Release Blitz + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Zack by Sawyer Bennett – Cold Fury Hockey Series – Book 3

Posted on 06/09/2015 by shellbellereads

Zack

Cold Fury Hockey Series – Book 3

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett goes for a hat trick with the latest romance in a sexy series about cool-as-ice hockey players and the women heating up their lives.

Warning: The following contains spoilers from a cliffhanger in Garrett.

Rising star Zack Grantham has been stuck in a downward spiral of grief that has put his career on hold. Back on the road with the Carolina Cold Fury, still crippled by emotional baggage, and now a single dad, he’s in need of some serious help with his son. But while the nerdy new nanny wins his son’s heart, Zack isn’t sure he’s ready for a woman’s touch—even after getting a glimpse of the killer curves she’s hiding under those baggy clothes.

Kate Francis usually keeps men like Zack at a distance. Though his athlete’s body is honed to perfection, he refuses to move on with his life—and besides, he’s her boss. Still, the sparks between them are undeniable, tempting Kate to turn their professional relationship into a personal one. But before she makes a power play for Zack’s wounded heart, Kate will have to open him up again and show him that love is worth the fight.

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Excerpt

The doorbell rings just as I’m trying to simultaneously flip a pancake with one hand and pull bacon off the griddle with another. The pancake ends up sticking, then folding in half, and my forearm hits the edge of the griddle. I swear I can hear my skin sizzle from the contact.

“Fuck!” I jerk backward, dropping both the fork in one hand and the spatula in the other, thankful that Ben is in his room playing and didn’t hear me say that. It’s a constant battle sometimes to watch my language around the kid.

Slapping at the control knobs, I turn the heat completely off the large electric griddle I had been struggling with and rub gently the burn on my arm as I head toward the front door. As I round the corner from the kitchen into the living room, I slam my bare foot into Ben’s large dump-truck toy, causing a string of curses to come out of my mouth now as I hobble onward to the door.

My front door is honey-colored oak and has a large oval glass inset with a beveled flower design. Gina had picked it out and had it installed, claiming that it allowed more light into the front entranceway. I thought it was a little too girly, but I didn’t argue with her. The house was her domain.

The glass lets me see my visitor on the other side, but provides no details because of the beveled cuts and partial frosting, which distort the person. But I know who it is.

Ben’s new nanny.

Roberta Francis.

She was Delaney’s top choice, and after I briefly scanned her application I had to sit and listen to my sister rave about her. Delaney felt she was perfect for the job in all respects. She was fantastic with children, having helped raise her three nephews for a period of time. She was also a student with a flexible schedule. Delaney actually droned on and on about this particular situation, but I tuned her out and started thinking about everything I’d need to do to get the house ready to put on the market. I was seriously considering selling it. Maybe move farther out into the country, where we could have some land and Ben could have a dog.

Finally, I just cut Delaney off and said, “She sounds perfect. Let’s go with her.”

And now, as I’m about to open the door to let a woman into my house who will have the most important of responsibilities in helping me care for my son, I’m suddenly realizing I don’t know anything about her other than her name and a vague recollection that she’s a student who helped raise her nephews.

Just fucking great. Way to be an involved and responsible parent, Zack.

The only saving grace at this moment is that Delaney thoroughly interviewed this girl, checked out her references, and was absolutely enchanted with her. I trust Delaney, so this will be fine. She’ll be great, in fact.

I wish I believed myself.

I swing the door open and get my first look at the woman who will be moving into my house and caring for my son. I’m not sure what I expected, but this wasn’t it.

Based on Delaney’s assessment, I expected her to have a superhero’s cape on, or at the very least a shiny gold halo and massive angel wings sprouting out of her back.

Instead…she’s sort of unremarkable.

She stares up at me with round, crystal-blue eyes that are devoid of any makeup and surrounded by brown plastic-framed glasses. Her hair is dark, held back with a headband and twisted up behind her so I have no clue how long it is. She’s small, barely coming up to my shoulder, and swimming in an oversized, extremely faded red NC State sweatshirt and baggy jeans that look about two sizes too big for her. An old backpack slung over her shoulder and a pair of well-worn tennis shoes complete her outfit.

“Roberta?” I ask hesitantly, because suddenly I’m thinking this may be someone soliciting something…or maybe even a homeless person looking for a meal. The way those clothes completely swallow her makes me think she’s starving underneath all that material.

