Happy Release + 6 Star Review: The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz – The Original Sinners: White Years – Book 3

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

The Virgin

The Original Sinners Series -The White Years – Book 3

By Tiffany Reisz

Synopsis

The provocative story before the story continues in the critically acclaimed and award-winning series The Original Sinners

For years, Kingsley Edge warned Eleanor the day would come when she, the mistress of a well-respected Catholic priest, would have to run. She always imagined if that day came, she’d be running with Søren. Instead, she’s running from him.

Fearing Søren and Kingsley will use their power and influence to bring her back, Eleanor takes refuge at the one place the men in her life cannot follow. Behind the cloistered gates of the convent where her mother has taken orders, Eleanor hides from the man she loves and hates in equal measure.

With Eleanor gone, the lights have gone out in Kingsley’s kingdom. When he learns the reason she left, he, too, turns his back on Søren and runs. On a beach in Haiti, Kingsley meets Juliette, the one woman who could save him from his sorrows. But only if he can save her first.

Eleanor can hide from Søren but she can’t hide from her true nature. A virginal novice at the abbey sends Eleanor down a path of sexual awakening, but to follow this path means leaving her lover behind, a sacrifice Eleanor refuses to make.

The lure of the forbidden, the temptation to sin and the price of passion have never been higher, and Eleanor and Kingsley will have to pay it if they ever want to go home again.

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Robin’s Review

I would like to express my appreciation to NetGalley and MIRA Books for the opportunity to read and review The Virgin.

When I turned on my Kindle to begin reading The Virgin, I expected a great novel. Tiffany Reisz always writes in a solid and dependable fashion. I agree some of her novels are more enjoyable than others, but I have always found them entertaining. Reisz wholeheartedly captured my attention with this story. My eyes were glued to the pages, and when I finished reading, I couldn’t wait to sit down and begin writing my review. The Virgin has the same magic of The Siren and The Angel, and I absolutely loved it!

For all intents and purposes, I began reading this story blind. I knew we would learn about the year Nora spent at her mother’s convent. I also knew Nora had an affair with a nun while she was staying at the convent, so I expected some sexy time between the two of them. This was, however, the limit to my knowledge of the plot.

If you follow The Original Sinners series, you may have noticed we are missing an important piece to the puzzle. I have read each of the novels in this series, and I have patiently waited for an explanation why Nora would walk away from Soren and Kingsley. Prepare yourself because it’s not just an explanation. You are able to experience what happened between these characters. Tiffany Reisz drops us right into an emotionally charged situation. It could possibly be the crowning moment of this series because what happened between them certainly changed the direction of each of their lives.

Nora and Kingsley and Soren. They have such a rich history together. Throughout the previous six novels of this series, Reisz has sprinkled bits and pieces and segments of their lives, but not necessarily in chronological order. We’ve seen Nora at many different stages of her life. Elle Schreiber in her teenage years. Eleanor as Soren’s submissive. Author of erotic novels, Nora Sutherlin. Professional Dominatrix of the Underground, Mistress Nora. We’ve read about the period of time Kingsley and Soren were lovers in boarding school. We’ve also met Kingsley Edge, the King of the Underground. And my personal favorite is Father Marcus Stearns, Catholic Jesuit Priest.

But in The Virgin, Reisz writes about a period of time we have not yet had the privilege to read about – the events which take place just before The Siren. I finally understand Nora’s state of mind during the early stages of her writing career – when Wes Railey was living with Nora, and she was working for Kingsley as a professional Dominatrix. Nora’s disposition towards Soren during that period of time has always been a mystery to me. And now that I have read The Virgin, everything has become so much clearer. I want to pick up my copy of The Siren and begin rereading the series!

I love Kingsley Edge, but his character has always been more interesting to me when he is with Nora and Soren. So I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading about Kingsley and Juliette. We have never had the opportunity to read how Kingsley met Juliette before now. We’ve never heard how she became such an important part of his life. The only thing I can tell you is it all goes back to Soren and Eleanor. Kingsley would have never had the opportunity to meet Juliette if the events between him, Nora and Soren had not occurred as they did. Their story is unusual, but I found it lovely.

The Virgin is the seventh novel of The Original Sinners series, and I’m awarding it a 6-star rating. If you have never had the opportunity to read The Siren, the first novel of this series, I highly recommend it. The characters are so compelling, and they each have intriguing backstories. The Original Sinners series is definitely untraditional and erotica at its finest!

________________________________

Author Bio:

Tiffany Reisz lives in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend (a reformed book reviewer) and two cats (one good, one evil). She graduated with a B.A. in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is making both her parents and her professors proud by writing BDSM erotica under her real name.

