New Release + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Reaper’s Fire by Joanna Wylde – Reaper’s Motorcycle Club Series – Book 6

Posted on 08/12/2016 by shellbellereads

Are you ready for Gage and Tinker’s story?

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Reaper’s Fire

Reapers Motorcycle Club – Book 6

By Joanna Wylde

Release Date : August 9, 2016

*****

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Joanna Wylde returns to the “wild and raw”* world of the Reapers MC with the story of Gage and Tinker…

The club comes first.

I’ve lived by those words my whole life—assumed I’d die by them, too, and I never had a problem with that. My Reaper brothers took my back and I took theirs and it was enough. Then I met her. Tinker Garrett. She’s beautiful, she’s loyal, and she works so damned hard it scares me sometimes . . . She deserves a good man—one better than me. I can’t take her yet because the club still needs me. There’s another woman, another job, another fight just ahead.

Now she’ll learn I’ve been lying to her all along. None of it’s real. Not my name, not my job, not even the clothes I wear. She thinks I’m nice. She pretends we’re just friends, that I’ve still got a soul . . . Mine’s been dead for years. Now I’m on fire for this woman, and a man can only burn for so long before he destroys everything around him.

I’m coming for you, Tinker.

Soon.

Excerpt

“I can’t believe how late it is,” Tinker said, yawning, and I realized the movie had ended. Now she stretched upward, the blanket falling to her waist as her boobs pushed forward.

God, how much should a man be expected to take?

I should’ve stayed away from her completely—that’d been the plan—but something had snapped when I’d seen her out in the courtyard. Couldn’t remember the last time I’d met a woman like Tinker. She was smart and sexy and funny, and she worked damned hard to take care of her family and business. Sure, I wanted to fuck her—you’d have to be gay not to—but I respected her, too.

“I should probably get going,” she said, offering me a smile so sweet I wanted to bite her lips. “I like to check on Dad before going to sleep, and I’ve got to be up early in the morning. I’ve got to package orders for the courier tomorrow—if they aren’t ready by two p.m., I’m screwed.”

I considered rolling over on top of her. Pushing her down into the couch cushions, shoving my leg between hers, and showing her what a real man feels like.

“Cooper?” she asked, looking confused. I blinked a couple times, forcing myself to focus on her face.

“I’m going to watch another one,” I told her, because I’m a goddamn masochist. “You sure you’re ready to head out?”

She frowned, and I could almost read her thoughts. Yes, she should leave. But she wanted me as much as I wanted her. And yeah, I realize that makes me sound like an egotistical ass, but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I saw the lust in her eyes, and the way she licked her lips and stared at my mouth. This wasn’t a one-way street, not even close.

“I guess I could stay a little longer,” she whispered. Christ, she was so sweet and soft. I wanted to bite her even more now. Suck that pouty lower lip into my mouth and shove a finger up her ass.

Break her.

You’re one sick fuck.

Why yes. Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing.

I managed to control the urge, catching her hand instead, giving it a friendly squeeze like some kind of pathetic tool. Her fingers tightened on mine, then she pulled away and snuggled back down under the blanket, raising her feet to rest on the coffee table. I grabbed the remote and clicked through the menu.

Tomorrow I’d do my job. I’d fuck Talia and spy on Marsh and look for any kind of weakness that might end this situation, the faster the better. Tonight, though . . . Tonight I’d pretend this wasn’t a waste of time.

Goddamn, but my dick hurt.

The next hour was torture.

Tinker sat next to me, all cute and classy and absolutely refusing to make any kind of eye contact. I don’t know how she felt, but to me the sexual tension hanging in the air was thick and heavy. I kept thinking about her hand in mine—small, but strong. The hand of someone who knew how to work hard. So far as I knew, Talia had never held down a job, let alone supported herself.

The couch shifted, and I glanced over to find Tinker sliding deeper into the cushions, drawing the blanket up to her chin. Our legs were maybe six inches apart. She shifted again, and then her hand bumped mine under the blanket. She jerked it back quickly, and I caught the hint of a flush on her cheeks. That was another thing I liked about her—her skin was so pale that I could see every hint of arousal.

Grabbing her hand, I pulled it over to rest on my thigh. This was a really bad idea, so I pointedly refused to think it through. Her hand tensed at first, then relaxed into my strength. My cock swelled against the fabric of my jeans, just inches from her fingers—it’d be so easy to push her hand toward it, wrap it around my painfully swollen dick, and just go to town.

Tinker’s fingers gave a quick squeeze—almost more of a spasm—and I bit back a groan.

Yeah, okay. Really, really bad idea. I should get off the couch and shut this shit down right now, because I couldn’t afford to blow things with Talia just yet. Instead I found myself leaning toward Tinker, bumping shoulders.

God.

I’d grown a pussy. No other explanation, because I couldn’t figure out why the hell else an adult man would sit holding hands under a damned blanket like a kid.

Michel’s Review

It’s hard to believe that Reaper’s Fire by Joanna Wylde is the sixth book in the Reaper’s Motorcycle Club series. I still can’t get enough of this series. I remember reading the first book, Reaper’s Property, over three years ago when it was first published by a smaller ebook publishing company. I was mesmerized by the biker community and their lawless life style. I remember going to one of the first big book signings, Book Bash 2013 in Orlando, and standing in a long line to meet Joanna Wylde. At that time there wasn’t a print book available for her to sign. Fans were getting book marks, t-shirts, and other items signed. The one thing we all had in common was how desperate we were to meet the author that created a biker named Horse that stole our hearts. Joanna Wylde is an author that paved the path for Biker / MC romance series. Readers wanted a authentic bad boy that commanded the world on his terms. The Reaper’s MC is still out in front of the pack and dominating the MC romance world.

The latest release, Reaper’s Fire is another page turner. In many ways Reaper’s Fire runs parallel to Reaper’s Fall (book 5). The timeline and several of the climatic events that take place in both books are from different characters perspectives and roles in these events.

Gage and Painter were sent to Hallies Falls by their club, Reaper’s MC, to determine what was going on with the Nighthawks MC, one of their alliances in their territory. The Nighthawks have been neglecting their duties to the Reaper’s. They are stealing money, skimming product, and taking on too many new recruits. They are building an army to take over the territory. Pic, the Reaper’s president, has sent Gage and Painter undercover to find out what’s going on. Gage is ordered to go undercover and infiltrate the Nighthawks MC. He has to create a new identity that doesn’t tie him to the Reaper’s.

Gage becomes Cooper, a recently divorced trucker laying low until all the papers are signed. He takes on a job as a handyman in exchange for rent. The owner of the apartments, Tinker, is one of the sexiest women he has met. He has to put his own desires aside, he is on the job. The easiest way to infiltrate the Nighthawks is through their president’s pyscho sister, Talia Jackson.

Tinker moved back to Hallies Falls after a tragic event that led to her separation from her husband. She needs to take care of her father who suffers from dementia. He is getting worse since her mother passed away. She is struggling to keep her mother’s gift store open, her own candy business thriving, take care of the apartments, and handle the care of her father. Her life is beyond stressed. When she hires the sexy newcomer in town as a handyman, she is in for a whole new kind of stress. He’s taken and his girlfriend is downright scary.

While Gage is trying to keep Talia under control and get a handle on what’s going on inside the Nighthawks clubhouse, he’s also battling his attraction to Tinker. This job can’t be over soon enough. He’s going to claim Tinker as his own.

Things are much worse than Gage or the Reaper’s anticipated. Cleaning up the Nighthawks is going to take more than shutting them down. Somebody will have to stay behind to control the chaos. Gage is willing to stay because he wants Tinker.

Tinker and Gage had to work for their relationship. There were a ton of obstacles in their way. Both are mature adults that have been around the block. They understand the best things in life are the hardest to acquire . It takes two to make this work. First they have to handle the chaos in their lives.

So many things happened in this book that tied this series together. It was intense, sexy, and emotional. The characters were larger than life and made a great impact on the Reaper’s series. The one thing I loved most was that Gage was a lot like Horse. He was a complete alpha male claiming his woman on his own terms.

I can’t wait to see what comes next for the Reaper’s MC. Joanna Wylde has created a legacy in the Biker Romance world. To this day I would still spend hours standing in a long line to meet Joanna Wylde and get my Reaper’s MC books signed.

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Have you heard?

Reaper’s Property by Joanna Wylde has a NEW COVER!

Meet Horse & Marie for ONLY $3.99 (normally $7.99)

Author’s Note: This book was originally released through a small publisher in 2013. This independent edition has been lightly edited, and contains a bonus short, “Sticky Sweet” (originally published on the author’s website) and a Q&A with the author.

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Reaper’s Property

Reaper’s MC – Book 1

By Joanna Wylde

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

Marie doesn’t need a complication like Horse. The massive, tattooed badass biker who shows up at her brother’s house one afternoon doesn’t agree. He wants Marie on his bike and in his bed. Now.

But Marie just left her abusive jerk of an ex-husband and she’s not looking for a new man. Especially one like Horse. She doesn’t know his real name or where he lives. She’s ninety percent certain he’s a criminal and that the “business” he talked with her brother wasn’t website design. She needs him out of her life, which would be a snap if he wasn’t so damned sexy.

Horse is part of the Reapers Motorcycle Club, and when he wants something, he takes it. What is he wants is Marie, but she’s not interested in becoming some biker’s property.

Then her brother steals from the club. Now Marie can save him by giving Horse what he wants—at home, in public, on his bike… and if she’s a very, very good girl, he’ll let her brother live.

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About Joanna Wylde

Joanna is a freelance writer living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She started writing fiction in 2002, then took a long hiatus to explore other writing opportunities. She returned to fiction in January 2013 with ‘Reaper’s Property’, the first book in the Reapers Motorcycle Club series, and has recently released ‘Reapers Legacy’, the second of the series.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Signed copy of Reaper’s Fire

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review & 6 Star Review + 2016 Favorite : Swear On This Life by Renee Carlino

Posted on 08/09/2016 by shellbellereads

Swear On This Life

By Renee Carlino

Buy

AMAZON | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Atria Books

From USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino (Before We Were Strangers), a warm and witty novel about a struggling writer who must come to grips with her past, present, and future after she discovers that she’s the inspiration for a pseudonymously published bestselling novel.

