Friday, January 29, 2016

A Lightening Strike

Coming March, 2016, from A.L. Jackson's fabulous Bleeding Stars series is her newest release, Where Lightening Strikes, and I am absolutely beyond thrilled to read this one!

SYNOPSIS
Do you know what it feels like right before lightning strikes? How you can feel the current running through your veins? The trembles of warning that ripple through the air? It was a thrill Tamar King chased all her life until it became the very thing she had to escape.
For the last four years, Tamar King has hidden herself in an isolated world she created. She was safe. No one could touch her. Until Lyrik West walked through her door.
He’s the lead guitarist for Sunder and everything she can never have. The dark and beautiful rock star becomes everything she craves.
Lyrik’s life has been devoted to his band and that success has cost him. Bitter, hard, and filled with regret, he refuses to lose himself again, but from the moment he sees her, he wants one night with Tamar King.
The gorgeous bartender is more than he bargained for. Their attraction is consuming. Their desire overpowering. With one touch, they ignite.
But is it worth the cost of getting burned?
She’s a gorgeous nightmare and he’s a wicked dream…

WHERE LIGHTNING STRIKES, a Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel
Exclusive Pre-Order on iBooks: http://bit.ly/WLSiBooks


Trailer:



Excerpt

For the last four years, Tamar King has hidden herself in an isolated world she created. She was safe. No one could touch her. Until Lyrik West walked through her door.

He’s the lead guitarist for <em>Sunder</em> and everything she can never have. The dark and beautiful rock star becomes everything she craves.

Lyrik’s life has been devoted to his band and that success has cost him. Bitter, hard, and filled with regret, he refuses to lose himself again, but from the moment he sees her, he wants one night with Tamar King.

The gorgeous bartender is more than he bargained for. Their attraction is consuming. Their desire overpowering. With one touch, they ignite.

But is it worth the cost of getting burned?

She’s a gorgeous nightmare and he’s a wicked dream…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary and new adult romance.
She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children. 
Connect with A.L. Jackson online: www.aljacksonauthor.com
To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!

Bait & Switch Reveal

ABOUT THE BOOK
Love is a trap, a trick only other people fall for. Former Navy SEAL Nolan has no such illusions. The only things real in his life are his beloved bulldog and the two women in his life. One is soft and innocent, someone he could build a real future with. But the other is dark and gives him all of the wicked things he craves behind closed doors. What starts out as casual quickly becomes complicated. Can he walk away from a sure thing for something that's foreign territory?

Nolan thinks we met by chance. We didn’t. I sought him out, seduced him, and in return got the sanctuary I needed to survive. But now, impossibly, I’ve fallen in love with him. I don’t care that he has another lover, because when he finds out who I am, it’s going to ruin any chance I ever had with him anyway. She’s the least of my worries.

Bait & Switch is Book 1 in the new contemporary romance series Alphas Undone, which will each feature a new couple.This is a standalone full-length novel. It does not contain cheating.





EXCERPT

She hooked one leg over mine, and I rocked my hips into her pelvis to let her feel what she’d done to me. Lacey groaned. “I take it you liked the massage.”
“What gave me away?” I asked, breathing hard against her neck.
“A certain wayward southern appendage.” She ground into me again, her hips moving against mine.
I almost chuckled. Almost called her out for being too prissy to say the word cock . . . until her hand slid down to my jeans to unbutton me.
“Maybe he needs some attention too,” she rasped against my throat.
I hadn’t come here for this and wouldn’t have pressed her, but I also wasn’t going to turn her away. We would take things at whatever pace she wanted.
Tugging down the zipper to her shorts, I was desperate to touch her and bring her pleasure. I pushed my hand inside her shorts, fumbling when she reached down to grip my denim-covered erection. Christ.
My fingers soon found what they were looking for. She gasped as I rubbed in slow circles through her panties. Even with the cotton barrier, I could feel the firm bud of her swollen clit. I sucked in a breath when she tightened her fist, kneading my hard cock.
“Together,” was all she said. But I understood. Only a little impatiently, I waited until she had unzipped my jeans before slipping my fingers under her panties.
I gave a soft groan at the feel of her hot, slick folds. “God, baby, you’re so wet already.”
“All for you,” she murmured huskily. “Touch me, please.”
I obeyed in a heartbeat, echoing her moan when she pulled my cock free and started stroking up and down with whisper-soft strokes.

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About The Author:

Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance novels, including Hard to Love, Unravel Me, Resisting Her and When I Break.
She's a sassy, yet polite Midwestern girl with a deep love of books, and a slight addiction to lipgloss. She lives in Minneapolis with her adorable husband and two baby sons, and enjoys hiking, being active, and reading. 

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

Links:

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Dare Me Release Info

Five coworkers.

Four drinks.

Three glances.

Two fleeting smiles.

One dare.

A dare that will change my life.

That’s all it takes to send me plummeting into the arms of the mysterious Holt Hamilton. Behind his crystal blue eyes is a secret, one that screams danger but calls to me anyway.

My name is Saige Phillips.

I never walk away from a dare.



Coming at you in March, from best selling author, Rebecca Shea is her newest release, Dare Me.


EXCERPT:

 “I was watching you, Saige. I enjoy watching you.” Maybe that was bold of me, but I don’t care.

She audibly gasps, her chest rising and falling with each quick breath she takes.

I fix my eyes on hers and continue. “And I saw you watching me.”

Her upper lip twitches as she thinks of a sarcastic comeback. I can see the vein in her neck throbbing, along with the beat of her pulse before she finally whispers, “We shouldn’t do this.” She pulls a green olive off the toothpick floating in her martini, then she pops it into her mouth. The green olive matches her eyes perfectly.

I watch her shift uncomfortably in her chair for a few seconds before I respond. “Why not?”

“Because you’re my boss.” So naïve, sweet little Saige is.

“I’m actually not,” I tell her.

She frowns. “You own the company I work for, same thing.”

I clarify, “I’m part owner of the company you work for.”

She sighs. “Holt, this is just drinks. That’s all.” But her eyes tell me she wants more.

I lean closer to her. “It’s never just drinks, Saige.”

Coming March 28, 2016
Preorder Exclusively at iBooks: http://apple.co/1PiIQs2

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Rebecca Shea is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Unbreakable series, including: Unbreakable, Undone, and Unforgiven. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family and her beagle. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for books. Rebecca spends her days working and her nights writing, bringing stories to life. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her sons football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margaritas, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever afters.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Strangers

Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story, written by Renee Carlino came to me as such an unexpected surprise read.  I was in a bit of a book funk.  I mean, I seriously have 100 ebooks and physical paperback books I've yet to read but I just couldn't decide what I wanted to read; nothing was calling to me for some reason.  So, I scrolled back in my Kindle to see what I'd purchased a while ago and still hadn't read, when low and behold there was this little book that I'd heard lots of good things about but really had no clue what it was about.  I decided that it was time and I began.

This led me on a most delightful journey through 15 years in the lives and love between Graceland and Matthias.  The story takes place at first in the present time but quickly takes us back to when the two first met and weaves an intricate tale of their courting in college. We go through all of the fun little nuances of their lives while they navigate their relationship with each other and with others.  Carlino does a superb job of taking the mundane task of describing a couple going out to eat and turning it into such a sweet little adventure that leaves the reader smiling. It appeals to the readers own sense of sentiment and nostalgia.  It takes you back in time and brings forth all of these feelings of youth and longing and remembrance. 



We soon discover that time does little to mend the hurt and the scars of broken hearts, as Grace and Matt discover each other once again on a subway train years later.  They discover that their story isn't quite as over as they thought it was.  In fact, it may be just beginning.

I will admit this book was a little hard to get into initially.  It started a bit slow and I really wasn't sure where it was going for a while but I'm glad I stuck with it.  The end resulted in being carried away to such a tender, innocent time in the character's lives in discovering who they were and what they wanted in life.  I felt like I was young again and experiencing the events with them; I think that takes a talented writer to take the reader there, to that place.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautifully, well written, not-your-run-of-the-mill love story.  This one will give you the feels and transport you lovely wonderland, I promise!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Built

I'm a couple days late in posting this so I apologize to you and also to author, Jay Crownover for not getting the info on her newest book release out when I was supposed to. I suck and I'm sorry!  The good news in this is, however, that now I have a review too so it's like a twofer.  Yay!  ;)

So on Tuesday, Jay's newest book Built was released.    This is the much anticipated first full length book in her new Saints of Denver series and it didn't disappoint one bit.  

