Release Day Blitz + Review- Dust To Dust by Karina Halle- The Experiment In Terror Series-Book 9- 6 Stars

Posted on 08/11/2014 by shellbellereads

Dust To Dust

Experiment In Terror Series- Book 9

By Karina Halle

Synopsis:

The dramatic conclusion to the Experiment in Terror Series.

Perry Palomino and Dex Foray.

On their own, they’re uniquely brilliant. Together, they’re an unstoppable team.

Until now.

Because after everything the duo has encountered, they haven’t come across an evil quite like this. An evil that has been years in the making, an evil that will stop at nothing until they, and everyone they care for, are destroyed.

Dex and Perry’s love has survived a multitude of sins.

But can it survive the end?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

The Experiment In Terror Series

1. Darkhouse – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

2. Red Fox – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

2.5. The Benson – Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

3. Dead Sky Morning– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

4. Lying Season– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

5. On Demon Wings– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

5.5. Old Blood– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

5.7. The Dex Files– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

6. Into The Hollow– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

6.5. And With Madness Comes The Light– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

7. Come Alive– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

8. Ashes To Ashes– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

9. Dust To Dust– Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Michel’s Review

At long last the highly anticipated grand finale in The Experiment In Terror series is released!

Dust To Dust by Karina Halle is brilliant! It is the perfect ending for the enthralling, bone chilling, hair raising, frightful Experiment In Terror series. This series has taken the readers on an unforgettable journey. The adventures and perils that Dex Foray and Perry Polomino have faced, battled, and survived have astounded every reader. Not only have Dex and Perry faced off every kind of evil and supernatural being, they have made self discoveries, acknowledged their weaknesses, faced their fears, become stronger individuals, accepted their gifts, and valued every moment, good and bad. Their adventure has made them both better people.

We have witnessed Perry Palomino go from an introverted, self doubting, somewhat delusional girl to a strong woman willing to fight for those she loves. She has become a powerhouse within herself.

We have watched Dex Foray change from a crass, thoughtless, self serving jerk into an honorable man. He has accepted his gifts, opened his heart, let go of his past, and learned to love deeply.

The Experiment In Terror series is not just a series in the horror genre. It is a romance series.
We have witnessed Dex and Perry go from strangers to reluctant partners that led to a strong friendship with mutual respect. Along the way they found a deep love that will exist in life and death. No one can tear them apart, not even the supernatural.

Dex and Perry have survived evil in many forms. They have traveled many miles. They thought they had faced the worst kind of terror and made their peace. But like everything in life, their fortitude will be tested once again. They will have to go full circle, back to the beginning where everything began.

Dust To Dust brings Dex and Perry to New York City. This is where it all began for Dex. This is where the Palomino women became connected with the O’Shea clan. This is where the ultimate evil has touched all of their lives. They will have to face off this ultimate evil. It is war.

Every war has casualties. Every war has fatalities. Every war leaves wounds and scars that remain long after the battle is fought. But for the ones that survive the war , they will carry these scars and the memories very close to the heart.

Dust To Dust is a frightful battle for life and love.

I am very sad to see The Experiment In Terror series end but am also very satisfied on how the ending played out.

Karina Halle is a brilliant writer. Her stories draw the reader into the characters world. We experience every adventure, every physical feeling, every emotional reaction, and every moment. Our sensory system goes into overload while reading these books. Our emotional side sympathizes with each of the characters emotions. The reader truly becomes completely involved. I can easily see The Experiment In Terror being made into a mini TV series like American Horror Story or Supernatural. It would stand out among these types of shows because of the powerful romance between Dex Foray and Perry Palomino.

Karina Halle I applaud you for the excellent delivery of The Experiment In Terror series. It is one of my all time favorite series.

Dex and Perry will haunt my dreams and everyday life. They will live on long after the final eulogy in Dust To Dust.