When not under arrest, Tiffany enjoys Latin Dance, Latin Men, and Latin Verbs. She dropped out of a conservative southern seminary in order to pursue her dream of becoming a smut peddler. Johnny Depp’s aunt was her fourth grade teacher. Her first full-length novel THE SIREN was inspired by a desire to tie up actor Jason Isaacs (on paper). She hopes someday life will imitate art (in bed).

THE SIREN was awarded the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Erotic Romance 2012.

If she couldn’t write, she would die.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Happy Release + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Holding Strong by Lori Foster – Ultimate Series – Book 2

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Holding Strong

Ultimate Series – Book 2

By Lori Foster

Synopsis

An up-and-coming MMA fighter wants more than just one night from a woman fleeing her past in New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster’s irresistible new novel

Heavyweight fighter Denver Lewis plays real nice, but he doesn’t share. That’s why he’s been avoiding top-notch flirt Cherry Peyton. But a man can only resist those lush curves for so long. Their encounter surpasses all his fantasies, bringing out protective urges that Cherry’s about to need more than she knows…

Denver’s combination of pure muscle and unexpected tenderness has been driving Cherry wild. Yet no sooner does she get what she’s been craving than old troubles show up on her doorstep. And this time, Cherry can’t hide behind a carefree facade. Because the man by her side is one who’ll fight like hell to keep her safe…if only she’ll trust him enough to let him…

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Tina’s Review

Five Smoldering, Sexy but Sensitive Stars!
What’s better than being roommates with Cannon Colter’s sister, Merissa? Maybe being friends with all the hot, uber alpha males at the rec center because of it. Wait… no, it’s those protective males banding together when trouble comes looking for Cherry – and Denver is leading the pack! Denver is, without a doubt, a total Alpha male. There’s kind of a role-reversal here at the beginning… Cherry’s the life of the party and Denver does not want a casual one-nighter with her, he wants her for the long-term. That’s incredible hot.
He growled, “Don’t fool yourself, girl. I could never ignore you, no matter how hard I tried.” He lightly bit her shoulder, then smoothed the spot with his hot tongue. “Anytime you were around, I knew it. I *felt* it. Clear down to my bones.”
I love Denver and Cherry’s characters, individually and as a couple. The standard fair of secondary characters (all the rec fighters, plus a few cameo cross-overs from Love Undercover and SBC) made an appearance. Dialogue and interaction was natural, realistic and believable. The plot is full and dynamic. My only complaint is that it was a little TOO full. Pamela… ugh! There were undercurrents for Armie and Rissy, leading me to believe they’ll be getting their book sooner than expected. Stack and Vanity obviously are next in the line up. There were a few spots that I worried that they were trying to take over the book. Ms. Foster managed to rein them in, but just barely. The flow of the book is exactly what you’d expect of Ms. Foster. This one did, however, feel more emotionally focused than suspense and action seeded. I’m okay with that, but there may be some out there that anticipated more action than was given. There are plenty of conflicts, but calm and controlled Denver always manages to resolve them in a quick and efficient manner (while apologizing profusely when he’s being a bonehead). Predictability was very low. The climax of the story is fast-paced and exciting, leading into a conclusion which is solid. There’s even a Cannon Colter Bonus scene further hinting at what’s to come. This was a truly enjoyable read and I look forward to TOUGH LOVE, due out August 2015.

Michel’s Review

What’s better than an MMA Fighter romance? I will tell you what is better….when Lori Foster adds her magic touch! The results is one swoon worthy hot Alpha fighter that will take you down in flames.

Put one Alpha fighter, one party girl, and pack of other fighters willing to protect said party girl. Add a whole lot of trouble, a whole lot of chemistry, and one bone tingling romance and you get the perfect book, Holding Strong by Lori Foster.

I absolutely loved Denver and Cherry. Both were strong, yet vulnerable characters, that had depth. As a couple and as individuals, they pulled at the readers heartstrings. Their story is packed full of emotion.

I could not put this book down. It had every element I look for in a book. The characters came to life, the romance curled my toes, and the overall story kept me entertained to the very last word.

Lori Foster has another winner by unanimous decision in Holding Strong!

The Ultimate Series

Hard Knocks- Prequel Novella

In the stunning prequel novella to her new mixed martial arts series, New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster brings together an elite fighter and the woman he’s determined to win.

Power. Brute strength. Unforgettable moves. It’s no wonder Harper Gates hasn’t been able to get her fling with Gage “Savage” Ringer out of her head. Months have passed since she laid eyes—or any other body parts—on him. Months without a word of contact…until, sidelined by injury, he comes back to town.

Staying focused on his training seemed like a smart move to Gage, even if he thought about Harper every day. Seeing her again only makes it clear how much is at stake. He’s got one night to earn back her trust. One night to show her that behind his breathtaking skill and ripped body is a man who’ll give her everything she needs.

