5 Star Review: Beat by Vi Keeland

Posted on 06/18/2015 by shellbellereads

Throb

Release Date: June 15, 2015

By Vi Keeland

Synopsis

Dimpled smile of a boy
Hard body of a man
Sings like an angel
Fucks like the devil

I was stuck between a rock(star) and a hard place.

At fifteen, his poster hung on my bedroom wall. At twenty-five his body hovered over mine. Every girl’s fantasy became my reality. I was dating a rockstar. Yet I was slowly falling for another man. The problem was—the two men—they shared a tour bus.

Flynn Beckham was the opening act.
Dylan Ryder was the headliner.

What happens when the opening act begins to shine so bright, it seems to dim everything else in its wake?

I’ll tell you what happens. Things get ugly.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Excerpt

Despite the fact that Lucky had just casually mentioned that the lobby lounge serves coffee beginning at six a.m., I’m pretty sure of myself that she’ll be down there. But when I step off the elevator, the lobby is quiet. Empty. The coffee urns are just being set up in the lounge. I pour two mugs, make them just as we like it, and settle on one of the couches on the far side of the room where it’s private, yet I can still keep an eye on the door.

I grab a newspaper and begin to flip through to kill time. Then my eyes catch a pair of pink-painted toes in flip-flops. I don’t know why, but it’s in this moment that I realize, I’m fucked.

The sight of her toes makes me smile.

I’m falling for another guy’s girl. Something I promised myself I’d never do.

But then I reason with myself. I haven’t done anything wrong. Thinking a woman is beautiful and spending time with her doesn’t have to turn into anything, right? They’re just toes after all. But look how cute they are. I’ve never been a foot guy, yet I wouldn’t mind sucking… Stop. Just stop. We’re just friends.

Because I’ve been friends with so many hot women in the past and not fucked them? Yep. I’m screwed. I need to get the hell out of here.

“Good morning,” she whispers and smiles down at me. My eyes lazily travel up from her toes.

I’m totally not going anywhere.

I hold up her mug of coffee. And then I realize she still has the thin shirt she wears to sleep on and I’m eye-level with the sexiest taut nipples I’ve ever seen.

Screw sucking her toes… “Certainly is.” I grin.

Michel’s Review

Readers are ready for the Rock Star Romance of Summer 2015 ? Look no further and download Beat by Vi Keeland. This book is guaranteed to rock your socks off!

Readers met Flynn Beckham, the up and coming rock star, in Throb. We got a glimpse of what a cool guy Flynn was but it was only a small taste of who he is. Beat will have you swooning over Flynn, tossing your panties on stage, and stalking his shows. He is the real deal with a heart of gold and pure soul. He’s not your tortured and misunderstood rock star. He’s not the typical manwhore that does a different groupie every night even though the opportunities are there. He’s a genuine musician that is just as comfortable singing songs from “Frozen” as he is singing hardcore rock and roll. He loves fiercely and is not afraid to show his emotions. He’s as dedicated to the ones he loves as he is to his music. He is the perfect Rock God.

Flynn Beckham and his band In With Flynn are offered the opportunity of a lifetime that could make their career sky rocket. They are going to be touring with one of the most successful bands in the industry as an opening act on the second half of their tour.

An accidental meeting in a popular karaoke bar will set Flynn Beckham on a new path that could ultimately make or break his career. When he meets the sexy bartender, Lucky, his interest is sparked. When he finds out that Lucky is the girlfriend of the lead singer in the headlining band that he is going to be touring with, he is beyond disappointed. When that same girlfriend ends up being the voice coach that the record company wants him to work with he begins to believe fate may be on his side. When the plans for the tour change and he is brought on the replace one of the members in the heading band, he thinks that fate has dealt him a low blow. He is going to be forced to work with his voice coach and be forced to live night and day with her relationship with Dylan Ryder. The one thing Flynn has on his side is that he and Lucky have formed a solid friendship. They have more in common than their work. It doesn’t hurt that Dylan Ryder is a self indulgent prick that is more into his image than he is his woman. Flynn is going to take what he can and run with it.

Four weeks on the tour bus with the woman he’s falling in love with is going to be torture. To make matters worse he will be spending four weeks with the egotistical aging rock star that feels threatened by his musical talent. He’s not only going to steal the spotlight from the aging rock star, he’s going to steal his girl. This tour is either going to make or break his career. This tour is either going to change his life or break his heart. Flynn Beckham is ready to rock the world. Let the show begin!

Vi Keeland has once again written another fantastic book. Her writing talent spins a story that readers quickly become immersed in. The characters come to life and jump off the pages. The reader quickly connects with each and every character and falls in love with them.

I highly recommend Beat! It will rock your heart!

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Throb

By Vi Keeland

Synopsis

The rules:

No dating.

No sex outside of the game.

No disclosing the terms of the contract.

Rules were made to be broken, right?

Eight weeks ago I signed a contract. One that seemed like a good idea at the time. A handsome bachelor, luxury accommodations, and a chance to win a prize my family desperately needed. There were some rules though. Lots of them actually. Follow the script, no dating, sex, or disclosing the terms of the deal. After my self-imposed moratorium on men the last year, it wouldn’t be hard to live up to my end of the bargain…so I thought. Until I realized the deal I’d made was with the devil…and I was in love with his dirty-talking brother.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

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Additional Books by Vi Keeland

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

About The Author: Vi Keeland

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 New York Times & USA Today Best Selling smut author by night!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Happy Release + Review : Step F*@k by Scarlett Ward – A Complete Series Review

Posted on 06/18/2015 by shellbellereads

Step F*@k Series

Part One Release Date : June 18, 2015

By Scarlett Ward

NOW AVAILABLE for ONLY $0.99!

Part One Synopsis

That’s all I did. A few too many glasses of wine with my best friend and the bitch convinced me to go on one of those dating websites.

A one-night stand.

A booty call.

And you know what? It.was.amazing.

I spent all night in a sexy stranger’s arms, hot and sweaty, until it was time to sneak out and do the walk of shame back to my apartment.

I never thought I’d see sexy stranger again, and I was totally fine with that – until my mother’s wedding.

She’s getting remarried, see. And sexy stranger just happens to be my new stepbrother.

All the wine in the world isn’t going to make this better.

Excerpt

I’m reaching for a napkin when I see that Jai is on the other side of the table, helping himself to a generous portion of the oysters.

“You know what they say about oysters,” he says. I pretend I didn’t hear him, but when I look over, he’s staring right at me.

“What?” I hiss. “You think you’re being clever? You think you’re going to impress me with that totally unoriginal line, like I’ve never heard that oysters are an aphrodisiac? That’s not why I took some—I happen to like how they taste very much and as a poor college student, I can’t afford to eat like this!”

He’s still staring. At my chest. Then the smirk returns. “Might want to pull up that dress, Janet Jackson.”

“What?” I look down. My left breast has completely popped out of the top of the dress, my nipple there on full display for anyone who happens to be looking. “Shit!” I try to stuff myself back in the dress, dropping the plate of salad and oysters in the process. “Fuck!”

“You know, they’ve got things you can paste on in these sorts of situations.” He reaches over and picks up the wayward oysters and puts them back on my plate.

“I’m not eating those,” I say. “I need to talk to you.”

I wriggle my shoulders and try to get myself as secure in the dress as I can before I hurry around to the other side of the buffet table. “I need to talk to you over here.” We go to the back of the restaurant, near the hallway to the bathroom, and I strategically place myself behind one of the columns that keeps us partially obscured from the rest of the restaurant.

“Imagine meeting you here,” Jai says, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I really had no idea. No idea at all. I knew I was going to be getting some stepsisters out of this blessed union, but I really had no clue—”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You expect me to believe that? You’re a fucking dog. A total fucking asshole.”

“I really do like the scarf. And the dress, too. You should’ve left the tit out. You’ve got great tits, you know.”

“I do NOT want to talk about my tits!”

“That’s certainly not the tune you were singing last night.”

“Do you realize how not funny this is? What a complete disaster this is? OUR PARENTS ARE GETTING MARRIED. That means we’re going to be brother and sister.”

“Step brother and sister. There’s a difference, darling.”

Michel’s Review

Debut Release of the new serial romance by Scarlett Ward is going to appeal to readers that love the forbidden romance. I had the pleasure of receiving ARC copies of all four installments. I was able to read these installments back to back without interruption. This kind of story is very hard to review in each installment, therefore, I am going to give my overall thoughts of the serial as a whole and then lightly break down each installment.

Emma is getting over a bad relationship where she caught her long time boyfriend cheating. She has trust issues and is gun shy about getting back into the dating world. After spending six months single, her roommate encourages her to join an online dating site. That is where she hooks up with Jai.

One wild night of passion leads to more than an awkward morning after. It ends with a viscous bang.

The two will meet up again when they attend their parents pre wedding dinner. This situation goes from awkward to heated in the upcoming wedding celebrations. They can’t keep their hands off of each other. They both fight, misunderstand the other’s intentions, and struggle to figure out how to fit in their new family dynamics.

Each installment ends on a light cliffhanger.

I think this serial should of been one novel. The cliffhangers were not enough to keep the reader dying for more. I found flaws in the family relationships and dynamics that just did not connect leading characters and secondary characters. There was not enough of a build up of sexual tension to validate the romance between the leading characters. It was more of a sex fest in my opinion.

Further more the character development was weak. It was very hard to connect with the characters and understand their drive.

Some may say that it is impossible to develop more when the story is delivered in novella length installments. I say no it is not because I have read so many of these type of serials that leave me aching for more.

I really had high hopes for this serial. Sadly it did not do it for me as a reader.

**************

Part 1- 3 Stars

Part one covers the meeting between Emma and Jai. It covers their one night stand and disastrous morning after.

This was a good introduction that left me intrigued and curious about what happens next.

Part 2 – 2 Stars

The leading characters, Emma and Jai , meet up once again at their parents pre wedding dinner. They begin hackling each other but at the same time can’t keep their hands off one another.

The reader also gets an introduction to the secondary characters in the story. We meet the family members. I can honestly say I really struggled with the family dynamics that were going on. It felt more like these two were with acquaintances rather than their parents. It was very odd.

Part 3 – 2 Stars

This installment takes the family to the lake house. They have a few days before the wedding to bond before the other guests arrive.

What happens in this installment is like two children in the sandbox fighting over the same toy. These two bicker and irritate the crap out of each other. They still can’t keep their hands off each other. I found these two spent more time sneaking around having sex. I never felt the chemistry between the two. I also never had a grasp on who they were as individuals as well as a couple. Their POV focused more on the sexual relationship rather than the mental relationship.

Once the wedding takes place all hell breaks loose between the two. Assumptions and misunderstandings force Emma to disappear. That disappearance was down right weird and out of the blue.

Part 4- 2 Stars

The conclusion to the story. The reader finds out why Emma disappeared. Which was interesting and believable. But what happens after that was predictable. Emma and Jai do find their happy ending.

Series Reading Order

Part Two

Releasing June 25th

Part Three

Releasing July 3rd

Part Four

Releasing July 10th

Scarlett Ward lives in Los Angeles, California and is releasing her first series June 2015.

Follow Scarlett on Goodreads at: http://bit.ly/1dNiwHz

6 Star Review + 2015 Favorite + Excerpt + Giveaway: Song of David by Amy Harmon

Posted on 06/17/2015 by shellbellereads

The Song of David

By Amy Harmon

Release Date: June 15, 2015

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

Synopsis

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

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

For me, heaven was the octagon.

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

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

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

Excerpt

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

“I love this song.”

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

“Accidental Babies.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You have?” she asked, clearly amazed.

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

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

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

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

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

“God, I hope not,” I prayed aloud.

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

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

Michel’s Review

In my opinion, Amy Harmon is one the most gifted writers in the publishing world. Each and every one of her books is a DIAMOND. They are a celebration of the human spirit and the miracle of love. The reader experiences a multitude of emotions throughout each story. Each story is original, thought provoking, inspirational, and a beautiful love story. The Song of David is the latest addition to her outstanding accomplishments as a writer.

Song of David is closely related to The Law of Moses. The reader’s met David “Tag” Taggert in The Law of Moses. He was the dedicated best friend that stood by Moses side for many years. His life was deeply connected with Moses and still is. Like Moses, Tag is a unique individual. Where Moses has the gift of sight, David has the gift of nurturing . He is a protector, a loyal friend, a fair employer, and firm believer in second and third chances. He ensnares the lost souls that need someone on their side. He has assembled his own Tag Team of loyal friends and loved ones. He is their giant. He is their rock. He is so dedicated to his Tag Team that sometimes he forgets his own needs. That is his strength and his weakness.

When Tag meets the new pole dancer at his club, he is taken by her beauty and grace. Amelie is unlike any woman he has encountered. She is blind. Rather than needing David to be her protector, she wants him to be her partner. She teaches him what it really means to see. He learns that by really listening he will have a completely different vision of his world and himself. He has finally accepted who he is and what he wants to be. He has finally found true happiness. The Song of David is his story.

The book begins when David disappears. Through a series of cassette tape recordings David will tell his story. He will tell of his journey to becoming the beautiful man he is. He will tell his love story with Amelie.

Through these tapes it will be up to Moses, Amelie, and the Tag Team to find out where their fearless giant has disappeared.

This book portrays the beauty of the human spirit. It is a beautiful love story. It is The Son of David.

Amy Harmon wrote a poignant enthralling story that is thought provoking. Her subtle revelations lead the reader to explore the revelations within themselves. The Song of David is one the most powerful books I have read.

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

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

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Author Bio:

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

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

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Giveaway- $50 Amazon Gift Card

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5 Star Review : Lance by Christi Snow – The Male Model Chronicles – Book 2

Posted on 06/16/2015 by shellbellereads

Lance

The Male Model Chronicles – Book 2

by Christi Snow

Synopsis

As the owner and CEO of Lancer Industries, Matthew Lancer spends his days in three piece suits and conducting meetings that affect the world financial markets. What the world doesn’t know is that Matthew Lancer has a deep, dark secret. He’s actually super-hot, super-sexy, and covered in tattoos. When he can, he spends his free time letting loose as bad-boy male model, Lance Jones. No one knows and it has to stay that way or Lance will lose the one thing that’s keeping his high pressure life sane.

Andi Kelly writes erotic romance. Day in and day out, she imagines a world filled with bondage, multiple partners, and just a few whips and chains. But that’s the fantasy life in her novels. In the real world, she’s an introvert who spends her days at home living out her fantasies through her laptop. Andi’s finally worked up the courage to ask Shauna Kruse if she can sit in on the photoshoot for Andi’s next novel…with her model-crush, Lance Jones.

But Lancer Industries has a mole and it’s put both Andi and Lance in danger. Lance’s two worlds collide and when corporate espionage meets erotic romance, there’s no telling what might happen.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

Christi Snow has released another solid and highly entertaining romance in her Male Model Chronicles series. This series is based on real life cover models but their story is completely fictional. These guys are more than a pretty face with six pack abs. These guys have substance and heart.

Andi Kelly is a shy erotic romance author. Her specialty is BDSM and Bondage. Her current release revolves around mastering rope bondage. Although it would seem that she is quite the expert in erotism it couldn’t be further from the truth. She is extremely shy, is not over confident in her sexuality, and is close to being a shut in. Her sister deals with all of her PR work and business dealings.

When her sister is unable to handle the photo shoot for her latest cover, Andi has to deal with the photographer. The photographer, Shauna Kruse ( a real cover photographer), knows how to get the most of her subjects. She has decided to make Andi her next subject.

When Matthew Lancer, aka model Lance Jones, sees Andi with her ropes, he’s intrigued. When the two get together the chemistry is explosive.

When his corporate world becomes a threat to Andi, Lance is more than willing to make it up to her and protect her. His ways of apologizing are amazing. He won my heart with all the shoes.

Andi and Lance find something that neither knew they could ever have. They will come out on top and happy together in the end.

Christi Snow once again penned a sexy, magical romance.

I highly recommend Lance. I love the Male Model Chronicles.

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The Male Model Chronicles

Justin

Male Model Chronicles – Book 1

By Christi Snow

Synopsis

Tara Malone is having one of those lives. Born to Oscar award-winning actor, Anthony Malone, and model-famous beauty, Veronica Scott, she should have it made. But her curvy figure and out-of-control frizzy red hair are just the start of her many, many issues. Now to make matters worse, she’s started out her week by running over model, Justin James, with her car. She had a lot of fantasies about the cover model, but never did any of them include vehicular assault.

Justin James doesn’t have time for two broken wrists, but neither does his over-achieving family. He can’t open up his fridge or unzip his fly without excruciating pain and no one else has the time to help him. Tara already shot him down at the accident scene, but maybe he can work this so that the curvy bombshell has a reason to hang around for a bit. He’s not above using guilt if it means he gets to know her better.

The first in a new series of novellas inspired by Shauna Kruse’s photography and her beautiful male models.

The Male Model Chronicles.

Disclaimer: The Male Model Chronicles, a new fictional series, built around the real-life world of Kruse Images & Photography and the gorgeous male models that Shauna Kruse gets to immortalize in her photos. The heroes are real people who also happen to be male models, but every single other thing about the series is fiction.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IBooks

Lance

The Male Model Chronicles – Book 2

by Christi Snow

Synopsis

But Lancer Industries has a mole and it’s put both Andi and Lance in danger. Lance’s two worlds collide and when corporate espionage meets erotic romance, there’s no telling what might happen.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

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About Christi Snow

As an avid reader my entire life, I’ve always dreamed of writing books that brought to others the kind of joy I feel when I read.

But…I never did anything about it besides jot down a few ideas and sparse scenes.
When I turned 41, I decided it was time to go after my dream and started writing. Within four months, I’d written over 150,000 words and haven’t stopped since. I’ve found my passion by writing about sexy, alpha heroes and smart, tough heroines falling in love and finding their passion. I’m truly living the dream and loving every minute of it.
My tagline is…
Passion and adventure on the road to Happily Ever After. I have to admit, I am loving this adventure!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Happy Release: Opening Up by Lauren Dane – Ink & Chrome Series – Book 1

Posted on 06/16/2015 by shellbellereads

Opening Up

Ink & Chrome Series

By Lauren Dane

Synopsis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Dane delivers Book #1 in her Ink & Chrome erotic romance series.

The men of the Twisted Steel custom hot rod and motorcycle shop are great with their hands…and they’re not afraid to get dirty.

PJ is exactly the kind of woman Twisted Steel owner Asa Barrons doesn’t need. The last thing he wants to do is mix business with pleasure, and PJ has some of the best custom detailing he’s ever seen. But the chemistry between them won’t be denied, and soon he’s introducing her to a whole new world in the bedroom, pushing her far beyond anything she’s ever experienced. PJ finds she can’t get enough, but how far is too far before he consumes her completely?

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

Congratulations to Lauren Dane on her new dynamic Ink & Chrome series. The first book, Opening Up, is a sensational introduction to this series.

PJ comes from automotive royalty. Her family’s tire corporation has been one of the reigning companies in the automotive industry. PJ and her siblings are expected to take over the throne. The only problem is that PJ isn’t conforming into the expected mold for a leading executive in the company. Between her lack of a college degree to her artistic visions most of her family doesn’t see her as a promising part of the corporation. PJ has visions of expanding and updating the company’s presence in other avenues of the industry.

When she meets Asa Barrons from Twisted Steel she begins to bring her visions to life. Not only is she getting the chance to bring her visions to life, she has met a man that makes her stand up and take notice.

Asa Barrons comes from the complete opposite of PJ’s background. His dedication to his family is to be admired. His work at Twisted Steel is phenomenal. He’s the perfect kind of guy for PJ. He’s strong, inked, talented, and smart.

PJ and Asa develop a relationship that goes beyond friendship. It is a relationship based upon respect, admiration, and pure sexual chemistry.

Together they are a new force to be reckoned with in and out of the showroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love that Lauren Dane created verbal interaction between the characters rather than focusing on their sexual chemistry, even though that was smoking hot. The dialogue was fantastic and the story flowed beautifully.

I am looking forward to the next book in the Ink & Chrome series.

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About Lauren Dane

Lauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!

The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz + 5 Star Review + Giveaway : King by T. M. Frazier

Posted on 06/15/2015 by shellbellereads

The King

Release Date: June 15, 2015

By T. M. Frazier

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

Synopsis

Homeless. Hungry. Desperate.

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

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

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

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

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

Excerpt

“Hey there,” a deep voice rumbled against my ear.
When I turned around, I was eye level with a wall of leather with white patches sewn into it. One read VICE PRESIDENT and the other, BEACH BASTARDS. The man wearing the vest had long blonde hair that draped over to one side of his head, revealing the shaved area beneath. He had a beard, not stubble, a full-on beard that was a few inches long and very well groomed. He stood well over six feet, his frame lean yet very cut and muscular. I couldn’t tell what color his eyes were because his lids hung heavy and were slightly reddened. His entire neck was covered with colorful tattoos and when he went to light a cigarette I noticed that the backs of both of his hands and were covered in ink as well.
“Hey,” I answered back, trying to assert my newly found false confidence.
He was beyond attractive. He was gorgeous. If I had to end up in someone’s bed, I imagined that being in his wouldn’t be half-bad. He sniffled, drawing attention to the light dusting of white powder trapped in his nostrils.
“They call me Bear. You belong to anyone?” he asked seductively, leaning in toward me.
“Maybe…you?” I winced at my choice of words. Of all the fucking things I could have said, THAT was what came to mind? Stupid fucking mouth. Nikki was right. I spoke first and thought second.
Bear chuckled. “I’d love that, beautiful, but I got something else in mind.”
“Oh, yeah? What would that be?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light although my mind and heart were racing.
“This party? It’s for my buddy. And he was down here for a total of thirty minutes before he hightailed it upstairs to drown himself in a bottle of Jack. He’s like a cat in a tree, can’t seem to talk him down. It’s understandable, seeing as he’s been away a while, but I figure you can help me out.”
He hooked his finger into the front of my skirt and slowly dragged me toward him until my nipples were flush up against his chest. He pressed his fingers into the skin right above my public bone and I resisted the urge to jump back by biting down on my bottom lip.
“The BBB’s have never really been his thing.” He paused when he saw the confused look on my face at his abbreviation. “Beach Bastard Bitches.” He explained. “But you? You’re new. You’re different. You’ve got this cute little innocent thing going on, but I know you’re not or you wouldn’t be at this kind of party if that was your deal. I’m thinking he’ll like you.” Bear brushed his lips against the side of my neck. “So maybe you go up there. Make him happy for me. Make little him happy by wrapping those gorgeous lips around his cock for a while. Then when you’re done, bring him back down here to civilization. And maybe later, if you’re a good girl and do what you’re told, we can go back to the clubhouse and have some real fun.” He grazed his teeth along my earlobe. “Think you can you do that for me?”
“Yeah, yeah I can do that,” I said. My skin prickling from his touch. And I could do it.
I think.
“What’s your name anyway?” Bear’s hand slowly traveled up the back of my leg, pushing up my skirt, it came to rest on my ass cheek, which was then exposed to anyone who might have been looking in our direction.
“Doe. My name is Doe,” I breathed.
“Fitting.” He said with a chuckle. “Well, my innocent looking little Doe.” Bear leaned in close and surprised me by planting a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. His lips were soft, and he smelled like laundry detergent mixed with liquor and cigarettes. I was just beginning to think that the kiss meant that he’d changed his mind and didn’t want me to send me away to his friend, but no such luck. He pulled away abruptly and turned me around by my shoulders so that I was facing the stairs. He swatted me on my ass, propelling me forward. “Up the stairs you go, sweetheart. Last room at the end of the hallway. Be good to my boy, and me and you will get to play later.” He sealed his words with a wink and as I made my way up the stairs I turned back and flashed him a fake smile. I hoped the guy at the end of the hallway was like Bear, because then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Then a thought hit me that had me fighting back the tears that sprung from my eyes with a sudden force that almost took me to my knees.
I’d officially sold myself, and the price was far more than any dollar amount.

Michel’s Review

It’s no secret that my absolute favorite kind of book is the dark erotic thriller. I truly love twisted, dark, and deeply flawed characters that have a real criminal element. I don’t care if they are redeemed. I don’t care that they have a touch of evil. I don’t care that they possess dark and cruel natures. I want their story in all the crude and raw truths. I want to know what drives their souls. How they became twisted. I want to know their vulnerabilities as well as strengths.

When the blog tour for King came across my desk and I read the synopsis I was completely intrigued. I have never read any books by this author but heard that she was really good. I decided to take a chance. I have been hungry for a dark twisted thriller. I can honestly say that I am so happy I decided to take a chance on King. It was everything I hoped for and more! I could not put this book down. When the book ended with a hair raising cliffhanger, not only was I shocked, I was screaming for the sequel, Tyrant. It’s a good thing that I won’t have to wait months upon months for the sequel to release. Tyrant will release on August 17, 2015. I can hold on… I hope… without getting too frustrated.

Without a doubt, King by T. M. Frazier is a five star dark thriller. This book kept me captivated from the very first paragraph to the very last word. The characters were complex and multi layered. Their story was anything but predictable. Their very dark world came to life and I could easily visualize each and every scene in living color. This book caused me to have many different emotional reactions. One moment my toes would be curling and the next I would be swooning. I would go from being wary to laughing, from laughing to crying, from crying to hating, from hating to loving. Each of these characters , whether being the leading characters or secondary characters, held my attention and played with my emotions. Their story enslaved me.

This story starts when King is a twelve year old boy. The reader gets a true sense of the world he was born into and forced to survive. The only option he ever had was the life that he chose. It doesn’t make him evil, it just proves that he is a survivor. How his life plays out to the moment he meets Doe is in all reality the only way it could have. He was smart enough to take control of the world he was born into and make it completely his.

When he meets Doe, a girl with no memory, his world is turned on it’s axis. Everything is off kilter. She is a threat to his goals. She could be the one person that completely destroys his world. She is the one person that has the power to take everything he holds dear. Even though Doe is everything that could destroy his world, she is also everything that is pure and right in his world. She has no clue to the power she holds over him. He will have to take control of that power and make it work in his favor. It may destroy him. It may destroy Doe. No matter what happens, their forbidden love is on a collision course. It’s a course they both may not survive.

This book ended on a grueling cliffhanger that had me biting my nails and ripping out my hair. I was completely shocked. Usually I can foresee or predict the direction a book is heading. King took me by complete surprise!

Read King by T. M. Frazier. It is a thrilling story that you don’t want to miss.

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Tyrant

King Series – Book 2

Conclusion to King

Release Date : August 17, 2015

By T. M. Frazier

Synopsi

I.Remember. Everything.

Only now I wish I didn’t.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even if that means marrying someone else…

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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.

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review : Beat by Vi Keeland

Posted on 06/15/2015 by shellbellereads

Throb

Release Date: June 15, 2015

By Vi Keeland

Synopsis

Dimpled smile of a boy
Hard body of a man
Sings like an angel
Fucks like the devil

I was stuck between a rock(star) and a hard place.

Flynn Beckham was the opening act.
Dylan Ryder was the headliner.

What happens when the opening act begins to shine so bright, it seems to dim everything else in its wake?

I’ll tell you what happens. Things get ugly.

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Excerpt

I grab a newspaper and begin to flip through to kill time. Then my eyes catch a pair of pink-painted toes in flip-flops. I don’t know why, but it’s in this moment that I realize, I’m fucked.

The sight of her toes makes me smile.

I’m falling for another guy’s girl. Something I promised myself I’d never do.

Because I’ve been friends with so many hot women in the past and not fucked them? Yep. I’m screwed. I need to get the hell out of here.

“Good morning,” she whispers and smiles down at me. My eyes lazily travel up from her toes.

I’m totally not going anywhere.

I hold up her mug of coffee. And then I realize she still has the thin shirt she wears to sleep on and I’m eye-level with the sexiest taut nipples I’ve ever seen.

Screw sucking her toes… “Certainly is.” I grin.

Michel’s Review

Readers are ready for the Rock Star Romance of Summer 2015 ? Look no further and download Beat by Vi Keeland. This book is guaranteed to rock your socks off!

I highly recommend Beat! It will rock your heart!

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Throb

By Vi Keeland

Synopsis

The rules:

No dating.

No sex outside of the game.

No disclosing the terms of the contract.

Rules were made to be broken, right?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

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Additional Books by Vi Keeland

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

About The Author: Vi Keeland

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

6 Star Review : Never Let You Go by Katy Regnery – A Modern Day Fairytale –

Posted on 06/14/2015 by shellbellereads

Never Let You Go

A Modern Day Fairytale

Inspired by Hansel & Gretel

By Katy Regnery

Synopsis

In this modern retelling of “Hansel and Gretel,” 13-year-old foster children, Holden and Griselda, escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety but the other is left behind.

Ten years later, Griselda’s boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match where her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.

Though the connection between them is fierce, bitter regret, simmering rage and a cache of physical and emotional scars lie between them, just as dangerous as the whitewater of the Shenandoah.

Never Let You Go is a story of fear and hope, defeat and survival, and two people – once profoundly broken – who discover that love is the only thing that can make them whole again.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Hansel & Gretel. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, scenes of physical abuse and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (Note: children are not sexually abused in this book.)

For June and July 2015, 25% of all gross royalties will be donated to the Elizabeth Smart Foundation.

(The next standalone a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e novel, Ginger’s Heart, inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, will be released in Winter 2015/2016.)

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

I am always apprehensive of romances based off of fairy tales. I hate cheesy erotic remakes that are borderline soft porn. So many erotic romance authors have ruined a classic fairy tale and delivered a sub par romance. When I read the synopsis for this book I was intrigued. It sounded like a romantic suspense book. At the same time I was very leery because it was based around the Hansel & Gretel fairytale. I was afraid that this new Hansel & Gretel would be too busy sampling each other than living the actual story. I have to admit that this particular fairytale always scared the crap out me as a child. The idea of abandonment, getting lost, and being captured was frightening.

Wow ! Wow ! Wow! Never Let You Go by Katy Regnery blew me away! I absolutely loved this book. I was stunned at the brilliance in the author’s retelling of the classic fairytale Hansel & Gretel. The modern twist were very realistic. The terror and suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The resilience and survival instinct of the characters was riveting. The pure love and trust between them was breathtaking. I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting.

Imagine two ten year old children walking to the store. Because of their upbringing in the foster care system their stranger danger sensors are diluted. They have had to trust strangers all of their lives. When a stranger approaches them on the side of the road acting like they are very familiar to them, they easily assume that he is related to their foster parents. After all, the man has a puppy, how can he be a bad person. Wrong..wrong…wrong.

Holden Croft was placed in a new foster home three days before his abduction. Because of his small size and stammer, he was bullied and abused in his previous foster homes. When the little girl about the same age as him, living in his new home, befriends him; he finally feels like he has a place where he might fit in. Griselda was a beautiful golden child that had a smile that radiated like the sun. She was smart and strong. Holden desperately wanted this girl to be his friend.

When their foster parents take the family for camping trip in West Virginia the following weekend their lives will be forever changed. They will become bonded to one another for life. They will live through the worst terror and nightmares any person could experience. The only thing that kept them surviving was their bond and love for each other.

For three years they were held captive by a madman. They were beaten, tortured , and worked to the bone. When the opportunity and the dire need to escape presents itself they run. Their escape attempt is thwarted. Holden is recaptured and Griselda manages to get away. By the time she reaches the authorities, Holden and the bad man have disappeared.

For ten years Zelda (Griselda ) has lived with the guilt of leaving Holden behind. She has punished herself and does not allow herself any happiness. She is saving every penny to hire private detectives to find out what happened to Holden.

For ten years Holden has thought Griselda was dead. The bad man killed her and took him away. He became the person the bad man thought him to be. He was no longer Holden Croft. Holden Croft died along with Griselda ten years ago.

By fate, they are brought together once again. They will have to let go of the guilt, the fear, the regrets, and the nightmares. They will have to become Gris and Holden once again. They will find that although they are now two entirely different people, they are still H + G. They still need each other for survival.

This is an extremely emotional story. The reader will experience the horrors that these two children went through. They will weep for the adults they have become. They will ache right along with Holden and Griselda. They will rejoice in the pure love these two have for another.

Never Let You Go is a powerful story. It’s a psychological thriller that is just as frightening as the real Hansel & Gretel fairytale. It is also a beautiful romance that has a happily ever after ending. It has action, suspense, emotional angst, and unforgettable romance. I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book I have read by Katy Regnery. When I looked up her books I was shocked at how many books and good ratings she has. I quickly downloaded the first book in the Modern Fairytale series and can’t wait to sink into that one. Katy definitely has a creative flare that delivers a fresh voice and enthralling story.

The Modern Fairytale Series

The Vixen And The Vet – Book 1

Inspired by Beauty and The Beast

**2015 RITA Finalist!**

“With Southern charm and a deeply romantic plot, readers will fall in love with this modern day fairy tale.” –RT BOOK REVIEWS

In this modern-retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” Savannah Carmichael, betrayed by an unreliable source, returns to her hometown of Danvers, Virginia with her once-promising journalism career in ruins. Given the opportunity to get back in the game by writing a patriotic human interest piece, Savannah turns her attention to the town hermit, Asher Lee, a wounded veteran who returned to Danvers eight years ago, and hasn’t been seen since.

After an IED explosion in Afghanistan took Asher’s hand and disfigured half of his face, he’s lived a quiet life on the outskirts of Danvers where the locals respect his privacy…that is, until Savannah Carmichael comes calling in a borrowed sundress with a plate of homemade brownies. When Asher agrees to be interviewed by Savannah, he starts feeling things for the beautiful reporter that he hasn’t felt in years.

Misfits in small-town Danvers, Savannah and Asher create a bond right away, touching each other’s hearts in ways neither thought possible. When a terrible mistake threatens to drive them apart, they’ll have to decide if the love they found in one another’s arms is strong enough to fight for their hard-won happily ever after.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Beauty & the Beast. Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, realistically depicted scenes of war and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

(The next standalone a m o d e r n f a i r y t a l e novel, Never Let You Go, inspired by Hansel & Gretel, will be released on June 19, 2015.)

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Ginger’s Heart

Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood

Coming December 2015

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Author Bio

Katy Regnery, award-winning and Amazon bestselling author, started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract for a winter romance entitled By Proxy.

Now a hybrid author who publishes both independently and traditionally, Katy claims authorship of the six-book Heart of Montana series, the six-book English Brothers series, and a Kindle Worlds novella entitled “Four Weddings and a Fiasco: The Wedding Date,” in addition to the standalone novels, Playing for Love at Deep Haven and Amazon bestseller, The Vixen and the Vet.

The Vixen and the Vet is included in the charity anthology Hometown Heroes: Hotter Ever After, and Katy’s novella “Frosted” will appear in the upcoming (Jan ’15) anthology, Snowy Days Steamy Nights. Additionally, Katy’s short story, “The Long Way Home” will appear in the first RWA anthology (Feb ’15), Premiere.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, and two dogs create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.

Connect with Katy:

Katy LOVES connecting with her readers and answers every e-mail, message, tweet and post personally!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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

Posted on 06/14/2015 by shellbellereads

Side By Side

By Wendy Louise

Synopsis

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Michel’s Review

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

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

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

Wendy Louise wrote an entertaining story that readers will enjoy.

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Author Bio:

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

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

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

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

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

Website~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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

Posted on 06/11/2015 by shellbellereads

Amber To Ashes

Torn Hearts Series – Book 1

Release Date: June 9, 2015

By Gail McHugh

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

Synopsis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.

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

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Excerpt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His tactic works.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think . . . hope.

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

In this wicked space and time of his life.

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

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

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

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

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

Michel’s Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

__________________________________

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

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

You can follow Gail on the below social media sites:

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

Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

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

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