Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Review ~ Bully by Penelope Douglas

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars

“You were my tempest, my thunder cloud, my tree in the downpour. I loved all of those things and I loved you. But now? You’re a fucking drought. I thought that all the assholes drove German cars, but it turns out that pricks in Mustangs can still leave scars.”

This book is YA at it’s best, I totally and utterly loved it. This story is about a girl named Tate and a boy called Jared. From the moment that Tate moved in next door, these two were inseparable. Tate was being brought up by her father. They had a brilliant relationship, he truly was an awesome dad.

“He had a few simple rules: respect your elders, take care of your body, finish what you start and solve your own problems. If I maintained good grades and followed those four rules, he trusted me. That’s a military parent. Simple.”


Jared and Tate were best friends as children, they did everything together. Where one was you would find the other. They lived in each others houses, played together, went to school together and comforted each other. They were truly soul mates. One summer Jared goes away to stay with his father who he had been estranged from for a long time. When Jared came back he was a different person. He also didn’t like Tate and from that day on, made her life a living hell. What could possibly have happened to cause this sudden turn around? What on earth could Tate have done? Jared turned into an awful bully, but he was not content with just doing the bullying himself, but he got the whole school involved. He spread malicious lies and rumours, prevented her from getting any boyfriends and making friends, he was wearing her down, bringing her to her knees, but Tate was confused and hurt, WHY?

“Jared indulged in my misery like it was candy. He had fed me to the wolves time and again, reveling in the unhappiness he caused. Jared, my friend, was completely gone, leaving a cold monster in his place.”


Tate goes away to study for a year, when she comes back, she has to go back to school. The Tate that returns is more determined, no longer will she be bullied, she is going to stand up for herself. Is it too late for her and Jared’s friendship? Has the love that she had for him been completely eroded away? Does Jared want to go back to the way things were before that summer or is he going to pick up where he left off?

“You were never clingy or a nuisance, Tate. The day you moved in next door I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I fucking loved you.”


Having been bullied myself throughout most of my secondary education, I could totally relate to this book. It did make it hard to read at times and did bring back some god awful memories but I related to Tate, I empathised. For the life of me though I could not understand Jared. Even knowing what I know now, if I am completely honest I still cannot relate to what he did. Maybe if I was not so emotionally invested I could have looked at it from a neutral perspective, but I couldn’t, he was just a total arse. It was obvious that something bad had happened during that summer but you never knew what in the beginning. Jared had erected some mammoth walls that seemed impenetrable but slowly but surely the “new” Tate started to break them down, brick, by brick. Once the “real” Jared began to emerge, you could sense the depth of his feelings and you could see why he did what he did to some extent. I do believe that this could have been aided by having some chapters in Jared’s POV, it maybe could have helped you build that connection to him rather than just think of him as the selfish arse and bully he was portrayed to be.

“Yesterday kept following me. And tomorrow, the new day, never seemed to come.”


Fantastic book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I cannot wait to read more of this series. A lot of the side characters were entertaining in their own right and I am sure that these can be expanded upon with their own book (hint hint). Definitely a must read.

Friday, 27 December 2013

Blog Tour with Giveaway ~ Girl of Lies (Rachel's Peril 1) By Charles Sheehan-Miles


Book Description: 

Andrea Thompson is smart, assertive and beautiful. She’s also desperately lonely. Raised in Europe by her grandmother, she struggles knowing neither of her parents wanted her, and she has no idea why.

When Andrea receives an urgent call from her older sister Carrie, she agrees to fly to the United States to help. Carrie’s newborn daughter Rachel needs a bone marrow transplant.

What Andrea doesn’t know is that her return to the United States will launch a chain of events that will uncover secrets hidden for decades. Secrets which will rock the Thompson family and ignite a political firestorm.

Secrets that some will kill to protect.

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18694097-girl-of-lies

Review: 

Willow is currently reading Girl of Lies and is really enjoying it - her review will be up shortly! 


About the Author:

Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive, and is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com

You're also invited to join the Remember to Breathe Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/remembertobreathe/

Author Links:
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/415636.Charles_Sheehan_Miles
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CharlesSheehanMiles
Twitter-https://twitter.com/CSheehanMiles


Tour Giveaway:

Want to win a signed paperback of Just Remember to Breathe? Enter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Merry Christmas and Giveaway winners announced!

The Romance Cover would like to wish all our followers a very Happy Christmas! 


Thank you to everyone who entered Donna's birthday giveaway and wished her happy birthday. The giveaway is now over and the winners have been selected via randon.org. They were: 


1 winner will win a £10 or $15 Amazon Voucher ~ 
 Rachael Sauve-Cumle

10 winners will chose one ebook (kindle) from Donna's top reads of the last few months ~ 
Jodi Ciorciari-Marinich
Maria Spera
Karen Gagnon
Mary Bilowus
Angela Craney
Sheri Zee
Pam Bowen-Metz
Crystal Glenn 
Kim Perry
Carrie Stevens 


Donna's Top reads:

Arsen by Mia Asher
Bullet to the Heart by Lea Griffith
Bully or Until You by Penelope Douglas
Fading (or any in series) by EK Blair Fighting
Redemption by Kate McCarthy
Fueled (or any in series) by Kristy Bromberg
Intuition (or any in series) by Amy Bartol
Love Me (or any Jillian Dodd book) by Jillian Dodd
Making Faces by Amy Harmon
More Than This (or any in series) by Jay McLean
Night Owl by M Pierce
Present Perfect by Alison G Bailey
Remember When (or any in series) by T Torrest
Remy (or any in series) by Katy Evans
Rock & Roll Never Forgets (or any in series) by Barbara Stewart
Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken
Seamless (or any in series) by RL Griffin
Second Chances by TA Webb
Seductive Secrecy (or any in series) by Marni Mann
Stripped Bare by Susan MacNicol
Travis (or any Nicole Edwards book) by Nicole Edwards
Unteachable by Leah Raeder
When It Rains by Lisa De Jong
Worth the Fight (or any in series) by LD Davis

Congratulations to the winners please email theromancecover@gmail.com providing your email address and which book you would like. 
  