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J. Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?

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AMAZON | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Atria Books

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Excerpt

During the winter we pretended our way through the classics, read every popular kid’s book and by spring of our sixth grade year, the spring of all the rain, we were ready to be outside and explore again. There was a creek about half a mile back from our houses, past the tree line. Because of all the rain that year, it had become more of a river with the strongest currents right behind where we lived. Every adult warned us to be careful, even my dead-beat dad would say, “You better use that big brain of yours and stay out of the creek. You want to go swimming, you can go to the pool in town.”

Funny he would say that because the community pool was a seven-mile bike ride and it cost three dollars to get in. There was no way I was going unless Leila, Jax’s mom gave us a ride and even then, I would have to borrow the money to get in. Frankly, going to the town pool was a pipe dream. It became a myth to us, a fantasy like Disneyland or Europe. Jax and I would try to imagine what it was like to go there.

“I bet they sell popsicles and popcorn and they probably have clowns too,” I said.

It was a warm day; we had made a picnic in the weeds. I laid out my Toy Story sleeping bag I’d had from when I was a kid. Jax brought a jar of applesauce and I brought Fun Dip that my dad had bought me at the 7-11. We mixed the fun dip into the jar and took turns eating spoonfuls.

“Community pools don’t have clowns, genius.”

“How do you know?” I said.

“Because I just do.”

“I bet there’s a high dive, like fifty feet in the air.”

“Do you know how high fifty feet is? You would die hitting the water. The impact would kill you.”

“You’re such a know-it-all, Jackson. Why can’t you let a girl dream? We’re never going to that pool because no one will ever take us, plus, it costs money, and last time I checked you weren’t making any.”

He lay back on the blanket and propped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “I’m not a know-it-all, I just have cable. And as soon as I turn sixteen, I’m getting a job. I’ll pay for us to go to the pool. You’ll see, it’s just a big hole with water in it.”

I never really stared at him until that day. His eyes were closed so I took the time to inspect every inch of him. I was so curious about his body. My own body was changing and I was terrified of it. Jax was getting taller. He was going to be tall like his father, but he looked more like his mother in coloring and features. Jax’s mom was French, so they had this creamy skin that looked sun-kissed year around and his brown hair and brown eyes had streams of gold running throughout it. He was letting his hair grow longer because he’d been watching some show on TV that took place in California. He said everyone in California had long hair.

I was trying to grow my own unruly, brown locks out. I don’t know why, I always had it in a braid. Maybe because I thought I would go to California with Jax one day. We both yearned for more than weeds and corn. All the books gave us those silly ideas and filled our heads with things that might never be.

I lay down beside him and stared directly into the sun. He turned on his side and propped his head on his elbow.

“You’ll go blind doing that,” he said in a low voice.

“Leave me alone.”

“Why are you in such a bad mood? You PMSing?”

“What do you know about it?”

“A lot.”

“I doubt that and even if I were, it’s beyond rude to talk to me about it.” I hadn’t started my period yet but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

Robin’s Review

Renee Carlino swept me away to a different time and place in the pages of her newest novel titled Swear on this Life. As I began reading, I found myself on a dirt road in rural Ohio. In the front yard of a ramshackle home located at the end of a dirt road. In a dilapidated shack found just beyond the tree line. From the moment I started reading, I was captivated by this story about best friends Emerson and Jackson – two poor, lonely and neglected children who only had each other to rely upon.

It didn’t take long for me to realize Swear on this Life would be special. First of all, this novel is an unusual blend of the young adult, new adult, and coming of age genres. Swear on this Life is also a second-chance romance, but what I love most about this story is that it’s about best friends who fall in love with each other! I’m very fond of friends-to-lovers romances, and from the beginning, I adored this novel!

Emiline is an aspiring author who has a daytime job as an adjunct creative writing professor at the University of California San Diego. She’s been dating Trevor since her senior year at Berkeley, although she feels her relationship with Trevor is not going anywhere. Our story really gets underway when Emiline’s roommate Cara begs her to read a bestselling novel titled All the Roads Between by debut author J. Colby.

As she begins reading Cara’s recommendation, Emiline realizes the story is familiar. From the first sentences, it’s apparent All the Roads Between is about Emiline and her childhood! She’s the female lead, Emerson, which means the novel has been written by her first love – Jason Colbertson, who is Jackson – someone she hasn’t seen or heard from in years!

Swear on this Life is essentially two stories written into one. With this writing technique, we are able to read about Emiline’s current life, while simultaneously reading about what took place during her childhood and teen years. We begin to understand Emiline’s character and how her life has been shaped. Although I have seen other authors use this writing technique, Renee Carlino was very clever with how she penned this novel. Swear on this Life has a savvy twist!

It’s been said that teenagers feel everything more acutely. Renee Carlino perfectly captured the intense emotions of two poor, neglected teenagers who are lovesick, who are desperately trying to stay together! I really connected with these characters. I fell in love with Emerson and Jackson, fell in love with their story! I felt their joy, pain and uncertainty as they supported each other through the abuse and neglect. All the Roads Between is a fascinating story all by itself!

And, of course, there is Emiline. I struggled with her character early in the story, but Emiline showed real growth over the course of the story. She faced down her demons and a past that she has ardently avoided. I couldn’t help but root for her to heal, find closure and get the guy! I wasn’t really sure what to think of Jason at first, but I think it’s because I was reading from Emiline’s point of view. She wasn’t sure what to think of Jason after he wrote down the story of her childhood and teenage years in the pages of a bestselling novel. But my love for Jason came as Emiline’s love for Jason became apparent.

In the end, Swear on this Life is not a story about four people, and it’s not just two separate novels. It’s one story about two individuals – Jason and Emiline. This is their story, and it’s one that is extremely fulfilling! Swear on this Life is a 2016 favorite of mine, and I’m giving Renee Carlino 5 stars!

6+star

Michel’s Review

From the moment I opened Swear On This Life by Renee Carlino I was captivated from the beginning to end. I became immersed in the story and became a part of Emiline’s and Jason’s lives, past and present. I experienced their emotional journey on a very personal level.

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Swear On This Life by Renee Carlino was written with a very unique plot delivery. It all begins with Emiline. She’s a struggling aspiring author teaching creative writing as an adjunct professor. Her life is anything but perfect. She’s involved in a long term relationship with Trevor, a former college football star, that seems to have stalled just like her writing. She’s beginning to question her relationship, her career aspirations, and her life direction. In her mind she knows she has made the right decisions that have her on the road to a normal, stable life. A life that is far better than her past. A past that she chose to put behind her, a past she chose to forget. The past is part of what shapes and molds an individual. Good or bad it is a part that should never be forgotten.

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When her best friend recommends a highly acclaimed novel, All The Roads Between by J. Colby, it’s the beginning of Emiline’s journey in the story of her life.

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From the very first sentence in All The Roads Between, Emiline is drawn into the story. Two impoverished kids on a dirt road depending on one another to survive their destructive and destitute lives. Jackson and Emily are clinging to one another in a world beyond their control. Their journey from childhood to adolescence is far from the carefree and innocent life most people experience. There are no rose colored glasses to make their lives look better. The only thing they have that’s good in their lives is each other. A love that is completely pure, untarnished by the circumstances of their lives. Good things are only fleeting in their lives and the ugly world once again rears it’s ugly head. This time it destroys the only pure thing in their lives, it destroys their love for one another.

***

As Emiline reads this book, she begins to see a parallel of her own life. All The Roads Between is the story of her childhood. She is Emily and Jackson is Jason. Upon further research she finds the author J. Colby is none other than Jason Culbertson, her first love and best friend. He has betrayed her once again and exposed her dirty secrets. Secrets that should of stayed buried in the past. She’s beyond angry, she’s devastated.

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While reading the book, she discovers that J. Colby will be doing a book signing at a local book store near her. This is her opportunity to confront Jason after all these years. She will finally be able to exercise the demons that have haunted her. She will finally be able to let go of Jason’s betrayal.

***

The confrontation is anything but a long awaited reunion. It is only the beginning for both Emiline and Jason. Emiline needs to finish the book before she can move forward. Jason released his demons long ago, the book is his redemption. Emily and Jackson’s story is only a part of Emiline and Jason’s story. It is up to them on how the ending plays out. It’s time for them to write the rest of their story. They are long overdue for their happily ever after.

***

Renee Carlino is a brilliant writer. Two novels merge into an epic love story that take the readers on an emotional journey.

***

Swear On This Life by Renee Carlino should be on the big screen. It is an epic romance that will touch every soul. It is a true love story.

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Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of contemporary women’s novels and new adult fiction. Her books have been featured in national publications, including USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Latina magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. Learn more at www.reneecarlino.com

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review + Excerpt + Giveaway: The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken – Wingman Inc. Series – Book 2

Posted on 08/09/2016 by shellbellereads

Wingman rule number two: never reveal how much you want them.

Lex hates Gabi. Gabi hates Lex. But, hey, at least the hate is mutual, right? All Lex has to do is survive the next few weeks training Gabi in all the ways of Wingmen Inc. and then he can be done with her. But now that they have to work together, the sexual tension and fighting is off the charts. He isn’t sure if he wants to strangle her or throw her against the nearest sturdy table and have his way with her.

But Gabi has a secret, something she’s keeping from not just her best friend but her nemesis too. Lines are blurred as Lex becomes less the villain she’s always painted him to be…and starts turning into something more. Gabi has always hated the way she’s been just a little bit attracted to him—no computer-science major should have that nice of a body or look that good in glasses—but “Lex Luthor” is an evil womanizer. He’s dangerous. Gabi should stay far, far away.

Then again, she’s always wanted a little danger.

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

Excerpt

“So,” a familiar voice said above the music. “New job?”

Damn it! “I didn’t even say your name three times!” I whined, turning around to face Lex. He was wearing a tight vintage black T-shirt with low-slung jeans on his hips and the ever-present sex-oozing smile.

“Three times?” He smiled wider. “You said my name three times out loud? Is it your new curse word? You know, like ‘Oh, Lex! Good Lex! Mighty Lex . . .’” His eyebrows drew together. “Somehow all of those sound like very familiar noises women make in my presence.”