*** The Experiment In Terror Series is a 6 STAR Series***

Robin’s Review

The ninth and final novel of the Experiment in Terror series is Dust to Dust. It’s been a long and crazy ride for author Karina Halle. She has done a remarkable job keeping this lengthy series fresh and exciting when many authors would have struggled to do the same. Halle is wonderfully creative when it comes to writing in the horror romance genre. She has one hell of a vivid imagination and crazy talent for putting her horror scenes to paper. Ghosts. Demons. Haunted houses. Spooky sanatoriums. Zombies. Halle has written about all of these, but nothing can prepare readers for what she has planned in Dust to Dust. If you are a fan of the Experiment in Terror series, you are in for a real treat!

Throughout this series, Halle has taken readers to an abundance of haunted locations. Dex Foray and Perry Palomino have paired up to film episodes for their internet show Experiment in Terror at the following locations: a lighthouse on the Pacific coast of Oregon; the deserts of Red Fox, New Mexico; deserted D’Arcy Island, located just off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; the wilds of the Canadian Rockies; the haunted French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana; and the creepy Sea Crest Sanatorium in Gary, Oregon. In Dust to Dust, Halle brings her series to a conclusion where it all began for Dex Foray – in a brownstone townhouse located in New York City.

Dex and Perry have been in many frightening and dangerous situations, always managing to escape by the skin of their teeth. Everything they have experienced since meeting each other in that lighthouse has lead up to the dramatic conclusion of this series. In Dust to Dust, they each find themselves racing against time, fighting the ultimate evil in the battle of their lives. Dex’s long, lost brother Michael has been very busy planning to exploit their weaknesses, and this time the stakes are much higher with Maximus Jacobs and the entire Palomino family directly involved. Evil is found in many forms in this series, but expect the worst in Dust to Dust.

If you follow the writing of Karina Halle and think you may have seen it all, just wait until you see what she has in store for you in Dust to Dust. Expect gnawing worry. Tears of sadness. Interesting revelations. Unimaginable monsters. Heart palpitations. Fear and shock. Devastation. Repaired relationships. Love and tenderness. Expect the unexpected! And look for plenty of new “Dexisms” – hilarious, laugh out loud quotes which could only come from the mouth of Dex Foray!

In summary, I found this concluding novel informative, frightening, sad, but full of love. I found myself glued to the pages as I learned more about Dex Foray and his family history. Karina Halle lays the truth out for her readers, so be sure to pay attention. And frightening? Two things had me full of anxiety: a cloven-hoof demon with a busy agenda and the brownstone townhouse where Dex lived as a child. I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun for readers with anything more than that. I was full of sadness at times while reading Dust to Dust, and not just because this is the final novel of this beloved series. There are moments you will feel sadness, too. And there is so much love between Dex and Perry that it will fill your heart with happiness – just wait until you read the epilogue.

In short, Karina Halle has wonderfully brought her series full-circle with this concluding novel. Her writing is sensational and full of descriptive details which make you feel as if you are participating in the story. If you have never read, or even heard of, the Experiment in Terror series, please do yourself a favor and consider reading Darkhouse. This series is strangely addictive, and the novels only get better as the series progresses. As for Dust to Dust? Karina Halle has earned my 5-star rating!

Author Bio:

With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term “Hybrid Author.” Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she’s a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA…whenever possible.

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiancé and rescue pup.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Posted on 08/09/2014 by shellbellereads

Ugly Love

By Colleen Hoover

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with a new heart-wrenching love story.

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.

Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Michel’s Review

Wow! Ugly Love is one of those books that steps outside of the usual expectations in the romance genre. The entire formula in this contemporary romance is remixed, tossed around, broken down, and is put back together with a whole new shape and form. But the end result is beyond words. It is worth the emotional journey and in the end I think the characters learn that there is more than one definition of love and that each definition should be treasured.

Colleen Hoover creates extraordinary characters out of ordinary people that are just doing what they can to manage their own lives. She allows them to experience the good and the bad. She allows them to react to their lives in a very realistic way. She gives them strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and an individuality that makes them unique. She breathes life into these characters and they jump off the pages screaming for us readers accept them, love them, cheer them on, value their thoughts, and embrace their story. Ugly Love will do that and more. Miles Archer and Tate Collins will grab your hearts and not let go.

