Holiday Review: Home For Christmas by Lily Everett – Sanctuary Island Series

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

Home For The Christmas

Sanctuary Island Series – Book 4

By Lily Everett

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

Tis the season for family and love…
At least it’s supposed to be. For Libby Leeds, however, the holiday season is just another reminder of things she’d rather forget. When she left Sanctuary Island as an orphaned child, she never thought she’d go back except in her dreams, dreams she’s kept alive by writing monthly column of her fictional small-town life, until her publisher sends her back home for the holidays.
Owen Shepard is a fallen hero, wounded in action rescuing three of his fellow soldiers, but after a whirlwind of media attention, all this charismatic Army Ranger wants is to get back on his feet and make it to Sanctuary Island to be with his daughter in time for Christmas. What he didn’t expect was to be put on a crash course with a columnist hiding her past. Will the magic of Sanctuary Island at Christmastime allow them to find healing together?

Tina’s Review

** Provided by Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review **

Judging a Book by it’s Cover:
Cover depicts a classic winter-y Christmas scene with horse-drawn sleigh, snow-covered cabin in the woods, and surrounding pines wrapped in lights. Synopsis sounds warm and filled with love, healing, and second-chances – a theme that Ms. Everett is well-versed in.
Looking Deeper:
Third person POV. For the past several years, Libby’s been living a lie – or perhaps more like wistful thinking. But the daydreams and make-believe life is shattered when her boss commits her to a task that can expose her to all as a fraud. Given an ultimatum, present the perfect life she always writes about or lose your job and risk prison, how is she going to pull this off? Owen’s broken, in more ways than one, and all he wants is to find his way home to his daughter and try to make her holidays something truly memorable and special, but will be able to connect to a child that knows he only plans on leaving her again? Ms. Everett never fails to infuse family values with hope and heart-warming second chances. The Hero and heroine in this story are both very well-written. There are a handful of secondary characters present or mentioned from previous installments of this series, and other tied-in series’, however, this story can and does stand strongly on it’s own. There are also a few new characters introduced into the mix, each providing another layer or filler to the plot. The chemistry between Libby and Owen is fantastic, even (or, maybe, especially) when Owen thought Libby was married to Nash – which provided a few smiles and giggles along the way. The interaction between the characters is authentic and the dialogue felt spot-on. There were several conflicts along the way, especially given the premise of the plot, that were handled in the best way they were able. The lies and secrets were getting a little tedious and thick however, seems everyone had something to hide, or at least omit. The plot is extremely well-written with an easy flow with characters that you feel like you truly are getting to know on a personal level. There were only a few small spots that I’d say predictability made itself present (the Christmas Present in the epilogue, for one). The conclusion felt solid and sturdy with an epilogue that covered all the key elements. Overall, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS was an endearing Holiday read.

______________________________

Author Bio:

Lily Everett grew up in a small town in central Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although she’s lived many other places since, from college in Philadelphia to her first publishing job in New York City and her current home in Austin, Texas, she never forgot the beauty and warmth of her little hometown. She is thrilled to be writing the Sanctuary Island series full time because it allows her to combine her longstanding love of romance with the memories of her childhood home.

Lily’s alter ego is Louisa Edwards. Under that name, she is the author of the Recipe for Love series, sexy contemporary romances with hot chef heroes set in the high-stakes, fast-paced world of professional restaurants.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Pre Release Blitz + Review: Ready To Rock by Cara Connelly

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

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Ready To Rock

By Cara Connelly

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Buy: Amazon

Synopsis

His name is on everyone’s lips–sexy rock star Jack McCabe

Jack’s gritty New York City band is red hot, almost as hot as his fiery romance with college student Lil Marchone, the girl from his past, now the woman he loves.

The problem is, Lil’s controlling ex wants her back. Rich, powerful, and ruthless, he’ll stop at nothing–including murder–to get Jack out of her life.

But Jack’s a badass himself, always up for a fight. And with the stakes this high, he’ll risk everything for Lil, even his band. Even his life.

ReadytoRock1

Excerpt

“Honey, you have to get help.” Mama’s tone was calm but urgent.

“Me? How?” I was frozen in place. I needed her to tell me what to do.

“Just open the door,” she said quietly, “and climb up to the road. Wave at the first car you see and tell them to call an ambulance.”

It sounded simple, but I was trapped in one of those dreams where you desperately want to run but your legs won’t move.

Then flames licked out from under the hood. Mama quit feigning calm. “Get out of the car!”

Galvanized, I yanked on the door handle. But the frame had bent. The door wouldn’t budge. “Mama, help me!”

“I can’t!” she shouted. And that’s when I noticed the dashboard sitting in her lap. Her legs were crushed, she was pinned to her seat. It was up to me to help her.

Unlocking my seatbelt, I leaned across to the other door. The car was tilted that way, so the door swung open when I touched the handle. But before I could bring my legs around, fire belched up from underneath. I leapt back, singed. Flames curled into the car. Mama was yelling. “Get out the back! Go! Go!” I yanked down the seat. The trunk was jammed with suitcases. I clawed at them. But Daddy had loaded the largest first, wedging it tight against the seat, braced by the smaller bags.

“I can’t,” I wailed. “I can’t move them!” And it was too late anyway. The flames were all around the car, the air inside so hot it seared my lungs. Reaching forward, I wrapped my arms around Mama’s neck; she clawed at my shoulders, trying to pull me between the seats, into her lap, to shield me with her body.

