Friday 31 March 2017

Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ Dirty Filthy Rich Men (Dirty Duet #1) by Laurelin Paige

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Dirty Filthy Rich Men, an all-new sexy, contemporary romance from NYT Bestseller Laurelin Paige is available now!!!

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Book Description:

Dirty Filthy Rich Men by Laurelin Paige Genre: Contemporary Romance

From NYT Bestselling author Laurelin Paige, discover a whole new world filled with sex, love, power, romance and dirty, filthy rich men.

When I met Donovan Kincaid, I knew he was rich. I didn’t know he was filthy. Truth be told, I was only trying to get his best friend to notice me.

I knew poor scholarship girls like me didn't stand a chance against guys like Weston King and Donovan Kincaid, but I was in love with his world, their world, of parties and sex and power. I knew what I wanted—I knew who I wanted—until one night, their world tried to bite me back and Donovan saved me. He saved me, and then Weston finally noticed me, and I finally learned what it was to be in their world.

And then what it was like to lose it.

Ten years later, I’ve found my way back. Back to their world. Back to him.

This time, I’m ready. I've been down this road before, and I know all the dirty, filthy ways Donovan will try and wreck me.

But it’s hard to resist. Especially when I know how much I’ll like it.


Buy Links:

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/24QQsM

Our Review:

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


“He knew the secret I hid behind smiles and nods, and now I knew the agony he hid behind ice and steel.”


Dirty Filthy Rich Men picks up ten years after Dirty Filthy Rich Boys, don’t worry if you have not read this free prequel, it is included in this book too!! Ten years on since Harvard, ten years since Sabrina’s paths have crossed with Donovan Kincaid and Weston King, what could possibly happen once their paths cross once again?

Laurelin Paige delivers one infuriating, frustrating read, that is what happens. Infuriating and frustrating in a good way because I couldn’t put this book down but none the less I found myself tearing my hair out at times. This book induces the need to drink wine and for a teetotaller like me, that is testament to how bloody annoying these characters were.


“…You should never tell anyone about us because there is no us.”


Sabrina, Sabrina, I wanted to bash her around the head quite a lot in this book. I honestly loved her as a character but her fixation with Donovan Kincaid left me reeling. Donovan treated her like shit and yet she kept going back. DOORMAT! Any sane woman in her shoes would have sent him packing eons ago but she just keeps going back. The sexual tension between these two is seriously off the charts hot and the bedroom scenes between these two were fantastic. Donovan definitely lives up to the title in this book, he was certainly a Dirty Filthy Rich Man and that is Sabrina’s fascination with him in a nutshell.


“There were men who were intended for futures, and there were men who were intended for filth. Donovan was intended for filth, and he was wise to lay it out from the beginning.”


For me, I didn’t feel an all-encompassing love connection between these two, it felt like it was purely carnal but I do feel that this will come in the next book. Both these characters are broken in their own way and Laurelin Paige did give me the answer I was desperately waiting for but not till the end of the book and it did go some way to explaining the reasons that Donovan is the way he is.


“I wanted to run. I wanted to stay. I needed escape, but I needed him too—with every part of me, I needed him. Needed him to fill me and fuck me and bend me and break me, and, oh god, it was going to hurt when he did. I needed to run.”


Donovan is extremely closed off, not only protecting himself but the ones he loves too. When Donovan loves, he loves hard and fierce, but sometimes how much love is too much before it becomes unhealthy and dangerous?


“You can’t spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for something that you didn’t intend to happen. You can’t spend the rest of your life alone.”


I did have a hard time connecting to Sabrina’s fantasies, for someone that had been in her shoes it didn’t sit right with me, but each to their own. I am sure it does happen but personally I couldn’t see myself wanting to do that sort of thing. This may be a trigger for some, so please be warned.


“I could have anyone’s mouth on me… Any woman I want. Money can buy the prettiest lips, the most famous mouths, the deepest throats. And still, for ten years, all I can think about is your mouth. It’s only yours I want. Why can’t I get over your goddamn lips?”


Overall though this book was addicting and intoxicating, the sexual chemistry was scorching and with every scene between these two characters the pages combusted with sexual tension and dirty, dirty sex. Weston was a bit of a washout in this book and I have to be honest and say I was looking forward to a bit of a duel between these two but in Sabrina’s eyes there was only ever going to be one winner.


“A Dangerous Devil, that’s what he was. A Dangerous Dark Warrior Devil.”