She gives me an outwardly bright smile and sticks a delicate hand out toward me. Her sweatshirt is so big, her sleeves are rolled up around her wrists. “Actually…I go by Kate. Roberta’s my first name, which I was named after my daddy, Robert, but seriously…who wouldn’t hate that name? So I go by my middle name, which is Kathryn, actually. So I shorted it down to Kate, because Kathryn sounds just so…I don’t know…like a Catholic saint or something, and I’m not Catholic. I was raised Southern Baptist, but I really don’t go to church anymore, so—”

She pauses …finally, and takes a deep breath. Her smile goes from politely earnest to a sheepish grin, and she gives an apologetic shrug. “Sorry…I’m nervous and I tend to prattle when I’m nervous.”

I just blink at her, completely shocked silent. I have no clue what to think about this strange woman…no, girl, I think, because she looks so fucking young.

“How old are you?” I ask, my eyes glancing suspiciously at her hand still extended toward me.

“Twenty-three,” she says. “Didn’t Delaney tell you about me? You knew I was coming today, right?”

“Um…yeah, she did. I guess I didn’t hear her mention your age,” I mutter.

Kate takes a small step forward and pushes her hand farther toward me, giving me a pointed look. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Her voice is soft, with a moderate southern twang. I can’t remember if Delaney told me where she was from or not. Fuck…I can’t remember anything she said.

I reach out hesitantly and shake her hand. It’s tiny and her bones feel small, but she grips me surely. “Yeah…uh, nice to meet you too,” I say absently.

Our hands break apart and we just stare at each other.

Michel’s Review

I was dreading this book as much as I was anticipating this book. At the end of the second book, Garrett, Zack experienced an extreme tragedy in his life. I knew this book was going to be one that made me an emotional wreck. So I went into this book loaded with a box of tissue and chocolate within reach.

Sawyer Bennett wove her special story telling magic and delivered a story that not only was emotional but completely unexpected. The book starts with Zack in a strip bar trying to experience some kind of physical feeling. He has been numb since the car accident that took his long time live in girlfriend, Gina’s life. He has been with Gina since high school. They had a strong loving relationship. Their relationship was a role model for many of the other players on the team. They seemed perfect. They had a beautiful home, a beautiful son, and a close relationship. Zack is lost without Gina. The only thing holding him together is his young son, Ben.

His injuries are healing. He’s ready to get back on the ice. He has to find a caretaker for Ben before he can return to the team. When his sister hires the oddest nanny for Ben, it is a blessing and a curse. Although she’s good for Ben she may not be good for Zack. I am not talking about the kind of good or bad in a sexual manner. Kate’s easy going manner, great quirky sense of humor, and genuine honesty may be Zack’s undoing. She will touch places in his soul that he long forgot he buried. He will face truths about his and Gina’s relationship. He will face truths about himself. Most of all , he will have to deal with the guilt that is related to Gina’s death.

Zack will learn to live again. He will find a new man beneath the surface. His hopes and dreams will change. Kate will be the one to bring Zack back to the land of the living. But is he strong enough to live for a new life with Kate and give it everything he’s got inside? Is there room in his heart for anyone else other than Ben?

This book came as a great surprise. I was not a blubbering mess. I didn’t even cry. Sawyer Bennett focused on life rather than death. She gave an honest portrayal on how life goes on and no matter how hard we try to fight it. we do have room for more love. What surprised me the most was Zack. I was under the impression that he was a certain kind of guy from the previous books and he ended up being altogether different in a very good way.

This was not a story of loss and heartbreak, it was a story of hope and love.

Once again Sawyer Bennett delivered an outstanding book that touched my heart. I am looking forward to Ryker’s book. That man is drool worthy goalie that is begging for his story and happily ever after.

Sawyer Bennett has made me a Cold Fury Puck Bunny! I love those mighty men on the ice.

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The Cold Fury Series

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett hits the ice with the story of a playboy athlete whose winning ways lead him to a beautiful woman with a lot to lose.

Carolina Cold Fury star Garrett Samuelson never wants to miss out on a single minute of fun. Whether he’s playing hockey, hanging out with friends, or walking the red carpet with a new date on his arm, he lives every day to the fullest. When he meets Olivia Case, he sees someone who’s exactly his type—confident, sexy, smart . . . his next fling. But the more he pursues her, the more Garrett shares a side of himself that other women don’t normally get to see.

