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Moments in Time(Promo Post)

Published May 20, 2014 by bookbesties

MomentsInTime

MOMENTS IN TIME.

15 authors.

Fifteen unique stories.

One cause.

“Moments in Time”, a charity anthology of short fiction comprised of fifteen novelette and novella length stories by fourteen authors, totaling nearly 200,000 words.

These are not excerpts, or cliffhangers, these are entertaining and enthralling COMPLETED stories ranging in genres such as Steampunk, Erotica, and Paranormal, to Contemporary Romance and Fantasy.

100% of money earned from the sale of this book goes directly to the WNY Independent Living, Inc. – a non for profit organization whose goals are to promote education, equality and empowerment to all individuals with all different kinds of disabilities.

www.wnyil.org

BUY IT NOW ON AMAZON:

Author List:
Dominic K. Alexander
Kahlen Aymes
Daryl Banner
C.C. Brown
Chelsea Camaron
Claire Contreras
Karina Halle
Lisa M. Harley
Nicole Jacquelyn
Sophie Monroe
Amber Lynn Natusch
Erin Noelle
Joanne Schwehm
Madeline Sheehan
Ashley Suzanne

Moments in Time

“The Airship’s Heart” by Dominic K. Alexander

A captain’s young widow longs to avenge her husband’s death, so disguises herself as a boy and enlists in Her Majesty’s Navy to take a post on an . . . airship?

“Baby Special” by C.C. Brown

A gung-ho Marine learns to adapt to a situation beyond his control as his wife gives birth to their first child.

“Because You Are Mine” by Madeline Sheehan

Half human, half wolf, and promised to a purebred alpha wolf who wants her to submit. What’s a girl to do?

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“The Benson” by Karina Halle

Ghost hunters investigate a hotel rumored to be haunted, and discover more than they bargained for.

“Dark Paradise” by Karina Halle

Distraught by her husband’s affair, a woman flees to Hawaii to lose herself, but instead finds something unexpected.

“Home” by Joanne Schwehm

Newly divorced Sophia DeMarco returns to her childhood home ready to pack up her past and begin her new life. What she discovers is there are parts in her past that aren’t so easily left behind.

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“Maverick” by Chelsea Camaron

An ICU nurse takes a personal interest in a patient’s recovery, changing both his life and hers forever.

“One Night Away” by Nicole Jacquelyn

After chasing her kids around the house all day, a stay-at-home mom goes out for a much-needed night on the town and encounters a sexy man.

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“One Night with a Cowboy” by Lisa M. Harley

What’s a sure-fire cure for a broken heart? A cowboy, of course!

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“Reaching for the Stars” by Sophie Monroe

A shallow, self-centered party girl sets her sights on a rock-and-roll star for her happily-ever-after.

“Sapphire” by Ashley Suzanne

Traumatized by the abuse in her past, a hooker working in a strip club is shocked to learn that fairy tales sometimes do come true.

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“Shouting with Silence” by Kahlen Aymes

An off-Broadway actress struggles with whether to continue an online relationship that has been a constant presence in her life. But when the enigmatic man she chats with refuses to allow her to truly get to know him, she is forced to face the fact that words—while powerful—may not be enough.

“The Slum Queen” by Daryl Banner

Though she came from the slums, she is now queen of a world far in our future. Ignoring the uprising that threatens her throne, she sets her focus on filling the hole inside her heart. But will she succeed before it’s too late?

“Uncharted Waters” by Amber Lynn Natusch

After years on the run from her abusive ex, Cristina seeks refuge in an unlikely place—Alaska. When a handsome fisherman enters her life, can she stop looking over her shoulder long enough to give him a chance, or will her past continue to dictate her future . . . a future full of solitude and regret?

“Unleashed” by Erin Noelle

A young shifter who has been captured and abused is eventually unleashed in more ways than she could imagine.

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Entice by Rachel Van Dyken Blog Tour+Auth Interview!!

Published May 17, 2014 by bookbesties

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From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes the third book in the bestselling Eagle Elite Series…

“As burns this saint, so burns my soul. I enter alive, and I will have to get out dead.”

Chase Winter let the love of his life slip through his fingers and into the hands of his best friend and mafia boss of the Abandanato family. Now that he’s been given a second chance to right a wrong–he refuses to let his own selfishness stand in the way. The only problem? He’s not fully in possession of his heart, so when Mil De Lange, the girl who’s innocence he stole, and heir to the worst of the worst mafia families in the US, asks him for a favor. He actually says yes, not realizing that that one yes has the power to destroy them all.

Mil’s been in love with Chase as long as she can remember, but as the years went by, the love turned to hate, and now that he’s agreed to help her, she’s wondering if she made a fatal error. Because Chase isn’t a teenager anymore. He’s a hot blooded male, bent on owning every part of her body and soul, and willing to kill anyone in his path who dares stand in the way.

It’s time for secrets to finally be revealed…but make no mistake, it’s going to take a lot of bloodshed for those truths to be discovered.

