Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My Review Stop on the ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn Summer Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn Summer Blog Tour. You’re in for a real treat if you read this wickedly quick novella by the lovely author who brought you A PLAYBOY’S LOVE AFFAIR, which I reviewed for you a while back. Feel free to check out my review for that one. You’ll enjoy it, too. But, be sure to stick around, in addition to my review, there's an excerpt and a giveaway.

***eCopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for ONE WICKED NIGHT:

Angel Jones is a career-driven woman at the top of her game with a big problem: a wickedly handsome boss. It is impossible to get him out of her mind, so her friends talk her into using someone else’s invitation to an exclusive dating service. It’s a dare she can’t resist.

Fernando Durante knows lusting after someone at work is not an option. He has managed to avoid direct contact with her for years, but thanks to a recent promotion, the witty goddess reports directly to him. When a friend emails him an invitation to an exclusive dating service, Fernando accepts against his better judgment.

Will Angel and Fernando let their hearts guide them?

*               *               *               *               * 


Excerpt from ONE WICKED NIGHT:

     Angel moved on to the next question. “What!” she exclaimed, leaning back on the couch and making herself more comfortable. “N-N…” Her boss’s strong hands came to mind. She wondered what it’d feel like to be spanked by him. She bet Fernando would spank her hard, until her ass turned a deep red. She squeezed her legs together in response to the pool of heat starting to build low in her belly. “No. No spanking for me.” What kind of questionnaire was this? Did they really need to know her sexual preferences? Did other dating services get this personal, too? Gosh, she looked at the A/C vent, hoping it would turn on soon because the room felt stuffy. She pulled her blouse free from her skirt, undid the buttons, and parted it in half, revealing her bra.
     Angel let out a loud sigh and focused her attention back on the questionnaire. “Oh, no, no, no. I’ve never tried it, not sure I’ll ever want to.” Thoughts of Fernando came to mind, his cock stretching her tiny hole and filling her with every inch of his length. She squeezed her butt cheeks, the action spreading goose bumps through her body. Whoa! No. Thinking of him, imagining how his cock would feel inside her, didn’t help one bit. Stop, Angel, stop. She wouldn’t be thinking any of this if she’d never met him. His name alone made her insides melt. The temperature in her living room was getting too hot. How many more of these kinds of questions would she have to answer?
     Angel went back to the list, and her lips parted at what she read next. “Oh yes, yes, yes to oral sex.” She licked her lips as she imagined the tip of his cherry-red tongue exploring her folds, lapping at her clit, and his hot mouth closing over her cunt, drinking her juices.

*             *              *              *              *

My Review:

Angel Jones is in love with her boss, the very sexy Fernando, but she’s worked too hard to get to her position as Vice-President to risk losing her job by indulging in her desire for him. It’s getting more difficult to resist him since her job throws them together far too often and far too intimately. When her friend offers her an exclusive invitation to a very exclusive dating service, she gives in to the temptation for someone to take her mind off Fernando and signs up. Promised anonymity and the promise of something wonderful, Angel goes for it.

Fernando Durante has been lusting after his employee, Angel, for far too long. When an opportunity arises that leaves them alone, he goes for it but when rebuffed, he is determined to give up on her completely. When the opportunity to use an exclusive dating service comes to his attention, he decides it might be for the best, because he has to do something to get Angel out of his blood before he does something truly foolish. He knows she’s away on vacation and so takes a few days for himself. He follows the strange instructions given him to meet a perfect partner who could possibly be that special someone who can give him more than the unreachable woman that constantly haunts his thoughts.

ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn is a sweet, exciting, fast-paced, and magical read that will have you panting for more and wishing for your own exclusive invitation to Elite Classified Online Dating. Angel and Fernando are a passionate couple with angst filling their every moment because of their unrequited attraction to each other. Lady D is a fairy godmother to this couple, who can’t seem to admit their desire for each other, and she throws them together in a way that they are unable to resist each other or their love. But does it work? Is there a happily-ever-after for this stubborn pair? You’ll just have to read ONE WICKED NIGHT for yourself and find out. I love how Emily leaves us with a lead-in to another torrid adventure at the end.

Emily keeps us caught, entertained, and begging for more as we watch the magic that Lady D weaves to bring these two together. You’re kept wondering how it’s going to work out, how they are going to come together, and what will happen when they do discover that somehow Lady D has managed to pull two people from a world of many and throw them together so extraordinarily.  ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn is a wonderful time-out read that will leave you smiling, and so very satisfied, although you’re surely going to want the next story right away.

