Cover Reveal: Love Like We Do by Lori L. Otto

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COVER REVEAL

Title: Love Like We Do – Side A

Author: Lori L. Otto

Cover reveal date: July 21, 2015

Release date: not set yet.

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Cover designed by DCPdesigns

BLURB

The odds were stacked against Max Rosser when he was born sixteen years ago. A month before his birth, his father was put in jail for breaking parole, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. His single mother was an alcoholic, struggling to keep her job and her home. Already, she could barely take care of eight-year-old Will and twelve-year-old Jon.

Max’s older brothers hid their mother’s disease from him as best as they could, and they made sure Max had everything he needed to be a normal, well-adjusted kid, despite the fact that they lived at or below the poverty line for much of his childhood. When his oldest brother became engaged to Livvy Holland, the daughter of the richest man in the state, Max befriended her little brother, Trey, and the two remained best friends even though their home lives couldn’t be more different.

Through Trey, Max made more friends, including star athlete Callen McNare. Over the years, the boys played team sports, went on group dates, and worked summer jobs together. They became close; closer than anyone would have guessed. Before a real relationship could even begin, Max and Callen were forced apart when their secret was discovered.

In LOVE LIKE WE DO – SIDE A, family and friends reevaluate their associations with the boys. Callen’s parents are in denial. Trey feels betrayed by his two closest buddies and wonders how their friendship will change. Jon struggles to keep his family together, despite his mother’s devout beliefs and his brother Will’s immoral ways. Interactions with the people around them could bring enlightenment and understanding, or they could keep Max and Callen apart while doing irreparable damage to their families.

* This is Trey and Jon’s side of the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Lori Otto worked in the billboard industry for ten years. Frustrated with trying to communicate entire messages in “seven seconds or less,” she decided to leave outdoor advertising and return to her love of creative writing.

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ARC Review: Scarred by Elizabeth Montgomery

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Scarred 

Teen / Mature YA

By Elizabeth Montgomery

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Synopsis

For those of us who come into the world different, we see it for what it really is.
Harsh.
Avery Chamberlin is special, unique. Beautiful words to gloss over the fact that she is different. She has never felt like she fit in. Why should she?
She was reminded on a daily basis that she was not like her peers.
Flawed. Damaged. A freak.
Avery will have to come out of her shell to prove that even the bullies have their own insecurities.
LIFE ISN’T ABOUT LABELS.

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Tina’s Review

Judging a Book by it’s Cover:
The cover seems to depict the standard-fact teen drama and the synopsis supports this theory, but with a bit more depth.
Looking Deeper:
The Teen/YA category is not one I normally choose to read, but due to recent events in my own home regarding our fifteen year old daughter, I’d thought this might be an enlightening tale to read. It *is* one I’d love for her to read later on, for sure. Avery is born with a minor physical imperfection, but we all know how cruel and mean kids can be. Her best friend is Dylan, who is gay and often subject to his own ridicule and torture. Together, they forge a tight bond over the years that is unshakable and unbreakable.
Blake and Devon are step or half brothers, living apart. They also happen to be the interests of Avery and Dylan. Blake’s made many sacrifices to try to keep Harper – the queen of mean – away from Avery, unbeknownst to Avery. Suffice it to say, Avery is such a strong and well-adjusted young lady. Her and Dylan both would make wonderful role models, advocates, or spokespersons for anti-bullying campaigns at their school and in their community. The relationship between Avery and Blake was interesting and pretty sweet. The secondary characters filled a wide-range of types and purposes, creating a fuller feeling plot in this short story. Dialogue and interaction was very age-appropriate, and even a little typical of what can be seen and heard at the high school today. I’m not certain how long this story was, but I’m pretty sure it’s under 100 pages, maybe closer to 65-70 pages. That said, it did feel like a complete story that flowed smoothly from a beginning highlighting key points of Avery’s childhood to the nicely-wrapped, solid conclusion. There was only the most minor of predictability, but there were also a couple of small surprises.
Overall, it was a quick, sweet read with a lesson to be learned in kindness and compassion.

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Author Bio:

emAuthor Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Williamsburg, Virginia and raised a hop, skip, and a jump away in Yorktown, Virginia. Paranormal inspiration was easily obtained during her childhood in these colorful towns. This helped to spur her love of Paranormal romance stories, but she also enjoys reading YA and NA.
She is currently raising four children and a husband while elbow-deep in the depths of the writing cave. You can often find her searching on Google for an appropriate, or sometimes inappropriate, photo to insert in any random conversation. If not on Google, or Facebook chat, she can be found drinking coffee (like any normal writer), eating Gummy Bears, baking fanciful cakes, reading (of course), or writing (duh).
“I always wondered what authors meant when they said that their characters tell them what to write – I get it now!”

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: The Ruins by T. H. Hernandez

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The Ruins (The Union Series _2) by T.H. Hernandez
The Ruins Synopsis:

Heartbroken, grief-stricken, and wracked with guilt, seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor returned to the Union, leaving behind the boy she loved.

Now, she and her friends must find a way to do the impossible – warn the citizens of the Union about an impending rebel attack without alerting the government and risking retaliation against her friends in the Ruins.

When every move Evan makes is thwarted, it soon becomes clear she’s being watched. Faced with a daily fight to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, she returns to the Ruins. But life in the Ruins has its own dangers, and soon she’s fighting a different battle – to stay alive long enough to discover the truth.

THE RUINS is the second book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.

Buy Links:

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Exclusive Excerpt:

The scents of honeysuckle and fresh-cut grass float on a late summer night breeze. I stare up at clouds from the chaise lounge on the balcony. A thick marine layer inched its way in from the coast hours ago, blanketing the sky and obscuring the stars I was hoping to see. With the moon hidden and the Union lights off for the night, darkness envelopes me.

Grief, guilt, heartbreak, fear, loss, and abandonment swirl in my head, creating a vortex of pain and confusion keeping me awake. Three days ago I was planning a future with the boy I love. Cyrus was going to come back with me. We were going to figure out a way to warn the Union or stop an attack on it. Together. Now his brother is dead, and Cyrus stayed behind, unable to ignore his sense of duty, unwilling to abandon those who needed him most.

Over the soft murmuring of desalinated ocean water burbling through the aqueduct on its way to homes throughout the Province, I hear the door slide open behind me. I sit up as my bio-dad, Eddie, walks out and sits next to me. “Can’t sleep?”

I shift to my right, giving him more room. “No. You?”

He shakes his head, his wavy, cinnamon-colored hair sweeping his shoulders. “My grandmother used to say if you can’t sleep, it means you’re awake in someone else’s dreams.”

That’s a comforting sentiment. Is Cyrus dreaming about me now? Or is he like me, too afraid of the nightmares to close his eyes?

Eddie presses his lips together and studies me for several long seconds. “Are you ready to tell me where you really were all summer?”

His question catches me off guard. I thought he bought my story, the one I told him when I came back. The one Lisa fed him while I was in the Ruins. Posing as me, she texted my mom and Eddie from my tablet with regular updates on our fake adventures sailing off the southeastern coast. When I first showed up here yesterday afternoon, he didn’t seem to care where I’d been or what I’d been up to, only that I was here at all. I’m definitely not ready to have this conversation with him.