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ Perfectly Damaged by EL Montes

Make sure to check out the TEASERS, PLAYLIST & enter the GIVEAWAY for $50 in Amazon Gift Cards below!

This is a standalone book scheduled to be released end of January/Mid-February. Exact release date to be announced.

Come join our Facebook Release Day Event – CLICK HERE


Author: E.L. Montes
Book Title: Perfectly Damaged
Cover Designer: Mae I Design and Photography
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Schizoaffective disorder: a mental illness in which a person experiences a combination of mood disorder and schizophrenia symptoms.
I know about this illness—very well—because I suffer from it. It’s been four years since my diagnosis, and ever since, I’ve been living in a dark hole. Voices constantly invading my thoughts. Hallucinations. All of which force me to question if what I’m experiencing is even reality.
But here I am, still hanging on, still breathing and living through it.
That is, until he stumbled into my life. Logan Reed. I don’t want any part of him. I’ve pushed him away, but he isn’t easily deterred. I’ve told him I’m different, but he doesn’t care. He’s trying to slowly break me down. I’m trying just as hard not to let him. He doesn’t know how truly damaged I am; what will happen when he does?
I know the truth—he’ll never be able to look at me the same way again. Just like everybody else.
 
______________________________________________

Playlist on Spotify (click below link to listen)

https://play.spotify.com/user/1258382527/playlist/34DCiwQijcHw7N7N0H3av8
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Facebook & Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, Authorgraph

Other books by E.L. Montes:

Buy on Amazon: http://amzn.to/12wBrwi
Buy on B&N: http://bit.ly/1925cFT

Buy on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1cEGPlQ
Buy on B&N: http://bit.ly/1cZP8ZU

Friday, 20 December 2013

Friday Frights ~ PNR Review ~ Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga 1) by Samantha Adams

Reviewed by Shirley ~ 4.5 Stars

This is a really great story about Immortals and their enemy the Vampires of a love that has been ordained and has taken decades to come to fruition. This is about a human called Allesandra who lives in Melbourne with her grandmother Adele, she is a private detective who is tall with long chocolate brown hair and has green eyes and an Immortal man called James, very handsome with dark hair and green eyes who has been silently watching over Allesandra until the time is right to claim her as she is his soul mate.

It starts with Ally (Allesandra) going to a fair with her friend Kathryn and having their fortunes told. Ally is told of a prophecy that she has to fulfil. James and Ally do meet but it wasn’t the right time and they were then separated for a further 5 years and that’s where their story begins. Allesandra has to be whisked off to Scotland for her own safety and the start of their love journey with James telling her…

“I want you to want me the way I want you. Love me the way I love you. I will never force that Ally. I will tip the scales in my favour, but the choice about me is always yours.”

With her learning more about her role in the prophecy and how to deal with it and the love growing between her and James…

“His eyes clouded over with desire and were starting to resemble the black onyxs from this morning. She felt the heat and desire growing from her own body. The flames were heating by the minute and soon would refuse to be doused. How did I survive without him for this long?”

There is danger to overcome by these two and between them let us hope they will overcome. They must.

This book is beautifully written, exciting and a love story that runs through with an enchantment all of it’s own.

Ms Adams, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to find out how the prophecy pans out. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment Immortal Destiny and to be taken back into their thrilling lives.
 

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Release Day Buzz ~ Girl of Lies (Rachel's Peril Trilogy 1) by Charles Sheehan-Mi​les

Charles Sheehan-Miles has released Girl of Lies, book one in the Rachel's Peril Trilogy a day early!

Book Description: 

Andrea Thompson is smart, assertive and beautiful. She’s also desperately lonely. Raised in Europe by her grandmother, she struggles knowing neither of her parents wanted her, and she has no idea why.

When Andrea receives an urgent call from her older sister Carrie, she agrees to fly to the United States to help. Carrie’s newborn daughter Rachel needs a bone marrow transplant.

What Andrea doesn’t know is that her return to the United States will launch a chain of events that will uncover secrets hidden for decades. Secrets which will rock the Thompson family and ignite a political firestorm.

Secrets that some will kill to protect.

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18694097-girl-of-lies


Excerpt from Girl of Lies by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Dylan

“Give me one of those.” Sarah was slumped back in a cast iron chair as she said the words, her injured leg tucked up in front of her.

“Hell, no,” Dylan said as he lit his cigarette, shielding the lighter from the wind. He took a long drag from the cigarette, the coal lighting up, the faint sound of the tobacco burning audibly in his ears.

“I’m eighteen now.”

He raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. After the too intense discussion with Carrie, he’d stepped outside for a smoke, planning on a little solitude. Sarah had followed him out onto the balcony. Twenty stories up, he could see most of Bethesda and parts of northwest Washington, DC spread out below his feet.

“I don’t give a shit if you’re thirty,” Dylan said. “I’m not giving you a cigarette. If you want one that bad, buy your own.”

“You’re kidding, right? I don’t leave the house. I’m a cripple, didn’t you know that?”

He slumped into the seat across from her. “You’re no more a cripple than I am. Actually your injuries weren’t as bad as mine.”

She shrugged. “I’m not a soldier.”

“Better toughen up, then. What’s this about you being a cripple?”

She sneered. “It’s nothing. Mom and Dad basically laid down the rule I couldn’t ever leave without an escort.”

“Alex said you home schooled this year?”

“Tutors, mostly. I can’t imagine what it cost. But it’s changed everything.”

“How?”

She raised her eyebrows. “You went to high school. You know what I’m talking about.”

Dylan shrugged and took a drag off his cigarette. “I don’t really. My high schooling wasn’t exactly normal.”

Her eyes widened a little, then she said, “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I remember the night Alexandra told Dad you’d dropped out of school. He was overjoyed.”

“I’m sure he was.”

Unexpectedly she leaned forward, tilting her head slightly to the right, a serious expression in her eyes.

“You’re drinking again, aren’t you?”

Dylan froze. For nearly fifteen seconds he didn’t move. Then his eyes darted to the sliding glass door.

 Buy Links:

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1bz6JDb
Amazon.co.uk: amzn.to/J7oen6
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1fCTtCt
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1jg4VsF
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1czrMGI
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/19z83tI

About the Author:

Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive, and is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com

You're also invited to join the Remember to Breathe Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/remembertobreathe/

Author Links:
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/415636.Charles_Sheehan_Miles
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CharlesSheehanMiles
Twitter-https://twitter.com/CSheehanMiles


Release Party Link:

JOIN Charles for the release day party on December 20th! Prizes, games and more, only at:





Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Its Donna's 40th Birthday today! Interview & Giveaway

A huge happy 40th birthday to my blog partner and very good friend, Donna.
 

To celebrate Donna's birthday I've asked her a few questions for you to get to know her better. We also have a giveaway for you!   

So lets get to know Donna ....


What do you do for a living?

I am an accountant by trade, I work in the financial services industry looking after high net worth individuals and have worked for the same team since I was 18 and as you know an avid book reader and blogger second.

What would your dream job be?

Oooo, I have always wanted to be a florist, I have always said if I won the lottery and money was no object I would buy myself a florist and indulge. I would also love to be a CSI type person but I do not have the stomach for it, I would be sick ALL the time. As a serious profession though I would love to work in publishing, after reading all these books and doing beta reads for some authors I would love to do this for a living. I could totally see myself in a publishing house bringing new authors to the world and helping existing ones achieve greatness lol.

Where would you like to visit around the world?

I would love to take the kids to Disney World, we are waiting for them to get a bit older so they can appreciate it. I would love to visit the US for myself too, also Australia, I only started flying in my early 20's as I was too scared, the longest flight I have done is 5 hours so I am getting there.

What is your favourite colour?

Purple is my favourite colour, I LOVE it, our bedroom is purple and lilac, our wedding theme was purple, a lot of my wardrobe is some shade of purple, I am a purpleaholic!!

Favourite memory?

Oooo a toughie, I would have to say the birth of each of our children, they were so special, I didn't think I could have kids so when we were blessed with our first it was a totally momentous occasion and then having Oliver seemed to kick start the system and we had 2 more, so 3 kids in 3 years. Totally hard work, but well worth it. Also our wedding day, we got married in March and the day was just amazing, totally felt like a princess.

Most embarrassing moment?

I was walking backwards talking to a friend across the road, when I turned round to walk forwards, I hit a lamp post and broke my nose! Blood everywhere, but at least I got out of the sponsored walk that day!!

Favourite Song?

Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls - mainly because of Remy, I just adore this song and it usually makes my cry when I listen to it. Before Remy I would have said anything by Elvis or Simon and Garfunkel (I love that genre of music), Madonna and Wham were my teenage years and I more or less know the words to all their songs. I love so many so it is too hard to choose just one.

Favourite Film?

Favourite chick flick has to be Dirty Dancing, I loved the Green Mile and I love the Harry Potter films, also any film with Jason Statham, not that I fancy him lol but he always does a great film.


First book you remember reading?

I would have to say The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. I also had a book put in the school library in my name called The House At Pooh Corner when I was in primary school,so I must have read that too. I was pleased as punch as it only happened once a year and was given for outstanding achievement, as you can tell, I was a teachers pet and I LOVED school.

If you could be any book character who would it be?

I would say Evie Claremont from the Premonition Series by Amy Bartol, she is one kick ass Seraphim Angel and I could so put those powers to good use!!

Best birthday present you've ever received?

My son Max, he was actually born the day before mine, but that birthday will always be remembered, the midwives even brought me a huge chocolate cake!!

Which book character would you want to....

Go on a date with?
Christian Grey, just to see if he is as good as he is made out to be, however I would never get in the way between him and Ana so it would be a purely friends kind of thing.

Marry?
Tough one, I have 2 tied number 1 Book Boyfriends and I can't choose between them, so I would have to name them both. Remy from Real, Mine and Remy by Katy Evans and Colton Donavan from Driven and Fueled by Kristy Bromberg. Two broken and flawed characters but I would love to put them back together again.

Be best friends with?
Stella from By A Thread, Tension and Seamless by RL Griffin. She is one ballsy lady and I could totally see us being best friends. Although I would have to practice drinking as I am a light weight and Stella could drink most men under the table.