SYNOPSIS:
Release Date: 01/05/16

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes an electrifying new spin-off series,Saints of Denver, featuring all the characters fans have been dying to read about.

Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn’t be more different. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and sawdust. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk, he’s all denim and flannel.

Zeb’s wanted the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her. It doesn't matter how many smooth moves he makes, the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest—either that or she doesn't return it. Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior.

But just as things start to heat up, Zeb is blindsided by a life altering moment from his past. He needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. He can’t risk what’s at stake just because his attraction to Sayer feels all consuming. But as these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, battling together to save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide can no longer be ignored.


EXCERPT:
"It's a work thing."  I grumbled the lie out and Poppy laughed softly at me.

"Sure it is.  Just like you coming home covered in paint last night was a work thing."  I frowned at her and slumped down in my seat.

"That was work.  Not my work exactly, but still work."  At least it had been until I ended up naked and fucked.  I sighed a little.  I'd never ever actually been fucked before Zeb.  Seattle Sayer had never dated men that were the kind to fuck, and again I could kick her for all that she had missed out on.  I sure as hell had never had sex up against a freshly painted wall with my ass sticking up in the air and now I knew what I was missing.

I wanted to be numb to it all.  Wanted to chalk it up to raging hormones that had hummed around Zeb since the beginning.  I wanted to be detached and calm so that I could tell him it was a mistake that we shouldn't make again.  I wasn't any of those things.

Nope, despite my best effort to keep a lid on them, my feelings, where Zeb Fuller was concerned, were leaking out through every crack they could find in my icy exterior.  They were oozing, flowing, liquid, and as hot as lava all over me.

_________________________________________________________

How's that for steaming hot?!?!  What I loved about this story is that Zeb and Sayer, the main characters were so different physically but inside they were both these lost and flawed people that simply needed each other.  It's just that Sayer was harder to convince that they belonged together than Zeb.  He proved to be both ambitious and determined and refused to give up on what he knew in his heart was right for both of them.  

After meeting both Sayer and Zeb in Jay's Marked Men series, it was wonderful to see them in their own love story.  Built also allowed us to see more of the Poppy character and I am hoping (as I'm sure everyone else is) that she will get her story one day too.  

Friday, January 8, 2016

Out of Focus

I am so excited to announce L.B. Simmons' next release, due out in February, Out of Focus. This is a spinoff standalone to the novel Under the Influence, which was in my Top Ten faves of 2015.  I can't wait to read this new one! 





*** Upper New Adult Spinoff Standalone to the USA Today Bestselling Novel, Under the Influence***

“Shhhh, Cassandra, it’s our little secret.”
Secrets are stubborn things when they refuse to remain hidden. They tear through your soul, clawing and lashing until the pain becomes so unbearable, you’re left no choice but to silently scream your agony. No one hears you, of course. You smile on the outside and drift through life as though your mind is at peace, but all the while, you remain your own tortured prisoner. Sealed inside the darkened, soundproof room of your conscience, deafening cries echo as you plead for someone to unlock the door and release you from your nightmares. And eventually, when no one comes, you find ways to cope. To dull the suffering the only way you know how.
But what happens when you’ve become so numb, when everything around you has become so blurred, that you begin to lose focus on the saving grace standing directly in front of you? When you’ve anesthetized yourself to the point of losing consciousness, forced to watch as his once solid image fades away, lost to your reach in the haze as it smothers you? 
What do you do then?
You fight. You heal. Then you bring him back.
Well, my name is Cassie Cooper, and it’s time.
No more secrets.
This is my story.


***WARNING - The subject matter of this novel centers around the psychological effects due to sexual abuse experienced during childhood. For this reason, as well as sexual situations, language, and adult themes, suggested reading age is 17+.***



BUY LINK:

GOODREADS:

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Author Bio:
L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science.  She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years.  She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.


NEWSLETTER http://bit.ly/1S2FWcV 
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/L.B.-Simmons/e/B00B26XOTA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1423076274&sr=1-2-ent

Saturday, January 2, 2016

What Did You Read?