“I don’t know, are you ready to tell me where you were for the first twelve years of my life?”

He shifts his weight on the chaise next to me and sighs. “I’m not sure how many times I can apologize.”

“You think another ‘I’m sorry’ is going to fix everything?”

“Look, I know I was a lousy father to you, but—”

“You weren’t a lousy father, you weren’t any kind of father at all. You were non-existent.”

He rubs his palms on his thighs and stands. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, but you might want to ratchet the anger down a few notches.” He moves toward the door before turning back. “You’re going to have to forgive me some day.”

I raise my head and turn toward his dark silhouette. “Why? You think sending me a ticket and letting me hang out with your new kids makes up for everything?”

“No,” he says quietly, “because hanging on to all that resentment isn’t healthy.” He walks back into the house, sliding the door closed behind him.

With a heavy sigh, I fall on my back and stare back up into the blackness. Seriously? After being nothing to me for three-quarters of my life, where does he get off being all parental right now?

 

T.H. Hernandez Bio:

Author T.H. HernandezWhen not visiting the imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California, with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog. In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they’re still figuring out life. When I’m not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I’m obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.

Links:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

 

Enter T.H. Hernandez’s fantastic giveaway!
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Release Blitz : No-where But Here by Katie McGarry

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We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Katie McGarry’s NOWHERE BUT HERE! NOWHERE BUT HERE is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance and is a part of Katie McGarry’sThunder Road Series, published by Harlequin Teen. Grab your copy today!!

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About NOWHERE BUT HERE:

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

 

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NOWHERE BUT HERE Trailer:

 

Katie McGarry Author PhotoAbout Katie McGarry:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

 

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Happy Release: Under The Spotlight by Angie Stanton- The Jamieson Brothers Series- Book 3

We’re having a release day launch for Angie Stanton’s Under the Spotlight! I am so excited about this young adult romance!! Angie is sharing an excerpt and fantastic giveaway with us, so be sure to check out all the festivities!

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Exclusive Excerpt:

Garrett’s head pounded, and not from the hangover that would greet him with the sunrise, but from being slammed against the wall. Or maybe it was from the few punches that came later when he crashed to the floor of Ye Ole Boston Brew Pub and knocked his head on the beer-stained tile.

He rubbed his unshaven face, and dried blood flaked into his hand. Great. He needed a shower and an aspirin, but the Boston city jail offered neither. Where the hell was Peter? It had been over an hour.

The sharp edge of the narrow bench he lay on cut into his back, making his already battered body even more sore. He only hoped the other guy felt worse. The jerk had the audacity to call him washed up. For Christ’s sake, he was only twenty-two. He’d accomplished more in the last five years than that asshole would in a lifetime.

Reaching for his phone, he remembered the cops had taken it, along with his wallet and keys. Damn it.

“Garrett Jamieson,” a bored cop with thinning hair announced, unlocking the cell. “You’re free to go.”

“About damn time,” Garrett huffed, rising slowly. He tugged his shirt into place, smoothed back his hair, and followed the officer down a long corridor past several cells with other perps. He couldn’t wait to get away from this hellhole. The officer opened a solid metal security door, and Garrett walked through, relieved to be free.

In the far corner of the waiting room, studying the Most Wanted posters, his brother waited, wearing faded jeans and a gray T-shirt.

“Hey Peter,” he called. “See anyone you know?”

Peter turned with a smirk on his face and his hair still ruffled from bed. “Just checking to make sure your ugly mug isn’t up here.”

Garrett sneered. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“Never is.” Peter sighed. “You realize this is becoming an annoying habit. You’re lucky your Jag is still in the shop from your crash last week, otherwise you might have added drunk driving to your record.”

“Stop acting like an old woman.”

“You have more to worry about than me. Dad isn’t going to be happy about this.”

“No reason Dad needs to hear about it.”

“You’re kidding yourself if you think you can keep this under wraps. A couple of photographers are outside. You’re busted. Again.”

Garrett stepped to the counter and signed his discharge papers.

“At least I know how to live a little. You’re tied down to a ball and chain.”

His brother grinned with a smile that melted millions of young girls’ hearts. “Well, I happen to have the hottest ball and chain on the planet.”

Under the Spotlight Synopsis:

Under the Spotlight 001After an embarrassing stint on a reality-TV music competition years ago, Riley vowed never to sing again. Now she’s behind the scenes, working at the prestigious Sound Sync recording studio, and life is looking up. But then Garrett Jamieson, the oldest brother in the famous Jamieson brothers band, crashes into her world.

Garrett has hit rock bottom, and he is desperate to reinvent himself. After calling in a few favors, he ends up working at Sound Sync to learn the ropes of record producing from the industry’s best. And he can’t believe his luck when he discovers that Riley has been keeping a secret—she is an amazing singer. By producing her album, he’s sure to top the record charts again. But Garrett is forced to use every trick in his arsenal to persuade the sassy girl to record.

Riley refuses to sing—or even entertain the thought of it—and sparks fly as Garrett finally meets his match. But in the heat of the moment, one stolen kiss changes everything. Will Riley be the first person to finally rein Garrett in, or will Garrett succeed in getting Riley back under the spotlight?

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Under the Spotlight Goodreads

3 Star

Michel’s Review

Under The Spotlight by Angie Stanton is the third book in the very popular YA series The Jamieson Brothers.  Although this is YA/ New Adult I found the book leaning more towards the YA genre.  It is a sweet romance with very little angst, very little romance, very little sexual tension, and no sex at all.  The first kiss does not happen until the reader has reached 70% of the book.  From that point the romance does not progress much until the very end.

I found the characters very charismatic.  The general plot of the book was well executed and very entertaining.  I loved how the author focused on the procedures in the  music industry. It was very enlightening.

Over all Under The Spotlight is a good book.  I would recommend this book and series to mature teenage girls that are between tween and new adult.  It is a clean romance that will capture the younger teen woman’s heart.

Angie Stanton Bio:

Angies-Professional-Head-Shots-003-e1378407382251Angie Stanton never planned on writing books—she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural America with her brothers’ 4-H pigs as pets, she found that dance didn’t quite work out. Instead, she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. When not writing, she loves watching natural disaster movies, going to Broadway musicals, and dipping French fries in chocolate shakes.

Links:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Author Goodreads | Instagram

 

 

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Brenda Novak For The Cure of Diabetes: Sweet Seduction Box Set, Sweet Talk Box Set, and Sweet Dreams Box Set

 

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SWEET SEDUCTION

 Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

Make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of Sweet Seduction will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research. 

Brenda Novak For The cure

 

SWEET SEDUCTION (13 All NEW Erotic Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes)

Lexi Blake, Mari Carr, JS Cooper, Nicole Edwards, Karen Erickson, Megan Hart, J Kenner, Julia Kent, Elisabeth Grace, Lauren Hawkeye, Nina Lane, Roni Loren, and Avery Aster, with Lisa Renee Jones.

 

This stunning limited edition collection features thirteen BRAND NEW contemporary romances by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors…

 

Featuring a foreword and a bonus book by New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Renee Jones.