Don’t miss No Limits, the first novel in Lori Foster’s Ultimate series.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

No Limits- Book 1

A surprise inheritance reunites a mixed martial arts fighter with the woman he’s never forgotten in the first in a smoldering new series from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

Cannon Colter is quintessential hero material: chiseled jawline, shredded body—the works. He’s also the guy who rescued Yvette Sweeny from kidnappers, only to put an end to her romantic dreams. These days, she’s older, smarter, determined to face whatever life throws her way. Even the prospect of sharing a house and business with Cannon.

Cannon knew Yvette wanted him three years ago. But she was young—and some things are worth waiting for. Thrown together by her grandfather’s legacy, he realizes how deep Yvette’s scars really go, and how much danger lurks in their quiet town. As pent-up desire explodes between them, protecting her becomes the only fight that matters. And he’ll break all the rules to do it….

Buy: Amazon/ Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

Holding Strong- Book 2

An up-and-coming MMA fighter wants more than just one night from a woman fleeing her past in New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster’s irresistible new novel

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

About Lori Foster

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Berkley, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Harlequin.
Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.
Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

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— #GIVEAWAY —
(3) swag packs, including: a set of Ultimate magnets, a Holding Strong keychain, and various Lori Foster bookmarks, etc.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/775aa83b6/

Happy Release + 5 Star Review : The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter – The Original Heartbreakers Series – Book 1

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

The Close You Come

The Original Heartbreakers – Book 1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 31, 2015

By Gena Showalter

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter introduces the Original Heartbreakers, where three not-quite-reformed bad boys are about to meet the women who will bring them to their knees.

Just released from prison, Jase Hollister has only one goal: stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. Model citizen isn’t exactly this rugged bachelor’s default setting—especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty—but he’s determined to play by the rules.

Brook Lynn Dillon has always been the responsible type. Not that it’s done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single and wouldn’t know fun if it bit her. Or so she thinks. Jase makes bad look oh, so good. Dangerous, sexy and tempting as sin, he is everything she never knew she wanted. Passion sizzles between them, but is it enough to melt his resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what he needs…

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Michel’s Review

Wow, I loved the first book in the new contemporary series by Gena Showalter. It is fresh, sexy, emotional, and has a cast of unique characters that are all screaming for their own stories. The Original Heartbreakers Series is set in the small town of Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma. It is your typical mid-west small town. The residents are quick to judge, have long memories, and are a tight knit group. Although they may have the negative traits that most small towns have, they also have the charming traits and quirky characters that make this place a home.

The Closer You Come is the first book in the Original Heartbreakers series. It is one red hot book.

Jase Hollister has come to Strawberry Valley with his friends Lincoln West and Beck Oakley. They are brothers by choice. He has just gotten out of prison after serving for nine years. He wants to find a nice quiet small town where he can live in peace and mind his own business. But minding your own business is not a small town characteristic. You are the town’s business.

While Beck is a renowned ladies man ( man whore) and West is a known party animal, Jase is the recluse. Each of them hides behind an exterior that covers the pain and sorrow they have experienced in life. Strawberry Valley is a good place to hide it away.

When Jase meets Brook Lynn Dillion, it is not in a good way. He is bed with her wild sister Jessie Kay. Brook Lynn is known for her temper. Jessie Kay is known for her wild ways and disregard for convention. Brook Lynn is always bailing Jessie out of trouble, covering for her job, and paying her bills. She is working two jobs and not making ends meet. When she catches Jessie Kay in bed with Jase, her temper breaks loose. Letting go and losing it is going to cost her more than a bit of embarrassment, it is going to cost her her jobs and her heart.

Jase picked the wrong sister to sleep with. He feels guilty that Brook Lynn is paying for Jessie Kay’s sins. He offers her a job as his assistant.

Yeah, I think you can figure out where the job will lead. The exciting thing is the adventure along the way. Brook Lynn not only has to deal with Jase’s attitude, she has to handle West and Beck. She has to learn how to deal with Jase’s issues & secrets, Jessie Kay’s irresponsibility, Beck’s women, West’s meltdown, and find her place in her world.

Just as things are finally going in the right direction for Jase and Brook Lynn, the Strawberry Valley world spins out of control. There is a stalker in the midst, an old lover staking her claim, a secret love child, a wedding in the works, a party for a dead girl, and a whole lot of crazy coming out of the woodwork. Brook Lynn is just going to have to show Jase and Strawberry Valley that she is the one to be reckoned with. For once Brook Lynn is putting her happiness first.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are not your run of the mill characters. They are seriously flawed and it’s okay. Gena did not try to fix them in order to have their happily ever after. She allowed them to be perfectly human. The results were perfect for Jase and Brook Lynn. They found a way to work around the flaws, accept one another, and allow peace & love into their lives. She built a great cast of characters, set the stage for their stories, and made the town of Strawberry Valley come to life.

The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter is her newest scorching hot romance. As I read this book I was going up in flames.

About Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated all over the world. The critics have called her books “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories”, while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.

