Blog Tour Promo for TAKE ME ALL THE WAY, a Coral Cove novel by Toni Blake with #excerpt

TAKE ME ALL THE WAY
A Coral Cove Novel

by Toni Blake

available now from Avon Romance

You can’t go too far when you’re fighting for love…

USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author Toni Blake continues her new, heartwarming series set in the beachside town of Coral Cove. This time the town troublemaker, Jeremy Sheridan, gets his chance at love!

Tamra Day swore off men a long time ago. Her art, her friends, and her garden have always been enough…until now. Suddenly Tamra is aching for a connection. Unfortunately, Coral Cove’s most eligible bachelor is the troublemaker who’s building the mini-golf course she’s designing. Brusque and sarcastic, he’s made it a habit of annoying Tamra. But more infuriating is the fact that Tamra can’t help noticing how sexy he is.

They call him a war hero, but Jeremy Sheridan knows better. Still haunted by painful memories from Afghanistan, he’s just hoping for a fresh start. So far, the only problem is his new boss, Tamra, a control freak who’s easy on the eyes—and way too fun to tease.

Despite their differences, Tamra and Jeremy aren’t as alone as they think they are. And together, with a little Coral Cove magic, they’ll discover how good it feels to embrace a bright new future.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks

Excerpt:

He was only vaguely aware of nearing a tall privacy fence, painted a weathered sort of white, before passing through the open gate. He caught sight of Tamra’s legs and tennis shoes, too, and said, “Am I about to walk into anything?”

“No, you’re good,” she said.

“Where am I going with this thing? I want to put it down once.”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to plan for this, so it might have to be twice—unless you want to stand there holding it while I think.”

“Nope,” he said, and let it drop right in front of him on the stone.

And then he took in everything around him. It was as if he’d entered a whole new world. One of lush greenery and bright blooms. Her entire backyard was a beautiful garden. “Shit, you weren’t lying,” he said without thinking.

“About what?” she asked.

“You could be a landscaper if you wanted.” 

“Thanks.” She sounded shockingly bashful. It threw him, drew his gaze to her face.

She was actually blushing a little. He wondered why, but didn’t spend much time trying to figure it out as his attention was drawn back to the garden.

From the trees hung delicate windchimes and other pieces, all made of colored glass. He caught sight of a blue glass bird that seemed to be flying past, and numerous butterflies in yellow, purple, pink. From the ground sprung the occasional birdbath, and more pieces of glass mounted on wrought iron sticks—a green glass dragonfly, a row of glass daisies. In between it all ran the stone path—it seemed to make a circle around the yard, and near the house, where they stood, it widened to encircle a large fire pit. Wooden chairs rimmed the pit, and farther back in the garden he caught sight of a hammock that looked like the perfect resting spot.

“This is . . . freaking amazing,” he told her.

“Yeah?” she asked. Again, she sounded so much more delicate than usual.

“Yeah.” He nodded, still taking it in.

The truth was, he kind of never wanted to leave. It was. . .the perfect place to be alone, the perfect place to hide.

And then. . .he understood. The same way he liked to hide—so did she.

When his gaze returned to her, he saw her differently. He understood her better now—not completely, not by a long shot, but better. He’d sensed a certain beauty in her before—he’d witnessed hints of it wanting to creep out from around her more rigid persona—but now he really saw it. Looking down at her, here, she was…prettier. Her eyes more innocent. Her lips fuller, softer. Maybe he was crazy, or maybe the late day shadows were playing tricks on him, but she was truly beautiful here in a way he’d never seen her look before.

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Toni Blake’s love of writing began when she won an essay contest in the fifth grade. Soon after, she penned her first novel - nineteen notebook pages long. Since then, Toni has become a RITA-nominated author of more than twenty contemporary romance novels including her recent 2014 RITA nomination for Half Moon Hill the last installment in her popular Destiny series. Her books have received the National Readers Choice Award and the Bookseller’s Best Award, and her work has been excerpted in Cosmo. Toni lives in the Midwest and enjoys traveling, crafts, and spending time outdoors. Learn more about Toni and her books at www.toniblake.com.

