beautifully cool breeze wafting over my skin.

“I’m not supposed to touch you,” Bram’s gruff voice says and when I open my eyes, he’s crouched in front of me, a lock of dark hair over his forehead. His face is shadowy in the dark, the only light now being from my bedroom behind him.

“That’s okay,” I mumble into the couch. “You can touch me. I say it’s fine.”

“How about I bring you something to sleep in? Do you have a favorite nightshirt? I always see you in that top that your nipples try and poke right through.”

“No, not the nipple shirt.”

He goes to get up. With a lazy hand, I grip his shirt. “Don’t leave. I’m fine here.”

“I can’t imagine you being comfortable.”

“I’m drunk. Everything is comfortable. Except I wish I had a cheeseburger. I would eat it and use it as a pillow. Or maybe use it as a pillow and then eat it.”

“I see.”

I raise my brow at him. “You just want to go through my underwear.”

“Oh, I’ve already gone through your underwear.”

“Lies.”

“I wore them on my head and danced around your apartment.”

“Did you really?” I ask, totally serious.

“Come on,” he says grabbing my forearms. “If you want to sleep in your clothes, that’s fine. But I’m bringing you to your own bed and taking off your shoes.”

“Can you brush my teeth too? I need clean teeth.” I let him pull me to my feet and I pitch to the left, heading right for the coffee table. But I’m in his arms, his capable arms, and he’s holding me to him.

“You have capable arms.”

“You have an exquisite arse,” he responds and half leads me, half drags me out of the living area and into the bedroom.

“I like the way you say arse,” I say with a giggle, exaggerating his accent. “I like the way you say everything.”

“I’m glad, because I foresee a lot of arse talk in the future.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I try and swat him away. “All talk and no arse pinching.”

With
her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central
Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success
with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true
example of the term “Hybrid Author.” Though her books showcase her
love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she’s a closet romantic at heart and
strives to give her characters a HEA…whenever possible.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor
of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and
photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn
and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of
British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her
fiancé and rescue pup.

LINKS:

Release Blitz + Review + Giveaway : Side By Side by Wendy Louise

Posted on 06/14/2015 by shellbellereads

Side By Side

By Wendy Louise

Synopsis

What would you do if your childhood best friend, your soul mate, and the one person that means more than anyone else in the world was suddenly in front of you after disappearing from your life ten years ago?

Would you risk your stable life, to allow them back in to your heart, even after they had left you without any explanation?

Katy Lou Reynolds needs to make a choice. She can either ignore the fact that Elijah Trent is standing in the middle of the cage about to fight, or she can face him and demand answers as to why he left her.

Is it worth risking her heart for her one true love even though she knows it may get broken again, or is it better to let him walk away?

***

When Katy Lou tags along with her boyfriend to an Underground Cage fight, the last thing she expects to find in the ring is her childhood best friend, Elijah. Seeing him again brings back distant memories – a drunken mother, an absent father and relentless school bullies. Most of all, it re-awakens the feelings she had for him. Elijah has always held her heart; but after he left her when they were fourteen, without a word, can she risk everything to let him back in to her life again?

Elijah is a great fighter. He channels all the aggression he suffered at the hands of an abusive father in to every fight, every time. His success feeds his lifestyle of new cities and endless women, eager to spend time with him. His one regret has always been leaving behind his best friend, Katy Lou. There’s nothing he wouldn’t give to see her again, but if he does, would she forgive him for leaving her and risk her heart?

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

If you are looking for a book with the theme that takes childhood friends to lovers, Side By Side by Wendy Louise might be right up your alley. It is a touching story of two abused childhood friends that found kinship and safety with one another. When one disappears without a word the other is devastated. It takes nine long years for these two to find each other. The old saying is true, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Katy and Elijah have both changed throughout the years. When they accidentally find each other once again, they still find that they need each other. This time around they are in control of their lives and hearts.

This sweet second chance / friends to lovers is a touching story. The book is written in both characters POV.

Wendy Louise wrote an entertaining story that readers will enjoy.

_________________________________________

Author Bio:

Hi, I’m Wendy Louise. I’m a wife and mum living in Melbourne, Australia. I love to read and write, and I somehow managed to fit writing this book in between my regular day time duties, which include a full-time job and life in general with two busy children.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After many surgeries and treatments, I learnt that life is short and you need to grab it while you can. I always wanted to write, and I realised that it was now or never.

You can usually find me with a few books on the go at once – whether that be reading them, or writing them. I love chocolate and trashy reality TV. It’s not unusual for me to combine all these and attempt to write, while watching an episode of the Kardashians or The Bachelor, and devouring a block of Cadbury Dairy Milk…..

I am so excited to bring ‘Side by Side’ to you all. It has been such a labour of love for me. I presently have four other novels nearing completion, so I am excited to follow this up with many more.