In 2015 I participated in the Goodreads book challenge.  Basically, if you're not familiar with it, you pledge how many titles you will read in the year and then log them into their site and it helps you keep track.  There's no prize for succeeding and nothing lost if you don't meet your goal, but if you're anything like me, you don't like giving up so you try really hard to do well.  My goal was to read 100 books.  I had NO idea if I was capable of that but it seemed attainable.  I'm happy to report that I succeed and even surpassed my goal.    Yay me!

Below I thought I'd list all the titles I read this year for you in case you're looking for something new to read.  I enjoyed almost everything I read, so you can't go wrong with any of these really.

Songbird, by Sydney Logan 

Capture (Seaside Pictures, #1), By Rachel Van Dyken

Confessions of a Kleptomaniac (Rebels & Misfits, #1), by Jessica Sorensen

Whisper If You Need Me, by Dina Silver

Loving Mr. Daniels, by Brittiany C. Cherry

The Stocking Was Hung, by Tara Sivec

Dear Professor, by Blaire Drake

The Air He Breathes, by Brittainy Cherry

Entranced (Guardian Academy, Book 1), by Jessica Sorensen

Vegas Love, by Jillian Dodd

The Diary of Lexi Ashford, Part One (Lexi Ashford, #1), by Jessica Sorenson

Finding Bliss, by Dina Silver

Monster Prick (Screwed, 1.5), by Kendall Ryan

November 9, by Colleen Hoover

How to Kill a Rock Star, by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Leveled (Saints of Denver, # 0.5), by Jay Crownover

Emeralds (All that Glitters, #2.5), by K.A. Linde

Initium (Nocte Trilogy #2.5), by Courtney Cole

Screwed, by Kendall Ryan

Where Sea Meets Sky, by Karina Halle

The Illusion of Annabella (Honeyton, #1), by Jessica Sorensen

Until Friday Night (The Field Party, #1), by Abbi Glines

The Year I Became Isabella Anders (Sunnyvale, #1), by Jessica Sorensen

Taming Lily (The Fowler Sisters, #3), by Monica Murphy

Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements, #3), by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Because of Sydney, by T.A. Foster

The Pact, by Karina Halle

Something Beautiful (Beautiful, #3) by Jamie McGuire

Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point, #3), by Jay Crownover

Leaving Amarillo (Neon Dreams, #1), by Caisey Quinn

The Arrangement 20: The Ferro Family (The Arrangement, #20), H.M. Ward

Leaving Dallas (Neon Dreams, #2), by Caisey Quinn

Cinderfella, by Xavier Neal

Gold (All That Glitters, #2), by K.A. Linde

Unforgettable (Beachwood Bay, #8), by Melody Grace

Diamonds (All That Glitters, #1), by K.A. Linde

Gus (Bright Side, #2), by Kim Holden

Conviction (The Consolation Duet, #2), Corinne Michaels

The Mason List, by S.D. Hendrickson

Forever, For Always, by Sabrina Quinn

Uglies (Uglies, #1), by Scott Westerfeld

Beautiful Sacrifice (The Maddox Brothers, #3), by Jamie McGuire

Trusting Liam (Taking Chances, #2), by Molly McAdams

Asa (Marked Men, #6), by Jay Crownover

Pretending He's You (Nashville Nights, #4), by Stacey Mosteller

Marrow, by Tarryn Fisher

Love Abstract (The Art of Falling Duet, #2), by B.L. Berry

Never Never: Part Two (Never Never, #2), by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

All Played Out (Rusk University, #3), by Cora Carmack

Tell No One, by Harlan Coben

Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty

Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies, #2), by Tarryn  Fisher

The Summer Remains (The Summer Remains, #1), by Seth King

Thief (Love Me With Lies, #3), by Tarryn Fisher

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

Fall With Me (Wait for You, #4), by J. Lynn

Anne of Green Gables, by Eliza Gatewood Warren

Consolation (The Consolation Duet, #1), by Corinne Michaels

The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies, #1), by Tarryn Fisher