I cannot say too much about the overall story because it would give away too many spoilers. I will say that the title of this book is absolutely perfect for this story. The reader will find many hidden messages in the passages that will render them speechless. These passages will also make the reader appreciate the loves in their lives and the relationships they have experienced.

Miles Archer has seen the ugly side of love. He has been emotionally paralyzed because of that ugliness.

Tate Collins has experienced love but not in a deep and meaningful capacity. She thinks she can handle Miles Archer and his relationship issues. What she doesn’t realize is that she can’t handle her own heart.

Hearts will be broken, hearts will be shattered, and love will rear its ugly head. Eyes will be opened and the view will change. In the end it will be up to Tate and Miles to decide whether to stop and enjoy the view or to move past it without a glance.

With that said the only analogy I can come up with for this book is that we are all gardeners in life. We can plant the seed, watch evolve from a seedling to a bud. We will witness this bud open into a beautiful bloom. This bloom is so beautiful we will want to pick it and keep it close to us. But like most beautiful things, once it is picked the beauty will only be fleeting even though we have put it in water to keep it’s beauty. We will watch this beautiful bloom wilt, begin to fade, and eventually decay. But because this blooms’ beauty touched our hearts we want to preserve it’s memory by pressing it in a book. The memory of its beauty has been preserved but the actual bloom we were so taken with is in fact an ugly dead flower.

But if we learn from this experience we can plant a new garden. We can plant the seed, nourish it, tend to it, let it pollenate, allow it to bloom into it’s full beauty, and let it go through it’s cycle in life. It’s okay to allow the weeds in the garden. It is okay to let nature take its course.

Ugly Love is that garden in Miles Archer and Tate Collins lives. It will be up to them how they chose to tend their garden.

I highly recommend Ugly Love.

Author Bio:

Colleen Hoover’s love for writing began in 1985 when she was five years old. Her first story was titled “Mystery Bob” and was a huge hit with her mother, who was really good at faking interest. Colleen continued to write short stories for friends and family until December of 2011, when she decided to write a long story she titled, “Slammed.” She self-published SLAMMED to Amazon in January, 2012 and it hit the NYT’s bestsellers list in May, 2012. She has since signed with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and now has six NYT’s bestsellers. Colleen prefers to be called a writer, as the term “author” still terrifies her and makes this feel like a job with expectations. She doesn’t work well under pressure and hopes writing will always remain fun and exciting. Colleen’s newest novel, UGLY LOVE, releases August 5th, 2014. She is currently working on a new novel, CONFESS, which she is writing as fast as she can before she wakes up from this crazy dream.

You can follow Colleen on Instagram and Twitter @colleenhoover. You can also find her on her blog at http://www.colleenhoover.com where she holds a daily book-a-day giveaway, or on her very active Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover where she loves to give away more free stuff when her husband isn’t looking.

Colleen also wants the world to know that writing short biographies in third person is incredibly awkward.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Review: Rogue by Katy Evans- The Real Series- Book 4

Posted on 08/09/2014 by shellbellereads

Rogue

The Real Series – Book 4

By Katy Evans

Synopsis:

The fourth story in the new adult series that began with the New York Times bestseller Real, featuring Brooke’s best friend, Melanie, and the ROGUE she can’t resist.

Greyson King…

My boyfriend. My friend. My protector. He’s the reason I wake up every morning with a smile on my face, and the reason I fall asleep limp, worn out, and aching for his warm arms around me. When we make love, he says my name like it means something. Like I mean something.

His name is Greyson King, but his alias is Zero.

There’s zero trace of him, he has zero past, and now I know that with him, I will have zero future.

He may leave no trace of him anywhere, but his imprint is in me, in my very soul–and I hate that a mere look at him commands the beat of my heart. The temperature of my body.