I highly recommend reading ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn, it’s a magical fairy tale romance with an erotic twist.

Happy Reading Everyone!

About the Author:

Emily Quinn writes sexy contemporary romances with irresistible bad boys, feisty heroines, a bit of conflict, humor and a dash of spice.  

She loves books and falls in love with every hero she reads. She lives in sunny Southern California with her husband, two kids, and her dog.

Emily loves hearing from her readers. Feel free to visit Emily at her website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of ONE WICKED NIGHT. One winner will win a $5 gift card from Amazon and 2 other winners will each win 1 e-copy of ONE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn. Good Luck!




Information about the book:

Title: ONE WICKED NIGHT
Series: Wicked #1
Author: Emily Quinn
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Length: 45 pages
Release Date: July 15, 2013

ONCE WICKED NIGHT by Emily Quinn, Entranced Publishing, available now in ebook format at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.
***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.

   

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tasty Book Tour Release Day Blast for OUTSIDE THE LINES by Kimberly Kincaid

I’m so pleased to be among those celebrating the release of Kimberly Kincaid’s third novella featuring the characters we’ve met in her first two, LOVE ON THE LINE and DRAWING THE LINE, both of which I have reviewed for you here. Feel free to click on the titles to visit those reviews. This is a wonderful series consisting of quick deliciously sexy reads featuring hot cops and sexy chefs. If you haven’t tried them out, you really should. The third novella, OUTSIDE THE LINES is now available. Happy Reading Everyone!

Blurb for OUTSIDE THE LINES:

As an ivy-league ER doctor who eats double shifts for breakfast (and lunch…and dinner), Blake Fisher has little appetite for anything other than work. Being on the staff at Brenstville Hospital means taking care of people, a need Blake understands all too well from losing his brother to cystic fibrosis eight years ago. When he’s asked to coordinate a carnival fundraiser for the cause, he jumps at the chance to help others with the disease…until it lands him side by side with the one woman he never thought he’d see again: his ex-fiancée.

Streetwise and rough around the edges, Jules Shaw is no stranger to earning a living through hard work. But when her job as the restaurant manager of Mac’s Diner puts her shoulder to really broad shoulder with Blake Fisher, she nearly balks. She’d rather dodge and deflect than admit the real reason she broke things off, but the catering contract for the carnival means big business for Mac’s, and feeding people is Jules’s lifeblood.

As Blake and Jules join reluctant forces, they quickly rediscover the spark between them. But the possibility of a future together hinges on coming clean about the past, with potentially devastating consequences. Can Blake and Jules overcome their drastically different backgrounds and learn to love again, or will they always be outside the lines?

About the Author:

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she's not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as "The Pleather Bomber", she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a 2011 RWA Golden Heart® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. She has written two digital novellas, LOVE ON THE LINE and DRAWING THE LINE, about hot cops and sexy chefs, with a third novella, OUTSIDE THE LINES, due this summer. She is also thrilled to have collaborated on a Christmas anthology with Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell, titled THE SUGAR COOKIE SWEETHEART SWAP, to kick off her Pine Mountain foodie series with Kensington this October. Kimberly’s first full-length novel, TURN UP THE HEAT, will follow in February 2014. She resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters.
Visit her any time at her website, and feel free to follow her on Facebook, Goodreadsand Twitter

Tasty Book Tours has a Review Tour planned for OUTSIDE THE LINES by Kimberly Kincaid that will begin August 12th and will run through August 30th – please be sure to stop back for my stop on the tour on August 14th.

OUTSIDE THE LINES, a novella by Kimberly Kincaid, Curtis Brown Digital, available now in ebook format at Amazon for Kindle or Kindle App.
***click on link or cover below for purchasing information - only 99¢ 

   

Monday, July 29, 2013

Author's Taproom Presents ... DRIVEN by Eve Silver Book Blitz - Spotlight

Welcome to my stop on the Author’s Taproom Presents … DRIVEN by Eve Silver Book Blitz. I haven’t read this seemingly amazing sci-fi romance from Eve Silver writing under her pseudonym, Eve Kenin, as yet but it’s going on my TBR list. How about you? I've provided two excerpts to help pique your interest. And be sure to stick around to the end - there's a Giveaway! Happy Reading Everyone!