“Die, Lex,” I said in an annoyed tone. “How about that one?”

“That’s new.” He snapped his fingers. “But it’s growing on me. Maybe it’s the way you say it, like you want me to die in your arms all Romeo and Juliet style . . .”

“Wow, ten at night and you’re already wasted.” I slapped him on the shoulder. “Take a cab.” I tried to move past him, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, pressing us together. Whether it was on purpose or not I wasn’t sure, but he was warm.

And he felt . . . safe, familiar. My body was playing tricks on me; it was because I was vulnerable.

Like that night when . . .

I locked down my memories, especially that one, and threw away the key. “Lex, what do you want?”

“You,” he said in a serious tone. “Now get up on stage and take off your clothes. I paid for a show.”

I rolled my eyes. “Waitress, Lex. You’ll have to call one of the many numbers on your phone to get a free lap dance.”

“What if I pay?” His breath tickled my ear as my eyes burned with unshed tears. Normally, I wouldn’t let what he did affect me. Normally, I brushed him off, but my armor had already been stripped. Call it exhaustion or maybe just the last remnants of pride I had toppling to the floor.

But I couldn’t hold them in any longer.

One tear fell.

Then another.

I tried to wipe them, tried to jerk free from Lex’s strong arms, but he turned me so abruptly that all I managed to do was soak the front of his shirt with my tears and smear it with mascara.

“Gabs?” His voice rasped as he hugged me tighter. “Come on, we’re going.”

“No.” Panic surged through me as I tried to pull away. “You don’t understand!” I’d given the last of my paychecks to my mom so she could pay the bills at the house, leaving me completely broke for this week’s rent check. I was hoping to make enough money in tips for the rent.

Lex’s eyes crinkled at the sides as he took one look at me and the rest of the seedy bar. I knew what he saw: girls dancing on poles, guys getting drunk and shouting at the girls while they threw dollar bills onto the stage, and a scared, stupid girl clinging to him like her lifeline.

Finally, he released me. “Gabs, I’m sorry, I was joking. We always—” He licked his lips and glanced down at the filthy floor, cursing. “Where’s the money going?”

“Money?”

“New girl!” Dean, my boss, never called me by name, the idiot. “You working or flirting? If he wants time with you, he’s gotta pay.”

“Still a waitress?” Lex’s eyebrows shot up.

I held up my fingers to indicate I needed a few more seconds, but Dean was apparently in a mood and stomped over to us.

“Problem?” he asked, crossing his arms over his skinny chest. The guy was small; Lex could probably break his face blindfolded.

“Yeah,” Lex said, surprising me. “Your waitress just refused to dance with me because you guys are out of private rooms . . . so.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed. “You her boyfriend?”

“Do I look like a man who wants to commit to crazy?” Lex fired back. “But I do have this . . .” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like at least six hundred dollars in cash. “How long will that get me with your waitress?”

Dean’s eyebrows kissed his hairline as he sputtered out, “At least three hours.”

“I’ll add in another six hundred if I can have table service and a private room, no interruptions.”

“Done.” Dean snapped his fingers above his head as one of his security guards came barreling over. “Please take them to the Diamond Room, no interruptions. Stand outside the door. One waitress goes in and out to provide drinks.”

The security guard nodded.

And five minutes later I was stuck in a personal nightmare. A bottle of champagne rested on ice; two glasses were left on the table. Music pumped through the speaker system. A small stage was set up in the middle of the room, with two poles and some sort of swing that dropped down from the ceiling. I seriously didn’t even want to know what it was for.

“That will be all,” Lex said in a gruff tone. The waitress—I think her name was Holly—bobbed her head, then looked at me out of the corners of her eyes as if scared to leave me alone with the giant.

“It’s fine.” I waved her off and forced a smile.

The door closed.

“Stop pacing.” Lex grabbed a bottle of champagne. “And that ass better give you part of that money . . .”

“Huh?” I turned. Lex had his feet up on the table and was texting. TEXTING!

He glanced up. “What? Something wrong?”

“Uh . . .” I lifted my arms into the air. “You sick bastard, you just paid for private dancing! From me!”

“No I didn’t,” he said calmly. “Nobody knows what goes on in here. Take a nap for all I care, drink some champagne—or you can shock the hell out of me and cry again, but fair warning, I only had one hug in me tonight and you stole it, so . . . I’ll be reverting to the back pat.”

“Who are you?”

“Lex Luthor, philanthropist by day and rescuer of hot waitresses by night.” He smirked and held up the bottle. “Champagne?”

“Unbelievable.” I choked out a laugh. “You just paid over one grand to sit in a crappy club and drink champagne with someone you hate.”

“It’s my good deed for the decade. Just don’t tell Ian. He’ll think I’m sick or something, and the last thing I need is Mother Hen helicoptering around my inner sanctum. He’ll get pissed all over again if he finds out that I’m hacking.”

My skin felt sticky and sweaty, and my feet ached. With slow movements, I made my way over to the couch and sat, not even wanting to know how many germs were on the leather.

“So,” Lex said above the music. “Champagne? Or want me to order you something else?”

“Champagne’s good.” I swallowed and looked down at my hands. “I’m sorry I cried.”

“As you should be. Big girls don’t cry . . . they kick ass. Don’t freak me out like that again, it’s not good for my heart.”

“Finally admitting you have one?”

Lex spread his arms wide. “Clearly, otherwise you’d still be waiting tables.”

“Or dancing,” I muttered.

“Hah.” Lex laughed, actually laughed as if it was funny. “No offense, Gabs, but you’re not like those girls on stage. You can’t . . . you just can’t.”

“I can’t?” Why the hell was I getting offended? “What do you mean I can’t?”

Lex laughed harder. “Gabs, look, there’s nothing wrong with being innocent. Lots of guys dig a girl who has fields that have never been touched, watered, planted, plowed—”

I held up my hand. “I get it.”

“But those types of girls, the good girls, the ones who’ve never been . . .” He smirked. “Conquered? They don’t typically know how to use their bodies in a way that mimics sex on stage. Get it?”

“No.” I crossed my arms. “I don’t get it! Dancing is dancing! A two-year-old can do it!”

“Bad example, bad mental picture all around, Gabs, again solidifying my point. Good girls don’t dance, not like that.” When I didn’t say anything, he added, “Embrace your goodness, don’t get pissed. It’s a compliment.”

“The hell it is!”

“Damn, I love it when you swear,” Lex murmured, taking a long draw of champagne. “See, at least you do that right.”

“I can’t last in here for three hours,” I muttered, jumping to my feet and starting my pacing all over again.

“Want to play games on my cell phone?”

“Like a child!” I blurted. “That’s it! You’re treating me like I’m . . . a toddler! Like I should be thankful you just saved me from hell. Be honest: if you had a sticker and a sucker, would you give them to me if I shut my mouth the entire time?”

Lex gave me a guilty look.

“I’m a woman!”

“Well, if you were a dude, we’d be having a different conversation and you probably would have punched the guys grabbing your ass earlier . . .”

Without thinking, I grabbed my glass of champagne, chugged it, poured another, chugged that one, then with shaky hands grabbed the little remote, turned up the music, and jumped on stage.

I expected Lex to say something inappropriate or at least roll his eyes. Instead, he looked . . . panicked.

“Gabs!” he yelled above the music. “Look, I’m sorry! Just get down!!”

“Oh, I’ll get down!” I grabbed the pole with one hand and leaned back. “Just wait.”

Michel’s Review

Okay ladies, it’s time to get your capes out and super reading powers fired up. Gabbi needs all the girl power she can get. As her designated sidekicks, we the readers have to have her back. We cannot and I repeat cannot fall in love with Lex. He is an evil villain put on this earth to make Gabbi’s life miserable. Do not look into his sexy eyes, do not swoon over his sexy evil smile, and do not peak at those six pack abs he’s packing. I’m telling you… this villain is a thief , he will steal your willpower and heart. Gabbi needs us to help her slay this evil villain or at least put a gag in his sweet mouth.

Gabbi and Lex are world war three waiting to happen. They can’t be around each other without objects flying ( mostly their clothes). Their verbal sparring is their foreplay. Each has quick wit, smart mouths, and sexual weapons. Beneath the battlefield lies two hearts meant for one another.

Lex is a villian. He is going to steal Gabbi’s complete heart. He is going to destroy anything that stands in the way. He’s bringing out his secret weapon, he’s bringing the pirates booty.

Along the way a love story is going to emerge in the aftermath of the destruction from the Matchmakers Replacement.

Rachel Van Dyken has knocked it out the park with this fun diabolical romance.

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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review: The First Taste by Jessica Hawkins – Slip of the Tongue Series – Book 2

Posted on 08/04/2016 by shellbellereads

The First Taste by Jessica Hawkins

Series: Slip of the Tongue #2
Release Date: August 4^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Andrew Beckwith has already devoted his life to one girl—and as far as he’s concerned, she’s all he needs. The rough-around-the-edges bad boy left his reckless ways behind six years ago when his daughter Bell was born. To the female population’s dismay, he’s unapologetically single. When Bell’s mother walked out on them years ago, he vowed never to let another woman close enough to hurt them again.

Amelia Van Ecken isn’t just another woman. She’s an independent, smart, and savvy businesswoman who doesn’t have time for sex, much less love. In the midst of a drawn-out, bitter divorce, all she wants is to bury herself in work. But when sharp-tongued Amelia and stubborn Andrew cross paths, sparks fly—and burn. Two things are obvious in an instant: they want each other, and they’re from different worlds. It’s the perfect formula for an off-the-charts one-night stand. After all, it’s not as if opposites ever attract.

The First Taste, a standalone spin-off of the Slip of the Tongue.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

Tracey’s Review

Andrew Beckwith and his daughter Bell are doing just fine. Deserted by the mother of his child, Andrew has more than risen to the challenge of raising a healthy happy girl, a strong, honest, loving girl, secure in the knowledge that she is loved. Andrew, however, is another story. Guarding his heart from further heartbreak means that falling in love is not anywhere on his radar. Amelia Van Ecken has seen first-hand what giving up control of her heart means, and she wants no part of it. Happy to immerse herself in her business, avec, Amelia could not be less interested in romance.