I’ve looked for love my entire life. I’ve waited for the butterflies, the rainbows…

Instead I’m in a free fall of emotions and there’s no one to catch me but the one man I should be running away from. The one man I thought was my prince charming.

Except this prince charming went rogue.

Greyson will stop at nothing to make me be with him. He’ll let no one stand in our way, will allow no one to threaten me, and maybe this is what scares me most of all…

What will my rogue do to keep me?

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Lis’ Review

She is color, he is blackness. She is light, he is dark. She parties to hide her fears. He built walls to hide his broken life. They are total opposites. And perfect for each other.

In Real, Katy Evans introduced us to Brooke and her friend Melanie, the bold one, the loud one, the life of the party. Melanie’s the one who shouted out to Remy when she took Brooke to see the fight. Melanie’s the one who gave Remy Brooke’s phone number. She wants everyone to be happy, she exudes that happiness, a happiness she’s created for herself and those around her. But Melanie has fears and a deep dark secret or two that no one knows. Until Greyson comes along.

Greyson King is Zero.. so emotionless he’s nothing. A stone cold enforcer for the Underground who has Melanie in his sights. She’s on his list, and it’s not like Santa’s list of good little boys and girls. He goes through this list, hitting his marks one by one in an effort to find out the one thing he’s searched for all these years. Yet with number five, with Melanie, he finds so much more. And in the end, the list becomes meaningless when they uncover each other’s secrets, nearly losing everything they both want in the process.

Katy Evans’ writing is amazing. Every word, every sentence opens a well of emotions. She doesn’t just describe the characters’ feelings, she paints them in a three dimensional way that envelops the reader inside them until you are living and breathing them, laughing and crying them, holding your breath and then gasping them right along with Melanie and Greyson. Her style leaps off the page and you live each and every passionate embrace, cry every tear, tremble with every fear and suffer every heartbreak. It’s gut-wrenching yet so artistic in its creation of unforgettable characters.

This story of the happy go lucky best friend and the dark and mysterious bad boy (and he is soooo bad in every way) is a definite must read. You get both points of view in one book, a complete story that will only make you realize, as Melanie does, that you just can’t live without the Rogue.

Author Bio:

Katy Evans grew up with books and book-boyfriends until she found a real sexy boyfriend to love. They married and are now hard at work on their own happily ever after. Katy loves her family and friends, and she also loves reading, walking, baking, and being consumed by her characters until she reaches “The End.” Which is, hopefully, only the beginning…

Katy Evans is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Real series.

To find more about her, look her up on her website, Twitter, or Facebook, she’d also love to hear from you!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

ARC Review: The Sweetest Summer by Susan Donovan

Posted on 08/08/2014 by shellbellereads

The Sweetest Summer

Bayberry Island Series- Book 2

By Susan Donovan

Synopsis

A mermaid statue could be the cause of heartbreak or everlasting romance for a practical-minded police chief and his first love—in the second of the delicious Bayberry Island trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Susan Donovan….

Every instinct told Police Chief Clancy Flynn that his island’s claim to fame was nothing but a silly tourist attraction. But now and then, he couldn’t help but wonder if his lifetime of bad romances—starting with the pretty tourist who broke his fourteen-year-old heart—could be traced back to a childhood prank involving that very statue….

Then one day the pretty tourist comes barreling back into Bayberry—all grown-up and on the run with her niece. Though Evelyn McGuinness is wanted for kidnapping, she tries to persuade Clancy that there’s more to the story. Now the by-the-book police chief must make the toughest decision of his life: to take Evelyn into custody—or into his arms….

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tracey’s Review

Life as Evelyn McGuinness has taken a turn for the surreal. On the run to protect her niece, she has returned to the place that she first found love. Clancy Flynn, now the chief of police of Bayberry Island, Massachusetts, remembers that summer, too and fondly, which is funny, given that he doesn’t even believe in love. When Fate, or a Mermaid, bring Clancy and Evelyn together again, though, he wonders if second chance love is possible.