You’ve never read a New Adult Mafia story like this before…loyalties will be tested, lovers reunited, and friendships obliterated. Welcome to the Family. Blood in–No out.

Excerpt 

By the time I got back to the room, Chase was in the bathroom. The shower was running, and I could have sworn I heard him singing some sort of Frank Sinatra song, but it’s entirely possible I made it up. Trace hadn’t been the only one drinking wine. With a flourish I fell across the bed and let out a huge sigh — the type of sigh a girl lets out when she’s trying to let the person next to her know that something’s not right. Lucky me. All I had was a wall. Right, so I was sighing at a damn wall. I sighed again. Well, no time like the present. I wasn’t sure which side of Chase I was going to get tonight. The hot-as-hell arrogant asshole, who made me want to slap him almost as much as I wanted to kiss him? Or the funny, easy-going, hormonal teenager, who had left earlier this evening after staring at my boobs like he was twelve? I smirked at the thought. Me and my sigh would take either one. The water turned off in the bathroom. The door swung open. I glanced and almost fell off the bed. Chase naked. Chase. Was. Naked. Clearly he wasn’t aware that I was in the room. He didn’t turn, just ran the fluffy white towel around his dripping body. Licking my lips, I felt my pulse jump as he wiped a few droplets that streamed down his face. Damn, I wanted to run my tongue along the trails the water created. My breathing picked up — and I swore under my breath as that same towel ran down his ridiculously tight abs. I was completely wrecked, my body strung so tight I was afraid to keep breathing — afraid that it was too loud — and I didn’t want the show to end. “How were the girls?” Chase asked without turning around. Aw, crap. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and scolded my eyes for continuing to remain on his muscled body. Just one more look, I promised myself, and then I’d be fine. “Good.” I continued my bold stare. His ass was fine. Seriously. Fine. “You get some wine and food?” he asked, wrapping the towel around his waist. Bummer. “Yup,” I squeaked, my voice sounding all kinds of immature. “So,” he padded over to the bed and sat, “dinner and a show, huh?” “I, uh—” Laughing, I scooted away from him toward the pillows. “I was going to say something, but—” “Cut the shit, Mil.” Chase smirked. “You were ogling.” “Girls don’t ogle.” “Oh?” That gorgeously perfect idiotic face mocked me with every ounce of hotness. Damn Chase Winter. Damn beautiful man. God should have at least taken pity on the female race and made him short or fat or anything but what I was staring at. A muscled god with dark skin, bright green eyes, and a smile that made a girl immediately want to do anything she could to trap him into marriage. “What’cha thinking about?” He smirked again.

Buy Links

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My Review can be found here, It is waaaaay to long to put in the post, but I do have something exciting! An interview with the Mafia Queen herself!

About Rachel Van Dyken:

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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining me, not sure its been asked before,but how do your ideas for books come to you? Are you say, running and then have a case of turrets and blurt,out “Mafia!” or “Boy band!”?

LOL oh my gosh that would be awesome…I can honestly imagine myself doing that, and to be totally fair, I do tend to come up with ideas when I’m working out or running mainly b/c I download my playlists for each book to my workout mix so I tend to replay dialogue in my head. The mafia idea was inspired by my husband who was telling me a story about a local guy around 30 minutes away from us who was hiding out from the mafia for YEARS (type in mafia Marsing Idaho and you’ll see his story) It’s amazing, he was so inovled in the community that the members of the town begged for his release! They found money, weapons, etc in his house…he was tied to both the Irish and Italian mob. So the story of Elite started with that man…I used him as inspiration for Trace Grandfather…and then added in a  bit of Romeo and Juliet to set the scene, the rest is history! 

You are very active, on social media, when you go out around your home, do people recognize you? Or do you have to wear disguises? But really do they recognize you?
Haha I think these are my favorite questions ever in the history of the world…;) When I”m in my hometown, not so much…I honestly don’t think about it that much, the only time things get kind of crazy is if I’m at a book signing, I’ve and people take my picture or tweet about me and Im like wait what?? I was right there? How did that happen? Oh my gosh look at my hair!!!! The life of an author isn’t as glamorous as some people may think, for the most part people only recognize you if they have seen you on Facebook enough to know what you look like 😉 And even then, its rare for someone to come up to you. Sidenote, if any of you do see me, PLEASE come say hi! 😉 I don’t bite..promise 😉 
Thanks! I made them myself. Now if you were not writing, what would you rather be doing?
When I wasn’t writing I was a school counselor I absolutely adored that job and loved working with kids. I’d probably still be doing that. 
Wow, that’s actually pretty awesome, I would have LOVED to have you as my school counselor! So, name the most awesomest person you have meet *cough, ME* in person. Any Celebrities?
Haha other than you yes..okay…Have I met any celebrities? I met a UFC fighter on a plane once…but I had no idea who he was until my husband almost had a stroke and asked me to switch seats. I also met some players from…wow now I can’t remember the basketball team…We were at Disneyland and they were like seven feet tall and my husband was like HOLY CRAP…apparently some “dad” wanted to rumble with them and husband was like leave them alone, the dad walked off cursing with his kids in tow and we chatted all three players up then rode pirates of the Caribbean with them. 🙂 I met David Tuterra while filming a tv segment but I didn’t know who he was until my interview was done, we shared a couch in the green room! LOL See! Im the worst! I can’t remember things!
Lol, I wouldn’t know a basketball player if he hit me in the face with his ball! If  there was a movie of your life and you had a choice, who would you pick to play you? (Oooh tough i know, not everyone can pull off all that Rachelness!)
Haha…Im honestly not sure…whenever people ask me questions like this I ALWAYS draw a blank but I’m a huge fan of Kristen Bell b/c she seems really fun, so I pick her 😉 
Love KBell, I was a HUGE Veronica Mars fan(even saw the movie). Thanks so Much Rachel and congrats on all your success!

Thank you!

You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken

 

Vaalbara Visions and Shadows Cover Reveal

Published May 15, 2014 by bookbesties

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Title: Vaalbara Visions and Shadows

Author: Michelle Horst

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: June 1

 

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blurb rose

Shaken by the ruthlessness of the enemies she faces, Alchera learns she can really only trust one, her guardian. The bond she shares with Raighne can be both calming and confusing, and confusion is the last thing she needs as she has to race to fulfill her destiny. With an uncertain future and no past to speak of, Alchera comes face to face with her worst enemy – the shadows growing within her. Who will be the one to guide her back when all seems lost, Raighne her guardian or Carter, the man who is a threat to her life…

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Author Bio rose

Michelle Horst is thirty seven years old and is from the land of milk and honey. She’s been in love with reading from an early age. She has a passion for other cultures, but she has an ultimate soft spot for nature and animals. She first tried her hand at writing in early 2009 and as the first words started to form into a book, she knew she was hooked. Dreams spilled onto pages, and that was the beginning of a wonderful journey. One filled with joy. One filled with passion and heart stopping moments. But most of all, it’s filled with such pride and peace as a story comes to life, and characters fill your life, living in the very walls of your mind, living in the minds of your readers. There is nothing as satisfying as that.

Thank you for each and every story you share with me.

Sunshine Smiles from around the world and back,

Michelle 🙂

Facebook | Twitter | Website

 

Desperate Measures Blog Tour

Published May 13, 2014 by bookbesties

 


Book: Desperate Measures
Author: Claire Firth
Genre: Regency Romance (erotic)

Lady Isabelle Pennington has been put off men for life.  Married off by her family to an abusive man 35 years her senior, she is now widowed and virtually penniless.  His debauched lifestyle and treatment of her has left her deeply scarred and vowing that never again will she allow other people to run her life. 
Guy Montford has had one wife walk out on him and has no wish to enter the matrimonial stakes again.  But when he and Isabelle are thrown together, he begins to see through her cold exterior and finds himself becoming obsessed by her aloof beauty despite himself.  
To begin with Isabelle wants nothing to do with this imposing Duke who has dragged her into his life, but then to her shock she realises that he does not repulse her as her first husband had done.  Indeed for the first time ever, she actually starts to enjoy the exquisite sensations he arouses in her.
Two damaged people intent on maintaining their independence.  But both turn out to be highly passionate – and once passion flares it can be difficult to control!
She took a deep breath.  ‘I have been married once before as you know, and I found the act of making love – a ridiculous description if ever there was one – the most abhorrent and disgusting of activities I have ever had to endure.  There is no pleasure to be had from witnessing men become like animals as they indulge their carnal appetites; neither is there pleasure in the pain their unleashed passions inflict upon their unfortunate partners.  I have no intention of sharing your bed – or anyone else’s I can assure you – and unless you can accept that condition in this marriage, then I regret the only alternative would be to seek an annulment.’
Her face was a deep flush of red by the time she had finished – in total contrast to the whiteness of Guy’s.  For the first time in his life he truly did not know what to say.  He stared at her in absolute astonishment until, grasping her handkerchief, she rose quickly to her feet and stumbled from the room. 

I’m a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde really – respectable crime/romantic suspense author by day and closet steamy romance writer by night!  Both under different names of course – I couldn’t possibly let my children (and more importantly their spouses) see what I get up to between the covers.  I’ve always loved writing and started off with M&B type romances in my twenties and early thirties, progressing to women’s fiction with a bit more bite after that.  But I always loved the romance and in particular writing the sexy scenes, and so Claire Firth was born! 
I live in Cambridgeshire, UK and seem to spend most of my time trying to successfully juggle my life – and failing pathetically.  It’s a writer’s lot I think to be disorganised – that’s what I tell my husband anyway (who is completely the opposite to me).  This lack of organisational skills does have one advantage however – it’s meant that I’ve become something of an expert at Crisis Management – mostly from personal experience as I lurch from one crisis to the next.   I can’t ever imagine not writing – I write any time and any place – and when I’m not physically writing, I’m away with the fairies in my head, plotting.  It’s a great life and I wouldn’t swap it for anything!
More books by Claire Firth




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Tempting the Bodyguard by J.Lynn Release Day Blitz

Published May 12, 2014 by bookbesties

We are extremely excited to celebrate the release of J. Lynn’s TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD!!! TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD is an Adult category romance novel being published by Entangled Publishing’s Brazen imprint and is a part of Jennifer’s Gamble Brothers Series!