Blurb for DRIVEN:
In the harsh Northern Waste where human life is worth little, ice trucker Raina Bowen has learned to keep her eyes open and her knife close at hand. She’s spent her life on the run, one step ahead of the megalomaniac who hunts her. All she wants is to stay out of trouble and haul her load of grain to Gladow Station—but trouble finds her in the form of a sexy stranger called Wizard. He has the trucking pass she needs, and she has to drag him out of a brawl with the very people she’s trying to hide from in order to get it. She may have rescued him, but Raina’s not foolish enough to see Wizard as anything close to helpless. He’s hard and honed and full of secrets—secrets that may destroy them both. As they race across the Waste, trying to outrun rival truckers, ice pirates, and the powerful man bent on their destruction, Raina’s forced to admit that trouble’s found her. And this time, there’s nowhere left to run.

Excerpts from DRIVEN:
Raina had a fleeting impression of dark hair spilling from beneath his hood before he ducked his head and climbed up the side of the cab. She stepped back to let him in, unfastened the catch-seam of her own parka and hung it on the hook behind the driver’s seat.
 She led the way into the small living quarters that backed off the driver’s cabin. She felt awkward having him here. Gesturing to the plasma screen set into one wall of her rig, she spoke over her shoulder, babbling as she tried to cover her discomfort. “I can track six satellites, and over four thousand channels. Used to be seven satellites, but I think an orbit decayed.”
Her companion made no reply. It appeared that he wasn’t interested in small talk. Fine by her. She wasn’t particularly adept at it herself.
She snatched a pile of microdisks off the plastitech chair, clutched them against her chest, and looked around for somewhere to put them. The chair was the only place to sit other than the bed, and she wasn’t about to offer him that. Hazarding a glance over her shoulder, Raina checked just to make certain he was still there. Her breath skidded to a stunned stop.
He was right behind her, his tall frame a hand span away. Up close, with his hood thrown back, the catch-seam of his parka undone, Wizard didn’t look helpless at all. A day’s growth of beard shaded the chiseled plane of his jaw, and his full lips were drawn into a hard line. He looked dangerous, self-assured, frightening. Not a man who’d needed saving. 
Hugging the microdisks like a shield, Raina tipped her head back and met his eyes. Slate gray. Cold. She swallowed. What the hell had she been thinking to bring him here? He wasn’t some lost puppy who needed a warm place to sleep.
She blew out a slow breath.
As if sensing her discomfort, Wizard took a step back.

DRIVEN - Copyright © 2007, 2013. Eve Silver. All Rights Reserved.

*             *               *              *              *
    
Turning his head, he glanced over his shoulder, his silky black hair falling forward to caress the hard line of his jaw. There were marcasite beads woven through a long braid behind his right ear, and they caught the light, glittering as he moved.
“I agreed to meet Bowen with the license. No one mentioned a girl.”
A girl. She gritted her teeth. Yanking open a cupboard door, she then shoved the microdisks inside. “I’m Bowen. Raina Bowen.”
“Yes.” He stared at her a moment too long, then slowly paced to the opposite side of the small space.
Yes? What was that supposed to mean?
“I was supposed to meet Sam Bowen.” He tapped the wall, opened and closed a cupboard. “A well appointed rig. Hydrogen power? Fuel cell?”
Raina nodded, then realized he wasn’t looking at her. “Yeah. With solar panels on the roof of the cab along with a hydroponics grow-tube.” She paused. “Whoever you were expecting to meet, you were still late.”
“Acknowledged.”
Well, that about summed it up. She bit her tongue against the urge to demand an explanation, deciding that the why of it didn’t really matter.
Pushing open the door to the miniscule bathroom, he poked his head inside, and then turned to face her. “Efficient and well designed. Full bathroom. Shower stall. Mind if I use it when we are done?” 
“Done?” With what?
He shrugged. “I can use the shower before, if you prefer, though I used the one in my rig just this afternoon.”
Wizard pulled off his parka, folded it with meticulous care, and placed it neatly on the plastitech chair. He wore a black thermal top that clung to every muscled ridge of his torso. Raina swallowed, looking despite herself. Hell, she could appreciate art as well as the next woman.
He was even taller, broader, more leanly muscled than she’d thought. The realization clanged a warning bell. Slipping her knife from the sheath hanging across the small of her back, she shifted into a defensive stance. Wizard hooked his fingers into the hem of his shirt and began to peel it off, baring a nice strip of golden skin and ridged abdomen.
Oh, man. Somehow this guy had leaped to a conclusion that was just plain wrong.
“Uh, Wizard. Nice show, but I’m not looking for a stripper.” Or a quick lay, but she couldn’t manage those words out loud.
His hands stilled midmovement, and he raised a questioning brow. Gray eyes glittered beneath dark lashes, scanning her with unhurried interest. She saw him take note of the knife, his gaze sliding over it, unconcerned. “My mistake,” he conceded gracefully. “So what are we doing here, Raina Bowen?”

DRIVEN - Copyright © 2007, 2013. Eve Silver. All Rights Reserved.

AUTHOR BIO:
National bestselling author Eve Silver has been praised for her “edgy,
steamy, action-packed” books, darkly sexy heroes and take-charge heroines. Her work has garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, two RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards,Library Journal’s Best Genre Fiction Award, and a nomination for the Romance Writers of America® RITA® Award. Eve also writes books for teens; RUSH is available now from Katherine Tegen Books. Eve lives with her husband, two sons, an energetic Airedale terrier and an exuberant border collie/shepherd.
If you’d like to learn more about Eve and her books, please visit her website, and feel free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Goodreads.


Please click HERE to follow the rest of the Book Blitz!


Giveaway Information

There will be a Tour-Wide Giveaway to one winner for:
  • 1 eBook of Driven by Eve Silver
  • 1 $10 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (Winner's Choice)

DRIVEN by Eve Silver writing as Eve Kenin, self-published, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, iTunes, and Smashwords.
***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.



   

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Special Post: Sharing An Avon Addict Exclusive With YOU!

Hi Darlings! Yes, it’s Saturday, and except for when I announce contest winners, I usually don’t post on Saturdays but I am today because I’d like to share a special Avon Addicts exclusive with everyone. On June 25th, FLING: A BDSM Erotica Anthology By Sara Fawkes, Cathryn Fox and Lauren Hawkeye was published by Avon Red. Well, as a thank you to the Addicts for being so supportive of the book, Lauren Hawkeye has written a special bonus scene from her story in the anthology, called TAME ME. Now, I haven’t gotten around to read this anthology yet but I’m all of a little taste. How about you? Shall we?

***Warning: The following excerpt is NOT appropriate for readers under the age of eighteen (18) or for the mild romantic.  *wink*

Blurb for FLING:

Welcome to Fetish Week.

Unleash your kinky side with three tales of BDSM romance in an exclusive Mediterranean sex resort from three hot erotica writers, including New York Times bestselling author, Sara Fawkes.

TAKE ME by Sara Fawkes

The minute sexy hotel manager Alexander Stavros spots shy, sweet Kate Swansea at the Mancusi resort, he can tell she’s begging for release. This Dom is the perfect man to help her… if she’s willing to let go of her inhibitions and enjoy the ride.

TEACH ME by Cathryn Fox

There’s nothing Luca Mancusi loves more than lingerie. So much so, he’s made it his business. Fashion design intern Josie Pelletier is supposed to be negotiating a deal with him, but as talks heat up, he can’t wait to teach her the ways of business…and BDSM.

TAME ME by Lauren Hawkeye

CEO Marco Kennedy can’t help being drawn to Ariel Monroe. When he follows the pop star abroad to the Mancusi resort, she agrees to a deal: He’ll win her as a sub through pleasure…or he’ll disappear from her life. Ariel’s game…just as long as she doesn’t lose her heart too. 

*           *            *             *              *              *


Bonus Scene from
TAME ME by Lauren Hawkeye
(from FLING, an anthology by Sara Fawkes, Cathryn Fox,
and Lauren Hawkeye)

    “I can’t believe we have to leave tomorrow.” Ariel Monroe rolled over on the massive bed and looked up through the golden fringe of her bangs. She groaned dramatically, playfully, and her lover, Marco Kennedy, grinned in response.
    That grin faded as he studied her closer, crossing the plush carpeting of their suite to sit beside her. The mattress dipped beneath his weight, causing Ariel to slide closer to the heat of his long, hard body.
    “What’s got you so worried, pet?” Taking her chin in his hands, Marco looked Ariel right in the eye, his expression the calm in the storm of her emotions.
    She didn’t try to pull away, didn’t try to hide what she was feeling. They’d only been together for two weeks, but she already knew that he wouldn’t settle for anything less than complete honesty and openness.
    “I—” The words stuck in her throat, and she tried to swallow past the lump that they created. The fingers holding her chin squeezed, urging her on.
    “I’m worried about what will happen when we get back to the real world.”       Propping herself up onto her elbows, Ariel blew her bangs out of her eyes and looked up at Marco, her expression more than a little mournful. She knew she was probably being silly… probably getting ahead of herself…
    But the thought that what she had with Marco might not survive outside the walls of Italy’s Mancusi Resort hurt more than she cared to admit.
    “What do you think will happen?” Marco’s voice was even, but Ariel thought she caught a hint of irritation, gone so quickly that she might have imagined it.
    Still, she shifted warily. She’d been surprised to discover that she liked pleasing Marco—that she had a deep seated desire to do so.
    But he’d asked her to tell him what was bothering her. Though they weren’t in formal Dom/ sub mode, she knew better than to disobey him.
    “We’re both going to go back to work,” she started, squealing when Marco gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap, holding her close, his hand at the back of her neck. She stroked her fingers idly up and down his biceps—God, those biceps. She could stare at them for days.
    “And?” Marco’s hand landed on her upper thigh, distracting Ariel from what she’d been about to say. When he cleared his throat, Ariel forced herself to continue.
    “And I’m afraid you’re going to start to think of me like everyone else does,” she blurted out in one big rush. “I’m not worried that you’re after my money, of course—you’ve got plenty of your own. But I’m not the same person that I am on stage. I’m afraid you’re going to start thinking that I’m like… that.”
    Ariel cringed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She was a singer, what the tabloids termed a 'pop princess’. On stage she wore next to nothing and acted like a tramp. She didn’t mind, because it wasn’t really her.
    But more than one boyfriend had accused her of being a whore. Of fucking her way to the top.
    The hand resting on her thigh squeezed, and the air fell ominously silent. Her pulse began to skitter through her veins, warning her of what her eyes told her only a moment later.
    She’d pissed off her Dom. And that could be a very dangerous thing to do.
    “Do you mean to say that you think I am going to think less of you when you return to the job that I already know you do?” Marco’s free hand moved from the nape of Ariel’s neck and down, sliding down her spine, over the wing of her shoulder blade and around to cup possessively over her breast.
    “Um…” Ariel’s voice trailed off as her blood began to heat, both with nerves and with anticipation.
    “Answer me.” Marco’s talented fingers pinched her nipple, hard enough to make her cry out.
    “I… I don’t know. Sir. I hope not.” Her voice was breathless as Marco pinched the hard nub of flesh again.
    “Hmm.” Without warning Marco stood, gathering Ariel in his arms. She was lifted, then lowered, turned so that she spread over the crisp duvet on her front.
    She felt Marco position her limbs like she was a doll, tucking her elbows beneath her, spreading her legs.
    She began to tremble.
    “Don’t move. Don’t speak.” Marco’s voice was a low growl, and Ariel buried her face in the covers as she listened to his footsteps walking away. Finding a cool spot on the sheets, she pressed the suddenly feverish skin of her cheeks to it, desperate for just a moment of relief.
    “I’m going to gag you now, Ariel. Do you understand why?” Marco was back, and Ariel felt the softness of a scarf trailing over the skin of her back. Goosebumps rose in its wake.
    He’d asked her a question, but he hadn’t yet given her permission to speak, so Ariel nodded her head, the movement jerky.
    “Tell me.”
    The silk of the scarf brushed over her lips tantalizingly, making her mouth water. She wished it was the head of Marco’s cock, rather than silk.
    “I… you’re gagging me because I… because I said that… I thought you might think differently of me. Out there.” The end of her sentence was cut off as Marco gently but with sure movements placed the scarf over her parted lips.
    “Smart girl.” Marco pulled the silk over her cheeks and around, securing the ends behind Ariel’s head. Her tongue flicked out to dampen the slick fabric.
    “The gag is to prevent any more insulting comments from leaving those sexy lips of yours.” Marco moved out of Ariel’s line of sight, and she squirmed with anticipation.
    She heard a metallic snick, and then something cold closed over each ankle. She tried to move, found she couldn’t close her legs.
    Her excitement grew.
    “Now I’m going to flog you. I’m going to use a pussy whip right on that pretty pink cunt until you come. You’re going to have to take it. What you feel on your ankles are the cuffs to a spreader bar. No closing your legs until I say so.”
    Excitement fizzed through Ariel’s veins, hot and heady, as she listened to the sounds of Marco undressing behind her. She could just imagine what a picture he made, tall and rock solid, his olive skin glowing in the late afternoon sun, his erect cock in his fist, the tip already wet with arousal.
    “I’m going to flog you until you come. Remember that if you’re thinking of trying to postpone the pleasure.”
    Ariel heard the sound of the pussy whip slicing through the air before the supple leather ribbons landed on the juncture of her thighs.
    She cried out, her voice echoing off the high walls of the suite. Heat rushed to the small area that the flogger had struck, and the cooler air of the room was a delicious contrast—almost too much.
    Instinctively she tried to close her legs. That she couldn’t caused arousal to surge through her in a tidal wave.
    “A lovely start. I do so enjoy seeing my mark on your skin.” Marco flicked the flogger again, then again, alighting nerve endings in a small circle of flesh.
    God, but the man was good at this.
    “Now.”
    Ariel’s scream was muffled by the silken gag as the pussy whip landed right on the engorged flesh of her clit.  Her body tightened like a rubber band stretched too tight, then snapped like that same elastic.
    The orgasm was hot and hard, nearly brutal in its intensity.
    When she would have collapsed onto the bed, Marco clasped her hips in strong hands. Positioning his cock at her entrance, he entered her in one hard thrust, setting a brutal pace that made Ariel’s breath catch in her throat.
    When his own breath grew ragged and his thrusts short and hard, Ariel felt Marco tug at the fastening of her gag. The silk fell free, and she moaned as Marco seated himself inside of her one final time, the heat of his release spilling down the insides of her thighs.
    “Mine,” he growled as he squeezed her hips and, finally, stilled. Ariel collapsed onto the bed, feeling Marco’s weight on top of her, heavy and reassuring. “No matter what.”
    What they had between them was real. It could withstand the pressures of the real world.
    Sleepy and spent, Ariel smiled as Marco dipped his head and pressed a soft kiss to the stripe of her spine. Satisfaction, calm, love surged through her, and she was content.
    “Yes,” she agreed, arching into the press of his lips on her skin.
    “Yours.”   ---  TAME ME by Lauren Hawkeye