Taking a journey to Coral Cove is always exciting and satisfying, and [TAKE ME ALL THE WAY] is a fan­tastic addition to the series. The romance between the characters is poignant and real, giving readers a story to get com­pletely caught up in. Blake has written another winner! — RT Book Reviews

Unwrapping a Review of JUST ONE TASTE, a Pine Mountain novella by Kimberly Kincaid

Kimberly Kincaid always manages to create such endearing characters with such depth that we can’t help but involve ourselves in their emotions, their plights, their anxieties, and cheer as they fall in love. She always manages to pack so much into her novellas that you forget they’re not full-length. JUST ONE TASTE, a Pine Mountain novella is just such a story.

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

Blurb for JUST ONE TASTE:

A little home improvement can go a long way…

Jesse Oliver was a medic in Afghanistan, but back home in Pine Mountain he’s happy to switch gears as the Double Shot bar’s new sous chef. When his apartment floods and his old Army buddy offers the family’s dilapidated lake house as temporary quarters, Jesse thinks a little remodeling on the creaky duplex sounds like a fair return favor. That’s before he sets eyes on the gorgeous woman moving into the other side of the cabin—and discovers she’s his buddy’s kid sister, a.k.a totally off limits.

Kat McMarrin has fought hard for her space, and she’s not too interested in sharing it. Of course, her job as a physical therapist means she won’t see much of Jesse, even if he’s a few thin floorboards away—unless she seeks him out. And with his sculpted body and slow-burn gaze, she might be tempted. Maybe the fixer-upper projects she has planned for the cabin will keep her mind off him. Or maybe her instincts to strip the place down will get out of hand…

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

Kat and Jesse are two of kind…neither are looking for love, a relationship, or commitment. Both carry insecurities as baggage and both seek to carve out a place of their own where the past won’t hurt so much. When Jesse needs a place to stay after a major leak in his apartment, his Army buddy Gabe, who is also Kat’s brother, offers him shelter at the duplex lake house recently inherited by Kat and Gabe. Seeing that she lived in the same building of the flood, Kat decides take up residence at the duplex as well only didn’t say anything to Gabe. She hadn’t planned to share the space with anyone, especially a good-looking guy with a body she wishes she could stop looking at but simply enjoy the peace and quiet, and work on much needed renovations. Finally, they decide to work together on the renovations and find they enjoy it, and eventually each other. The heat created between these two starts to bring about a hot glow, which far outshines any newly polished wood.

There’s nothing better than a story based on small town characters that always seem to know everyone else’s business, and Kimberly creates this atmosphere better than anyone I know. Her characters are people I would love to know in real life and they always manage to touch my heart. Jesse and Kat are two such characters. Jesse carries so much angst, guilt, and regret after his time in Afghanistan on top of the wounds embedded typically in a child of a drug addict. You feel his pain as if it’s your own and Kimberly handles it wonderfully. Kat is a typical Army brat who is used to never staying in one place for too long and yearns for just that. She wants stability, to be dug in, and a place she can call her own, and home.

These two people are so alike and yet so different, you can’t help but want them to get together. They butt heads…Kat being the butt-r more than the butt-e but in the end, they help each other overcome the obstacles that keep their hearts closed off, and come together for once they get a taste of togetherness, there’s no turning back because JUST ONE TASTE is not enough. Thank goodness.

I highly recommend this sweet, sassy, steamy, and as usual for Kimberly Kincaid, deliciously sexy novella very much in the fashion of, and a great addition to, the Pine Mountain series.

Happy Reading Everyone!

JUST ONE TASTE, a Pine Mountain novella by Kimberly Kincaid, Kensington Publishing, releasing May 26, 2015 in 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.

   

Cover Reveal for NEED ME, a Broke and Beautiful novel by Tessa Bailey

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey, comes the next fun and sexy novel in her Broke and Beautiful trilogy!

“How did this tweed-wearing English professor turn out to be my dirtiest hero ever? Cause he really is.”--Tessa Bailey

When Honey Perribow traded in her cowboy boots for stilettos and left her small Kentucky town to attend Columbia University, she never expected to find a dirt-cheap apartment or two new best friends. No stranger to hard work, Honey’s sole focus is a medical degree...until she sees newly-minted Professor, Ben Dawson, and her concentration is hijacked. Honey is fascinated by her gorgeous, young English professor and vows to find a crack his tweed-wearing, glasses-clad exterior.

While at an off campus party, an accident lands Ben in a dark, locked closet with a sexy-sounding southern belle...and their chemistry is explosive. But when he discovers that the girl in his arms is the same beautiful student he can’t stop thinking about, he is stunned. Student-teacher relationships are strictly forbidden…yet no matter how hard he tries, Ben can’t stay away from Honey.

And when his attempts to fight their attraction nearly ruin the best thing that ever happened to him, Ben will do anything to prove how much he needs her. 

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tessa Bailey lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

Connect with Tessa at:

Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

Buy Links: 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / GooglePlay

Wacky Wednesday: UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly Tasty Books Review Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly Tasty Books Review Blog Tour. I truly cannot express in my short post how much I enjoyed this book. This is such a fun, delightful contemporary romance that it will have you smiling from the beginning and still smiling long after it’s finished.

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

Blurb for UNDER HER SPELL:

When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals.  But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself? 

Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance.  Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office.  The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business.  When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold.  Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.

Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge.  If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.

Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?

                                          *                 *                *                 *                 *

Monica Jackson is attempting to succeed at yet another business in a long line of business ventures. So far, she thinks she’s on the right track with Enhance Your Romance, where she sets up the perfect situation for proposals and other lover events. Even with the negative mojo generated by her cousin, Hope, she’s confident things will go well until HE moves in next door. He being the handsome divorce lawyer whose sign says, Marriage Isn’t A Word, It’s A Sentence. I’ll Set You Free.  Believing it will help, she casts a spell hoping to ward him off.

Reed Walker has seen more disappointment related to marriage than he ever wants but it’s his livelihood. It’s not that he’s against marriage, after all, if it weren’t for marriage there would be no divorce and he’d be out of business. It's just he doesn't believe he's the marrying kind. One of the most successful divorce lawyers in the city, and also one of the most eligible bachelors, he’s temporarily taken over an office next door to a business owned by a most intriguing woman who totally believes in happily-ever-afters.

When Monica declares she wants him gone, he tells her, “If you can convince three couples to change their minds about getting divorced, I’ll move.” Monica agrees to his deal but doesn’t count on business actually improving, as well as finding herself so attracted and spellbound by the man she is convinced doesn’t believe in love.

Excerpt from UNDER HER SPELL:

Prologue

“A spell … ” Hope mused, then her face lit up. “If there’s a spell to attract a man to a woman, there must be one to repel women from a man. Right?”

“Spells shouldn’t involve negative energy. Sending out negative energy can cause it to return threefold. They aren’t intended to harm someone or make them do something against their will.” Jordan had drilled this into her head.

“I wouldn’t be making Kyle do anything against his will. I’d be warning women to stay away from him.”

Sounded borderline.

“Please,” Hope whined, picking a clump of batter from her long, wavy hair.

Monica let out a defeated groan. “All right.” Hope would never actually cast the spell anyway. When they were young, Hope refused to wear a Casper costume for Halloween because she didn’t believe in ghosts. She was closed-minded when it came to paranormal or New Age beliefs. And you had to truly believe in a spell for it to work.

Monica set down the bowl of salt and grabbed a pencil and pad of paper off her desk and handed them to Hope. “Write this down. It’s called,” she tapped a hot pink nail against her lip, “the dirtbag spell. Take one of Kyle’s socks, fill it with dirt, and add a photo of him. It’s critical you aren’t in the photo.” Monica paced, tightening the sash on her lavender silk robe. “Include something of his like … ”

“His new Rolex?”

Personally, Monica would list the watch on eBay and pray for a bidding war. But Hope, no matter how ticked off, was too timid to sell Kyle’s precious watch, and too frugal to risk damaging it by mixing it with dirt.

“That’s fine. Sew up the sock and bury it in your front yard. It’ll warn all women he’s a dirtbag.”

Hope poised the pencil against her lower lip, reviewing the spell. “Don’t I have to say something when I bury it, like a chant?”

What happened to being spell ignorant?

“Bury it in the moonlight while saying … ” Monica scrambled for a few rhyming lines, “moonlight, glowing bright, warn all women in your sight, the man who lives in this house, is a dirtbag and a total louse.”

“Perfect.” Hope sprang from the bed, looking inspired. “Kyle’s at work. I’m going over to the house right now to bury that sock.” She turned and marched out, a woman on a mission.

Monica nibbled nervously on her fingernail. Hope wouldn’t seriously go through with casting the spell, would she? A big part of spell casting was psychological, focusing all your energy on making something happen. Monica had never seen Hope look so determined, or vindictive. Hopefully, if she did cast the spell the negative energy didn’t return threefold.

What was the worst that could happen?  -- UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly 

MY THOUGHTS:

UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly is a fun, magical, fall in love with contemporary romance that will keep you smiling even when they're arguing with each other. Monica is quirky, real and someone you can call a friend without even meeting her. Reed is tough on the outside, romantic on the inside, and so sexy you will wish he were yours. Eliza has created a multitude of unique characters who surround this couple with their energy, their hopes, their love, and their support whether Monica and Reed realize it or not. I think what I loved most about UNDER HER SPELL was the sense that romance can be found anywhere with anyone if only you're willing to open your eyes, your mind, and your heart to it.

I highly recommend UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly to anyone, no, everyone who loves romance. Everyone, who loves the magic of opening your heart to its possibilities. Everyone, who enjoys a simple, yet sigh worthy read that will probably keep you up late but leave you smiling. Everyone will enjoy every turn of the page. If you're like me, you won't want it to end and may just possibly find yourself humming some classic love songs as you fall asleep to dream about your own Reed Walker.

Happy Reading Everyone!

 

About the Author:
Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade scriptwriter to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.

You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

UNDER HER SPELL by Eliza Daly, Crimson Romance, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ebook formats at iTunes, All Romance, Kobo, and eBooks.com

                                                                 

Wacky Wednesday: Reviews & Remarks - REBECCA'S LOST JOURNALS by Lisa Renee Jones

Back in August, I was fortunate enough to read and review book one of the Inside Out Trilogy, IF I WERE YOU, by Lisa Renee Jones. I was totally hooked by this incredible story of a woman's need to discover the whereabouts of a woman she'd only met through the journals left behind in a storage unit. We're still waiting for book two, BEING ME, due to release in June but in the meantime, Lisa has provided us with a wonderful diversion in the form of Rebecca's Lost Journals similar to those that Sara McMillan read and that drew her into the world in which Rebecca entered and from which she mysteriously disappeared.

If you haven't read IF I WERE YOU by Lisa Renee Jones yet, I implore you do and come on this fabulous adventure into mystery and seduction with Sara and the rest of us. If you have read this fabulous first installment of the trilogy that Lisa refers to as FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY meets BASIC INSTINCT, then I promise you will want to read Lisa's companion novella treats, REBECCA'S LOST JOURNALS. I call them treats because they are short little forays into the world that Rebecca encounters and clues to what may have happened to her and who might have taken her away - the question: who is her MASTER? I love the concept of writing Rebecca's story as her journal entries - the same kind of journal entries that drew Sara into the world of the art gallery and the mysterious world of BDSM while trying to discern if the man in Rebecca's life is Mark, Chris, Ricco or someone completely different.

THE SEDUCTION is volume one in Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones. I received the eARC of this novella and the second one, THE CONTRACT, as provided by the author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for the SEDUCTION:

An Inside Out novella...

The secret life of Rebecca and the men who have seduced her.
These are the journals Sara never sees, but you the reader, will!

More details!

The journals read like stories and begin the first time Rebecca visits the gallery in the INSIDE OUT TRILOGY. You will meet Mark, Chris, Ava, Amanda, Ricco, and all the series characters as she does AND there are tons of clues to what happens in BEING ME in the first 4 serials. They are woven within the story ready for your discovery, as is Rebecca's dark, erotic journey.


In THE SEDUCTION, we meet Rebecca from her point of view as she writes in her journal. We discover her desire to work at the art gallery and rise above her current go nowhere career as a waitress. We encounter the world of art as she does, and we're given a voyeuristic view of her encounter with a man who changes her life and wishes her to become his submissive. We suffer her fears, her angst, and her hesitations as she wonders if she is getting in over her head.

Having read IF I WERE YOU, I loved this inside look into the mind of the character that drives Sarah McMillan's need to know in the trilogy. I love the little clues that are given here and there which only make me want to get my hands on BEING YOU all the more and wishing it was here already!!

I literally had THE SEDUCTION read in about 40 minutes. It was over almost as soon as it began which was okay because I knew there were more to come. Wonderful teasers that keep the reader's appetite for more of the INSIDE OUT TRILOGY going strong.

*************

THE CONTRACT is volume two of Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones. As stated above, I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for THE CONTRACT:

Same blurb as above.

In THE CONTRACT, Rebecca has been presented with a contract by her "Master" and she must decide if she will agree to it or walk away. He tells her it's negotiable but she's not sure what he means. He keeps telling her that it's all about her pleasure but she has a hard time understanding that when the contract talks about punishment, his sharing her with others, and being under his control whenever they are together as her being in control. She questions the contract, she questions his desires, and when she tells him no, rather than take that as the final answer, he asks her to try everything at least once. He tells her that if she doesn't like it, that provision will be dropped from THE CONTRACT.

In THE CONTRACT, we're given even more clues about who the MAN might be and what kind of world Rebecca has been drawn into but I think I'm finding myself even more intrigued, and even more in the dark but definitely eager to read more. Yes, I'm addicted to the Inside Out Trilogy and now Rebecca's Lost Journals. You might laugh but I know if you read them too, you will be just as addicted. I had this one consumed in less than 30 minutes. Addicting!

Lisa Renee Jones has created almost a franchise of intrigue surrounding the mysterys, the sex, the danger, and the eroticism of the Inside Out Trilogy and readers are clamoring for more. How about you? Have you read any of this amazing series yet - if not, what are you waiting for? At the cost of 99¢ for each of Rebecca's Lost Journals, you can't go wrong for an amazing introduction to the Inside Out Trilogy.

This series was originally set to be a self-published endeavor by the author but shortly after IF I WERE YOU was released, Lisa's entire series was picked up by Simon & Schuster so her loyal readers weren't the only ones who saw an amazing future for this series. With THE SEDUCTION already available, THE CONTRACT releasing this month, and two more volumes from Rebecca's Lost Journals (HIS SUBMISSIVE and MY MASTER) due out by the end of May and BEING ME, the second book in the trilogy due out in June, there's plenty to keep your imagination active and satisfied - like any happy addict. 

Happy Reading Everyone!

IF I WERE YOU, book one of the Inside Out Trilogy by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster, available in print and ebook formats.

THE SEDUCTION, volume 1 of the Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster, available in ebook formats.

THE CONTRACT, volume 2 of the Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster, release date February 18, 2013 in ebook formats.

HIS SUBMISSIVE, volume 3 of the Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster, release date April 22, 2013 in ebook formats.

MY MASTER, volume 4 of the Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster, release date May 20, 2013 in ebook formats.