Unwrapping a Review of VISCOUNT OF VICE, a Covent Garden Cub novella by Shana Galen

I’ve been reading Shana Galen’s wonderful stories for some time now and have watched her grow into a first-class author of historical romance. With the Jewels of the Ton series, she made me a die-hard fan. The novella, VISCOUNT OF VICE is her transition story from this amazing series to the brand new Coven Garden Cubs series and well, she’s done it again. I’m hooked.

***purchased for my own personal reading but sharing my honest and unscripted review

Blurb for VISCOUNT OF VICE:

This sparkling novella introduces award-winning author Shana Galen's brand new series, Covent Garden Cubs. Galen mixes London's glittering ballrooms with the gritty underworld in her exciting new Regency romance series.

Whispers and secrets are no match for love...

Henry Flynn, the new Lord Chesham, still blames himself for the disappearance of his younger brother when they were children. That incident destroyed his family, and now he's on a path of self-destruction that no one can interrupt...

Lady Emma Talbot can't stand watching the man she secretly loves destroy himself little by little. She's determined to show him that no one holds him culpable, before it's too late. But Emma doesn't know what really happened to Flynn on that fateful day long ago, so what chance does she have of saving him from himself? 

~*~             ~*~             ~*~             ~*~

Henry Flynn carries guilt like other men carry confidence. With no wish to believe himself deserving of anyone or anything grand, he does his best to drown his sorrows in drink and live up to the name of Viscount of Vice. The darling Emma Talbot believes him to be one of the best men, if he’d ever take a moment to notice her. When Henry is finally reunited with his long lost brother, Matthew, his guilt over his brother’s state threatens to pull him even deeper into a state of deserving nothing good in his life. Emma is determined to help him see the error of that thinking, and save him from himself.

We first met Flynn in the Jewels of the Ton series and Emma is the sister of the Duke of Ravenscroft from SAPPHIRES ARE AN EARL’S BEST FRIEND. Emma has been in love with Flynn for years but always felt like she went completely unnoticed by the handsome man. When she comes of age, she gains Henry’s notice but now she feels it’s too late because he is steeped in his own wallowing guilt. What she doesn’t realize is that Henry has always noticed her, and lusts for her.

I liked Emma a lot. She’s not the average young lady of the ton looking simply to marry a wealthy man of title. She’s got an independent nature and enjoys her volunteer work at the hospital. We are introduced to an element of mystery, which I suspect will carry through into the series, when Emma and Flynn are pulled away to Bath and become embroiled in a dramatic rescue surrounding his brother. It was rather delightful to have the setting take us out of London to the sleepy town where a dark side is revealed. I don’t wish to tell you more for it would be too easy to reveal the whole story.

I highly recommend reading VISCOUNT OF VICE by Shana Galen as it is driven by action from the first pages to the last - some funny things happen too. If you’ve read the Jewels of the Ton, you most certainly will thrill to Flynn and Emma’s story and be left wanting more in the Covent Garden Cubs series which leads off with the full length, EARLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN, already available and on my reading list.

If you haven’t experienced the exciting stories of lords and ladies, spies, and bow runners conjured by Shana Galen, then get your first taste with VISCOUNT OF VICE…you’ll be hooked forever.

Happy Reading Everyone!

VISCOUNT OF VICE, a Covent Garden Cubs novella by Shana Galen, Sourcebooks Casablanca, available now in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information, remember even pennies per sale using my links help keep this blog alive. Thank You.

   

Unwrapping a Review of HARD TO BE GOOD, a Hard Ink novella by Laura Kaye

If you’ve been reading the Hard Ink series by Laura Kaye then you are familiar with the tattoo covered tattoo artist and adorable little brother to Nick Rixey, Jeremy. You also know Charlie Merritt, Becca’s brother, and son of the deceased Col. Merritt. Well, HARD TO BE GOOD is Jeremy and Charlie’s story…yes…you read that right…this novella is an M/M romance. Stay with me because I think it will surprise you, just as it did me.

***purchased this book for my own personal reading and am sharing my honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for HARD TO BE GOOD:

Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother’s stateside fight against the forces that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year before. Now, Jeremy’s whole world has been turned upside down—not the least of which by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts Jeremy to settle down for the first time ever.

Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than people, so when he’s drawn into the SF team’s investigation of his army colonel father’s corruption, he’s surprised to find acceptance and friendship—especially since his father never accepted who Charlie was. Even more surprising is the heated tension Charlie feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie’s opposite in almost every way.

With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can’t help but wonder why they’re trying so hard to be good...

~*~                 ~*~                 ~*~                  ~*~

The warehouse where the team and ever-growing family have been living and where Jeremy Rixey has his tattoo business was attacked and half nearly destroyed in the last installment of the Hard Ink series – HARD TO COME BY. The Raven Riders Motorcycle Club is helping the team fight Seneka, the defense contractor behind their dishonorable discharges and the deaths of Col. Merritt and the other members of their unit. When two of the Ravens members are killed, Jeremy blames himself for getting in the way and not being man enough. It doesn’t take long for the others to recognize his guilt and set him straight. One member of the group, Charlie, comforts him the most explaining that without him and his brother’s team, Charlie might not even be there alive and well despite missing fingers on one hand, amputated by his kidnappers.

Charlie has always felt less than deserving of others because his father so objected to his being gay and denigrated him at every chance insisting that his way of life would be his downfall. Being with Jeremy, and the others at Hard Ink, he’s discovering that not everyone is as unaccepting as his father was and slowly, with Jeremy’s help, Charlie is coming to life in a way he’d never been before. He’s discovering friendship, family, and love.

Laura Kaye has created such a wonderful cast of characters in the Hard Ink series that it would not be complete without Jeremy and Charlie having their shot at love and a happily-ever-after as well. Charlie is gay and Jeremy, bisexual, so as the series progressed it was nearly impossible to miss the growing attraction and affection these two men were developing for each other. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this novella even though I knew I might miss something if I didn’t, but M/M romance is not necessarily my cup of tea. Suspecting Laura would not disappoint her readers and the fans of this series, I bought myself a copy as soon as it released instead of reading a galley. I felt that if I didn’t like it and had paid for the privilege of doing so, I would be justified in not reviewing.

However…I loved it! I was right. This series would not be complete without Jeremy and Charlie’s story in HARD TO BE GOOD, a Hard Ink novella. Laura approached this sensitive subject matter with grace, sensitivity, a sense of humor, and much joy. Jeremy and Charlie are so great together that you can’t help but smile while you’re reading their flirtations, their first kiss, and even a moment of temporary hurt on Jeremy’s part when Charlie fears being found out and ridiculed. Jeremy is so understanding and sensitive to Charlie’s hesitations that you can’t help but say, yep, he’s a Rixey.

Their story is short, fast paced, and perhaps their love may seem to some to have happened a bit fast, but then didn’t it happen fast for the others too? They’re all on the edge of the precipice between life and death. While reading it, the first part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 came to mind…

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;

Love is not about seeing the faults in those we love and wanting to change them, but accepting them and understanding them as part of our loved ones as a whole. Jeremy and Charlie accept each other in every way and even as they recognize and acknowledge each other’s weaknesses, together they are stronger and can face anything because they believe in each other. We can say the same about each of the other couples, but I think it’s even stronger with Jeremy and Charlie because they have to face more than the physical roadblocks to having true love, they have to face the unseen opinions, and objections of those less tolerant…but fortunately, not at Hard Ink.

I love the addition of yet another pet…a one-eyed cat named Cyclops – Cy for short. I love that when you put Charlie and Jeremy’s names in order like this…they begin and end as Cy. Whether Laura meant that intentionally or not, I don’t know. I just like it.

I highly recommend reading HARD TO BE GOOD by Laura Kaye. If you’ve been reading the Hard Ink series, you don’t want to miss a moment, especially with only one full-length story left but also, because you know you already love Jeremy and Charlie. If you haven’t read this series, yet...DO! It’s amazing, fun, action-packed, character-driven like none other, and as creatively unique as Jeremy’s tattoos.

Happy Reading Everyone!

HARD TO BE GOOD, a Hard Ink novella by Laura Kaye, Avon Impulse, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

***click on links above or cover below for purchasing information, remember even pennies per sale using my links help keep this blog alive. Thank You. 

   

Review Stop: Tasty Virtual Book Tour for TWISTED, book 2 in the Lost series by Cynthia Eden #excerpt + #giveaway

Welcome to my review stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for the amazing second book in the Lost series by Cynthia Eden—TWISTED. I am so addicted to this series now, I can’t tell you. First, it was BROKEN, which floored me with its suspense and now, TWISTED is releasing next week on April 28, 2015. In addition to my review of this amazing book, I’ve got an excerpt, and a giveaway, so please stick around and even if you skip to the giveaway…read this series! It does not disappoint if you’re a consummate suspense lover like me.