If you follow my reviews, you know that I loved, loved, loved SLIP OF THE TONGUE by author Jessica Hawkins, a book that put me through the emotional wringer and left me thinking it about it long afterwards. One of the things that I particularly liked about that book was my introduction to Sadie’s brother, Andrew, and her niece, Bell. Just a glimpse of the two of them, and I was hooked, and I was excited to see that Andrew’s book would be coming our way soon.

So, here it is, that book. THE FIRST TASTE has all of the immediately engrossing qualities of all of Jessica’s books, that hook that grabs you and does not let you go until you’ve turned the last page. Here, again, are the characters that were introduced in SLIP OF THE TONGUE: Sadie, Nathan, Amelia, Andrew, and Bell. But, make no mistake, this book is a completely different story, and Andrew owns it.

Andrew is comfortable in his life. Secure in his love for Bell, and hers for him, he’s happy with the occasional hook-up, but is not looking for anything beyond the physical. When he meets Amelia, it couldn’t be more obvious that they are completely different from each other. But, when layers begin to be peeled away, and realities revealed, they realize that they are more alike than not, and that all of the things that they’ve been doing to protect themselves are keeping them from growing.

I inhaled this book. I loved everything about it, the characters, the story, the dialogue, just everything. Andrew had me from the first scene, from the way that he interacted with Bell to his snarky sexy encounter with Amelia. He takes no crap from anyone, and is fiercely protective of those that he loves. Strong in his vulnerability, he had my heart, and is, hands-down, one of my favorite book dads ever. And, Amelia, I think that there’s a little bit of Amelia is so many women. She’s lost because she trusted, and so she’s holding her heart so very closely. At first glance, she’s not the sort of woman to give up control to anyone, any man, but, as time goes on, and her relationship with Andrew evolves, her real self begins to shine through, and she’s like a completely different person.

Sadie and Nate have a continual presence in THE FIRST TASTE, and seeing them now must be like seeing how they were before they got to the point they were at in SLIP OF THE TONGUE. They are easy with each other, a couple secure in their love for each other, and there in every way to support Andrew, Bell, and, later, Amelia. And the rest of the supporting characters bring unconditional love and support, and made this read even better.

I knew that I would like this book, because the short glimpse that I’d had of Andrew and Bell in the first book had me invested in them. I didn’t know, though, that I would love this one even just a little bit more. Where SLIP OF THE TONGUE was viscerally intense, keeping me wound up throughout, THE FIRST TASTE has a bit more softness to it, somehow. There is still plenty of angst, of oh, no, she didn’t moments, but the personalities of Andrew, Bell, and Amelia, along with the softer and more relaxed Sadie and Nate, spoke to me in a different way. This is a definite 5-star read for me, and I highly recommend both books. They are absolutely on my list of top reads for this year, and they should be on your TBR.

***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***

______________________________

About the Author

Jessica Hawkins grew up between the purple mountains and under the endless sun of Palm Springs, California. She studied international business at Arizona State University and has also lived in Costa Rica and New York City. To her, the most intriguing fiction is forbidden, and that’s what you’ll find in her stories. Currently, she resides wherever her head lands, which is often the unexpected (but warm) keyboard of her trusty MacBook.

Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Website

Blog Tour + 5 Star Review : Beyond The Pine by Kate Benson

Posted on 08/04/2016 by shellbellereads

Blog Tour – Beyond the Pine by Kate Benson

Book – Beyond the Pine

Author – Kate Benson

Blog Tour – 1st – 7th August

Hosted by Hooked on books & Cherry0Blossoms Promotions

***This book contains adult content and is intended for
mature readers***

Watch and pray that you may not enter temptation…

What if in one moment, you find out your life—your entire
existence was a lie?

When rogue, nomad biker Asher Reed finds himself on the side
of the road injured from an accident, he assumes he’s taken his final ride.
Waking days later in an infirmary located within a secret, religious compound,
his first impulse is to run. His church had always been the road, and he, the
last man who should be among the faithful. When his raven-haired caretaker
appears, his instincts and everything he once believed in diminishes, leaving
only temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing…

Riley Chapman had long ago resigned herself to a life of
order, reverence, and duty. Her coveted role as assistant to the Reverend
should be enough to keep her happy, content with her life. Her whole life she
wondered about what was on the other side of the tree line she’d always been
told would keep her safe.

What if she wasn’t safe anymore?

But the flesh is weak.

When a chance encounter pulls Asher and Riley together and
temptation is too much to resist, how can they keep their dangerous secret? In
a place where secrets are sins and the trustworthy can’t be trusted, who will
they turn to in search of salvation?

Beyond the Pine is a dark, multi-POV standalone romance that
will have you gasping, swooning and on the edge of your seat.

Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon AU

____________________________

Michel’s Review

Beyond The Pine is the first book I have read by Kate Benson. I can honestly say that I am impressed with her gift of storytelling. I was immediately drawn into the story within the first few paragraphs. I was held captive by the characters and their story. Unlike them, I was not looking for escape. I wanted to experience every moment with them.

***

When I read the synopsis for Beyond The Pine, I was intrigued. Not many authors attempt this kind of story plot because of the magnitude of responsibility in building the world, creating believable characters that readers can identify with, and building sexual tension in a suppressed world is very difficult. Every passage and chapter has to be perfectly synchronized with acute timing to make this kind of story work. The author also has to be extremely careful with the religious content in the story. Kate Benson met each of these specifications and delivered a story that came alive.

***

Riley was born on the “farm”, a religious compound hidden deep within the forest. As a member of this community, she is bound to her duties bestowed upon her by the lord and the Reverend. She has never questioned her place within the community until a stranger is taken into the infirmary after a motorcycle accident. She is drawn to this stranger and begins to defy the rules placed upon her. Asher Reed has opened Riley’s heart. She’s finding a desire to learn more about the world outside, she’s learning the desires of the soul, and learning the desires of the body.

***

Asher Reed woke up in a very strange world. A world that seemed to be lost in time. It is abundantly clear that he has stumbled into a religious occult. As he recovers from his injuries, he begins questioning his own life. He has been a nomad all of his life. He belongs to a different kind of world, a world that ties him to his motorcycle club. After meeting Riley, he’s willing to give up his nomadic ways and live a life of humble simplicity. She is the everything he never knew he wanted. He will do anything to keep her by his side.

***

The Reverend has other plans for Riley’s life. Those plans don’t include Asher Reed. The Reverend puts his will into motion and Riley’s life is spinning out of control. The more she defy’s the Reverends will, the more dangerous her life becomes. The Reverend is hiding horrific secrets that could not only destroy her life but also all of the lives in the community.

***

Riley and Asher are fighting for the impossible dream. Freedom is far beyond the pines.

***

I could not put this book down. I was glued to the pages. Kate Benson is a gifted author and I hope other readers will discover her talent.

***

The only thing that may be holding this book back is the cover itself. It is said the cover doesn’t sell a book, it’s the content that sells. I find this an untrue conception. Newer authors or lesser known authors need all the help they can get in todays competitive market. Dynamic covers capture the buyers attention. The cover for this book seems to fit Riley’s character but does not attract the buyers eye. A more dynamic cover could make this book stand out on all of the retail sites.

___________________________

Author Links

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/katebensonauthor

Benson’s Book Babes (Fan Club/Reader Group):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PromiseSeriesSupportGroup/

Go Baby! Book Obsession Book Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/GoBabyBookObsession/

Go Baby! Book Obsession Book Page:

https://www.facebook.com/GoBabyBookPage

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Katebensonauthr

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/24034636-kate-benson

Instagram:

http://instagram.com/katebensonauthor/

Amazon Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00J81M3GQ

Kate Benson was raised in Texas and currently resides in
central Florida with her husband, their two dogs and two cats. She learned to
read at the age of four and has been hooked ever since.

She credits her passion for literature to her mother, her love of story-telling
to her father and her unwavering faith in happily-ever-after’s to her husband,
Sean.

Some of her favorite things include rainy days, loud music, superhero movies,
hot tea and of course, lazy afternoons with a great book.

To find out more about Kate, her work or to just say hello, she loves hearing
from her readers and can be found on social media.

❤❤❤ ❤

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New Release + 5 Star Review: Veiled by Karina Halle – An Ada Palomino Story

Posted on 08/03/2016 by shellbellereads

Veiled

An Ada Palomino Story – Book 1

By Karina Halle

Buy: Amazon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lie and The Pact comes a new romance that will test your limits and leave you breathless.

Death.

It’s something that Ada Palomino has always known so well, having grown up in a house of horrors, surrounded by a family plagued by ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night.

But after the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years ago, death has never felt so personal.

Or so close.

Now eighteen, Ada is trying to move on with her life and the last month of summer holds nothing but sunshine and promises with her first year at a Portland design school just around the bend.

That is until her increasingly violent and realistic dreams, dreams of other worlds, of portals and veils where her mother is tortured and souls bleed for mercy, start to blend into reality. Ada has to lean on her older sister, Perry, to try and make sense of it all but even then, she’s never felt more alone.

Then there’s Jay. Tall, handsome and deeply mysterious, Jay would be just another stranger, a familiar face on the bus, if it wasn’t for the fact that Ada has met him before.

Every night.

In every single dream.

And the more that Ada is drawn to him in both worlds, the more she’s in danger of losing everything.

Including her heart.

And her very soul.

Excerpt

Then, out of nowhere:

“You looked beautiful tonight, by the way.”

Oh jeez. Be still my fucking heart.

I try and swallow, his words, the sincerity in his voice rocking my world off-balance. “Which part? When the power went out or when Jacob went upstairs to fight a demon?” I joke. But I joke because I’m feeling this a little too much.

“All of it. You know why I call you Princess?” he asks, his tone graver than before, like he’s letting me in on a very deep secret.

“Because I’m a spoiled brat?”

“Because you’re beautiful.”

Well that shut me up. The sentence hangs in the air, larger than life.

He clears his throat and goes on and I have to fight against the urge to roll over and face him. “You have this way about you. You don’t see it. But I do. Like you’re born royalty. The way you hold yourself. Your walk. The face of an angel.”

Butterflies take flight in my gut, spreading through my veins until my whole body feels like its floating. “Why are you being so nice to me? Am I going to die?”

He laughs softly. “I don’t know why I’m saying these things. Just seemed like the things to say. You’re destined for something great, Ada, I know this. And it’s an honor to help see you through it.”

His words cascade down on me like ashes from a fire. Where they land, I’m ignited.

Jay thinks I’m beautiful.

And more than that, he believes in me.

Silence settles over us, stealing time. I hear him breathing in the dark, steady as a heartbeat. He might even be sleeping.

But I can’t even begin to shut down. My entire body, from the top of my scalp, down to my toes, is buzzing with heat and electricity. It’s like everything I felt for him before, everything I try to ignore, is coming out in full force, responding to his words, to his body so close to mine. I can feel the warmth at my back, sinking into my spine, just from his presence only.

I’m starting to have feelings for him. Not just in a he’s a giant hulking beast who’s here to protect me from the underworld way. But real feelings, slowly creeping into my heart, day by day.

The thought is terrifying in the same way that demons are terrifying.

They both might take possession of me.

They both might ruin me.

And I’m not sure how much of me I’ll have left.

______________________________

Michel’s Review

I am a huge Karina Halle fan. I started with her Experiment In Terror series several years ago. I anxiously awaited for each new release. It was very hard to see this series end. The EIT series ended exactly the way it should have and left readers satisfied that Dex and Perry were going to live their happily ever after. It also left a character hanging in the background screaming for her own story. Little Fifteen, otherwise known as Ada Palomino, was coming into her own. It was clear she had inherited the gift that had been passed down through the generations of women in her family. Little Fifteen was a bit too young to be dealing the other side. She needed time to be a teenager, grow up, and become a woman in her own right. She needed time to heal from the aftermath of her mother’s death. Her family needed time to become “normal”. Clearly to say I have been waiting for Ada to grow up is an understatement. It’s been two years since the last EIT book released. Two years for Ada to grasp her gift. Ada is now eighteen, ready to begin college, and more importantly ready for her gift. Veiled is just the beginning for Ada Palomino.

For the newer fans of Karina Halle, this book is going to be quite different from her new adult and contemporary romances. If you are not a huge fan of the paranormal genre, that’s okay. Veiled has a romantic element to it that has only just begun. Veiled can easily stand on it’s own merit as a paranormal romance or new adult romance ( with a touch of horror). I think this book is going to take the newer readers by great surprise. It’s going to open a new door in their Karina Halle world. I can almost guarantee that many will be downloading the Experiment In Terror series ( a great paranormal / horror romance series) and The Devil’s Metal Duology ( rock star paranormal / horror romance). For the EIT fans, Veiled is a long awaited gift.

Getting to the meat of the story, Veiled is chilling, hair raising turn in Ada Palomino’s life. Her sister Perry has moved out and married Dex ( Experiment In Terror series). For the past two years she and her father are trying to cope with their grief and loss of her mother. They are trying to forge a new normal in their lives after the horrors that plagued Perry’s world took their toll. Ada is beginning to experience some bone chilling dreams that have her scared out of her wits. These dreams are horrifically real. Her sister Perry is also sensing Ada’s predicament. When new neighbors move in ( Dawn and Sage from Devil’s Metal series), Ada’s world becomes more frightening. Part of their entourage is J.J. Abrams, the ridiculously hot guy Ada keeps seeing, and Jacob, a older middle aged man with a bad fashion sense. There is something peculiar about her new neighbors. Her new neighbors were sent because she is coming into her own, her gift is becoming stronger. They were sent for protection, guidance, and mentoring.

Jay Abrams is Ada’s Jacob. His mission is to protect her at all costs. He is neither bad nor good. He is her immortal protector with very human qualities. His assignment is to guide her and help develop her strengths. The depths of hell are reaching out for Ada. They are holding her mother’s soul in prison. She is the only one who can go through the Veil and into hell to save her mother. She just needs to learn to use her powers before it’s too late for her mother.

Jay is a unique Jacob. He still remembers his human life before he became a Jacob. That life is a story onto itself that makes him even more intriguing. He has a very strong pull to Ada that reaches beyond the normal scope of Jacob duties. His soul is drawn to her pure beauty within. He must deny this attraction, it could get Ada killed or damn her soul to hell. Denying this attraction is impossible.

Ada and Jay begin an illicit forbidden relationship that nearly destroys them both. The relationship gives evil a powerful edge. When they are walking through hell it takes a toll on them both. They may not survive. If they do, they may not return the same people they were before they entered the realm.

As for the rest…and the true love story… read the book.

Karina once again did a magnificent job writing this book. Her detailed descriptions bring the story to life. The reader experiences the journey right along with Ada and Jay. The detailed descriptions heighten all of the five senses and it seems like you are right there in the moment. The love story has a life of it’s own that makes this book shine. It leaves the readers wanting more from Ada and Jay.

At the end of the book Karina writes a very in depth view into her mind and writing world. Reach out and let her know how Ada and Jay’s story touched you. Hopefully their story will live on and take a new journey.

______________________________________

QUESTIONS ABOUT VEILED

Q: Is this YA?

A: No. The main character is 18 and there is sex, crude language and violence in the book. It is recommended for mature teens or 18 and up.

Q: Is there a cliffhanger?

A: Nope! There’s also no cheating and no love triangle (think I’ve covered the bases there!)

Q: Do I need to read the series (Experiment in Terror) that Veiled is a spinoff of first?

A: Absolutely not. Veiled stands alone. You do not need to have read the EIT series beforehand as this follows a different character (Ada Palomino) and a different storyline. However for those who have read EIT, all your favorites are in the book!

Q: Is it horror? Your other series was and I don’t handle scary very well…

A: No, it’s paranormal romance (though I promise you there are no vampires or werewolves), and while there are creepy elements to the story, it wouldn’t be classified as horror. If you can read KMM’s Fever Series or ANY urban fantasy, you’ll be fine.

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit http://www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

FACEBOOK TWITTER GOODREADS AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Release Blitz + 5 Star Review: Exiled by Jasinda Wilder – Madame X Trilogy – Book 3

Posted on 08/02/2016 by shellbellereads

Exiled

Madame X Trilogy – Book 3

By Jasinda Wilder

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Jasinda Wilder presents the conclusion to Madame X’s thrilling saga of discovery.

My name is Madame X.
My heart is torn in two.
And now I have to choose…

Caleb is everything to her: lover, caretaker, the man who gave her life meaning when she had none. But as she seeks the truth about herself and her past, she discovers that unravelling Caleb’s web of lies might very well be impossible.

Logan is everything she never knew she wanted: freedom, joy, and a passion she couldn’t anticipate. But is Logan’s love enough to save her from herself, from Caleb, and from the tumultuous truth of her past?

Caught between two equally compelling men, X must make the ultimate choice. But there’s more at stake than just her heart…

__________________________

Michel’s Review

Exiled should not be read as stand alone novel. It should be read in series order.

Exiled by Jasinda Wilder is the powerful conclusion in the Madame X trilogy. Finally all the questions are answered and Madame X is finally free to live her life. The answers are not what readers are expecting and everything is not completely black and white.

Caleb Indigo has had complete control of Madame X’s life. What she thought was her history is nothing like the real truth. Her existence as Madame X is nothing more than a fabricated lie. Caleb has molded her into a woman that meets every one of his needs and agendas. He conditioned her to respond rather than react. He wants complete control of her emotions, opinions, and physical existence. His obsession with her goes beyond the four walls he has kept her imprisoned within.

Logan Ryder only wants what is best for Madame X. He wants to be her partner, friend, confident, and lover. He gives his love and support freely. He uses his wealth and power to help her find herself. He’s found her name and now it’s up to her to claim it.

Madame X has discovered that she is a person. Her emotions, feelings, likes and dislikes are valid. Her quest to find her real past is an emotional journey. Without her memories, she is a shell of a person.

Caleb is fighting to hold onto Madame X. Logan is fighting for the woman he loves. Madame X is fighting to become whole.

Madame X has taken a difficult journey that was meticulously plotted by Caleb, unexpectedly detoured by Logan, and ended with Madame X reaching her final destination, herself.

Jasinda Wilder wrote an intriguing trilogy that kept me glued to the pages. The characters were dynamic and charismatic.

I highly recommend the Madame X trilogy by Jasinda Wilder.

_________________________

Author Bio:

NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, WALL STREET JOURNAL and international bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. Her bestselling titles include ALPHA, STRIPPED, WOUNDED, and the #1 Amazon and international bestseller FALLING INTO YOU. You can find her on her farm in Northern Michigan with her husband, author Jack Wilder, her five children and menagerie of animals.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Burn by Elisabeth Grace – The Duplicity Duet – Book 2

Posted on 07/27/2016 by shellbellereads

Burn

Duplicity Duet – Book 2

By Elisabeth Grace

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

Synopsis

The stunning conclusion to the Duplicity Duet from USA Today Bestselling Author Elisabeth Grace.

“No”

One word.
Two letters.

But those two letters changed everything.

It was impossible to predict the impact I would have on the life of the only woman I’d ever truly loved. No way to know that I would result in her ruin.
I’d suffer for eternity with the knowledge that it was me who brought devastation to her doorstep.

Though I deserved the anguish I felt, to see her suffer was unacceptable.

I would fix this.

Somehow I would prove to her that I wasn’t the monster she thought I was.

Even if it meant becoming a monster in order to make that happen.

Excerpt

Then the door swung open and there he was. For a brief moment I was taken by his handsome features—his olive skin and pronounced jaw, the sparkle in his dark eyes, his perfect, straight nose. More than anything, it was the pull that remained between us that surprised me. Like I was a planet still circling his sun.

There was a moment when we locked eyes that the gravity of all that had happened wasn’t weighing heavy between us, and it almost caused me to stumble back.

Then, after the moment of intimacy had passed, I was sure I saw dread slip over his expression. I wasn’t going to stay put and find out though.

I wouldn’t be standing on his doorstep begging for whatever scraps of information he deemed worthy of casting my way. No, I was here to demand what he, at the very least, owed me, and I wouldn’t leave until he gave it to me.

“We need to talk.” I pushed past him, careful not to make contact, and bolted down the hallway toward the living room.

“Emily, this isn’t a good time.” Marco’s footsteps followed quickly behind me.

“I don’t care. Put aside whatever it is you’re doing. I want answers.”

I came to an abrupt stop when I stepped into the living/dining area and found Alexa sprawled across the couch like she was a feast ready to be enjoyed.

Her blouse was half unbuttoned, her legs draped over the cushions, causing her skirt to ride up a bit on her thighs, and her lips slightly swollen. Her lipstick had been rubbed off her mouth and onto her skin. She wore a saccharine smile that I wanted to rip off her face.

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned back to Marco. “Oh, I see. Well, pardon me for interrupting.” There was no disguising the venom in my voice.

His tortured gazed darted from me to her and back a few times before he schooled his features and responded. “Can we have this conversation some other time?” he asked, his voice neutral.

“Marco, who’s this?” Alexa purred from behind me.

I spun to address her with a fake smile on my face. “I’m Emily. We met at the art show a few months ago when I was there with Marco. Back when we were still fucking. You can call me Brandi, though.” I turned to lock gazes with him before finishing. “Everyone who knows me intimately does.”

His fists clenched at his sides and his jaw tightened. Good. Some small part of me was pleased that I was still able to elicit a reaction like that from him.

I swung my attention back to the blonde on the couch. “I’m sorry to swing by unannounced like this and interrupt what was obviously going to be a good time for you both. I just need a few minutes with Marco, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Alexa’s eyes narrowed on me for a moment, and though she was playing nice with me—probably for Marco’s benefit—it was clear she wasn’t pleased with the interruption.

“Perhaps I should go,” she said.

“No!” Marco said, whip fast. “Emily should be the one to leave.”

Not going to lie.

That stung.

A lot.

No matter that everything between Marco and I had been based on lies, the fact that I was so easily tossed aside smarted.

“I’m not going anywhere until we speak.” I leveled him with a gaze that told him I was serious.

“Why don’t you use my bathroom to freshen up, Alexa? It’s that way through my bedroom.” He pointed toward the room that we’d spent many a night in. “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”

A victorious smile crept across her face, and her gaze swung to me as she rose from the couch. She brushed her fingers across Marco’s chest as she passed him. “Don’t be too long.”

He nodded but didn’t spare her a glance as she passed, his gaze still fixed on me.

As soon as the bedroom door closed, I spoke. “Sorry to interrupt your play time, Marco, but you owe me some answers and I’m ready to collect.”

Haven’t met Marco Valenti yet, Now is your chance!

Hook (Book One)

Hook

The Duplicity Duet – Book 1

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

Synopsis

Women loathed me without even knowing my name. Men coveted the very idea of me.

Escort. Call girl. Prostitute. Hooker. Whore.

I’d heard it all. Done it all.

Over the years I’d felt a lot of things about my occupation…but not regret–never regret. I had my reasons for doing what I did and nothing and no one had ever made me question them.

UNTIL MARCO VALENTI.

He’d changed me and I’d naively fed into the fairy tale.

But Marco wasn’t my Prince Charming.

He had secrets of his own.

Secrets that would eventually rip away everything I held dear.

________________________________

Michel’s Review

The Duplicity Duet by Elisabeth Grace has cranked up to the heat with the final book, Burn. It was an intense and smoldering conclusion in this erotic romantic suspense duet.

Hook ended with a cliffhanger. High class Vegas call girl Brandi has fallen in love with her client Marco Valenti. Marco is a secretive and mysterious man that seems to have ties with the mafia. As their relationship begins to grow, Brandi is finally letting her guard down and allowing Marco into her real world. She is a mother of a special needs child. The responsibilities and medical care for a special needs child forced her to become a high class call girl. Her real name is Emily.

Marco’s secret business dealings have put Emily and her son in danger. They are forced to move in with Marco until he can take the necessary actions to eliminate the danger. His enemies strike before Marco has a chance. They have kidnapped Emily’s son. It soon becomes apparent that her son is dead.

Emily wants revenge on both Marco and the people that killed her son. She will do anything to extract that revenge. It’s a very dangerous vendetta and could cost her life. She has nothing left to live for. Her son is dead and the only man she loved and trusted betrayed her.

Marco is also out for revenge. He will bring down the man that killed Emily’s son. He will bring down his empire. His actions caused him to lose Emily and the chance of having a real family.

Burn was a powerful conclusion. I could not put this book down.

Elisabeth Grace has delivered an erotic thriller that will leave the readers hooked and burned.

______________________________

USA Today Bestselling author, Elisabeth Grace, has a soft spot for romance novels with happily ever afters and a hot spot for alpha males! She currently lives outside Toronto, Canada with her hubby and two small children. Life is busy, but never to busy for a good story and to share her love of reading and writing with others.

Connect with Elisabeth Grace

Pre Release + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken – Wingman Series – Book 2

Posted on 07/27/2016 by shellbellereads

Wingman rule number two: never reveal how much you want them.

Then again, she’s always wanted a little danger.

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

TAKE A LOOK AT THE EPIC COVER HERE

I hated him.

HATED him.

Hate, hate, hate. I chanted the words to myself that very next morning as I stomped toward his ridiculously expensive house, next to the ridiculously nice lake, with his ridiculously loud red Mercedes parked out front. Jackass.

I’d be doing society a favor if I set it on fire.

Seriously.

The thing was probably filled with so much bodily fluid and disease that if he got in a car accident he’d infect the entire freeway and start a citywide epidemic.

I shuddered.

I compartmentalized Lex into two boxes.

The first box was Childhood Lex, the friend who used to hang out with Ian and me before he moved across town, never to be seen again. He used to ride with me to school, and when I was sick he gave me my own box of Kleenex—never mind that he stole it from his teacher’s desk. The point is, Childhood Lex was a keeper.

Box number two?

Asshole Lex, also known as the version I was walking toward. The Lex I met when I was eighteen, who momentarily stunned me speechless with his godlike beauty, had been a figment of my overactive, sad, hormone-riddled imagination.

On the outside? The perfect man.

With a brooding and sultry smile.

Biceps the size of my head.

Who gave me the distinct feeling that if I ran my hands over his buzzed hair I’d orgasm before he even touched me.

Whatever. I was over it. So over it.

A lot of people had stupid crushes when they were eighteen, right?

Now all I saw when I looked into his stormy blue eyes was syph or the clap, and that was being generous. The dude was a walking STD and seriously tried every nerve I had. He was an ass. Plain and simple, no sugar coating. He was the type of guy who’d tell a chick that she looked fat in a dress or who refused to share the communal breadbasket. See! He couldn’t even adhere to typical manners during mealtime! Just thinking about him had me tied up in knots.

Last year, when I went shopping and stupidly invited Ian along—which of course meant Lex had to come—I was told in no uncertain terms that if I would just stop drinking chocolate milk in the morning I’d be able to fit into a smaller size.

He’d smiled.

His dimples had deepened.

He’d even crossed his arms as if to say, Look, I did you a favor, pat me on the back.

Instead I had kicked him in the balls and tried to give him a black eye, clocking Ian in the face.

My point? Lex. Was. The. Devil.

I made a point of only hanging out with Lex when absolutely necessary, and even then I almost always had Ian as a buffer. But now that he was playing love nest with my ex-roomie, Blake? Well, I was on my own.

Lex opened the door after my third aggressive knock. Black sweatpants hung low on his hips, a vintage Mariners shirt fell open around his neck, and he was wearing black-framed glasses that made his eyes more appealing than should be legal.

“Sunshine,” he said, his smirk deepening as he crossed his burly arms over his chest.

“Dickhead.” I smiled sweetly. “New glasses? They look thicker than last time.”

“Better to see you with.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits. “There they are.” He reached for one of my boobs.

I slapped his hand away so hard my palm stung.

“Probably not the best way to treat your new male clients.” He shook his hand and turned towards the living room leaving the door wide open. Manners were completely lost on him.

Gritting my teeth, I slammed the door behind me and took off my shoes because I knew if I didn’t he’d give me hell.

He was a freak like that.

For as much ass as he got, it was shocking how much Lysol he used around the house. His clothes were never wrinkled; everything was pristine.

Even his breath.

Damn him.

He drank coffee like a Starbucks employee but never had coffee breath.

It was almost painful, staring him in the face, knowing that everything on the outside appeared perfect—but didn’t match the inside at all, not even close!

Beauty like Lex’s was dangerous and wickedly tempting, like something out of a paranormal romance novel. Sometimes, at night, when I dreamed of Lex getting hit by a car, I imagined him as a vampire roaming the streets in his favorite black sweats, shirtless, shimmering under the streetlights, just waiting for whores to line up so he could take a few bites.

A pencil flew by my head.

“Yo.” Lex’s eyebrows shot up. “We have a lot of work to do if we’re going to get you ready for the next two clients. Daydream about chicks on your own time.”

“I’m not a lesbian.”

He bit on his bottom lip, sinking back in his chair as his eyes slowly roamed from my mismatched socks all the way up to my head. “Okay, whatever you say, Gabs.”

I will not commit homicide. I will not commit homicide. “You know,” I said as I tossed my purse onto the table, “it’s offensive that you assume all lesbians dress like crap.” So what? I was wearing a ratty white T-shirt and ripped jeans, and I was pretty sure I still had mascara on from the night before. It was my Lex repellant. He hated sloppiness.

“Offensive.” He nodded. “Also true . . .” He used the spare pencil from behind his ear to slide my purse over to the farthest side of the table. “It wouldn’t kill you to wear something other than jeans and T-shirts, Gabs.” He sighed. “Say it with me: dresssss—”

I grabbed the pencil from his hand, broke it into two pieces, and handed them back to him. “I wear dresses, just not for you. Dresses are your kryptonite, especially short black ones. I refuse to be a part of your ‘shower time.’”

He snorted. “You wish.”

“Yes. Every night when I go to sleep I pray for Lex to dream of me while he jerks off because yet another girl refused to follow his instructions in bed : ‘Damn it, use the manual!’” I said, using my best imitation of Lex’s voice. I’d only heard him shout instructions to a girl once, and it had scarred me for life. What the hell are you doing? Do I look like I’m satisfied? There’s a diagram! Ugh.