Olivia has been keeping a secret. While Garrett lives for the next thrill, Olivia’s not sure she’ll live to see the next day. She’s undergoing treatment for some serious medical issues, and she doesn’t have time for a relationship with no guarantees—especially one with a hot-as-sin womanizer who won’t take no for an answer. But as she gets to know the real Garrett, Olivia can’t help falling for him . . . hard. To reveal the truth would mean risking everything—but you can’t score without taking the tough shots.

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Ryker – Book 4

Release Date: September 8 , 2015

The rugged men of the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team are winning hearts once again in another scorching novel from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett.

The stakes have never been higher for Carolina Cold Fury goalie Ryker Evans. With his contract running out, he’s got a year left to prove he’s still at the top of his game. And since his wife left him, Ryker has been balancing life as a pro-hockey star and a single parent to two daughters. Management is waiting for him to screw up. The fans are ready to pounce. Everybody’s taking dirty shots—except for the fiery redhead whose faith in Ryker gives him a fresh start.

As the league’s only female general manager, Gray Brannon has learned not to mix business with pleasure. And yet even this tough, talented career woman can’t help breaking her own rules as she gives Ryker everything she’s got. She hopes their hot streak will last forever, but with Ryker’s conniving ex plotting to reclaim her man, the pressure’s on Gray to step up and save a tender new love before it’s too late.

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

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Author Bio:
USA Today Best-Selling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review : Amber To Ashes by Gail McHugh – Torn Hearts Series – Book 1

Posted on 06/09/2015 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.

Pre-Order: 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.

Robin’s Review

I recently had a very unusual reading experience. The novel that I read is Amber to Ashes, Part One of the Torn Hearts series. This new adult/dark erotic thriller is my first novel written by Gail McHugh. Amber to Ashes is the first novel of a brand new series. When I read the synopsis, it piqued my curiosity. McHugh’s previous novels, Collide and Pulse, are both very successful. For all of these reasons, I decided to try out a new author.

The plot of Amber to Ashes revolves primarily around three characters. I guess you could classify this story as a love triangle, but McHugh has put her own twist on the typical love triangle situation. Amber to Ashes is narrated from a first person point of view, told from the perspectives of Amber Moretti, Brock Cunningham and Ryder Ashcroft.

Amber Moretti witnessed the deaths of the only people she ever loved when she was a child. She is an orphan who has been shuffled between different foster families since the death of her parents. Now Amber is looking for a fresh start as she begins her freshman year at Hadley University.

Bad boy Ryder Ashcroft has blue eyes, jet-black hair, body piercings, and tattoos. He’s attractive, but completely annoying. Arrogant and argumentative. Amber lands face-first in Ryder’s lap on her first day at Hadley University, and he knows just how to push her buttons from the get-go.

Just minutes after landing in Ryder’s lap, Amber meets the handsome Hadley University football captain, and then she knows she’s in trouble! Brock Cunningham is the green-eyed, smooth-talking, best friend of Ryder Ashcroft. Brock is flirtatious, charming and says all of the right things. By the time she walks out of the cafeteria, Amber is giddy and high over meeting these two boys.

It’s not often when a situation like this presents itself to me. After four chapters, I stopped reading Amber to Ashes to consider what I was feeling: I was really struggling with this story. I already disliked the main characters, and I felt the story was lacking substance. I honestly wondered how I was going to finish reading Amber to Ashes. But, I also knew that I was still at a point very early in the book, and so much can change in a matter of a few chapters. I decided to plow ahead. Well, thank goodness that I did! Once I picked Amber to Ashes back up, I never looked back! McHugh begins to peel back the layers of her characters and steadily builds in to the meat of the story. Each of these characters has demons. Each are damaged. We are shown characters who are complex and very likable. I found myself sympathetic to each character for different reasons and increasingly fascinated by what was unfolding!

I mentioned earlier in my review that Brock and Ryder are best friends, so I wasn’t surprised they each expressed an interest for dating Amber. What transpires between these three individuals is not what I would consider typical for a love triangle. It’s a different spin on the love triangle, and not nearly as angsty in that sense. What I also found interesting are the darker elements to this story and how this plays into the relationships which develop between these characters. Remember, I consider this a dark erotic thriller, and Amber to Ashes certainly lives up to this classification. Dark. Erotic. Thriller.