***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review

Blurb for TWISTED:

In the second seductive Lost novel from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden, an obsessed Last Option Search Team agent goes looking for trouble—and finds her in the Big Easy.

Dean Bannon comes to New Orleans for one reason only: to track down a missing sixteen-year-old girl. That’s before he meets the drop-dead gorgeous con artist who makes him want to lose his legendary control.

With her past, Emma Castille doesn’t claim to be psychic. She just notices things other people don’t. Like the fear in a runaway’s eyes-or the pain in an ex-FBI agent’s heart. Her chemistry with Dean is blistering, but Emma follows her passion . . . not someone else’s orders.

Then a madman breaks into Emma’s home and leaves a twisted message: “You’re next.” Now Dean refuses to let her out of his sight until he pries every last secret from her full, sexy lips. And suddenly Emma’s aching to give him everything he wants.

~*~              ~*~              ~*~              ~*~      

The experts at LOST are looking for a lost sixteen-year-old girl and she’s believed to be hiding somewhere in New Orleans. Dean Bannon is a tracker by nature and highly-skilled at it from his days with the FBI but when the trail leads him to a beautiful woman who may be his best bet for finding Julia, he has to trust his instincts that she is more than just a con artist.

Emma Castille never claimed to be psychic but she has some unique abilities which she has honed into skills that LOST might just find more helpful than anything else at their disposal. Especially when she not only helps them locate the missing girl, but becomes one of the names at the top of a serial killer’s next to die list.

Together Emma and Dean battle more than time clicking away, belligerent FBI agents who want to exclude the LOST team, unexpected turns in what they believed to be the truth and what the truth really turns out to be, they must also fight or give in to their growing attraction and feelings for each other. Will Dean lose to a killer again or will he gain it all in the end?

All I can really say about TWISTED by Cynthia Eden is WOW! I loved it from the first page to the last even though I had figured out who the bad guy was long before it was revealed, I didn’t care. I was glued to this story, the action, the intensity, the characters, and the suspense. Cynthia has conjured up the most intrinsic, personable, troubled, and perfectly matched team of experts ever in the members of LOST, and she keeps adding to them. I love this series.

Cynthia takes us by the hand and journeys us through dark corners of minds, and Big Easy alleys. She keeps us on the edge of our seats with action, danger, and that ever-thrilling wonderful sense of oh my God, what’s going to happen next?

I highly, highly recommend you read TWISTED, book two in the Lost series by Cynthia Eden if for no other reason, but to experience the pulse racing expertise of this amazing suspense writer. I can’t wait for SHATTERED, book three. I’m ready for it now! Hurry!

Happy Reading Everyone!

Excerpt from TWISTED by Cynthia Eden

“A reading …” he said. She almost shivered. The guy had one of those amazing voices that, once a woman heard it, she didn’t forget. Deep and rumbly. A voice made for darkness.

And sex.

She’d detected no accent in his voice, and Emma was very good at recognizing accents. Accents, habits, behavior—she noticed them all.

Like the way Dean Bannon had a habit of rubbing his jaw with his index finger and thumb. He did that when he was thinking. When he was annoyed, she’d noticed that a muscle flexed along the left-hand side of his jaw. And—

“Your name is Emma Castille.”

She leaned forward. “I can use the cards if you want. Some people like that part.” She actually did know what all of the cards meant, so she could shuffle them and give a reading, no problem. But she preferred to work in other ways.

“You’re not psychic.”

Were they back to that?

She put her hands in her lap. Emma didn’t believe in making nervous gestures. She didn’t believe in giving away anything at all with her body language.

“What you are …” Ah, now he did smile. Her father would have called it a shit-eating grin. The more PC term was probably a Cheshire cat smile. Whatever the name, that smile annoyed her. “What you are, Ms. Castille … is a criminal. A fraud.”

Maybe she should grab her chest and dramatically gasp. She didn’t. “Wonderful for you,” Emma said. “You pulled up a background report one me.” She let her eyes widen a bit. “It’s amazing just what one can find if a person knows how to use a search engine.”

A furrow appeared between his eyes.

“How about I say what … you are?” Emma asked him. “A washed-up FBI agent who snapped on the job. You held your control tight every single day, but the bad guys—they just didn’t stop, did they? You hunted them, you stopped them, and more appeared. While you were fighting the system, they kept coming, and the bodies kept piling up on your watch.”

He shot right back to his feet. The folding chair slammed down behind him.

“You and your father bilked desperate people,” he accused. “You told them you were psychic, that you could help find their missing children. And you—”

“We found them.” Two girls who’d vanished. They’d found them. “We just didn’t get to them in time.” And she would not go back to that place.

She motioned toward Manuel. He knew the signal meant he could take over her booth. There was no way, no way, that she was going to stay there with that prick while he slammed the most painful moments from her past in Emma’s face.

Manuel, pale, tattooed, with piercings in his lips and eyebrows, quickly claimed her spot.

Emma jumped to her feet. Muttered her thanks, and fled right past the guy she was starting to think of as Agent Jackass.

She pushed through the crowd. Wasn’t there always a crowd in Jackson Square? And that was why she loved the place. It was so easy to vanish in a crowd. To be anyone.

The crowd closed around her.

To be no one at all.   

She hurried around the back of the cathedral. She knew the streets so well. Her home was close by. Emma would get inside and forget Agent Jackass.     

I’m being followed.

Emma stilled at the intersection. A horse-drawn carriage rolled by her. Voices called out.          

And he touched her.

Emma didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. She looked down at the hand on her shoulder. “When a woman runs away from you, that means you need to stay the hell away from her.”

His hold tightened on her. “You and I aren’t done.”

She looked up at his face. Had she really thought the man was handsome? Annoying, that was all Dean Bannon was.

“I need to find that girl, and you’re the only lead I have so far.”

“Then you’re not a very good investigator.”

Ah, that muscle flexed in his jaw. Lovely.

About the Author:

Award-winning author CYNTHIA EDEN writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Buy Links: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

  

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Promo Stop on ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND SCANDAL by Caroline Linden Blog Tour with #excerpt + #giveaway

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND SCANDAL

A Scandalous Novella

by Caroline Linden

now available from Avon Impulse

Nothing wagered…

Douglas Bennet can't resist a good wager, especially not one that involves a beautiful woman. When a friend proposes an audacious plan to expose the most notorious woman in England, Douglas agrees at once. After all, it would be quite a coup to discover the true identity of Lady Constance, author of the infamous erotic serial scandalizing the ton, 50 Ways to Sin.

Nothing won…

Madeline Wilde is used to being pursued. For years she's cultivated a reputation for being unattainable and mysterious, and for good reason: her livelihood depends on discretion. When Douglas turns his legendary charm on her, she dismisses him as just another rake. But he surprises her—instead of merely trying to seduce her, he becomes her friend…her confidant…and her lover. But can it really lead to happily-ever-after…or are they about to become the biggest scandal London has ever seen?

Excerpt from ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND SCANDAL:

“Quite a crush, isn’t it?” He gave Mrs. Wilde his winning smile, the easy, friendly one that soothed anxious nerves and made women of every age and rank like him.

She turned at his voice behind her. Something like mirth glimmered in her eyes. “Indeed.”

“I hardly know a soul here tonight.” He lowered his voice but without leaning toward her. Leaning put women on guard. A low voice made them lean toward him, which he much preferred. “It’s rather intimidating, to tell the truth.”

“You?” She arched one golden brow. “You don’t seem the sort to be easily intimidated.”

Douglas grinned. He knew he was a big fellow. Women tended to like it once they got to know him. “Rubbish. I’m petrified just looking at the elegance of this assembly.”

Her lovely lips curved. Her head tipped toward him, just a little. Her dark eyes gleamed. “I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true,” he protested. “My heart is racing, my knees are unsteady. Look—see how my hand trembles.” He caught her hand in his, tensing his muscle to produce the tiniest tremor in his hand, and then relaxing it. “Ah. Your touch has healing power, I see.”

She left her hand in his, but that slight smile tugging at her mouth grew a bit wider. “It’s not flattering to a woman, to say her touch calms a man’s heart and body. Usually she wishes it were the other way around.”

His heart did skip a beat at that. She was a flirt; excellent. He adored flirts. Douglas stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. “It only stilled the terror, my dear. I suspect you could elicit an entirely different sort of tremor.” He lifted her hand and brushed the faintest kiss over her knuckles. “We must be introduced.”

“I fear there’s no one here in this quiet corner who will do it.” Her eyes seemed to grow darker as he drew one finger across her palm.

“Then I will risk being appallingly rude and present myself.” He bowed over her hand, his eyes never leaving her face. “Douglas Bennet, at your service.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You do?” He smiled in delight. “Then we should become acquainted…”

“Mr. Douglas Bennet,” she repeated, her voice changing just enough to freeze him in place. “Son and heir of Sir George Bennet, baronet. A very handsome title, an even handsomer fortune. An unrepentant rake, gambler, brawler, and sometime rogue. Your mother wants you to marry; you couldn’t be less interested. Your taste runs to tavern maids and opera dancers, preferably French. Your sister wed your bosom friend Lord Burke, much to your disgust, although no one quite knows if you pity your sister or your one-time friend more.” She tilted her head and smiled as he stared at her, blank-faced with shock that was rapidly turning to indignation. “What have I forgotten? Oh, yes—you love a good wager. What was the one that sent you over here: a wager to get me into your bed?” She slipped her fingers from his slackened grip. “If it was…you’ve already lost. I hope you didn’t stake a large amount.”

“It was merely for the pleasure of a dance,” he said, hiding his temper behind a flat tone.

She laughed. By God, she had a beautiful laugh, throaty and soft, the sort that made a man want to amuse her so he could hear it again. “I doubt it. But then, you’re also accustomed to losing, aren’t you?” She sank into a graceful curtsey, giving him one last view of her matchless bosom. “Good evening, sir.” She turned and walked away, unhurried, unaffected.

He was still standing there, pulsing with unexpected desire and insulted pride, when Spence slung an arm around his neck. “Rough luck,” he said, his voice brimming with amusement. “She’s a cold one.” He grinned and slapped Douglas’s shoulder. “Five quid, gone in a blink.”

Douglas turned a black look on the man. “You didn’t say when.”

Spence raised his eyebrows, still grinning like a cardsharp. Come to think of it, he usually looked like that, right before he took someone’s money. Douglas had won and lost to Spence with equanimity—for the most part—but tonight he wanted to punch his friend. Spence had deliberately dared him to an impossible task, sending him over to be humiliated and rejected. And now he wanted five pounds. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t say when.” Douglas bit off each word. “She rejected me tonight, but there’s always tomorrow night, and the next, and the next after that.”

A scowl darkened Spence’s face for a split second before he threw up his hand. “You’re right! I didn’t. Let’s say…within a fortnight. That ought to be enough time to work up some charm and get between the fair widow’s legs.”

“You wagered for a dance, not a tupping.”

“Well.” Spence’s eyes glittered. “I thought I wagered for tonight. Allowances must be made.” When Douglas said nothing, Spence leaned closer. “You’re not afraid, are you? Not going soft in the head like Burke? The woman gutted you and denied you in front of all society, man. Look around.” He swept one arm toward the rest of the room. “Don’t you think half the people here guessed why you sought her out? And now they see her leaving alone, and you looking like she took your ballocks with her.”

Against his will, Douglas’s eyes caught on Madeline Wilde as she made her way toward the doors. Damn, she was beautiful. He had wanted to dance with her, and probably get her into bed as well, even though she was not, as she had so baldly pointed out, his usual type of woman. She was…something more.

As if she could hear his thoughts, she paused at the top of the short flight of stairs leading out of the ballroom. She glanced back over her shoulder, and her eyes met his. For a moment he felt again a bolt of lust—unwanted this time—and her lips curved, as if she knew. She lowered her chin and smiled in a coy, entrancing way, as if they shared secrets—or as if she dared him to uncover hers. With breathtaking nerve, she pursed up her lips as if in a kiss, and touched one finger to them.

He took a harsh breath as she turned and continued on her way, her emerald skirts swaying bewitchingly. “Why her?”

“Why not her?”

Douglas set his jaw. “You had her marked from the moment we stepped into this room. I saw you watching her, Spence. A former lover? Was I supposed to exact some revenge or retribution by asking the lady to dance?”

“The courtesan’s daughter?” The other man’s lip curled. “Hardly a former lover of mine. I have higher standards than that.”

Not really, in Douglas’s opinion. Spence liked married women who couldn’t impose on his freedom, and who often wished to keep their liaisons secret. That was hardly what one could call a refined requirement. Still, Douglas hadn’t known she was a courtesan’s daughter. He made a mental note to find out more about that.

“She appeared respectable enough to me,” he said.

“To you,” repeated Spence with an edge of condescension. “Compared to a tavern wench with rounded heels, she might be. To the rest of us…” He snapped his fingers at a passing footman and took a glass of wine from the man’s tray. “You really ought to improve your taste, Bennet.”

Douglas let that go. He did like tavern wenches. They were friendly and earthy, nothing delicate or prim about them. They were more willing to be adventurous in bed, and they demanded so much less of him—financially and emotionally—than any other woman would.

“But why her?” he asked again, circling back to his main question. “Just for the sport of it? Or did you simply want the pleasure of seeing me turned down flat?”

Spence didn’t reply for a moment. His eyes were sharp and calculating. “How plump are your pockets at the moment?” he finally asked.

“Reasonably,” said Douglas. He’d been gone from town for a month overseeing repairs at one of his father’s estates, to the great benefit of his purse. Still, it was a few weeks to quarter day, when his father paid out his allowance. He could always find a use for more money.

Spence lowered his voice. “I suspect our lovely Mrs. Wilde of being more than she appears. And if I’m right, there’s two thousand quid to be had.”

Douglas’s eyebrows shot up. “What is she, a spy?”

“Of some sort,” muttered Spence. “You aren’t acquainted with a little piece of rubbish called 50 Ways to Sin, are you?”

“No.”

“Get a copy. It’s a pamphlet of a most…intriguing nature.” A cunning smile split his face. “I suspect you’ll enjoy it.”

That smile put him on guard. Douglas might not be the most discerning fellow, but he wasn’t stupid, and he knew Spence too well. “If you insist—not that it answers my question about why you wanted me to charm my way into Mrs. Wilde’s good graces.”

“The authoress is unknown. I daresay even you’ll guess why when you read it. But she’s piqued more than one man’s pride with her scandalous pen, and there’s a bounty out for her name. Mrs. Wilde seems a very likely candidate.” He shrugged. “If you can unmask her, I’ll split the bounty with you.”

Douglas folded his arms and looked at Spence through narrowed eyes. “I should seduce the woman, gain her confidence, presumably enough to be admitted to her boudoir, where I would have to search for some proof that she writes this pamphlet. And for that, you’ll take half the money? Not so, Spence, not so.”

His friend’s hooded eyes flashed. “Very well. Forget I said anything.”

Douglas shrugged. “Hard to do that. Who staked the bounty?”

Spence hesitated.

“If the bloke’s serious about finding the author, he can’t be too secretive about it.”

“Lord Chesterton,” said Spence with obvious reluctance. “He felt she identified him too clearly in one story and he’s livid.”

“Identified? She didn’t use his name?”

Spence looked impatient. “No, she uses obviously false names.”

“Then how did he recognize himself?”

His friend smirked again. “Find a copy and see if you can deduce that yourself.”

Douglas wondered what on earth this story was, that would drive Lord Chesterton to such an action. The man was as correct and polite as anyone could be, distantly connected to the King and as stiff as a piece of kindling. Now he’d placed a public bounty on a woman’s head? What could Mrs. Wilde—if she was in fact the author—have written about him? Two thousand pounds was a small fortune, and certain to attract a fair amount of attention.

Of course, that also made it a much more interesting contest.

“Three to one,” he said after a moment’s thought.

“Eh?”

“Three to one split, if we take the bounty.” He glanced at Spence. “You’re the one, obviously.”

“Two to three,” countered the other man.

“Do it yourself, then.”

Spence muttered a few curses under his breath, but stuck out his hand. “Done.”

Douglas shook on it, already anticipating his next meeting with the wily widow. “Done.”

About the Author:

Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer software before turning to writing fiction. Ten years, twelve books, three Red Sox championships, and one dog later, she has never been happier with her decision. Her books have won the NEC Reader’s Choice Beanpot Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and RWA’s RITA Award. Since she never won any prizes in math, she takes this as a sign that her decision was also a smart one.

Visit her online:  website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon / Avon   / Barnes & Noble / iBooks   / Kobo

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Special Promo - the re-release of the Envy Chronicles by Colleen Gleason writing as Joss Ware

It’s been five years since Colleen Gleason (writing as Joss Ware) released The Envy Chronicles, and now Avon Impulse is bringing them back in beautifully repackaged e-editions. If you missed this paranormal romance series about five men who survived the apocalypse with strange abilities and become humankind’s last hope the first time around, your chance is here again. BEYOND THE NIGHT, is only $1.99 in ebook formats for a limited time! The final repackaged editions of The Envy Chronicles will release in May 2015.

BEYOND THE NIGHT (Available Now for only $1.99!)

“Dark, sexy, and captivating, Beyond the Night mixes intense romance with white-knuckle action.” —New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost

New York Times bestselling author of the Gardella Vampire Hunters series, Colleen Gleason (writing as Joss Ware) enters a different world—one of devastation, destruction, and chaos.

When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott's extraordinary new "gift"—he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.

Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one … until Elliott. But the doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Does she dare trust him? If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that take them beyond danger … beyond desire … beyond the night.

EMBRACE THE NIGHT ETERNAL, book two

“Joss Ware’s vision of the future is dark, complex and sharply original. I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment in what promises to be a fascinating new series.” —New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh

Simon Japp will never forget his violent past. But when civilization is all but destroyed, he sees his chance for redemption. He's determined to help the resistance against the Strangers, the mysterious force that stalks them at every turn. He can't afford to get distracted, even by the stunning, soft-spoken woman fighting by his side.

Sage Corrigan sees something good in Simon, even if he can't see it in himself. Posing as lovers to infiltrate a group key to their fight, they find that their staged affection soon develops into a desire that will leave them fighting for their lives.

ABANDON THE NIGHT, book three

“Atmospheric and dark, filled with high-stakes action, sizzling romance, and set against a shadowy, post-apocalyptic world that’s as fascinating as the varied cast of characters who inhabit it.” — Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author

Quentin Fielding had everything. Money. Power. Women. But now that civilization is all but annihilated, Quent wants only one thing: revenge on the man responsible for the chaos and destruction, the man he should have killed years ago—his father.

Zoë Kapoor is on her own quest for vengeance. The arrow-wielding beauty is searching for the fiends who murdered her family. Together with Quent, she journeys through the ruins of the world they once knew, on a hunt that draws them closer to an enemy they never imagined …

Buy Links:

Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble  /  Kobo

   

Review Stop on Tasty Virtual Book Tour for BAD FOR ME by Codi Gary with #excerpt + #giveaway

Welcome to my review stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for BAD FOR ME, book 5 in the Rock Canyon Romance series by Codi Gary. This series is an absolute favorite of mine and so it’s a thrill for me to promote and review BAD FOR ME by Codi Gary featuring Callie and Everett’s story. They certainly deserve their happily-ever-after. Stay tuned after my review for an excerpt and giveaway. Enjoy!

***although I was offered an eARC provided by the publisher, I chose to purchase my own copy to read and share my honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for BAD FOR ME:

Codi Gary returns with another fabulous Rock Canyon romance: when veteran marine Everett Silverton meets the town’s smooth-voiced DJ Callie Jacobsen, sparks fly—but is passion enough to give these wounded souls another chance at love?

Callie Jacobsen isn't about to open her heart to just anyone. Not so very long ago, trusting someone changed her life forever—and not in a fun way. Now she's better off focusing on her career, her friends, and her dog. So when former Marine Everett Silverton takes an interest in her, Callie's more than a little wary. No matter how charming he is, men are a bad idea. In fact, she's got the scars to prove it.

But Everett isn't convinced Callie should shut everyone out—especially not him. He may be a hero to the people of Rock Canyon, but he's got his own demons, and he bets they're not that different from Callie's. Still, he knows it's going to take more than chemistry to get her to let her guard down. Everett will do whatever it takes to show her she's safe with him. All she has to do is take a chance, take a step–and take his hand.

~*~           ~*~            ~*~           ~*~

We’ve met Callie Jacobsen before since she’s become somewhat close friends with Gemma Carlson Bowers from GOOD GIRLS DON’T DATE ROCK STARS. I say somewhat close because although they are friends, Callie keeps her pain from everyone even though her new friends try desperately to drag her back into the world of the living and loving. Callie came to Rock Canyon for a fresh start but no matter how hard she tries, her past continues to haunt her. With her constant and loyal companion, her dog, Ratchet at her side, Callie attempts to live a normal life and fit in among her new friends, but it’s not as easy as her all of her new friends think.

Everett ‘Rhett’ Silverton is Justin’s older brother from BAD GIRLS DON’T MARRY MARINES, and he carries his scars inside and out. After being injured as a Marine in Afghanistan, he came home to a wife who was less than pleased with how he looked now, so she left him...heartbreaking...although he's tough. He’s managing to put his life back together by helping others who also suffer PTSD and has become very adept at noticing when someone is suffering silently. After watching his father nearly destroy the family with alcoholism, he’s pleased his father has joined AA and when his father raves about his wonderful sponsor, Everett is amazed when he discovers it’s none other than Callie, the damsel in distress who he provides aid to during a thunderstorm.

Two broken souls coming together when nature was at its fiercest, but can they survive each other’s demons and open their hearts and wounds to each other?

Codi Gary never disappoints me. This is the fifth book in the Rock Canyon Romance series and every time I read one, it’s as fresh, as intense, as full of fun, and as real as the first ones. I’ve had my favorites in this series but I have to say than none of them so far has touched me emotionally as much as BAD FOR ME. The wonderful characters of Rock Canyon usually carry with them a sense of wonder and excitement over the prospect of new love but with Callie, there’s apprehension, fear, and a need that no other character has yet to carry. I thought it would Everett who would be the most unwilling and hesitant to open up to a romantic partner but instead, it was Callie. This is, by the far, the most intense, yet most endearing, realistic, and heart wrenching of all the stories to emerge from Rock Canyon. It is also Codi’s best work yet.

It’s obvious, she took a lot of time and effort to create the real world of someone suffering PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and it worked splendidly. Everett is Callie’s ultimate hero. He works hard to win over his true love. And there were times I wasn’t sure he’d succeed but in the end, these two courageous people come together just as they need to, and it’s perfect.

I don't usually quote books, but I loved Codi's reference to Blake Shelton's AUSTIN in the line:

"Hey, it's Everett. Leave your message at the beep...and Whiskey?”—Callie's breath and heart stopped—"I'm still waiting."  (swoon)

I highly recommend BAD FOR ME by Codi Gary to anyone who wants to read a wonderful story for whatever reason. This book will make you laugh because we’re treated to the already wonderful characters of Rock Canyon who support and care about these two wounded amazing people, but you’ll also be brought to tears when you witness the pain they each carry and how it brings them together. Any one of these books works well as a stand-alone, however I recommend reading all of them but this one…this one holds its own, on its own, in a way none of the others do. Read it, it’s a definitely great read.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Excerpt from BAD FOR ME:

“I’ve almost got it.”

“Thank you. This was really nice of you, especially when I haven’t given you a reason to be.”

Everett looked up at her, wiping the rain off his face so he could meet her gaze. “You seem to assume that just because people are kind to you, they want something. Sometimes people help because it’s the right thing to do.”

Her gaze shifted away, and he went back to tightening the nuts on the wheel. He’d said his piece, but knew he wasn’t going to convince Callie with words that his intentions were honorable.

He had to prove it to her.

When he finished, he released the jack and gathered up all the tools, sliding them back in the spare tire kit. “I’ll put this and the new tire in the back, and you’ll be good to go. I’ll haul this one off to the dump for you.”

She knelt down next to him and took the kit from him, their fingers brushing. Despite the chill of their skin, heat sizzled between them, sending a shot of awareness down his throat. Her blonde curls were wet and falling out of her messy top knot, and drops of rain were clinging to her cheeks. Before he could stop himself, he traced the pad of his thumb across one, catching the cool droplet on his skin. Her amber eyes widened, and he dropped his hand, cursing his impulse.

“Sorry. You had something on your cheek.”

Callie cleared her throat and stood up. “It’s okay.”

He climbed to his feet and couldn’t help wondering if she’d felt something too. Was that why she kept pulling away?

But if she didn’t want him, why was he pushing?

Because she doesn’t treat you like a defective puppy she’d have to fix.

Grabbing her spare tire from the back of his truck, he slid it into the back of her Jeep. She stood back as he closed the door, and he could tell she was nervous—her hands kept twisting.

“Well, you’re all set. You should get home and change out of those wet clothes. If you get sick, I’ll have to listen to one of those ridiculous weekend deejays, and they play nothing but crap.”

Everett started to head back to his truck, but she caught his hand. “Hey.”

Just the touch of her hand sent his heart from a trot to a gallop. He loved the way her soft skin wrapped around his.

Facing her, he waited, afraid to move a muscle and scare her off.

But she moved so fast, he wasn’t prepared when her lips brushed the scarred side of his face. He stiffened as the warmth seeped through his cheek, his stomach twisting up as a thousand thoughts and insecurities made him wince. Had the roughness repelled her? Why hadn’t she picked the untouched side?

“Thank you. For being kind.”

Callie dropped his hand and ran to her car, as if afraid he would come after her. As she started it and pulled forward, he was finally able to move again, backing up a ways to watch her disappear down the road.

Everett’s hand came up to rest against his cheek, and he realized that he’d lied to Callie when he said he didn’t want anything from her.

He wanted everything. – BAD FOR ME

About the Author:

An obsessive bookworm, CODI GARY likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY

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BAD FOR ME, a Rock Canyon Romance Novel by Codi Gary, Avon Impulse, available now in print and ebook formats.

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