Be locked in jail with?
Knight Sebring from Knight by Kristen Ashley, that man has some contacts, I am sure with his know how we wouldn't be in jail for long (is that a good thing or bad thing...hmmmm conflicted ;-))

Be on the run with?
Ellie Wyatt from Karina Halle's The Artists Trilogy would be my choice, she is well versed on being a fugitive and has many cons up her sleeve, she would be able to get us out of any problems.

Be a student of?
 Evan Wilke from Unteachable by Leah Raeder, at the end of the day who wouldn't want to be one of his students. I totally fell in love with his character and this whole book.

Go ghost hunting with?
Reed from The Premonition series by Amy Bartol, he is one kick ass fighter, well trained in fighting all kinds of nasties, with him by my side I will be totally and utterly safe ;-) it also helps that he is extremely FIT!!

Travel the world with?
Nora Sutherlin from The Original Sinners Series by Tiffany Reisz, I love this woman, I am sure with her by my side we could end up in all sorts of trouble and no doubt there would never be a dull moment on that trip.

 
Giveaway!
 
Ok to celebrate Donna's birthday we have a fab giveaway! 11 winners!
 
1 winner will win a £10 or $15 Amazon Voucher 
10 winners will chose one ebook (kindle) from Donna's top reads of the last few months. These were:
 
Arsen by Mia Asher
Bullet to the Heart by Lea Griffith
Bully or Until You by Penelope Douglas
Fading (or any in series) by EK Blair Fighting
Redemption by Kate McCarthy
Fueled (or any in series) by Kristy Bromberg
Intuition (or any in series) by Amy Bartol
Love Me (or any Jillian Dodd book) by Jillian Dodd
Making Faces by Amy Harmon
More Than This (or any in series) by Jay McLean
Night Owl by M Pierce
Present Perfect by Alison G Bailey
Remember When (or any in series) by T Torrest
Remy (or any in series) by Katy Evans
Rock & Roll Never Forgets (or any in series) by Barbara Stewart
Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken
Seamless (or any in series) by RL Griffin
Second Chances by TA Webb
Seductive Secrecy (or any in series) by Marni Mann
Stripped Bare by Susan MacNicol
Travis (or any Nicole Edwards book) by Nicole Edwards
Unteachable by Leah Raeder
When It Rains by Lisa De Jong
Worth the Fight (or any in series) by LD Davis
  

Blog Tour ~ Except & Giveaway ~ The Ever Trilogy by Jasinda Wilder


 Forever & Always  and After Forever
(The Ever Trilogy)
Jasinda Wilder
Expected Release: Dec. 20th, 2013
Hosted by: The Book Avenue
Join the Release Party Here
 

Ever,

These letters are often all that get me through week to week. Even if it’s just random stuff, nothing important, they’re important to me. Gramps is great, and I love working on the ranch. But…I’m lonely. I feel disconnected, like I’m no one, like I don’t belong anywhere. Like I’m just here until something else happens. I don’t even know what I want with my future. But your letters, they make me feel connected to something, to someone. I had a crush on you, when we first met. I thought you were beautiful. So beautiful. It was hard to think of anything else. Then camp ended and we never got together, and now all I have of you is these letters. S**t. I just told you I have a crush on you. HAD. Had a crush. Not sure what is anymore. A letter-crush? A literary love? That’s stupid. Sorry. I just have this rule with myself that I never throw away what I write and I always send it, so hopefully this doesn’t weird you out too much. I had a dream about you too. Same kind of thing. Us, in the darkness, together. Just us. And it was like you said, a memory turned into a dream, but a memory of something that’s never happened, but in the dream it felt so real, and it was more, I don’t even know, more RIGHT than anything I’ve ever felt, in life or in dreams. I wonder what it means that we both had the same dream about each other. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. You tell me.

Cade
~ ~ ~ ~

Cade,

We’re pen pals. Maybe that’s all we’ll ever be. I don’t know. If we met IRL (in real life, in case you’re not familiar with the term) what would happen? And just FYI, the term you used, a literary love? It was beautiful. So beautiful. That term means something, between us now. We are literary loves. Lovers? I do love you, in some strange way. Knowing about you, in these letters, knowing your hurt and your joys, it means something so important to me, that I just can’t describe. I need your art, and your letters, and your literary love. If we never have anything else between us, I need this. I do. Maybe this letter will only complicate things, but like you I have a rule that I never erase or throw away what I’ve written and I always send it, no matter what I write in the letter. 

Your literary love,

Ever

CHAPTER ONE 

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE

~ CADEN ~

It’s always the hands that mess me up. I can never get the fingers right, somehow. It’s something about the proportions between the knuckles, and the way the fingers are supposed to curve when at rest. I had an entire sketchbook full of failed attempts. 

Even at that moment, in the passenger seat of Dad’s F-350, I was sketching out another attempt. My tenth so far, and we weren’t even to Grayling yet. This one was the best yet, but the middle knuckles of the last two fingers looked awkward, like they’d been broken. 

Which gave me idea. I glanced over at Dad, who was driving with his left hand, the right resting on his thigh, fingers tapping to Montgomery Gentry on the radio. 

“Dad?” A sideways glance and a raised eyebrow were the only acknowledgement I got. “You ever broke your fingers?”

“Yeah, broke most of my left hand, matter of fact.” Dad took the wheel with his right and showed me his left hand. The knuckles were bulbous, the fingers crooked. “Didn’t get ’em set right, so they’ve always been kinda fucked up.”

