Queen of the Night Reviews: May 2015

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Virtual Tour w/Excerpt for Your Heart to Keep by Amanda Mackey

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented by Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours, for Your Heart to Keep: Holly and Jax by Amanda Mackey. Please leave a comment or question for Amanda to let her know you stopped by. You can follow all of the stops on her tour by clicking on the banner above.

Your Heart to Keep: Holly and Jax

By Amanda Mackey

Publisher: Amanda Mackey

Release Date: April 30, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 261 Pages

ASIN: B00V5HIIYW

Buy Link: Amazon

About the book:

We don’t choose fate. It chooses us. Or so we are led to believe.

Holly Jenkins is about to receive a new heart, thanks to a donor match from accident victim, Chloe McQuade.

The victim’s boyfriend, Bad boy Jax, is angry and grieving for his lost love. He hates everything and everyone, including Holly. It isn’t until he meets her that he realizes there is something about her he can’t explain.

Could it be the beating heart of his dead girlfriend - the very one he owned, that calls to him?

Is the intense pull towards Jax coming from Holly’s own emotions or are they Chloe’s? And why is she suddenly craving things she never did before?

How do they decide what’s real and what’s not?

Is fate at play or is it something more?

EXCERPT

He stopped. His shadow loomed over me. I knew he was taking me in. No one said anything but I could see Ty and Micah move in closer as if to stop Jax from doing something stupid.

“You!” His low, tight voice greeted me and I stifled a whimper at his nearness as his breath touched the side of my face causing me to close my eyes and let it wash over me. What was wrong with me?

Turning my head and raising my eyes to the outline of his face, all I could hear was his heavy breathing. At that very second I wanted nothing more than to have full vision. To look into his eyes and see the storm I knew would be brewing. I sensed the distaste rolling off him, swirling around me but it didn’t matter. I didn’t care. Even with the front door open, his large body shot waves of heat through me as if I was standing beside the burning flames of hell.

We stood like that for an eternal minute before he sucked in a breath and on an exhale he growled, “I can’t fucking do this!” And then all the heat evaporated as he disappeared out the front door again. I forced my feet to stand still and not go after him.

About the author:

I was born in NZ and raised in Australia where I’ve been living most of my life. My love of books came at an early age, introduced to me by my wonderful mother. I’ve always been an avid reader and writing became an extension of that. My favorite genres are paranormal, romance, erotica and some crime. I adore animals and I’m currently sponsoring a Malaysian Tiger through WWF. Cats in general, whether they be small house cats or larger wild tigers and lions are my favorites. I’d love to travel to Italy and Europe as well as Africa, Tibet and Nepal.

Website: http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Mackey/e/B00DU1JGM4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandamackeyauthorpage?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmandaMacey43

Blog: http://amandamackeyauthor.blogspot.com.au/

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Sea Glass Sunrise by Donna Kauffman

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented by Tasty Book Tours, for Sea Glass Sunrise by Donna Kauffman. Please leave a comment or question for Donna to let her know you stopped by. You can enter her tour wide giveaway, for a print copy of Sea Glass Sunrise, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. You can also follow all of the stops on Donna’s tour by clicking on the tour banner above. The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

Sea Glass Sunrise

By Donna Kauffman

The Brides of Blueberry Cove, Book 1

Publisher: Zebra (An Imprint of Kensington Publishing)

Release Date: May 26, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 368 Pages

ISBN: 9781420137453

ASIN: B00ONTR6NI

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ALL ROMANCE | iTUNES

About the book:

In seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine, friends are just another word for family, and big-city politics take a backseat to local pride. But the real treasure on these shores is always love…

When D.C. lawyer Hannah McCrae heads home for her brother’s wedding, she’s dragging a lot of baggage along with her—and she doesn’t mean suitcases. Betrayed personally, and humiliated professionally, the last thing she wants is a new man. That’s fine with square-jawed, rugged contractor Calder Blue. He and Hannah may be wildly attracted to one another, but all he wants is to build the town’s hotly contested new yacht club and mend a centuries-old family feud. Yet thanks to resentments old and new, day after day the pair wind up tangled in each other’s business—and maybe soon in each other’s arms.

Every bride needs something “blue”…

Author Info

USA Today bestselling author of the Cupcake Club Romance series, Donna Kauffman has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives just outside of DC in the lovely Virginia countryside, where she is presently trying to makeover her newly empty nest into something that doesn’t have to accommodate piles of sports equipment falling out of her coat closet (okay, out of every closet...and under every bed....), size 13 cleats and sweaty uniforms cluttering her foyer (and stairwell, and laundry room, and...), and a kitchen that should have come with a traffic light. And a pantry monitor. (Anyone with a clever idea on how to repurpose lacrosse sticks into matching reading lamps, she’s all ears!) When she’s not stripping paint, varnishing an old auction house find, or trying to avoid bodily injury with her latest power tool purchase, she loves to hear from readers!

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

A light hearted contemporary romance, Sea Glass Sunrise by Donna Kauffman is the first book in the Brides of Blueberry Cove series, a spin-off from her Bachelors of Blueberry Cove series. Set in a small fictional town in Maine, Ms. Kauffman’s story is filled with colorful characters, family drama, a sizzling romance and a touch of comedy. While tied to another series, this is a book which can be read on its own.

Returning to Blueberry Cove for her only brother’s wedding, Hanna McCrae plans to start her life over. Humiliated both personally and professionally by a romance which was a huge mistake, Hannah left her once promising career as an attorney in D.C. to return to the small town she once called home and is filled with people who love her. Only her first day back doesn’t exactly work out as planned, traffic accident caused by a new stop sign she wasn’t aware of, and soon she’s can’t remember why she wrote off hot men.

Calder Blue has travelled to Blueberry Cove to conduct some business and settle a two hundred year old family feud. Becoming involved in a traffic accident with a pretty lady was not a part of his plans, though he’s definitely attracted to the woman. Will his temporary stay in Blueberry Cove turn into something permanent?

Ms. Kauffman does a good job developing the characters of both Hannah and Calder, though I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of Hannah at first (let’s just say she was foolish when it came to her previous romance). While both Hannah and Calder have romance issues from the past, they couldn’t help being attracted to each other from the start. It helped that they each found the other extremely attractive. I enjoyed watching their romance develop from what could have been a tragic incident and it helped that both characters had a good sense of humor and were decent people overall.

The secondary characters were also well developed and I really enjoyed getting to know the people in Blueberry Cove. I especially liked Hannah’s family, her brother Logan, Alex McFarland, his fiancée/bride, and Hannah’ younger sister Fiona, who is a real hoot and has a wicked fashion sense. I also enjoyed getting to know Calder’s estranged family and Barbara Benson, one of the town’s police officers, who also happened to be the McCrae family’s substitute mom.

Will Hannah and Calder give their blistering attraction a chance to develop into something more than a temporary romance? Will Calder be able to get his family to move on from their 200 year old feud? And will the town of Blueberry Cove be the home they are both looking for? You’ll have to read Sea Glass Sunrise to find out. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read Snowflake Bay, the second book in the series featuring Fiona, which will be published in September.

My Rating; 4 out of 5 Stars

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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Book Blitz & #Giveaway for Closely Guarded Secret by Natalie Money

Welcome to my stop on the Book Blitz, presented by Romance Addict Book Blog, for the Closely Guarded Secret by Natalie Money. Please leave a comment or question for Natalie to let her know you stopped by. You can enter her tour wide giveaway, for a $25 Amazon GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

Many might envy Alixandra Quinn. She rubs shoulders with the rich and famous at glitzy society balls and fund-raisers as a photographer for a popular magazine. But, do the envious notice Ali always goes home alone? She has cut herself off from personal relationships and emotional entanglements. It’s a strategy to cope with her past, and for ten years, her strategy has worked.

That is, until she meets Bryce Steede, a young and bold Silicon Valley entrepreneur. When Ali becomes the center of his attention, suddenly her world gets turned upside-down. She may have convinced herself that life is fine the way it is, but he is determined to break down her carefully constructed walls, free her mind and body, and show her pleasures that she couldn't have imagined.

As Ali navigates through this uncharted journey of self-discovery, she must find the balance between her head and her heart. Is Bryce just another heartache waiting to happen? Will a secret from her past come back to haunt her? Or will Ali make peace with her past and find true happiness . . .

EXCERPT

I awaken with a jolt, thinking I’ve fallen out of my seat. As usual, when I fly, I end up scrunched all the way down on the seat as far as I can go. If I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt, I’d be on the floor. Did we hit something? Confused, I sit up, trying to assess the situation only to notice we’re in some awful turbulence. Angry, dark, purple to black rain clouds surround us. My heart starts pounding in my chest. The plane rocks side to side, bouncing us all over the sky. I pull out my earbuds hoping to hear the Captain’s voice saying everything’s okay.

Bryce pries my hand off the armrest and interlocks our fingers. I look over at him, my eyes wide with terror. He’s talking to me, trying to give me reassurance. The only thing going through my mind right now is how afraid I am.

“Shhh, it’s going to be okay, Ali.” He has such a soothing voice when he’s not being an ass. I try to say something, but I can’t speak. Nothing will come out of my mouth.

“Focus on me.” His thumb strokes the back of my hand. It’s serene and has an instant calming effect on me until we hit another pocket of air. Images of the Captain fighting for dominance over the weather and control of the plane against the storm flash through my mind. I know he’s doing all he can so we don’t spiral downward.

Other passengers cry out in panic. My head jerks back toward the window. I can barely breathe. I don’t want him to see me like this - raw emotions, so vulnerable. Weak.

He places his hand on my face, turning it towards him. “Don’t cry. I’ve got you. Just keep looking at me, okay?” He’s trying to calm me but the only thing I can do is nod. I tighten my grip on his hand and he lets me know it’s all right.

My heart is beating so fast, so hard, I can feel it in my ears and can hear each beat. Tears roll down my face and he gently wipes them away with his thumb. In this moment, as much as I despise him, I’m glad he’s here with me.

“I need you to take deep breaths. Can you do that? Do what I do, okay?” I watch his mouth and listen. We hit another pocket of air, but not as violent as the others. My eyes grow wider as more tears stream down my face.

“I’m here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Keep looking at me. Ali, I need you to focus on me and listen. Breathe with me.” All the while, he’s still stroking my hand.

When my breathing gets under control, he leans over the armrest wrapping me in a blanket of calm in the comfort of his arms. I collapse into him. My cries are silent as he holds me and strokes my hair. He inhales deeply, gripping me tighter.

About Natalie Money

Natalie Money is a former corporate travel agent, a wife, and a cat wrangler. As far back as she can recall, she has always loved to people watch and make up stories about their lives. After many years of creating and getting to know the characters and their stories in her mind, she has finally decided to bring them to life on paper in her first novel, Closely Guarded Secret.

With her husbands job, they're known to relocate often, so when people ask where she lives, she describes herself as a World Citizen.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Release Day Blitz & #Giveaway for Summer Fire: Love When It's Hot

Welcome to my stop on the Release Day Blitz, presented by Book Partners in Crime, for the Summer Fire box set. Please leave a comment or question for the authors to let them know you stopped by. You can enter their tour wide giveaway, for a $20 Amazon/B&N GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

Summer Fire: Love When It's Hot

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 26, 2015

20 ALL NEW Contemporary Romance stories by New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling authors.

LIMITED TIME ONLY!

Love when it’s hot? So do we. Especially when we’re writing about gritty alphas, angsty bad boys, sizzling attraction, and unrequited passion. So loosen your buttons, turn the fan to oscillate and join us for this steamy, groundbreaking bundle of summer tales that are hot hot hot.

Sizzle Spies - Gennita Low

Lola and Jake, fall hard for each other. Is their love strong enough for one assignment that would risk everything?

Pages

Fall 2015