Happy Release Day to Tina Mrazik for ALL ACCESS: The Search for Paradise

ALL ACCESS:

The Search for Paradise

by Tina Mrazik

new from eXtasy Books

Paradise is not an easy thing to find…

If you’re like most fans of rock and roll, then you imagine the life of a rock star is all about easy fame and fortune, big money, all-night partying, and doing what you love most. The same goes for writers and film stars, right?

Well, the money is good, the parties are happening, and we are doing what we love more than anything in the world, but getting there isn’t as easy as you think. My name is Tina Marz, and while I’m searching for my paradise, life throws me a lot of curves and hard lessons in my search for my success. It is all about hard work, long hours, and just when I think paradise is within reach…maybe it’s not. Come join me on my journey to the top, and I’ll give you an all access look at the truth about life in the spotlight…my life.

~*~           ~*~           ~*~

About the Author:

Tina Mrazik was born in North Miami, Florida in 1963. Her father was a professional big-band drummer. Her mother was an executive housekeeper for a well-established hotel chain. Being an only child, she had the undivided attention of her parents and was exposed to music at an early age. Both her parents collected records. A combination of gospel, jazz, and modern pop gave Tina a love for all genres of music, though rock was definitely her favorite. She began playing guitar at the age of seven. In 1973 Tina began writing her own music. At the encouragement of her mother, and her love of words, Tina began writing poetry a year later. Within a span of ten years, Tina had assembled ten volumes of collected poetry works. Though they were of a dark nature, she developed her talent and own unique style for the ironic and melancholy. By her early twenties, her life took on numerous twists and turns, though she continued to write. Finding peace and solace in her words and the music she listened to, her writing flourished, becoming more contemporary and complex.

By the year 1995, Tina had written her first horror novel entitled C.H.R.I.S.T.  She continued with her novel writing and expanding her portfolio to the world of music magazines. Tina became a "features" writer for the music publications InTune, Vibrations, and The One Source. In 1997, she expanded her audience to the Internet by becoming a writer for selected websites, primarily in the arts & entertainment field with short stints into the religion and philosophy realm. Her work can be read currently on Google, Tumblr, and her Writer’s Page on Facebook.  Her latest work is the trilogy titled ALL ACCESS.  Its genre is Contemporary Fiction and is as she puts it, “A fictional autobiography.” She is currently expanding the ALL ACCESS brand by writing Part Four.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ALL ACCESS: The Search for Paradise by Tina Mrazik, eXtasy Books, available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble (February 15^th), and Kobobooks (February 15^th).

Unwrapping a Review of TUCKER, a Family Simon novel by Juliana Stone

I’ve been a fan of Juliana Stone since first reading her paranormal series, Jaguar Warriors and League of Guardians. When she turned to writing contemporary romance with the Barker Triplets, I was hesitant but she blew me out of the water with extraordinary characters and the most memorable book boyfriend ever in Shane Gallagher. I started to read her Bad Boys from Crystal Lake series but wasn’t too thrilled. I thought maybe she’d burned out after the exceptional writing she’d done with the Barker Triplets, but I don’t think so…

***copy purchased for my personal reading, but sharing an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for TUCKER:

When all hope is gone, can love still find a way?

Tucker Simon has given up on love. After a tragedy, it’s just not in the cards for him, and he wishes his family would get off his back. He’s fine—or at least he thought he was–until a family wedding forces him to address a few things, namely his date, Abby Mathews. She’s been put in the ‘friend’ category, mostly because she deserves so much more than what he can give. But the more time that he spends with her, Tucker begins to think that maybe there is a chance for love after all…

Abby Mathews has been in love with Tucker Simon since he walked into her family’s bar nearly a year ago. But he’s got baggage and heartache a plenty. His one-night-stands aren't going to lessen that no matter what he thinks. Tucker needs a friend, but Abby wants to give him more, and as they navigate their way through a weekend in Florida, their attraction can’t be ignored. Abby has to make a choice. Does she cherish their friendship and take what she can get? Or does she go after what she really wants, which is Tucker’s heart… 

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

We first met Tucker Simon through his older brother, when Beau was falling hard and fast for Betty Jo Barker in CONCEAL…if you haven’t read it…do! I knew then that Tucker was going to be a hard case when it came to love but I didn’t realize just how hard he was going to be about it, or how hard he was going to fall.

Tucker has loved and lost…his wife, Marley, was the one who had his heart only she’d gone missing when her plane went down on a wildlife rescue mission. Tucker was not about to suffer through anything like that again so he finds it easier to play the playboy…don’t get too attached and you have less to lose. His family isn’t going to let it go so easily though, especially his mom. His family wants to see him happy and in love but he knows that kind of love can never happen twice…or can it?

Abby Mathews has been in love with Tucker for as long as she can remember. She’s watched him with his one night girlfriends when he comes in but when he sits to talk over his beer, it’s to her…she’s the bartender at her family’s bar so she knows what’s what. When he comes in one particular evening looking rather down in the mouth, she inquires why. It seems he’s been invited to his cousin’s wedding and is not looking forward to the usual scrutiny, which will surely descend upon him, amidst the love and marriage effects of the wedding. She suggests he take her…as a friend. At first, he’s hesitant but then he reconsiders, after all Abby is much better company than any paid escort he had fleetingly considered. The question was…could they convince the family?

TUCKER is a story filled with angst on the part of Tucker…too much perhaps. His longing for Marley left me a bit on edge thinking any minute she was going to return since she'd never been legally declared dead, and throw a wrench in the works for Abby and I truly wanted Tucker to be with Abby. I wanted Tucker to be happy and Abby was the gal to do it for him. She is strong-willed yet patient, playful and teasing yet only uses it for good rather than evil. At times, some of the things she said struck me weird…such as referring to a certain body part as a thingy…she’s a grown woman, not a middle schooler. But overall, she was probably my favorite character in the book. I felt for her too often though while she waited for Tucker to get his head out of his you know where and realize it.

As much as I loved the Barker Triplet series, and expected as much from this spin-off as from that series, I wasn’t completely disappointed but I wasn’t as satisfied either. Juliana has always been great at creating her secondary characters but aside from Abby, I felt the secondary creations carried too much space in TUCKER. Too much information. It should have been more about Tucker and Abby. The editor in me wanted to revamp the story, build on Tucker opening his heart again with a bit more eagerness while cherishing his memories of Marley. It takes him a long time to admit even to himself that he has an attraction to Abby he can’t deny, and that wasn’t what I expected of Tucker. Abby wants more and if she hadn’t been so determined to win his heart, I think Tucker would’ve forever kept her in the friend zone. 

I also had to make the editor in me also had to shut up so I could finish reading because she kept pointing out the errors to me...a bit too much telling rather than showing...just saying. Sometimes, I just skim over those kinds of things and go for the gold…the love story, but it was a little harder to do with this one. The HEA was worth it tough.

It has some problems, it could’ve been better but I still think TUCKER by Juliana Stone is worth reading. The Simon family is complicated and as dysfunctional as any healthy family is in today’s world but Tucker’s banter with his family is always exceptional. Abby adds to it so wonderfully that she makes the book! I do have to agree with the perfect tagline for this book because it truly sums it up—Love will find a way…

Happy Reading Everyone!

TUCKER, a Family Simon novel by Juliana Stone, indie pub, available in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

Unwrapping a Review of Shelly Bell's White Collared series - MERCY, GREED, REVENGE, & PASSION

In all honesty, I wish this series had been one book or two at the most because I can’t imagine having had to wait between installments for this one to play out. Take my advice and purchase all four at once, load them on your reader and have them ready to read one after the other. Yes, they are that good, and that addicting. Rather than review them individually, I’ll give you a few thoughts on each but review them together as a whole.

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

Blurb for MERCY - Part One:

The first sexy installment in Shelly Bell's four-part serialized erotic thriller about a young law student who must go undercover at a sex club to prove her client is not guilty of murder.

Driven by ambition …

Third-year law student Kate Martin outran her tragic past to become an intern for her idol and secret crush, the powerful attorney Nicholas Trenton. She is thrilled when Nick assigns her to represent his best friend and client, millionaire Jaxon Deveroux … the prime suspect in his submissive wife Alyssa's murder.

Seduced by desire …

Kate knows they have only a few days to find the real killer, and since signs point to a member of the BDSM community, she volunteers to go undercover as Jaxon's submissive at Benediction—the private sex club where he is a member—to covertly investigate Alyssa's last few months. For years, Kate has kept her dark fantasies a secret … but a chance to explore them with sexy, dominant Jaxon is just too tempting to pass up.

An amazing and engrossing start to a mystery that even when you think it’s solved, it’s not. The first installment of this fabulous series teases and cajoles you into the mysterious and misunderstood world of BDSM. Kate is attracted to two very Alpha males while involved in a relationship that has never been exciting for her but instead, just safe. Eager to please her boss, Nick Trenton—one of the men she fantasizes about—and advance her career, she can’t help but imagine herself in the arms of their client, a man suspected of killing his wife in a decadent and abusive fashion thus putting her life and her career on the line. The knowledge that Jaxon and Alyssa Deveroux were heavily into BDSM does nothing to deter but instead, incites fantasies she’s always had but never admitted, even to herself.

This first installment ends with a warning, perhaps she should take it.

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

Blurb for GREED - Part Two:

In the second installment of Shelly Bell's four-part serialized erotic thriller, law student Kate Martin enters a world of dark secrets and seductive fantasies at the exclusive sex club Benediction.

Restrained by duty …

Reeling from a threatening phone call and frightened that her past will be revealed, Kate turns to the one man she can still trust: Nick. She can't deny her attraction to him, yet she craves the passionate connection she has with Jaxon.

Bound by passion …

Undercover at Benediction, Jaxon introduces Kate to the sensual pleasures found in exhibitionism and voyeurism. While they mingle with the club's patrons, Jaxon and Kate unearth clues about his wife Alyssa's last days that could lead them to her killer. But as she investigates further, Kate is shocked to learn of a cold case that is eerily similar to Alyssa's murder … and when the evidence ties Jaxon to yet another death, Kate begins to question everything she knows about her enigmatic lover.

We venture deeper into the world of BDSM with Kate and Jaxon while truths are exposed from all directions, and we continue to stumble over clues pertaining to Alyssa’s murder and Jaxon’s involvement. It’s getting complicated as Kate begins to succumb to the new world she’s exploring at night while trying to do her job during the day, and keep her distance from Jaxon.

This installment ends with an attack that will surprise you.

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

Blurb for REVENGE - Part Three:

In the third sexy installment of Shelly Bell's serialized erotic thriller, Kate will finally entrust Jaxon with her secrets, but the lies he's told have the power to break her heart … and threaten her life.

Motivated by honor …

After a gruesome discovery, the men in Kate's life unite to protect her from imminent danger, but Jaxon becomes consumed by the fierce desire to possess her fully. Kate trusts him enough to surrender to him in the bedroom, but she still fears the vulnerability of complete and utter submission.

Enslaved by pleasure …

Jaxon continues to push Kate's sexual and emotional boundaries, penetrating her defenses and crumbling the walls she has built around the painful memories of her past. But just as she opens her heart and accepts a future with Jaxon, the devastating truth about Alyssa's death shatters the tenuous bond they share, testing their relationship and propelling her directly into the path of a desperate murderer. 

Kate is discovering she enjoys the world Jaxon is showing her but she still can’t bring herself to succumb completely to it, especially with her past rearing its ugly head at nearly every turn. Having thought she’d put it completely behind her, she’s coming to realize that it doesn’t take much to bring it screaming back to the forefront…just a little investigative ingenuity. When the truth of Alyssa’s death and the time leading up to it is revealed, Kate isn’t sure what or whom she can trust anymore.

This installment ends with Kate learning she’s not the dangerous person she’s come to think she is.

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

Blurb for PASSION - Part Four:

In the thrilling conclusion of Shelly Bell's White Collared series, Kate and Jaxon are finally free to put the past behind them, but a shocking betrayal could have deadly consequences that neither saw coming.

Compelled by truth …

With Alyssa's murder solved, Kate attempts to fix the damage to her relationship with Jaxon, but with his reputation and career destroyed by false accusations, Jaxon asks for time to consider their future. Yet as hard as Kate tries, she can't extinguish her desire for Jaxon, or forget the pleasure she's found in submission.

Dominated by love …

In an attempt to convince Jaxon they truly belong together, Kate allows him to dominate her completely, signifying her trust and proving her love. But just as everything she's ever dreamed of is finally within her grasp, Kate discovers a chilling secret from Alyssa's past that brings her world crashing down … and reveals a murderer hiding in plain sight. 

This installment will have you questioning everything that you thought you already knew and start questioning where the investigation has already taken you. That’s all I’m going to tell you because if I say anything more, I’ll be giving up too much information and you have to experience it for yourself.

The White Collared series by Shelly Bell is an extraordinary, exciting, steamy hot as all get-out story line, and definitely makes FIFTY SHADES OF GREY pale in comparison. This is the real emotion, psychology, and excitement of the world of BDSM. Shelly Bell has done an incredible job of presenting this hidden world in a way that we can all understand and hopefully, appreciate. Whether it is your cup of tea is up to you but as a reading experience, it rocks big time. This is a series that most certainly has to be read in order to capture the full impact of the story, the mystery, the romance, and the eventual happily-ever-after.

I highly recommend each book in the White Collared series by Shelly Bell, MERCY, GREED, REVENGE, and PASSION because one without the others would be a travesty in reading. Take a walk on the wild side and trust me, if you even half-way liked FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, you’ll fall head over heels in love with Shelly Bell’s works because that other one looks so dull in comparison.

Happy Reading Everyone! 
**Also, if any of you review regularly on Goodreads, Avon Books would love to send you egalleys in exchange for an honest review. If you're interested, click here to sign up. xox

About the Author:

A sucker for a happy ending, Shelly Bell writes sensual romance often with a bit of kink and action-filled erotic thrillers with high-emotional stakes for her alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines. She began writing upon the insistence of her husband who dragged her to the store and bought her a laptop. When she’s not working her day job, taking care of her family or writing, you’ll find her reading the latest smutty romance. 

MERCY, GREED, REVENGE, and PASSION, White Collared novellas by Shelly Bell, Red Avon Impulse, available in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

    

Release Day Blast for NEVER TEAR US APART by Monica Murphy

 NEVER TEAR US APART

by Monica Murphy

New Adult Contemporary Romance

available now from Bantam

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | iBooks

B & N | Kobo | BAM | Google Play | Penquin/Random House

Add to your Goodreads shelf, click Here.

Crazy how eight years can disappear in an instant. One look at Katie Watts, and I'm a fifteen-year-old again--the one who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. She's grown-up now--beautiful, quiet, composed--and telling her story to the world. A story that involves me in more ways than you can imagine. She used to call me her guardian angel. Sure, I risked my life, but she was worth dying for.

I need to make contact with her. Just to ensure that she's safe.

Somehow we reconnect. We become friends . . . but I want more. I want to make her mine. And she wants me too. Does she know who I am? Has she figured me out? Not yet. But she will. In the meantime, I need to make sure that whatever hold that animal had on her is gone.

So, yeah, I'm stealing these moments with her. Savoring them. Knowing, dreading, that she'll soon find out who I really am. And everything will fall apart. All because of that twisted, perverted monster sitting on death row. Her kidnapper. A convicted serial killer.

My father.

Be sure to stop by Monica's Facebook Page daily for giveaways!

About the Author:

New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She's a workaholic who loves her job. When she's not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

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