 

From New York Times bestselling Author Lexi Blake comes LUSCIOUS, a novella set in her Masters and Mercenaries world. When Macon Miles meets sweet waitress Alison Jones, he knows she’s trouble, but he can’t imagine how her secrets will rock his world.

 

Sparks fly in Texas when a soldier comes home to the girl he left behind in New York Times bestselling author Mari Carr’s WAITING FOR YOU.

 

Sex. Lies. Romance. Love. My life has it all. I do what I want, when I want and no one can stop me. This isn’t a story of how I found my prince. Or my how my prince found me. This is my life. My diary. This is the true diary of ‘that girl’. CONFESSIONS OF A SEXAHOLIC by New York Times bestselling author JS Cooper.

 

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards revisits Tag and McKenna, a power couple who have gone from infatuation to adoration in ADORED (Club Destiny #7.5).

 

New York Times bestselling author Karen Erickson presents a brand new, very sexy contemporary romance about finding love in the most unexpected places…

 

When love is determined, it will always find a way. From New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart comes PERFECTLY RECKLESS, a new novel about love, lust, loss and rediscovery between two people who should never have fallen in love…or out of it.

 

Spend some time with Nikki and Damien Stark in this sexy and sensual bonus story in J. Kenner’s STARK EVER AFTER series of novellas.

 

When Random Acts of Crazy’s bass player, Joe Ross, gets injured in an unfortunate sex act that gains nationwide coverage, it’s tatted-up Tyler (aka “Frown”) to the rescue for their first big concert. THE RANDOM TOUR: LOS ANGELES by New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent.

 

With INDECISION, Elisabeth Grace brings you another hot story with heart that follows a small town’s wild child and the police officer who tries to tame her–he has no idea what he’s in for.

 

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Hawkeye comes THE BILLIONAIRE YOU KNOW, the newest tale in her bestselling Billionaire series.

 

In STICKY by New York Times bestselling author Nina Lane, a plate of sugar cookies sparks an edgy, red-hot affair between married PTO president Madeline Collins and the hot, new school principal, who teaches her a very dirty lesson.

 

From New York Times bestselling author Roni Loren comes WANDERLUST, the story of a magazine writer who needs to land the big story and the bad boy rockstar who’s determined to protect his band’s secrets. His plan? Get her off her game by getting her into his bed.

 

For fans of such films as Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Wild Things comes a ménage romance posing the question, can two men share the same woman forever? UNCONVENTIONAL (The Manhattanites) by Avery Aster.

 

Don’t forget to check out SWEET TALK and SWEET DREAMS, two more limited edition collections from Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research… read and help the fight against diabetes!

 

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Excerpts

 

SEDUCE ME

by J. Kennner

 

I’m tapping the end of my pencil against the overfull sheet–because despite owning my own web and mobile app development company, I print my schedule every morning–when Damien approaches.

I know that he is there even though he has yet to say a word. Perhaps I heard his bare feet on the wooden floor. Perhaps the air shifted as he passed. Or perhaps he is simply Damien Stark, and I could no more fail to notice his presence than I could miss a tidal wave.

But more likely, I think it is because he has so thoroughly claimed me that there is never a time when I am not blissfully and totally aware of him.

I am in the library on the mezzanine of the exceptional Malibu house that was still under construction when I first started dating Damien. Now it is our home, and each place within these walls is precious to me. I’m at the desk near the section where Damien has shelved his sci-fi/fantasy collection, with tattered paperbacks tucked in with pristine, signed first editions. A few feet away, the newest addition to our household is curled up into a tiny ball of orange fluff in one of the comfy leather chairs.

This is Damien’s favorite place to work, and that’s part of why I come here almost every morning–I like to feel close to him.

Right now, I feel very close indeed.

“You’re amazing, you know.” I speak without turning around, then smile when I hear his soft chuckle behind me.

“Because I can sneak up on you?” This time I do hear his footsteps as he moves even closer.

“I knew you were there. By definition, that isn’t sneaking. Or, at least, it’s not successful sneaking.”

“You make a good point, Mrs. Stark.” His hands press gently on my shoulders, and I close my eyes, just soaking up the feel of him. It’s more potent than coffee, and if I could bottle this feeling, I’d be richer than my husband.

I haven’t yet turned to look at him, but I don’t need to. I’ve long ago memorized every delicious inch of him. His raven-black hair, so familiar to my fingers. His perfectly sculpted face, softened by the slightest shadow of beard stubble. His lean, well-muscled athlete’s body that looks equally exceptional in jeans or a tux. And, of course, his dual-colored eyes that can look right to my core and see all my secrets.

It is not yet seven on a Friday morning and though I’m still in my typical morning uniform of a T-shirt and baggy shorts, I know that he is already dressed. I inhale, confirming that assumption. I smell the soap from his shower. The hint of musk from the cologne I bought him in Paris on our honeymoon just a few months ago.

“So tell me, why am I amazing?”

“To answer that, I’d need Power Point, a projector, and at least two days.” I tilt my head back so that I can grin at him, and my heart skitters when I see his face, even more perfect then the picture I keep tucked away in my mind. “But in this particular instance, I was referring to your time management skills.” Damien accomplishes more in a day than most people do in a year. Frankly, I think it’s highly likely that superpowers are involved.

“Busy day?”

“By human standards. For you, it’s probably a cakewalk. For me, I’m going to have to do some juggling.”

I push the chair away from the desk and stand, then lean back so that I’m half-sitting on it, my rear pressed against the edge. Damien’s attention is entirely on my face, and there is such a look of hunger in his eyes that I have to smile. “Careful, or you’ll be late for work.”

“I find that’s one of the perks of running my own company. There’s no one to slap my hand when I break the rules.”

I hear the thread of playfulness in his voice and match it. “Do you break the rules often, Mr. Stark?”

He lifts his hand, then brushes my hair away from my neck so that his fingertips can stroke my tender skin, then trace down along my collarbone. “As often as possible,” he says.

 

INDECISION

By: Elisabeth Grace

 

I dropped my hands to my side. “Are you arresting me?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“Relax. I’m going to pat you down to make sure you don’t have anything I need to be concerned about and then I’m going to conduct the sobriety test.”

Un-fucking-believable. This was unreal. Never in my life. I held my tongue as I stomped over to the trunk, faced it, and placed my palms on the hot metal.

“Is there anything on you I should know about? Any drugs, needles, paraphernalia?” he asked in a way that indicated he’d administered one of these on more than a few occasions.

“Of course not,” I clipped.

He came to stand behind me. I couldn’t see him, but his presence this close to me was like a magnet drawing me to him, and I found myself wanting to back up into his hard body.

He crouched down and why, oh why couldn’t I get the image of him putting his face between my legs out of my head? Like I’d let this asshole touch me. When his hands circled my ankle, I sucked in a breath and fought the urge to bring my feet together to ease the ache in my center.

He slid his hands up my leg and I swore I heard a small groan escape his lips. My skin was tingling with awareness as his warm hands passed over me. Stopping short of the V of my thighs, he repeated the action on my other leg, moving just as slowly from the bottom to the top.