I cannot wait for the next one though. The appetite has definitely been whetted and I desperately want to know what happens next. Bring it on Laurelin Paige!!



Excerpt:

After she was gone, I walked over to the windows and drank in the scene. The Town Center was high enough that it had an unblocked view of downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, and beyond. 

Giddiness surged through me, starting like a pinprick at my center and moving out through my veins in all directions until even my fingers and toes felt warm. 

I was really here. 

I made it. 

It wasn’t the way I thought it would be, but in the end, it still came out of my time at Harvard. I’d always known that connections made the difference in a career, and here I was. Finally. At the top of the world, looking out. 

I couldn’t stop grinning. 

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” a male voice came from behind me. 

Still smiling, I glanced up and caught his reflection in the window. 

And everything disappeared. 

The world that had buzzed below, the beautiful scene, the excitement that had unfurled through my body—all of it evaporated and all that existed in its place was a pale, hollow shell of myself and the man in the perfectly tailored suit behind me. 

I turned to look at him directly. Our gazes smashed together, and my legs nearly fell out from under me. 

“Donovan,” I rasped. It was a miracle that I managed to find enough voice to say that much. 

And there was so much more that had to be said. So much more that I hadn’t prepared for. Which was ridiculous since I’d talked to him so many times in my head over the years, practiced so many conversations, but never did he show up out of the blue looking so dastardly handsome in a dark gray three-piece suit, his face rugged with scruff, his eyes hazel and earnest despite the playful smirk on his lips. 

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I wasn’t even sure how to breathe anymore. 

He broke our gaze to nod out the window at the skyline, walking toward me as he said, “I’m sure you found the Empire.” 

Though his focus was now on the scenery, I didn’t take my eyes off him as he approached. He didn’t stop until he was right beside me. So close our shoulders would touch if I coughed. Tension ran off him like foam spilling over from a mug of beer. Good tension. Bad tension. I wasn’t sure if there was a difference when it came to Donovan. 

Which was why I was screwed if he was here. 

Why the hell was he here? 

“I thought you were in Tokyo.” I couldn’t stop staring at him. He’d gotten more refined with age, and rougher at the same time. His hair was short and his curls gone, giving him a polished look he lacked before. The lines by his eyes were more defined and his expression seemed harder than I’d remembered. It made him sexier. 

As if he was a man who needed to be sexier than the one I knew. 

“I came back two months ago,” he said offhandedly. “That’s it right there.” He leaned his face in close to mine as he pointed to the famous structure. “Do you see it?” 

Fuck if I cared about the Empire. I was in Donovan Kincaid’s orbit. What else was there in the world?

About the Author:


USA Today and New York Times Bestselling Author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect with Laurelin Paige:

Twitter: @LaurelinPaige

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin's mailing list:

Friday Frights ~ PNR Review ~ The Alpha's Secret Family: Howls Romance by Jessie Lane


Book Description:

Dia has just moved to a new city to run her own hair salon. She doesn’t have time for the hot guy who won’t stop asking her out, yet she can’t seem to stop thinking about him.

Stone Blaylock is the Battletown Packs’ Alpha and his mate has just moved into town. Problem is, she’s human. Therefore, he has to win her over the old fashioned, human way—by dating her.

Things are looking up for Stone when he gets his mate to fall in love with and mate him. 

However, there’s someone out there who doesn’t like that the Alpha’s new mate is human. When their plan to kill her backfires and Dia survives, but she doesn’t remember anything, including Stone, or the circumstances that left her alone, hurt, and pregnant.

Buy Links:


Our Review:

Reviewed by Shirley ~ 4 stars

This book has a lovely story. A story of persistence with an Alpha male knowing what he wants and going all out to get it. Love and also betrayal.

The love story between the two main characters, Dia and Stone, although slow to start off with grows into some very hot loving indeed.

Dia has just moved away from her home and family in Nashville and had taken up her old mentor’s invitation to buy her Hair Salon in Batttletown so that she can retire. It was the only way Dia knew she could afford to own her own business and was grateful to her for the offer and quickly took her up on it.

It was very soon after opening up that she had found she had a very persistent suitor. Coming into the salon daily asking her out on a date. Even though she kept saying no, he just kept coming back until one fateful night after she had locked up the salon. Making her way to her car she was nearly killed by a black jeep racing at speed and driving erratically down the street. After throwing herself backwards towards the curb she found herself laying there with a very heavy weight on her, it was her very persistent suitor, Stone, saying as he had just saved her life the least she could do was go out with him.