I’ll sum up my thoughts with this: Amber to Ashes is one of my favorite novels for 2015! The story ends in a cliffhanger, but it’s a novel well worth reading. In fact, I’m dying to chat with other readers about this story! If you love dark erotic thrillers, you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy of 5-star Amber to Ashes! Congratulations to author Gail McHugh!

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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.

5 Star Review : Happily Ever Never by Jennifer Foor

Posted on 06/09/2015 by shellbellereads

I was about to marry the man of my dreams.

We had it all; a life that most could only wish for. I felt like
the luckiest woman in the world.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was taken from me.

Now I can’t grasp how to move forward.

I don’t even think I want to.

Whether I’m dead or alive, my happily ever after is NEVER going
to happen.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

Happily Ever Never by Jennifer Foor is my favorite book that she has written. As I sat reading this emotional book I was choking on my tears. This book wrecked me. But it also made me smile in the end. Happily Ever Never is not necessarily never.

This is a story of life, love, and the once in a lifetime love that touches the root of your soul. It is also a story of the gift of life. The renewed hope that comes with time. The hope that comes with a new life.

It is also a story of hate and mistrust that evolves into a deep rooted friendship. A deep rooted friendship that gives another kind of love that is equally important.

It is also a story of fear. The fear of death and the fear of life.

I am not going to say too much more because it would give too many spoilers. All of the characters in this story will touch your soul.

Jennifer dug deep and gave the readers an experience of life, love, and the hope of happiness.

I highly recommend Happily Never Ever.

Jennifer Foor is an award winning Contemporary Romance Author. She’s best known for the Mitchell Family Series, which includes ten books.

She is married with two children and spends most of her time behind a keyboard, writing stories that come from her heart.

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Release Day Blitz + Review + Giveaway: Strike by Heather C. Leigh – Sphere of Irony Series – Dax: Book 2

Posted on 06/08/2015 by shellbellereads

Strike

A Sphere of Irony Series – Book 2

Release Date: June 7, 2015

By Heather C. Leigh

Synopsis

Dax Davies has one job to fulfill in the Davies household. Earn money at the family business. The problem is that the family business was illegal underground fighting.

From a young age, Dax and his brothers are groomed to become money earners in their father’s club. Broken bones and bruises are commonplace. Their father pits the brothers against each other to ‘toughen them up’ for the ring, using his rules to bend his sons to his will. His future is in the cage, not on stage where he dreams of making music.

Kate Campbell loves one thing in life. Well, two. Soccer and Dax Davies. Growing up in the poorest part of London, soccer is her personal escape from reality and from the fact that Dax doesn’t seem to know she exists. She figures if she can be good enough at soccer, maybe she can get away from Hackney, and leave the poverty behind.

Kate doesn’t plan on ever getting to know Dax as more than a passing acquaintance. In fact, she isn’t meant to go with her friend to Dax’s father’s business, but that one night changes everything.

***This is book 2 in the Sphere of Irony Series. It can be read as a standalone. This is a spin-off of the Famous Series***

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Excerpt

Before I can blink, Dax’s huge, calloused hands are framing my face and his mouth brushes across mine. At first it’s just a whisper, a tease, the contact barely there. Then, I hear him inhale sharply and his lips press down forcefully, melding with mine, urging me to open up with quick flicks of his tongue. I melt against his solid body as he dominates the kiss, completely under his spell to do with as he wishes. It seems to go on and on—a small slice of paradise in this blighted spot of East London.

When he finally pulls back, greedily stealing a few more nips at my mouth, he closes his eyes and moans. “I knew you’d taste like heaven. You’re an angel, I just knew it.” His voice is so quiet I wonder if he meant to say it out loud.

Naturally, I stand there like an idiot, saying nothing… doing nothing. I’ve been kissed into complete stupidity.

Dax swipes the pad of his thumb over my damp lips. “See you at school tomorrow.” Without giving me a single hint of what he’s thinking, he turns and leaves. I touch my mouth, running a finger over the same spot Dax touched. My heart leaps into my throat, fluttering so fast I fear it may explode.