And then my door flew open, and a man thrust his shoulders right into that furnace. Mama saw him, and with all the strength she’d been using to pull me forward, she pushed me back toward him. “Take her! Take my daughter!” His arms locked around my waist and he hauled me backwards. Insanely, I clung to Mama, trying to bring her with me. She batted at my grasping hands. “Go with him!” And though I struggled at first, I had no choice. He was big and strong. He threw me over his shoulder and ran.

At the roadside, he set me down in the grass. The car was a fireball, the cottonwood jutting above it, burning like a torch against the dusky sky. “Mama!” I screamed, trying to get up.

The man pushed me down. Holding my face between his hands, he forced me to look into his eyes. “I’ll get them out, but you have to wait here. Promise me.” He seemed so steady and sure. I didn’t know what else to do, so I nodded. And without another word, he stood up and ran straight toward the car.

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5Star

Tracey’s Review

The last person that Liliane Marchone expects to see in the middle of New York City is the guardian angel that saved her life years ago. But when she and Jack McCabe meet up again, neither one could have known that they were meeting their other half.

Jack is not your typical rock god. Drawn to sing as an artistic escape, he’d rather do a hard day’s work at his day job than go ‘big’ with his band, the Devils. He’s a very complex character, and it doesn’t take Lil long to see that there is much more to him than meets the eye. For her part, Lil has suffered a lot of loss in her life, so finding Jack, who understands what she’s been through, answers a need that she didn’t realize she had. They truly are like two halves of a whole, and it isn’t long before these two are everything to each other. But their growing relationship doesn’t please everyone, and the road to happiness is not without its detours.

I love it when a book becomes one of those happy surprises, giving me more than I was expecting. READY TO ROCK by author Cara Connelly is one of these reads. I went in expecting a hot rocker story, and it is, but it’s much more, as well. Cara has crafted a story around the hot relationship between Jack and Lil, and woven in intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of political drama to round things out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and raced through, because it was just that engrossing.

Creative plot line aside, the characters really make READY TO ROCK the read that it is. Family plays a big part in this book, and the supporting characters add so much to the story, especially Isabelle and Ty, and I really look forward to seeing more of them. 4.5 compelling, easy to read, totally sucked me in stars for this one. Add it to your TBR, and enjoy.

***ARC generously provided by the publisher for an honest review.***

___________________________________

Cara Connelly is the author of the Save the Date series of contemporary romances published by Avon Romance. The latest book in the series, The Wedding Gift, was released in May 2015. Cara’s smart and sexy stories have won several awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart, the Valley Forge Romance Writers’ Sheila, and the Music City Romance Writers’ Melody of Love. A former attorney and law professor, she lives with her husband Billy in the woods of upstate New York.

Connect with Cara at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads |

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 6 Star Review + 2015 Favorite + Giveaway: Final Debt and Indebted Epilogue by Pepper Winters – Indebted Series – Book 6

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

Final Debt

Indebted Series – Book 6

By Pepper Winters

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

Synopsis

The Last Book in the New York Times Bestselling Dark Romance Series.

Where love tries to triumph and darkness continues to reign….

“I’m in love with her, but it might not be enough to stop her from becoming the latest victim of the Debt Inheritance. I know who I am now. I know what I must do. We will be together–I just hope it’s on Earth rather than in heaven.”

It all comes down to this.

Love versus life.

Debts versus death.

Who will win?

There is also a BONUS BOOK: Indebted Epilogue OUT NOW.

Indebted Epilogue

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

Excerpt

“READY TO DIE, Nila?”

Cut’s voice physically hurt me as he forced me to my knees. The ballroom splendour mocked me as I bowed unwillingly at the feet of my executioner.

Velvet and hand-stitched crewel on the walls glittered like the diamonds the Hawks smuggled—a direct contrast to the roughly sawn wood and crude craftsmanship of the guillotine dais. No finesse. No pride. Just a raised podium, framework cushioning a large tarnished blade, and a rope dangling to the side.

“Don’t do this. Cut…think about what you’ve become. You can stop this.” My voice mimicked a beg but I’d vowed not to beg. I’d seen things, understood things, and suffered things I never thought I would be able to endure. I refused to cry or grovel. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

“In five minutes, this will all be over, Weaver.” Cut bent to the side and collected a wicker basket.

The wicker basket.

I didn’t want to think about what its contents would be.

He placed it on the other side of the wooden block.

My lungs demanded more oxygen. My brain demanded more time. And my heart…it demanded more hope, more life, more love.

I’m not ready.

Not like this.

“Cut—”

“No. No more talking. Not after everything you’ve done.” Ripping a black hood from his pocket, he didn’t hesitate. No fanfare. No second guesses.

I cried out as the scratchy blackness engulfed my face, tightening by a cord around my throat.

The Weaver Wailer chilled me. The diamond collar that’d seen what I’d seen and whispered with phantoms of my slain family prepared to revoke its claim and detach from around my neck.

This was it.

The Final Debt.

Cut pushed my shoulders forward.

A heavy yoke settled over the top of my spine.

I closed my eyes.

I said goodbye.

…

I waited to die.

Michel’s Review

Final Debt & Indebted Epilogue

Spoiler Free Review

********

Excerpt From My Original Indebted Review- Book 1 on 8/22/2014

The Plot

A Family Feud between the Hawks and The Weavers

A Royal Proclamation

A 600 Year Debt

The Debt Will Be Paid In Full

The Families

The Hawks are one of the most influential families in England. Their influence has a strong reach internationally. They are the world’s leading diamond dealers. They are also the leaders of one of the most powerful motorcycle clubs in the world. They are powerful, ruthless, violent, and unyielding. They will come out on top at all costs.

The Weavers are world renowned for their influence in the fashion industry. They have clothed royalty. They are masters at their trade. Unlike the Hawks, they are not a powerful family. They have impeccable lineage that they value. The only mark on that lineage is their debt to the Hawks.

The Main Characters

Jethro Hawk is the 29 year old, first born son in the Hawk family. At age thirty he will take over the reigns of the Hawk Empire. As part of that legacy, being the first born son, he gets the Indebted Inheritance. He gets the first born daughter of the Weavers. He fully intends to collect his inheritance, carry out his family’s vendetta, and claim the legacy he has been born into. He is cunning, calculating, ruthless, uncaring, controlling, manipulative, and downright terrifying. He is a villain in the darkest way. He will claim his inheritance at all costs.

Nila Weaver is a young, naïve, and innocent 24 year old woman. Like her fore fathers she has taken her place in the fashion industry. Her designs are innovative, sexy, and flawless. She has just made her mark in the Haute couture world. What should have been a celebration has turned into a nightmare. Jethro Hawk has come to collect the debt her family owes. A debt she never knew existed. A debt she will have to pay.

The collection has begun… payment is due……

*****

Final Debt & Indebted Epilogue Review

For one year, three months, and fourteen days I have been a prisoner of the Indebted Series by Pepper Winters. I have stalked social media, Facebook, and the author’s website, anxiously awaiting release dates, teasers, and excerpts on each book in this series. The moment each book went live I was devouring it. I could not pull myself away until the last word was read. When I finished each book I was right back to my previous dilemma and craving more. I was left anxious, horrified, fearful, and hopeful for Nila’s fate. I admired her strength and fortitude. I admired her commitment to those she loved. At times I felt her loyalty was misplaced but understood her convictions. Jethro Hawk mystified me. He was like a seesaw on the playground, up and down, never the same throughout the series. One moment I was passionately in love with him and the next moment I wanted to administer all the debts Nila had to pay. He was one of the most complex characters that I have encountered in fiction. I hated the Hawk family and everything that they stood for. I could not understand their greed, their convictions, and their disregard towards humanity. It was hard to understand the atrocities they were delivering in the name of the law and an age old contract. I also was on the fence with the Weaver family throughout this series. I couldn’t understand how they could allow this to continue throughout the generations. Their daughters should of been more important than the family honor and their royal legacy. As the story unfolded throughout the books I became more perplexed and more horrified. At the same time a beautiful and passionate love affair began and became stronger as the events of their situation worsened. I wanted Jethro and Nila to have their impossible happily ever after. I continued to hope…and bought each book.

Final Debt is the conclusion to this all encompassing series. It was superbly delivered in true Pepper Winters fashion. The reader didn’t know Nila’s and Jethro’s fate until the very end. Throughout the book there were revelations made that answered all of the readers questions. The age old contract was finally completely revealed. Readers were given an understanding of where it began and how it evolved into what it was in today’s time. The revelations also gave the readers a true understanding of the Hawks and the Weavers. As each revelation was revealed it made Nila’s and Jethro’s situation more dire. When it came time for the final debt to be delivered, it was paid. The reader will walk away from this story breathless and exhausted. The emotional rollercoaster, the immense danger, and the horrific revelations will sear the soul. The heartbreak and loss along the horrific journey will leave each character scarred for eternity. Neither family will be untouched in the end. What matters most is the the passionate love story that will define both families. A passionate love story that transcends time will make the heart race.

Pepper Winters did a brilliant job with the Indebted series. The Final Debt has been delivered and there is a surprise Indebted Epilogue that will justify the one year, three months, and fourteen days of waiting for this series to reach completion.

The Indebted Series by Pepper Winters is a truly epic dark love story!

Indebted

Indebted Series -Book 1

Synopsis

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

A modern day Dark Erotic Romance

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

First Debt

Indebted #2

Synopsis

“You say I’ll never own you. If I win—you willingly give me that right. You sign not only the debt agreement, but another—one that makes me your master until your last breath is taken. You do that, and I’ll give you this.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Stolen, taken, and bound not by monsters but by an agreement written over six hundred years ago, she has no way out.

She belongs to Jethro as much as she denies it.

Jethro Hawk’s patience is running out. His inheritance gift tests, challenges, and surprises him—and not in good ways. He hasn’t leashed her but he thinks he might’ve found a way to bind her forever.

Debts are mounting. Payment waiting.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Second Debt

Indebted Series – Book 3

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks / Kobo

Synopsis

“I tried to play a game. I tried to wield deceit as perfectly as the Hawks. But when I thought I was winning, I wasn’t. Jethro isn’t what he seems—he’s the master of duplicity. However, I refuse to let him annihilate me further.”

Nila Weaver has grown from naïve seamstress to full-blown fighter. Every humdrum object is her arsenal, and sex…sex is her greatest weapon of all.

She’s paid the First Debt. She’ll probably pay more.

But she has no intention of letting the Hawks win.