All of the characters in the book are just so real that you can imagine meeting and happily spending time with them, and Bayberry Island is the perfect setting for them. The chemistry between Clancy and Evelyn is palpable and engaging, and, while steady and supportive, is also pretty darned hot. And the secondary characters are great, especially Mona’s Mermettes and the nudist community folks. 🙂

The Sweetest Summer has so many things going for it. Susan Donovan has brought action, myth, family, and love together to create a story that grabbed me from the first page and had me reading steadily until the end. That, for me, is the mark of a really good book, and one that I heartily recommend.

Author Bio:

New York Times bestselling author SUSAN DONOVAN’s novels have won accolades for their humor, characterization, and sexual tension – “brain candy for smart women,” as she calls it. Susan has written more than twenty novels and novellas that have been translated into dozens of languages. Her novel, TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, won Romantic Times Bookreviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance in 2003, and THE KEPT WOMAN and NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL were RITA finalists. She is a former newspaper journalist with degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She lives in Maryland with her family and dogs.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Wherever You Will Go by Stephanie Smith

Posted on 08/07/2014 by shellbellereads

Wherever You Will Go

By Stephanie Smith

Synopsis

Brooke Willis had everything she ever wanted: a happy marriage, volunteer placement at the art gallery, and the promise of starting a family with the man of her dreams.

Saxon Reed had everything he ever thought he needed: a successful career, nice cars, expensive apartment, and more money than he knew what to do with.

After losing her husband Brooke insists on taking over his company to keep his dreams alive. Struggling in an industry she knows nothing about, Brooke turns to Saxon, her husband’s best friend and business partner, for guidance and support. Their mutual grief, and Saxon’s need to look after his best friend’s wife, creates a connection beyond just business.

Can Brooke take over the company and find a new life without saying goodbye to the past? Can Saxon protect and care for Brooke without scaring her away.

What happens when your heart doesn’t listen to your head? When lines are crossed and boundaries are pushed?

“Life goes on, whether you choose to move forward and take a chance in the unknown or stay behind, locked in the past, thinking of what could’ve been. I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I’m so lonely; there’s nothing for me here.”

Excerpt

“So?” I say, desperate to hear what she thinks in the hope she’ll tell me what to do.

“Fuck,” she breathes out. “Fuck.”

“I know, right? I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m starting to feel like it’s careening out of control.”

“Starting to?” Her voice is high-pitched. “Brooke, fuck. This got out of control the minute you two started working together.”

“Well, I think that’s over-exaggerating a little,” I tell her, annoyed.

“Brooke, Saxon has always had a thing for you. What did you think sleeping with him on a regular basis was going to do? He has feelings for you. From what you say, very deep feelings. Do you feel the same?”

“What? I don’t know? Maybe? No.”

“Huh?”

“Shit, Rach, I care for him deeply. He means the world to me and has been my biggest support since Nate.” She frowns. “You know what I mean. Seeing him and spending time with him every day, we’ve naturally become close.” She nods, relenting. “But deep feelings? Yeah, I guess I do, but I don’t want this to go any further.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?” I scream. “What do you think? He’s Nate’s best friend, Rachel. I couldn’t do that to Nate.”

“Brooke, sweetie. You aren’t doing anything to Nate. Nate’s not here, Brooke. You aren’t cheating or being unfaithful to him. He’s gone, and it’s nearly been a year,” she says softly, trying to placate me.

“I feel like I’m choosing between them.” Tears well up in my eyes before falling down my cheeks.

Rach moves into the chair next to me and hugs me to her. “You can’t choose between them, Brooke. You don’t have that option. Nate isn’t here. He isn’t a choice.”

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Author Bio:

I’m first & foremost a reader & fangirl, I will always be first & foremost a reader & fangirl. I am on street teams, I pimp and I brag. I LOVE my Authors!! I have recently started writing as a way to relax and spend some time for me. My first novel Wherever You Will Go is due to release later this year. I’m having so much fun writing my first story and I’m looking forward to the journey it is taking me on.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

Posted on 08/07/2014 by shellbellereads

Stepbrother Dearest

Coming : September 2014

By Penelope Ward

Synopsis

You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be.

