Friday 19 February 2016

Release Day Blitz, Review & Giveaway ~ Manbuns & Martinis (Drinking #1.5) by RL Griffin


Book Description:



My name is Brad Ellis. You think you know me. You don't know shit. I've been a hustler my entire life. I work three jobs to get what I want, but I'm not there yet. I live with a roommate that has been my best friend for over a decade and we make it work, but life is hard. It's always been hard, until I met Megan Walker.

Sometimes people come into your life and you think it's just for fun and games. Then they turn into one of the most important people. Don't take anyone for granted, because as soon as you do they will be gone. 

I'm a cover model. 

I'm a dreamer. 

Never stop hustling.



Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1PMyXBt



Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“…you’ve always been good enough Ellis. The problem is that you didn’t trust that I thought you were.”


Meat, Meat, Meat…we met this larger than life character in the first book in the Drinking Series, Sunshine and Whiskey, Meat/Brad Ellis was the male cover model that the girls met on their epic road trip. They still keep in contact and I fell in love with Meat’s carefree attitude way back then, but for all his brashness and obnoxiousness Meat was a man that really showed his vulnerable and tender side throughout this novella and this was a side I was not expecting but welcomed with open arms.

I have to admit, when it comes to humour, mine is a little weird and a lot goes over my head…maybe it is because I am British, I don’t know, but with this book I had many laugh out loud moments so RL Griffin’s dry and dirty sense of humour was not lost on me this time. While I found myself laughing with him I also found myself laughing at him such is the swing within these pages.  But this novella was perfectly balanced with many laughs, a lot of swoons and even a few tears as we got to learn about the man on the cover and there is a lot more to him than you would have ever thought.


“How do you know all that? You really do have a vagina.”


I love the friendships within these pages too, this is what I have adored about this series, how friendships are treasured and nurtured and how close these people actually are. Despite their fleeting connection to Brad the girls do appear from time to time and I love their text messages to one another, you can always expect a dose of honesty and sometimes that is just what Brad needs.


“Life is interesting, sometimes the right person comes into your life at the right time and sometimes the right person has been in your life forever and you were waiting on the perfect time. The timing is never perfect, make it perfect. Make it count. Never quit hustling.”


So the cover…yes I know, I have seen the comments, tighty whities and all that, but this was tongue in cheek and I loved RL Griffin’s humour with the cover, after all we are dealing with the life and times of a book cover model. I have to say, when I first saw it I burst out laughing, getting the humour intended but I would hate for those that have been put off to miss it, so please keep in mind that good old adage “never judge a book by its cover,” after all you would miss out on a really fun novella from RL Griffin.

So all I can say is read it!! It is fun, it is a quick read but most of all it was a great insight into the man and I loved what I saw. While he has his game face, the man underneath was a sheer joy to read about and you will only end up loving him more…even though he does wear tighty whities.



Other Books by RL Griffin:

Sunshine & Whiskey (Drinking #1) - on sale 99c


Sometimes the best things in life come from the unexpected. So if you lower your expectations, then you’ll never be disappointed. Sound cheesy? It is, but it's also true. Clichés come from a grain of truth…like a man with a Porsche is compensating for something, or once a cheater always a cheater—you get the idea. Sorry, I digress. I'm supposed to be telling you what this book is about. 

I'm Megan Walker, a lawyer at one of the hottest boutique law firms in Atlanta. I'm on the fast track to making partner and have my entire life planned out...or I did. 

We all know how that goes, right? Best laid plans and all that. 

Life just threw me a couple curveballs, so I've set out to take things into my own hands. By throwing caution to the wind and getting out of my A-type personality bubble, I'm learning more about myself than I have in my twenty-seven years. 

Sound like a chick flick, doesn't it?

It’s not.

Our Review Sunshine & Whiskey Review

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1L21ijn
iBooks: http://apple.co/1SwpZwi



By A Thread Series:

By A Thread ~ FREE!!!


Stella's future was set, and it was a bright one. She was engaged to a man she adored, and was headed to law school in the fall. Tragically, her perfectly planned future ends just as it was beginning.

With no ties to family or friends, Stella finds herself alone in a new city, spiraling out of control. Her typical day comes to a close with her passed out on the floor; sometimes clothed.

Luckily, her new roommate, essentially a stranger, is dead set on getting Stella past her grief and back to functioning within society. Putting one foot in front of the other, she climbs up from the bottom of a bottle. Even with all her progress, Stella walks through life unfeeling, numb. Defiant, she sends out warning signals for the world to keep away. But, is that what she really wants?

With the steadfast help of a few tight knit friends, she gradually begins to feel again. She starts to savor the flavor of food again; lets herself notice how the handsome bartender glances at her. Still, after allowing herself a fling, she wonders if she will ever be able to let go of her shattered past, fully enjoy the present, or get over what she thought would be her perfect future and with the man who destroyed her heart.

Our Review ~ By A Thread Review

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Tension ~ Book 2

The Stella who emerges from the rubble of the bombing in Montana is a woman full of conflict. She knows she should be grateful that she lived when others didn't, but after waking in the hospital as a celebrity, complete with a new moniker, she's bitter and distrustful, questioning everything in her life. She's unsure of her friends, her new boyfriend, and her job. In addition, a face from the past reappears and threatens to take the one good thing in her life.

Stella attempts to deal with the new scrutiny of her life with her usual sense of humor, but she's filled with a new emotion that she tries desperately to hide: HATE. Her recovery is hastened by her determination to find the man who turned her into a walking scar. She's going to kill him; she needs to kill him.

Stella isn't alone. She has her close friends and her dog, Cooper. Will their support be enough to help Stella accomplish her plan, or will this endeavor be her undoing?

This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.


Our Review ~ Tension Review


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Seamless ~ Book 3

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.

Our Review ~ Seamless Review

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Book 3.5 Mending (Novella)

Mending: A short story that covers what happens from the jaw dropping ending of Seamless to the Epilogue.
Buy Links:


Heart In Wire ~ Book 4

A By a Thread Companion Novel


This book has spoilers in it if you haven't read the By A Thread series yet, you may not want to read the synopsis. This is a companion book to that series and I highly suggest reading it first.

Have you ever been involved in an epic love story where you wound up alone? Have you devoted yourself so completely to someone that you lost yourself in their abyss?

Patrick Greer spent the past five years revolving around El. He fought like hell to not feel the emotions for her that were hidden deep in his gut, until he couldn't anymore. He was so sure of them, of her, of what they were to each other, until he wasn't.

Patrick couldn't even imagine the things he'd done for her, with her and to her. El broke him.

He was a liar, a friend, a lover, a fixer, a runner and a killer.

Now he had to figure out who he was without her.

*There are adult situations, tons of cussing and you may enjoy this book with an adult beverage.

Our Review ~ Heart In Wire Review

Buy Links:



Razorblade Kisses ~ Dark Contemporary



Her name is Emery Shaw...Emily Sanders...Emma Simpson...Ericka Smith.

Her family was well off, she ran.

They looked for her, she hid.
They found her, she ran again.
Tragedy strikes, she gets even.

The fact is, she doesn’t know who she is, she tried to run, to hide and make a life for herself, but that backfired. No one knows her except her best friend Rachel, if that’s even an adequate word for what they are to each other. Rachel helps her build a life for herself below the radar, which is fine until the unthinkable happens knocking Em out of her unfeeling cocoon. When her house of cards comes tumbling down she runs again, until the one person who can change her mind finds her.

Due to adult situations, language and possible scenarios that may be difficult for some readers to handle, take a breath before you start this one. It’s gritty and not pretty. Nothing is pretty here. Whiskey is a good thing.

Our Review ~ Razorblade Kisses Review

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About the Author:


R.L. resides in the Atlanta area with some cool dudes: her husband, son and two crazy 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 that got her back into writing after a ten year hiatus. She writes anything from romantic suspense to psychological thriller to romantic comedy. One of the things that readers always say is they never know what kind of story they will get from R.L.


Why do I write?

I seriously can't sleep! Once the characters get a hold of my brain it's hard not to get it all out. I just write it down. I wrote my first book as an escape and to de-stress from law school. (i know this sounds crazy!)


What do you like to read?

I love reading, have since I learned how. My parents would take me every weekend to the book store or the library. I had every single Babysitter's Club book. I read three books at a time and I LOVE all the new adult fiction being published. I like any book with interesting characters. I like a good story and authors who bring their characters alive --well they inspire me!


Are you a serial reader? 

My friends think I'm nuts. Yes, I love to read on the treadmill, in the middle of the night, on the weekend and even listen to audiobooks as I tour the state of GA for my real job! I am on my 2nd kindle in two years. First one just gave up and said I'm done reading! When my first kindle broke my husband was excited because he thought we would talk again, I just bought another. 


Your books are Fiction Right?

Of course, but I've been known to take a few things from life experiences. Also, I can't really curse in my real life (that much), so I do it in my books. (My mom can deal with it better that way!)


Giveaway:

$10 Amazon Giftcard (this blog only)


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