Cover Reveal ~ These Battered Hands by Laurel Ulen Curtis

These Battered Hands
by Laurel Ulen Curtis
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Cover Designer: Hang Le

 

Book Description:

Callie

Blood, sweat, hard work, and a disconcerting lack of tears—my entire life—was meant to culminate in a flourish of glory and significance.

I’d thought I’d always known exactly what that meant.

But I’d had the timing wrong by about three minutes.

I knew now.

This moment wasn’t everything. The one person I found myself wanting more than anything during it was.


Nik

One preconceived notion can haunt you for the entirety of your life.
I thought I owed it to myself and to everyone who’d ever backed me to do what was expected. What was right. What I was supposed to do.

But nothing is forbidden in love. Not circumstances or propriety or the denial of the object of said affection.

I knew now.

This was it.

If I wanted it, I had to take it.

This gymnastics love story is more than grips, rips, and battered hands. 

For Calia Nickleson and Nikolai Bagrov, it was everything.

About the Author:

 Laurel Ulen Curtis is a 28 year old mother of one. She lives with her husband and son (and cat!) in New Jersey, but grew up all over the United States. She graduated from Rutgers University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, and puts that to almost no use other than forecasting for her friends and writing a storm chasing heroine! She has a passion for her family, laughing, and reading and writing Romance novels. She’s also addicted to Coke. The drink, not the drug.

 LAUREL’S SOCIAL MEDIA:

http://www.facebook.com/laurelulencurtis
http://Laurelulencurtis.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/LUCurtisAuthor
www.pinterest.com/Laurelcurtis/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912103.Laurel_Ulen_Curtis
http://instagram.com/lucurtisauthor/

Review ~ Darken the Stars (Kricket #3) by Amy Bartol

Book Description:

Kyon Ensin finally has what he’s always wanted: possession of Kricket Hollowell, the priestess who foresees the future. Together, their combined power will be unrivaled. Kricket, however, doesn’t crave the crown of Ethar—she has an unbreakable desire to live life on her own terms, a life that she desperately wants to share with her love, Trey Allairis.

As conspiracies rage in the war for Ethar, Kricket’s so-called allies want to use her as a spy. Even those held closest cannot be trusted—including Astrid, her sister, and Giffen, a member of a mysterious order with a hidden agenda. But Kricket’s resolve will not allow her to be used as anyone’s pawn, even as the Brotherhood sharpens its plans to cut out her heart.

As the destiny prophesied by her mother approaches, Kricket will backtrack through her fiery future to reshape it. For she knows one thing above all else: the only person she can truly count on is herself.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1KRxNnz
 Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1LaIXQe

 

Our Review:

 



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



“The stars are no longer aligning for me; they’re bleeding from the sky, turning black, and dying around me. What the people in this room don’t realize is that I’m not the one.”


This is the final book of this series and what an ending. This is one of those books that I cannot give any details away, literally, none. Everything is a spoiler. This is also one of those books whereby for once I am demanding more and not just a “I’m being greedy, I want more”. This is the first case I have come across where the characters demand more, this story still has a lot of legs and while I appreciate and understand the way this finished, for me personally as soon as I had finished, I had already plotted out the next book.


“Baw-da-baw.”


This is also the first time I have sobbed at the ending of a book just because it had finished. Once I had got a hold of myself I sat there and thought “why on earth are you crying woman?” The only thing I could come up with is because I didn’t feel closure; this just couldn’t be the end. The trouble with Amy Bartol is she has a knack of endearing her characters to you on all levels, these characters become a piece of you and because she goes into so much depth you know how and what these characters would do in certain circumstances. I know what should happen, I just hope that the publishers take into account my pleading and option a fourth book. I need to know that these characters are okay after everything they have been through. I just want more...PLEASE!!!

This is my first dystopian series and a genre that I do not typically read but such is the power of Amy Bartol’s draw that I had to give it a go just because I loved her Premonition series so much. I had tried to read this genre in the past but just couldn’t gel with it, but somehow Amy Bartol managed to draw me into this world and made me not only love it, but want more of it.

This final book is about war, the fight for survival, love, trust, betrayal and the most overwhelming fear I have ever had while reading. Fear for these characters, fear for what I thought I knew, fear for actions I never thought I would read about, just shock, horror and confusion but more importantly I understood, everything. While this was not what I was expecting, I could see the whys and wherefores, after all, what we the reader need to remember is that this is Kricket’s story. Kricket's sole aim is to survive and thrive and this is definitely her story.


“I’m stone. I’m stone. I’m stone.”


I found myself loving those I hated and hating those I loved, something that I thought was impossible. With this kind of read you cannot help but move your thoughts ahead a mile a minute and plotting and scheming as to what you want to happen and what you hope would happen, so it when it doesn’t pan out that way you are actually taken aback.


“That’s because you only served to convince me that you’re perfect for me. My little savage – the darkest star.”


Overall, this is one series that I will never forget and one that when I need an escape from reality I will definitely be reading again. I have to applaud Amy Bartol on once again her creativeness and her imagination. Her flair for totally immersing you into her “worlds” so effortlessly only goes to show what a unique talent she has. I also have to applaud her courage in delivering a book that she wanted, the direction that she envisioned her characters taking. While it may not be what we all wanted or expected, kudos to her.


“It’s not alone. It has the world.”


So 47North, my last ditch plea...I need another book, seriously. Not just a maybe, but a definitely.

Promo Tour ~ The September Series by Andrea Smith writing as Graysen Blue

Book Description:

Sins of September - Book 1

I'm no angel. I never was. But when Mama left us just short of my fourteenth birthday, any chance of me becoming angelic flew out the window.

My step-father, Jesse, had been the only 'father-figure' in my life from the time I was six years-old, but all that came to an end when Mama left. I was sent to live with my grandparents in another state; my half-sister, Scout, remained with Jesse, her daddy. And my world had crashed around me.

Fast-forward four years. I'm almost eighteen and a somewhat normal teenage girl who's curious about her sexuality, and determined to find someone like my Mama had - but hadn't appreciated. As luck would have it, my stepfather wants me to spend the summer going into my senior year in Arkansas with them. He needs me to take care of my little sister, Scout over the summer.

Four years have changed both Jesse and me in ways we hadn't considered. It isn't long before I encounter the obstacles involved in getting what it is I really want: Jesse Ryan.

Complications follow, and I learn more than I ever anticipated that summer, not only about myself and my sexuality, but also about being true to myself, and putting others that I love first.

ADULT CONTENT. SEXUALLY EXPLICIT


When September Ends - Book 2

This book is the sequel to "Sins of September."

My name is Jesse Ryan. I'm thirty, single (not officially divorced) but that’s a long story. Up until the summer of 2010, I was doing just fine raising my only child, Scout. I'm a construction worker in Fort Smith, AK. But that summer I needed some help with Scout. So that’s when I sent for my 17-year-old stepdaughter—and Scout’s half-sister, September. She has been living with her grandparents in Mississippi ever since her mother—and my estranged wife, Libby, had taken off on all of us years prior.

September turned out to be a very resourceful young woman, effectively ambushing my first budding romance since her mother had left us. But she didn't stop there. Shortly after her 18th birthday, I found myself inexplicably drawn to her. Yeah, I get that there's a twelve year age difference, but despite my better judgement and solid resolve, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Up until now, we have kept our relationship discreet, planning our future together. I’m preparing to start my own business, and September is preparing to start her freshman year of college. Then we get . . . the news. And everything we’ve been planning is suddenly and inexplicably torn from us.

After more than five years without a word, my estranged wife, Libby, resurfaces. She had been seriously injured and now suffers from total amnesia. She doesn’t remember any of us.

Now decisions need to be made, and everyone looks to me to be the one to make them. But how can I make a decision that will be in everyone's best interest?

Mature Content. 18+

Buy Links:

September Series box set on sale for $2.99

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Ounkxz

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1KBDiIy

KOBO: http://bit.ly/1QlKrvs

iTunes: http://apple.co/1Lhdc81

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1LUY5E7

  

 Excerpt:

 

Sins of September - Book 1

My mind drifts back to the day Jesse said good-bye to me.

The day he came here to pick up Scout. 

Scout was tickled to death to see him after being away all summer. She had asked about Mama and Jesse shook his head and said, “No word.”

He sent her out to the car after she hugged and kissed us all good-bye. Jesse assured my grandparents they were always welcome, and that he’d bring Scout to visit when he could. Gram and Grandpa were pleased about that.

“And you,” he said, crouching down to be eye level with me, my heart was hoping that the next words out of his mouth would be, “We want you to come with us if you have a mind to.”

But those weren’t his words.

“You behave your grandparents, and keep up with your good grades. You’re a smart girl, September. I know you’ll have a bright future. Now I’ll keep in touch to make sure you’re behaving, hear?”

I nodded, hoping that I could hold back the tears that threatened to spill. Jesse acted as if he didn’t notice. “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his jeans.

He handed me a small box. Inside was a heart-shaped locket on a gold chain. The locket was the kind that can hold a tiny picture. There wasn’t a picture in this one.

“I reckon you’ll be breaking hearts soon enough. That locket is for you to put a picture of your true love inside, that way you’ll always have him close to your heart.”

He hugged me, and I thanked him feeling like I’d never see him again. I waited until he and Scout where just a spec on the horizon before I went upstairs to my room and let the flood gates open.

When September Ends:

I grab my backpack and head out of my room just as Mama is coming down the hall towards her room.

"Well, I see you've gotten exactly what you set out to get, haven't you?"

This is new.

"Excuse me?"

"Your neighbor, Casey, filled in the blanks for me," she replies quietly. "You know, I almost wish Mama and Daddy hadn't found me. Maybe living in ignorance would've been bliss compared to this. All these sinners that surround me at every turn, it's so disheartening."

And, for whatever reason, I'm determined that she's not going to get away with hosting a pity party for herself.

I drop my backpack, and cross my arms, staring her down. "You," I say very succinctly, "don't get to play victim here, Mama. And most of all, save your sanctimonious bullshit for someone that doesn't know you like we all do."

"Why--?"

"No, you are the one that made things the way they are right now. You get credit for that all by yourself. You left Jesse, you left Scout and you left me. You don't get to waltz back into our lives and expect forgiveness for all that you've brought upon yourself and that continues to spill over into our lives and make us miserable."
"I--I can't believe you're talking to your own Mama that way! You sleep with my husband and bring shame upon this family, have you no decency, September?"

"Decency? Decency?" I ask incredulously, "What would you know of decency, Mama? When was the last time you showed any decency?"

She's glaring at me hatefully now, and then her eyes narrow. "The Bible says 'to err is human, and to forgive is divine."

I pick up my backpack and look at her, and I almost feel pity for the person standing there. Almost, but not quite.

"That's not from the Bible. It's from a poem by Alexander Pope. And I don't forgive you, Mama. Maybe God will, but I won't."

About the Author:

Andrea Smith is a USA Today Best-Selling Author.

She self-publishes Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Sensual Romance with a paranormal twist. She also writes New Adult Romance under the pseudonym of Graysen Blue.

Here is a listing of her published fiction to date:

Baby Series (Contemporary Romance/Suspense w/erotic tone)

Maybe Baby
Baby Love
Be My Baby
Baby Come Back (Novella)

G-Man Series (Contemporary Romance/Suspense w/erotic tone)

Diamond Girl
Love Plus One
Night Moves
G-Men Holiday Wrap (Novella)
These Men (Spin-off) Part of the BEND anthology.
Taz

Past Tense Future Perfect (Baby Series Boxed Set trilogy, e-book only.)

Limbo Series (Contemporary Steamy Romance w/paranormal edge)

Silent Whisper
Clouds in my Coffee  

September Series (New Adult)

Sins of September
When September Ends

M/M Romance

Black Balled (Co-Authored with Eva LeNoir)

To sign up for her monthly newsletter, visit her website: http://www.andreasmithauthor.com/
Follow her on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Smith/e/B00A1MLQGY/

Release Day Blitz, Excerpt & Review ~ Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre

 Book Description:

Cole Masten. Abandoned by his superstar wife, Hollywood’s Perfect Husband is now Hollywood’s Sexiest Bachelor: partying hard and screwing even harder. Watch out Los Angeles, there's a new bad boy in town.

Summer Jenkins. That’s me, a small town girl stuck in Quincy, Georgia. I cook some mean chicken and dumplins, can bluff a grown man out of his savings in poker, and was voted Most Friendly my senior year.

We were from different worlds. Our lives shouldn’t have collided. But then Cole Masten read a book about my small town. And six months later, his jet landed on our dusty airstrip, and he brought Hollywood with him.

From the start, I knew he was trouble. For our town. And for me.

Sometimes, opposites just aren’t meant to attract..


Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25802884-hollywood-dirt?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1EE3Nug
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1fYDEKQ
AmazonCA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B014UA70U8
AmazonAU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B014UA70U8
nook: http://googl/I4zClF
iBooks: https://goo.gl/XRi5tG

kobo: https://goo.gl/NqLnFX

Excerpt:

When the door to the production trailer burst open, it brought with it a wave of heat and beauty. Cole looked up from the storyboards and locked eyes with Summer, who blew across the room at him like a tornado on tilt.

“There’s no love story between Ida and Royce.” Summer snapped, throwing down the script, pages fluttering down between them. In the small trailer, conversations stalled and he could feel the attention turn their way. “I’ve read the book. Three times!”

It was good to know that someone had read the damn book. Cole glanced down at her temper tantrum of a mess and back up, raising his eyebrows mildly. “It’s a movie,” he said, turning back to the storyboards. “The writers are adding some excitement. It’s normal. You’d know that if you were in this business.” The dig was unnecessary but he couldn’t help it. This woman turned him into the devil.

“I read the first script. The one you sent over with my contract. Ida and Royce hated each other. Why would Royce…” she snatched up a page from the ground and read out a line. “pushes Ida against the file cabinet and kisses her passionately.” She balled up the page and threw it down to the ground and he could see, in her eyes, the panic. Panic. An unexpected reaction.

“We’ll use that,” Don made the dangerous move of stepping in, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. “You don’t understand. The passion from their hatred will make it hotter.”

“No.” Summer said, her face hard, her eyes on Cole. “It doesn’t make it hotter. It makes it stupid.”

“Aww… come on, Summer.” Cole chided, stepping closer, his hand reaching out to pull at her wrist. She fought him, yanking it back and the moment of their bodies meeting didn’t happen. He leaned down and whispered, right against her ear, the smell of her apple-scented lotion enough to make him want to empty out the production trailer right that moment. “Sure it does.”

She jerked back and twisted away. “If he kisses me on camera I’m going to lose it.” She shot at Don, pointing an accusatory finger in Cole’s direction.

“I know you will,” Cole laughed, crossing his arms to fight from reaching out. “You’ll fall apart under my mouth, baby.”

Summer screamed in response, her hands thrown up in frustration, and spun to leave, her script left behind, the slam of the exit door loud in the full production trailer.

“That went well,” Cole mused. He linked his hands and rested them on his head, rolling his shoulders back. Panic. She’d had panic in her eyes. Fuck.

“What do you expect?” Don said. “You threw this on her without warning. I told you we should have met with her this morning, gone over the changes to prepare her. But no – you just wanted to dump it on her via call sheets and sides.”

“Dump it on her? I was People’s Sexiest Man last year. She’s not mentally adjusting to a war camp for God’s sake. How hard is it to kiss me?”

“It’s actually three kisses,” a dark-haired PA to his left pointed out. “And a grope.”

He gave her a hard look and she withered a little.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Don said. “Eileen, you shoot #4 and I’ll talk to Summer. I want to try to get #14 shot at eleven so let’s get our asses in gear and get this done.”

“I’ll talk to her.” Cole stepped in. “You shoot #4 and I’ll talk to her.”

“No,” Don snapped. “With my luck you two would make up and any authenticity to the scene would disappear. Just stay away from her and be ready at eleven.”

Cole chewed on his cheek, then nodded. “Fine.” Don was right. He should stay away from her. Far. Far away.

 

Our Review:

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


“I’m so glad that Hollywood and dirt roads met in the uniqueness of Quincy.”


Sometimes, when you start a book, you just know that you are going to love it and that was the feeling that I had when I started Hollywood Dirt, within the first few pages I fell in love with this book, this story and most importantly, these characters.


“There was so much bullshit flying around that our flies were confused.”


This book is about a small town girl falling in love with one of Hollywood’s top actors, you may think that this has been done before but the way this story unfurled was unique and totally captivating. Hollywood Dirt is actually based around the Coca Cola story, how a small town pooled their resources to get Coca Cola on the map, for the few thousand dollars per share they put in, those shares soon turned into millions, putting this small town on the map as having the most millionaires per head. But this small town was incredibly private and kept themselves to themselves, keeping their wealth a secret and still lived relatively frugal considering their means. As ever with these small town stories a book was written and had captured the attention of one of Hollywood’s hottest actors/directors and he decided that this story was fit for the big screen. The little town of Quincy would never be the same again.

Summer had moved to Quincy when she was little and was now twenty nine, she had never felt like she belonged there and was used to all the mutterings and whisperings that inherently followed her wherever she went. There was only Summer and her mum and that was frowned upon, this town was extremely religious and single mothers were not the norm, but her dad have left them years before and her mum set out to give them a new life and they made the most of it.

Summer, the female lead is to die for; I loved this woman seriously hard. Her demeanour is infectious, her sass, her wit, her tell 'em how it is attitude and even her insecurities only endear her to you and make you want to be her best friend. Summer was hilarious, she was a what you see is what you get kinda girl and if you didn’t like it, then tough, because she was not changing for anyone. She had her dreams and aspirations like anyone and hers were to get the hell out of Quincy. Summer and her mum were on a tight budget but she had been saving to try to make her dreams a reality so when the first murmurs of this big film coming to Quincy she was determined to try to make this her meal ticket out. Summer though was inherently a home body, she kept house for a wealthy couple and made sure that her mum was cared for. They had each-others back, always. But this was not the end of her talents, she could farm, she did repairs, she was a typical southern girl, but no means Hollywood material, or so you would think.


“I wanted something different. I wanted to be someone different, someone without scorn, someone without a past. Someone with a future.”


Cole Masten, this guy is going to break a few hearts. Cole was a man that when he loves, he loves hard, he is all in. While he has that cocky, Hollywood heart throb exterior, underneath is a teddy bear, but he hardly ever lets anyone see that side of him. He is the Oscar winner, the man that all women want to bed and he keeps that façade firmly in place. Having just fallen foul to adultery by the wife he adored and going through a messy divorce, Cole heads to Quincy to keep himself out of trouble but trouble has a way of biting him on the arse and this trouble comes in the form of our adorable Summer. Cole Master doesn’t know what has hit him.


“He was fucked. Absolutely, unequivocally, fucked.”


This was a story of finding the real you, sometimes life and circumstance push you along at warp speed and along the way you forget who you really are. The trappings of fame and fortune sweeping you up into a paparazzi frenzy where your persona is more important than what you really want or need out of life. Strip things back to basics, take time to reflect, get back to some form of normality and once again you can find your inner you...you may even like what you see. Take Hollywood out of the heart throb and you get a gorgeous man on the inside and out. Cole Masten will have you eating out his hands in no time.


“...a man who...if he pushed his best parts forward and was rejected, might not recover from the snub.”


I love Alessandra Torre’s writing voice, in the past her suspenseful writing has captured my attention from the start and even though this is her first contemporary romance, he writing was none the less addictive. Her character development was flawless and by the time this book hit the crux of the story you were championing these two along with gusto. The character connection was on point and I had no doubt in my mind that these two were meant to be together, despite being total opposites. These two brought out the best in each other, Cole calmed Summer and Summer brought Cole back to life, see ying and yang, but opposites attract and these two together were off the charts.


“The man shouldn’t be allowed to have a mouth. Shouldn’t be allowed to use that thing like a weapon, to cut open a woman’s soul, her secrets, her control, and rip them all to shreds. I lost myself, in those minutes with his head between my legs.”


By the end I didn’t want this book to finish, I loved this couple with a passion. It has been quite a while since I have loved a book this much and as such it goes to the top of my favourite reads so far this year. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Adored it!!

Facebook Book Page & Website Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1704281166466556&fref=ts
Website: http://www.meetcolemasten.com/
Goodreads Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/143204-shh-smut-heroes-heas-with-alessandra

About the Author:

Alessandra Torre is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of ten novels. Her books focus on romance and suspense, all with a strong undercurrent of sexuality. Torre has been featured in such publications as Elle and Elle UK, co-hosted Dirty Sexy Funny with Jenny McCarthy, as well as guest blogged for the Huffington Post and RT Book Reviews. She is also the Bedroom Blogger for Cosmopolitan.com.
You can learn more about Alessandra on her website at www.alessandratorre.com, or you can find her on Twitter (@ReadAlessandra) or Facebook.

Connect With The Author:

Website: http://www.alessandratorre.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlessandraTorre0
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReadAlessandra
Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452845.Alessandra_Torre?from_search=true
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Alessandra-Torre/e/B0095WFMGQ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1414686834&sr=8-2-ent
TSU: https://www.tsu.co/alessandratorre
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoc0NYWzikybgJs8GgX_AA
Newsletter: www.nextnovel.com