Dia finally agreed to have lunch with him the next day. It wasn't that she was immune to him in fact she thought…


“The man was the epitome of butterflies in her stomach. Sex on a stick. Tall, dark and sinfully handsome.”


Unbeknown to Dia, Stone was in fact the Alpha of the Battlestone Pack and as far as he was concerned Dia was it. Even though she was human she was his mate and he was never going to let her go. To Stones relief Dia accepted everything about him and the two of them was blissfully happy


“Stone lowered is face until their foreheads touched. He wanted to surround himself in the intimacy of this moment between himself and the one he loved; soak it up until it was embedded into his being. She fulfilled both him and his wolf like nobody else ever could.”


But not everyone was happy with their mating as Dia and Stone found out to their cost. Leaving Dia badly hurt and suffering from amnesia and having the surprising news she was pregnant not knowing who the father was.

This is a great little book. One any reader would enjoy. The relationship between Dia and Stone can be funny and also very sexy. It also has enemies plotting in the background making sure you keep turning the pages to see what happens next.

Once again, a fabulous story Ms Lane. One I'm sure everyone will enjoy.

Cover Reveal ~ Plus One by Aleatha Romig

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig is showing us a lighter side in this new fun, sexy new stand-alone, PLUS ONE releasing on May 16th! We are so thrilled to share this fabulous cover to you today.



Book Description:

A fun, sexy new stand-alone from New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig.

He's sexy and confident, the kind of man every woman notices. You know, the one with the to-die-for body and panty-melting smirk. And then there's the way his designer suits drape over his broad shoulders and big...well, we've all heard the rumors, the ones that say he's up for any challenge.
But I can't see him that way. He's my boss—technically one of the owners of the company where I work—and definitely not in my league. Men like him don't notice women like me, and they don't date them.
And I don't date men like him.
Until that one time that I catch him in a compromising position when I'm also in need of a last-minute date for a wedding...and then it's not real. It's blackmail.
For one weekend, he's my plus-one.
Beautiful and unobtainable.
From the moment she walked into my office with those stunning blue eyes and crazy sensual curves, she's been on my mind. Three years and never once has she acted interested in me. Usually I flash a million-dollar smile and women fall to their knees, some literally.
Not her.
Then on the occasion that I agree to let another woman do that—fall to her knees—guess who happens to catch us?
It may not be the most conventional way to get on her radar, but I didn't get this far in business without knowing when to seize an opportunity. If this sexy little firecracker with perfectly kissable lips thinks she can blackmail me into attending her cousin's wedding, I'm going to jump at the chance to be her plus-one.
You love her darker side. Now it's time to meet Leatha, the lighter side of Aleatha, as she trades her renowned twists and turns for laughs and love with this sexy new stand-alone romance, PLUS ONE.

Pre-Order Links:


Kobo and Google Play coming closer to release

About the Author:


Aleatha Romig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha's twisted style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romantic suspense with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series that has taken the reading world by storm. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and a member of PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Thursday 30 March 2017

Blog Tour & Review ~ After the Dark (Killer Instinct #1) by Cynthia Eden

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After the Dark by Cynthia Eden
Release Date: March 28th, 2017
Genre: Romantic Suspense

After the Dark from Cynthia Eden is now available now!

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Book Description:

Four months after being fired from the FBI and retreating to her hometown of Fairhope, Alabama, former special agent Samantha Dark is still learning to enjoy the peaceful anonymity of small-town life. Her confidence shaken, Samantha avoids contact with others. After all, when monsters live in plain sight, it’s hard to trust anyone. But when her former partner, Agent Blake Gamble, the ultimate good guy and someone who’s always believed in her, comes to town seeking her help with his latest case, Samantha is torn. Her fabled instincts let her down once before, when the killer who ruined her career got away under her watch, and there are no guarantees they won’t again.

But Blake doesn’t believe in ever giving up…especially when it comes to Samantha. While they could never pursue their mutual attraction before, when they were partners, now there’s nothing standing in their way…except the specter of known serial killer Cameron Latham. Cameron always claimed he and Samantha both had a darkness within that connected them…until Blake came into her life. Samantha knows that darkness is real—that it’s what allows her to penetrate the minds of sadistic killers. The last thing Samantha could bear, however, is to reveal her dark side to Blake and have him recoil from her. Blake wants to prove to Samantha that he can handle all her secrets—she just needs to trust him. But Samantha learned to be careful about whom to trust. Those close to you can turn on you in an instant…

Blake’s current case turns out to be the work of a copycat killer—a psycho pupil of Cameron’s who is seeking vengeance for his former master by planning to kill Samantha. But it serves as a catalyst for something more venomous—a reason for Cameron himself to reemerge, deadlier than ever. The last person Cameron wants harmed is Samantha. He’s more interested in eliminating perceived rival Blake for good.