“How’d you break ’em?”

The fingers in question scratched at a shaved scalp, the stubble of a receding hairline whisking under his nails. “Me and your Uncle Gerry were out in the back forty, riding the fence line, checking for breaks. My horse got spooked by a snake. He threw me, ‘cept my hand was tangled in the reins. Dislocated most of my fingers. Then, when I hit the ground, his hoof landed on the same hand, broke the middle two pretty good. Your Gramps is a hardass, and I knew he’d wallop me good if I came back without the job done. So I set the broke fingers best I could. There was a busted fence post, see, way out at the far corner, and Dad’s prize Thoroughbred kept getting out. Gerry and I fixed the break and went home. I never told Dad about my fingers, just had my mom wrap ’em for me. Never really healed right, and even now when the weather’s shitty my hand aches.” 

I’d heard the stories of my father’s childhood growing up on the Wyoming horse ranch that had been in the Monroe family for several generations. Every summer of my entire life had been spent on that ranch, riding and roping and tagging and birthing and breaking. Gramps didn’t accept excuses and didn’t tolerate weakness or mistakes, and I could only begin to imagine what it had been like growing up with Connor Monroe as a father. 

Gramps was a tall, silver-haired, iron-hard man. He’d served in both Korea and Vietnam before returning to work the ranch. Even as his grandson, I was expected to pull my weight or go home. That meant up before dawn, to bed past sunset, the entire day spent out in the field or in the stables, rarely even sitting for lunch. At fourteen, I was tanned, muscled, and, I knew, hardened to the point of looking older than I really was. 

Dad had been the first Monroe son to pursue a career away from the ranch, which had caused a decades-long rift between him and Gramps, leaving Uncle Gerry to take over running the ranch as Gramps got older. Dad left Wyoming after high school, moving to Detroit on his own to become an engineer. He’d started on the floor of a Ford plant, assembling truck frames and attending night school until he’d completed his degree, and eventually he’d been promoted to the engineering department, where he’d worked for the last twenty years. Despite his decades as an engineer, Dad had never really lost the wild-edged intensity of his upbringing.

“Why the questions about my fingers?” he asked. 

I shrugged, tilted the drawing into his line of sight. “I can’t get these damn fingers to look right. The last two look messed up, and I can’t fix it. So I thought I’d make ’em look broken, on purpose.”

Dad glanced at the drawing and then nodded. “Good plan. The relationship between your angles and curves is off, is your problem. I’m more of a draftsman than an artist, but that’s my two cents.”

I made a surreptitious study of Dad’s broken fingers again, adjusted the knuckles on the pencil-rendered hand, making them look misshapen and lumpy, then worked on the tips of the last two fingers, curving them slightly to the left, zigzagging the fourth finger to resemble Dad’s. When I was done, I held up the drawing to show him.

Dad cut his eyes to the drawing and back to road several times, examining critically. “Good. Best one yet. The index finger still looks a little goofy, but otherwise good.” He punched a button on the truck’s radio, bypassing the commercial that was airing in favor of a classic rock station. He turned it up when Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” came on. “I think this summer art camp will be good for you. Interlochen is one of the best art schools in the country.”

I shrugged, bobbing my head to the beat, mumbling along with the lyrics. “It’s weird to not be going to the ranch.”

“Gramps’ll miss your help this summer, that’s for sure.”

“Will he be mad at me for not going?”

Dad shrugged. “He’s Gramps. He’s always mad about something or at somebody. Somethin’ to stew on gives him reason to get up in the morning, I think. He’ll get over it.”

“He didn’t get over you moving to Detroit,” I said, spinning my pencil between his fingers.

“True. But that’s different. Every Monroe boy since before the Civil War has lived and died on the ranch. I broke a family tradition going back a hundred and fifty years.”

Conversation faded after that, and I watched the road and the corn fields and the blue sky spotted by puffs of white, listening to Jimi Hendrix singing “Purple Haze” and twist the guitar strings into shrieking banshees. I-75 eventually was replaced by M-72, and I felt myself nodding off. A while later, I blinked awake and Grand Traverse Bay sparkled off to the left, a dozen sails flashing white in the distance.

“Thought we were going to Interlochen?” I asked, rubbing my eyes. The bay was farther north.

“No rush. Thought we’d grab some lunch before I drop you off. Ain’t gonna see you for a while, you know.”

We ate at Don’s Drive-In, a retro burgers-fries-and-milkshakes kind of place, small and cramped, red plastic-leather booths, chrome table edges, and black-and-white checkered tiles on the walls. We didn’t talk much, but then we rarely did. Dad was a reserved man, and I’m a lot like him. I was content to eat my burger and sip my shake, worrying internally about spending an entire summer around a bunch of artsy kids I didn’t know. I’d grown up around silent, hard-bitten cowboys, men who chewed tobacco and swore and could—and often did—go days without much more than a grunt or two. I knew I was a talented artist, as capable with pens and pencils as with paint. What I wasn’t good with was people. 

“Don’t be nervous, son,” Dad said, apparently reading my mind. “Folks are folks, and they’ll either cotton to you or they won’t. That was my mom’s advice to me when I left for Detroit. Just be you. Don’t try to impress anyone. Let your work stand for itself.”

“This isn’t like school,” I said, dragging a fry through ketchup. “I know where I fit there: alone in the corner, with my notebook. I know where I belong on Gramps’s ranch. I know where I belong at home. I don’t know where I belong at an arts camp.”