Jethro Hawk has found more than a worthy adversary in Nila—he’s found the woman who could destroy him. There’s a fine line between hatred and love, and an even finer path between fear and respect.

The fate of his house rests on his shoulders, but no matter how much ice lives inside his heart, Nila flames too bright to be extinguished.

Third Debt – Indebted # 4

Indebted Series – Book 4

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

Synopsis

Fourth Book in the New York Times Bestselling Indebted Series.

“She healed me. She broke me. I set her free. But we are in this together. We will end this together. The rules of this ancient game can’t be broken.”

Nila Weaver no longer recognises herself. She’s left her lover, her courage, and her promise. Two debts down. Too many to go.

Jethro Hawk no longer recognises himself. He’s embraced what he always ran from, and now faces punishment far greater than he feared.

It’s almost time. It’s demanding to be paid.

The Third Debt will be the ultimate test…

Fourth Debt – Indebted # 5

Indebted Series – Book 5

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

Synopsis

“We’d won. We’d cut through the lies and treachery and promised an alliance that would free us both. But even as we won, we lost. We didn’t see what was coming. We didn’t know we had to plan a resurrection.”

Nila Weaver fell in love. She gifted her entire soul to a man she believed was worthy. And in the process, she destroyed herself. Three debts paid, the fourth only days away. The Debt Inheritance has almost claimed another victim.

Jethro Hawk fell in love. He let down his walls to a woman he believed was his cure. For a moment, he was free. But then he paid the ultimate price.

There is no more love. Only war. Hope is dead. Now, there is only death all around them.

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

Final Debt

Indebted Series – Book 6

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

Synopsis

The Last Book in the New York Times Bestselling Dark Romance Series.

Where love tries to triumph and darkness continues to reign….

It all comes down to this.

Love versus life.

Debts versus death.

Who will win?

There is also a BONUS BOOK: Indebted Epilogue OUT NOW.

Indebted Epilogue

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

—–

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

GIVEAWAY
$50.00 Amazon Card
Signed Copy of Indebted Epilogue

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: On Solid Ground by K. L. Grayson – A Touch of Fate Novella

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

Today we’re revealing the cover of K.L. Grayson’s On Solid Ground! I am so excited to share this gorgeous new cover with you! On Solid Ground is a novella in the Touch of Fate series and will be releasing Janurary 5^th!

About On Solid Ground:

June 5, 2008 I made a mistake of epic proportions. Moving home was an easy choice because I knew that I had to make things right. I had hoped to win back Harley’s friendship, but I never imagined that I’d win her heart … or the heart of her son. Now that I have, I’m never letting them go. They’re my life, the reason I breathe. We’ve worked hard to get where we are, and we’re finally standing on solid ground.

Or so I thought …

***

Tyson’s ex-fiancé wasn’t supposed to move back to St. Louis … that wasn’t part of the plan. And she sure as hell wasn’t supposed to start working with him. I trust him—at least I think I do—but when secrets are being kept and things start to unravel, I’m left wondering if I made a mistake. I allowed myself to fall in love with the only man to ever break my heart.

And now I’m afraid he might break it again …

This is a Harley and Tyson Touch of Fate Novella and can be read after book #1 or book #2 but should not be read as a standalone.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

Read the series now!

Where We Belong | Pretty Pink Ribbons

About K.L. Grayson:

K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/KL-Grayson/1403900879892076?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorklgrayson

IG: @booksbyklgrayson

Surprise Cover Reveal + Giveaway : Merry Blissmas by Jamie Begley – Last Riders Holiday Novella

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

We Wish You A

Merry Blissmas…

MERRY BLISSMAS

A Last Riders Holiday Novella

Jamie Begley

Releasing Dec 11th, 2015

Young Ink Press

Naughty

What can I say? I’m not a nice person. When I walk by, people call me a slut, and I’m okay with that. I believe in calling a spade a spade. I am a slut.
With the holidays approaching, I miss belonging to The Last Riders. Drake’s keeping me warm, but he wants more than I can give. He wants me to trust him, to believe he can protect me. Doesn’t he know Santa put me on the Naughty List long ago?Nice

What can I say? I’m a nice guy and have always done the responsible thing.
Bliss is everything I shouldn’t want, but it’s hard to resist a woman who stopped believing in miracles. She wants to be back with The Last Riders, whom she considers her true family. Doesn’t she know it’s Christmas, and miracles do happen?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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“I
was born in a small town in Kentucky. My family began poor, but worked their
way to owning a restaurant. My mother was one of the best cooks I have ever
known, and she instilled in all her children the value of hard work, and
education.

Taking
after my mother, I’ve always love to cook, and became pretty good if I do say
so myself. I love to experiment and my unfortunate family has suffered through
many. They now have learned to steer clear of those dishes. I absolutely love
the holidays and my family puts up with my zany decorations.

For
now, my days are spent writing, writing, and writing. I have two children who
both graduated this year from college. My daughter does my book covers, and my
son just tries not to blush when someone asks him about my books.

Currently
I am writing five series of books- The Last Riders, The VIP Room, Predators MC,
Biker Bitches, and The Dark Souls.

All
my books are written for one purpose- the enjoyment others find in them, and
the expectations of my fans that inspire me to give it my best.”

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Release Blitz: Safe In His Arms by Melody Anne

Posted on 11/30/2015 by shellbellereads

Safe In His Arms by Melody Anne

Release Day Launch

Synopsis

Can a California transplant survive Montana’s deep snows? New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Melody Anne breaks the ice between a sexy fireman and a brand-new teacher in this steamy holiday tale—originally published in the sizzling anthology Baby, It’s Cold Outside—which launched her popular Unexpected Heroes series.

Natalie Duncan is thrilled to get her first teaching job, but southern California didn’t prepare her for winter in Montana—or for gorgeous fire chief Hawk Winchester. For a man dedicated to putting out fires, Hawk really knows how to add heat to Natalie’s life, especially when he’s rescuing her from compromising situations. A man this strong and capable should know exactly what to do when a lady is trapped under the mistletoe. Suddenly Natalie’s blue Christmas is glowing red-hot…

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

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Series Spotlight + Giveaway: Night’s Templar A Vampire Queen Novel by Joey Hill

Posted on 11/29/2015 by Saucy Southern Readers

RELEASED HALLOWEEN DAY!! NIGHT’S TEMPLAR BY JOEY W. HILL

(Book XIII of the Vampire Queen series / BDSM paranormal romance / Male-male)

Blurb: Lord Uthe, a member of the Vampire Council, was a Templar Knight centuries ago. Even up to the present day, he has attempted to honor the spirit of the Rule, despite the volatile and highly sexual nature of the vampire world. Yet now he’s caught the attention of the Fae Lord Keldwyn, liaison between the Council and Fae Court. Keldwyn challenges Uthe’s emotional isolation and dominant nature. When a quest from Uthe’s past requires Keldwyn’s help to protect both their worlds, Uthe will have to decide whether the Fae male is a gift from God to be cherished and trusted, or a curse that will make Uthe fail the Order he promised to serve all his life.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WT9WpG
B&N: http://bit.ly/1SKnEdX
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1NMb0er
iBooks: http://apple.co/1WT9LKZ
ARe: http://bit.ly/1GXPv9n

VQS-NT-PromoUthe-Medium

HAVEN’T READ ANY OF JOEY’S VAMPIRE QUEEN SERIES? This is a great time to start. Joey did mention this is the 13^th book, right? You have plenty to read! Since Keldwyn and Uthe’s story is pretty deeply entrenched in the culture of her vampires, she wouldn’t recommend reading it first. However, you don’t have to read ALL of the twelve preceding books to enjoy it; you just need more familiarity with the Vampire Queen’s world. According to her, Beloved Vampire (Book 4) is a standalone and a GREAT gateway book into the series with the sexy Lord Mason. Or you can read the first two in the series, Vampire Queen’s Servant and Mark of the Vampire Queen, because Lady Lyssa and Jacob started it all. Excerpts and blurbs for the whole series are here – http://www.storywitch.com/series-vqs. Each book comes with a recommendation on whether it can be read as a standalone or which books should be read as prequels for it.

She thanks you all for considering her vampires! Look below for a teaser from the book, as well as a link to read a full Chapter One excerpt.

excerpt 2

“What does subjugated to your will mean, Lord Keldwyn?” Uthe demanded. “I have a goal to accomplish. It does me no good to go to your world if that mission will be hampered by your demands.”

“I will not get in the way of that, never fear. Until your task in the Fae world is done, you will lie with me when I desire it.”

For a moment, Uthe thought he’d misheard him. The request was so banal, at odds with the complexity that he normally associated with Keldwyn’s motives. He blinked. “Your price for being my tour guide is that I be your whore?”

“I will not be paying for your services, my lord. Your payment to me, for my sponsorship, is your body.” Keldwyn swept his gaze over it, lingering on the columns of Uthe’s thighs, the way the cotton shirt stretched over his shoulders. Muscles tightened under his regard, and Uthe had to quell the desire to shift again. “You have compromised your chastity over the years to prove yourself vampire rather than Templar,” the Fae said. “And to protect your mission and secrets. You deemed them far more vital to your charge than your personal pride in keeping your vows.”

Uthe templed his fingers. He would treat this as a debate, like the many topics they’d dissected and argued over chess. That would calm the nerves jumping in his belly, as ridiculous as those experienced by a virgin bride on her wedding night.

“I wonder how many of your Templars preserved their ideals as faithfully as you have,” Keldwyn mused. “They had to do it only for a mortal life span, or until the Order ended. Whereas you have clung to them for centuries. Is it hubris, a fear of having no faith, or something else that makes you that stubborn?”

“To believe in nothing is no better than to believe in too much,” Uthe said between his teeth.

“A sentiment on coffee mugs and T-shirts. It is cliché and old, unoriginal.”

“Just as you putting a sexual price on your patronage is.”

“Careful,” Keldwyn said. Uthe felt that thrum of energy again as the Fae Lord’s gaze flashed with heat. “I will have your oath on bended knee that you offer yourself to me willingly. If you do not, your mission cannot proceed.”

Uthe met the onyx and moonstone gaze. “You weary me,” he said. “Whatever it is you hope to gain with your torment, Lord Keldwyn, I wish you well of it. If it is my body you desire, it is yours. It is merely future ashes and dust.”

Keldwyn straightened in the chair, uncrossing his ankles. His elegant hands dangled loosely on the end of either chair arm as he looked pointedly at the floor between his braced feet. It drew Uthe’s gaze to the columns of his thighs, the spread of his legs making it impossible not to note the impressive evidence of his virility under the molded fabric. He forced his gaze upward, but refused to look at Keldwyn’s face to see if he’d noticed him looking.