His hands then landed on my bare skin at my waist, and the sensation spread until it concentrated in my core. As his hands slid up to just below my breasts, I heard his breathing grow ragged behind me, and I had to fight the urge to press back into him.

Damn, what was wrong with me?

“Find what you’re looking for, officer?” I asked with way more huskiness and way less ire than I’d intended.

LUSCIOUS

By: Lexi Blake

 

MACON Excerpt

 

Macon watched the new girl. He couldn’t help himself. She was luscious. Like a chocolate soufflé. She would require very careful handling in order to bring her to fruition. One wrong move and a woman like that would fold, wilting or falling away, or simply telling him to fuck off.

He really didn’t want her to tell him to fuck off.

Ally. Allyson Jones. She had dark hair and a curvy figure that filled out her black slacks and white dress shirt in a way no one else on the waitstaff managed. She bent over, collecting the menus. That was the singular juiciest backside he’d ever seen. It was fucking spectacular, and he could feel his cock hardening.

It was not helpful to his current work situation, but he still couldn’t force his eyes to move. It was like they were laser focused on that lush ass.

He moved the pastry blender over and over, forcing the ingredients to mix into something new. Butter, flour, sugar, shortening, salt, and ice water. His perfect piecrust. Simple and yet so complex since he’d learned it required something beyond merely following the recipe. There was a harmony required most people never figured out, a certain Zen that came with giving over to the dish, allowing it to be what it would.

“Don’t let that sit too long.” Timothy Gage looked down his patrician nose at the bowl. “We have reservations for a hundred tonight. If that crust isn’t perfect, I’ll see you go back to washing dishes.”

Macon took a deep breath and forced himself not to correct his obnoxiously pretentious boss. He’d never washed dishes. When he’d been hired at Top, he’d been brought in as a garde-manger, prepping salads and helping with small plates. That had lasted two weeks. Then one day the chef’s brother had walked in. Ian Taggart was a massive slab of muscle with a taste for lemons. Timothy didn’t do requests. He was an artiste, or at least that’s what he called himself. He was mostly an asshole who took himself way too seriously. Sean Taggart, the man who owned Top, had tried to talk his brother into being reasonable. Macon had quickly made a lemon pudding.

He’d moved from salads to assistant pastry chef that day, and he was also Big Tag’s hookup. The big guy’s wife had been pregnant at the time and mad about coconut. He’d made coconut cookies, cream pies, and cakes for the lovely Charlotte.

It was good to be needed. It was good to make something that made someone else happy.

“That is one hot piece of ass.” Timothy leaned against the wall, his eyes on Ally.

There were times he really didn’t like the man. All the time, really. He was full of himself, but he was also trained by some super-fancy school in Paris. Sean had introduced him as a big deal and explained that Macon could learn a lot from him. So far he’d really learned that Timothy liked to duck work and take all the credit, and he drank on the job.

Ally looked up and her dark eyes caught on his. He hoped he wasn’t staring like a crazy stalker guy, but it was hard to look away. She smiled and joked and he could still feel the aura of loss that surrounded her. He wanted to know what made her seem so sad at times, like there was a wall between her and the world. He wanted to tell her she didn’t need that wall. It was a stupid idea. He couldn’t take care of himself much less anyone else, so he’d kept his distance.

Still, since the moment she’d walked through the doors, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

 

ALLY EXCERPT

 

Ally dropped off the new menus. They changed nightly because Sean Taggart liked to use fresh ingredients. Top was farm to table. He negotiated with local farms for whatever he could, and as far as Ally could tell he was one hell of a chef. She’d been raised on whatever her mom had a coupon for, but she’d discovered she really liked sea bass and polenta, and god she could eat risotto all day.

And Macon’s pastries. Oh, Timothy the Ass took credit, but she watched Macon work. Macon made the fluffiest crust, the richest chocolate mousse.

He was also the damn dreamiest man she’d ever seen, and she wasn’t a woman who used the word dreamiest lightly.

In the few weeks she’d worked at Top, she would swear she’d gained ten pounds. After service was over, staff got to eat. She’d had some of the best food of her life here. She’d also had some really good times. She’d thought she only ever fit in with her mom and Ronnie, but this place was starting to feel like home.

“Hey, you. I heard we’re going to Deep Ellum after work tonight.” Deena took the menus and placed them in the basket by the hostess station. She was an infinitely competent woman in her early thirties, with a ready smile and a warm personality. She kept the front of house running like clockwork. “Tell me you’re coming with us. We need to dance.”

Oddly, the idea of going clubbing held no appeal. She was young and single and had no ties to anyone, and yet all she wanted to do was have a place to go to with a TV and a warm bed and a Macon Miles to cuddle up against.

Damn it. She couldn’t think that way. Macon was the target. Macon was the only one who could tell her what really happened to her brother. The report didn’t make sense. She knew the Army could cover up deaths, and she was sure that was what happened with Ronnie.

Had Macon killed her brother? Somehow she didn’t think so. She certainly didn’t want to believe it. She’d walked into Top with the full intention of confronting him. She’d meant to sit down with Macon and force him to talk to her. Then she’d actually seen him. When she’d knocked on the back door, he’d opened it. He’d wiped his hands on his apron and given her the sweetest smile she’d ever seen, and when he’d asked what she needed her brain and her mouth hadn’t worked at all in sync. She’d stumbled and told him she was looking for a job, and she’d started waiting tables that night.

How would he feel if he knew she had an ulterior motive? She promised herself every single night that she was going to tell him the truth, and every night she put it off. Now she was in too deep. She was caught in a trap of her own making.

 

WAITING FOR YOU (Sparks in Texas)

Mari Carr

 

Sydney stood next to Gran, who was flanked by Julian on the right. The three of them were standing at the international arrivals gate, grinning like fools as they held the banner Sydney had made. Chas’ flight had landed and her heart was racing a million miles an hour. She’d seen him just a few months earlier over the holidays. They’d exchanged small gifts and consumed a bottle of eggnog together. Chas had even told her a little bit about two friends he’d lost in combat, the story breaking her heart.

Chas had ended up sleeping on her couch that night, while she’d tossed and turned in her bedroom, fighting the urge to go out and comfort him. However, there had been something in his eyes—some dark, unfamiliar sadness—that had stopped her, that had told her to keep her distance.

Several more people walked through the gate. Sydney watched as relatives reunited with hugs, laughter and sometimes tears. She loved coming to the airport, loved the energy and the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle. It was a hotbed of emotions unlike any other place.

Gran captured her attention with a nudge of the elbow. “There he is.”

Chas strolled through the doors in jeans and a t-shirt. It would seem so weird to see him dressed in civilian clothing rather than his fatigues from now on, and she wondered if he’d give up the crew cut he’d kept for so many years and return to the longer style of his youth. He looked around the area, searching for them. Sydney smiled and waved when his eyes met hers.

Chas walked faster then, laughing when he read their banner. Sydney took it from Julian and Gran, stepping back so that Chas could greet his family.

She was shocked when he bypassed both of them and walked right up to her. He tugged the banner out of her hands and dropped it to the floor a split second before he grabbed her in his embrace and kissed her.