Thank you, Lauren, yet another addition to my long reading list but it will be so worth it. Happy Reading Everyone!

FLING, an anthology by Sara Fawkes, Cathryn Fox, and Lauren Hawkeye, Avon Red Impulse, now available in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.
***click links or cover below for purchasing information. 
(I'll let you in on a little secret - it's only $1.99 in ebook)

   

Friday, July 26, 2013

Unwrapping: Review of SUGARWATER RANCH by Stephanie Berget

I love bringing you debut authors and if you like sexy rugged cowboys, Stephanie Berget brings you one in SUGARWATER RANCH, her first romance. I believe this debut is only the beginning for her.

***Purchased for my own pleasure but promised her an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for SUGARWATER RANCH:

Sean O’Connell’s life is perfect, or it was until his partying lifestyle affected his bull riding. Now he’s ended the season too broke to leave the Northwest for the warm southern rodeos. When a wild night with his buddies gets out of hand, he wakes up naked, staring into the angry eyes of a strange woman. His infallible O’Connell charm gets him nowhere with the dark-haired beauty. It’s obvious she’s not his usual good-time girl, so why can’t he forget her?

Bar-manager Catherine Silvera finds a waterlogged, unconscious cowboy freezing to death in front of the Sugarwater Bar. She saves his life–then runs faster than a jackrabbit with a coyote on its tail.  Any man who makes his living rodeoing is bad news, especially if he thinks partying is part of the competition. He’s everything she doesn’t want in a man, so why can’t she shake her attraction to the rugged cowboy?

*                 *                  *                 *                *

Catherine Silvera grew up rough. She lost her parents at a very young age and went to live with her uncle Ray. Her uncle was totally opposite of her father and showed her what it was to be cared about and have family. Her father was a drunk. The memories of those drunken tirades has left scars on her so deep that when she finds a man from her past naked and drunk outside her uncle’s bar where she works, she’s takes him and then wonders if she should regret doing so when she recognizes him. She remembers his saving her once upon a time and the crush she once had on him. She wanted him then but now must fight the urge to give in to him now. She remembers how he took his partying way to seriously, and now he’s a cowboy with a penchant for rodeos and bull riding - a drunken cowboy, who doesn’t appear to want to change his ways.

Sean O’Connell enjoys his life the way it is. No one but himself to be responsible for, traveling the rodeo circuits, and living the thrill of climbing onto the back of a hard bucking bull. But he’s let his partying get in the way too many times and now he’s broke and back home where he doesn’t want to be. After a wild night with his so-called buddies, he finds himself drunk, naked, and freezing to death in the parking lot outside the Sugarwater Bar and might have died if not for the very beautiful and angry woman who dragged him to sleep it off.

His life has always been interlocked with his love of hard living, horses, rodeos and bull-riding but now things have gone very wrong for him and with no choice but to stay put, he takes on a job as a ranch hand. His draw to drink and the woman who wishes he would straighten up becomes a challenge for him to overcome. He’s determined to get a handle on his drinking and convince Catherine to allow him to take her on a date and maybe more.

Sugarwater Ranch by Stephanie Berget is a wonderful and sweet romance built on some tough subjects and handled exceptionally well by this debut author. There were a few instances when the timeframes confused me and since this was a slow moving story, it seemed to jump a bit. But those are the little things that sometimes happen when so much is happening in a story. And there is a lot going on in this story. A slow building romance that keeps you moving forward built on the fears of a woman who knows the trouble of dealing with a man who drinks more than he should. A story about a man who is spiraling out of control and needs the love of a good woman who understands his trials and might be able to pull him back from the brink of self-destruction.

Stephanie does a wonderful job of pulling secondary characters into the scope and depth of the story. I like them all with the exception of one, and you’ll meet him. Catherine’s cousin, Junior, is great and needs his own story. Everyone contributes and it works wonderfully, even the ones that cause trouble.

I can easily recommend SUGARWATER RANCH by Stephanie Berget if you a tender love story with simmering romance. If you love contemporary westerns with rough and tumble cowboys that give new meaning to manly men, you’ll enjoy this one. I hope to see more from Stephanie Berget.

Happy Reading Everyone!

SUGARWATER RANCH by Stephanie Berget, Evernight Publishing, available now in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks
***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.

   

Monday, July 22, 2013

Unwrapping: Review of THE SATYR'S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis

Alexandrea Weis never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think I know what kind of writer she is, she goes in a completely different direction. I love it. This is exactly what she did with THE SATYR’S CURSE and as usual, I’m so glad she did.

***eCopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for THE SATYR’S CURSE:

Gruesome murders are rocking New Orleans. 

But Jazzmyn Livaudais is too busy running her restaurant to pay attention to the sensational headlines. And when the charismatic Julian Devereau enters Jazzmyn’s life, she becomes even more distracted by the handsome stranger. 

Seduced by Julian’s charm, Jazzmyn is swept up in a passionate romance. Then she learns the horrific truth about Julian and the murders. Cursed to an unending life where no woman can satisfy his lust and no wine can quench his thirst, Julian needs Jazzmyn’s love to free him from his torment. 

But Jazzmyn is in love with someone else. And Julian isn’t very happy about it. 

He vows to keep on killing until Jazzmyn submits to his will. 

For Jazzmyn Livaudais the nightmare is just beginning. 

No one can ever break The Satyr’s Curse.

*                  *                   *                  *                     *

Jazzmyn Livaudais has her hands full with running a restaurant and keeping her employees out of trouble, especially her chef, Kyle Baker. She and Kyle have a past that she’d rather have left there but Kyle won’t let it go, especially now that the intriguing and handsome stranger, Julian Devereau has made it a habit to spend his evenings at the bar drinking fine wine and admiring Jazzmyn.

Julian has a secret that will change Jazzmyn’s life forever, if she survives it. Kyle isn’t willing to relinquish Jazzmyn to the dark stranger who he cannot trust and refuses to like. Each man works to seduce Jazzmyn and get her to bend to his will, but Jazzmyn is her own woman. When she begins to look for answers in Julian’s past, it’s Kyle she turns to with the truth. Faced with a decision that may keep her from the man she truly loves but will save some lives, Jazzmyn does what she needs to do and hopes for the best.

THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis is amazing, thrilling, creepy, and spellbinding. This story has so many levels, so many twists and turns, that I couldn’t put it down. Just when you think things are going well and in one direction, wham! - Alexandrea takes us in a completely different direction. In THE SATYR’S CURSE, Alexandrea journeys us into the world of New Orleans’ mystery and voodoo. We look to its past and its present, while her writing engages us in a love story that, at first, you’ll find yourself eager to experience, but then slowly dreading and becoming fearful. Then another shift and you're cheering as the real love is recognized and fulfilled, and finally praying that good can overcome evil as danger threatens to destroy it all. THE SATYR’S CURSE is a paranormal romance sensation woven into the modern world of New Orleans with curses, murders, and an inexplicable attraction for a man that even we succumb to - until we learn the truth.

I highly recommend THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis to anyone who has a penchant for paranormal, mythology, magic, history, and undeniably thrilling romance with a heavy dose of creepy. This suspenseful romance will have you cheering for the underdog and wishing to drive a stake through the heart of the competition.

Happy Reading Everyone!


THE SATYR’S CURSE by Alexandrea Weis, World Castle Publishing, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. 
***click links or cover below for purchasing information.

 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Unwrapping: Review of DRAGON HEAT by Ella J. Phoenix

Having read MANATAKA by Ella J. Phoenix, I was eager to read more of what she’d written. I was thankful that she'd also sent me another story dragons and vampires and was very excited about that. I was not disappointed. DRAGON HEAT by Ella J. Phoenix is a paranormal fans delight.

***eCopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for DRAGON HEAT:

Zoricah, the draconian demigoddess, has limited time to uncover a series of killings before one of her own meets the same fate. Determined not to let that happen, Zoricah has no other choice but to ask for the help of her race’s archenemy.

Tardieh, the Vampire King, has long learnt not to trust the Dragons but when the flames of passion ignite between him and Zoricah, he finds himself torn between overwhelming sexual heat and his centuries-old distrust.

Together they have to overcome their own prejudices before it is too late for their races and their love.

*             *              *              *              *              *


This amazing story opens with Tardieh, the son of the Vampire King, imprisoned by an evil torturous draco named Vrajitor and his razbian guards – lizard-like creatures that aren’t the brightest pennies in the box. Nearly at death’s door, Tardieh knows it won’t be long before he perishes as his vampire lifeblood is draining out on the floor. When a beautiful draco woman, with dark honey-colored eyes rather than glowing yellow eyes, helps him escape, he finds himself drawn to her even in his weakened state. When she allows him to feed from her, he wants more than her hunger quenching blood. He’s even more amazed to discover that his savior is Zoricah, the draconian demigoddess. After she leaves him at the base of his castle after asking his help to end the war between dragons and vampires, he discovers his father and everyone he’s ever known has been murdered.

Never will he trust a dragon again or so he thought. When Zoricah uses particularly unusual methods to gain an audience with Tardieh over two hundred years later, he’s more than wary of her – he’s very suspicious. He’s lived his long life with constant protection so that what happened to his father won’t happen to him. She reminds him of what he told her after she rescued him from his tortured fate. From this night forward, you will always have an ally in my kingdom.

Zoricah is planning to cash in on Tardieh’s promise of always having an ally to help her discover who or what is kidnapping sujhas - vampires and dragons of impure lineage – and experimenting on them. Teaming together, she and her girls – Yara, Sam, and Drew – and Tardieh and his protectors and friends – Hikuro, Dyam, and Joel - set out to rescue Drew’s twin sister, Deidre from the person or persons holding her prisoner and using her as a guinea pig.

DRAGON HEAT by Ella J. Phoenix had me glued to the pages from the very beginning. Mesmerized by the uniqueness of creatures she’d conjured to create this story of magical paranormal featuring dragons, shape shifting panthers, vampires, and humans with supernatural abilities, I inhaled this story and since she left me with a tantalizer teaser at the end, I’m eager to read the next one in this amazing series, VAMPIRE THIRST. Ella has created a world that exists alongside the human world and where these strange and exotic creatures move and live among us in our normal space. With the added danger of a serial kidnapper and murderer in their midst, the ante is upped and they must pool their abilities, their strengths, and their trusts to overcome the evil that preys on them all. And yes, that desire too strong to resist still burns between Zoricah and Tardieh and yes, they try to fight it but it’s one battle they most certainly lose. More magic ensues, worlds are crossed, bargains are struck, and love conquers all.

I highly recommend the fast-paced novella, DRAGON HEAT by Ella J. Phoenix to all lovers of paranormal romance. You will be amazed at how much story she packs into so few pages. You will be caught up in the imagery, the magic, the suspense, and the romance only to be eagerly begging for more by the end. Don’t worry there is more to come and I can’t wait to read the next one as their search for the evil villian continues.

Happy Reading Everyone!

DRAGON HEAT by Ella J. Phoenix, Cobblestone Press, available now in ebook format at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.