Lex rolled his eyes. “Very funny, and the manual is there for a reason. Do you even know how many chicks get confused when I call out sexual positions? It’s like, get there faster, you know?”

My feelings were torn between fascination and disgust. “So,” I changed the subject. “Let’s train, because I have about ten years worth of Organic Chem homework.”

Lex sighed and held out his hand.

“No.” I crossed my arms. “I don’t need help.”

Okay, I needed help, desperately needed help, and Lex wasn’t just passably smart but a certified genius, at least when he applied himself. I refused to ask him to go over my homework just because Organic Chem was, to me, like reading a foreign language.

He cleared his throat.

I didn’t move.

Finally, he stood, slowly walked over to the end of the table, and fished the chem book from my oversized purse. “What chapter?”

“Lex—”

“If I’m teaching you Organic Chem, at least say Professor Lex.”

“Listen very closely, Lex.” I went over and jerked my book out of his hands. “I didn’t need your help last year when I almost failed biology, and I sure as hell don’t need your help now. Let’s just get this training done so I can go home and suffer in silence, alright?”

“Fine.” He dropped my book against the table and then, without warning, grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me against the counter that bordered the kitchen. My butt hit the cupboard . “Up until now we’ve been helping people find their perfect match. Basically acting like a wingman so that the idiots of this world see the girl who’s been standing in front of them all along .”

Why was he standing so close? Did we have to be touching? I told my body not to respond to his proximity, but Lex was magnetic, even if every part of him was evil. My brain was having trouble functioning while his large palms were pressed into the tops of my shoulders.

“Okay.” I swallowed. “And now that you’re allowing guys to become clients of Wingmen Inc., I basically do the same thing. Give them confidence, help them capture the one girl who’s always seen them as the friend—or worse, who they’ve been invisible to.”

“What’s that like, I wonder?” Lex still didn’t release me. “Being invisible . . . Maybe next time a dude ignores you, take notes.”

And another insult.

“Lex.” I huffed out a breath. “Just get on with it.”

“Right.” His eyes momentarily locked on mine before he rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses were perched. It was not sexy. It wasn’t. Really. That. Sexy. “So whenever we take on a new client, we give them a list of questions, meet them in a public place, and then use the power of human emotions like jealousy and curiosity to get the other person interested. That’s where you come in. If another girl sees our client as desirable, he becomes desirable.”

“That easy?”

“Sort of.” Lex leaned forward. “But you can’t suck.”

“Suck?”

“At anything.” His lips hovered near my mouth. He was starting to freak me out. I wanted to run away, but I was pinned.

“Lex, if you kiss me I will bite your tongue off. I swear.”

“If I was actually kissing you”—Lex released one of my shoulders and placed a finger against my mouth—“you’d know it. This, my frumpy friend, is training.”

His lips descended.

They pressed against mine, then pulled back. “Yeah.” He shook his head. “Gabs, you’re going to need to open your mouth a bit more. Guys are stupid. They always assume that more tongue means better kissing, when the opposite is true, but you still need to have your lips parted, not locked down like Fort Knox.”

“What’s happening?” I tried to push away from him.

Lex rolled his eyes. “Gabs, believe me, this is all business. You can even keep your hand on my junk the whole time.”

“What!” I roared.

“So you know without a doubt that nothing about you turns me on.” He grinned menacingly. “Seriously, I don’t mind.”

“I do!”

“Hey!” He chuckled. “I was just trying to help.”

“Grabbing your penis is not the answer, Lex!”

“Weird, because it so often is.”

“I hate today.”

“Is it the rain?” He frowned.

“It’s not—”

“It is.”

“Stop that!” I shoved him. “Hurry up and grade my kissing skills so I can go home and study.”

“Kissing, hand holding, hugging, cuddling, laughing, winking—just a few things you need to master.” He was firing off so many horrible, body-numbing words.

“Just hurry up,” I grumbled in a defeated voice as I tried to block out the fact that he was a good-looking ass who offended me with every single breath he took.

“Ah . . .” Lex held up his hand. “One never hurries a kiss.”

“What about a passionate kiss?”

“A passionate kiss isn’t hurried, it’s frenzied. Damn, don’t you know anything?”

Heat swamped my cheeks.

“How many guys have you kissed, Gabs?”

“Plenty!” Five. I’d kissed five.

“You blush down your neck when you lie.” Lex cupped my chin and then brought his lips down against mine again. “Part.”

Sighing against his mouth, I relaxed my lips while his slid across.

He pulled back, wearing a frown of irritation. “A bit more, Gabs. Guys want access.”

I kept my eyes open.

So did he.

I didn’t want him assuming I was into it, which was probably his exact line of thinking. Only keeping my eyes open was an entirely raw experience, watching him watch me while I felt him.

I shivered.

“Cold?” That stupid smirk was back.

“Frigid.” I glared, putting myself down before he had a chance to.

“You read my mind.” He nodded seriously. “Now stop being a bitch, and let me teach you how to kiss.”

“I know how to kiss!” I don’t know what came over me—maybe it was the need to prove myself, or possibly it was just stress over the entire situation. Needing to stay in school and hating that he was the answer, I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped, my hips colliding with his as I mauled his mouth with as much passion as I could conjure up, this time closing my eyes and putting everything I had into it.

With a growl, Lex pushed me back against the countertop. As my butt collided with the edge, his tongue plunged into my mouth and his hands dug into my hair, pulling it free from its ponytail while he changed positions his lips demanding a punishing kiss from a different angle as his he gave my hair a harder tug back.

I grasped at his T-shirt, pulling him closer and nearly falling backward into the sink.

And then, just when I was in danger of losing myself to the kiss that would probably be the best kiss of my life, I bit down on his bottom lip.

That move didn’t work out the way I’d planned, not at all. In my head it was smart. I’d piss him off, get him to pull back and leave me alone.

It did nothing of the sort.

Nothing of the sort at all.

With a hiss he pulled back, fire blazing in his eyes. For a split second that seemed to go on for an eternity, he hovered and I waited, both of us on the edge of something. He wet his lips, I mimicked the movement, and then, like a snake, he struck. His mouth fused to mine in a punishing kiss, one that bruised my mouth while imprinting its essence on my soul.

Passionate couple kissing, boy and girl sitting on wooden floor near the rumpled bed opposite the window.

________________________________

Michel’s Review

Lex is a villian. He is going to steal Gabbi’s complete heart. He is going to destroy anything that stands in the way. He’s bringing out his secret weapon, he’s bringing the pirates booty.

Along the way a love story is going to emerge in the aftermath of the destruction from the Matchmakers Replacement.

Rachel Van Dyken has knocked it out the park with this fun diabolical romance.

________________________________

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .

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Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: The Angels’ Share by J. R. Ward – The Bourbon Kings Series – Book 2

Posted on 07/26/2016 by shellbellereads

The Angel’s Share

The Bourbon Kings Series – Book 2

By J. R. Ward

Buy: Amazon / B & N / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward delivers the second novel in her Bourbon Kings series—a sweeping saga of a Southern dynasty struggling to maintain a façade of privilege and prosperity, while secrets and indiscretions threaten its very foundation……

In Charlemont, Kentucky, the Bradford family is the crème de la crème of high society—just like their exclusive brand of bourbon. And their complicated lives and vast estate are run by a discrete staff who inevitably become embroiled in their affairs. This is especially true now, when the apparent suicide of the family patriarch is starting to look more and more like murder…
No one is above suspicion—especially the eldest Bradford son, Edward. The bad blood between him and his father is known far and wide, and he is aware that he could be named a suspect. As the investigation into the death intensifies, he keeps himself busy at the bottom of a bottle—as well as with his former horse trainer’s daughter. Meanwhile, the family’s financial future lies in the perfectly manicured hands of a business rival, a woman who wants Edward all to herself.

Everything has consequences; everybody has secrets. And few can be trusted. Then, at the very brink of the family’s demise, someone thought lost to them forever returns to the fold. Maxwell Bradford has come home. But is he a savior…or the worst of all the sinners?

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Excerpt

Toyota trucks were not supposed to go seventy-five miles an hour. Especially when they were ten years old.

At least the driver was wide awake, even though it was four a.m.

Lizzie King had a death grip on the steering wheel, and her foot on the accelerator was actually catching floor as she headed for a rise in the highway.

She had woken up in her bed at her farmhouse alone. Ordinarily, that would have been the status quo, but not anymore, not now that Lane was back in her life. The wealthy playboy and the estate’s gardener had finally gotten their act together, love bonding two unlikelies closer and stronger than the molecules of a diamond.

And she was going to stand by him, no matter what the future held.

After all, it was so much easier to give up extraordinary wealth when you had never known it, never aspired to it—and especially when you had seen behind its glittering curtain to the sad, desolate desert on the far side of the glamour and prestige.

God, the stress Lane was under.

And so out of bed she had gotten. Down the creaking stairs she had gone. And all around her little house’s first floor she had wandered.

When Lizzie had looked outside, she’d discovered his car was missing, the Porsche he drove and parked beside the maple by her front porch nowhere to be seen. And as she had wondered why he had left without telling her, she had begun to worry.

Just a matter of nights since his father had killed himself, only a matter of days since William Baldwine’s body had been found on the far side of the Falls of the Ohio. And ever since then Lane’s face had had a faraway look, his mind churning always with the missing money, the divorce papers he had served on the rapacious Chantal, the status of the household bills, the precarious situation at the Bradford Bourbon Company, his brother Edward’s terrible physical condition, Miss Aurora’s illness.

But he hadn’t said a thing about any of it. His insomnia had been the only sign of the pressure, and that was what scared her. Lane always made an effort to be composed around her, asking her about her work in Easterly’s gardens, rubbing her bad shoulder, making her dinner, usually badly, but who cared. Ever since they had gotten the air cleared between them and had fully recommitted to their relationship, he had all but moved into her farmhouse—and as much as she loved having him with her, she had been waiting for the implosion to occur.

It would almost have been easier if he had been ranting and raving.

And now she feared that time had come—and some sixth sense made her terrified about where he had gone. Easterly, the Bradford Family Estate, was the first place she thought of. Or maybe the Old Site, where his family’s bourbon was still made and stored. Or perhaps Miss Aurora’s Baptist church?