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Release Blitz + Giveaway: Savage…Kill Or Die by Jade C. Jamison

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Savage

By Jade C. Jamison

Synopsis

Kill or Die

Nina Hardwick has had a rough life since leaving high school, but inside she is still the girl looking for a silver lining. The past several years have left their toll on her psyche, and just as she feels like she’s climbing out of a deep abyss, her life and the lives of millions of others fall into shambles as a virus overtakes the country and leaves a plague of undead armies scouring the land.

In a desperate attempt to get away from the infected, Nina and some neighbors speed out of town, nearly killing a man on a motorcycle. When they stop to rescue him, Nina realizes that he is the one man from her past she never got over, the guy who should have been her high school sweetheart until she messed it up. But this unrequited love, Kevin Savage, says he doesn’t even remember her. Or does he?

Nina, Kevin, and her neighbors head to the wilderness and fight to survive not only the plague but also hunger, cold, their inner demons…and even each other. Will they survive and, more importantly, will her heart?

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Excerpt

I froze. My heart was thumping in my chest and time seemed to have slowed to a crawl, so I watched as they got closer and my friends steeled themselves for engagement. As though I was removed from the action, I saw chopping, swinging, lunging…as if I weren’t there on the battlefield. Then I saw the violent gray body lunge at me, teeth gnashing and fingers clawing, but I couldn’t make myself move. All around me, I saw my companions felling these creatures but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do it.

It would be my demise.

I could hear Kevin beside me, yelling at me while fending off his own attacker, but then he lunged in front of me, shoving the tire iron in the neck of the creature that was ready to eat me alive, making it drop to the ground.

And then, suddenly, it was over.

They were all dead. My friends’ weapons—and their response—had saved us.

Everything became more vivid then. The blood seemed even redder on the pristine snow; the skies were a brilliant blue, the evergreens, the richest shade of olive I’d ever seen.

And then time sped up again, and Kevin gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. I could sense Larry beside me ready to say something too, but he was leaving it up to the man who had my attention. “You can’t just stand there and do nothing. They’ll kill you, Nina. It’s you or them. Kill or die, Nina Davis.” His jaw rippled before he repeated each word with force. “Kill or die.”

In spite of the fear that had drained my body and despite the new appreciation I suddenly had for living, it didn’t escape my attention that he’d called me by my maiden name.

His face was so close to mine, his expression intense, his eyes like cold steel. He was a thing to be feared, and yet…I expected him to kiss me…

Jade C. Jamison was born and raised in Colorado and has decided she likes it enough to stay forever. Jade’s day job is teaching Creative Writing, but teaching doesn’t stop her from doing a little writing herself.

Unfortunately, there’s no one genre that quite fits her writing. Her work has been labeled romance, erotica, suspense, and women’s fiction, and the latter is probably the safest and closest description. But you’ll see that her writing doesn’t quite fit any of those genres.

You’ll have to discover Jade’s writing for yourself to decide if you like it.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest

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2 Winners – Open Internationally!
SIGNED copy of Feverish
$10 Amazon gift card

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Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Velvet Kisses by Addison Moore- 3:AM Kisses Series – Book 6

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

༺✿* Velvet Kisses *✿༻

3:AM Kisses Book 6

(Can be read as a stand alone)

ROMANTIC COMEDY

~Addison Moore~

Marley Jackson has an axe to grind with the entire male population. After having her heart brutally broken, she’s out to prove to herself, and the world, that a woman only needs one thing from a man—and it isn’t love.

Wyatt James isn’t interested in anything that resembles a commitment. He’s self-made, secure, and happy to entertain a one-night stand any day of the week—enter Marley.

Marley quickly dispels the idea that she’s anybody’s one-night stand. What Marley has in store for Wyatt is far more complex and requires a binding contract to back it.

Marley and Wyatt aren’t in it for love. Marley is looking to glean some expertise in the bedroom. Wyatt is looking to find some solace after a string of nameless faces that have rocked his bed.

But when feelings change, and that four-letter word takes ahold of both their hearts, they’re left to face the fact they might be in deeper than either of them thought possible.

Marley and Wyatt smolder beneath the sheets.

She’s eager to learn—yet, bossy as hell.

He’s eager to lay down one hard lesson after the other, yet determined to save her from herself.

Sometimes heartbreak is the greatest teacher.

Sometimes it leads you into the arms of the one you belonged with right from the start.

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

iTUNES

GOOGLE PLAY

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

“Aren’t I the lucky birthday boy?” His dimples dig in tight, no smile. There’s an earnestness about him that spells out orgasm in the making, and my thighs quiver because if I’m not careful I’ll achieve the big O before we ever get started.“Actually”—I clasp onto the tie that he’s neatly paired with dark denim and chukka boots, my all time favorite—“I’m the lucky one. I win because I have you.”

He winces before his dimples dig in ten times deeper.

“Clothes off.” The smile drops from his face. Wyatt is a man who is used to being pleased, when and how he wishes, and most likely by whomever he wants.

“Yes, Professor James.” I reach back and unzip my dress, letting it drop to the floor in a celebrated thump. I hook my thumbs into the sides of my panties and slowly pull them over my curves. Wyatt’s eyes float down to my hips. His chest expands as if he’s pleased with what he sees. I let them glide off, soft as a feather and carefully step out of the fabric puddle, wobbling on my heels in the process.

God, God, God, don’t fall! I do a little dance trying to right myself and land a few inches closer to him with my see-through lace bra and heels the only foreign objects on my body. I reach back and unhook my bra, letting the girls spring out like a couple of hopped up cheerleaders anxious for the big game. It slides off without any help on my part as if it were fleeing the scene. I take a deep breath and pull my shoulders back as his gaze heats my body by at least twenty degrees. “Your turn, cowboy.”

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Addison Moore is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine. Previously she worked as a therapist on a locked psychiatric unit for nearly a decade. She resides on the West Coast with her husband, four wonderful children, and two dogs where she eats too much chocolate and stays up way too late. When she’s not writing, she’s reading.

~ Feel free to visit her blog at: http://bit.ly/AddisonMoore-Blog

~ Be sure to subscribe to Addison’s mailing list for sneak peeks and updates on all upcoming releases! http://bit.ly/AddisonMoore-MailingList

The 3:AM Kisses Series
*EACH BOOK CAN BE READ AS A STAND ALONE NOVEL*

3:AM Kisses 1-3 Box Set

Get the first 3 books in the 3:AM Kisses Series, all together in one set.

PURCHASE HERE

Amazon

3:AM Kisses

Meet Baya and Bryson…..

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Winter Kisses

Get to know Laney and Ryder….

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Have fun with Roxy and Cole….

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Whiskey Kisses

Obsess over Izzy and Holt….

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Rock Candy Kisses

Fall in love with Annie and Blake….

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Velvet Kisses

Fuel the fire with Marley and Wyatt….

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Happy Release: Sail by M. Mabie- The Wake Series- Book 2

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Sail

The Wake Series- Book 2

By M. Mabie

Synopsis

This isn’t just a two-year long one-night stand. It’s my life.

This is my life. Our life. It isn’t just some careless affair.

I’ve made the worst decisions a woman could, but I’ll earn my second chance.

She can try keeping all the guilt for herself, but I’m just as much to blame.

Loving Casey wasn’t my biggest mistake. Fighting it for so long was.

I’ll show her how fearless our love makes me. I’ll protect her torn heart.

He still has magic in his eyes. He’s the man who makes me happy.

Her voice still brings me to my knees. She says my name like it’s sacred.

I live for the day when I’m his. To take care of him. To love him the way he deserves.

I can’t wait to be all she needs. I can give her a happy life, security and so much love.

Sometimes two ships never meet in the night, but ours did.

Sometimes the water is rough. It beats you all to hell until you have no choice but get stronger.

Our love story reads more like a tragedy, but to me it’s clean and pure.

Let them point their fingers. Without a love like ours, they haven’t really lived. I pity them.

I’m a cheating wife and a villain. I am his honeybee.

I’m a snake in the grass and I sleep best when I’m lying next to his wife.

I want to be his everything.

I’m nothing without her anyway.

This isn’t even close to over.

It’ll never be over.

Sail is the second book in the continuing Wake Series.

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Bait

The Wake Series – Book 1

By M. Mabie

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes / Kobo

Synopsis

He was trouble from the start, but I couldn’t resist.
[She was the best kind of trouble. The kind that was so wrong, it felt right.]

I’ve tried and failed to stay away from him.
[I’ve done everything in my power to make her mine and keep her.]

He’s almost impossible to say no to.
[She never tells me yes.]

We’re always fighting.
[When we’re not fighting, we’re… well… making up.]

He makes me laugh so hard.
[I miss her laugh the most.]

I’m a liar.
[She knows the truth, but won’t admit it.]

Sometimes, I wish I’d never met him.
[I wish we could meet all over again. I’d do better.]

His girlfriend knows.
[The guy she’s with is a fool.]

I’ll never love anyone like I love him.
[She doesn’t love me enough to choose us.]

It was the wrong place.
[It was the wrong time.]

It should have been him.
[It will always be her.]

*This book contains adult situations and is recommended for adult readers.

__________________________________

Author Bio:

M. Mabie lives in Illinois with her husband. She is the author of the steamy comedy Fade In. Her sophomore release, Bait, is the first book in the angst-filled erotic Wake Series. She writes unconventional love stories and tries to embody “real-life romance.”

She cares about politics, but will not discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head. She has always been a writer. In fact, she was born with a pen in her hand, which almost never happens. Almost.

M. Mabie usually doesn’t speak in third-person either. She promises.

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Release Day Blitz + Excerpt: Broken by Cynthia Eden – Lost Series – Book 1

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Broken(Lost Series, Bk #1)

By Cynthia Eden

Blurb:

The first novel in New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s sizzling LOST series introduces the Last Option Search Team, an elite unit that must protect the only surviving victim of a serial killer.

Ex-SEAL and LOST founder Gabe Spencer is accustomed to the unusual in his job. But when knockout Eve Gray steps into his office, he’s rattled. For the mysterious woman is a dead ringer for the heiress thought to be the latest prey of the serial killer who goes by the name Lady Killer.

When Eve awoke in an Atlanta hospital, her past was a blank slate. Then she recognized her own face in the newspaper and vowed to learn the truth. Determined to confront the nightmares hidden in her mind, she never expects to find a partner in Gabe.

As Gabe and Eve work together, their explosive attraction becomes irresistible. Gabe knows that his desire for Eve is growing too strong, bordering on a dangerous obsession, but nothing pulls him away from her. And when another Eve lookalike disappears, Gabe vows to protect Eve at all costs. While Eve may have forgotten the killer in her past, it’s clear he hasn’t forgotten her.

Available for purchase at

Excerpt

“Do you think I’m a con artist or a victim?”

“I think you’re a woman who has been hurt.” No denying that. “One of my team members, Wade Monroe, is contacting the Montgomery family. We’ll get DNA from them and find out—”

“If I’m Jessica.” There was hope in the words. Enough hope to break his heart.

Gabe nodded.

“When will we know?”

It would take a few days, even with the strings that he could pull. “As soon as possible,” he said, not wanting to give her a specific timetable.

“Thank you.” Then, just like that, she was across the car, giving him a tight hug. “Thank you.”

His arms wrapped around her, an instinctive response. She smelled faintly of flowers, a sweet scent that teased his nose, and her body was soft against his.

She tried to pull away, as if realizing what she’d just done.

For an instant he was tempted to hold her, to keep her close.

She’s a client. Focus.

He let her go, but his body ached.

“I … um … I should get inside.”

Yes, she should. While he was still clutching tight to his control. The control that said he shouldn’t push her. Shouldn’t want her so much. Not when she’d already been hurt so badly.

Her fingers reached for the door.

“Let me,” he said, voice rumbling, and Gabe climbed from the Jag. In seconds he was on the passenger side, opening her door for her. She rose, and her body brushed against his.

He stepped back. Distance. He seriously needed to put some distance between then. But even with some fast steps back, he could still smell that light and sexy scent that clung to her body.

And he still wanted her.

“Your shrink asked me a lot of questions about you,” Eve told him as she stood temptingly close.

Gabe inclined his head. “I’m sure—”

“I think she wanted to know why I respond so much to you.”

Oh, hell, she’d just said … He cleared his throat even as part of his body surged in quick response to her. “It’s a tense situation, you’re—”

“You don’t look at me as if I’m a victim.”

He stopped talking.

“I mean, you know what I am, but you still look at me and seem to just see me … as a woman.”

“Others see you the same way.” Doc Tyler sure did. Bastard.

“It’s different with you,” she murmured as she stepped even closer to him. Her head had tilted back so she could look into his eyes. “I don’t know what I’ve felt for other men before.”

Why did the idea of others have his body knotting with tension?

“But I know that when I see you, I want.” A hushed confession. “I just … I needed to tell you that.”

And he needed to make his self-control a hell of a lot stronger. Her lips were just inches from his, and he wanted her mouth beneath his. Wanted her lips open. Needed to taste her.

“You’re the first man I’ve wanted since I opened my eyes in that hospital.”

He could actually feel his control splintering. Client. Cli—

“You probably don’t want me. I—I might not be your type.”

Now her gaze had fallen, as if in embarrassment. Had she really just asked if she was his type?

She was probably every damn man’s type.

“But you make me feel normal again, so I had to tell you—”

His fingers curved under her chin. “Eve …”

Her smile was a little too big. Too bright. “I don’t think I can handle anything else right now, I’m …” She pulled away. Stumbled onto the sidewalk. “I just wanted to tell you how I felt,” she told him again.

Then she walked into the shelter, her steps hurried. As if she were running.

From him.

He stared after her. She wanted him.

And she was so beyond his reach.

About the Author

USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA^® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.

Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.

Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.

(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people). Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.

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Happy Release: Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Wait For You Series – Book 4

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Fall With Me

Wait For You Series – Book 4

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis

Jennifer L. Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of the Wait for You series, delivers a new novel of first love, second chances, and scorching chemistry.

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire
Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of.
She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that
night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the
past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke
her heart not once, but twice.
Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility
since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who
put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him
and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when
she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end
of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man
who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if
Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her.
Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes
to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

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

________________________
About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Happy Release + Giveaway : Spark-X by Jessica Sorensen- Death Collectors Series- Book 3

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

Happy Release Day to Spark (the Death Collectors Young Adult version) and Spark X (the the Death Collectors New Adult version) by Jessica Sorensen. Check out a teaser from the New Adult version below and make sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win an ebook copy of one of these books! Good luck!

Now that Ember is a Grim Angel, she’s facing the biggest challenge of her life. Not only does she have to decide if her heart lies with Asher or Cameron, but she has to make a choice that could alter the fate of the world.

Good or Evil.

Angels or Reapers.

Which side will conquer?

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content.**
(New adult paranormal version of my young adult book, Spark (Death Collectors, #3). It contains more violence and more sexual content.)

Now that seventeen-year-old Ember is a Grim Angel, she’s facing the biggest challenge of her life. Not only does she have to decide if her heart lies in Asher or Cameron, but she has to make a choice that could alter the fate of the world.

Good or Evil.

Angels or Reapers.

Which side will conquer?

(This is the young adult version of Spark X (Death Collectors, #3).

**from Spark X – the New Adult Version**

Prologue

Asher

I’ve been in love with Ember Rose Edwards for a while, but she doesn’t know it. I can’t tell her, either, not when the battle’s ending solely rests on her making a choice and sacrificing someone she loves. If I were to divulge how I feel, I’d be interfering even more, and I’ve already been banished for entering her life. It’s not something I regret. I made the choice the day I first saw her. I wanted her in my life, regardless of the consequences.

That day feels like such a long time ago, yet it hasn’t been more than a few months. So much has happened since then. So much has changed, for the better and the worse.

God, we were both so different back then.

As I sit beside her bed and watch Ember sleep, my thoughts drift back to the day when I first laid eyes on her…

I was sent to that place to collect a soul, but what I didn’t expect was that I’d end up at a house crammed with a ton of humans, dry humping the shit out of each other. I had instantly wanted to get the hell out.

A rock song plays on the stereo and floats across the room full of people dancing. Beer cans and cups cover the floors, and the air is drenched with the stench of cigarettes. It has been a long week. Michael, the leader of the Angels, has sent me on a total of five missions to collect souls, which is a large amount compared to most Angels. Then again, Michael has never been a fan of me, considering I have Reaper blood.

My sole purpose tonight is to wait until the person dies then collect their soul before the Reapers get ahold of it. I’ve already spotted three Anamotti, and I’m guessing they’re here for the same reason I am—waiting for the person to pass away.

I sense a fight in the air, thick and heavy, like tar.

I lean against the wall near the corner, watching the crowd, drinking a beer, eager for the night to be over. As my gaze travels over each human, I wonder which one of them is the unlucky person who will die tonight. Humans are so fragile, so…

The air suddenly thins and charges with electricity, full of life and death mixed together. My attention drifts to the side of me, my senses sharpening as I zero in on a girl. Ember Rose Edwards. Her name comes to me like a breath of fresh air.

I’ve never met her before, but know her name for solely one reason—she carries Angel blood, just like she carries Reaper blood.

Sadly, I haven’t crossed paths with a Grim Angel in a while, because Reapers are making them a dying breed. Usually, I pass by without so much as a second glance, despite my connection to them. This time, though, I find myself staring. One, two, three songs go by, and I still can’t seem to take my eyes off her.

She’s gorgeous, to say the least. Dark hair flows down her back, skin as pale as snow, full lips as red as a rose, and big, hazel eyes. But her beauty isn’t the only thing that captures my attention. It’s the pain hidden in her eyes, masked beneath her strength.

Her attention is fixed on the throng of dancing people, and she looks as uninterested as I felt until I laid eyes on her. She keeps her distance, too, probably because of her Grim Angel ability to see death with a touch.

I know I should stay away. Let her be. I’ll be breaking a lot of rules if I interfere with her life, but I find myself moving in her direction, drawn to her.

When I reach her, I whisper the first thing that comes to mind. “God, it’s like mating season in here.”

She shudders from the feel of my breath and stumbles forward, stomping on the toe of my boot. As she regains her balance, her gaze whips in my direction and slowly travels from my boots to my shirt then finally rests on my eyes. She swallows hard as our gazes lock, and I realize she is afraid of something.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” I apologize quickly.

She shivers again then clears her throat. “Sorry about your shoes.” She starts to back away nervously. “Crowded rooms just make me a little uneasy.”

I chuckle, crunching the empty cup in my hand and chucking it into a nearby trashcan. “I know what you mean. All this”—I gesture at the people dry humping one another—“is an excuse for the opposite sex to rub up on one another.”

“That’s a pretty good observation.” She almost smiles, and I feel like I won the lottery or something.

Pressing my lips together, I inch closer and lean over her shoulder. She stiffens from my nearness, probably worried I’ll touch her and force her to see my death. I won’t put her through that, though, so I make sure to leave a sliver of space between us.