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here.

I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room.

But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him.

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California.

It had been years since I’d seen Elec.

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again.

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel.

Author Bio

Penelope Ward is a USA Today Bestselling author.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers. She spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family friendly career.

Penelope lives for reading books in the new adult genre, coffee and hanging out with her friends and family on weekends.

She is the proud mother of a beautiful 9-year-old girl with autism (the inspiration for the character Callie in Gemini) and a 7-year-old boy, both of whom are the lights of her life.

Penelope, her husband and kids reside in Rhode Island.

She is currently working on her third novel and loves friend requests from readers!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

ARC Review: Lay It Down by Cara McKenna- Desert Dogs- Book 1

Posted on 08/06/2014 by shellbellereads

Lay It Down

Desert Dogs – Book 1

Cara McKenna

Synopsis

First in the exciting new Desert Dog series, starring hot and sexy bikers in the Southwest…

Backbreaking days, wild nights, and the hard hum of steel between your thighs…

That’s a life well lived, according to the Desert Dogs—four friends who call Fortuity, Nevada, their badlands home.

Vince Grossier is the self-crowned outlaw king around here. But when Fortuity’s slick new mayor invites a shady casino development to town, the invaders’ cutthroat takeover tactics quickly turn deadly. With police turning a suspiciously blind eye, it’s up to the locals to fight back, and Vince is on the front line. The pretty photographer hired by the developers might be the key to infiltrating the enemy. And a temptation too good to pass up.

Finally free of a controlling ex, Kim Paget’s not looking to be taken for a ride—not on the back of some tattooed roughneck’s bike and definitely not in his bed. But when she finds evidence that her bosses are rattlesnake-dangerous, Kim must entrust her safety to the man who threatens danger of a whole different kind.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Michel’s Review

*** 3.5 Stars ***

I was really excited when I received the ARC for Lay It Down by Cara McKenna. I have been reading her books for quite some time and she always delivers a fantastic story and red hot romance. I haven’t read a book from her that I didn’t like. She is diverse in plot, subjects, characters, and sensuality. I was very excited to see her starting a Motorcycle Club series. Lay It Down did not disappoint. The characters were fantastic, both the main characters and secondary characters. The plot was quite different than most MC books. She blended the plot, the MC world, and romance with finesse.

Lay It Down starts with a murder mystery. Vince starts investigating the murder of his long time friend, Deputy Alex Dunn. He meets Kim, a photographer for Sunnyside, the site of a future casino. She quickly becomes involved in helping Vince solve the mystery of his friend’s murder.

Vince and Kim are instantly attracted to one another even though they don’t have a single thing in common. The investigation opens the doors for them to get to know one another and explore their attraction. As the mystery unravels their relationship becomes more entangled.

I enjoyed the book but it took a little more concentration for me to get deeply involved in the story. But once I finished the book I was very satisfied with the overall story. Also I realized that because this is the first book in the series, it had to lay the ground work for the small town, other characters, and overall direction of this series. I am looking forward to the next book in the Desert Dogs series.

Author Bio:

Cara McKenna writes contemporary romance and smart erotica, sometimes under the name Meg Maguire, and has sold more than thirty-five novels and novellas to Ellora’s Cave, Penguin, Harlequin Blaze, Samhain, and Signet Eclipse. She’s known for writing no-nonsense, working-class heroes with capable hands and lousy grammar. She was a 2010 Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee. Cara writes full-time and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her own bearded hero.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Day Blitz: Uncovered by Emily Snow

Posted on 08/05/2014 by shellbellereads

Happy Release Day to Emily Snow and her new book UNCOVERED!

♥BUY THE BOOK♥

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Smashwords | Kobo

My name is Lizzie Connelly, and I have it all. The gorgeous apartment. The new job most women would rip out their own souls for—working for Margaret Emerson at Emerson & Taylor. I have one of those lives you’ve always dreamt about, the kind you only see on HBO. But, the thing is, that life is a lie. A façade.

It all started with one call. “Everything you know about your story—your father’s story—is a lie. It’s up to you to uncover everything.” One call, and I turned my world upside down to dig my way into Margaret’s life—the woman who I’d never laid eyes on until recently. My stepmother who took everything after my father died fourteen years ago.

The plan was simple—figure out what role she played in my father’s death and expose her to the world.

But here’s another thing: simplicity doesn’t exist, and my plans are flawed from the beginning because I never anticipated Oliver. Sexy, too smart for his own goddamn good, and infuriating, he’s the one person who could blow my plans to uncover Margaret. She’s his mother, and in another life, that would have made him my stepbrother.

I want to pretend that none of that matters, that I can simply finish what I came to do without sparing him a second glance and another thought.

Like I said, though, there’s no such thing as simplicity.

My real name is Gemma Emerson.

And this is my story.

Setting me on my feet, Oliver’s palms flared over my flat stomach. I shivered—a combination of his touch and the cold metal of the refrigerator against my calves—and he skimmed his teeth over his bottom lip. Stopping at the waist of my skirt, he tugged my white pintuck top free.

“I don’t do jealous.” With each word, he undid a button, exposing another inch or two of my skin. “But when I opened that link and saw that picture of you, I wanted to take the first goddamn flight out of New York.”

“Why didn’t you just call and ask me?”

He freed the last button and stroked his thumb over the hollow of my throat, his breath catching when he traced between the valley of my breasts. Fingering the pretty white bow between the cups of my Agent Provocateur bra, he shook his head. “Because I needed to see your face when I asked you. I wanted to make sure.”

“That I wanted you?”

“That you weren’t lying to me.”

Emily Snow is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the erotic romance series Devoured, which includes Devoured, All Over You, and Consumed, as well as the new adult novel Tidal. She loves books, sexy bad boys, and really loud rock music, so naturally, she writes stories about all three.

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review: Hillbilly Rockstar by Lorelei James- Blacktop Cowboys-Book 6

Posted on 08/05/2014 by shellbellereads

Hillbilly Rockstar

Blacktop Cowboys- Book 6

By Lorelei James

Synopsis

She’s protecting his body and guarding her heart….

Country music star Devin McClain understands there’s a downside to life in the public eye, but the laidback Wyoming cowboy has never imagined he’d attract crazed fans who would do anything to garner his attention. When veiled threats become real, he agrees to hire a discreet security detail. But Devin is shocked when that bodyguard is a hard-bodied woman. He’s even more stunned to be attracted to the steely-eyed stunner.

Former soldier Liberty Masterson’s return to civilian life has been fraught with challenges until she lands a job with a prestigious security firm. But when she agrees to provide personal protection during a cross-country tour, she doesn’t realize she has signed up to masquerade as the playboy star’s girlfriend. Though she’s more comfortable in combat boots than high heels, she has no choice but to appear to be the sexy groupie Devin prefers.

Living in close quarters causes the chemistry between them to ignite, and Devin realizes he wants to turn their charade of a romance into reality. Although Liberty surrenders to his every whim behind closed doors, she fears the sexy country star doesn’t see the real her; and Devin can’t help but worry when the tour ends that there might not be enough between them to build something that won’t fade away….

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Tracey’s Review

6 Stars

Devin McClain is a sexy and talented heartthrob, at the top of his game as a country superstar. He’s also generous, caring, and down-to-earth, having done his time and paid his dues to get to where he is. But fame doesn’t come without its share of crazy, and someone is gunning for Devin in a big way. When his bus driver is badly beaten, the powers that be decide that it’s time to call in the experts, and look outside the tour for extra security.

