Showing posts with label Lena Diaz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lena Diaz. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Review Stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for FINAL EXIT by Lena Diaz with #Excerpt + #Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for FINAL EXIT by Lena Diaz. The Exit Inc. series by Lena Diaz has been an amazing thrill ride filled with action, intrigue, and steamy tension between characters, which have more than love to worry about - they’re usually running for their lives too. FINAL EXIT, Lena’s newest installment, and the last of the three book spin-off series, is no disappointment even though I’m very sad to see this series end.

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

Blurb for FINAL EXIT:

Lena Diaz concludes her sexy, suspenseful EXIT Inc. series as an FBI agent teams up with a beautiful assassin to uncover a deadly government conspiracy...

After a tragic mistake nearly destroyed his life, Special Agent Kade Quinn will do whatever it takes to save his career. His latest mission? Track and capture the remaining EXIT operatives to determine if they’re still a threat. But his next target—a stunning female assassin—is both elusive and dangerously appealing.

Bailey Stark has outsmarted the FBI so far, but she’s tired of running. Tired of watching her friends ambushed by government agents in tactical gear and never seen again. She suspects they aren’t being evaluated—they’re being exterminated—and she’s determined to convince Agent Quinn his mission is a lie before it’s too late. Bailey doesn’t want to rely on him. She definitely shouldn’t desire him. But she knows teaming up with the skilled, sexy agent may be her only hope.

Kade doesn’t want to believe Bailey’s claims, but he promises to keep her safe. Trusting one another is difficult. Fighting their attraction is harder. And as they uncover the disturbing truth behind his mission . . . staying alive will be nearly impossible.

Available now from Avon Romance


MY REVIEW:

    Bailey Stark is on the run. She’s worried about her fellow Enforcers and she trusts no one. She knows the man they refer to as the Ghost is tracking her and he almost got her once, so now it’s time for her to take action and get to him before he captures and kills her. The last thing she expects is to discover that Kade Quinn is an honorable FBI agent who truly believes in what he’s doing. Only, what he thinks is happening is all a lie. Her attraction to him causes her for the first time in her life as an assassin to want to protect someone other than herself.
    Kade Quinn knows he has the skill to catch Bailey but she continuously eludes him even while she fascinates him. Determined to prove himself capable of succeeding in his mission to round up the remaining Enforcers so they might be retrained to run normal lives, discovering that what he’s been told is happening might not be true is enough to make him question everything - including his attraction to Bailey.
    Together, Bailey and Kade try to discover what the truth is, who is behind it, and when the Equalizers pull them into their fold, know they now have more to worry about than just themselves. Time is running out even as secrets begin to unfold and the danger level increases.
    FINAL EXIT by Lena Diaz is everything I expected from a book in this series. Action-packed, filled with intrigue, deception, and steamy sexual tension. With every turn of the page, FINAL EXIT treats us to so much more going on than just Enforcers and Equalizers versus the FBI and those behind EXIT Inc. and its secrets. Lena has woven a story where you’re always wondering exactly who the bad guys are and how Bailey, Kade, and the Equalizers will manage to survive it all.
    If you have read the series from the beginning, you will recognize most of the characters and enjoy their interactions with Bailey and Kade. If you haven’t read this series, I seriously recommend starting at the beginning and experiencing each amazing story which culminates wonderfully in FINAL EXIT. Whereas each story can be read as a standalone, they truly work best read in order and allow the action and backstory to pull you through to the climactic end. I am very much going to miss these characters and the intrigue.
    I highly recommend FINAL EXIT, book three of the Exit, Inc. series by Lena Diaz to everyone who loves a good action-filled, intrigue-driven romantic suspense thriller with great characters and tons of creative energy.

Happy Reading Everyone!

EXCERPT from FINAL EXIT:

Friday, 11:55 p.m.
   It was a perfect night to catch a killer. A warm breeze blew out of the south at about six miles per hour. Rain-heavy clouds covered the half-moon, plunging the cliff where Special Agent Kade Quinn stood into darkness. He was betting on the old cliché, third time’s a charm. And also betting on the numbers—that his six, shiny new special agents could take down one highly skilled, remarkably cunning, experienced assassin.
   Not the kind of odds to go to Vegas over. But he had to work with what he had. If things went as planned, Bailey Stark would soon be in custody like the dozens of other EXIT Inc. Enforcers that his team had managed to capture. The now-defunct company could never again fool the public into believing that all it did was offer vacation packages, so-called “EXtreme International Tours.” The clandestine organization’s true legacy as a corrupt front for government-sanctioned murder would end with the capture of the last few Enforcers. By the time his mission was over, every last one functioning members of society.
   And innocents like Abby would never again become the victims of killers like Bailey.
   Between the nightmare of his wife’s death and the near-constant ache in his ruined left leg, Kade had his own, very personal, debt with EXIT. And he planned on collecting. He scanned the tree line. Past the red oak and Ponderosa pines, the Colorado Rockies squatted like dark sentinels watching over tonight’s operation. Below him, in the middle of a wide, nearly treeless valley, was ground zero, the two-story cottage that Bailey believed would be her sanctuary. Instead, it would become her last stand. A quarter-mile-long driveway connected a two-lane highway to this remote property. At close to midnight and an hour’s drive from Boulder, the road was essentially deserted. Kade couldn’t have asked for a better place to launch an ambush. And if his intel was correct, Bailey should arrive within the next half hour.
   Only a few minutes later the two-way radio on his belt crackled to life. “Big Bear to Lone Wolf. Come in.”
   Kade rolled his eyes and pressed the transmit button. “Kade here. What’s the situation report, Nichols?”
   “You’re ruining my fun, boss.” He shook his head but played along. He had to pick his battles. “Lone Wolf to Big Bear. What’s the sitrep?”
   “Much better.” A chuckle sounded through the radio. “A beat-up, dark blue Camaro just turned off the highway. One occupant. Looks to be our target. She’s heading toward the cottage.”
   “Use the SUV to block the road behind her. If she gets spooked, I don’t want her doing a one-eighty and making it to the highway.”
   “Affirmative. Big Bear out.”
   Kade clicked off the mic and belatedly wished he’d downed a handful of antacids before driving out here. Being assigned these eager, raw newbies had to be his penance for his breakdown after the accident. They were also the reason he was here in person rather than monitoring the mission remotely per the usual protocol. Tonight’s target had already tricked his team and gotten away—twice. Kade was here to make sure that didn’t happen again.
   “Cord,” he said through the two-way. “Sitrep.”
   “You mean you aren’t going to call me Little Bear?”
   “Do you want me to?” He was half-afraid of the answer.
   “Hell no. I’m not in junior high.”
   “You guys know I can hear you, right?” Nichols chimed in.
   “Sitrep,” Kade growled.
   “She just passed my ten o’clock,” Cord announced. “Dom should have her in his sights in a few seconds.”
   “Already do,” Dominic confirmed. “The car is pulling up to the house. We’re all set.”
   “Radio silence in three, two, one.” Kade clicked off the transmitter.
   They couldn’t risk the sound of static or a mistimed transmission alerting their target. Or at least, that was the official reason for breaking communications. Unofficially, he needed a few moments of silence to get his impatience under control. What had happened to the bureau’s standards? Big Bear, Little Bear? Hell, two of his agents—Dom and Jack—had tattoos. Since when had the FBI allowed tats? Quantico was going soft.
   He looked through the binoculars. Instead of driving into the attached garage as expected, Bailey did a three-point turn and parked the Camaro pointing down the driveway. Was she suspicious? Had she purposely positioned her vehicle for a quick getaway? His hands tightened around the binoculars. The driver’s door opened. A petite woman in dark-colored shorts and a white T-shirt emerged. A pistol was holstered at her waist and her shoulder-length, curly red hair reflected like flames in the soft glow of the porch light. Even at this distance she had the kinds of curves that made men pay attention—including Kade, much to his chagrin.
   He had more reason than most to despise Enforcers, and yet his breath caught every time he looked at one of her photographs in the case file. He couldn’t imagine the effect she’d have on him if he ever got within a few feet of her in person. It was bad enough that his pulse quickened whenever those deep green eyes gazed back at him from her pictures. But what he hated the most was the odd feeling of kinship he felt toward her, a tug of empathy when he saw the shadows in her eyes, the same shadows he saw every time he looked in a mirror. He couldn’t help wondering what had happened to harden her and make her look so lost, so sad, so incredibly . . . alone.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Originally, from Kentucky, romantic suspense author Lena Diaz also lived in California and Louisiana before settling in Northeast Florida with her husband, two children, and a Shetland Sheepdog named Sparky. A Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, she's won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and has been a finalist for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She loves to watch action movies, garden, and hike in the beautiful Tennessee Smoky Mountains.





TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY



Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Unwrapping a Review of NO EXIT, book two in the Exit Inc. series by Lena Diaz

There is nothing I love better than a good action read and NO EXIT, book two in the Exit, Inc. series by Lena Diaz gives the reader that and mystery as well as steamy sexy romance. I didn’t want this one to end.

***purchased a copy for my personal reading and sharing an honest and unscripted review


Blurb for NO EXIT:

Lena Diaz returns to the thrilling world of EXIT Inc., with two enemies who become unlikely allies—and discover that only through love can they save each other...

As an agent of the Equalizers, Jace Atwell will risk everything to destroy EXIT Inc., the corrupt antiterrorist group, before more innocent lives are lost. The only way to infiltrate EXIT is by getting close to the CEO's beautiful daughter, but when they get a little too close, Jace finds himself falling for the woman he is duty-bound to deceive.

Whatever clandestine activities EXIT is involved in, Melissa Cardenas refuses to believe that her father is responsible and is determined to prove it. So when sexy, smooth-talking Jace comes clean about his motives, Melissa drops a bombshell of her own: she's been investigating too—and she wants to help him find the truth.

The chemistry between Melissa and Jace is undeniable, but their opposing views of justice make teamwork tricky. With their lives on the line—and the truth something neither of them expected—the only way to survive will be to trust their hearts and each other . . . if they can.

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

Melissa Cardenas has been suspicious of her father, Cyprian Cardenas and secrets he may be keeping in regard to business as usual at Exit, Inc. (EXtreme International Tours) where she works too, for a while. So when a mysterious van runs her off the road one day, and a handsome and very sexy ex-Navy SEAL comes to her rescue, she begins to suspect everyone, especially Jace Atwell.

Jace is on a mission for the Equalizers, a group dedicated to taking down Cyprian and EXIT, Inc. before any more innocent people are killed under manipulated orders. Having done surveillance on Melissa for a while, he’s ready to get close and try to determine if she is a good guy or bad. His ‘getting connected’ to her didn’t go quite as planned but he got close anyway. When she proves smarter than expected, he comes clean threatening to overthrow the entire mission and the safety of the Equalizers so instead, teams up with her to find out the truth—a truth that threatens their lives.

Lena Diaz delivers an action-packed story from the first page to the end. I was glued to the pages from the start and barely took a breath as things became more and more dangerous for Melissa and Jace…even as things got more and more sexually tense between the two of them. Okay, the ending seemed a little rushed but frankly, after the rollercoaster ride of action, danger, sexual tension, and edge of the seat nail-biting…who cares.

NO EXIT, book two in the Exit, Inc. series by Lena Diaz delivers and delivers BIG! As usual for Lena, the characters are alive, intelligent, skilled, and the interaction between them is palpable and real. I even found myself ignoring a few errors I stumbled upon along the way. I didn’t care because the story was that good, and I had to keep turning the pages.

If you love action, romance, danger, and a story with more twists and turns than a cross-country road race then you will definitely want to read NO EXIT by Lena Diaz. If you don’t like suspense, nail-biting tension, and excitement then by all means…pass it by…I dare you.

Happy Reading Everyone!

NO EXIT, an Exit, Inc. thriller by Lena Diaz, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes& Noble, and Kobobooks.


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Unwrapping a Review of EXIT STRATEGY, an Exit Inc Thriller by Lena Diaz

I am a huge fan of romantic suspense but add lots of action to it, and I’m in heaven. Well, I’ve just had a trip to heaven and back with EXIT STRATEGY, an Exit Inc. Thriller by Lena Diaz. Love this cover too!

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

Blurb for EXIT STRATEGY:


Lena Diaz launches her thrilling new series featuring the undercover vigilantes of EXIT Inc. with a skilled operative putting his life—and his heart—on the line for a woman in trouble...

When Sabrina Hightower awakens to the sound of an intruder, she figures he's there to rob her, murder her— or worse. She doesn't expect to be carried off by a muscle-bound stud with male-model good looks... or that he came to rescue her.

Mason Hunt became an enforcer with EXIT Inc. to eliminate the bad guys—terrorists, militia groups, all those who would do America harm. But his latest target is innocent. If EXIT could lie about sultry, strong-willed Sabrina, what darker truths might they be concealing?

Going rogue in the rugged North Carolina mountains, Mason risks everything to keep Sabrina close, especially now that EXIT's lethal assassins are chasing them down. The heat is on... but it's nothing compared to the slow burn of seduction.

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

Sent to execute an EXIT order on Sabrina Hightower, Mason Hunt wants to be absolutely sure that she’s guilty of the crimes for which she’s been accused by his employer, EXIT Inc. When an ex-enforcer, Devlin Buchanan and his old friend, Ramsey Tate tell him innocents are being targeted for termination, this rubs Mason the wrong way since he became an enforcer to keep the bad guys from injuring innocent people in the first place. If he is unwillingly killing innocents then he’s no better than the bad guys.

Sabrina’s life hasn’t been normal for quite some time. Her brother was killed in a so-called mugging, her grandfather has mysteriously disappeared, and her cousin has her being investigated in regard to his disappearance. Having been labeled a convicted felon and ordered to leave Colorado, she’s now living in North Carolina and is determined to learn as much as she can about the tour company she’s suing for being responsible in her parents’ zip lining accident, killing both of them before her very eyes. The tour company—EXIT Inc. When someone breaks into her home, she does her best to protect her life and escape only to be captured, and dragged into the woods by a sexy yet deadly man who says he’s not going to hurt her unless she’s not as innocent as he’s been told. Innocent of what?

Soon, she and Mason become the hunted and more than a lawsuit is on the line now…their lives are too.

EXIT STRATEGY by Lena Diaz is an action-packed, page-turner, thrill ride of the greatest proportion. I loved every minute of this amazing thriller. This is one of my all-time favorite kind of reads and it did not disappoint.

We were first introduced to the covert organization posing as an international tour company called EXIT Inc. in Lena Diaz’s thriller, TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, the last book in the Deadly Games series. I knew when Devlin Buchanan and Emily O’Malley teamed up and teased us with taking on EXIT Inc. that this series was going to be an amazing ride.

I love how Lena makes her characters strong, smart, and wickedly sexy while still vulnerable. In EXIT STRATEGY, we learn that Mason is a good man at heart despite what he does for a living. He’s honorable, trustworthy, and believes in good versus evil. He also carries memories of torture and hatred but doesn’t want that to spill out to touch anyone else, especially Sabrina. Whereas Mason is secretive about his pain and emotional baggage, Sabrina is open, honest, and strong-willed but even she has her fears, and she’s forced to face one of her greatest while trying to stay alive in EXIT STRATEGY.

If you enjoy a cast of characters who you will most likely see again, and again, throughout the series…characters, which are full-bodied, strong, and emotionally open, you will thrill at the Exit Inc. series. This first book in the series starts it off with non-stop action, edge of the seat expectation, and steamy cornfield sex that will have you wishing for your own Exit order.

I highly recommend EXIT STRATEGY, an Exit Inc. Thriller by Lena Diaz because it rocks, it explodes with superb action and thrills, and still gives you a big smile at the end…or rather the end of Mason and Sabrina’s story because stay tuned…the ride has just begun.

Happy Reading Everyone!

EXIT STRATEGY, an Exit Inc. Thriller by Lena Diaz, Avon Romance, release date – June 30,  2015, available 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.

   

Friday, August 15, 2014

Unwrapping: Talking About FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Again...Not Only!

This past Wednesday, I reviewed TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, a Deadly Games Thriller by Lena Diaz as part of a blog tour. Btw, the Giveaway is still happening so if you'd like a shot at winning a copy of this fabulous thriller romance, please click HERE to go there.

 I can’t describe how much I enjoyed this book. The story was action-packed, the characters are fully evolved, and the mystery was one which kept me guessing even after I figured out who the killer was – although I had the motive wrong. It got me to thinking about FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by E. L. James being made into a movie. Yes, I'm back there again. I’m old school in that I very seldom have ever said a movie was better than the book. I have my favorites based on books, which I watch repeatedly – such as most of the Austen adaptations.

As many of you already know, I am not a fan of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. Most likely I will never watch this movie unless there happens to be absolutely nothing else on the boob tube. Although I’m more likely to watch a documentary on oil rigs in the Gulf rather than succumb to the hoopla surrounding a movie based on a book so poorly written it made me roll my eyes on nearly every page. I never could move on to the second or third book because the thought of paying ten bucks more each was just ludicrous. It’s bad enough when I succumbed to my curiosity about the book that I paid out ten bucks I’ll never see again.

But back to TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP by Lena Diaz. This is a book I would love to see made into a movie. In fact, the entire series could make a wonderful film series. I happen to be a huge fan of suspense whether in print or on the big screen, but this book has everything it needs to translate well to the silver screen. I’d much rather see it transformed into film, even though much would probably be lost along the way, than to see entirely too much money spent to bring such a simpering, weak, unimaginative creation as FIFTY SHADES OF GREY to the big screen. But then, that’s just one person’s opinion – mine!

So, I’m curious, if you could nominate a favorite romance novel to be made into a big production film, which would it be?

Happy Reading Everyone!

Btw, if you’re looking for some end-of-summer good reading, do check out TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP by Lena Diaz, and another good one is GODS AND GLADIATORS by Jaye Shields. I highly recommend both!

TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, a Deadly Games Thriller by Lena Diaz, Avon Impulse, available in print (soon) and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

GODS AND GLADIATORS by Jaye Shields, indie pub, available in ebook format at Amazon.
***click on links above or covers below for purchasing information, remember even pennies a sale using my links helps keep this blog alive. Thank you.

                                   

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Review Stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, a Deadly Games Thriller by Lena Diaz + #Giveaway

Welcome to my Review Stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, a Deadly Games Thriller by Lena Diaz. As a big fan of this already amazing series, it was a no-brainer for me to join this tour and review this thriller.

***I was offered a galley but purchased the book upon release instead for my own personal reading and I’m sharing my thoughts freely.

Blurb for TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP:

Lena Diaz returns with another sexy, thrilling Deadly Games novel and the darkest question of all: What do you do when your freedom could cost you your life?

Detective Emily O'Malley just stumbled upon a killer's lair—and the remains of a woman he kept locked away for years. But this killer isn't done yet. More women are missing, and all clues point to Devlin Buchanan—the man who seems to know just a little too much. Emily's instincts are rarely wrong, and now they're telling her this sexy, mysterious man is hiding something big …

As a trained assassin for EXIT Inc—a top-secret mercenary group posing as an international tour company—Devlin "Devil" Buchanan isn't afraid to take justice into his own hands. But when the hot new detective on his trail gets too close to the organization and a contract is placed on her life, Devlin does the only thing he can: he turns rogue agent and kidnaps her to save her life.

With EXIT Inc closing in and passions running hot between them, Emily and Devlin must work together to find the missing women and clear both their names before time runs out … and the key to freedom is thrown away.
 
*               *                *                *                *

Emily O’Malley doesn’t think of herself as the best cop in the department but she is determined to do her best as a detective. When she spots a woman reported missing some time ago in a truck, she follows the suspect to a house off the beaten track. She calls it in and requests backup but when she hears screams, she knows she must act fast or the woman may die before help arrives. The last thing she expects is to find herself locked in a cell with a dead body, and then rescued by another man who may or may not be involved in the abductions. Now she’s caught up in an investigation, which puts her own life on the line and changes her life forever.

Devlin Buchanan just wants to spend some time with his family before he goes on his next mission. When he hears a female cop put out a call for backup on his police scanner, he knows better than to get involved with the police, but can’t leave a damsel in distress. Now everything that can go wrong has and he now finds himself in the middle of a murder/abduction case, and he’s the prime suspect. Not only does he need to protect the company he works for, EXIT Inc., his family, and himself, but now the cop who he can’t seem to stop thinking about is in danger too. To say his world has been turned upside down is an understatement.

Lena Diaz writes amazing, page turning, edge of the seat suspense blended with just the right amount of romance filled angst and attraction to keep any reader thoroughly content but in TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, I think she takes us to a whole new place.

TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP by Lena Diaz is exciting from page one, captivating in how deeply developed the storyline is, and we can’t help but fall for the hero bad boy, Devlin Buchanan. She puts us knee deep into the action right from the start and I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is a keep-you-up-reading-way-past-your-bedtime good read. I have to admit to reading until I actually dropped my reader because I couldn’t keep my eyes open another moment, that is until I was so close to the end I could taste it, and then I pulled a I’m-going-to-read-till-I-finish night. I finally closed down my reader at 4 AM. Of course, that was after I read the teaser from Lena’s next series starting with EXIT STRATEGY, where - There’s more to EXIT Inc. than meets the eye… I can’t wait!!

I highly recommend TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP by Lena Diaz if you love a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, which guarantees to keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages all while trying to figure out whodunit. By the way, I figured out who the killer was, but Lena caught me on the motive. Good one, Lena. There’s nothing better than a thriller that really does keep you guessing. Loved it!

Happy Reading Everyone! Stick around for a chance to win this amazing book!

About the Author:

Originally from Kentucky, romantic suspense author Lena Diaz also lived in California and Louisiana before settling in Northeast Florida with her husband, two children, and a Shetland Sheepdog named Sparky. A Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, she's won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and has been a finalist for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award. She loves to watch action movies, garden, and hike in the beautiful Tennessee Smoky Mountains.

To learn more about Lena and her books, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY



TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP, a Deadly Games Thriller by Lena Diaz, Avon Impulse, available now in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks and iTunes with print coming September 2nd.
***click on the links above or cover below for purchasing information, remember even pennies per sale by using my links help keep this blog alive. Thank you.

   

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Unwrapping: New Release Tuesday!

I almost forgot all the lovely new releases coming out today. I'm having a little crisis ... when my dh and I played musical PC's after Christmas, I backed up my 2nd WIP on a floppy, yes the PC was that old, and now I can't find it! I'm trying very hard not to panic or scream but that was 3/4 of a book and it was really coming together! [my back is getting really tense]

So, to help me take my mind off of it, let's take a look at some of the lovely stories that didn't get lost and will soon be gracing our shelves and ereaders.

CONFESSIONS FROM AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE by Miranda Neville
Avon
They couldn't be more different, but there's one thing they agree on.

In London after a two-year exile, Lord Blakeney plans to cut a swathe through the bedchambers of the demimonde. Marriage is not on his agenda, especially to an annoying chit like Minerva Montrose, with her superior attitude and a tendency to get into trouble. And certainly the last man Minerva wants is Blake, a careless wastrel without a thought in his handsome head.

The heat and noise of her debutante ball give Minerva a migraine. Surely a moment's rest could do no harm ... until Blake mistakes her for another lady, leaving Minerva's guests to catch them in a very compromising position. To her horror, the scandal will force them to do the unthinkable: marry. Their mutual loathing blazes into unexpected passion but Blake remains distant, desperate to hide a shameful secret. Minerva's never been a woman to take things lying down, and she'll let nothing stop her from winning his trust ... and his heart.

A WEEK TO BE WICKED by Tessa Dare
Avon

When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin…
Time is not on their side.
Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove’s confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.
Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be… anywhere but Spindle Cove.
These unlikely partners have one week to fake an elopement, to convince family and friends they’re in “love”, to outrun armed robbers, to survive their worst nightmares, to travel four hundred miles without killing each other.
All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.
What they don’t have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.
Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble.
And maybe…just maybe…love.

SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz
Avon Impulse  (click to HERE to read my review) 
 

            THE COWBOY TAKES A BRIDE by Lori Wilde
                 Avon    
                
                 Welcome to Jubilee, Texas: where  everyone knows everybody’s business—especially if that business is love!

Ex-champion bull rider turned cutting horse cowboy Joe Daniels isn’t quite sure how he ended up sleeping in a horse trough wearing nothing but this Stetson and cowboy boots. But now he’s wide-awake and a citified woman is glaring down at him. His goal? Get rid of her ASAP. The obstacle? Fighting the attraction he feels towards the blond-haired filly with the big, vulnerable eyes.
When out-of-work wedding planning Mariah Callahan learns that her estranged father has left her a rundown ranch in Jubilee, she has no choice but to accept it. Her goal? Redeem her career by planning local weddings. The obstacle? One emotionally wounded, hard-living cowboy who stirs her guilt, her heartstrings, and her long-buried cowgirl roots…

WANTED: UNDEAD OR ALIVE by Kerrelyn Sparks
Avon
He's a vampire from the big city . . .
Phineas McKinney thought New York City was tough, until he was attacked by Malcontents—evil vampires who consider mortals to be snacks. Saved by the good vampires, Phin swore to devote his now undead life to stopping the Malcontents. He's got his job cut out for him when word comes that their enemy may be hiding in Wyoming. What does a city boy like him know about horses and campfires? Good thing he's got Brynley Jones with him . . . if only she didn't hate every vampire on earth.
She's a werewolf princess . . .
Bryn believes vampires are seductive and charming, and that makes them dangerous. So she's more than a little annoyed about teaming up with Phin, even if he is the only bloodsucker able to make her inner wolf purr. But as they hunt down the new leader of the Malcontents, danger threatens . . . and Phineas and Brynley discover a passion that will rock the foundation of their supernatural world.

Well, that's just a sampling of what can be found on this New Release Tuesday and April is looking even hotter!! Oh, btw, if you're interested in a print copy of Juliana Stone's League of Guardians Novella, WRONG SIDE OF HELL, it's now available in print.  Awesome Read!

Happy Reading Everyone!

    

Friday, March 23, 2012

Unwrapping: Review of SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz

I have been a fan of books and movies that center around seriel killers forever. One of my all time favorite series is the books about Hannibal Lechter by Thomas Harris. I love to scare myself so imagine my delight when I opened an eARC from AVON of SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz and read the prologue which had the hair standing up on my arms and the back of my neck before I even turned the page to Chapter One.

SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz is her second Avon Impulse release coming March 27, 2012.


Blurb for SIMON SAYS DIE:
Simon says…I’m watching.
Madison McKinley knows someone is watching her, following her, hiding in the shadows. But her clever stalker never leaves proof. The police are too busy trying to find the ‘Simon Says’ killer to waste time chasing a stalker they believe exists only in Madison’s mind. With no one to turn to, Madison must handle her problems on her own–even when her former lover shows up to help. Madison knows Pierce means well, but she can’t risk her heart–or his life–any more than she already has.
Simon says…I’m coming.
From the moment FBI Special Agent Pierce Buchanan knocks on Madison’s door, he’s drawn into a deadly game of deception and danger. He should have expected all this turmoil–after all, Madison’s nickname is ‘trouble’. But when people start dying and the evidence mounts, the police begin to suspect Madison is behind everything. Was Pierce a fool for following his heart and trusting her again, or are they both caught in a game so complex it will be a miracle if they come out alive?
Simon says…DIE.

                    *                 *                  *                   *                   *                    *

FBI Special Agent Pierce Buchanan is not thrilled about promising his buddy, Logan Richards, that he will check on Logan's sister, Madison McKinley because he had hoped to never see her again after she broke his heart. The last time he'd seen her, he was about to propose but before he had the chance she told him that she was bored and wanted to move on. A promise is a promise, however, and since Logan is on his honeymoon, Pierce agrees to make sure Madison is all right. Imagine his surprise when he arrives at her home to find her chasing after a strange man. Pierce follows and ends up getting shot for his good deed.

Someone has been watching Madison in her new home in Savannah. Mysterious notes and phone calls have her very nervous and the worst part about it is that she suspects the man stalking her is her dead husband. Yes, you read that right, her dead husband. The same husband that died in a fiery automobile accident after she shot him trying to get him to leave her alone. Yes, she shot her husband only no bullet was recovered during the autopsy and no one but she and her dead husband know that she shot him.

Madison has secrets. Secrets that she can't tell her brother or Pierce. The police don't believe her reports of a stalker and the police don't trust her. Pierce is having a hard time believing or trusting her either. Pierce is still in love with Madison but because of the way they ended things, he's suspicious of her intentions. Madison, after having been married to a man she thinks of as evil, evil enough that she is armed to the teeth in case he isn't dead and intends her harm, trusts no man. So what's a girl to do? No one believes her and the police don't want to expend any more attention to her problem because they have a greater threat to the community, a seriel killer they call SIMON.


I'm not going to tell you any more because this is a mystery thriller that needs to be read to be appreciated. SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz is a gripping romance thriller that will have you hooked from the first words. The suspense-filled yet reaffirming romance that emerges from a tension-filled beginning will easily carry you through to the climactic end of SIMON and then make you smile with a touching and sweet epilogue. I highly recommend reading SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz and I fully intend to read her first Avon Impulse, HE KILLS ME, HE KILLS ME NOT, as soon as I can find the time.

Happy Reading Everyone!


Also, don't forget my poll, ARE ROMANCE NOVELS EQUIVALENT TO MEN'S PORN?, is still open, so feel free to vote and make your opinion count. Click HERE to go to the Poll post.

SIMON SAYS DIE by Lena Diaz, published by Avon Impulse, is available March 27, 2012, ASIN: B0078XFIQS, ebook format.
You can learn more about Lena Diaz and her other book as well as read an excerpt from SIMON SAYS DIE at her website.