His mouth was demanding, forcing her lips apart so he could stroke her tongue with his. Sydney fought off a wave of dizziness and disbelief. Even a bit of embarrassment when she recalled his grandmother was standing less than five feet away from them. She put her hands on his shoulders, intent on pushing him away, but Chas only gripped her tighter, one of his hands rising to cup the back of her neck, his fingers lightly stroking the sensitive skin there.

She was a goner. Sydney stopped giving a shit who was there and what they were seeing. Chas was home. And he was kissing her.

Twelve years melted away into a haze of nothingness. He was home. Finally.

 

PERFECTLY RECKLESS

By Megan Hart

 

Maura pushed up on her elbow to look down at him. There might come a time when she was no longer overcome with love at the sight of his face, or when her love might become something soft and faded and worn. But to stop loving him? Impossible.

“How would I live,” she murmured, “without my Ian?”

Tenderly, she stroked the hair from his forehead and kissed his mouth. He woke with a start, looking guilty. Maura sat, thinking she should start looking for her clothes. She was getting a chill.

Ian sat, too, saying nothing as she pulled on her panties and bra, then her t-shirt. She watched him carefully as she turned her jeans right-side out, but didn’t put them on. She knelt beside him.

“Ian?”

“It’s getting late,” he said. “We should go to bed.”

She’d never been in his bedroom, though she’d seen it often enough in their video chats. The easy compatibility they’d shared while making dinner and the synchronicity of their lovemaking stalled here. Ian pulled a pair of boxers and a t-shirt from a drawer to give her.

“You can use the bathroom first,” he offered. “Umm…I have an extra toothbrush for you.”

In bed, she curled on her side, facing out. Ian lay on his back beside her. The soft, slow rasp of his breathing soothed her, but she couldn’t sleep. All this time, and they’d only slept together once. She didn’t know if he liked to be cuddled or preferred his space; she didn’t know if he would mind if she tossed and turned for a few minutes while she tried to get comfortable with a pillow she wasn’t used to.

“Are you sleeping?” His whisper eased over her in the darkness, so quiet it made her smile because he was clearly trying not to wake her, if she was.

“No.”

The bed shook as he moved closer to her, pulling her against him. His breath warmed her neck. His hand fit naturally just below her breasts.

“It will be okay, Ian,” Maura said sleepily, relaxing against him. “Everything will be okay.”

But it wasn’t. She fell asleep with his arms around her and woke when he moved away from her. When he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, she sat up too.

“Don’t do this,” she said. The only light came from the moon shining through the window. It made him a shadow, indistinguishable from all the others except that he moved and the others stayed still. “Go to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep.”

She scooted closer to him. He didn’t cringe from her touch when she curved her body around his and put her chin on his shoulder. She put her arms loosely around him, linking her fingers at his chest. She gave him her warmth and the beat of her heart. According to George Orwell in 1984, if you loved someone, that’s what you gave him even when you had nothing else. Love.

Maura gave Ian her love, and somehow, it wasn’t enough.

“It’s just that…I’d rather it end now than later.”

Maura sighed, weary, but giving him the room to say what he needed to say. “Why?”

“So I can be ready for it.”

“Are you ready for it?” She asked a little too harshly. “Is that what you want, Ian? For me to go, now. For this all to just…end?”

“Before it leaves scars,” Ian said in a low voice.

Maura snorted softly against him and kissed the back of his neck. “Too late, sweetheart. Way too late for that.”

He half-turned. He could’ve kissed her mouth, had he twisted just a little more, but she didn’t press forward. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. That’s all. I just don’t think I can do it.”

You’re doing it, she wanted to say. You’ve already done it.

Instead, she withdrew from him. Quietly, without fanfare, she gathered her clothes and stripped out of his. She dressed and pulled her hair up again. Ian sat on the bed, watching her, though how much he could see in the dark she didn’t know. When she’d finished, Maura went to him. She took his face in her hands and tipped it up so he had to look at her. There was enough light for that, at least.

“I love you,” she told him. “But you’re right. Eventually, that leaf has to let go.”

“I’m sorry, Maura.”

“Me too.” She thought about kissing him, this her last chance, and couldn’t bring herself to do more than brush her lips on his. Straightening, she let go of him. “I’ll let myself out.”

“I’ll walk you –”

“No,” she told him, too sharply. Too fierce. “I don’t want you to.”

She couldn’t let him. She would break down and he would see it, and she’d be ashamed. Or worse, she would cling to him, weeping and begging. She would lose herself utterly in this grief already threatening to claw its way up her throat and out her mouth in wails and cries.

No. She would walk herself to the door and let herself out, and she would get in her car and drive herself home. There she might break down, in the safety of her own shower where she could scream and pound her fists. But not here.

In his kitchen though, as she gathered her keys, Maura paused to write a note. Simple. One sentence. She didn’t sign her name.

She left it on the table, and she left him.

 

RED HOT NIGHTS

By: Karen Erickson

 

“Hmm, what are you wearing?”

Reagan smiled, slipping a bracelet onto her wrist before she lifted her gaze to the bathroom mirror. She watched as Declan approached and stopped just behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands resting lightly on her stomach as his gaze met hers in the reflection. “You like my dress?”

“I love it.” He stepped away from her, his hands resting on her hips, his mouth falling into a frown as he looked at her back. “But it’s practically indecent.”

“Isn’t it great? Sexy and demure in the front, totally naughty in the back.” She added a few more bracelets to her wrist and turned, sad when Declan’s hands fell from her hips. She saw the scowl on his handsome face, his eyebrows drawn together as he studied her, and she just knew… “You don’t like it.”

He tilted his head, still contemplating her—and the dress. It was white, with a soft floral print and a just-above-the-knee-length skirt that floated around her legs when she moved. The top tied around her neck in a halter style that covered her entire chest, not a hint of cleavage in sight.

But like she said to her boyfriend, Declan Carter—the hottest young actor today, making a terrific comeback with the newest, and most serious, film he’d ever made—it was the back that made the dress turn sexy. It dipped low, past her waist, exposing her shoulders and back completely. She loved it.

From the expression on his face alone, it looked like Declan hated it.

“I do like it,” he finally said. “Turn around again.”

She did as he asked, moving slowly, wanting him to get a good look it. Tonight was important to him—and her. His movie was premiering and she wanted to look pretty. Sophisticated. Not like the emergency room nurse she normally was, in her turquoise-green scrubs, hair scraped back into a no-nonsense ponytail, not a lick of makeup on her face beyond the occasional lip balm she slicked on when she thought of it.

Tonight, she went all out, just for Declan. Got her hair trimmed and blown out at an exclusive salon in Beverly Hills that Declan’s assistant James—who also happened to be her friend and the one who got them together in the first place—recommended to her. Was wearing a designer gown, again picked out by both her and James, who had better taste than she did. Talk about a surreal shopping trip. The gowns were all brought to her at Declan’s house and she didn’t have to make a purchase. The designers actually wanted her to wear them for the exposure—being seen on Declan Carter’s arm had its perks, most definitely.

She’d been pampered for the rest of the afternoon, again at Declan’s house. The cosmetics were applied by a professional makeup artist. Jewelry picked out to complement the dress and the highest stilettos Reagan could muster. She thought she looked pretty damn good.