“Wherever you are is where you belong. You’re a Monroe, Caden. That may not mean shit to anyone else, but it should mean something to you.”

“It does.”

“Well, there you go.” Dad wiped his fingers with a napkin and sat back. “Look, I get it. I grew up surrounded by thousands of acres of open land, all hills and horses, rarely seeing anyone but Mom and Dad, Gerry, and the other hands. Even school was the same kids from kindergarten to graduation. I knew everybody in my world, and they knew me. When I moved to Detroit it was scary as hell. Suddenly I was surrounded by all these buildings and thousands of people who didn’t know me or give a shit about whether I made it or not.”

“People confuse me.” 

“That’s cause most people don’t make a damn lick of sense, if you ask me. Women especially. Trick with women is to not try and figure them out. You won’t. Just accept ’em as they are, and try to go with the flow. Good advice for life in general, really.”

“Do you understand Mom?”

Dad let out a rare laugh, but I didn’t miss the way the corners of his eyes tightened. Things had been strange and tense around the house lately, but neither Mom nor Dad was the type to talk about what was bugging them. “I’ve known your mother for twenty-five years,” he said, “and been married to her for twenty-two. And no, I still don’t understand her. I know her, I get her, but I don’t always understand the way her mind works, how she comes up with ideas or arrives at her conclusions or why she changes her mind so goddamn much. Makes my head spin, but that’s how women are and that’s how she is and I love her for it.” 

All too soon, Dad was paying the bill and the truck doors were slamming and we were hauling down US-31 toward Interlochen. The ride was quick, and then Dad was parking and unstrapping my duffel bag from the bed of the truck and handing it to me. We stood toe to toe, neither of us speaking or moving.

Dad pointed to the rows of tiny wooden cabins. “That’s the cabins. You know which one you’re in? ”

“Yeah, number twenty.”

“Alright then. Well, guess I’ll be going. Gonna be a long drive without you snoring in the passenger seat.” 

“You’re just turning right back around and driving home?” I asked, then immediately hated how childish and whiny that had sounded.

Dad lifted an eyebrow in reproach. “You’re here for three weeks, Cade. You expect me to sit on the beach and twiddle my thumbs for a month? Your mom needs me home, and I’ve got projects to finish at work.”

I felt the question bubbling up, coming out, and couldn’t stop it from emerging. “Is—is everything okay? With you and mom?”

Dad closed his eyes briefly, breathed in slowly and let it out, then met my eyes. “We’ll talk when you get home. Nothing for you to worry about right now.”

That sounded oddly like an evasion, which was entirely out of character for my gruff, straight-talking father. “I just feel like things are—”

“It’s fine, Caden. Just focus on having fun, meeting new people, and learning. Keep in mind that this is three weeks out of your entire life, and you don’t ever have to see these people again.” Dad stuck his left hand into his hip pocket and wrapped his right arm awkwardly around my shoulders. “I love you, son. Have a good time. Don’t forget to call at least once, or your mom’ll have a hairy conniption.”

I returned the embrace with one arm. “Love you too. Drive safe.”

Dad nodded and turned back toward his truck, then stopped and dug into his back pocket. He pulled out a folded square of $20 bills and handed them to me. “Just in case.”

“I’ve been saving my allowance,” I said. Dad always expected me to earn money, never gave it for free.

“It’s…just take it.” 

I stuffed the money into my hip pocket and shifted my weight. “Thanks.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” I waved once, and watched Dad drive away. 

I’d spent months at a time away from my parents, lived on Gramps’s ranch for months at a time. Goodbye was nothing new. So why did this one feel so unsettling?

Follow the Promo Tour tomorrow to read Ever's POV 


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. When she’s not writing, she’s probably shopping, baking, or reading. 

Some of her favorite authors include Nora Roberts, JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Liliana Hart and Bella Andre. 

She loves to travel and some of her favorite vacations spots are Las Vegas, New York City and Toledo, Ohio. 

You can often find Jasinda drinking sweet red wine with frozen berries and eating a cupcake. 

Jasinda is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.



Monday, 16 December 2013

Cover Reveal ~ Girl of Lies, Rachel's Peril Trilogy by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Did you know that Charles Sheehan Miles is bring out a new series, Rachel's Peril? Rachel's Peril will be a trilogy and today we are part of the cover reveal for book one, Girl of Lies. 

Here is is.... 


Book Description: 

Andrea Thompson is smart, assertive and beautiful. She’s also desperately lonely. Raised in Europe by her grandmother, she struggles knowing neither of her parents wanted her, and she has no idea why.

When Andrea receives an urgent call from her older sister Carrie, she agrees to fly to the United States to help. Carrie’s newborn daughter Rachel needs a bone marrow transplant.

What Andrea doesn’t know is that her return to the United States will launch a chain of events that will uncover secrets hidden for decades. Secrets which will rock the Thompson family and ignite a political firestorm.

Secrets that some will kill to protect.



About the Author:

Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive, and is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com

You're also invited to join the Remember to Breathe Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/remembertobreathe/

Author Links:
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/415636.Charles_Sheehan_Miles
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CharlesSheehanMiles
Twitter-https://twitter.com/CSheehanMiles


Release Party Link:

JOIN Charles for the release day party on December 20th! Prizes, games and more, only at:



Sunday, 15 December 2013

Love Plus One (G-Men 2) by Andrea Smith

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 Stars
(review written September 2013)

Wow, Andrea Smith just gets better and better with each book she puts out! My first foray into Andrea Smith’s work was the Maybe Baby series and I loved them and the leading man Trey Sinclair (who also makes an appearance in this book). Diamond Girl was the first in this series which gave us Sam and Slates story, this book concentrates on Sam’s daughter Lindsey and Slate’s partner in the FBI, Taz.

This book picks up where Diamond Girl finishes, Lindsey is back at college, Sam and Slate are back home with their little baby Bryce and Lindsey's dad is still on the run. Lindsey, still getting over the fact that this is the way her life as turned out throws herself into college, she just wants to finish and get on with her career. Having made friends on campus that are living the “full college experience” Lindsey realises that she has one left to deal with and that is her “V Card” she wants to give it up so it is all over and done with and no longer hanging over her. (Why I don’t know!!) Lindsey sets her sights on Taz as the man that can help her with her little problem!

“I’m not looking to get hurt, Taz. I’m just looking to get laid.”

Taz (real name Trace Matthews), I loved him, he doesn’t do relationships and Slate has already told him that Lindsey is OUT OF BOUNDS!! He has F Buddies that he uses to satiate his needs. Ask no questions and all that. He is also 10 years older than Lindsey and that to him is also an alarm bell, but there is something about her, he cannot stop thinking about her and he is drawn like a moth to a flame.

“So you’re just going to leave without saying good-bye? Damn girl, did you leave any money on my dresser?”

They come to an agreement whereby Taz will teach Lindsey everything he knows…this leads to said V Card disappearing but also feelings…feelings that neither of them expected or anticipated. It was a bit lust at first sight but it soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to their relationship and soon they become the most unlikeliest of couples. I must say though, it worked, I felt it and I loved the way Taz went into protection mode with her. She needed it in more ways than one and thank god he did think outside the box!

“Don’t be crude? Jesus Christ, Lindsey, dude’s toes are going to curl when he hears how crudely you talk when you are getting your nut.”

This book has it all, hot hot hot scenes, plot twists and turns, suspense, angst and most of all “shock factor”. Just when you think all is safe and the world is rosy, Andrea throws in a huge curve ball. There is a really distressing scene in this book, which I cannot say else it would seriously spoil the book, but if you do shock easy and are uncomfortable reading about certain things tread carefully. It was done sympathetically to the story and really reached inside and pulled your guts out and twisted it into knots. I killed me, seriously!

There are still things left hanging in this book so I cannot wait for the rest of the series. I really want to see certain people get their just desserts. I am glad that we still saw more of Sam and Slate and I love the way that each characters story is continued.

Fab job Andrea, can’t wait to see what comes our way next…am loving the G-Men!

For our review of Night Moves (G-Man 3) click here: http://www.theromancecover.com/2013/11/blog-tour-review-excerpt-giveaway-night.html

Saturday, 14 December 2013

Blog Tour ~ Guest post, Review & Giveaway ~ Seamless (BaT 3) by RL Griffin

Book Description:

Professional, successful, survivor Stella has mastered the art of appearances and conquering what life throws at her. Time after time, she chooses to fight even though she's consistently poised to break. It's that fight to get her life back, to make things right, to survive that defines who she is. She's been loved, left, lost, blown up, shot, and exploited. Physically, she's almost completely put back together. Mentally, Stella's one step from a vindictive retaliation that may or may not be her best choice.

In Seamless, Stella has no choice but to step into the ring with someone who she once loved. It's a dirty fight that will take all she has. Will she do what it takes to win? Will she make it out alive?

You'll cheer her on until you realize all is not what it seems. Appearances can be deceiving.

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/17981913-seamless

Our Review:
 
**ARC Received for honest review**
 
Reviewed by Donna ~ 5 Stars

“That may be an appropriate statement, because in order to look seamless, you must need to have an entire world of shit going on under the surface. I don’t see this seamless outside, but I’ll tell you I’ve never felt more lost inside.”

I honestly do not know where to start with this review. My emotions are all over the place, I am happy that Stella got her closure but I am pissed that this series is finished. It is one of those double edged swords…you want to know the end, but you don’t want it to be the end. I would be quite happy to read about this group in perpetuity, such is the connection that I have to this series and the characters in it.

Stella, she is absolutely, totally and utterly amazing. We all know the shit that she has been through in By A Thread and Tension and you know that Seamless is not going to be any different and oh my shit (as Stella would say) does she get it in spades. You are always wondering when Stella is going to catch a break but we know that with the threat of Jamie still hanging over her, it was not going to come anytime soon. This girl has been through the mill and then some, how she has come through it with her sanity intact will forever be a mystery but with the help of a therapist, George and her friends she is making great progress. For the majority of this book Stella really grew, she was becoming more assured of herself, despite the threats still lingering around. It isn’t until she is cruelly let down that she then takes a lot of steps back and regresses to the “old Stella.”

“Why keep putting yourself back together if you’re just going to keep breaking apart?”

Stella makes up her mind in this book, she wants her life back and she is going to do everything she can to achieve it, even if it makes her do some pretty hard and horrible things. I must say that some of the decisions that Stella makes during this journey brought me to my knees, literally. I had tears on tears. I was heart broken. I had to take a breather and regroup, message the author and tell her what a B she was and then got back to it. I have to applaud RL Griffin because she had the balls to go there even though it has probably decimated a lot of hearts in the process. It is a real I HATE YOU moment, but one that is typically Stella.