Tempting The Bodyguard

TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD Synopsis:

A sexy category romance from Entangled’s Brazen imprint…

He can protect her from everyone except himself.

Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous.

Chandler Gamble has one rule: don’t protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he’s caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she’s at his complete mercy.

She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose…

 

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Author PhotoJennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn Bio:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

 

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Jennifer L. ArmentroutGoodreads

Novel Goodreads ** J.LynnGoodreads

 

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Release Day Blitz for Devour Anthology

Published May 11, 2014 by bookbesties

 

Release Date: May 11, 2014
An anthology featuring 8 full length published novels from
Amazon, NY Times and LA Times bestselling authors:

 

Fading by E.K. Blair
 
Very Bad Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills
 
Shattered Ties by K.A. Robinson
 
Sizzle by Lexi Buchanan
 
Always You by Missy Johnson
 
Love in Between by Sandi Lynn
 
Emerge by S.E. Hall
 
Fallen Crest High by Tijan

 

 ALL proceeds to go to First Candle:


 

This anthology will be available for only 99c
and will run for two weeks only May 11 – 25, 2014

 

 

ADD TO GOODREADS

 

Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.

At what point do secrets become lies?

 

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / GOODREADS

 

 

ADD TO GOODREADS


Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and JimmyChoos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about…until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy…where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

With a former supermodel mother and a rock-and-roll legend father, Emma Preston has the best of everything. Nothing is as perfect as it seems though. After her parents divorce, she’s forced to live with her mother in a private Santa Monica community. Ignoring their parental roles, her mother becomes more focused on climbing the social ladder while her father is off on tour.
Growing up in a trailer park with his mother, Jesse is used to people looking down on him. When his mother begs him to submit an application for a scholarship to one of Santa Monica’s top private schools, he never expects to actually get it. When he does, he is forced to attend school with a bunch of rich kids. He ignores their stares as they judge him for having tattoos and a less than impressive car. As long as he has his surfboard and the guys at the tattoo shop, he knows he can make it through.
When Jesse shows up on the first day of school, Emma can’t help but be intrigued. Her mother would never approve of Emma talking to someone so poor, but she doesn’t care because something about Jesse draws her to him.
Jesse tries to hate Emma, but he discovers that he can’t resist her. Forced to hide their relationship from Emma’s mother and everyone else around them, things start to fall apart. When Jesse’s friend, Ally, decides to interfere, things go from bad to worse.
Can they survive their first love? Or will they be left with nothing more than shattered ties?


Thalia is twenty-one and has just finished her sophomore year of college, and is trying to avoid going home to her stifling parents who have a curfew of nine every night, and have a bad habit of treating her like she’s still ten years old. Her new boyfriend, Liam, invites her to spend the summer with him and his family, so as she’s been unable to find a local job to keep her at college, Thalia jumps at the chance. Liam tells her that she can be his guest at his brother, Jack’s, wedding at the end of the summer.
Jack is twenty-five and feels as though he’s drowning. He’s engaged to Mia, against his will, because it’s always been drilled into him, family comes first. Jack’s studying for a law degree, and wants to go out on his own once he graduates, specializing in criminal law. His father wants him to accept a junior partnership in the law firm owned jointly by him and Lewis, his fiancées father, to practice family law.
Then he meets his brother’s girlfriend, Thalia, and he can’t get her out of his head. He needs her to keep her distance, because every time she smiles in his direction, he wants to carry her to his room and do really naughty things to her.
Then Saturday night arrives and Liam takes Thalia to a new bar that has opened on the outskirts of town, where she discovers Jack’s big secret. By day he’s the good looking, slightly older brother with a chip on his shoulder, who gives her hot looks, and by night he’s Phoenix, singer/guitar player for bad boy group ‘Deception’, who makes her sizzle to the core!
He has muscle.
He has tattoos.
He has piercings.

 

He has a mouth that makes her panties wet every time he opens it. He is supposed to be getting married.

 

He is also her boyfriend’s brother….

 

I was thrilled when I was offered a graduate teaching position at the prestigious Tennerson Girls Academy. At twenty-three, this would be my first ‘real’ teaching assignment. Working at the elite boarding school, home to the daughters of some of the wealthiest people in the world, was a great opportunity that I would’ve been stupid to pass up.

One week into my new job, and I suddenly had no idea why I chose high school…I was a seventeen year old boy once, I knew how teenage girls behaved.

You can’t even imagine the hell of trying to teach thirty, hormonal driven seventeen year olds who have been cooped up, away from any male contact.

I could handle the whispers every time I entered the room. I could even handle the obvious attempts at gaining my attention. What I couldn’t handle was her…

Rich bitches and way too many rules. Was it any wonder that I hated school?

Add to that the lack of male contact, and I was going insane. Like literally. I wasn’t used to this. A year ago I was normal. I had a boyfriend, friends and a loving family. There is nothing normal about me anymore, and nobody here lets me forget that.

My name is Wrenn, and I’m only here because my aunt took me in after what happened, but my aunt also happens to be the headmistress of this academy…Can you see my problem?

I’m hated for my lack of money, and I’m hated for who my Aunt is.

Then he arrived. Dalton Reed. My new history teacher.

Slowly, he helped me see that even in the worst situations, there is always hope.

My name is Lily Gilmore, and I was supposed to be getting married today. That was until I found my fiancé having sex with my sister in the church moments before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. I grew up with a father who was a womanizer and cheated on my mother every moment he had the chance. He would even stoop as low as to take me and my sister with him on his trysts when we were younger. Cheating was all I grew up with, and I vowed never to live the life my mother did. After finding my fiancé and my sister together, I moved from Seattle to Santa Monica to start a new life of independence and to focus on my passion for photography, man-free.

My name is Luke Matthews. About a year ago, I lost the love of my life, my fiancé, in a tragic car accident. There are no words that can describe how I’ve felt the past year. My life and all my dreams had died with her in the accident. I exist, and I play my guitar to try and ease the pain. My love was taken away, and I will never get that back.

What happens when the lives of two people who no longer believe in love are suddenly changed by fate?

“You never have to be without me, Laney, never.”

He lied…my everything I ever knew, trusted, wanted…I am, in fact, without him.

On my own and out of my shell, I learn new things about life, friendship and…myself.

Like what you’ve always known may not be what you’ve always wanted.

Dane Kendrick awakened things within me that I never knew existed, unraveling and uncovering the real Laney Jo Walker.

I’m a NEW adult…so is my story.

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend her school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now Samantha has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn’t care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent’s divorce. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

Entice(Eagle Elite 3) By Rachel Van Dyken

Published May 6, 2014 by bookbesties

Entice (Eagle Elite) (Volume 3)

From #1 New York Times bestselling author comes the third book in the bestselling Eagle Elite Series… “As burns this saint, so burns my soul. I enter alive, and I will have to get out dead.” Chase Winter let the love of his life slip through his fingers and into the hands of his best friend and mafia boss of the Abandonato family. Now that he’s been given a second chance to right a wrong, he refuses to let his own selfishness stand in the way. The only problem? He’s not fully in possession of his heart, so when Mil De Lange — the girl who’s innocence he stole and heir to the worst of the worst mafia families in the US — asks him for a favor… he says yes, not realizing that one yes has the power to destroy them all. Mil’s been in love with Chase Winter as long as she can remember, but as the years went by, love turned into hate, and now that he’s agreed to help her, she’s wondering if she made a fatal error. Because Chase isn’t a teenager anymore. He’s a hot-blooded male, bent on owning every part of her, body and soul, and he’s willing to kill anyone in his path who dares stand in the way. Secrets will finally be revealed… but make no mistake, it’s going to take a lot of bloodshed for those truths to be discovered. You’ve never read a New Adult Mafia story like this before. Loyalties will be tested, lovers reunited, and friendships obliterated. Welcome to the Family. Blood in — No out.

My Review:

Okay, If you havent been in the know or the loop then you don’t know about Rachel’s Eagle Elite series about The Mob, capital ‘M’. Most of her readers know that his is Chase’s story/book and I’m not a ‘Chaser’ (fans of Chase), I did really enjoy this book!

First the book is told in three POV’s, yes three!(With a surprise visit from Tex) Chase, Mil’s and Nixon(Ahhh, Nixon).

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Okay, I’m back….

Chase has just agreed, after having his heart-broken, mind you, to marry the newest and only female mob boss Mil for her protection. Mil is just trying to survive the year without getting killed knowing that her ‘family’ will try to kill her to be the right-full boss and not to have to take orders from a women. Nixon is holding on to his pimp status with everyone but the women he loves, Trace. After doing the unthinkable he is trying to redeem himself in her eyes and restore the balance they once had.

This book started out with a BANG and continued on right until the end. Mil wasn’t lying when she said she needed Chase to protect her because the ‘trying to kill her thing’ starts EARLY and doesn’t stop. Mil is a tough cookie on the outside, but the inside she is a marshmallow. When first introduced to her back in the first two books, I will admit I had mixed feeling about her, I swore she was this two-bit hussy who was going to try to seduce Nixon away from Trace in order to become more powerful.(Hello over active imagination) Thankfully that didn’t happen and reading this book, my heart broke for her and what she had to endure. Imagine growing up the only girl in a world of men, powerful men where morals and ‘the right thing to do’ flew out the window like cigarette smoke. Her father? biggest piece of *hit on this side of the fictional equator!

I have never been a fan of Chase(don’t lynch me Chasers) but Chase with a gun? Totally different story. He used guns, A LOT in this book and being in his head was very different than being in his head in the last book. He is trying to do a job, protect Mil for a year and get information that will help his family and when he comments, man he commits! He was in full on protection mode and it was surprisingly hot!

“Let’s get one thing straight, I’ll kiss you as often as and as much as I please, not because I’m jealous, not because I’m a jackass who gets off by showing my manhood as much as possible, because let’s be honest, I don’t need to show off when I’m sure as *hit that I’ll win.”

 Yea, is that wasn’t sexy! (Inset hot guy here)

And just when Mil starts to trust him with her secrets that she has been harboring, BOOM, an asshole threatens to messes it up because Chase slowly starts to realize that Mil isn’t just a job for him, she’s his life, one that he will die defending. I loved the Mo-Tex side story is a great lead in into the next book and from what I have read about Tex, I kinda think he’s my newest book boyfriend, even though he is a tad scary and his story Will ROCK MY WORLD!  Fan’s of the series will also get a little more insight into another character that we didn’t get before and thus making me at least feel even worse for all the horrible things i yelled at him during book one. This was on the those stay-up-all-night-to-finish-even-though-you-have-work-in-the-morning type reads (and yes, i may or may not have been falling asleep at my desk the next day). The ending was so jammed packed full of action I  felt like I needed to pause, make popcorn, grab a glass of wine(a bottle) THEN finish it!

It was just

And I got more Nixon and Trace?? Score! I always love anything Rachel writes, but this series is BY FAR my favorite of her’s. Maybe it’s the guns and hot guys??? (What could this possibly say about me?)

A big high-five and hair flip to you Rachel for rocking this book!

5 out of 5 stars

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Infinite Potential Blog Tour

Published May 5, 2014 by bookbesties

Book: Infinite Potential
Author: Barbara Garren
Genre: Paranormal Romance


Kelsi always knows when bad things are coming, but even she never thought she’d lose her husband at only twenty-three. Since he died, she’s been living her worst nightmare. Her nights are filled with dreams of a Dark Haired Man, but her days are full of guilt, because the Man fills her with longing and confusion, promising to give her all she needs, all she wants, all she feared she’d never have again.
If only the dreams would stay in her head where they belong.

Kelsi starts seeing the Dark Haired Man in her waking life, shadowing her wherever she goes. And when her mysterious new neighbor, Aiden Hardt, knows about the Man in her dreams, Kelsi worries she can’t trust her own mind.

“He’s not what he seems.”

But even Aiden’s cryptic words don’t frighten her as much as the way she feels around him. Kelsi must sort through her emotions and figure out what’s real before she can ever hope to have a normal life again.



I’m a writer, a reader and a frequenter of the more charming sites in town, namely pubs.
Born and raised in Southern California, I left to explore the world courtesy of the U.S. Navy. I’ve lived in San Francisco, New York and Norfolk, Virginia, but prefer to call San Diego home these days, with my husband, Henry (the inspiration for all the romance).
When not working on my next novel or reading a good book, I can be found running after my grandchildren, my dog and my sanity.
I believe a well-rounded diet consists of coffee, scotch, chocolate, popcorn and Luna Bars – in that order – and have been accused of violating grammar and etiquette rules in at least seven countries. My Muse is a Valkyrie named Prue, so look out.
Learn more about Barbara!

Writing as art, and how I learned to embrace my artistry.
First, let me say that I come from an extremely talented family. There are any number of gifted and recognized painters and sculptors lurking in the limbs of my family tree. My grandfather is a well-known painter, my uncle, mother, brother. Me? I can’t draw a box to climb out of!  So, with this in mind it’s easy to understand how I grew up thinking I had zero creative talent.
And yet – I’ve crafted stories as long as I can remember. As a young girl I would write plays and act them out with my friends, as a (typical) teenager, I filled stacks of notebooks with poems and short stories. As a young adult, I gifted (LOL) family members with stories I’d written. Lying in bed on any given night, unable to sleep, I would spin fantasies and makeup tales to help me sleep.  I still do.

It wasn’t until recently (that being a relative term) that I began to seriously consider the craft I practiced as a creative, artistic outlet.  My husband had been nagging me (really – no nice way to put it) to write a book and I finally took him up on it. I wrote my first book over a couple of months; did some basic editing and sent it around to friends, family and relatives.
They loved it. They praised it. They commented on my artistry and creativity. I sat there with my mouth open, dumb-founded. Me, creative? Artistic? Really?  As much as I’ve loved the written/spoken word, as much as I’ve appreciated the craft and talent of other writers, I couldn’t see the same attributes in my own work. I couldn’t connect my own ability to develop a pleasing piece of prose with that of Steinbeck, Faulkner or Whitman. I could not think of myself as an artist.

But I was. I am. I will always be.

The first book hasn’t gone anywhere. It needs a woeful amount of revising before it’s ready for public consumption, but it taught me so much! I’ve learned I have a unique voice and I need to not only trust in it, but to give it free rein. I’ve learned I have stories to tell that people want to hear, and I should follow my gut when deciding what to write. And it taught me to polish, polish, polish until it shines so bright you need sunglasses to read it, then set it adrift in the universe of publishing.

Because art is meant to be seen, whether on the wall, on film or on the written page.
What’s your writing process?
Hmmm – there really is no process. I’ve often referred to my writing style as “verbal vomit,” (sorry for the gross analogy)! When the story hits and takes hold, there’s almost nothing I can do to stop it. I have to capture all the words as the spill out. I’ve learned the hard way to capture the story when it hits – and have been known to jump out of bed in the middle of the night and jot down those flashes of insight – or risk losing the thought.
When and where do you write?
Hah! Good question. I have an office at home and I usually climb into it after work each night and most of the weekends. I refer to it as “the cave,” though it’s quite nice and sunny. Finding time is hard. I have a (more than) full time job, try to hit the gym 4 or 5 days a week and am clinging desperately to what social life I had! Family always comes first, of course, but I will admit there are times I resent not curling up with my characters. My poor husband caters to my idiosyncrasies and never complains when I neglect him – though he has a right to!
Speaking of your husband, you’ve said he’s the inspiration for all your heroes. How and Why?
Well, besides the fact that they are all tall, dark haired and incredibly handsome – all of my heroes are strong, gentle and affectionate. They don’t super-impose their needs and wants on the main characters – instead they support and encourage the independence of the women they love. That’s my husband – and that inspires me. I don’t think it would have been possible for me to accomplish all that I have – personally, professionally and as an author – if it were not for him. I’m one lucky gal!
Where do you get your stories and characters?
Oh, geeze – stories and characters are all around us! Sometimes it’s something that’s happening right in front of me, sometimes it’s just an interesting person or conversation. I try and take ordinary events and people and place them in unusual circumstance, which means I spend a lot of time asking myself “what if?” and then following where it leads. I’m frequently surprised where the story does go, being a complete Pantster!
Even as a Pantster, you must have some idea where a story is going in order to write a complete trilogy. How do you do it?
I do have the story ARC laid out in my head and I’ll usually scribble some general notes for specific scenes I want to include, but those are very rough and often won’t make it into the final version. I like to let my characters drive the story, and I like to put them in predicaments they have to find their own way out of. Book 2 of the Phasms trilogy (coming Fall, 2014) was the perfect example of what happens when your characters come to life: Kelsi and Bryn ended up hijacking everything I thought was going to happen. The last scene in book 2 remains the same as I’d originally envisioned it, but everything between the beginning and ending was a complete surprise.


Barbara is attending the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans May 13 – 18 and would love to see anyone there!

Twitter: @bak229

 

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Ocean’s Submerged Blog Tour(Crashed)

Published May 5, 2014 by bookbesties

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Synopsis

Twenty-seven year old Ocean Hawthorne thought he’d known loss and pain when his twin sister Stormie died. It was his fault the world would no longer see her beautiful smile or hear her captivating laughter. The former world champion in the vicious world of MMA fighting thought he’d been through the worst and has now carried that guilt and pain with him since.

Then he met Livie Acosta. The moment he laid his eyes on the exotic beauty, he was hooked. In that split second of looking into her wild and hurt eyes, his heart began to beat again. He knew then that he would never be able to let her go… but was that the right thing for him to do? Because yet again, Ocean found himself surrounded by a familiar darkness, a pain so strong that even breathing hurt, and living felt impossible. He’d pushed too far in the effort to love and help her, and now… now he didn’t know if he’d ever see her again.

Lawrence Hawthorne has been through the ringer when it came to hurt and disappointment, but nothing could have prepared him for the possibility of losing Livie. He’d just found her and now—well, now he didn’t know what to think. To him, Livie was more than just a girl, more than just a friend. To Law, Livie was someone he needed to help and protect, even from herself, and he’d failed that simple task.

Will the Hawthorne cousins who have sworn to protect Livie survive her selfish act, or will they crumble, yet again?

 

 My review:

I am super tight with M. DeOlmos and she allowed me and me only to read the 2nd book in her Oceans Collide series and but I was not disappointed!

The way Oceans Collide left off with you know Livie going all ‘I cant take life anymore’ I was pumped to see what would happen, would she make it, would she not what if Ocean never forgave her, will she ever forgive herself? So many questions and while some were answered some where a nice Segway into the next book. Ocean looses himself in this book and while he is trying to deal with Liv and the aftermath of what she did he is also faced with old demons he thought long gone. Everything that happened with his sister brings a tremendous amount of guilt flooding to the surface after seeing Liv do what she did. while I don’t want to give too much away I will say that this book was a lot better (IMO) than the first, while the first kept me reading and wanting to know what happen this book kept me glued to the pages. I read and got so wrapped up in the characters lives that it was well into the late night before I put it down!

We also find that new love is blossoming as well as new battles to be fought with not just with Ocean and Live but with Law as well. I had very mixed feeling about Law in the first book I was very /Dude, why are you up Liv’s ASS all the time, that’s Oceans girl’ but mainly that was because I fell in love with Ocean right away. But in this book you see a whole new side to Law and that made me like him a lot more, not as much as Ocean but then well I love the Ocean. this book to me was a lot more into the feelings of each person and they all deal with the aftermath of what Liv did in different ways and as they try to come to grips with it are faced with new challenges. This book does have a ‘soft cliff hanger’ which means that it’s not as bad as the first one but you are still left like  ‘OMG what is going to happen next?’

Melissa did a great job with this one and I can’t wait to read the third book!

**I was gifted this book in exchange for my honest and fair review****

Meet the Author

Author PictureMy name is Melissa DeOlmos, a newbie to the world of indie writing. I live in sunny side Palm Bay, Florida with my two lovely crazies ages five and two, along with my Law Enforcement champ of a husband. I could say that writing novels has been a passion that I’ve always pursued, but I can’t. Writing for me has always been my own secret escape into a land of wonders, opportunities, loves and so much trouble that I sometimes wonder if I need medication for the stories that pop into my head. I am now deciding to share my mystical mind and stories with the world, so that hopefully others may also find that little something extra they’ve been looking for. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy my books.

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Shattered by Tracy Wolff

Published May 4, 2014 by bookbesties

Shattered (Extreme Risk, #2)

Ash Lewis has poured every last ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears into reaching the very top of the professional snowboarding world—until the unthinkable happens. After the biggest competition win of his career, Ash’s mother and father are killed in a tragic accident. Unable to handle the idea of going back out on the snow to pursue the dream his parents shared with him, Ash feels that he has no choice but to walk away from snowboarding forever. Then he meets Tansy Hampton.

Wild, fun, and impulsive, Tansy has a different look and a new passion every week. As a cancer survivor who spent the past several years waiting to die, Tansy has a fresh perspective on life—even if she doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants to do with it. But she’s determined to find out, and that means making the most of her time while she still can.

From the very beginning, their chemistry is intense. But while Ash can’t stop chasing the ghosts of what can never be, Tansy stays firmly focused on the possibilities the world holds for her—and for them. She’s already picked up the pieces of one shattered life. Now she’s determined to help Ash do the same.

Review

After falling love with Tracy Wolff’s Extreme Risk Novel Shredded and the way it left off, I couldn’t wait for Ash’s story. And man what a story it was! Ash Lewis was the perfectionist of his little group of extreme snowboarding buddies. Always had a plan and knew what he was going to compete in the X-games and then the Olympics and medal. All that was shot to hell when Ash gets a call saying his parents have been in a car accident and the only survivor is his fourteen year old brother who is paralyzed from the waist down. Ash see’s no choice in his life, now being the legal guardian of his brother than to push all his plan’s away and hang up snowboarding to take care of his brother.

Until he meets Tansy who is everything the old Ash would have stanched up in a heartbeat, but the new Ash is having a hard time pushing her away. Especially when she ask him to compete a wish for the Make-a-Wish foundation for Timmy, a teenager who will not live to see his next birthday and all he wants is to see his idol Ash snowboard. How can Anyone say no to that right? Well Ash had no problem

Tansy just isn’t some girl who works for dying children, no she once was one of the dying kids. Fresh of out remission from a deathly cancer that I can even begin to spell or pronounce she has spent all of her formative years(10-19) in and out of hospitals, never having had experienced all the world has to offer. Now, Tansy is trying to find herself and no longer wants to be ‘Cancer Girl’, dying her hair and wearing different looks in hope to find out who she really is.

When her and Ash are thrown into a trip that he was basically tricked into by his brother, they set off to make Timmy’s dying wish come true and discover things about themselves that was left me crying and laughing.

The story started out with Ash in such a self-loathing spiral I wanted to slap him stupid and yell at him with the way he was treating his brother. I identified with Tansy on such a level that I found myself empathizing with her and having lumps in my throat when she did. He feelings and why she felt them were so real it made my heart ache and please don’t get me started on Timmy! the small part he playing in the book left such an impact on me that I cried when it was his last scene(this not to say that he died, that was never said). Just the fact that it was never hidden that Timmy was going to die, otherwise he wouldn’t have been on the Make-a Wish list and the fact that his is a reality to some little kid somewhere made it that much more heart breaking.

This book cause so many feels, by the last five chapters I was a mess!

I Don’t know how Tracy does it, but I have never had such a fascination with snowboarding than I do after reading her Extreme Risk books, this one not being any exception. Now excuse me while  I Google hot snowboarders…for research…

4 out of 5 Stars

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