Though she knew she had to up her game—and in a big way—if she was going to accompany her boyfriend to his freaking movie premiere. Famous people would be in attendance tonight, including the actors Declan made the movie with. Other stars and celebrities would be there too, all of them glitzed up beyond belief, because that was their job.

Reagan could never admit she was afraid she couldn’t hold her own among the young and gorgeous and famous. She was a regular person, not a movie star. Those types lived and breathed looking good for the camera. They worked out three hours a day, had personal chefs make them meals with hardly any calories, and they always wore the trendiest clothes and carried the most expensive bags.

She, on the other hand, had a small Coach purse her mom gave her for graduating nursing school. Mom claimed she picked it up at the factory outlet, and Reagan loved it, but it was no Christian Dior bag worth five thousand dollars.

Because yep, Declan’s stylist owned a five-thousand-dollar Dior bag which Reagan thought was both ridiculous and totally impractical. Though secretly, she coveted that bag. It was beautiful. And almost six months worth of rental payments, so she should let that dream die.

“You’re so exposed,” Declan finally said, worry clouding his eyes. “If it was just you and I going out, that would be one thing, but…”

“Do I look that bad?” she interrupted, feeling awful. Maybe she should change. But she had no other options. Nothing as gorgeous as the dress she wore, and certainly nothing designer. Maybe she could call Sandi. The stylist had helped her so much, and she knew Sandi would work her hardest to come up with another option. She probably had an entire rack at her studio, or even better, stashed in the trunk of her car for emergencies just like this.

“You don’t look bad.” Declan pulled her to him, his hands going to her lower back, his warm fingers seeming to brand her bare skin. She shivered at his touch. “You look amazing. My problem is, I don’t want every asshole at that premiere ogling my hot girlfriend.”

She burst out laughing, relief flooding her. He was so brutally honest sometimes. It was one of her favorite qualities about him. “Are you saying you’re jealous?” she teased.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Extended Book Summaries

WANDERLUST

by Roni Loren

 

Restaurant critic Aubrey Bordelon’s wild streak died ten years ago when a terrible accident changed everything. Since that moment, Aubrey hasn’t nudged a toe in an errant direction. She excels at her job with the local magazine, plays southern debutante for her politico parents, and keeps her dance card clear of messy relationships. So when Aubrey’s boss asks her to fill in for the magazine’s high-profile music reporter, she’s up for the challenge. Compared to egomaniacal chefs, handling a few self-indulgent rockstars should be cake—even if the wicked grin of Wanderlust’s lead singer has her scruples sneaking toward the backstage door.

 

Lex Logan escapes to New Orleans as a last resort. His song-writing muse has disappeared on a bender. His band members are fighting like alcoholics over the last bottle of vodka. And everyone’s looking to him to play savior before the record label dumps them on their sorry asses. The last thing Lex needs is some haughty, albeit sexy, reporter documenting his downfall. He has to shake her off the story—fast. If she wants a peek into the rock ‘n’ roll life, then he’s going to give it to her. Unedited. But in his attempts to scare her away, Lex catches a glimpse of the passionate woman hiding behind the polished façade. And just one taste is enough to alter his plans from chasing her out of his life to coaxing her into his bed.

 

WAITING FOR YOU (Sparks in Texas)

By Mari Carr

 

How do you protect the woman you love…when the greatest danger is sleeping in her bed?

 

Sydney Sparks can’t remember a time when Chas wasn’t part of her life—from childhood playmates, to high-school sweethearts, to long-distance friends. Now, after twelve long years, Chas is leaving the Marines and coming home. Sydney’s thrilled to have him back on American soil, safe and sound, even if his return is doing funny things to her heart.

 

The second he stepped off the plane and locked gazes with Sydney, Chas refused to waste a minute more on their “just friends” status quo. Together again, it feels as if they were never apart, the love they’d shared as innocent teens now vastly more intense as adults—with a sexual hunger to match.

 

However, despite his newfound happiness, Chas can’t seem to shake the memories of his tours in the Middle East, of the firefights, the killing…the deaths of his friends. When the flashbacks grow stronger, Chas struggles to hide his increasing lack of control, terrified of losing everything he’d just regained—including Sydney.

 

INDECISION

By: Elisabeth Grace

 

Jackie Davenport will try anything once, especially in the bedroom. Anything except falling in love. She lives a carefree existence packed full of fun, but free from emotional entanglements and that’s just how she wants to keep it. When she meets the new police officer in town, she’s unable to deny the connection between them. His over confidence and bullish ways grate on her…still she can’t help but find herself falling into his bed AND falling for him.

Jamie McTavish is man enough to admit that he probably didn’t make the best first impression when he met the 911 Operator. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still sizzling sexual tension between them. He’s a man of action and he’s not content to sit on the sidelines until Jackie works out her issues. But trying to tame this tiger might be too big of a challenge for even him.

 

 

 

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SWEET TALK (10 All NEW Contemporary Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes)

 

Melody Anne, Violet Duke, Melissa Foster, Gina L. Maxwell, Linda Lael Miller, Brenda Novak, Sherryl Woods, Steena Holmes, Rosalind James, Molly O’Keefe, and Nancy Naigle, with Robyn Carr.

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SWEET DREAMS (13 All NEW Thrillers by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes)

 

Allison Brennan, Cynthia Eden, JT Ellison, Heather Graham, Liliana Hart, Alex Kava, CJ Lyons, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, Theresa Ragan, Erica Spindler, Jo Robertson, and Tiffany Snow, with Lee Child.

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Brenda Novak For The cure

Brenda Novak For The Cure of Diabetes: Sweet Talk Box Set, Sweet Seduction Box Set, Sweet Dreams Box Set

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Brenda Novak For The cure

Make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of Sweet Seduction will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research. 

 

Available from May 1, 2015 until June 30, 2015 ONLY

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo / Google Play

 

Featuring a foreword by #1 NYT Bestselling Author Robyn Carr plus a bonus story by NYT Bestselling Author Brenda Novak! In WHEN WE TOUCH, you’re invited to a wedding. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong wedding. Olivia Arnold was supposed to marry Kyle Houseman. Instead her sister’s marrying him. But Brandon–Kyle’s stepbrother–is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them shows her that maybe Kyle wasn’t the right man for her anyway. But is Brandon?

 

In this new tale, ONCE UPON A DREAM, from NYT bestselling author Melody Anne, Whitney Steele loses her sister in the blink of an eye and is caring for her niece and nephew, not knowing how she is going to get through the loss of the most important person in her life. Liam Felton loses his brother and never gets to say goodbye. Can these two people come together and mend what’s been broken? Or will fate take them down a different road altogether?

 

When behind-the-scenes sports analyst Jackson Gray is assigned the task of teaching the ins and outs of college and pro football to the network’s newest on-camera beauty, sideline reporter Leila Hart, the last thing he expects is to become the one getting schooled—in lessons in love, that is—from a woman who clearly knows way more about sports than she lets on. JACKSON by NYT bestselling author Violet Duke.

 

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster comes a new, sweet and sexy wedding romance, PROMISE MY LOVE, the follow-up novella to DESTINED FOR LOVE (The Bradens).

 

From NYT bestselling author Gina L. Maxwell comes ASK ME AGAIN, a story about a woman who returns to her hometown after her devastating breakup and finds herself drawn to an old friend who’s never stopped hoping for more.

 

From NYT bestselling author Linda Lael Miller we have a heart-pounding tale of unrequited love come to fruition in INTERLUDE, the story of a woman holding out for the man she’s never forgotten–the sexy cowboy she’s always loved.

 

#1 NYT bestselling author Sherryl Woods takes readers back to her beloved Chesapeake Shores for the story of a woman stuck in a dead-end job who discovers it’s never too late for a whole new dream.

 

In the latest romance from NYT bestselling author Steena Holmes, Charlie Peters knew running away wasn’t the right thing to do, especially from her fiancé, but with her sister in the hospital, now seemed like the perfect time. And it wasn’t just him she was running away from, but the promise of the life they could have together. She wasn’t meant for happily-ever-afters, even though Marcus was her Prince Charming.

 

Rosalind James’s JUST IN TIME (ESCAPE TO NEW ZEALAND) brings you one bad boy of New Zealand rugby, one erotic modeling contract that doesn’t stay in Vegas, and one good woman to pick up the pieces.

Rita Award winning author Molly O’Keefe writes a heart-warming story of two friends who find love where they least expect it in A DATE FOR A CHRISTMAS WEDDING.

 

Join USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle in SAND DOLLAR COVE, where a determined shop owner faces the loss of her family’s business, and has the mayor making tough choices between what’s best for the town and what might win the heart of the woman he’s secretly loved from afar.

 

Don’t forget to check out SWEET DREAMS and SWEET SEDUCTION, two more limited edition collections from Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research… Read and help stop diabetes!

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SWEET SEDUCTION (13 All NEW Erotic Romances by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes)

 

Lexi Blake, Mari Carr, JS Cooper, Nicole Edwards, Karen Erickson, Megan Hart, J Kenner, Julia Kent, Elisabeth Grace, Lauren Hawkeye, Nina Lane, Roni Loren, and Avery Aster, with Lisa Renee Jones.

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Brenda Novak For The cure 

SWEET DREAMS (13 All NEW Thrillers by Bestselling Authors to Benefit Diabetes)

 

Allison Brennan, Cynthia Eden, JT Ellison, Heather Graham, Liliana Hart, Alex Kava, CJ Lyons, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, Theresa Ragan, Erica Spindler, Jo Robertson, and Tiffany Snow, with Lee Child.

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Brenda Novak For The cure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: The Truth About Jack by Jody Gehrman

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The Truth About Jack

By Jody Gehrman

Mature YA

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Synopsis

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains references to missed connections, mistaken identities, and lots of misbehavior. It may give you all the swoony feels.
Can the write guy be the right guy?
Dakota McCloud has just been accepted into a prestigious art school. Soon she’ll leave behind the artists’ colony where she grew up-hippie dad, tofu since birth, yurt-and join her boyfriend and best friend on the East Coast. It was the plan…until Dakota finds out her boyfriend and best friend hooked up behind her back.
Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn’t quite go where she expects…Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota’s letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes

4 Star

Tina’s Review

Judging a Book by it’s Cover:
Cute cover with a light-hearted feel. Synopsis reads like a typical YA/NA feel-good drama.
And Beyond:
First-person alternating POV in present tense. Dakota grew up in a hippie community. She’s vibrant, caring and not as naive as one would imagine her to be. Jack comes from money. His mother shelters and represses him due to a past tragedy she’d never gotten over. Both characters are young, barely old enough to start college in the fall, but he’s already lost his best friend to suicide and she’s suffered the ultimate betrayal from her boyfriend and best friend.
Dakota composes a message in a bottle and tosses into the ocean, only unbeknownst to her, it is found only moments later by Jack. Jack first caught sight of Dakota earlier that day and was immediately drawn to her. When he spots her bottle churning in the tide, he takes it as fate. However, he replies to her message under false pretenses and begins a pen pal-ship that is based only on half-truths. Now he needs to figure out how to transition from his pen pal character to the real Jack without ruining everything.
The characters are young. They both have some maturing and learning to do, especially Jack – but I blame a lot of that on his mother, too. There are several secondary characters in this story, all which seem to benefit the plot in one way or another without threatening to steal the spotlight. There’s a natural and easy way about the dialogue and interaction that was nice, even the intentional awkwardness was conveyed well. While the plot progresses slow and steady, the writing style is fluid and easy to read. There were a handful of conflicts that were resolved in timely and age-appropriate manners. Predictability was low. The conclusion included a solid epilogue that added to the story nicely. Overall, a it was a fun, light read catering more to the teen and young adult crowd.

Author Bio:

194256Jody Gehrman is a native of Northern California, where she can be found writing, teaching, reading, or obsessing over her three cats most days. She is also the author of ten novels and numerous award-winning plays. Her Young Adult novels include The Truth About Jack, Audrey’s Guide to Black Magic, Audrey’s Guide to Witchcraft, Babe in Boyland, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, and Triple Shot Bettys in Love. Babe in Boyland was optioned by the Disney Channel and won the International Reading Association’s Teen Choice Award. Her adult novels are Bombshell, Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Her plays have been produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of English and Communication Studies at Mendocino College.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Release Blitz + 6 Star Review + 2015 Favorite: Interim by S. Walden

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Interim

Genre: YA/ NA Crossover Suspense/Psychological Thriller

By S. Walden

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Synopsis

Book Description:

 

~A lot can change in the space between devising a plan and carrying it out. That space is called the Interim.~

 

 

High school seniors Jeremy Stahl and Regan Walters aren’t friends. Not even close. He’s a picked-on, picked-apart loser outcast. She’s a cool kid running with the popular crowd. It’s unlikely they’d ever speak to one another. Too bad he’s madly in love with her. But what does it matter, anyway? He’s got no time for love. Only revenge.

 

Meticulously detailed in the pages of his battered red notebook is his master plan: April 14, 9:30 A.M., two guns, eighty rounds of ammo, backup knives, eleven victims. He’s finally ready to answer every single taunt, jeer, and flying fist—unwarranted abuse that’s spanned six years of his lonely life. He’s justified. He’s ready. But he never readied himself for her.

 

Regan finds his journal. She reads it, and when he discovers her intrusion, he has to switch tactics. She’s a liability now.

 

Better fix that.

 

(WARNING: This is a New Adult standalone that contains graphic language and violence, including gun violence. If school shootings are an especially sensitive subject for you, then I urge you to refrain from reading this book.)

 Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Smashwords

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Letter to the Reader:

 

Dear Reader,

Not many authors will discourage you from reading their work. After all, the goal of our stories is to grow our readership, not diminish it. I’m well aware of that, but when I first became inspired with Jeremy’s story, I knew I would have to go about promoting it in an entirely different way—something far removed from my past marketing campaigns. I knew I would have to hide the book, stamp disclaimers all over it, plant seeds of doubt in your minds, decline requests for advanced reviews—in essence, all the things an author SHOULD NOT do when marketing her book. That’s why it took me so long to write the damn thing—over a year of worrying, second-guessing, flip-flopping, arguing. Jeremy sat waiting patiently, and I stared back at him wondering just how much he would destroy my career.