Liberty Masterson has been to hell and back, and she has the scars to prove it. Following a career in the military, reentry into civilian life has not been easy, but she has finally found her place as a security specialist. When she is tapped to guard Devin on his current tour, she thinks that she will be doing nothing more than babysitting a spoiled musician. Close quarters and a strong attraction soon having her revising her opinion.

I could not have loved this book any more. Lorelei has written a beautiful and sexy story that I could not put down until I’d finished. Watching Devin and Liberty navigate their relationship, seeing them grow to love each other, sometimes against their will, made for the best kind of love story. As each of them learned to accept things about themselves, and grow because of it, they became more free to be what the other needed. And, just so there’s no confusion, this book is off-the-charts hot. One of the things that I loved best about Devin and Liberty is that they both know exactly what they want from each other when it comes to sexy time, and they spend plenty of time enjoying it.

‘Hillbilly Rockstar’ is the first book that I have read by Lorelei, but it certainly will not be the last. This is truly a 6-star read for me, and I obviously could not recommend it more.

Michel’s Review

6 Stars

I am a huge fan of Lorelei James. I have read every single book she has published. Each and every book has been fantastic. I was highly anticipating the release of Hillbilly Rockstar, book 6 in the Blacktop Cowboys Series. Hillbilly Rockstar can be read as a stand alone novel or in series order.

Wow…Lorelei James knocked it out of the arena with Hillbilly Rockstar. It is by far one of my favorite books by this author.

Hillbilly Rockstar was an emotional journey for both characters. Devlin and Liberty had to face their weaknesses and strengths, accept themselves for who they are, and learn to share their hopes, dreams, fears, and hearts. The evolution of their relationship was truly beautiful. It was a powerful story.

Hillbilly Rockstar was sizzling hot. No one writes sexual tension, sexual chemistry, and blazing bedroom scenes like Lorelei James.

I could not put this book down ! This is definitely one of my 2014 Top Reads!

Author Bio:

Lorelei James is the NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author of erotic westerns: the Rough Riders series, the Blacktop Cowboys series, and the erotic romances in the Mastered series. Lorelei lives in western South Dakota.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Release Blitz: Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters

Posted on 08/05/2014 by shellbellereads

Lead Me Not

By A. Meredith Walters

Synopsis

In this dangerously sexy novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Find You in the Dark, a straight-laced college student meets a handsome but enigmatic stranger who lures her into an underground club scene, where she finds it difficult to resist temptation

Aubrey Duncan understands loss. She knows what rock bottom looks like, and she is determined to crawl back up to the top after the sudden death of her younger sister. She blames herself for her part in the tragedy, convinced that she could have done something, anything, to help her.

In her effort to gain redemption, Aubrey starts fresh at Longwood University and facilitates an addiction support group, hoping she can support someone else in the way she failed her sister. But what she doesn’t count on is an all-consuming fascination with group member Maxx Demelo, a gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed enigma who hides dark secrets behind a carefully constructed mask. He only reveals what he wants others to see. But Aubrey glimpses another Maxx hidden below the surface—a Maxx who is drowning in his own personal hell.

As Aubrey and Maxx develop an attraction too intense to ignore, he pulls her into the dark underbelly of the city club scene, where she is torn by her desire to save him and an inexplicable urge to join him in his downward spiral. Worst of all, she is beginning to love everything she should run away from—a man who threatens to ignite in her a fire that could burn her alive…

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Author Bio

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

Tag Archives: Contemporary Romance

Release Day Blitz + Review- Dust To Dust by Karina Halle- The Experiment In Terror Series-Book 9- 6 Stars

Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Review: Rogue by Katy Evans- The Real Series- Book 4

ARC Review: The Sweetest Summer by Susan Donovan

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Wherever You Will Go by Stephanie Smith

Cover Reveal: Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward

ARC Review: Lay It Down by Cara McKenna- Desert Dogs- Book 1

Release Day Blitz: Uncovered by Emily Snow

ARC Review: Hillbilly Rockstar by Lorelei James- Blacktop Cowboys-Book 6

Release Blitz: Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: