Happy Release + Giveaway : Darker Than Desire by Shiloh Walker – Secrets & Shadows Series – Book 3

Posted on 03/03/2015 by shellbellereads

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DARKER THAN DESIRE Synopsis:

LUST FOR LIFE

No matter how many times he’s left her in the past, Sybil Chalmers can’t ignore her feelings for the one man who stole her heart years ago. For countless nights, she has waited for him—for his kiss, his touch—and has longed for him to emerge from the shadows of his past. Only when she is in his arms does Sybil really feel alive…and finally, after all these years, that time is now.

A DEADLY DESIRE

He’s a man raised in a world of strict rules and unbreakable traditions and he’s always yearned to break free. But when a family tragedy lures him back home, he finds his one true passion has been there all along. With Sybil, he can explore his greatest potential—and allow her to discover a whole new level of ecstasy. But will a long-buried secret threaten to tear them apart? The only thing he knows for sure is that he will do anything to keep Sybil in his life…and keep her coming back for more…

Excerpt:

The skin on the nape of his neck stood up.

His blood started to pump.

Slowly, he shifted his gaze and found himself staring across the neat, tidy little lawn.

There. That was the other thing he felt, a bizarre mix of need, longing and a twist in his heart that he couldn’t fully understand. It only happened around one person.

It wasn’t a surprise that she’d found him here.

Nor was it a surprise when his heart did that odd little twist.

She was the other person who managed to make him feel.

She made him want.

She made him need.

She made him regret, too.

Regret that he needed to push her away, regret that he couldn’t reach for her the way he wanted.

Regret that he wasn’t as strong as he should be, because even as he told himself to push her away, she started up the walk, the short skirt she wore barely clinging to her thighs and all he could think about was pulling her into his lap so that the skirt rode higher and he could cup her hips, pull her down to straddle him.

Vivid, overbright starbursts seemed to explode behind his eyes as that fantasy played out in his mind. It would be so easy. This was a secluded street and people had finally given up on the rubbernecking. Hardly anybody drove down the street to check out the burnt out wreck of the Frampton house. He could pull that stretchy bit of fabric up and be inside her in two minutes. It would be so easy to just lose himself to her.

She came to a halt in front of him while his blood pounded in slow, steady waves, while need clenched inside him like a fist.

Tell her to leave, common sense dictated. He’d already made the decision he needed to make.

But his head, his heart, his cock didn’t want to listen.

“Hey,” she said, her red-slicked lips curving up.

He stared at her mouth, thought about seeing that mouth open, seeing it glide down his chest.

Blinking, he managed, barely, to look away. “Hey back.”

This was yet another thing he lacked, the ability to talk, even to her, about anything that didn’t involve getting her naked and fucking her. Naked wasn’t even necessary as long as he could be inside her, lose himself to her, hide away from the demons that chased him.

But if he kept doing that, all those demons were going to start chasing her, too.

He wasn’t worth a whole hell of a lot and he didn’t care about a whole hell of a lot. But he’d burn this whole damn town to the ground before he let anything from his past start to haunt her. Every moment of peace he’d ever known had come from her. She mattered, more than anything or anybody else in his miserable world.

So instead of reaching for her, he stared out at the water, acutely aware as she sat down at his side. The journals sat at the other and he resisted the urge to grab them, disappear inside the house, hide them away from her. Hide them away, hide their secrets, as if that would make the truth any less than true.

“I don’t blame that kid,” Sybil said out of the blue.

Caught up in his own head, he barely understood what she meant. Looking over at her, he tracked her gaze and then, as a shiver of cold raced up his spine, he looked back over the water.

“Plenty of people don’t. Too bad he couldn’t find a way to trap his dad and uncle in there, too.”

Sybil murmured, “His uncle’s brains splattered all over the chief’s wall.”

“He went too easy.”

“True. But he is still gone.” Her gaze came over to him. “We fell asleep on you. What did you think about the movie?”

He frowned, tried to remember something about it. The boy. Wands. A rock. Then he shrugged. “What sort of name is Snape?”

Sybil laughed. “An interesting one. For an interesting character. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?”

The question caught him offguard. Then he looked down. “What does it matter?”

“Well, if you want to watch more of the series with us, it would be kind of fun for me to know now, what you think of him. He plays a big part in it.”

I’m not watching more. That was what he should tell her. Sighing, he looked away. Everything he should do, he couldn’t do. It had been like that for most of his life. He should found a better way to make people listen. He should have fought harder. He should have run sooner.

Then there were the things he shouldn’t have done. He shouldn’t have involved Lana. He shouldn’t have stayed in town. He shouldn’t have reached for Sybil that first night.

A hand reached up, touched his cheek. “You’re always so serious, baby.”

“Little reason to be otherwise.”

“True.” She moved then and he didn’t even have time to brace himself before she had settled herself in his lap, one leg planted on either side of his hips. Her hands came up, cupped his face. “How much longer until you decide to tell me?”

His hands moved of their own volition, fingers splayed wide across satiny soft thighs. “Tell you what, Sybil?”

“Don’t play games with me.” She dipped her head so that her hair fell around them like a curtain. “You’ve never done it before. Don’t start now.”

Noise clamored in the back of his head, all that chaos rising to a roar as he stared into those beautiful eyes. They slid between gold and green and right now, they all but glowed as she watched him.

Send her away. Tell her.

He slid his hands up, cupping her ass. And he groaned when he found her naked under that sorry excuse for a skirt. “I keep thinking it’s time to tell you to just go. To stay away from me.”

“That’s what I thought.” She rubbed her mouth against his. “Why don’t you do it, then? So I can ignore you and we can fight it out?”

The cool silk of her hair brushed against his cheek. He tangled one hand in it. “This isn’t a game anymore.”

“It never was.” She eased back, watching him with knowing eyes.

He curled his lip. “It was one thing when you were fucking some guy you thought was an Amish builder. It’s another thing when it’s me, possible murder suspect, sick degenerate. It’s just a matter of time before the cops decide to start pulling me, demanding answers about what happened the night I disappeared. Just a matter of time before everything comes out in the open. When nobody knew—”

She lifted a hand and pressed her finger to his lips.

“I always knew.”

Don’t miss the first two books in the Secrets & Shadows Series…

DEEPER THAN NEED, Book 1

SWEETER THAN SIN, Book 2

About Shiloh Walker:

Shiloh Walker is an award-winning writer…yes, really! She’s also a mom, a wife, a reader and she pretends to be an amateur photographer. She published her first book in 2003. Her newest series, Secrets and Shadows, launched in April 2014. Look for the newest book Deeper than Need, to be followed by Sweeter than Sin and Darker than Desire.

She writes romantic suspense, contemporary and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy under the name J.C. Daniels.

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Happy Release + Giveaway: The Complete Submission Box Set by CD Reiss – Complete Submission Series – Books 1-8 + Excerpt from Coda

Posted on 03/02/2015 by shellbellereads

The Complete Submission Series Box Set

By CD Reiss

Synopsis

All eight books of The Submission Series in one bundle. Over 1300 pages of intense romance in one big bundle. Get it while it lasts!
Jonathan Drazen.
Gorgeous. Check.
Charming. Check.
Smart. Check.
Rich…. Hey, I’m not gonna complain.

All the ingredients for a few nights of mind-blowing pleasure are right there. He’s made it perfectly clear he can’t love me, and I’m not out to fall in love either.

But I can’t stay away from him. He’s got this bossy way about him in bed. The word “Sir,” falls from my lips, and when he tells me to get on my knees…well, my knees have a mind of their own.

I got this. I can be his slave for a few nights and walk away unscathed.

We get in. Get it on. Get the hell out. Done.

He knows the line between love and lust. It’s right between my legs. Now, let’s see if that line blurs for me.

As a bonus, the first three chapters of Coda are in the back, and CD Reiss promises they’re hot as hell.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Google Play / ITunes

“Get on your knees.”

Even through the phone, I could tell Jonathan was using his dominant voice. I got nervous that I would dampen the expensive panties so badly the protective paper at the crotch would curl and peel off. “Yes, sir.”

Facing the dressing room mirror, I got to my knees. The black garter and stocking I was trying on looked as though it had been taped on me. The black satin belt slung low on my hips held the straps that dropped down my thighs with silver rings.

“How does it look?” he asked.

“I think you’ll like it.”

“How does it make you feel?”

“You really want to know?” I asked.

“I’m sitting in the back of my car, thinking about you. It’s wall-to-wall traffic. So, yes, I want to know how it makes you feel.”

I heard women outside the dressing room door. Their soft conversations and laughter were muffled by the clothing draped around the room, lingerie with bows and clasps and metal rings set into lush satins and elastics. Every piece I’d tried on aroused me, and when he called, the addition of his voice to the mix brought me near tears.

“How do I feel?” I asked. The carpet dug into my knees, and I was goose bumped from the air conditioner, but that wasn’t what he meant. The black satin bra’s cups were made of two panels that could be moved for access. It felt so comfortable, I didn’t even know I had it on. The curves of the underwear accentuated the length of my pelvis. “I feel like fucking.”

I heard him take a breath. I did enjoy shocking him. “Tuck the phone under your left ear.”

“Done.”

“Done?”

“Done, sir.”

“Put your left hand on the mirror,” he said. “Lean on it.”

“Yes, sir.” My hand spread on the mirror like a starfish. It would leave a mark.

“Put your right hand between your legs.”

“Jonathan…”

“Do it.”

My cunt clenched with anticipation. I stroked lightly through the string of cloth, sucking air between my teeth from the tingle of the touch.

“Get under the fabric,” he said, as if he could see I hadn’t put my fingers on my skin.

“Yes, sir.” The word sir seemed to vibrate not just outward, to him, but inward, down a thick nerve connecting my vocal cords to my core. When I slipped my fingers under the panties, I shuddered.

“You wet?”

“So fucking wet,” I whispered.

“Your legs spread?”

“Yes.”

“Look at yourself in the mirror.”

I did, and I was greeted by a face slack with arousal, flushed with sex. “Yes, sir.” I watched myself submit to him, in that outfit, as if I needed to be more turned on. Outside the door, I heard a throat clear.

“How do you look?” he asked.

“I look like I can’t stay in here much longer without someone coming.”

“You got that right,” he mumbled. Papers shuffled on his side. He was working while telling me to finger myself. A true multitasker. “Stroke your clit and all the way down to that beautiful hole.” I groaned, my cheek caressing the phone. “Keep going. Work your clit. Go around it twice, then over the top.”

I did, and the heavenliness came as much from my own touch as the knowledge I obeyed him. “Oh, Jonathan.”

“Put two fingers in.”

My pussy clenched around my fingers, kissing them, sucking them in. The heel of my hand found my clit as I pushed my fingers in and out.

He whispered, “Tomorrow night, when I see you, I’m going to put my fingers in you and lick you until you beg me to stop. Then I’m going to squeeze your clit with my lips until you come again.”

“I want you.”

“You will have me.”

“May I come?” There was a distinct possibility he’d say no, and I was so far gone, holding off my orgasm would hurt. “Please let me come.” His silence tormented me. “Please, sir.” I smiled a little. I never thought I’d actually want to call a lover sir. But it felt good, and right, and fun.

I hears his smile as he said, “You may.”

I pressed my whole hand along my wet cleft, feeling everything from the tingle around my pussy to the powerful ache at my clit, back and forth, slowly. My breathing got hard and short. I had to keep it down. If I could hear myself, someone else could as well. I closed my eyes and buckled. My hand left the mirror as my back arched, encompassing me in heat from my knees to my waist. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. My hips pumped as pleasure washed over me in impossibly long waves. The phone dropped to the carpet.

Excerpt From Coda

“You know what, Monica, you don’t even know yourself. Look at you. I haven’t seen you this relaxed in months. The only time you let your worry go is when you give me control. And your worry is what keeps you from being honest.”

I swallowed. Blinked. A torrent of wetness welled behind my eyes, “I don’t want to break the scene.”

“Stay still. Stay naked. Speak your mind.”

“I almost died with you a hundred times. That recovery room, they had you in this induced coma and you looked dead. There were bags of blood. Bags, hanging over you and you were all opened up. And, I’m sorry, I haven’t said this because you’re the one who went through it.” I swallowed a gallon of tears. “I don’t want to see you like that again. But I think about it all the time. I dream about it. I see it when I close my eyes. I want you to live, so I do what I think is going to make you happy and I always get it wrong. Stay or go. I give you attention or none. It’s always wrong.”

“What about your happiness?”

“It doesn’t matter. Not as much as yours. It’s not life or death.”

“It is, Monica. It is.”

I shook my head. “You can’t convince me of that. We can do this hurtful honesty thing all day. You’re the priority and I’m okay with that. Deal with it.”

He nodded, looking down for a blink, then up at me. He reached for my wrists.

“These go behind your back.”

I did as instructed.

“Now, get on your knees.”

I bent them. With my hands behind my back, it was hard to balance.

“Do you need some help?” he asked.

“Yes.”

I thought he’d take me gently by the elbow, but dragged me down. He was right. I was relaxed, totally submitting and trusting him, loving every bit of discomfort he dished out.

“Spread your knees apart.”

I did, too slowly for him. He kicked them wide.

“Do you remember your safeword?” He asked, unbuckling his belt.

“Yes.” A tingling rush went down my spine with the promise of his dominance and the way it made me forget how fragile he really was.

His cock was out in the next second. “Open. Your. Mouth.”

About CD Reiss

CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.
Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles.
Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood.
If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

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Happy Release + Review + Giveaway: For Authentication Purposes by Amber L. Johnson

Posted on 03/02/2015 by shellbellereads

Presents…

For Authentication Purposes

by Amber L. Johnson

Release Date: March 5th , 2015

Published by The Writers Coffee Shop

Genre: New Adult Romance / Contemporary Romance / Romance Erotica / Humor ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-387-4

Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

~~SUMMARY~~

Dawn Sims has made a name for herself writing romantic fiction online. When she’s pushed to try her hand at publishing, she thinks she has everything figured out. The only problem? She’s never been in a relationship, especially one that has led her to finding The Big O.

So much for writing what you know.

Warner Green has had Dawn in his sights since she walked into his class in seventh grade. She broke his teenage heart not once, but twice, so seeing her in his night class at the local community college was an unexpected surprise.

Accidentally reading her bad erotica on her laptop was a blessing from the Smut Gods themselves.

It’s clear she has no idea what she’s writing about, but Warner does. In fact, he knows so much that he’s willing to offer her his services. The deal is simple: teach the good girl from high school everything she needs to know to write from experience. If he gets to live out a fantasy or two that he’s been harboring for almost a decade, then there’s no harm in that either.

The lessons turn more heated, and Dawn begins to question where Warner has learned his skills, but he’s not ready to talk, until his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time.

It shouldn’t matter when it’s for authentication purposes only.

Goodreads * Add to Want To Read List

~~EXCERPT~~

“Come on. Say it. I know where you’re going.”

Shifting a little to look at him, I resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts and lick his neck at the same time. I mean he looked pretty hot sitting in my chair eating that muffin. Stupid handsome face and fornication hair paired with what I assumed were dirty jeans and a plaid flannel.

“Fine. I’m going to buy a vibrator with the money you gave me. Happy?”

His smile was in full force now. “Hell yeah, I’m happy. Ecstatic, even.” He chewed around the pastry in his mouth and laughed. “I’ll come with you to make sure you get the right one.”

“Oh, hell no. Being with you in a porn shop is on my list of Things to Never Do before I Die.”

Robin’s Review

Amber L. Johnson continues to show her diversity as a writer in her most recent novel titled For Authentication Purposes. I have now read six novels written by Johnson, and I find myself impressed by the variety of topics and genres in which she writes. Young Adult. New Adult. Contemporary Romance. And now erotic romance. The improvement in her writing is noticeable as she continues to publish stories that she has written over the last few years. Johnson has labeled this story “humorotica,” which is entirely appropriate because For Authentication Purposes is funny. Really, really funny!

Dawn Sims and Warner Green met in the eighth grade. It didn’t take long for them to give each other nicknames. Bunny and Wardo. They have a colorful past. Warner was always hanging around. Looking at Dawn. Sitting in front of her in class. Warner was good-looking. He hung around with the bad crowd and always got into fights. Every girl wanted his attention, but not Dawn. She wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted credibility. She was all about the books. In high school, Dawn finally understood Warner’s reputation. All of the girls just loved the bad boy. She knew Warner liked her. Warner knew Dawn hated to like him. Dawn and Warner even went to prom together.

Now its ten years later, and Dawn has decided to take night classes towards an English degree. She is in the process of writing a novel, and she wants to have some credibility when she submits her manuscript to a publisher. Once again, Warner and Dawn have end up in the same class, where he sits nearby and continues with his usual harassment. When Dawn excuses herself to go to the ladies room, Warner reads a portion of the historical romance she is writing, and he recognizes it is bad. Very bad.

Warner gives Dawn plenty of grief. He tells her she writes terrible porn – think “love buttons” and “pink pebbled peaks”. Dawn has no idea how to write sex because of her inexperience, so of course, Warner makes her an offer she can hardly refuse. He offers to show Dawn the ropes for research purposes, so her writing will be authentic. For authentication purposes. After all, you can only write about what you know.

I discovered Johnson after receiving a recommendation to read Puddle Jumping. Puddle Jumping was one of my favorite novels that I read during 2014. It’s considered a young adult or mature young adult novel. I almost always feel more comfortable reading novels from these genres, but I will occasionally read an erotic romance upon recommendation. I admit I was curious to see how Johnson would fare in this genre. And you know what? I was pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed this story – something which is extremely important to me when I read erotic romance. For Authentication Purposes is hot! It’s erotic in the best kind of way, but there is also an intriguing story buried beneath the surface which slowly unfolds with each chapter. All of these things, combined with Johnson’s witty humor and excellent writing, kept me turning the pages until the end. I’m giving For Authentication Purposes a 4.5 star rating. I can’t wait to see what is next from Amber L. Johnson!

~~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~~

A true child of music, Amber’s parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist. Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people’s lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing.A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the people who bring her inspiration.

Be sure to look for Amber’s other books!

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~~CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR~~

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Website

Praise for For Authentication Purposes

“Hot! Great UST, very funny, and I loved the characters. Another great one from Amber. ” – Andrea

Goodreads Review

Happy Release + Giveaway: Sustain by Tijan

Posted on 03/02/2015 by shellbellereads

Sustain

By Tijan

Synopsis

I had a simple life.

I worked two jobs, made ends meet, and hung out with my mom and twin brother. The other part of my life was about avoiding him, but when SWAT raided my boyfriend’s home, that was the last straw. The boyfriend got tossed and to help me keep busy, my brother talked me into joining their old band again, but I had to be honest. It wasn’t a hard sell. Playing drums was in my blood. I used to be addicted and that craving hadn’t been satisfied in three long years. The only problem was their lead singer.

It was him.

The drums might not have been the only thing I was addicted to. I think I was still addicted to him too.

Buy: Amazon / ITunes / Kobo / Barnes and Noble (coming)

Excerpt

Luke hit a jarring note on his guitar below, drawing me from the past and back to reality. Seriously. I’d been ready to take on two thugs beside a dumpster for my stupid-ass cousin, but this had ice filling my veins.

I rolled my eyes upward. What was wrong with me?

The melody was addictive. I felt it reach deep inside me and take root. My breathing wavered as he kept playing. He moved down a chord, and the sound of it seeped into me, smoothing out the haunted memories. Then he began singing. His voice was soft and low, but I could hear it as if I were in the room. He was weaving a spell. It was like he threw a spear that had a rope attached to it at me from a hundred yards away, and it embedded deep into my stomach. Then he began pulling on it. I couldn’t fight because it would yank out my insides, but damn, I didn’t want to go with it. This whole thing with Luke was both painful and exhilarating at the same time. I had two urges going through me at once. One was to crap my pants, and the other was to start doing cartwheels.

I was just messed up, which is why I started down the stairs. I still had no clue what to say, but I had to do something.

He was hunched over the guitar in his lap with a beer at his feet. His eyes were closed, and his head hung over the guitar as he hit another chord, his thumb beating out the base. Since he was only wearing jeans, I saw some of the scars on his back. A storm of regret, shame, and longing all swirled inside me. I wanted to go to him, run my hands over those scars, and make them disappear. I couldn’t, though. We weren’t close anymore.

So many ghosts within you

So many haunts to pull you away

You look, I reach out and there’s nothing to do

They take you from me again, far away

I can’t, I can’t, I can’t take your hand

He kept singing, and my heart felt like it was splitting into two, but then he faltered. His eyes opened, and he looked up. He didn’t stop playing, but he stopped singing.

I felt like he was strumming me. I couldn’t look away from his gaze. His thumb stopped hitting the bass, and his fingers slowed on the guitar. “What are you doing here?”

Right. I was pretty sure I was seeing lust in his eyes. With that thought, a fever took over my blood, heating me up. “I,” my tongue wet my lips, “um, I’m here to talk about you and me.”

His gaze clouded over, and his eyelids lowered. He bent his head back over his guitar, but he didn’t start strumming again. “There is no ‘you and me.’ You’re in the band. That’s it.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Luke,” I started.

“No.” He stood up abruptly, setting his guitar to the side. He advanced toward me, his eyes were smoldering.

When my back hit the wall, I realized I had nowhere else to go and could only watch as he closed in on me. A part of me wanted him to keep getting closer; the other part of me was still thinking about crapping my pants.

He leaned a hand against the wall beside my head, keeping a few inches between us. His eyes were hard as he said, “There is no you and me. That died long ago, remember?”

About Tijan

I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

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Happy Release + Giveaway : Very Twisted Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills – Briarcrest Academy Series – Book 3

Posted on 03/02/2015 by shellbellereads

Very Twisted Things

A Standalone Briarcrest Academy Novel – Book 3

By Ilsa Madden-Mills

Release Date: March 1, 2015

This is a standalone New Adult novel with graphic sex and language.

Introductory price of $2.99 on release day for 24 hours only!

Synopsis

Vital Rejects front guy Sebastian Tate never imagined his YouTube music video would go viral, sky-rocketing him to acting success in Hollywood. Okay, maybe he did. After all, he’s a cocky dude who knows he’s hot-as-hell, and it was only a matter of time before his stars aligned.

But life in Tinseltown is never what it seems.

After being cheated on by his ex-lover, his only rule to falling in love is simple: Keep Calm and Don’t Do It. So, spying on his mysterious new neighbor with binoculars seems innocent enough, but quickly escalates into an erotic game between two very unlikely people.

Twenty-year-old Violet St. Lyons is a world-renowned violinist who’s lost her mojo on stage. She hides away in a Hollywood mansion, trying to find her way through her twisted past in order to make her future.

He’s the life of the party with girls chasing him down for his autograph. She’s the introvert with a potty mouth who doesn’t even know who he is.

When they meet, stars collide, sparks fly, and clothes come off. Yet, giving his heart to a girl isn’t Sebastian’s plan; falling for a guy who craves attention isn’t Violet’s.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy—Hollywood style—where sometimes the best things in life are VERY TWISTED THINGS.

This book is a standalone even though it’s part of a series. Everything you need to know is in this book. Genre: 18+ Hot New Adult Romance.

Buy: Amazon

Prologue

Violet

“Fairy dust is not real. This I know.” —from the journal of Violet St. Lyons

Boom!

I, Violet St. Lyons, who once believed herself the luckiest girl in the world, was born on the same day that the Violette–Sells comet was discovered. My parents, two avid stargazers, said it was a sign of how special I was and promptly named me Violet. They claimed my life had been blessed with fairy dust.

At the very least, comet residue.

I’d foolishly believed it for eighteen years, until the moment of my death.

Which was now.

Boom! Another explosion rocked the plane and metal ripped away as a section of the aircraft to my right vanished. Luggage flew through the air. People disappeared. The mom with the baby who’d sat in the aisle across from us—gone. The redheaded flight attendant who’d been collecting trash—gone. Disembodied screams echoed from the surrounding passengers as my own scream took up most of the space in my head. Air sucked at us viciously from the outside as a tornado of people banged around the space and one by one got pulled out into the swirling abyss.

I watched, helplessly transfixed, as I sat between my parents, gripping each of their hands as the plane we’d boarded six hours earlier for Dublin spiraled toward the Atlantic Ocean. I was going to die. My mother was already dead, a twisted piece of shrapnel sticking grotesquely from her chest as her head lolled around her neck. Blood had already soaked her shirt, yet I refused to let go of her hand. She’d be okay. We were always okay. We were the St. Lyons family of Manhattan, an icon of old money wealth with deep political ties. Page six of the New York Times featured pictures of us on a monthly basis. We couldn’t die on a plane.

Reality dawned as we plummeted. The yellow breathing apparatus dropped and dangled in my face, taunting me with its pointlessness. Fire and black smoke boiled in front of us where the cockpit had been, and my mind recognized that the pilots had to be dead. Just a few minutes ago, they’d come over the intercom and announced that the plane was making its descent into Dublin Airport exactly on schedule.

Then the first explosion had gone off.

Bits of debris flew around, narrowly missing me. My elderly father grabbed my hand and squeezed, his face drawn back in a horrible grimace. Fear and then horror flickered across his face as he saw Mother, but there was no time to comfort him.

Paralyzed in my seat, we spun like a drunken top, and a part of my brain noticed the sun was rising, its pink tinge lending a soft glow, catching the reflection of clouds and making them silver-lined. The rocky coast of Ireland glittered in the distance. Mocking me. We’d been headed there to celebrate my eighteenth birthday.

Just then my violin case flew past my head from the overhead compartment and crashed against the wall of the plane. Shards flew. I shuddered and wanted to vomit. God, help us. We were here because of me. Our deaths were my fault. I spared a glance at the diamond promise ring Geoff had given me before we’d left. Would the Mayor of New York’s son go on without me?

The air was turbulent yet thin, and my chest tightened as dizziness pulled at me. I resisted. Had to stay awake. Had to be with my dad. I was younger, stronger, faster. My eyes went to the gaping hole in the plane. Had to think ahead. Plan. Water would fill up the plane on impact, ensuring we’d sink rapidly.

My fear escalated as the ocean rushed at us, its surface choppy and ominous. I took in a giant breath and braced myself. We hit at an angle, the plane a torpedo as it sliced into the sea. Daddy disappeared, ejected by the impact, and I yanked on my seat belt, unclicking it to go after him. Heart thundering, I sent a final look at my mother. I wanted to take her with me, but she was gone.

Water everywhere, bubbling and gurgling as it filled up the plane. Salt water stung my eyes. People floated by, some alive as they floundered for the opening. I kept my gaze off the dead ones. Focus. Get out. Only seconds left.

I swam from my seat and fought my way out of the large hole in the plane, lungs exploding. Burning. I’d been under too long.

Daddy! I caught a glimpse of his red shirt above me and kicked harder.

Up, up, up. Must get up. My arms moved. My legs kicked. Excruciating pain. Ignore it. Almost there. So close that I could see the daylight breaking through the water.

The hottest fire I’ve ever known lit in my chest. Scorching.

Air. Just want to breathe. Just get to the top. Please.

My body rebelled and I inhaled and swallowed water, the burn racing down my throat making it spasm as I tried to cough it out. I struggled but took in more and more, the cold liquid filling my lungs.

Dark spots filled my eyes. This was drowning.

Exhausted.

Done.

My body twitched. I grew disoriented.

I let go of the fight. My hands floated in front of me.

Oblivion.

Darkness.

No bright lights, no tunnel.

No heaven, no mother, no father.

No comets.

No fairy dust.

Chapter 1

Sebastian

Two years later

“She was music with skin.” —Sebastian Tate

I tapped my foot.

What was taking her so long?

From my backyard patio in the Hollywood Hills, I watched the odd girl next door with a pair of high-powered binoculars. She flicked on her porch lights, and a low whistle came out of me at the sexy red-as-sin robe she wore, its silky material flashing around her long legs as she moved around her patio. Her hair was down, too.

This was new. Where were the usual yoga pants? The ponytail?

She looked like she knew someone watched, but that was impossible since our outside lights were off. Even the light from the moon hit our house at such an angle that she shouldn’t be able to see us just by glancing over. She’d need a high-powered lens to know I was here.