Then I remembered that his story is exactly the type of controversial social issue I enjoy tackling. I knew I had to write it because I could. I could be sensitive to the subject matter without being PC. I could leave my political and moral opinions out of it. I could make it a human story, not a gun story. I could do all these things if I worked very hard—if I was diligent and faithful to my characters and their experiences. Once I realized these things, I stopped fretting and just started writing, careful to keep all the details private and sacred. That’s how writing should be: private and sacred.

Now Jeremy’s story is no longer private, but I hope you will find it sacred. I hope you will throw off your preconceptions and bury your social and political views, your moral judgments. It’s too easy to go into a story like this already angry, especially if you or someone you love has experienced gun violence. I urge you to think long and hard before starting Interim if you are especially sensitive to the topic of school shootings. There are extremely violent, descriptive scenes, and I do not wish for my book to be a trigger for you.

I am well aware of the social debate a book like this may provoke. I did not write it for debate. I did not write it to make a statement about guns, gun control, gun access, Constitutional rights, etc. I am not interested in comparing my story to the horrific school shootings that have taken place in the United States. I have no motive other than to tell a story about an abused boy who felt he deserved justice. What you take away from the novel is entirely up to you.

Love,

Summer

INTERIM Regan

Excerpt

Who was he? What was his purpose? He knew it once. Once, a long time ago, he decided to be a hero. He decided to avenge himself and all the other kids who were helpless against abuse. Once, a long time ago, he learned the difference between justice and mercy. He learned when justice was required. He learned when mercy was allowed. Once, a long time ago, he faced himself in the mirror and saw a stranger—a better boy than he could ever be. A boy with a mission. A boy with convictions. And he reached out to take hold of that boy, through the looking-glass, falling into a wonderland where righteousness ruled supreme and evil was destroyed with the pop pop! of a gun. The world made sense to him. Then.

INTERIM Bullet

Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/user/summerwalden/playlist/7I0P4NnU5bCiRzqMTapGEM

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6+star

Robin’s Review

Twenty-three years ago, Pearl Jam released the alternative rock single named Jeremy. Jeremy is one of the most widely-recognized songs performed by Pearl Jam and is based on two different true stories. The main inspiration for Jeremy was a newspaper article about Jeremy Wade Delle of Richardson, Texas. On the morning of January 8, 1991, Jeremy Delle shot himself in front of his second-period English class. This song is also inspired by a student songwriter Eddie Vedder knew when he was in junior high school in San Diego. Instead of taking his own life, this student decided to gun down his classmates.

Now that you know the story behind the song, have you ever taken a moment to focus on the words of Jeremy? Go on…..pull out your iPod or do a search of YouTube videos and listen. It’s a very deep and dark song about a troubled teenager who decides to take control of his life and fight back on his own terms. It didn’t take long for me to recall Pearl Jam’s Jeremy once I began reading Interim, and the song will forever mean more to me now that I have read this novel.

It wasn’t easy for S. Walden to write her story about Jeremy Stahl. It took her a long time to come to terms with what was bouncing around in her head. Walden wants readers to know she is not speaking to a point. She has no agenda. She just has a story. Knowing Walden’s proclivity to write about dark and controversial subjects, I was nervous about reading Interim. In fact, I have never feared the content of a novel like I did with Interim. I had a healthy respect for this story based on the synopsis and personal discussion with the author before I began reading.

Walden truly agonized over writing Interim. Bullying. Parental neglect and abuse. Gun violence in schools. When you combine controversial subjects with violence, you have a recipe for something dark and scary. Something to be feared. This is the truth of the matter – the events that take place in Interim could happen at any school or shopping mall or workplace on any given day. So before you begin reading Interim, please be sure to read the letter from S. Walden at the beginning of the novel and be very sure you can handle the content.

I’m going to get straight to the point. Interim is a 6-star novel. It’s everything I could have hoped for in a thriller. Intense emotions, anger and panic. Darkness. Suspense. Graphic violence. Young adult romance. The authentic feel of the high school social scene. Issues teenagers deal with on daily basis. Walden was a teacher for several years, and she’s acquainted with the age group. She’s familiar with bullying. The dialogue, conversations between Jeremy and Regan, Hannah and other secondary characters, kept me on the edge of my seat. Interim completely held my interest. It’s one of the finest examples of character development that I can recall. It may have taken a long time for Walden to write this story, but I applaud the amount of time and thought she put into writing it. There is nothing rushed or sloppy about Interim. It’s one of the best novels I have read this year, and it has definitely earned a place on my list of 2015 favorites!

#Interim4

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IMG_2348S.Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. She is the USA Today bestselling author of Going Under. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and follow her twitter feed at @swaldenauthor.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Goodreads

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Cover Reveal: Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Dark Elements Series- Book 3

We are so excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for EVERY LAST BREATH, the hotly anticipated conclusion to the Dark Elements trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout!! EVERY LAST BREATH is a Young Adult Paranormal being published by Harlequin Teen and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s The Dark Elements Series. It is being released on July 28th, 2015. Pre-order EVERY LAST BREATH and then be sure to read the first books in this amazing series before its release!

Every Last Breath - Cover

 

Every Last Breath

Dark Elements – Book 3

Release Date: July 28, 2015

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By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** IndieBound ** Kobo ** BAM

 

EVERY LAST BREATH Synopsis:

Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…

“Armentrout is a major talent…I just can’t stop reading!”

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

“Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming.”

–#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines on White Hot Kiss

And we have a surprise for you! The first books in the series have been given a new look too!!

Don’t miss the previous titles in The Dark Elements Series-now with new covers! Readers interested in downloading the new cover jackets for their previously purchased Dark Elements Series titles, can download them HERE!

downloadhere

For best results when downloading the new cover jackets:

  • Print on 8.5×14″ (Legal paper)
  • Use landscape or horizontal setting = 8.5″ tall x 14″ wide
  • Print at 100% scale or “actual size”
  • Print with the image centered on page
  • Fold and trim to fit

White Hot Kiss - New Cover

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WHITE HOT KISS synopsis:

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she’s not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she’s the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

Stone Cold Touch - New Cover

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STONE COLD TOUCH Synopsis:

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

“Constantly entertaining…the narrative sizzles with as much tension as romance.”

Kirkus Reviews on White Hot Kiss

And the Prequel Novella, BITTER SWEET LOVE…

 

Bitter Sweet Love - New Cover

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BITTER SWEET LOVE Synopsis:

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series The Dark Elements, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn’t just Jasmine’s crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn’t help that Jas’s father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he’s back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn’t taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again…

“With her signature flare for combining humor, romance and action, Armentrout weaves a fast-paced read that will have readers’ hearts racing in more ways than one. Like Armentrout’s previous heroines, Jasmine is fun and full of attitude, while Dez is as snarky as he is sexy. This is a must read for new and old fans alike!” –RT Book Reviews

 

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Jennifer L. Armentrout/J.Lynn Bio:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads | EVERY LAST BREATH Goodreads | STONE COLD TOUCH Goodreads | WHITE HOT KISS Goodreads | BITTER SWEET LOVE Goodreads

 

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