Great. I’m ruined. My first kiss and it was nothing less than brilliant. Dax Davies just ruined me for every other man from now until the day I die.

Michel’s Review

The Sphere of Irony series by Heather C. Leigh is a unique rock star series. This series features two British members and two American members. The first two books in the series cover the British members. Their stories span from their youth in the ghetto’s of London to the glamourous life in LA. Both of the British members could not wait to escape their lives in England but paid a high price to do so. They left behind the most important things in their lives. They left the women that owned their hearts. Both Dax and Adam have completely different circumstances and situations that led them to their present lives in the Sphere of Irony. Their friendship is the only thing that keeps them going and connected to their pasts. Strike is Dax Davies story.

Dax was raised with very strict rules.

The Rules

1. Family First

2. Never Let Your Emotions Show

3. No fucking, shagging, wanking, sucking, or getting off for seven days leading up to a fight. You win, you get your reward.

4. Women who act like slags can be treated like slags, but never disrespect a proper lady.

5. Defend what’s yours.

Those rules dictated every moment of his young life. He was forced into the world of underground fighting by his father. The fights were more important than school, social life, and personal life. His only solace is his music. He and his best friend Adam have formed a band and are performing in local pubs when he has a night off from the fighting.

When Dax begins falling for his classmate Kate Campbell, it’s very hard to stray from the rules and get to know the girl that has captured his attention. When Dax finally gives in to his desires rather than following the rules it ends in disaster. His father and family is going to make sure that family comes first.

Dax finally escapes his family and the band heads to LA, Dax finally is feeling free. He is finally free to pursue Kate.

Kate Campbell has come to LA on a soccer scholarship. It is her ticket out of the ghetto and into a successful life. After Dax crushed her young heart, she wants nothing to do with him here in America.

The disappearance and reappearance of their friend Ellie will bring Dax and Kate together once again. They are finally going to explore the feelings they have for one another. They are building a life lasting relationship. But life has a way of butting it’s ugly head. Fame, stalkers, athletic careers, and “the rules” will tear them apart once again.

Dax will have to learn to let go of “the rules” and learn to show his real emotions. He will have to put “the rules” into a new perspective. He will find a whole new meaning to “Defend what’s yours”.

Heather C. Leigh wrote another fantastic book in the Sphere of Irony series. I liked that the book was connected to the first book Incite but was also completely different. The connections kept the Sphere of Irony intertwined without giving spoilers to the first book. Each of the characters in the Sphere of Irony are completely different and each one has an interesting story. I really liked Dax’s story. He had life lessons that he had to learn to deal with and make his own. The one thing readers would never question is his love for Kate.

I highly recommend Strike and Incite, the first book in the Sphere of Irony series.

A Sphere Of Irony Series

Incite – Book 1

Privilege, poverty, death, and self-loathing; these are the backgrounds of the men of the internationally famous rock band, Sphere of Irony.

Adam Reynolds is an impoverished teen raised by neglectful parents in one of London’s most dangerous boroughs. He turns to his love of music and countless girls to escape his sad reality.

Beautiful and naïve Ellie Palmer comes from a well-off family that suddenly finds themselves living in one of the poorest neighborhoods in London. Alone in a frightening new place, Ellie is afraid to leave the safety of her home, only going out to walk to school and back.

When Adam prevents Ellie from becoming the victim of a horrific sexual assault, they discover something that two teenagers never thought they would find in such a depressing place. Each other.

After tragedy, lies, and distance tear their future away from them; they each wander through life empty and hopeless no matter who or what they use to replace the feelings of loss.

From the crime-ridden streets of London’s East End to the over-the-top display of wealth in L.A. Can two broken souls must conquer their demons in order to find true happiness?

*This is book 1 in a 4 part series. It is a spin-off of the Famous Series. These can be read as standalones.*

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

About Heather C. Leigh

I’m the author of the Amazon best selling Famous series. I like to write about the ‘dark’ side of fame. The part that the public doesn’t get to see, how difficult it is to live in a fishbowl and how that affects relationships.

I was born and raised in New England and currently live outside Atlanta, GA.

I love the Red Sox, the Patriots, and anything made of chocolate (but not white chocolate, that doesn’t count).

My favorite authors are Dan Wells, Tina Reber, Ken Follett, and Stephen King. Happy reading!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Posted on 06/08/2015 by shellbellereads