“Take those two for instance.” I point at a girl with pink hair dancing with a gangly guy. He moves with a huge lack of coordination, while the girl is graceful, looking bored as hell. “I think they’ve got their own mating ritual going on. Although, I think it might be a one-sided mating ritual.”

She tracks where I’m looking. “I think you’re right.” She turns to me, and for a moment, the pain in her eyes vanishes and pure lust flashes, instead. “It looks like she’s bored.”

My heart thuds deafeningly inside my chest from the look of desire in her eyes directed at me. “Is she a friend of yours?”

She nods, biting her lip contemplatively. “Her name’s Raven.”

I cock my pierced brow. “Like the poem?”

“You know Edgar Allan Poe?” He face lights up with excitement.

Jackpot. The girl has it bad for the dead poet, who I vaguely remember meeting two centuries ago.

“A little bit.” I stare at her beauty, trying to figure out what to do next. I know what my body wants to do with her, and my mind seems to be veering toward the same thing. Regardless, I’d be in a shitload of trouble for touching her. Fuck, even this conversation is going to get me into trouble.

“What’s your name?” I ask, trying to act as normal as I can.

“Ember.” She scoots forward, holding her breath as a girl stumbles by, having a drunken conversation with the air.

“Ember … I like it.” I dare a step or two closer and breathe in the faint scent of her—roses with a hint of lilies. “ ‘And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor,’ ” I quote the one line I can remember from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”

“I thought you said you knew a little?” she asks me, impressed.

I shrug, stuffing my hands into my pockets. “What can I say? I’m fascinated with the idea … love, death, and the insanity it brings.”

She grows uncomfortable with my mention of death, and her eyes anxiously sweep the crowd as if she’s seeking an escape. I can’t have her leave just yet. I need to keep her here a little longer. I don’t want her to go.

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

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♥SERIES READING ORDER♥

The Death Collectors New Adult Version

Book 1 – Ember X

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Book 2 – Cinder X

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Book 3 – Spark X

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The Death Collectors Young Adult Version

Book 1 – Ember

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Book 2 – Cinder

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Book 3 – Spark

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Happy Release: The Shadows by J. R. Ward – Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 13

Posted on 03/31/2015 by shellbellereads

The Shadows

Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 13

By J. R. Ward

Synopsis

Two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny in the heart-wrenching new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on… except for his brother, iAm.

iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around… but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice…

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

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird was born on 1969 in Massachusetts, USA. She is the daughter of Maxine F. and W. Gillette Bird, Jr. She began writing as a child, penning her thoughts in diaries as well as inventing short stories. She read her first Harlequin Presents novel in a rose garden when she was in her teens. She was hooked immediately. By the time she went to college, she had boxes and boxes of Harlequins and Silhouettes. Every year, her mother would ask why all those books had to live in the house and Jess would reply that if even one of them disappeared she would know. (She’d catalogued them.)

Jess finished her first romance manuscript the summer before her freshman year of college. She attended Smith College and graduated with a double major in history and art history. She then received a law degree from Albany Law School. Shortly after that, she began working in the healthcare industry in Boston. She spent many years as one of the premier medical center’s Chief of Staff. While working as a lawyer in Boston, she completed two novels more and started a number of partials. In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III. Both her mother and her new husband kept telling her to send something in to an agent, a publisher, the Tooth Fairy, anyone. She thought they were nuts, but eventually got her nerve up and bought a lot of stamps. Since getting published, she has written contemporary romances as Jessica Bird and paranormal romances as J. R. Ward. She has been a Rita Award finalist, received two Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominations and has been a HOLT medallion finalist.

New England born and bred, Jess is surprised to find herself living south of the Mason Dixon line. (But that’s what happens when you marry a Southern gentleman.) She and her husband live with their golden retriever, who oversees her writing in a supervisory role.

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Saucy Southern Readers

professional, honest, and timely book reviews

Tag Archives: Release Blitz

Happy Release + 6 Star Review: The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz – The Original Sinners: White Years – Book 3

Happy Release + 5 Star Review + Giveaway: Holding Strong by Lori Foster – Ultimate Series – Book 2

Happy Release + 5 Star Review : The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter – The Original Heartbreakers Series – Book 1

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Savage…Kill Or Die by Jade C. Jamison

Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Velvet Kisses by Addison Moore- 3:AM Kisses Series – Book 6

Happy Release: Sail by M. Mabie- The Wake Series- Book 2

Release Day Blitz + Excerpt: Broken by Cynthia Eden – Lost Series – Book 1

Happy Release: Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Wait For You Series – Book 4

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Happy Release + Giveaway : Spark-X by Jessica Sorensen- Death Collectors Series- Book 3

Happy Release: The Shadows by J. R. Ward – Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 13

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