Two deadly killers are after them, but Blake and Samantha know every monster has a weakness. It’s just a matter of finding who it is before it’s too late…


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Buy Links:

Google Play: https://goo.gl/Z6MltG

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Our Review:

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


“…I can profile the killers because I look at a situation and I see how they can attack. I see—too easily—how they can pick the victims. I see what they are… And I fear what I am.”


After the Dark is a crime thriller that for a Criminal Minds addict like me was a must read. As soon as I see “FBI Profiler” I’m on it and After the Dark didn’t disappoint. There was a little romance thrown in to lighten the story but this was first and foremost a crime thriller and I couldn’t put it down.


“…If you live in the dark long enough, you wonder what the light might be like… I’ll tell you the truth, though. The light is boring as fuck. It’s much better to stay in the dark.”


Samantha Dark was heralded as the best criminal profiler that the FBI had ever seen, she was a consummate professional and was never wrong. Admired and respected her career in the FBI was going well…until it wasn’t.

Cameron Latham was Samantha’s best friend and intermittent fuck buddy, but little did she know that her best friend and confidante would be the one to bring her down and destroy her career. The man that Samantha had relied on for years harboured many secrets, none more so shocking than the fact he was a serial killer himself and Samantha didn’t realise until it was too late.

Blake Gamble is Samantha’s former partner at the FBI, these two had always had a close relationship but had never crossed the line, even though both of them wanted to. It was their relationship that had tipped Cameron over the edge and now he was back and he wasn’t alone.


“What the fuck do I have to do...” Blake rasped, “in order for you to finally trust me?”


This was a classic case of the profiler becoming the profiled, the predator becoming the target and it was a battle of who knew the other better. Cameron was intelligent, he was a doctor and he knew Samantha better than anyone, but Samantha is a formidable opponent, but how many lives would perish in this battle?


“…You can’t trust killers, no matter how personal you think your relationship is to them. They’re like snakes. They’ll bite the hand that feeds them and never think twice.”


Cynthia Eden kept that suspense and intrigue running throughout and this was definitely a battle of minds. The pace is fast but not frenetic and the speed in which this story unravels did a fantastic job of ramping up your adrenaline as you frantically turn page after page. I do feel that Cynthia Eden must be a Criminal Minds addict like myself because the attention to detail at times was like reflecting on scenes on my favourite TV programme and I loved getting an insight into how Samantha Dark draws her profiles from the most innocuous of evidence. This was a fantastic read for me and I cannot wait to see what happens to Samantha next. 


About the Author:

Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World and IndieReader bestseller. Cynthia is also a three-time finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over fifty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. 
Connect with the Author:


Twitter: @CynthiaEden

Wednesday 29 March 2017

Cover Reveal ~ Paper Fools by Staci Hart

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In the game of love, she never loses.
Paper Fools by Staci Hart is coming April 17th!!

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Title: Paper Fools
Author: Staci Hart
Cover Designer: Quirkybird Designs
Photographer: Lauren Watson Perry
Publication Date: April 17th

Book Description:

Aphrodite knows love — just don’t ask her to figure out her own mess.

Rather than deal with her sticky love life, she toys with the hearts of unwitting humans. It’s a little game she plays, and the stakes are high. Lucky for her, she’s just found the perfect match.

Lex is everything Dean needs, but he can’t have her.

It doesn’t matter that her eyes speak to a long forgotten part of him, or that her art and poetry touch his shredded heart. She’s off limits — crossing that line would implode his band and everything he’s ever cared about. There’s only one option: stay away from her, no matter the cost. Even if the price is his heart.

Dean is everything Lex wants, but she can’t take the risk.

The second she meets him, she knows her heart is in danger. She’s convinced it’s only attraction that has her hung up on the dark, quiet lead singer, but with every day that passes, she knows it’s more. It’s just that she can’t put her heart on the line. She won’t — love has never been worth the sacrifice.

If only they knew they were just pawns in a much bigger game. And in the game of love, Aphrodite never loses.

*Formerly titled Deer in Headlights, Paper Fools has been rewritten and reedited just for you.*

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/SggznE

About the Author:


Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

Connect with Staci:

Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ The Hard Truth About Sunshine by Sawyer Bennett

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The Hard Truth About Sunshine 
By Sawyer Bennett 
Release Day: March 28 
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Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence. 

An angry, bitter amputee.
An optimist losing her eyesight.
A dying kid.
A suicidal thief.
Four people with nothing in common but their destination.

Despite having narrowly escaped death’s clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It’s only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.
What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again… can he learn to love again?
He’s about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can’t decide whether she wants to live or die.
They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love.
And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all.
The hard truth about sunshine…

Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.

Buy Links:


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Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 5 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“I wouldn’t be killing myself today.”


I’ve read the majority of Sawyer Bennett’s books whether it be legal, hockey or her hot and steamy romances, no matter what book of hers I have read, I have loved it. Sometimes, you just connect with an author’s voice and they could write the phonebook and you would be happy and that is my connection to this author. So much so, I go in blind now. I didn’t know what I would be getting from The Hard Truth About Sunshine, but what I got was definitely not expected and so far from Sawyer Bennett’s norm I had to check that it was in fact a Sawyer Bennett book. Damn, this woman can write and she delivered on every count with this book.

The Hard Truth About Sunshine was incredibly emotional, raw and honest. It covers some extremely hard subjects which were handled with brutal honesty and showed that not all people live surrounded by unicorns and rainbows. Peoples struggles are real and while they may not show it on the outside there can be a squall of anger and depression underneath. People may seem confident, brave and optimistic on the outside, but underneath they are frightened and afraid. Keeping your cards close to your chest, being aggressive and obnoxious may not be the determination of an asshole, but maybe, just maybe that person has been rejected time and time again and it is better not to open up rather than just get knocked back once again.


“Maybe you need to find ways to get more color in your life…”


Life is full of individuals that never have the same story, yet circumstance brings them together for a reason. People with one thing in common can suddenly find that, in fact, they have a lot more in common than they first thought. Four people thrown together in “therapy” who became the best of friends, some get their happy ending, others don’t, but this was all about the journey and what a road trip Sawyer Bennett delivered.


“Each one of us hates our life. It’s a burden to us. It’s unfair. It’s nothing but misery and torment, and we’re pissed we’re the ones who have to suffer it. Maybe not to the same degree, and not for the same reasons, but it’s the absolute tie that binds every one of us.”


Christopher Barlow is one ball of anger and his anger has left him with a choice of therapy or jail. Christopher was a war vet who had been injured when his Humvee went over a land mine. Scarred face, half a hand, a rebuilt arm and half a leg has left him with way more than his physical injuries. Emotionally scarred, deserted by those he needed the most, he was an emotional island, angry at the world and all who walked in her. He needed no-one, the only one he could rely on was himself and even then, that was flimsy at best.


“I bet if you spent as much time seeking positivity as you do reveling in negativity, you’d feel a hell of a lot better about yourself. But since you seem to like being a jackass, and it sort of suits this whole “bitter-wounded-warrior-who-feels-betrayed-by-everyone vibe” you’ve got going on, I’m guessing you don’t have the backbone or the fortitude to be anything more than what you are right now. It’s pathetic really.”


In therapy, Christopher meets Connor, who is seventeen and dying of cancer, Barb who was a victim of sexual abuse and who has tried to take her life many times and Jillian, who lost her sister and is now losing her sight. It is while in therapy that Jillian decides a road trip is in order to aide Connor complete some of the items on his bucket list and by being in such close proximity to one and other, hopefully they could all be there for one and other and hopefully make inroads into making friends. Connor was designated driver and so his road trip with Dead Kid, Goth Chick and Sexy Eyes begins.


“You’re a cup-half-full kind of girl.”
“True.”
“I’m a cup-half-empty kind of guy…”
“Also true.”
“Both of our cups are still missing something.”
“About four ounces each…”
“You put us both together and we’re full…”


Wow, Sawyer Bennett tugged at every single heart string with this book, yes, at times I was bloody depressed reading this, but then the “sunshine” comes and uplifts you in the next sentence. I laughed at times, I cried in others, but I experienced this journey with them and while it was eye opening for them it was also eye opening for me. While this book is predominantly Christopher’s journey and is told solely from his point of view, this was also the journey of Connor, Barb and Jillian. Each one of them intrinsically affected Christopher in some way and turned him from a ball of anger to a life appreciating human being by the end.


“Jillian, you were my bucket list and I didn’t even know it.”


There is romance, a little sex, but this book was all about the characters and how when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Not everyone can be saved, but you can make sure they have the best time of their lives before they go. Sometimes it takes seeing other people’s problems for you to fully understand your own, what is huge to you maybe superficial to others. Not everyone sees what you see in the mirror every day. It just takes that special someone’s to make you realise it. I loved the story that Sawyer Bennett retells at the end of the book detailing her inspiration behind this story. It just goes to show how great stories are born from the most innocuous of situations and how vivid an author’s imagination can be to get the answers they desperately crave.


“I choose to live.
I choose to love.
I choose to forge my path.
Life is my choice.”


Excerpt:

Jillian holds my gaze for a moment, her eyes drilling into mine before she gently tugs on the material of my jeans near the shin rod of my prosthetic. “What happened to you?”

She doesn’t look away. Not down at the fire, not down to my legs. She stares right at me. Although my gut is turning slightly at the thought of telling her what she asked, I forge straight ahead. For the first time, I tell someone who is not medical personnel or a shrink my story.

“I was driving a military Humvee and the right front tire ran over a roadside bomb,” I say, and Jillian makes a sound of distress low her in throat as her eyes turn sad. “It completely obliterated my buddy sitting in the passenger seat.”

To my surprise, Jillian scoots over closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. She pushes her hand in between my ribs and my arm, curling her fingers over my bicep. It’s a show of support. Solidarity. That she’s settled in for the long haul of this story, and she wants to hear it all.

“It didn’t blow my leg off,” I tell her, and I can feel her body jerk slightly in surprise. Her fingers squeeze my bicep. “The fingers yes, the leg no. It just shattered and shredded it badly, but the doctors tried hard to save it.”

“Obviously, they couldn’t,” she whispers the obvious.

“They tried for three months,” I tell her, reaching down to grab my phone laying near my left hip. Jillian lifts her head up, watching as I pull up my pictures. I scroll backward, but it doesn’t take long to find what I’m looking for because I don’t take a lot of photos. I hold the phone out so she can see. “This was taken about a month after my injury.”

Jillian makes a strangled sound as she looks at the photo of me in bed. My eyes are half open because I was bombed out on so many heavy-duty pain medications, and I have a grimace on my face. I vaguely remember this picture being taken, and I think it may have been by my brother, Hank, when he came to visit once during that first month. He came a few more times after that, and then he didn’t.

Jillian’s eyes roam over the photo. My leg is encased in the external fixator with several rods leading from the outside of the cage right into my skin, where it’s drilled through and into the bone to hold the pieces together. The wounds on my leg are all open to the air, red and some of them dripping with puss and lined with blisters. I’ve got IVs in both arms and a PICC line in the right side of my neck to deliver the hordes of antibiotics and pain meds I needed to keep me alive and functioning. I took the maximum dosages they allowed me, preferring to try to be oblivious to what was happening. Yet, the pain was so great it just couldn’t be fully erased.

Jillian turns her head to look at me, and I lay the phone back down. “How long were you like that?”

“Three months. But they couldn’t get ahead of the infections, which were delaying the bones from knitting. I was in so much pain that I wanted them to amputate.”

“You had to make that decision?” she whispers.

I nod. “Yup. I mean… the doctors were at the point they felt it was the right way to go, although they were willing to keep trying if I wanted. But I wanted it gone. I was tired of being in the hospital and being in so much pain. I just wanted it gone.”

“Do you regret that decision?” she asks me bluntly, but with that still-sweet melody her voice makes. The question doesn’t bother me, because even her hard questions sound lovely.

“Yes,” I tell her without any shame. “I wonder what would have happened if I held on just a little bit longer. Not long after the leg came off, the pain receded and I became more lucid. Once I’d forgotten how bad the infections smelled, I regretted it.”

“Three months is an awful long time to be in pain like that,” she points out the obvious.


I shrug. “And the rest of my life is a long time to wonder ‘what if.’”

About the Author:

   AuthorPhoto

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two. 

Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Game Ender (Game #4) by BJ Harvey


Title: Game Ender
Series: Game Series #4 – The series finale
Author: BJ Harvey
Genre: Romantic Comedy with Heat
Release Date: April 17, 2017
Cover Designer: Najla Qamber Designs


Book Description:

From USA Today bestselling author BJ Harvey comes the fourth and final book in the Game series and this time it's the reformed playboy and the single mom.

***

"You have chlamydia." 

Three words no man wants to hear.

I've always been liberal with my appreciation of the female form, a firm believer in the 'try before you buy' principle, but living life to the fullest obviously didn't end well for me considering the unexpected—and very unwelcome—consequence of my free and easy past. 

After living through the horrendous experience that was informing my recent sexual partners of my acquired 'condition,’ I made a vow to myself – and a bet with my best friend—that the next woman I sleep with will be the ‘one.’

What I will learn is that even when something happens and the games come to an end, there's always the chance of something—or someone—crashing in and changing everything. 

So this is my story. It may start with a venereal disease, but I promise you, I’m determined to get my happy ending.



Pre-Order Links:



Excerpt:

"Mommy?" Rose asks, standing next to Kate and tugging on her top. 
Kate takes a sip of wine before looking down at her daughter with a smile on her face. "Yeah, princess?"
"What's an ortasm?" 
Wine shoots out of Kate’s mouth, as she chokes. The rest of us either gasp, snort, or in Mac's case, cackle with laughter.
Noah and Zoe's Nate, never one to miss out on being the center of attention, decides to wade in with his five-year old wisdom. "I have a penith," he says, before pulling down his pants to prove the fact.
"Oh God, I can't breathe," Abi wheezes, bent over in her chair and laughing like a loon.
"Daddy says that he'll cut off any boy's penis that touches me," Megan, Sean and Sam's gorgeous nine-year old daughter, informs the group.
"He'd be right, pumpkin," Sam replies, pursing her lips and not looking at all surprised by her daughter's announcement. 
"I'm so glad Riley can't hear us. You don't want to know the things she comes out with," Mac adds just as Riley appears beside her. "Shit," she mutters.
“Daddy told me I'm not allowed to talk about penises. But if you can then I can too."
"Riley, this is adult conversation."
"But you said adults have toys, like when I found a huge plastic penis in that red box at the back of your closet and you told me it was a paperweight." 
Mac’s face goes red, and her lips twitch. "Ah . . . yeah.”
“You told me it was a paperweight.”
“That’s because it was, honey."
"That's good, because I put it on Daddy's desk in his office this morning. You shouldn't hide things like that."
The rest of the group struggles to stifle their laughter but somehow Mac powers through it. "I told you about going into my closet, missy."
Riley shrugs, her hand darting out to grab a handful of potato crisps from the bowl in the middle of the table. "I was looking for the chicken."
We all go silent, waiting for the penny to drop. 
Mac's head jerks back. "What?"
"Oh no. I’m not sure I want to know where this is going . . ." Abi says quietly beside us
"I heard you say you wanted Daddy's cock." Riley turns to her mother and narrows her eyes, her hands moving to her hips as she takes a hilarious—and very indignant—pose. "And I couldn’t find a chicken in your room so I looked in the closet. You shouldn't hide Daddy's cock. It’s mean for Daddy to keep a chicken inside." 
"Ah . . ." Mac wide eyes move to Kate. 
"Riley," Kate says, her voice full of humor. "I think you should go ask your Daddy about his chicken. Make sure you do it so that all of the uncles can hear too. I bet they’ll love to hear about the chicken."
"I think I will," she states with a firm nod before turning on her heels and leaving the room in search of her father. 
Mac can do nothing but shake her head. "I swear to God that child is not mine.”

About the Author:


BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Bliss Series. She also regards herself as a smut peddler, suspense conjurer and a funny romance thinker upper.

An avid music fan, you will always find her singing some hit song badly but loving every minute of it.

She’s a wife, a mom to two beautiful girls, and hails from what she considers as the best country in the world—New Zealand.


Download Free!


Game Player ~ Free!!

Game Player (Game #1) - DOWNLOAD FREE

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/20WENDV 

In the Series:


iBooks - http://apple.co/2eridSb
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2nqnGk2
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2nCR4UI
Google Play Books: http://bit.ly/2fdrKy8

Giveaway:


 

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Release Day Blitz & Review ~ Black Hat Hacker (Chicago Syndicate World) by Soraya Naomi


Title: Black Hat Hacker
Series: Chicago Syndicate #6
Author: Soraya Naomi
Genre: NA Mafia Romance
Release Date: March 28, 2017


Book Description:

You don’t know me.

But that’s only because I don’t want you to.

I have the most lucrative job in the country as a hacker in the notorious underworld. I’ve built entire systems and destroyed evidence for career advancement while stealing and exploiting data for personal gain. 

I’m the black hat hacker for the Chicago Syndicate and hold all the dirty secrets of the most powerful men in the U.S. in the palm of my hands, just a keystroke away from mass ruination.

However, no one knows my dirty secret, a decision from my past that’s just aching to blow up in my face and shatter my future. Especially when a certain wavy haired brunette begins to demand my attention with her odd ways and her carefree attitude.

She’s a woman who makes me go against everything I’ve ever believed.

A woman whom I’m forbidden from having my usual one-night stand with, even if she was available.

A woman whom I have to keep from getting herself killed, whether she likes it or not.

You don’t know me, but neither does she…yet. 

 


Buy Links:

Amazon CA:  https://goo.gl/wddPTt


Our Review:

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


“They say that life isn’t about the destination; it’s about the journey. But the journey is made much more enjoyable with a partner in crime.”


This is my first read by Soraya Naomi but it certainly won’t be my last and after reading Black Hat Hacker I will be going back to read the other five books in this series. Black Hat Hacker is the sixth book in the Chicago Syndicate series and even though I have not read the previous books I can concur that this can be read as a standalone. My curiosity has been piqued though by the other members of the syndicate hence now wanting to go back and start from the beginning. Mafia books are like crack to me, I love them with a passion, mix that up with my love of cyber-crime and this book screamed READ ME!!

Henry was not “blood family” but was a well-respected member of the Syndicate and his area of expertise in hacking was a necessity in the growing use of cyber-crime amongst the Mafia. Henry was a man jaded by women or at least one woman, who had ruined him for all women that came after her. Determined not to lose his heart ever again, his dalliances with women, were just that, one night, no mornings and no follow ups. Work kept him busy and he didn’t need distractions but there was one woman that definitely caught his eye, but she was off limits.

Mary was the sister of the brothers that ran The Syndicate, they were extremely protective of their sister even though she pushed them to their limits. Mary was strong willed, independent, only twenty years old and didn’t really grasp the concept that her brothers “jobs” more than put her in danger. They tried to keep her shielded, but paths do cross and Mary wasn’t totally oblivious but she was at college, she had her apartment and her dog and that was all she needed. Mary wore her heart on her sleeve and lust in her eyes and that was all directed towards one man, Henry. He knew of her existence but that was where it ended, until one night…it didn’t.


“Loving Henry was a risk and he used to be my favorite mistake, but right now I believe he may have been a foolish momentary lap in judgement.”


Soraya Naomi delivers a book that was fast paced, action packed, suspenseful, intriguing, romantic and hot, so there is definitely something there for everyone. With the syndicate’s club being hacked and Henry’s past seemingly coming back to haunt him, everyone is in danger and the threat as yet is anonymous. A fledgling relationship and a hacker that has made this personal is a lot for one man to take and mistakes are definitely made. Murder and mayhem is rife, but who will win?


“…life can be cut short at any moment, and I refuse to die with regrets.”


This was a book that swept me away with the romance as the real Henry finally shows himself and the closed off version is slowly melted away by Mary. Mary could test the patience of a saint with her less than perfect choices but never once did I doubt the affection and love that she had for Henry. The action side of the plot, perfectly balanced the romance and definitely kept those pages turning while quenching my thirst for a mafia fix. This is definitely an author I will be reading again and as I said above, I cannot wait to start this series from the very beginning.

What Others Are Saying:

“I absolutely adored this story and can't wait for more from this author!” - Bookgasms Book Blog 

“From page one, sparks fly, the plot thickens fast, and the sex scenes are amazingly well-written - so are the emotional scenes, and a few are heartbreakingly beautiful.” - Reader Review 

“Absolutely loved Black Hat Hacker! From the title all the way through till the very end!” - Reader Review

About the Author:


I read many genres but favor intense, seductive, and provocative novels where the male character loves fiercely, without remorse or boundaries. I also adore forbidden love tales and have an odd fascination with kidnapping romances. No, I don't secretly want to be kidnapped, though!

I have a passionate obsession with the written word and indulge in chocolate pastries much too often. My debut novel For Fallon (Chicago Syndicate, #1) was released on July 26, 2014. I’m honored that For Fallon won “Best Breakout Novel 2014” in the Novel Grounds Semi Annual Literary Awards.

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AMAZON AUTHOR – amazon.com/author/soraya.naomi