Usually she played facing her rose garden, but this time she walked to the right side of her patio, which faced us. Weird. But she didn’t play. She just stood there without moving. Staring toward our house. Uneasiness went over me.

What was she doing?

Could she see me?

As if it were a fragile bird, she positioned the violin under her chin and began playing, arms bent and wrist poised, making the most exquisite sounds. And I don’t mean classical like Beethoven or Mozart; I mean body-thrashing, blood-thumping, hard-as-hell music that had me rooted to the ground, like she’d slapped iron chains on me.

Dark and seductive notes rose up in the air, and I got jacked up, recognizing a Led Zeppelin song, only she’d ripped its guts out and twisted it into something electric. She pushed the bow hard, upping the tempo abruptly, her movements controlled yet wild. My pulse kicked up and my eyes lingered, taking in the slightly parted toned legs and the way her breasts bounced as she jerked her arms to manipulate the strings.

Her body arched forward in a curve, seeming as if she might break into a million pieces before she finished the piece or climaxed first. Then, her robe slipped off her right shoulder, exposing part of her breast. Creamy and full, it quivered, vibrating as she moved her arms. Her rosy nipple teased me, slipping in and out of the folds of the material, erect from the cool mountain air and deliciously bitable. I pictured my mouth there, sucking, my fingers plucking, strumming her like my guitar until she begged me to—

Stop, I told myself just as an appreciative groan came out. Whoever Violin Girl was, she didn’t deserve me lusting after her while she was pouring her heart out with music.

I zoomed in as far as the binoculars would go, watching her surrender to the music as she bent and swayed from side to side with her eyes closed, black lashes like fans on her cheeks. Every molecule in my body focused on her, hanging on to each note she pulled from her instrument.

She finished and kept her head bowed for the longest time, perhaps letting the emotion wash over her like it had me. Then, she bowed to the banana trees and gnomes in her garden, waving her hands in a flourish as she rose.

The entire event was surreal, yet poignant as fucking poetry.

I let out a deep breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.

Who the hell plays Stairway to Heaven with a violin? She did.

Bam! She snapped her head up, her eyes lasering in on mine, making every hair on my body stand at attention.

And then …

Standing there in the moonlight, she untied her robe and spread apart the sides ever so slightly, her movements seeming almost hesitant, as if she’d had to work herself up. Unfamiliar jealousy hit me and I panned out and checked the rest of the patio, expecting to see a lover. Whoever it was, I wanted to rip him apart piece by piece.

And didn’t that thought surprise me.

My gaze searched her patio, the backyard, her upstairs balcony. Nothing. No one.

She flicked her dark hair back and stroked the lapels of the robe, her fingers lingering over the lacy material. Suddenly the evening smacked of something more than just music. Her arms moved back and forth across the front, opening the robe halfway and then closing it as if she couldn’t make up her mind.

My eyes went up, trying to read her face. Still as a statue, the only movement was her mouth as it trembled, her full upper lip resting against the pouty lower one. Tears ran down her face, but they seemed more of a defiant act, her jaw tightly set, her shoulders hunched inward as if she’d held it in too long and was giving in, but not without a fight.

Violin Girl was trapped in a cage of darkness.

It still didn’t stop me from holding my breath, silently begging her to bare herself to me. She’d already laid bare her music. Part of me needed the rest of her.

She jerked the robe closed, making me groan in disappointment.

And then she did something completely crazy.

The lonely girl next door flipped me the bird.

© Ilsa Madden-Mills 2015 Very Twisted Things

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today best selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap.

She spends her days with two small kids, one neurotic cat, and one husband. She collects magnets and rarely cooks except to bake her own pretzels.

When she’s not crafting a story, you can find her drinking too much Diet Coke, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully maintained chocolate stash.

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

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Happy Release + Review + Giveaway: Malevolent by Cassia Brightmore – Darkness Series – Book 1

Posted on 03/02/2015 by shellbellereads

Malevolent

The Darkness Series #1

by: Cassia Brightmore

Publication Date: February 23, 2015

Genre: Dark Erotic Thriller

Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

Synopsis

Darkness has a seductive power, a delicious energy that sinks its claws in deep. Once the devil has a hold of you, true malevolence is born.

Sheriff Brady James has sworn to protect the small town of Durham Heights, his current priority to ruthlessly hunt a sadistic killer on the loose. With lives at stake, his focus is split between two beautiful women – one dark, one light. The clock is ticking, the threat palpable; crawling closer at every turn. Once death has you in its sights, there is no escape.

Pain. Suffering. Lives shattered and broken. In the fight of good against evil, who will survive?

This is the first book in the Darkness series, a wishing evil upon others novel that can be read as a standalone.

Due to mature content and violent situations, this book is recommended for readers 18 years and older.

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Excerpt

Grabbing her roughly by the arm, he hauled her back until she was flush against him, her back to his front. Grinding his erection into her ass, he lowered his lips to her ear. “You think you can push me like that and I won’t respond?” He taunted, nipping her ear painfully. She let out a low moan, her body beginning to betray her.

“You’re mine. I won’t share you, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you, Gwyn. The sooner you get it through your head that I own you now, the better.” His hand trailed down her body, cupping her aching pussy through her shorts. Feeling her heat, he groaned. Dragging them backwards, he hit one of the tall trees, his hands coming up to brace her shoulders.

“Brady, please,” she begged. Her body was a slow fire, desire taking over every part of her being. This man and his fierce possessiveness of her awakened a darkness in her she didn’t know existed. He pinched her nipples roughly through her thin shirt, her back arching against him.

“You want my cock, sugar? Right here out in the open?”

Tina’s Review

Don’t let her sweet face fool you… there is a deliciously dark and wickedly twisted mind hiding beneath that adorably innocent facade.

Novella length, approximately 100 pages. Chapter One sets the tone for the violently graphic side to this story. If you are squeamish or your senses are easily offended: Do NOT read this. You have been warned. Sexual, physical, mental and emotional abuse do occur, as only one part, in the plot. It’s hard to rate the lead characters, as I feel the dark leads play just as an important role as Brady does. Whether it be the bad guys or the good, or even the females and secondary characters, they are are all written very well, each with a distinct and unique personality. The plot is intriguing, it sucks and pulls you in. The ease of flow creates a page-turning thriller that you can’t wait to see what happens next in. For being a novella length story, I am extremely surprised by how packed the content is in this story and the characters are richly developed.
As a debut novella, this is a fantastic start. I think Ms. Brightmore has a successful future ahead of her with this series if she continues to write at this level and only improves with age and experience. The only less than stellar comment I can make is that I’d figured the general identity of one of the malevolent duo out in the first chapter. The second one I’d bounced between three people, but the correct one of those three was only actually a fleeting thought. Looking back on it, the clues are all there… for the most part. It’ll keep you guessing and wanting more! Although the mystery is solved, the case is only partially closed. Predictability is low, if you’re not searching every shadow for clues. The conclusion is solid in that the current story is wrapped up well-enough, but there’s one element left wide open for the next book to pick up. I’d not call it a full-on cliffhanger, but more an “until next time”.

Facebook Release Party

https://www.facebook.com/events/1598699650365570

Authors who will be joining Cassia

Sydney Aaliyah Michelle I Evie Harper Author

Leighton Riley Author I Author Heather Leigh I Skye Callahan, Author

River Savage Author I Kat DeSalle & Kristin Leigh Jones I Author M. M. Koenig
Author Nina Levine I Author Gemma James I Lili Saint Germain

Meet the Author

Cassia Brightmore is a new indie author. Her debut novel, Malevolent is the first book in the Darkness Series and can be read as a standalone.

Writing has always been a passion of hers and publishing her first novel is truly a dream come true. She enjoys writing dark stories that she hopes will thrill the reader. When she’s not reading she can be found playing xbox one, watching re-runs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and catching up on Revenge and Scandal. She also has an unhealthy obsession with Jon Snow from GOT (but who doesn’t??).

She lives in Grimsby, Canada with her two furbabies, Harley and Molly.

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Review + Giveaway : When Fate Isn’t Enough by Isabelle Richards – When Fates Collide Series – Book 2

Posted on 02/28/2015 by shellbellereads

Can a romance that was written in the stars survive real life? Lily Clark and Gavin Edwards met when their lives collided in a crazy twist of fate. Their relationship started amidst chaos, fraught with lust, passion, and love. Building a life together will take more than destiny, especially when ghosts from their past try to tear them apart.

Needing a fresh start, Lily decides to escape her life in Washington, DC to join Gavin in London. Trust and faith have never come easily to Lily. She’ll be put to the test now that she and Gavin are living under the same roof.

To make matters worse, trouble finds Lily wherever she goes. She thought she’d rid herself of her late husband’s demons, but she soon learns that when you make a deal with the devil, he often comes back to up the ante. Can she learn to let Gavin in or will she continue to fight her battles alone? Find out what happens When Fate Isn’t Enough.

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Exclusive Excerpt:

Oxford in a suit… hot damn. It’s obviously a custom job because it fits him perfectly, showing off his broad shoulders and tight, toned torso. The allure of the suit is more than just the way it highlights his ridiculous body. His commanding presence while wearing it, the air of confidence that surrounds him. Everything about him screams “power”. Or more accurately it screams, “Don’t fuck with me or I’ll destroy you.” I may not give a shit about his money but power seems to be a bigger turn on than I would have expected.

“What? What’s wrong?” He looks in the mirror, trying to figure out what isn’t working.

“Your ass in those pants! I can hardly contain myself. How does anyone get any work done? All your female employees must just swoon with you strutting around like that. I bet you actually stop traffic. You do, don’t you?”

A sexy smirk spreads across his face. “Trousers, Lily. They’re called trousers. I can assure you I’m a slave driver. My employees are too busy to notice me.” He straightens his tie and looks back at me. “And only occasionally.”

“Occasionally what?”

He winks. “Occasionally I stop traffic.”

I throw a pillow at him. “You’re an arrogant bastard, you know that?”

He sits on the edge of the bed and slips his shoes on. “Hey, you asked! Don’t ask a question unless you can handle the answer.”

I scoot down on the bed and wrap my arms around his stomach. I rest my chin on his shoulder and say, “You’re just lucky I’m prohibited from attacking you, or there’s no way in hell you would be leaving this bedroom. Not for a good long while anyway.”

He peels my arms off of him, stands, and then kisses each of my hands. “I’m going to hold you to that after the doctor clears you.” He walks to his dresser and puts his watch on.

I smirk. “Oh, you’ll be holding something to me all right.”

Gavin closes his eyes and leans against the wall. “You’ll be the death of me, woman. Can’t you talk about football or skiing or carpentry? Anything other than… this?”

“You want to show me what you can do with a hammer, Gavin?” I bat my eyes at him.

He glares at me.

I cock my head and flash him a coy smile. “What? You said carpentry,” I say innocently. “Fine, soccer? You want to come over here so I can show you how to score? I’m sure you’re amazing at getting it in the goal! No? Not better?” I explode into laughter as he storms out of the room.

“Goodbye, Lily,” he yells from the hallway.

I don’t know what he’s so pissy about. I’m just as sex starved as he is! I lie down and close my eyes for a few moments, mentally calming my libido. Suddenly, I feel his weight on me, and he kisses me with a passion that literally takes my breath away. I feel my heart pounding as if it’s going to fly out of my chest.

I pull back. “You change your mind about staying in bed with me all day?”

“If only, Lily. If only. I couldn’t leave without a proper goodbye.”

“Well that was one hell of a sendoff. You’d better go. Don’t want to be late. I hear your boss is a real bastard.”

He kisses my forehead and walks out the door. Damn, that man knows how to make an exit.

Michel’s Review

When Fate Isn’t Enough by Isabelle Richards is the second book in the When Fates Collide Series. It should not be read as a stand alone novel. The first book When Fate Collides establishes the characters personalities along with situations that bring them together as a couple. The reader gets an understanding of their motivations and choices that will be made in the second book.

Lily and Gavin have been through hell. Their relationship came to be after they suffered dearly from their exes. Now they are starting a new life together. The book starts with them going to London.

Gavin is one of those men that draws women to him without even trying. He is dedicated to Lily heart and soul. Their relationship is the most important thing to him. He cannot help that his looks attract women. It is one of the things that Lily is going to have accept. She needs to be secure about his love for her. She needs to feel secure about their relationship. Lily knows that Gavin’s past with his ex Brooke still haunts him. At times Lily feels like she can’t compete with their history.

Not only will they have to deal with their pasts to move forward, they will have new road blocks keeping their relationship on rocky ground. Lily made a deal with the cartel that is going to come back and smack her with a force. Olivia, the wicked woman from the first book, is back as well. She is going to test every bond that holds Lily and Gavin together.

This book takes a bit of a different course than book one. This book is more of a relationship driven book. It is emotional, heartbreaking, enraging, humorous, sexy, and romantic. It had every combination a reader wants in a book. The pacing in this story was perfect. I never felt like scenes were being drawn out or abbreviated. The book ended on a shocking cliffhanger that has me anxious for the third book, When Fates Align, on May 6, 2015.

Isabelle Richards has given the readers a couple that started as complete strangers entangled in a world of treacherous danger to a passionate relationship that only happens once in a lifetime. Are they strong enough to fight for that love and hang onto it no matter what the cost is? I sure hope so. I can’t wait to see what happens with Lily and Gavin next.

When Fates Collide

Fates Series – Book 1

Sometimes everything needs to crash and burn before life can begin again.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, Lily is trapped in a loveless marriage. In a split second she is free, but at what cost? Her mundane life is set into a freefall of tragedy and terror. Her husband may be out of her life, but he left a storm of collateral damage behind and the burden is on Lily to sort it out.
Fate connects Lily with Gavin, a charmingly handsome British gentleman that has been drawn into her tangled circumstance. Gavin is everything Lily’s husband wasn’t and gives her hope that love really does exist. Gavin wants nothing more than to sweep Lily up and carry her off into the sunset, far away from the devastation left behind by her husband. Gavin has been the first breath of fresh air in her life, but she isn’t looking to be saved. She needs to clean up her husband’s mess and find a way to save herself in the process.
Does she throw caution to the wind and open her heart? Or listen to her head that tells her and go it alone until she’s found herself again?

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When Fates Align

Book 3

Coming May 6, 2015

PreOrder: Amazon

Why would fate bring them together only to tear them apart?
Lily and Gavin were brought together in a clash of tragedy and chaos. Amid the ashes of lives gone wrong, they thought they found a second chance at love. With trouble from their previous lives lurking around every corner, they quickly learned that love from a star-crossed romance isn’t enough to survive.
Lily has slipped through Gavin’s fingers, and he feels as though he’s been sentenced to an eternity in hell. But if he’s going to perish in the ninth circle, everyone responsible for coming between him and Lily will go down with him.
Perhaps their love was never meant to be. But, if he’s learned anything from his time with Lily, it’s that sometimes everything has to crash and burn before life can begin again.

Isabelle Richards Bio:

Isabelle Richards spent years as a speech writer before tackling fiction. An avid reader of all genres, Isabelle is drawn to romance novels as they provide an escape from daily life. Through her complex cast of characters, Isabelle creates a sanctuary for readers to dive into for a break from reality.

When she is not writing, Isabelle works as an advocate for persons with disabilities in Washington, DC. Her two yellow labs are her writing partners, although they frequently sleep on the job.

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Happy Release + Giveaway + 5 Star Series Review : Untamed by Jessica Sorensen – Unbeautiful Series – Book 2 : Review for Unbeautiful and Untamed

Posted on 02/27/2015 by shellbellereads

Happy Release Day to Jessica Sorensen and her new book UNTAMED! This is book 2 in the Unbeautiful Series following the story of Emery and Ryler. Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an ebook copy of this book. Good luck!

Emery
No matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to escape my family’s world. Their madness controls my life, just like insanity consumes my mind.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who I really am. The person everyone sees? Or the one I keep trapped inside?
I wonder which person Ryler sees. Just like I wonder who I can trust.
Wonder. Wonder. Wonder.
I wonder too much.
I wish I could just find a way to escape it all and finally be free.

Ryler
I live a double life and sometimes I hate myself for it. Watching Emery fall apart—pretending I don’t care—is killing me inside.
I want to tell her the truth, but I also want a new life.
Want. Want. Want.
I want too much. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what I really desire.
I wish I could be free from the confusion, free from this life.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

“If you want to dance, dance. There’s no judgment at these things, which makes them pretty awesome.”

She smiles, and then threads her fingers through mine. “Okay, let’s dance, then.”

I don’t bother mentioning that dancing can be extremely sexy when done under the right circumstances—circumstances that usually include alcohol and sexual tension.

At first, Emery is cautious, keeping her distance from me as she rocks her hips to the music. I move with her. I’ve never really been into dancing, but I can rock out to a little garage rock any day. The longer the song goes on, the more into it she gets, until she finally spins around and presses her back against my chest. That’s when the two of us decide to start playing a dangerous game of Want But Can’t Have. A very, very dangerous game that is really fucking tortuous to play yet impossible to give up.

Emery starts grinding her hips to the sultry beat of the song. With each movement, her ass brushes against my cock, making me go rock hard. I grip the curves of her hips and my hands unnecessarily slip underneath the bottom of her shirt. My fingers delve into her soft flesh, and I bite back a moan. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve forgotten just how soft her skin is, how amazing she smells, how incredible she feels against me.

She shivers from my touch and presses closer, rolling her hips and driving my body absolutely mad. She repeats the movement over and over again, until finally, I damn near lose my mind.

Gripping her waist, I spin her around to face me. “I thought you didn’t know how to dance?”

Michel’s Review

The Unbeautiful Series is a spin off from the Violet & Luke books. It is separate from the Violet & Luke books and can be read without reading the Violet & Luke books. The Unbeautiful Series has to be read in order.

The Unbeautiful Series is unlike the previous books that Jessica Sorensen has written. Jessica is known for her dark characters that are struggling with issues from their past that has led to present day problems. Her books usually focus on the characters dealing with these issues and overcoming them to the best of their abilities. The Unbeautiful series does have a taste of this but also adds something more. It adds mystery, intrigue, and suspense. The focus is on two characters equally struggling with their past and present. Their life situations put them in very real danger for different reasons. Both of their reasons are life threatening. The one thing that they have in common is the enemy.

The Unbeautiful Series will keep you glued to the pages. It will keep you wrapped up in the mystery that unfolds. It will have you biting your nails, hoping that Ryler and Emery make it out alive and have a chance of a normal happy life.

The Unbeautiful Series will not disappoint.

————————————————————————————-

In the first book, Unbeautiful, the reader gets an introduction to the characters. Ryler was introduced in the Violet & Luke books. Ryler is Luke’s cousin from Las Vegas. Ryler was brought up in foster homes his entire life. His father was a shady professional gambler that couldn’t be bothered with raising a child. Ryler was abandoned until he turned eighteen and could be a useful asset to his father’s shady dealings.

While living in the foster homes throughout his childhood, Ryler experienced abuse, violence, neglect, and rejection. He became a juvenile delinquent. At age sixteen he landed in some very serious trouble with the law for aggravated assault. He was protecting another foster kid from abuse. In the alteration he was seriously injured and lost his voice. Once he turned eighteen his father finally decided to claim him and take him under his dirty wings. This leads to more trouble with the law. It puts the final mark on Ryler’s criminal record that will destroy his hopes for a future life away from darkness and crime. After meeting his cousin Luke and his girlfriend Violet, Ryler wants a normal life. He wants to attend college, make something of himself, and escape the ugly world he has lived in. His only hope comes from the FBI. The FBI is willing to relocate Ryler and erase his criminal record. This opportunity comes with a high price. Ryler will have to infiltrate the underworld as an informant in Laramie, Idaho. The FBI has been trying to build a case against known Mafia Kingpin leader, Donny Elderman. The FBI wants Ryler to infiltrate his network and find the location of the elusive warehouse where Donny’s operations take place. It is a very dangerous job that could cost Ryler his life. Is it worth risking his life for a chance at a normal life?

Emery has come to Laramie to attend the university. It took a miracle to convince her parents to allow her to leave home. She has had a condition of psychosis and hallucinations her entire life. Her parents have been abusive in horrific ways using her psychosis as the reason. She has had to hide her condition beneath the facade of perfection all of her life. She has had to become a person that doesn’t really exist. Her parents have plotted and planned her entire existence . She is forced to be the perfect girl. She is forced to date the perfect boy. She is forced to live the perfect life. It is expected of her to marry the perfect boy and become the perfect wife. She does not want this even if it means going completely insane. She wants to have control of her life.

Her parents have been hiding many secrets. She is forced to hide them as well. When she finally is able to convince them to allow her to attend the university it is with conditions. They are still controlling her life from afar. She is willing to concede to these conditions in order to escape her life. She figures she can take control one moment at a time. What she doesn’t realize is that they are still watching. She is also in danger because she rebelled against them.

When she meets the mysterious boy that lives in her apartment building, she is hopeful of starting a normal life with normal friends. She is intrigued with Ryler.

Just as it looks like both are heading towards friendship and possibly more, their lives will spiral out of control. Ryler’s job with the FBI will escalate into a dangerous situation. He will become part of the underworld. His new boss will force him to do things he would never do. To make matters worse, his new boss is Emery’s father.

Emery will start getting threatening letters. Strange and dangerous things will start happening to her. Her parents know all about these things before she has a chance to tell them. The one person she has come to trust is now working for her father. Ryler has been assigned to protect her. To make matters worse, her perfect boyfriend, who is not so perfect, has showed up on the scene.

Life is spiraling out of control. Who can Emery trust? She no longer feels safe with Ryler even though he still stirs desires within her.

This book has so many things happening. There are two storylines that spin a web of deceit and danger. By the end of the book these two storylines begin to merge together and becomes a dark mystery with danger hanging over them all.

—————————————————————————————–

Untamed is the conclusion in the Unbeautiful series. It cannot be read as a stand alone novel.

The danger has escalated. Ryler is in deep with Donny Elderman’s crew. He has been taken under Doc’s (Emery’s father) wing and is being molded into his soldier. Doc is exposing Ryler to more and more of the operations. At the same time he is forcing Ryler to keep Emery in line.

Not only is Ryler frightened for his own life, he is also frightened for Emery’s life as well. Things are not adding up. Other informants are disappearing. The FBI is forcing Ryler to participate in the underground world until he can find the location of the warehouse. Ryler fears that his cover is being blown and that he is going to end up in a shallow grave.

The threats against Emery are escalating. It has become clear that her nice boyfriend, the one she is forced to date, is abusive. She has begun to have hallucinations again. Her parents are threatening to take her home. Her secrets are starting to surface. She is frightened and has no one to trust. The one person she thought she could trust works for her father. But at the same time, Ryler seems different than the men that have worked for her father. He seems to care about how she feels and what she wants.

The life threatening situations escalate into dark danger. So many REVELATIONS come into play. The suspense and danger comes from many directions. The REVELATIONS are shocking. It has readers fearing for both Ryler and Emery’s life. They are just pawns in the overall game.

It will be up to Ryler and Emery to figure out how to survive. The world of good and evil is colliding and they are stuck in the middle. The only thing that is pure and abundantly clear is their feelings for each other. Can they both survive and find the normal kind of life they both desperately crave?

Untamed does not end on a cliffhanger. Reader’s will be very satisfied with the outcome. Ryler and Emery will find their “normal”.

I highly recommend the Unbeautiful Series. It is intense, frightening, emotional, and has a pure romance that will make your heart race.

Jessica Sorensen went beyond her excellent writing standards and delivered a powerful story.

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

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♥SERIES READING ORDER♥

Book 1 – Unbeautiful

Emery
You want to know my secrets? What lies beneath the pretty? The scars I can’t let anyone see? The scars tied to my secrets?
On the outside I appear normal. Some might even say perfect.
They say that I’m a pretty girl. They say I should be happy. They say that I have nothing to be angry about. That I’m popular. A cheerleader. That I’m perfect.
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
But all they see is what’s on the outside.
On the inside I’m raw, open, bleeding. Scars that can’t seem to heal the wounds.
Carrying dark secrets about who I really am.
How afraid I am to tell the truth.
And it’s slowly killing me.

Ryler
Tattoos. Piercing. Scars. The guy who can’t speak.
Gothic freak. Mute. Punk. I’ve heard it all.
They say that I’m probably dangerous. They say people should stay away from me.
They say. They say. They say.
But who are they anyway?
To decide what I am.
They don’t know what’s hidden beneath the scars. Beneath the piercings and tattoos.
The secrets I keep hidden beneath the silence.
Maybe if they knew, they wouldn’t fear me so much.
Then again, maybe they’d fear me more.

Unbeautiful: A Novella Series (Part One)

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Book 2 – Untamed

Emery
No matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to escape my family’s world. Their madness controls my life, just like insanity consumes my mind.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who I really am. The person everyone sees? Or the one I keep trapped inside?
I wonder which person Ryler sees. Just like I wonder who I can trust.
Wonder. Wonder. Wonder.
I wonder too much.
I wish I could just find a way to escape it all and finally be free.

Ryler
I live a double life and sometimes I hate myself for it. Watching Emery fall apart—pretending I don’t care—is killing me inside.
I want to tell her the truth, but I also want a new life.
Want. Want. Want.
I want too much. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what I really desire.
I wish I could be free from the confusion, free from this life.

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway : The Hazards of Sleeping With A Friend by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Posted on 02/27/2015 by shellbellereads

We are extremely pleased to bring you the cover reveal for Alyssa Rose Ivy’s THE HAZARDS OF SLEEPING WITH A FRIEND!! THE HAZARDS OF SLEEPING WITH A FRIEND is a New Adult romance and the fifth book in Alyssa’s Hazards Series. Add it to your Goodreads shelf! THE HAZARDS OF SLEEPING WITH A FRIEND will be available March 26th!!

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About THE HAZARDS OF SLEEPING WITH A FRIEND:

Warning: Sleeping with a friend might change your life forever.

Sleeping with Kyle was never in the plans. Pretending to be his girlfriend was one thing, but letting our relationship become anything but platonic was another. The problem with mixing friendship with sex is that inevitably feelings get involved, and when that happens there’s no turning back.

When Kyle’s life fell apart around him, I needed to help, but doing that meant opening myself up to the most terrifying thing in the world—falling in love.
Alyssa Rose Ivy Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

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Happy Release + Giveaway : When Fate Isn’t Enough by Isabelle Richards -When Fates Collide Series – Book 2

Posted on 02/26/2015 by shellbellereads

Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Australia

Exclusive Excerpt:

“What? What’s wrong?” He looks in the mirror, trying to figure out what isn’t working.

“Occasionally what?”

He winks. “Occasionally I stop traffic.”

I throw a pillow at him. “You’re an arrogant bastard, you know that?”

He sits on the edge of the bed and slips his shoes on. “Hey, you asked! Don’t ask a question unless you can handle the answer.”

He peels my arms off of him, stands, and then kisses each of my hands. “I’m going to hold you to that after the doctor clears you.” He walks to his dresser and puts his watch on.

I smirk. “Oh, you’ll be holding something to me all right.”

Gavin closes his eyes and leans against the wall. “You’ll be the death of me, woman. Can’t you talk about football or skiing or carpentry? Anything other than… this?”

“You want to show me what you can do with a hammer, Gavin?” I bat my eyes at him.

He glares at me.

“Goodbye, Lily,” he yells from the hallway.

I pull back. “You change your mind about staying in bed with me all day?”

“If only, Lily. If only. I couldn’t leave without a proper goodbye.”

“Well that was one hell of a sendoff. You’d better go. Don’t want to be late. I hear your boss is a real bastard.”

He kisses my forehead and walks out the door. Damn, that man knows how to make an exit.

When Fates Collide

Fates Series – Book 1

Sometimes everything needs to crash and burn before life can begin again.

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When Fates Align

Book 3

Coming May 6, 2015

PreOrder: Amazon

Isabelle Richards Bio:

When she is not writing, Isabelle works as an advocate for persons with disabilities in Washington, DC. Her two yellow labs are her writing partners, although they frequently sleep on the job.

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Happy Release + Giveaway: The Complete Submission Box Set by CD Reiss – Complete Submission Series – Books 1-8 + Excerpt from Coda

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Cover Reveal + Giveaway : The Hazards of Sleeping With A Friend by Alyssa Rose Ivy

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