I hope you enjoy reading Elijah and Katy’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Website~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway

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Happy Release: Song of David by Amy Harmon

Posted on 06/13/2015 by shellbellereads

The Song of David

By Amy Harmon

Release Date: June 15, 2015

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo /Smashwords

Synopsis

She said I was like a song. Her favorite song. A song isn’t something you can see. It’s something you feel, something you move to, something that disappears after the last note is played.

I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood.

For me, heaven was the octagon.

Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?

If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo /Smashwords

Excerpt

I stopped a foot from her and reached out, taking one of her hands in mine. “Do you like this song?” I asked. Obviously she did and obviously I was stupid.

“I love this song.”

“Me too,” I whispered. I reached for her other hand.

“Accidental Babies.”

“What?” I tugged her hands gently, and she took a step. I was so close now that the top of her head provided a shelf for my chin, and Damien’s song was being drowned out by the sound of my heart.

“It’s another one of his songs. . . and I think I love it even more,” she whispered back.

“But that song is so sad,” I breathed, and laid my cheek against her hair.

“That’s what makes it beautiful. It’s devastating. I love it when a song devastates me.” Her voice was thready, as if she was struggling to breathe.

“Ah, the sweet kind of suffering.” I dropped her hands and wrapped my arms around her.

“The best kind.” Her voice hitched as our bodies aligned.

“I’ve been suffering for a while now, Millie.”

“You have?” she asked, clearly amazed.

“Since the moment I saw you. It devastated me. And I love when a girl devastates me.” I was using her definition of the word, but the truth was, my sister was the only girl who had ever devastated me, and it hadn’t been sweet agony.

“I’ve never devastated anyone before,” Millie said faintly, shock and pleasure coloring her words. She still stood with her arms at her sides, almost like she couldn’t believe what was happening. But her lips hovered close to my jaw, as if she was enjoying the tension between almost and not quite.

“I’m guessing you’ve left a wake of destruction,” I whispered. “You just don’t know.”

Finally, as if she couldn’t resist any longer, she raised her hands to my waist. Trembling fingers and flat palms slid across my abdomen, up my chest, past my shoulders, progressing slowly as if she memorized as she moved. Then she touched my face and her thumbs found the cleft in my chin, the way they’d done the first time she’d traced my smile. Hesitantly, she urged my face down toward hers. A heartbeat before our mouths touched she spoke, and the soft words fluttered against my lips.

“Are you going to devastate me, David?” she asked.

“God, I hope not,” I prayed aloud.

Anticipation dissolved the lingering space between us, and I pressed needy lips to her seeking mouth. And then we melded together, hands clinging, bodies surging, music moaning, dancing in the wreckage. Sweet, sweet, devastation.

“Too late . . .” I thought I heard her whisper.

________________________________________

Buy the song on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/song-of-david-single/id998774568

Music & Lyrics by Amy Harmon and Paul Travis – Song of David: iTunes

_____________________________________________

Author Bio:

Amy Harmon is a USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in several countries, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written five novels – the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway- $50 Amazon Gift Card

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Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway : Secret by Kindle Alexander

Posted on 06/13/2015 by shellbellereads

Title: Secret

Author: Kindle Alexander

Genre: M/M Romance

Release: June 9, 2015

Tristan Wilder, self-made millionaire and devastatingly handsome CEO of Wilder-Nation is on the verge of a very lucrative buyout. With tough negotiations ahead, he’s armed with his acquisition pitch, ready to launch the deal of a lifetime. There’s just one glitch. The last thing he expects is to fall for the hot business owner he’s trying to sway.

Dylan Reeves, computer science engineer and founder of the very successful social media site, Secret, is faced with a life-altering decision. A devoted family man with three kids and a wife, Dylan has been living a secret for years. Fiercely loyal to his convictions, his boundaries blur after meeting the striking owner of the corporation interested in acquiring his company. For the first time in his life, reckless desire consumes him when the gorgeous computer mogul makes an offer he can’t refuse.

Buy Now

Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon AU B&N Kobo iTunes

Tracey’s Review

Life for Dylan Reeves is pretty darned great. A wildly successful company, a family that he loves, and a wife that is truly his best friend. So what if he’s hiding something bigger than anyone could imagine? Tristan Wilder knows who he is and what he wants. The CEO of one of the biggest Internet companies going, he’s ready to make it even greater by acquiring Secret, the brainchild of Dylan Reeves. And, if he can acquire the man behind it, even better…

Having only read a couple of other books by Kindle Alexander, I was excited to be able to read Secret. The plot sounded great, very much apropos of today’s culture, what with all of the Internet and social media goings-on, as well as an interest in equal rights for all. Secret does have all of these things, but it is so much more. I have read books of the M/M romance genre before, and I can easily say that Secret is one of my favorites so far. I was absolutely in love with both Dylan and Tristan. Dylan is a man for whom family is everything. Having made a promise to himself that he would focus on doing right by his wife and children, he has willingly put his own personal happiness on the back burner for very long time. When Dylan and Tristan meet, all bets are off, though, because Tristan, absolutely comfortable in his own skin, guesses Dylan’s secret, and is bound and determined to help him figure it all out.

To say that the scenes between Dylan and Tristan are scorching is an understatement. These two are nothing short of combustible, and are great foils for each other. Between Tristan’s honesty and self-assurance and Dylan’s commitment and steadfastness, they inspire each other to be the best that they possibly can.

With a great cast of supporting characters and an engaging and entertaining storyline, as well as two wonderful men that show that love is love, no matter what, Secret gets 4.5 ‘wild, hot, did I say blistering, I love an HEA’ stars. If you haven’t read Kindle Alexander, do it now, and get ready to fall in love with her and her books.

*** ARC received in exchange for an honest review ***

Best Selling Author Kindle Alexander is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It’s always a surprise to see what’s coming next!

I live in the suburbs of Dallas where it’s true, the only thing bigger than an over active imagination, may be women’s hair!

Usually, I try for funny. Humor is a major part of my life – I love to laugh, and it seems to be the thing I do in most situations – regardless of the situation, but jokes are a tricky deal… I don’t want to offend anyone and jokes tend to offend. So instead I’m going to tell you about Kindle.

I tragically lost my sixteen year old daughter to a drunk driver. She had just been at home, it was early in the night and I heard the accident happen. I’ll never forget that moment. The sirens were immediate and something inside me just knew. I left my house, drove straight to the accident on nothing more than instinct. I got to be there when my little girl died – weirdly, I consider that a true gift from above. She didn’t have to be alone.

That time in my life was terrible. It’s everything you think it would be times about a billion. I love that kid. I loved being her mother and I loved watching her grow into this incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She was such a gift to me. To have it all ripped away so suddenly broke me.

Her name was Kindle. Honest to goodness – it was her name and she died a few weeks before Amazon released their brand new Kindle ereader. She had no idea it was coming out and she would have finally gotten her name on something! Try finding a ruler with the name Kindle on it.. It never happened.

Through the course of that crippling event I was lucky enough to begin to write with a dear friend in the fan fiction world of Facebook. She got me through those dark days with her unwavering support and friendship. There wasn’t a time she wasn’t there for me. Sometimes together and sometimes by myself, we built a world where Kindle lives and stands for peace, love and harmony. It’s its own kind of support group. I know without question I wouldn’t be here today without her.

Find out more by visiting http://www.kindlealexander.com or email me at kindle@kindlealexander.com

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Excerpt Reveal : Beautifully Brutal by Nicole Edwards

Posted on 06/12/2015 by shellbellereads

Beautifully Brutal

By Nicole Edwards

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Synopsis

Sometimes love isn’t beautiful…

Sometimes the only way to describe it is beautifully brutal.

If you think you know him… You’re wrong.

If you think you know his family… Wrong again.

If you think you know his story… You don’t.

If you did, you’d likely wonder how the hell a man like Maximillian Adorite managed to make it to this point in his life. At twenty-nine, he’s experienced more than most people could only ever imagine, all thanksto his family. Organized crime they call it. Mafia.

No matter how they spin it, it comes down to one thing. Max gets what he wants. Except for the one thing he wants most.

Her name is Courtney Kogan.

And now that he’s had a taste of her, Max knows he’ll never be able to let her go.

The Southern Boy Mafia series is a spinoff from the Sniper 1 Security series. It has been set up to be read without reading Sniper 1 Security, however, the characters will frequently cross over.

Pre Order : Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt

Sixteen Months ago.

“Holy shit,” she said softly. “That’s a nice car.”

“You like it?” he asked, sounding proud of himself.

“Who wouldn’t?” The newest model convertible Corvette Stingray was likely the sexiest car of them all. She’d always had a fondness for sports cars, but she’d never been truly fond of Corvettes. At least not until they recently released the Stingray again.

Max stepped in front of the car, blocking her view of the car. “Happy Birthday.”

“How…?” Confused she studied him. “How did you know?”

“What? That it was your birthday or that you’d want that car?”

Courtney peered around him. “That… That’s for me?”

“It is,” he told her. “Now go check it out.”

Feeling slightly off kilter, Courtney slowly moved around the car, her gaze darting between Max and the sleek shark gray metallic car.

“Seriously, Max. This is… Well, it’s incredible, but you know I can’t take this car.”

“Yes you can,” he told her simply.

The top was open so she peered inside, taking in the sexy jet black leather interior. She wondered what it would feel like behind the wheel.

“Get in,” he told her as he opened the passenger side door.

When he slipped into the car, she grinned. What the hell. It wouldn’t hurt to take it for a test drive, right?

And then, when they got back she’d tell him she couldn’t keep it. Because falling in love with him was one thing, accepting a car that likely cost him close to a hundred grand was something entirely different.

——————————————————————–

“Pull over,” Max instructed when they were hidden by a copse of trees deep on his land. He’d wanted her to test drive the Corvette, but admittedly he’d had something else in mind as well.

Another birthday present for her.

Courtney stopped the car, frowning when she looked over at him.

“Don’t look so upset,” he said with a smile. “Now get out.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of concern in her eyes, but he shrugged it off. He didn’t want to think that she’d fear him for any reason. She’d surprised him earlier when she muttered for him not to hurt her and he had to wonder where that was coming from.

Then again, she knew him, knew what he was capable of. But in the same sense, if she ever thought he would hurt her, she didn’t know him at all.

Once she met him at the front of the car. Max turned to her, taking her into his arms and crushing his mouth to hers, his hands trailing the thin fabric that covered her. She’d worn a skirt, which had been his suggestion and again, he’d had something in mind when he made the request. He had to wonder whether she’d figure that out yet or not.

Easing her back onto the hood of the car, Max pulled back enough to look at her.

“Kick off your shoes. Wouldn’t want you to scratch the paint.”

Courtney grinned, and her shoes hit the ground.

“Now for my next gift,” he told her.

“And that would be?” She asked, grinning.

“An orgasm. On the hood of your car.”

Hmm. I like the sound of that.”

The following Books by Nicole Edwards are ON SALE

Conviction

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1BWcSYP

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1cIJkak

Addicted

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1KZ8bpa

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1cIJjDr

Entrusted

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GoFKOD

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1cIJrCJ

Without Regret (Releasing July)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1BWdoWJ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1BWdBt1

______________________________________________________

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards launched her professional writing career in July of 2012. Having been an avid reader all of her life and a huge fan of creative writing, it seemed the likely path for her to take. Since then, she has released fifteen books and has no plans to stop. As her full-time career/hobby, Nicole writes steamy contemporary and erotic romances. Nicole is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who was born and raised in Texas. Married with three kids and four dogs, she has plenty of interaction to keep her imagination brewing. Her books have been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After segment as well as Indie Reader’s best seller list. She has forged her way as an independent author. Although she has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, she prefers to be hiding out in her writing cave, talking to the fictional characters that have built up in her head over the years. When she isn’t writing or plotting her next book (sometimes translated to “playing on Facebook”), Nicole loves to read and spend time with her family and her dogs.

Stalk Nicole Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Instagram | Amazon | Blog

ENTER THE GOODREADS PAPERBACK

GIVEAWAY HERE: http://bit.ly/1GwIpI1

Cover Reveal: Tyrant by T. M. Frazier – King Series – Book 2-Sequel To King

Posted on 06/12/2015 by shellbellereads

Tyrant

King Series – Book 2

Conclusion to King

Release Date : August 17, 2015

By T. M. Frazier

Synopsi

I.Remember. Everything.

Only now I wish I didn’t.

When the fog is sucked away from my mind like smoke through a vacuum, the truth that has been beyond my reach for months finally reveals itself.

But the relief I thought I would feel never comes, and I’m more afraid now than I was the morning I woke up handcuffed in King’s bed.

Because with the truth comes dark secrets I was never meant to know.

I will put the lives of those I love most at risk if I let on that my memory has returned, or if I seek help from the heavily tattooed felon who owns me body and soul.

I don’t know if I’m strong enough to resist the magnetic pull toward King that grows stronger every day.

He’s already saved me in more ways than one. Now it’s my turn to do whatever it takes to save him.

Even if that means marrying someone else…

The King

Release Date: June 15, 2015

By T. M. Frazier

Pre Order : Amazon / Amazon UK/ ITunes / B & N

Synopsis

Homeless. Hungry. Desperate.

Doe has no memories of who she is or where she comes from.

A notorious career criminal just released from prison, King is someone you don’t want to cross unless you’re prepared to pay him back in blood, sweat, sex or a combination of all three.

King’s future hangs in the balance. Doe’s is written in her past. When they come crashing together, they will have to learn that sometimes in order to hold on, you have to first let go.

King is the first book in a two part series. Tyrant is the name of the second book due out August 2015.

Pre Order: Amazon / Amazon UK / ITunes / B & N

Author Bio:

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier resides in sunny Southwest Florida with her husband and three feisty fur kids.

She attended Florida Gulf Coast University where she specialized in public speaking. After years working in real estate and new home construction, she decided it was finally time to stop pushing her dreams to the back burner and pursue writing seriously.

In the third grade she wrote her very first story about a lost hamster. It earned rave reviews from both her teacher and her parents.

It only took her twenty years to start the next one.

It will not be about hamsters.

Stalk Her: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Cover Reveal: Katherine In Gold by J. B. Harnett – Beachy Bride Series – Book 2

Posted on 06/12/2015 by shellbellereads

Katherine In Gold

Beachy Bride Series – Book 2

Release Date : July 9,2015

By J. B. Hartnett

Synopsis

*Warning: this is a love story with sexual situations and copious swearing. It also deals with an inappropriate relationship between an underage girl and a much older man.

When Katherine Symes experiences heartbreak at the age of twenty, she picks herself up, dusts herself off, and declares no man will ever break her again. The independent, potty-mouthed Katherine makes no apologies for how she lives her life. Marriage, babies, and husbands are ideas she’s never even entertained. There is only one thing she’s never had the guts to do.

Open her own cafe.

The day of her best friend’s engagement, a stranger bulldozes his way into her life. Handsome, tall, and annoying as hell, he pushes all her buttons. A mutual acquaintance introduces them, and the stranger, Holst Rutherford, wastes no time in presenting Katherine with half ownership in a coffee shop he wants to open in Laguna Beach; he just doesn’t want to do it alone.

Can she put up with Holst to achieve her lifelong dream?

Holst moved to the coastal town of Laguna Beach with clear intentions: a fresh start, concentrate on his new business, and enjoy the beach at his doorstep. After ending a toxic relationship, he never considered entering a new one. But there is something about the ever-combative Katherine which makes him realize she could be much more than a business partner. She just might be the one.

However, she is going to need a little convincing.

Teaser

He looked around my bedroom for some weird reason, then said, “Baby?” He dipped his head so he was right against my ear. “You aren’t weak, and I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I think it’s time you let a man help who will make sure, when all is said and done, you have someone to walk out of battle with at your side.”

Fuck, I was gonna fall in love with him, that dirty, sneaky, big-dicked, perfect-mouthed, motherfucker.

Apparently, he got all that from the look on my face and smiled. “At least you didn’t say what you were thinking out loud.”

Bride In Bloom – Book 1

Amazon ** ITunes ** Kobo

About J. B. Hartnett

Julie is a Southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin) and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers).

She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she could be a singer songwriter…the ‘writer’ part is the one that stuck.

Julie is obsessed with pi…the equation(and the food). She’s allergic to cats and cantaloupe and hates mushrooms…so if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure.She currently lives with her own romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

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Cover Reveal : In Deep by Brenda Rothert

Posted on 06/12/2015 by shellbellereads

In Deep

by Brenda Rothert

Pre-Order on Amazon

I’ve got a secret.

No one knows how I blow off steam, and that’s how I
like it. Most of the time, I’m happy just being part of a big family in a small
town. And those times I need to get away are mine and mine alone.

My secret stays safe until I meet her – the woman who
simultaneously pisses me off and turns me on. She seems like a wallflower at
first, but it turns out there’s a lot more to her than I realized. Despite her
hidden strength, she has a vulnerability I can’t resist.

As we open up to each other, I realize she’s starting
to mean everything to me. She doesn’t feel the same way, but that won’t stop me
from doing whatever it takes to keep her safe – even if it means exposing my
secret to her. I’m in way over my head, and all I can hope is that someday,
she’ll feel the same way about me.

The moment I saw her, my gut should’ve told me I was
looking at a truly amazing woman. That behind the frumpy façade was a smart,
sexy gem I’d be damned lucky for even a chance with. But I didn’t get it. There
was no gut feeling, no magnetic pull, so I was my usual dismissive, arrogant
self. And damn, would I regret it
later.

Mason

My brother Reed grinned at me with amusement as I set
a box on the ground.

“That one too heavy for you, princess?” he asked.
“Need me to get it?”

“Fuck off,” I growled. “I was just losing my grip.”

I picked up the box and followed him through a side
entrance to Grieves House, the mansion Reed and his wife Ivy had bought last
year and renovated into a home for pregnant teenagers. We were moving in the
belongings of Ivy’s friend April, who was the new house mom here.

“This one says ‘miscellaneous odds and ends’,” I said,
lowering my brows as I read the neat, feminine print on the box. “Who spends
this much time labeling boxes when they’re moving? I just throw my shit in
boxes and then dig through ‘em when I need something ‘til they’re all
unpacked.”

“Just set it by the closet down in her bedroom,” Reed
said. “April and Ivy will be back soon and we can ask her if she wants anything
moved.”

I grunted and headed for the door to the basement.
“Where’d they go?”

“To the diner. Ivy was anxious to introduce April to
Margie and Gene.” He opened the basement door for me. “You’ve met April,
right?”

I headed down the stairs with him behind me, answering
when we’d made it to the largest bedroom in the recently finished basement.

“I saw her at your wedding but never talked to her.”

Reed rolled his eyes with disapproval. “That’s because
you brought Marcie Lawson to our wedding. She wore a skin-tight leopard print
dress and hot pink heels.”

“Did she?” I scrunched my face in thought. “Huh. I
don’t even remember getting her out of that dress after the reception, but I
know I did.”

“That’s because you were drunk.”

I arched my brows at him. “You know what I didn’t get her out of? The shoes. That,
I remember.”

“April’s most definitely in a classier league than
Marcie. She’s a great person. Pretty, too. You guys should go on a double date
with me and Ivy.”

I made a low sound of doubt in my throat. “She’s not
my type, man. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

“You’re type’s a whore, Mason. And you’re thirty years
old. When are you gonna grow up?”

I shrugged. “Didn’t think I had to since you and
Austin and Kyle are all married with kids. Mom and Dad got the grandkids they
wanted.”

“I don’t want you to consider April for Mom and Dad’s
sake. You’d be surprised how great it is to date a woman you can have an
intelligent conversation with.”

“I’m sure April’s nice,” I said, running a hand
through my hair. “And I know I could stand to choose women with … more substance.
But I have to feel an attraction, you know? And she’s … I don’t know, kinda mousy. With the glasses and cardigan and
long skirt. She looks like a librarian. You know how I am. I’d run over her
before she even saw me coming.”

Reed nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “She’s
actually quite pretty. You’d know if you’d paid attention to someone other than
Marcie at our wedding. But I guess you’re right. I don’t want you hurting her
or using her.”

My skin tingled with defensiveness. “Hey, I’ve never
used a woman who didn’t want to be used.”

My brother gave a doubtful groan and we silently
agreed to disagree. The older we got, the less we came to blows over our
differences. I missed the old days, when we’d always settled things with our
fists.

Brenda Rothert lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three sons. She was a daily print journalist for nine years, during which time she enjoyed writing a wide range of stories.

These days Brenda writes New Adult Romance in the Contemporary and Dystopian genres. She loves to hear from readers by email at bjrothert@sbcglobal.net.

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Review: Amber To Ashes by Gail McHugh – Torn Hearts Series – Book 1

Posted on 06/11/2015 by shellbellereads

Amber To Ashes

Torn Hearts Series – Book 1

Release Date: June 9, 2015

By Gail McHugh

Pre-Order: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Collide and Pulse comes a gritty new novel about a shattered young woman who unexpectedly falls for two best friends.

They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.

Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.

They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.

Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.

Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.

They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally.

Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.

Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.

But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives…and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Excerpt

“What are you, Casey?” Ryder asks over his shoulder as he scrubs his hands with antibacterial soap.

“Your little cancer warrior,” she answers with a small smile.

“That’s right.” He dries his hands and turns, a proud grin cracking his mouth. “The bravest one ever.”

I grab Casey’s hand and hold it tight, knowing nothing I’ve ever seen, heard, or felt compares to what she’s facing. This child’s living with a fear I can’t comprehend. One that’d slay all of my fears put together.

“Ready?” Ryder asks, his tone soft and caring, everything it should be.

Casey nods, clenching my hand. My heart swells, anxiety building thick in my throat as Ryder slips on a pair of medical gloves and cleans the area around her port with Betadine swabs.

Casey looks at me, the cool blue of her eyes misting over. “Are you scared of needles?”

“No,” I say, running my free hand along the back of her neck. “Are you?”

“I used to be.” She sighs, a single tear slipping down her face. “But not so much anymore.”

It takes everything in me not to drag her little body off the table and run out of the apartment with her. I wipe the tear from her cheek, my need to hide her away, sheltering her from the sinister storm she’s in the middle of, growing with each unsteady breath.

“A little cold,” Ryder warns before spraying the anesthetic on her skin.

“Hurry, Ry,” Casey pleads, her voice weak yet panicked. “It doesn’t last that long.”

“I have to make sure you’re numb, Case.” Ryder ducks his head and stares into her eyes, trying to keep her focused on the silly faces he’s making.

His tactic works.

Casey’s tiny giggles bounce around the kitchen, their musical notes blocking out the sound of Ryder popping the cap off a weird-looking needle. With a small, clear tube like a tail—and plastic wings stretched out on either side—it reminds me of a dragonfly. Ryder presses his gloved finger against Casey’s port a few times, his attention honed in on her face as he says, “Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?” Casey smiles at me, completely unaware that Ryder’s pricked her skin with the needle.

“Aardvark.” Ryder pushes the medicine through the syringe, his attention cutting between Casey’s face and the needle.

“Aardvark who?” she manages, a thin sheen of sweat dotting her upper lip.

“Aardvark a hundred miles for one of your pretty smiles.” Ryder pulls the needle from her chest, and before she can blink, he rests his lips against her forehead, kissing away her remaining fear.

Close to immobile, my heart tugs, the magnitude of what this man means to this little girl—what they mean to each other—scraping tears up my dry throat. I swallow the sound before it can leave me, warmth pinching my stomach into a beautiful knot as I observe them.

“It’s over?” Casey asks, uncertainty flashing in her eyes.

“Yeah, kiddo. It’s over,” Ryder answers, his voice heavy with relief as he applies a small piece of gauze over her port. “You’re all set, warrior. Go get cleaned up, and we’ll get ready to leave.”

With Ryder’s aid, Casey slides off the table and heads for the bathroom, the bounce in her step less tangible as she slips around the corner. Quiet reigns, the events from the last few minutes whispering across my mind as Ryder looks at me with exhausted eyes. Stress lines cut across his forehead, wariness drowning his beautiful features. Overcome, I watch him swipe a tired hand over his face and turn, resting his palms against the counter. As though having no control over my body—a magnet pulling in my gut—I stand and move toward him, each tentative step I take carried out with shallow, quick breaths. I come up behind him, lift a shaky hand and tap his shoulder, my pulse lurching as he turns and meets my gaze. Our connection strikes, a bolt of emotions paralyzing us as we stare at each other.

I touch my fingers to his stubbled cheek, my conscience crying out that my actions are wrong, so very wrong, but my heart mutes the warning as I move my palm to the back of his neck.

His muscles go taut, restraint lighting the fiery blue of his eyes. “Amber, don’t.” The words come out not as a rough warning but a soft plea. “Don’t do this.”

“I have to,” I whisper, trembling. “You’re . . . amazing, Ryder. What you did for her, everything you do for her . . . I just . . .” I drop my eyes to his chest, my heart galloping as I register his hands gripping my waist. Their heat sears through me, a thrill jumping from cell to cell. “You’re tender, cocky, gentle, and an asshole all at the same time. You’re kind, giving, nurturing. You’re . . . everything.”

My lips find his, testing, teasing, barely touching. Our breathing comes faster, harder as I pull him down, our foreheads pressed together as we stare into each other’s eyes. “Please . . . I just . . . Just once more. That’s all I need.”

I think . . . hope.

With hunger demolishing all traces of restraint from his gaze, Ryder buries his hands in my wavy curls and looks at me a beat before capturing my lips in a slow, passionate kiss. I sigh into his mouth, my senses drowning in his familiar flavor as I fall in step with his calculated strokes. On a deep groan, he draws me closer, his tongue dipping in and out, out and in. Still, nothing about his touch is rough, yet everything in it screams that he needs me in this moment.

In this wicked space and time of his life.

Every lick and nip is a soft caress, like he’s trying to burn the sensation of my lips into his memory. My pulse hammers in staccato mode as I melt the full weight of my body into his. With my blood swimming through my veins, and sinking further into everything that is Ryder, I feel the emptiness of his soul slice through me. A dull ache pinches my heart, spreading its misery through my muscles as he cups my cheeks and deepens the kiss with a gentleness I never knew he possessed. My breath catches, wiped from my lungs as he glides his lips along my jaw, down the base of my throat. The cadence of his exotic growl slips through my ears, dizzying my head in the sweetest way.

“Christ, I fucking want you so bad,” Ryder whispers hoarsely. He drags his lips back to mine, his kiss urgent, greedy. However, he brings it down a notch, his movements revisiting slow, sensual, worshipping this moment for everything it is. Worshipping me for all I am. “So badly, peach. More than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone. You drive me crazy. Your smell, skin, eyes.” He sucks my lip between his teeth, a groan punching from his chest as he runs his fingertips along my bare arms.

Goose bumps pop, deliciously pricking my skin as I tighten my grip in his hair.

“Your little giggles, pouts, personality. Every single fucked-up scar you own in and out. All of it. All of you.” He licks into my mouth, his tongue exploring mine with precision as his hands find my nape, their hold possessive. “Fuck. It should’ve been me. Not him. Me.”

And just like that, our moral compasses spring due north, Brock the center of its attention—our attention. We slowly break the kiss, our breathing choppy from the loss.

Michel’s Review

Wow… what a great book for Summer 2015. Amber To Ashes by Gail McHugh is the first book in the Torn Heart Series. This book has all the right ingredients to make your reading experience wickedly scorching. This book is not your ordinary love triangle. It is more of a dark erotic thriller. When you reach the end of this book you will be left with chills. The suspense will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. You will begin to formulate many different scenarios and theories on what is going to happen next and how the story is going to finally play out.

Gail McHugh crafted a very complex story. The characters are not what they seem to be. At the beginning of the story you get very distinct impressions on both Brock and Ryder’s personalities. As the story unfolds the reader begins to see subtle changes and by the end of the book both guys are completely different from the early impressions. Neither one is really good or really bad. The one thing they both have in common is their feelings for Amber. Both are at the point that they will do anything to make her completely theirs. The choice may be taken out of all of their hands. Brock and Ryder’s illegal activities may cost them all their lives.

Amber is a very damaged girl. Her childhood experiences have left her scarred and emotionally damaged. She has never had a successful relationship whether it be romantic or platonic. She has kept herself emotionally closed off. Now that she has met both Brock and Ryder, she is wanting more out of life. The problem is that she doesn’t know what or who she wants.

Like I said this love triangle is unusual. It does not have the predictable angst like readers have experienced in other New Adult books. The interactions between the these three characters has an unusual element that keeps the readers bouncing back and forth.

The dark elements in this story come from outside the love triangle relationship. Brock and Ryder have been living a duel life that is catching up to them. This duel life is deadly. This element is what really fuels this book more so than the love triangle.

Both Brock and Ryder wanted Amber to be completely happy. I think one wanted to be the one to fix her. I got the impression that the other one wanted Amber to fix herself by giving her love and support.