“Whatever happens, know that everything I’m doing is for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise, but know that you are the only one for me. That’s my forever.”

I really cannot go into details with this book, as you know from the series, the plot is intricate and complex and any slight discussions is going to give the game away so I have to keep my lips well and truly zipped with regards to this. Lets just say that it is a roller coaster ride, there are ups and downs, twists and turns, you are going to be scared witless and then relieved, you will be crushed and you will be slowly pieced back together again, it truly is one heck of a journey.

This book really hit me hard, as I said I above, things happened that really took my breath away and I was extremely conflicted, however RL Griffin certainly stayed true to Stella’s character and as this is Stella’s story I am totally supportive even though it darn near destroyed me.

The usual suspects all make appearances in this book, we have the gorgeous George who can totally do no wrong in my eyes. Millie, she is well…Millie…totally the best, best friend anyone could wish for and she is there for Stella as always. Jesse, friends to all and one to definitely have on side and he really does come through for them all once again in Seamless. Billy, well Billy is just Billy, he brings us the spells of entertainment but I am sure that there is a lot more to this character, I am sure we will find out when we get Patrick’s story. Which takes me to Patrick, we all know that he is Stella’s person, I was always a bit wary of his motives, especially in By A Thread and then when the shit hit the fan he went down in my estimations even though I knew why he did what he did. In this book, I fell in love with Patrick, I can’t wait to read his story, my heart broke over and over for him and I was totally crushed. He truly came through for Stella in this book, he went above and beyond, but what will the after effects be? Can Patrick come back from what went down in Seamless?

Stella and George, I love them both dearly. Do they deserve a HEA, yes they do. Am I happy the way it ended, Yes and No. But it was brilliantly written, totally captivating, engaging and totally and utterly unpredictable. RL Griffin certainly has the romantic suspense genre sussed and throughout the whole series I have been sucked in from the first page till the last.

This series is a must read, there is no other series in comparison, it is unique and one of a kind. I am so glad that I stumbled across By A Thread those many months ago and this series and these characters will forever hold a place dear in my heart. What a journey, what a climax and what an ending…RL Griffin, you certainly pulled it out the bag and whilst I have been put through the mill, it was worth every single minute, fantastic series, you should be so proud. I cannot wait to see what this author delivers next, whatever it is will be an auto 1click by me.

“Her love might not be perfect, but what love is?”
 
Buy Links:
 
 
Guest Post by RL Griffin

I'm asked routinely, which I think many authors are, about how I can write so "dark" or so emotionally. This is what I do, my craft, a talent that I was given that can be used to show people that have dealt with certain emotions they weren't alone and its okay to wallow in an emotion for a while.

Books are written to make you feel things, if you didn't feel anything then you wouldn't think it was a very good book, just like movies or TV shows. This means we take you to extremes, the extreme of a certain emotion. The extreme of love, the ecstasy of sex and the deep depth of pain... without those extremes it’s hard to move characters forward and that isn't very interesting.

I believe that Ernest Hemingway said it best when he said, "there is nothing to writing. You just sit at the typewriter and bleed." I think this is why I get this question so often. How could I write a character like Stella, who wallows in her loss for a year, without experiencing something...something?

My experience with loss started early. I lost both of my grandfathers before I was 13. This seemed to be a natural thing and I understood it, even if my Papa O was only 56 when he died. It was in high school when I really learned that life is fucking short, you could die any day and what were your last words to someone? Make sure you think about that.

In high school I remember my first 2:00 am call, it was a friend of mine since elementary school and she was dead. She'd been hit by a drunk driver. She was a beautiful, generous, caring person and one of the best people around, dead. Every night after that, I went to sleep dreading that call. Guess what, it happened 6 more times while I was in high school. One of my really good friends died in a car accident my senior year of high school and I couldn't get through it. I couldn't. I kept a picture of him on the dash of my car well into college. I saw his parents...there are no words to describe the parents of these 7 kids. 

So that was my perspective going in to college, life was tenuous. At any moment you could lose everything. I was cautious, until I wasn't. This is the time where I felt everything. I felt the pain of someone extremely close to me die. The ripping feeling when your reality is pulled out from under you. The needle of trying to live when someone you cared about wasn't living. I had insomnia for about 8 months and turned to all the things you turn to when you can't deal with what is happening in your life. It was one of the worst feelings I'd ever had and I felt this helplessness where I honestly didn't know if I would come out the other side.

Every February 18, I remember him and the pain is fresh again, just for that day. I have a tattoo for him, so every time I see it I remember him.

These things changed my perspective on life in general, but especially about living every day without regrets. Going full fucking throttle through life and if you fuck up, own it and move on. I look back on my high school and freshman year of college and they were shrouded in black, grey and loss. I do use those experiences to write real feelings of characters, are they my feelings...I don't know, probably. Things get dark every once and a while for everyone. I want to show you that when that light comes, don't look away, embrace it. Own your pain and let it make you into a stronger person. If you are going through something that you don't think you will get through, you will. It doesn't matter how you get through it; just get there.
 
About the RL:

R.L. resides in the Atlanta area with her husband, son and two dogs. She was born and raised in the South. She attended Georgia Southern University and moved to Washington, D.C. to intern in the United States Senate during the impeachment trial. Falling in love with the city, she went to law school at American University, Washington College of Law. By a Thread is R.L.’s second book, but is the first in a series of books. 
@RLGriffinauthor
 
Tour Giveaway: