Friday, May 31, 2013

Book Monster Virtual Tour & Giveaway - The Auction by Lyn Austin




Welcome to my stop on Lyn Austin’s Virtual

 Book Tour for The Auction.  Please leave a comment or question below to let Lyn know you stopped by.  You can enter the tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter below.  Don’t forget to follow Lyn’s tour for more chances to enter.  My review will post tomorrow. 


The Auction
by Lynn Austin

Publisher: Borroughs Publishing
Release Date: August 30, 2012

Buy Links:  

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords


About the book:

Katherine Blake wants a baby. At thirty-three, she has a home and an antique business that she loves, but she is running out of time. Kat hasn’t had a man in her life that she would even consider fathering her child…except her ex-husband.

Michael Blake is for sale. In support of special-needs children, he offers himself up for one week as a prize at a New Year’s Eve local celebrity bachelor auction. The result? His ex-wife buys him to finish the restoration of the hundred-year-old home they bought shortly after their marriage. Or so he thinks.

Katherine does expect the remodeling to be finished, but the rest of her plan is more devious. She doesn’t need him to rekindle the one-of-a-kind love that led to their fairy-tale wedding and he doesn't have to atone for the mistakes that led to their divorce, but he does have to...well, deliver.







ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When I was in my early twenties I noticed that my grandmother spent her spare time reading romance novels, I asked her why she had chosen the genre. She explained that they allowed her to fall in love with handsome men without pissing grandpa off.

I read my first romance novel that year and have been reading ever since. During my grandmother's last illness, I read to her and in those months I decided to write romances. I thought if I can help someone escape for a couple of hours from the pain or boredom in their lives, or help them see and feel a world of love and beauty that would be a worthwhile contribution to humanity.

My message in each of my books is hope. Hope that there’s someone just right for each of us. Hope that even in our darkest hour there is light just around the corner. And hope that even if life circumstances keep you from a great relationship, you can dream and love and smile.

Connect with Lyn:





Lyn Austin's THE AUCTION Blog Tour Schedule
May 27- June 14

5/27- HEA Romances With A Little Kick (guest post & review)

5/28- United by Books (spotlight)

5/29- Riverina Romantics (guest post)

5/30-  Romancing the Book (spotlight & review)

5/31-  Queen of the Night Reviews (spotlight & review)

6/03- Sassy Book Lovers (spotlight)

6/04-  You Gotta Read Reviews (interview)

6/05-  Reading Between the Wines (guest post)

6/06-  Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews (spotlight)

6/07- Flirting with Romance (interview)

6/10- 3 Partners in Shopping (interview)

6/11-  Crazy Four Books (spotlight & review)

6/12-  Book Lovin' Mamas (interview & spotlight)

6/13- Feeling Fictional (spotlight)

6/14- Book Monster Reviews (guest post)





Borough's Publishing Group is offering Lyn Austin's Lunchbox Romance, Carol of the Heart along with a 5-story Lunchbox Romance subscription.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Super Book Blast & Giveaway for Legal Ease by Lori Ryan



Welcome to my stop on the Super Book Blast for Legal Ease by Lori Ryan.  Please leave a comment or question for Lori below to let her know you stopped by.  Lori will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter.  The more you comment, the better your odds of winning.  You can follow her tour here.  And don’t forget to check back this weekend for a review of her book.

Legal Ease: Sutton Capital Series, Book One
by Lori Ryan

Publisher:  Lori Ryan
Release Date: April 18, 2013

Buy Link:  Kindle  


Book Description:  

Jack Sutton needs a wife and he needs one now. Jack loved his mother, but she really screwed him over when she set up her will. If Jack doesn’t have a wife by the end of the week, he’ll lose control of the largest chunk of voting stock in his company and will most likely lose his position as CEO as a result.

And Jack’s Aunt Mabry is waiting in the wings to make sure that the terms of the will are enforced. If he doesn’t find a wife, she’ll seize control of the stock so she can install her own son at the helm and she couldn’t care less that her son doesn’t want the job or that he probably won’t be any good at it.

Enter Kelly Bradley, a twenty eight year old college graduate with a spot at Yale Law School but no way to pay for it. Kelly and Jack’s eavesdropping secretary have discovered Jack’s secret need for a wife and Kelly comes up with a plan to fix both of their problems.

Just when Jack needs her, Kelly breezes into his office, introduces herself to his Aunt and cousin, and hands Jack an offer. She will marry him for a year so that he can retain the stock that will keep him in control of Sutton Development if he’ll pay for her to go to law school. Jack has no idea where his beautiful savior came from or who she is but he’s willing to take a chance to save it all.
      
The deal may have kept Jack in control at Sutton Development but his private life quickly spirals out of control. Just when Jack realizes that he wants more than a year with Kelly, his wealth puts her in great danger and he is left scrambling to save her life and their future together.   

  


Excerpt

Kelly whipped through the house and up the stairs, calling out for Mrs. Poole as she ran. “Mrs. Poole, come quickly! We have to move. We have to move.” Kelly continued yelling as she ran into her room and grabbed drawers full of clothes and piled hangers with slacks and dresses on them.

Mrs. Poole came up the stairs with a puzzled look on her face. “What on earth are you hollering about, Kelly?” she said as she tried to enter the room. She had to jump out of the way as Kelly made a mad dash to Jack’s room.

“We have to move all of my stuff into Jack’s room,” Kelly said, out of breath from her packing and running. “Jack’s Aunt Mabry is on her way here and she’s staying with us for a couple of weeks,” Kelly blurted out as she ran back down the hall to gather more of her belongings.

“Oh Lord,” Mrs. Poole rolled her eyes and followed after Kelly. She quickly grabbed clothes and toiletries and rushed down the hall to Jack’s room. She and Kelly repeated the trip half a dozen more times as they transferred everything and set it into place. Mrs. Poole cleared out half of Jack’s dresser and closet and made room for Kelly’s things while Kelly folded and put her clothing away to make it appear as though the two had been living in holy matrimony since day one.

Kelly put away the last of her things and took a deep breath. She turned to survey the masculine-looking room. There was a dark mahogany dresser and matching armoire against the deep green walls. Large windows looked out on the same beautiful waterfront view that her guest room windows had shared. She stopped suddenly and held her breath when her eyes landed on the king-sized bed in the center. Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to her that she and Jack would now have to share a bed. Kelly’s smile fell away as she realized that keeping her attraction hidden from Jack just became a lot more difficult.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lori has had a number of careers before embarking on her newest adventure of writing novels. After graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Law, she practiced law for three years, working primarily in the areas of utilities law and intellectual property litigation.

More recently, Lori owned and operated a dog training business in Austin, Texas, where she specialized in aggression and became an expert in the field of dog bite analysis. Lori sold her dog training business in 2013 and is now a full time writer and mother of two.

Lori still lives in Austin with her husband -- who is endlessly supportive of her changing career paths -- and her two children, one cat, and three dogs.

How can your readers follow you?

To follow me on Facebook, visit: http://www.facebook.com/loriryanromance

To visit my website, visit: http://www.loriryanromance.com/

Want to be a part of my online street team? Email me at Loriryanauthor@gmail.com and put the words ‘street team’ in the subject line. I’ll email you back with directions for joining my team.

To join my email list to receive updates and news, including sneak peeks and free giveaways or contest news, visit http://www.loriryanromance.com/#!join-my-mailing-list/cdpp


Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Lori below to let her know you stopped by.  Lori will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter.  The more you comment, the better your odds of winning.  You can follow her tour here.  And don’t forget to check back this weekend for a review of her book.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday - May 29, 2013 Edition



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This weeks pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is Loving Lydia, Atlantic Divide Book 1, by Diane Saxon

Loving Lydia 
by Diane Saxon
Atlantic Divide, Book 1 

Publisher:  Liquid Silver Books
Release Date: June 3, 2013

Buy Link:  Liquid Silver 

Book Description:

Hiding from the horrors of her past, the last thing quiet, shy Lydia thinks she needs is a persistent cowboy who not only wants to strip away her clothes but the layers of her secrets too. What Sam wants is more than just skin deep.

Little by little, as Lydia’s past starts to reveal itself, Sam sees a woman who has never been afraid, who was bold and adventurous, talented, and exciting. As Sam discovers the truths Lydia has buried in her heart, her nightmares of the past become stronger and her fear of the future threatens to jeopardize everything.



Why I’m waiting on this book:

1.  It has a modern day cowboy
2.  The heroine sounds like my kind of woman
3.  Sounds like a good romance


What’s Your “Waiting on Wednesday” Pick this week?

Want to participate?  Grab the logo , post your own “WoW” entry on your blog and leave your link below or if you don’t have a blog, leave your entry below in the comments.  

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Super Book Blast - Beauty Touched the Beast by Skye Warren



Welcome to my stop on the Super Book Blast for Skye Warren’s Beauty Touched The Beast.  Please leave a comment or question for Skye below to let her know you stopped by.  Skye will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.  You can follow her tour stops here.



Beauty Touched the Beast
by Skye Warren

Buy Link:  Amazon

Erin cleans Mr. Morris’s house twice a week, soaking up every moment with the reclusive ex-soldier she secretly loves. Blake Morris knows he’s scarred both inside and out and is no good for the beautiful young woman who cleans his house to pay for college. But when Erin walks in on Blake touching himself and moaning her name, all bets are off.

Beauty Touched the Beast is a short erotic story of lovers finding refuge with each other. Not for those under 18 years of age or those uncomfortable with the subject matter.

Excerpt: 

He flashed her what was she supposed was a conciliatory smile but looked more like a grimace. And that made her think of what he looked like when he climaxed. Dammit.

She really should shut up now, but she couldn’t seem to stop. “I was wondering if you, that is, if you were thinking of me…weren’t you?” she asked.

His eyes widened even as his lips tightened.

“Well, it’s only that, I wondered if… if it was just a passing thought or if it was more ... ” She trailed off.

He looked alarmed now and she cursed herself silently. “Erin,” he said, his voice strangled. “You don’t feel that I was asking you to do anything…inappropriate, do you? That I would try to make you do something—something you didn’t want?”

“No!” she exclaimed in dismay. “Of course not. I just meant that, well, if you were interested in me that way, well, I—” She took a deep breath and rushed out, “I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to it.”

“You—” He broke off. She noticed detachedly that his hand was gripping the counter so tight his knuckles were white. He swayed forward as if to approach her but then leaned back. “Are you sure? Are you sure you don’t feel pressured? I would never ever want you to feel that you had to—”

“No, no. It’s not that, I swear. And the same goes for you, too. If you don’t want to, please don’t feel that you must—”

“If I don’t want to,” he repeated, sounding dazed. His eyes unfocused for a minute, and then pinned her. He stepped forward and then circled around, standing behind her. Her hair rustled and scalp tingled where his face leaned into her hair, as if he were scenting her.

He trailed a finger lightly from the crown of her head, down her hair, along her shoulder and her arm. It wasn’t an overtly sexual touch, but she found it highly erotic. The past two days of heightened arousal boiled over in her until she felt strung out with need.

“Please,” she whimpered, shocked at herself even as she said it. She considered herself a proud woman, probably to her detriment. Her circumstances, cleaning houses while her classmates drove their Mercedes to class, ought to bring her down, but she would not be cowed. She was like him—she never begged, not for anything, money, favor and certainly not sex. Yet here she was wanting—no, needing him, a feeling foreign but very real.






Beneath the Beauty
by Skye Warren

Buy Link:  Amazon

In the long anticipated sequel to Amazon Erotica Bestseller Beauty Touched the Beast, Erin and Blake explore their new intimacy and encounter old enemies.

When Blake receives an offer to return to his alma mater as associate professor, he knows this is his chance to reenter the world—and to be worthy of the woman he loves. Erin wants this chance for him to heal… even if it means leaving her behind.

Beneath the Beauty is an erotic story told in serial format. Don’t miss the sexy initial installment, Beauty Touched the Beast, available now.







AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Skye Warren writes unapologetic erotica, where pain and sex and love collide. Her books have and has reached the bestseller lists at Amazon and been a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick.




Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Skye below to let her know you stopped by.  Skye will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.  You can follow her tour stops here.



Monday, May 27, 2013

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Kissing Fire by A.M. Hargrove



Welcome to my stop on A.M. Hargrove’s Virtual Book Tour for Kissing Fire.  Please leave a comment or question for A.M. below to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can check out my review of the book here.  



Kissing Fire
By A.M. Hargrove
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 4/15/2013

Buy Link:  Print Kindle 

Description:

Preston Mitchell has many secrets. As an undercover DEA agent, he’s lived a life of danger and obscurity. A relationship was never a consideration...until the lovely Avery Middleton stumbles into his life.

To the outsider, Avery has it all...wealth, family, connections and a great job. But on the inside, she’s miserable. With a selfish mother driving her to the brink of insanity, a kooky neighbor that has zany plans for her to become a sumo wrestler, and a social life that’s in the toilet, Avery decides her only salvation is to get the hell out of town and start a new life. So she moves across the country and right into the path of hot and sexy, Preston.

Unfortunately, Avery ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now running for her life. Preston is determined to protect her but she suddenly finds herself irresistibly captivated by him. There’s only one problem. Preston’s covert missions have
created a load of mental baggage resulting in an impenetrable wall around him that no one can break through. But Avery rocks Preston’s world because she is nothing like anyone he’s ever met and something extraordinary begins to develop between them.

Can their love survive in this world, where danger, intrigue and deception lurk on every corner?




Excerpt



Boy oh boy, was Preston hot. Make that boiling. Scorching. Molten lava kind of hot. Messy dark brown, slightly wavy hair that was not long but not short either. And, oh what a mouth he had. His mouth made me want to jump on board and ride that train for life. His lips were the perfect kind of full and every so often, he’d run his tongue across them and I’d automatically squirm. His face was pure angular perfection...high cheekbones with those slight hollows beneath them, that were the perfect shape to accommodate my lips. But those eyes...my oh my. They were golden brown, like coffee with lots of cream. I could only imagine what they looked like right when he was... Cheezits Ava, get your head out of the bedroom!

“Wouldn’t you agree Ava?” my brother was asking me.

I shook my head and swallowed. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“We were talking about the weather here in the summer and I was saying how much more pleasant it is than in Charleston?”

“Oh, yes it is.” Was my voice breathy sounding, or was it my imagination?

Preston was wearing jeans that rode low on his hips. They were tight and he had a superior set of buns. What would I pay to see those babies?

“Ava? What do you think?” someone asked.

“Buns!” I blurted out.            

“Excuse me?” Caroline, my sister-in-law, asked.

Holy Toledo, did I just say buns out loud? What the hell Ava!!!

“Fun! Anything sounds fun!” I quickly said.

“Ava, you look a little flushed. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Hot! I mean no, I’m fine.” I looked across the room and my face totally flamed. Everyone was staring at me. I had unbuttoned my blouse and was fanning myself. I’d noticed that Preston had a gloriously hot tattoo of a sideways cross on his arm. I think I needed to go home.

“So Avery, where are you staying?” Caroline asked.

“Oh, I’m at the Four Sexy. Seasons! I mean the Four Seasons.”


Oh dear God, I need to get my act together here. 



Buy Links

A. M. Hargrove


Author Bio

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window.   She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.
 Boss:  Hello
 A.M.:  Boss, is that you?
 Boss:  Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?
 A.M.:  Er... right.  Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate.
 Boss:  Why ever would I want to do that?
 A.M.:  Because I quit!
 A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.
 A.M.:  Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?
 Hubs:  Sure... Having some car trouble?
 A.M.:  Not at all.  I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job.
 Hubs:  WHAT?!
 A.M.:  It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.
 So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks.  Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love.  Survival and Resurrection are her first and second full length novels in the series and Beginnings is the prequel novella.  Her third installment, Determinant, will be released on June 30, 2012.  (It didn’t happen exactly like that, but you get the idea!)
  

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Virtual Book Tour - May 20 - May 31

May 20 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
May 21 - Faerie Tale Books - Review
May 22 - Readaholic's Reviews - Review
May 23 - My Pathway to Books - Review
May 24 - Crystal's Random Thoughts - Review
May 25 - Let's Get Booked - Review
May 25 - Flutters and Flails - Review
May 26 - Cocktails and Books - Review/Interview
May 26 - Little Library Muse - Review/Interview
May 27 -  Queen of the Night Reviews - Review
May 28 - Kayla's Place - Review
May 29 - Book Referees - Review/Interview
May 30 - Sun Mountain Reviews - Review

May 31 - RABT Reviews - Review


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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Review - Kissing Fire by A.M. Hargrove



Kissing Fire
By A.M. Hargrove
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 4/15/2013

Buy Link:  Print Kindle 

Description:

Preston Mitchell has many secrets. As an undercover DEA agent, he’s lived a life of danger and obscurity. A relationship was never a consideration...until the lovely Avery Middleton stumbles into his life.

To the outsider, Avery has it all...wealth, family, connections and a great job. But on the inside, she’s miserable. With a selfish mother driving her to the brink of insanity, a kooky neighbor that has zany plans for her to become a sumo wrestler, and a social life that’s in the toilet, Avery decides her only salvation is to get the hell out of town and start a new life. So she moves across the country and right into the path of hot and sexy, Preston.

Unfortunately, Avery ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now running for her life. Preston is determined to protect her but she suddenly finds herself irresistibly captivated by him. There’s only one problem. Preston’s covert missions have
created a load of mental baggage resulting in an impenetrable wall around him that no one can break through. But Avery rocks Preston’s world because she is nothing like anyone he’s ever met and something extraordinary begins to develop between them.

Can their love survive in this world, where danger, intrigue and deception lurk on every corner?





My Review 

A mix of light comedy and steamy romance, Kissing Fire by A.M. Hargrove, had me turning the pages from the very start.  Filled with a wacky heroine, a hot and damaged hero, and a handful of secondary characters, Ms. Hargrove’s story takes place in the contemporary western United States.  Snarky dialogue, a touch of danger, and plenty of smoking hot chemistry, make this book a fantastic afternoon escape.

Unhappy with the turns her life has taken, Avery Middleton knows she needs to leave town and start over if her life is going to change.  Accepting a new job out of town not only gives her a new beginning, it gives her a chance to connect with her brother and his new wife.  Unfortunately, she also ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time and finds herself on the run from a Mexican Drug Cartel. 

An undercover agent for the DEA, Preston Mitchell has given up everything in order to serve his country.  Taking a short break between assignments, he visits his sister and her new husband, and meets Avery Middleton, the most enchanting women he’s ever met.  When Avery accidentally accepts a letter intended for him, they both end up on the run trying to stay one step ahead of his enemies. 

The scenes between Avery and Preston are fun, fully of snappy and occasionally snarky dialogue, and lots of sexual tension.  Attracted to each other from first sight, Avery thinks she’s too overweight, and too accident prone to be of any interest to Preston.  Meanwhile, Preston knows he’s not good enough for Avery because of everything he’s gone through while serving his country.  Both suffering from PTSD (Avery’s is mild, while Preston’s is more severe); they share self esteem issues and doubt.  Both likable characters from the start, Ms. Hargrove has them helping each other with their issues.  In a strange way, they are perfect for each other.    

Will Avery and Preston fall in love despite all of their problems?  And will they be able to live normal lives after they’ve dealt with their present danger?  You’ll have to read Kissing Fire to find out, I enjoyed it and I’m pretty sure you will too.


My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Stars




FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour.  I was not compensated for my review, it is solely my opinion of the written material.