“Your oath,” Keldwyn repeated. “I am waiting, Lord Uthe. Unless you have decided your quest is not as important as your virtue.”

“Perhaps your revulsion for sharing your blood with a vampire is only matched by my distaste for sharing your bed.”

“If that was the case, you would not be aroused now.”

Uthe bared his fangs in a dangerous smile. He’d hung his sword on the back of the chair. Rising, he drew the blade from the scabbard in one swift movement, a whisper of menace. Let the bastard think he might try to skewer him, regardless of the consequences.

Keldwyn did not move, though Uthe had the satisfaction of seeing the sensual mouth thin, the eyes rivet on him in that cool, watchful way that suggested he might be close to inciting the Fae’s temper. He liked the idea too much. There was more at stake here than a pissing match, and he was channeling desire into aggression to deny his need. He ignored the faint tremor in his hands, the tightness in his chest as he teetered on the precipice of doing the unthinkable.

Planting the tip of the blade in a groove of the oak flooring, he dropped to one knee.

“Speak your oath, and I will repeat it in good faith, my lord,” he said, a growl. “You have my promise to adhere to it, unless it countermands God’s will.”

“I have noticed you still speak like a Templar, vampire. After all these decades.”

“In this modern world, promises are broken for convenience or comfort. I will not use casual words to speak a true oath.”

“Very well.” Keldwyn stood, moving the chair back and putting his hand on the pommel, curling his fingers over Uthe’s. His touch was cool, his palm smooth against Uthe’s knuckles. “Swear to be bound to me, offering your body willingly to my desires and demands, no reservations, until your quest is done. In God’s name.”

“I think God has little to do with this,” Uthe said, but he repeated it, his gaze lifting to meet the Fae’s. “I swear myself bound to you, the Fae Lord Keldwyn, liaison of the Unseelie and Seelie Courts, liaison for the Vampire Council. I will offer my body willingly to your desires and demands, until my quest is done.”

“With no reservations,” Keldwyn prompted. “You will not hold your mind apart from me, Lord Uthe. I will not consider the oath served if you lie like a board while I fuck you.” He slid a curled hand along Uthe’s cheek, so Uthe felt the rough edges of the ring resting above Keldwyn’s knuckle. “Say it.”

“With no reservations,” Uthe said, hearing the harsh rasp of his voice, a reaction to Keldwyn speaking his intentions so baldly. His hand was clenched on the pommel, and Keldwyn’s, still upon his, would feel it. “I swear.”

Keldwyn removed his hand, giving him a speculative look. “Access to our world must mean a great deal to you, Lord Uthe. I did not expect to win your agreement so easily.”

“Accomplishing my quest is all that matters. The rest does not.”

“Clever. You imply my demands do not matter, that they are as nothing to you. I am glad you are so unaffected. Because I require a demonstration of your oath, right now.”

FREE CHAPTER ONE EXCERPT – http://www.storywitch.com/book-vqs-nt

Author Bio

joey hill

Winner of the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement award, Joey W. Hill has published over forty contemporary and paranormal BDSM erotic romances, including six series. Her emotionally-intense love stories offer everything from vampires, mermaids, witches and angels, to boardroom executives, cops and simple housemaids.

Free excerpts from all her works are available at her website, www.storywitch.com. Additional vignettes, character interviews and graphics inspired by the work are at the fan forum site, accessible through www.storywitch.com/community.Twitter: JoeyWHill Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoeyWHillAuthor

Giveaway

Joey is giving away a $50 Gift Card (Readers Choice) and readers choice of two signed books or e-books, and a jewelry box.
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Release Blitz: King Series Box Set by T. M. Frazier… Includes King & Tyrant

Posted on 11/25/2015 by shellbellereads

king & tyrant release day blitz

king & tyrant it's live

king & tyrant box set

King Series Box Set

King & Tyrant

By T. M. Frazier

Buy: Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon AU / Paperback Amazon

Synopsis

Book one and two in the USA TODAY bestselling series, King.
King: Homeless. Hungry. Desperate. Doe has no memories of who she is or where she comes from. A notorious career criminal just released from prison, King is someone you don’t want to cross unless you’re prepared to pay him back in blood, sweat, sex or a combination of all three. King’s future hangs in the balance. Doe’s is written in her past. When they come crashing together, they will have to learn that sometimes in order to hold on, you have to first let go.
Tyrant: I. Remember. Everything. But the relief I thought I would feel never comes, and I’m more afraid now than I was the morning I woke up handcuffed in King’s bed. Because with the truth comes dark secrets I was never meant to know. I will put the lives of those I love most at risk if I let on that my memory has returned, or if I seek help from the heavily tattooed felon who owns me body and soul. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to resist the magnetic pull toward King that grows stronger every day. He’s already saved me in more ways than one. Now it’s my turn to do whatever it takes to save him. Even if that means marrying someone else…

king teaser-2

King Excerpt

King

Tattooing Doe was the single most erotic moment of my life. Marking her perfect, pale skin with a tattoo I’d designed for her made me so fucking hard I had to adjust myself every thirty seconds in order to concentrate on my work.

When I was done, I handed her the hand mirror, and she walked over to the full-sized mirror that hung on the back of the door, like she’d seen dozens of my other clients do before. When she held up the hand mirror, she gasped.

“What?” I asked in a panic, hoping she didn’t already see what I’d hidden in the tattoo. I was an asshole for putting it there. I was an asshole for tattooing her in the first place.

I was just an asshole.

But I couldn’t help myself. My name needed to be on her. It wasn’t enough just to call her mine. I needed to mark her as well. So hidden in the vine work under the quote I found that I thought was perfect for her, was my name.

KING was woven into the design. In order to see it you had to tilt your head or otherwise you wouldn’t notice it. But it was there.

I would tell her eventually of course, but I wanted it to be my secret for a while. She’d stopped being my possession a while ago, a lot longer before I cared to admit, but I still felt the need to mark her as mine.

I still liked the idea of owning her.

Only now, she owned me, too.

She didn’t notice the name. Tears filled her eyes. She stood there staring at the hand mirror in just her panties. Little cheeky ones where her ass hung out of the bottoms. Her tits were only inches from my face. Her tears of happiness made my dick twitch. Although her sad tears evoked the same response.

My dick wasn’t partial to which kind of tears he liked.

I took the mirror from her hand and lifted her up onto the counter. “You like it?” I asked, pushing her panties down her legs.

“I love it,” she panted, wrapping her legs around me, drawing me close. Her wetness soaking my boxers. I pushed them down with one hand. I’d been hard for three hours, the entire time I’d been working on her, and couldn’t wait any longer. I pushed inside her tight, wet heat.

We both moaned at the contact.

“You love it?” I asked, needing to hear her say it again.

“Yes, I love it!” she said as I thrust up into her, hard. “I love it. So much. I love you.”

I froze when I heard the words, and when I did, her eyes flung open.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Oh my god, I have that word vomit thing. I’m sorry. Shit, I just meant that—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I demanded, thrusting hard to get her attention. She closed her eyes, and her head fell back. “That’s fucking better. Now, keep that pretty mouth of yours shut while I fuck you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, breathless.

“Shut up,” I said again, and she closed her mouth. “Shut up so I can fuck you…and show you how much I love you.”

She nodded and although her eyes stayed shut, a tear rolled down her cheek. I sucked it off her chin before it could fall to the floor.

Then, I fucked her.

Hard.

I showed her how much I loved her until I couldn’t tell where I started and she began. Until all that was in that room was me and her and the thing between us that kept pulling us together like magnets. Until we were lost in sensations and orgasms.

And in each other.

I fucked her until we were one person, and in a way we were, because I’d lost myself along the way and I found myself again in the most unlikely place.

I’d found myself again in the haunted eyes of a girl who was just as lost as I was.

Or maybe, we didn’t find each other at all.

Maybe, we just decided to be lost together.

tyrant teasser

Tyrant Excerpt

He cupped my ass and lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. “There was one point I’d made the decision to tell you the truth. I owed you that much. But then all the shit went down with Isaac and Preppy, so when I made the deal with your father for Max, I thought I was doing you a favor by giving you your life back and getting you out of all the shit that came with being in mine.”

I squeezed my thighs around his waist, rubbing myself against his hardness. I moaned. “But you weren’t giving me my life back.” I corrected. I placed my palms on his cheeks and held his face in my hands, searching for any sign in his eyes that what I felt for him might have been wrong, but instead what I found was a resounding need to fix what was broken between us. Tears formed in my eyes. “You were taking it away.” King’s lips parted. He ran his thumb across my lower lip, turning his head he kissed his way up my arm.

“Goosebumps,” King observed, running his fingertips across my already stimulated skin. I bit my lip and stifled a moan.

“It’s just the heat,” I lied.

“You’ve got that fucking right,” King growled, bending my wrist behind my back, his lips came crashing down over mine. We were a tangling of lips, clanking of teeth, sloshing through the water to better line ourselves up with each other. It wasn’t pretty.

It was need.

“I’m still fucking mad at you for letting me go,” I said into his mouth, while our tongues did things other parts of me throbbed to do.

King stilled and held my face away from his, our chests heaving in unison, my erect nipples rubbing against his hot hard skin as we panted together. Our breaths mingled in the air. He ran his hand down the side of my face and cupped my cheek in his palm. “I didn’t give you away, Pup. I released you.”

I stilled. “You released me?” I couldn’t hide the hurt in my voice. For some reason, releasing me sounded worse than letting me go.

King ran his tongue across the tip of my earlobe, holding me tightly against his warmth. Chills ran down my spine and into my very core and they had nothing to do with the temperature of the rain.

“I tried to release you, Pup. For Max. But there was a major problem with that plan, and no matter what happened, it would never have worked,” King confessed.

“Why is that?” I asked, needing to know, but at the same time acutely aware of the pulsing between my legs. Relief and release was only a scrap or two of fabric away. Throbbing for me.

“The problem was…you never released me,” King growled, crashing his lips to mine. He moaned into my mouth when I rubbed myself up against his straining erection. He pushed the fabric of my shorts aside and the second he parted my folds with his index finger, I shuddered. He plunged a long index finger inside of me, and for a second my eyes rolled back in my head until he withdrew it. I cried out in frustration, wiggling myself against him, needing him to make me feel anything other than empty.

_______________________________________________

Author Bio:

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

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

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

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

It will not be about hamsters.

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

king & tyrant box set

Book Tour and 5 Star Review: Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan

Posted on 11/25/2015 by shellbellereads

Perfectly Imperfect

By Harper Sloan

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes

Synopsis

Mirror, mirror … who’s the fairest of them all?

I still cringe when I hear that line. A fairy tale that had girls pretending they were the fairest, the most beautiful, and the most entitled. A fairy tale most couldn’t grow out of turned my haunted childhood memories into a living nightmare. Girls who grew up believing that pile of garbage became the meanest of all ‘mean girls.’

And those mean girls were right – it was a line meant for all the beautiful people in the world – and I knew the answer would never be me.

The women with long legs, flat stomachs, and perfect chests.

The type of women Kane Masters gravitated toward.

Well, that’s definitely not Willow Tate.

No. That will never be me.

Because I’m completely imperfect.

And … I hate myself.

I have no idea what Kane could possibly see in someone like me when he could have them.

Michel’s Review

Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan is the best book she has written. Although it is a romance themed book it is also an inspirational book. Harper Sloan bared her soul in this beautiful story of a woman that had very low self esteem. We all have insecurities and are harsher on ourselves than most people see on the surface. Harper dug deep and put these inadequate feelings into words and created a story I think we all can relate to.

We are all shaped and molded by our childhood. Our childhood experience shapes our perceptions of ourselves and how we perceive others. As adults we know we are in charge of our own destinies but it’s hard to let go of what has been ingrained into our souls from an early age. It can take life changing events or one little word or action to change our destiny and take us on a new path. A new path that changes the way we perceive ourselves. A door that opens our hearts and allows us to love ourselves just as we are.

Willow has had a low self image all of her life. She has settled for what she perceived would make others happy rather than making herself happy. She has settled for a demeaning job. She has settled with a verbally abusive husband. She has lost herself until the day her husband cheated on her with her younger, perfect sister. That day was the beginning for Willow Tate. It was a long hard journey that led her to finding the once in a lifetime love and learning to love herself. She has become the strong dynamic woman she was meant to be.

Kane always saw the Willow Tate that was hidden beneath the surface. He saw her beautiful soul. He will do everything in his power to earn her trust, love, and acceptance. He will show her everyday how wonderful and beautiful she is inside and out.

Willow and Kane have found each other. Willow has become a strong, confident woman but can she compete with Kane’s past? A past that could destroy their relationship and beat her down once again?

Read Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan. It will change the way you look in the mirror.

_____________________________________________

About Harper Sloan

Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husbands chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!

Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.

told.Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Teaser Tuesday: The Baller by Vi Keeland – A Down and Dirty Football Novel

Posted on 11/24/2015 by shellbellereads

baller

THE BALLER

(A standalone novel)

A Contemporary Romance novel

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

Vi Keeland

****

RELEASING JANUARY 18TH!

Pre Order: B & N / ITunes / Kobo

****

Blurb

The first time I met Brody Easton was in the men’s locker room.

It was my first interview as a professional sportscaster.

The famed quarterback decided to bare all.

And by all, I don’t mean he told me any of his secrets.

No. The arrogant ass decided to drop his towel, just as I asked the first question. On camera.

The Super Bowl MVP quickly adopted a new hobby—screwing with me.

When I pushed back, he shifted from wanting to screw with me, to wanting to screw me.

But I don’t date players.

And it’s not because I’m one of the few women working in the world of professional football.

I’d date an athlete.

It’s the other kind of player I don’t date.

You know the type. Good looking, strong, cocky, always looking to get laid.

Brody Easton was the ultimate player.

Every woman wanted to be the one to change him.

But the truth was, all he needed was a girl worth changing for.

Turned out, I was that girl.

Simple right?

Let’s face it. It never is.

There’s a story between once upon a time and happily ever after…

And this one is ours.

Baller Teaser 1

About the Author

Vi Keeland is a native New Yorker with three children that occupy most of her free time, which she complains about often, but wouldn’t change for the world. She is a bookworm and has been known to read her kindle at stop lights, while styling her hair, cleaning, walking, during sporting events, and frequently while pretending to work. She is a boring attorney by day, and an exciting smut author by night!

Additional Books by Vi Keeland

Life On Stage Series

Throb – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

Beat –Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

MMA Fighter Series

Worth The Fight – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Worth The Chance – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Worth Forgiving –Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Cole Series

Belong To You – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Made For You – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Stand Alone Novels

First Thing I See– Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Left Behind – Amazon / Barnes and Noble

baller

Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

Category Archives: Genre

Holiday Review: Home For Christmas by Lily Everett – Sanctuary Island Series

Pre Release Blitz + Review: Ready To Rock by Cara Connelly

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 6 Star Review + 2015 Favorite + Giveaway: Final Debt and Indebted Epilogue by Pepper Winters – Indebted Series – Book 6

Cover Reveal: On Solid Ground by K. L. Grayson – A Touch of Fate Novella

Surprise Cover Reveal + Giveaway : Merry Blissmas by Jamie Begley – Last Riders Holiday Novella

Release Blitz: Safe In His Arms by Melody Anne

Safe In His Arms by Melody Anne

Release Day Launch

Series Spotlight + Giveaway: Night’s Templar A Vampire Queen Novel by Joey Hill

Release Blitz: King Series Box Set by T. M. Frazier… Includes King & Tyrant

Book Tour and 5 Star Review: Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan

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Safe In His Arms by Melody Anne

Release Day Launch

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