Five Summers, by Una LaMarche

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren

The Billionaire's Desire (The Seduction Factor, #2), by Scarlett Avery

Broken (The Seduction Factor, #3), by Scarlett Avery

The Orchard: A Memoir, by Theresa Weir

Casual Encounter (The Seduction Factor, #1), by Scarlett Avery

Mud Vein, by Tarryn Fisher

Shadows of the Past, by H.M. Ward & Stacey Mosteller

A Stone in the Sea (Bleeding Stars, #1), by A.L. Jackson

The Letter I Never Gave To You: A Love Novel Based on a True Story, by Angelov Marine

Asperger Love: Searching for Romance When You're Not Wired to Connect, by Amy Harmon

Looking for Alaska, by John Green

Confess, by Colleen Hoover

The Way We Fall (The Story of Us, #1), by Cassia Leo

Stealing Rose (The Fowler Sisters, #2), by Monica Murphy

Stepbrother Obsessed, by Devon Hartford

Unwritten (Beachwood Bay, #7), by Melody Grace

Nocte (The Nocte Trilogy, #1), by Courtney Cole

Verum (The Nocte Trilogy, #2), by Courtney Cole

Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, #2), by Jamie McGuire

The Arrangement 18: The Ferro Family (The Arrangement, #18), by H.M. Ward

All of It, by Kim Holden

Love Nouveau (The Art of Falling Duet, #1), by B.L. Berry

Happenstance 3 (Happenstance, #3), by Jamie McGuire

Keystrokes, by Lisa Marie

Something Wild (Reckless & Real, #0.5),  by Lexi Ryan

Better When He's Bold (Welcome to the Point, #2), by Jay Crownover

Perfect Chemistry (Kinky Chronicles Book 1), by Jodi Redford

One Shattered Sister (Switching Tracks, #2.5), by Delia Steele

Kyland (Sign of Love), by Mia Sheridan

Something Reckless (Reckless & Real, #1), by Lexi Ryan

One Woman Warrior (Switching Tracks, #1.5), by Delia Steele

Life Before Damaged: The Ferro Family (Life Before Damaged, #3-10), by H.M. Ward

The Gilded Cuff (Surrender, #1), by Lauren Smith

Love Struck (Serendipity Falls, #3), by Patrice Wilton

Owning Violet (The Fowler Sisters, #1), by, Monica Murphy

Frostfire (Kanin Chronicles, #1),  by Amanda Hocking

Never Never (Never Never, #1), by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Faithful (Fearsome, #3), by S.A. Wolfe

One Year Love (Parts 1-4), by Devon Hartford

Wicked (A Wicked Saga, #1), by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Before I Fall (Falling, #1), by Jessica Scott

The Offer, by Karina Halle

The Law of Moses (The Law of Moses, #1), by Amy Harmon

Love Always,: A Game of Hearts Novel, by Sonya Loveday & Candace Knoebel

The Way We Break (The Story of Us, #2), by Cassia Leo

Slow Play (The Rules, #3), by Monica Murphy

Raveling You (Unraveling You, #2), by Jessica Sorensen

Missing Dixie (Neon Dreams, #3), by Casiey Quinn

GRIND, by Joanna Blake

Lux (The Nocte Triology, #3), by Courtney Cole

Wreck Me (Nova, #4), by Jessica Sorensen

Sincerely, Arizona (Sincerely, Carter, 1.5), by Whitney Gracia Williams

Five Days Until You (One Week Girlfriend, #4.5) by Monica Murphy

Manwhore: The Ferro Family (Manwhore 1-3), by H.M. Ward

Forever With You (Wait for You, #5), by J. Lynn

In The Dark (The Rules, #2), by Monica Murphy

The Day the Crayons Came Home, by Drew Daywalt

Holiday Kisses, by Melody Grace

Cover Model, by Devon Hartford

Under the Influence , by L.B. Simmons

Drowning to Breathe (Bleeding Stars, #2) by A.L. Jackson

All Broke Down (Rusk University, #2), by Cora Carmack

The Way We Break (The Story of Us, #2), by Cassia Leo

Sincerely, Carter (Sincerely, Carter, #1), by Whitney Garcia Williams

Filthy Beautiful Lies (Filthy Beautiful Lies, #1),  by Kendall Ryan

Family Pictures, by Jane Green

The Consequence of Loving Colton (Consequence, #1), by Rachel Van Dyken