It’s hard to say whether I am team Brock or team Ryder. Both guys were easy to love. They were both good and bad. They both had redeeming qualities. I wouldn’t want to be in Amber’s shoes.

I would love to give this book 5 Stars but there were a few things that kept me from giving that rating.

*** Brock’s motivations were never very clear. We were told why but the explanation was so brief that it really didn’t convince me.

***Brock and Ryder were supposedly best friends since childhood. I never felt that deep bond that they supposedly had. The book lacked interaction between Brock and Ryder that would convince the reader of this friendship. There were very few interactions with the two of them together. The friendship was more of a suggestion from each character when dealing with Amber.

*** Amber’s problems with Hailey kind of popped out of the blue. When I reached the scene where Amber and Hailey have a confrontation in Starbuck’s I was totally confused. I went back several chapters to see if I missed something, which I did not.

*** Lastly, I found it hard to connect with Amber’s character completely. We only got to see one facet of Amber’s true personality. We only saw what damaged her and left her emotionally scarred. Every once in a while we would get a glimpse of something else like her love for writing. Most of the time her personality came off as an insecure girl rather than a young woman that was strong enough to survive the crap hand life dealt her.

Overall Amber To Ashes was a fantastic book and I cannot wait for the sequel!

__________________________________

A self-proclaimed chocoholic, married mother of three, and a lover of writing for as far back as she can remember, Gail McHugh is the author of two New York Times bestselling novels. The COLLIDE series (which includes COLLIDE and PULSE), was acquired by Atria Books on September 17th, 2013.

“The first of two sexy contemporary romances about a woman torn between her seemingly perfect boyfriend and a dark, mysterious stranger who will stop at nothing to have her.” – Publishers Weekly on COLLIDE, a Top 10 Romance pick!

You can follow Gail on the below social media sites:

Stalk Her: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Excerpt Reveal: Beautifully Brutal by Nicole Edwards

Posted on 06/11/2015 by shellbellereads

Beautifully Brutal

By Nicole Edwards

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Synopsis

Sometimes love isn’t beautiful…

Sometimes the only way to describe it is beautifully brutal.

If you think you know him… You’re wrong.

If you think you know his family… Wrong again.

If you think you know his story… You don’t.

No matter how they spin it, it comes down to one thing. Max gets what he wants. Except for the one thing he wants most.

Her name is Courtney Kogan.

And now that he’s had a taste of her, Max knows he’ll never be able to let her go.

The Southern Boy Mafia series is a spinoff from the Sniper 1 Security series. It has been set up to be read without reading Sniper 1 Security, however, the characters will frequently cross over.

Pre Order : Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt

Twenty months ago.

Courtney tried to pull away from Max, her heart pounding against her chest. Max was going to kill Weston, He was going to kill him and it was all her fault…

At that point, she’d been with Max for several months, getting deeper and deeper into a relationship with him, but never had she actually gotten any information to take back to her father. Nothing that would take Max down, nothing concrete enough to do any damage to the Southern Boy Mafia and she felt as though she was running out of time.

So, she befriended Weston, pretended to like him until she convinced him that she wanted him. And then, she’d gotten his phone number, called him and invited him to meet with her.

He had.

But the young man hadn’t given up any information that would have hurt Max.

“What’d she offer you?” Max asked Weston.

Weston’s head shifted, his right eye opened ever so slightly, his gaze meeting hers. She could hardly make out the color of his iris because the lid was so swollen and purple from the bruises that marred his once handsome face.

“Did she offer her pussy?” Max asked, his tone lethal. “Is that what she offered you?”

“God, no!” Courtney screamed.

She hadn’t offered him anything. She’d merely tried to talk to him. Sure, the flirting might’ve eluded to more, but she’d never intended to do anything with him. She wasn’t a whore.

“He didn’t…” she uttered, her throat closing around her words. “He didn’t betray you.”

“No? He met with you in the park, sat with you for two fucking hours and talked. What’d you talk about? The goddamn weather? If he didn’t betray me, what did he do, Courtney? Confess his undying love? Ask you to run away with him? What?”

“I betrayed you.” Weston said through swollen lips. “I shouldn’t have talked to her.”

“He didn’t!” Courtney yelled. “He didn’t tell me anything.”

“But you tried, didn’t you?” Max yelled at her directly. “You tried to get him to talk.”

Courtney’s gaze dropped to the floor as she nodded. She’d tried, but Weston had revealed very little. Not even enough to take back to her father.

“Anything you have to say to me, Weston?” Max asked.

Lifting her gaze to the broken and battered man in front of her, she wanted to plead for Max to let him go, but she knew better. He was going to die. This was what happened in Max’s world. This soulless man was the leader of the Southern Boy Mafia, the ruler of the dark and dirty underworld that she found herself living in.

He was the man she’d fallen for. And she hated that, hated that she’d betrayed herself. Even now, even knowing what was going to happen, she couldn’t deny her feelings for Max. He was doing what had to be done. He weeded out the weak links in his organization in order to move forward. It made sense even if she hated it.