Yes, Lizzie had tried him on his phone. And when the thing had rung on the table on his side of the bed, she hadn’t waited any longer after that. Clothes on. Keys in hand. Out to the truck.

No one else was on I-64 as she headed for the bridge to get across the river, and she kept the gas on even as she crested the hill and hit the decline to the river’s edge on the Indiana side. In response, her old truck picked up even more speed along with a death rattle that shook the wheel and the seat, but the damn Toyota was going to hold it together because she needed it to.

“Lane . . . where are you?”

God, all the times she had asked him how he was and he’d said, “Fine.” All those opportunities to talk that he hadn’t taken her up on. All the glances she’d shot him when he hadn’t been looking her way, all the time her monitoring for signs of cracking or strain. And yet there had been little to no emotion after that one moment they’d had together in the garden, that private, sacred moment when she had sought him out under the blooms of the fruit trees and told him that she’d gotten it wrong about him, that she had misjudged him, that she was prepared to make a pledge to him with the only thing she had: the deed to her farmhouse—which was exactly the kind of asset that could be sold to help pay for the lawyers’ fees as he fought to save his family.

Lane had held her, and told her he loved her—and refused her gift, explaining he was going to fix everything himself, that he was going to somehow find the stolen money, pay back the enormous debt, right the company, resurrect his family’s fortunes.

And she had believed him.

She still did.

But ever since then? He had been both as warm and closed off as a space heater, physically present and completely disengaged at the same time.

Lizzie did not blame him in the slightest.

It was strangely terrifying, however.

Off in the distance, across the river, Charlemont’s business district glowed and twinkled, a false, earthbound galaxy that was a lovely lie, and the bridge that connected the two shores was still lit up in spring green and bright pink for Derby, a preppy rainbow to that promised land. The good news was that there was no traffic, so as soon as Lizzie was on the other side, she could take the River Road exit off the highway, shoot north to Easterly’s hill, and see if his car was parked in front of the mansion.

Then she didn’t know what she was going to do.

The newly constructed bridge had three lanes going in both directions, the concrete median separating east from west tall and broad for safety purposes. There were rows of white lights down the middle, and everything was shiny, not just from the illumination, but a lack of exposure to the elements. Construction had only finished in March, and the first lines of traffic had made the crossing in early April, cutting rush-hour delays down—

Up ahead, parked in what was actually the “slow” lane, was a vehicle that her brain recognized before her eyes properly focused on it.

Lane’s Porsche. It was Lane’s—

Lizzie nailed the brake pedal harder than she’d been pounding the accelerator, and the truck made the transition from full-force forward to full-on stop with the grace of a sofa falling out a second-story window: Everything shuddered and shook, on the verge of structural disintegration, and worse, there was barely any change in velocity, as if her Toyota had worked too hard to gain the speed and wasn’t going to let the momentum go without a fight—

There was a figure on the edge of the bridge. On the very farthest edge of the bridge. On the lip of the bridge over the deadly drop.

“Lane,” she screamed. “Lane!”

Her truck went into a spin, pirouetting such that she had to wrench her head around to keep him in her sights. And she jumped out before the Toyota came to a full stop, leaving the gearshift in neutral, the engine running, the door open in her wake.

“Lane! No! Lane!”

Lizzie pounded across the pavement and surmounted barriers that seemed flimsy, too flimsy, given the distance down to the river.

Lane jerked his head around—

And lost one hold of the rail behind him.

As his grip slipped, shock registered on his face, a flash of surprise . . . that was immediately replaced by horror.

When he fell off into nothing but air.

Lizzie’s mouth could not open wide enough to release her scream.

_____________________________________

Michel’s Review

The Bourbon Kings series is quite different from the previous series by J. R. Ward. The writing and tone is in a class by itself that follows along the lines of contemporary fiction rather than romance fiction. It does not have the fast paced, intense action that readers are used to in the Black Dagger Brotherhood or Fallen Angels series. The characters are not the hard core alphas with loads of attitude to back them up. This series is based upon a prestigious family and their elite world. The characters are elitist that have been raised with entitlement and vast wealth.

The first book in the Bourbon Kings series introduced the characters, the dynamics of the Bradford family, and the death of daddy dearest. The father’s death appears to be a suicide until some very incriminating evidence is found that indicates murder. To the Bradford heirs the death of their father isn’t as devastating as it should be. He was a cruel man that mistreated his children all their lives. What is devastating is the mess he has left them in. He left the family bankrupt. He has lost over $165 million dollars in personal and business assets. He has also left behind mistresses, illegitimate children, and powerful enemies. Their distillery is close to shutting down. No body knows where the money went or how far the deceptions lie.

Lane has taken over the family finances. He’s trying to keep the family afloat, save the distillery, and save face for the business. With each debt he uncovers comes a multitude of deceptions and secrets. His siblings have fallen apart.

His older brother Edward was ruined long before Lane came home. His sister Gin is marrying a monster in order to keep her wealthy lifestyle. His brother Max has been MIA for three years. His teenage niece has returned home after being expelled from her exclusive school. His mother is in her own drug induced world and the woman that has been his mother of heart is dying. The only good thing in his life is his girlfriend, Lizzie. First he will have to divorce his conniving wife before he can marry the woman that owns his heart.

As the story unfolds it becomes very clear that everything is not as it seems on the surface. In typical J.R. Ward fashion, the reader needs to read between the lines and think outside of the box. The complexities are only beginning. I believe as the Bourbon Kings series progresses the readers are going to be in for some great surprises.

Right now the only thing the Bradfords can do to unravel the mess of their lives is to follow the money. That trail will lead to the answers that will make them all whole and a real family once again.

I know most readers were expecting this to be Edward’s book and in a sense it was. Readers are only beginning to see a small part of this very complex man. I think the revelations in future books is going to make up for what they were expecting in this book.

Like a good poker game, the game isn’t finished until all the cards are revealed and every hand has been played.

I can’t wait to see what comes next in The Bourbon Kings series. The Bradfords are in for a mighty storm.

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The Bourbon Kings

The Bourbon Kings – Book One

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Synopsis

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood delivers the first novel in an enthralling new series set amid the shifting dynamics of a Southern family defined by wealth and privilege—and compromised by secrets, deceit, and scandal….

For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.

For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.

As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.

_______________________________________________

J.R. Ward is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with more than 15 million novels in print published in 25 different countries around the world. The books in her popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series have held the #1 spot on the New York Times hardcover, mass market, eBook, and combined print/eBook fiction bestseller lists and have debuted in the top 5 on the USA Today bestseller list. Prior to her writing career, Ward worked as a lawyer in Boston and spent many years as the Chief of Staff of one of Harvard’s world-renowned academic medical centers. Ward currently lives with her family in Kentucky where she has learned to enjoy and appreciate all things Southern. Connect with her online at www.jrward.com, Facebook.com/JRWardBooks, and Twitter.com/JRWard1.

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Saucy Southern Readers

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Tag Archives: 5 Star Review

New Release + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Reaper’s Fire by Joanna Wylde – Reaper’s Motorcycle Club Series – Book 6

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review & 6 Star Review + 2016 Favorite : Swear On This Life by Renee Carlino

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review + Excerpt + Giveaway: The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken – Wingman Inc. Series – Book 2

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Release Blitz + 5 Star Review: The First Taste by Jessica Hawkins – Slip of the Tongue Series – Book 2

The First Taste by Jessica Hawkins

Series: Slip of the Tongue #2
Release Date: August 4^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Blog Tour + 5 Star Review : Beyond The Pine by Kate Benson

New Release + 5 Star Review: Veiled by Karina Halle – An Ada Palomino Story

QUESTIONS ABOUT VEILED

Q: Is this YA?

A: No. The main character is 18 and there is sex, crude language and violence in the book. It is recommended for mature teens or 18 and up.

Q: Is there a cliffhanger?

A: Nope! There’s also no cheating and no love triangle (think I’ve covered the bases there!)

Q: Do I need to read the series (Experiment in Terror) that Veiled is a spinoff of first?

A: Absolutely not. Veiled stands alone. You do not need to have read the EIT series beforehand as this follows a different character (Ada Palomino) and a different storyline. However for those who have read EIT, all your favorites are in the book!

Q: Is it horror? Your other series was and I don’t handle scary very well…

A: No, it’s paranormal romance (though I promise you there are no vampires or werewolves), and while there are creepy elements to the story, it wouldn’t be classified as horror. If you can read KMM’s Fever Series or ANY urban fantasy, you’ll be fine.

Release Blitz + 5 Star Review: Exiled by Jasinda Wilder – Madame X Trilogy – Book 3

Release Blitz + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: Burn by Elisabeth Grace – The Duplicity Duet – Book 2

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Pre Release + Excerpt + 5 Star Review: The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken – Wingman Series – Book 2

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AMAZON | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Atria Books

AMAZON | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Atria Books

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Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

Share this:

The First Taste by Jessica Hawkins

Series: Slip of the Tongue #2 Release Date: August 4th, 2016 Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK

About the Author

Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Website

Share this:

Share this:

QUESTIONS ABOUT VEILED

Q: Is this YA?

A: No. The main character is 18 and there is sex, crude language and violence in the book. It is recommended for mature teens or 18 and up.

Q: Is there a cliffhanger?

A: Nope! There’s also no cheating and no love triangle (think I’ve covered the bases there!)

Q: Do I need to read the series (Experiment in Terror) that Veiled is a spinoff of first?

A: Absolutely not. Veiled stands alone. You do not need to have read the EIT series beforehand as this follows a different character (Ada Palomino) and a different storyline. However for those who have read EIT, all your favorites are in the book!

Q: Is it horror? Your other series was and I don’t handle scary very well…

A: No, it’s paranormal romance (though I promise you there are no vampires or werewolves), and while there are creepy elements to the story, it wouldn’t be classified as horror. If you can read KMM’s Fever Series or ANY urban fantasy, you’ll be fine.

Share this:

Share this:

Connect with Elisabeth Grace

Share this:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU

Share this:

Share this:

Series: Slip of the Tongue #2
Release Date: August 4^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance