Friday, September 6, 2013

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for The Eyes of Love by Angelina Rose


Join author Angelina Rose on her tour for The Eyes of Love from July 29-September 20.  Please leave a comment or question for Angelina to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway for a $50 Amazon/B&N Gift Card by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow Angelina’s tour here, the more stops you visit the better your odds of winning.

The Eyes of Love
By Angelina Rose
A Mill Creek Crossing Romance, Book 4

Publisher: Bookbaby
Release Date: April 26, 2013

Genre: Sweet Romance
Length: 93 Pages

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Book Description: 

After a tragic loss five years ago, Sally Overby becomes an Attorney in Atlanta. She convinces herself that all she'll ever need again is her young son, David, and her life as an attorney. Until one day, Colin Dean barges back into her life and promptly blows her safe world apart, driving her crazy as only a guy she'd had a "school girl crush" on can.

Sally is wary to love deeply. Only, with every loving look Colin gives her plus every sweet kiss, as the attraction between them sparks, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the one she should be with. And although Colin didn’t realize his life was going to change so quickly, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether. The one for Sally’s heart.

Will Colin be able to convince her that's it safe to love him... and that forever isn't really out of reach?

The Eyes of Love is a novella… so you can enjoy it in just one day!

Buy Links:  Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo 



Excerpt

A hush fell over the room for a moment as Stephanie appeared with Jazz trailing behind her. She was wearing a skin tight black dress with stiletto heels which was typical Stephanie fashion. She wanted nothing more than to be the center of attention like she always had been.

Without missing a beat, Stephanie walked straight over to Colin. Sally was shocked.

"Hello, Colin..." she purred as she ignored Sally completely. "You look sexy tonight, as always." She smiled seductively as Colin looked away. "Who's your friend?"

"None of your business, Steph. Leave me alone."

"Oohhh.... Did I touch a nerve, sweetie?" she asked as she reached out to touch his chest.

"Don't touch me, Stephanie. I'm warning you. Why don't you go back to Jazz?"

"Oh. Jazz. Boring..." she sang. "We're not together anymore, just so you know..." she whispered in a husky voice. Colin held onto Sally's hand for dear life. She had to do something.

"Stephanie, don't you remember me?" she asked grinning from ear to ear as she slid into Colin's side. He put his arm around her and stared down in shock at what she was about to say.

"I don't know you," Stephanie said looking her up and down.

"Wow. Age is really doing a number on your brain," Sally said.

"Who are you?" Stephanie snapped. Jazz stood a few feet back obviously trying to hear the conversation.

"I'm your worst nightmare," Sally growled as she came almost nose to nose with Stephanie, her attorney public speaking skills getting ready to display themselves. She pulled the name tag from her purse without breaking eye contact and held it up. "You see, I'm the nerd that you and your cronies bullied through high school."


AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Angelina Rose has wanted to write ever since she could hold a pencil. The first daughter of immigrant parents, Angelina had her head buried in books, lost in a world of heroes, heroines and exotic places.

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Angelina's author career.

"I awoke in the ICU... I had been unconscious for several days," Angelina says.

In 2010, Angelina had a long stint in hospital following her involvement in a motor vehicle accident: the longest time off work (as a Registered Nurse), she'd ever had in her life!

It was then she took up pen and paper and started to write again, just as she had done when she was a child. She wrote four short fiction stories for young adults, entered them in several competitions, and managed to win three first prizes!

After happily dipping her toes into writing those short fiction stories for young adults, Angelina has now authored four books in a new "Mill Creek Crossing Romance" series... contemporary romance intended for adults.

The "Starting Over Series" is another contemporary romance series she wrote about a subject she knows well... nurses and their love life. At a recent reunion of her graduating class, she could not help but notice how the same girls would group together and laugh, chat, and even shed some tears over their lives since graduating. Many of the girls had divorced... so Angelina thought "what if a group of the nurses came up with a plan to meet in two years and have a new love story to share?" Then the first story in the series was born.

There is always a story running around in her head. A man with thick dark hair, gray-blue eyes, with an engaging smile and a quick wit... or a girl crying over a broken relationship. She finds herself talking to these characters during her day: when she's doing dishes, or bathing babies at the hospital. These characters crop up on days at the beach or on walks through the neighborhood. This is how the stories start to grow.

Angelina's mother was an author, so Angelina grew up with a love of words and stories. If she wasn't writing a short story about something that took her fancy, her head was buried in books... reading, reading, reading, as her brother constantly told her...

When she's not spending time with her goodlooking man, or quality time with her laptop, she's working at the hospital, hanging out with her family and friends, or walking her two dogs around the neighborhood. Angelina spends as much time as she can traveling, then coming home and including some of those adventures in her stories.

Angelina really loves to hear from her readers and she invites you to connect with her on Facebook as she interacts daily with her readers there!






Goodreads:   http://www.goodreads.com/angelinaroseromance

My Review

Take one unpopular nerdy girl picked on in school who grows up to be a beauty, add the most popular boy in town who dated the prom queen, shake several times and you get the quickly paced second chance romance The Eyes of Love by Angelina Rose.  Good dialogue, plenty of emotional angst, and a sweet love story kept me turning the pages to discover what was going to happen next.  Setting the story in a small town in the mountains, added to its charm.

Ms. Rose does a good job developing Sally and Colin’s characters throughout this short story; a shy, nerdy kid in school, Sally has gone from being the ugly duckling and turned into a beautiful swan.  While she’s experienced love, her husband’s sudden death left her a single mom, whose focus for the last five years has been caring for her son and her growing successful career.  Feeling lonely, Sally is both afraid to risk her heart and afraid of remaining alone.  Deciding to attend her high school reunion opens Sally’s heart up to more than she ever thought possible.

Hurt and betrayed by his former wife and best friend, Colin Dean is determined to stay in Mill Creek and continue running his successful real-estate business.  Deciding to attend his high school reunion, even though he knows his ex-wife and ex-best friend will both be there, is just one way of proving that he’s moved on.  He never counted on falling for the nerdy girl he felt sorry for, or on discovering how shallow he had been while in school.  Determined to prove to Sally he’s a changed man and worth loving, Colin sets out to win Sally’s heart.

Will Colin get to prove he’s a changed man and convince Sally to take a risk on falling in love?  Will Colin’s ex-wife and ex-best friend get what they deserve?  You’ll have to read The Eyes of Love to find out, it’s a cute, short romance and I enjoyed it.  

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I did not receive any additional compensation for my opinion of the reading material provided.






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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Spotlight Tour & Giveaway for The Protected by Shiloh Walker


Join Shiloh Walker on her Spotlight Tour for The Protected, the 4th novel in her FBI Psychics series, from August 25-September 7, 2013.  Please leave a comment or question for Shiloh to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  

The Protected
by Shiloh Walker
FBI Psychics, Book 4

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: September 3, 2013

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Length: 400 Pages

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Book Description: 

AN ASSIGNMENT SHE CAN’T REFUSE

Agent Vaughnne MacMeans would do anything to avoid setting foot in Orlando again. But her new assignment, keeping tabs on a psychic kid who may or may not be in danger, is forcing her right back to the city where her sister was murdered. And the Special Agent in Charge isn’t taking no for an answer.

AN ATTRACTION HE CAN’T DENY

Protecting the boy Alex is a priority for Gus. Gus may not understand the boy’s “gift” but he just knows that some people would kill for it. When a beautiful stranger moves in next door, his impulse is to take the kid and run. But Gus has learned never to flee without a plan, and besides…she doesn’t exactly look like an assassin.

A GAME THEY’LL PLAY FOR KEEPS

When some dangerous people from Gus’s past catch up to him and Alex, it’s too late to run. His cute neighbor is the last person he thought he could turn to, but Vaughnne isn’t just cute. She’s fearless. And she’s the only chance Gus and Alex have left.  
Read an excerpt HERE

Buy Links



A little about Shiloh:

Shiloh Walker has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more…ah…serious works of fiction. She loves reading and writing just about every kind of romance. Once upon a time she worked as a nurse, but now she writes full time and lives with her family in the Midwest.  She writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy under the name J.C. Daniels.



Tour Stops

08/25   The Reading Addict http://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.com/
08/26   SSLY Smile Somebody Loves You http://SSLYblog.wordpress.com
08/27   Bad Barbs Place http://badbarbsreviews.blogspot.com/
08/28  United by Books  http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/
08/31   I am a book addict…and proud of it http://romanceinthehighlands.blogspot.com/
09/02    Under the Covers www.underthecoversbookblog.com
09/03   SmexyFabFour smeyfabfour.blogspot.com
09/04   Cocktails and Books http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com
09/05   Queen of the Night Reviews http://queenofthenightreviews.blogspot.com/
09/06   Harlie’s Books http://www.harliesbook.com

09/07   Book Loving Pixie http://tracymeighan13.wordpress.com

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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Virtual Review Tour & Giveaway for The King of Threadneedle Street by Moriah Densley



Join Moriah Densley as she tours the blogsphere on her Review Tour for The King of Threadneedle Street, sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.  Please leave a comment or question for Moriah to let her know you stopped by.  Moriah will be awarding a genuine Victorian-style pearl jewelry set inspired by the book, including necklace, bracelet, and earrings to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  Please make sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can follow Moriah’s tour here.  

The King of Threadneedle Street
by Moriah Densley

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Book Description:

He owns three shipping companies, a diamond mine, and his own castle.
He knows Portuguese, Hindu, Mandarin and Morse code.
His assets net thirteen million.
Lord Preston wants the one thing money can’t buy…

Andrew Tilmore, Lord Preston, the financial prodigy dubbed “The King of Threadneedle Street” wants the one prize out of reach: his childhood sweetheart. The papers can waste a sea of ink scandalizing over his lavender-eyed Alysia; so what if she is the daughter of his father’s mistress?

Alysia Villier learned the craft of the courtesan from her infamous mother―by osmosis apparently. A gifted artist who almost won the Prix de Rome, Alysia is not interested in following in her mother’s footsteps, since Andrew ruined her for any other man. But with her legal guardian—Andrew’s father―in control of her inheritance, she has little choice in the matter.

Keeping Alysia out of trouble and away from eager suitors becomes a cross-continental quest for Andrew. Not his old-fashioned family, the disapproval of the ton, nor even Alysia’s dedication to duty and propriety will stop him. Playing newspapers and investors like pawns, tumbling world markets, inciting riots… has he gone too far?

Jewelry making is a hobby I’ve enjoyed for years. When writing the scene in The King of Threadneedle Street where Andrew gives Alysia a rare lavender pearl jewelry set, I went wild with my imagination. I created a Victorian-style pearl, onyx, and crystal jewelry set as a prize for my blog tour giveaway, here’s where the inspiration came from:

Before Alysia dressed for dinner, Marsden delivered a small white case and left without a word. She unfolded the note to see Andrew’s capricious scrawl. He wrote, Please wear these for me tonight. She unwrapped the chocolate truffles and nibbled on one as she opened the lid of the box.

She gasped — an elaborate jewelry set glowed in the lamplight. Breathtaking pearls, a smoky lavender color and set in designs she had never seen the like of. The necklace was not merely a strand, but an arrangement that resembled an elaborate tiara, or half of a snowflake. Woven into delicate patterns with graduated-sized pearls, it looked like some priceless artifact discovered in an ancient tomb.

Alysia dropped her dressing robe to hold the necklace against her collar. She fastened the clasp and tried on the matching earrings and bracelet. Exquisite. And that he had picked the color to complement her eyes? Romantic. She looked in the mirror to see the luster of the pearls reflecting the lavender facets of her eyes, making them paradoxically smoky and bright. He would like that, she thought.

She put away the red taffeta dress laid out on her bed and dug in the back of the wardrobe for the sheer lavender and silver gossamer gown with the dropped sleeves and low-cut back. She checked the ensemble in the mirror and beamed at her reflection; Andrew knew what he was doing.





AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Moriah Densley sees nothing odd at all about keeping both a violin case and a range bag stuffed with pistols in the back seat of her car. They hold up the stack of books in the middle, of course. She enjoys writing about Victorians, assassins, and geeks. Her muses are summoned by the smell of chocolate, usually at odd hours of the night. By day her alter ego is your friendly neighborhood music teacher. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and four children. Published in historical and paranormal romance, Moriah has a Master’s degree in music, is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist, 2012 National Reader’s Choice Award “Best First Book” finalist, and 2012 National Reader’s Choice Award finalist in historical romance. She loves hearing from readers!

LINKS

Website + blog: http://moriahdensley.com



My Review

Taking a page out of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, author Moriah Densley gives us the tale of the forbidden love between the son of a nobleman and the daughter of the nobleman’s former mistress in The King of Threadneedle Street.  Likable characters, good dialogue, a bit of intrigue and a splendid romance kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.   While keeping true to the historical settings and behavior of the period, Ms. Densley also gives us insight into the changes society would be undergoing during the Victorian period. 

The daughter of a famous courtesan, Alysia Villier has spent her childhood years at the home of Lord and Lady Courtnay.  Falling in love with their son Andrew was not something she planned, and not something they wanted to accept.  Living life on her own terms was definitely something she planned to pursue.

Raised alongside the daughter of his father’s former mistress, Andrew, Lord Preston, has been in love with Alysia since he was twelve.  Realizing his parents are hypocrites, Andrew is determined to make his own fortune and wed the woman of his choice.  Even if she swears they can’t have a future together.

Ms. Densley did a wonderful job developing Alysia’s character.  While a daughter who loved her mother, Alysia is determined not to make her mother’s mistakes.  She intends to pursue her talent in drawing and painting and plans to support herself by selling her art.  She doesn’t intend to sell her body or soul and become any man’s possession.  She also intends to stay away from Andrew, the man who has stolen her heart.

Ms. Densley also does a good job developing Andrew’s character.  While the indulged son of a nobleman, Andrew easily sees his father’s shortcomings and the hypocrisy of society in general.  Determined to gain his freedom and financial independence, Andrew will do whatever it takes, including becoming the “king” of the British stock market, in order to finally claim the woman he loves.

Will Andrew be able to free both himself and Alysia from his father’s financial holdings?  Will Alysia finally give in to Andrew’s love?  You’ll have to read The King of Threadneedle Street to find out.  I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars



FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. 


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Monday, September 2, 2013

Name Before the Masses & Giveaway for The Art of Temptation by Genella deGrey



Join Genella deGrey on her Name Before the Masses Tour for The Art of Temptation sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.  Please leave a comment or question for Genella to let her know you stopped by.  Genella will be awarding a large goodie grab bag comprised 
of 'author swag' gathered from the Romance Novel Convention in August 2013 to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour. You can follow Genella’s tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning. 

The Art of Temptation
By Genella deGrey

Publisher: Mystical Press
Release Date: April 26, 2013

Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 206 Pages

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Book Description:

After seven failed seasons, Valerie Hempstead decides to take her fate into her own hands, and a tour of the continent is just the thing. Accompanied by a female cousin, and the girl’s childhood companions--all of whom live fast and for the moment, Valerie is about to discover more about life than she anticipated.

Travis Elijah Colin Wade, the son of no one in particular, has just been handed a vast amount of money and a large country estate and, of all things, a bloody title. However, he's not at all pleased about leaving his care-free bachelor days behind. Determined to spend some of his money and relax before assuming his duties for Queen and country, Travis goes abroad. Little does he know that he is about to be utterly swept away by the seduction of innocent surrender.

Buy Links


Excerpt

Twenty minutes later when she'd finished dallying with her glass, she looked up at him and frowned.

Unable to help himself, he smiled at her. “I’d get you more, but I think you’ll have to wait until they fetch another bottle. Everyone in the room has indulged tonight.”

Her smile was charmingly lopsided. “I do hope they hurry. I haven’t felt this way since drinking French champagne with my cousin and her friends.”

Travis’s head tipped back to rest upon the back of the couch. “I think, Miss Hempstead, you will find this drink altogether different than mere champagne.”

Valerie adjusted her seat so that she was facing him and rested the side of her head next to his on the cushioned couch back. “You think?”

He turned his head to face her; they were practically nose to nose. “M-hm. The absinthe is already warming up to me, and I’m sure I drink far more than you do on a regular basis.”

“Oh, come now, Mr. Wade. You don’t think I’ve had my share of drunken frolics?”

“No, not you, little Valerina,” Travis chuckled. “I’ll wager you haven’t.”

“Little me? I’ll have you know I was taller than almost every marriageable man last season.” She frowned. “And the year before that, too,” she murmured mostly to herself. “So you can’t call me little.”

“You are shorter than I am,” he pointed out without moving a muscle.

She thought for a moment. “Not by very much.”

“Sure you are. Let’s measure.” Feeling less than secure about standing, Travis removed himself from the couch and, although slightly dizzy, offered his hand to help Valerie up.

When she stood he closed the distance between them with a half stride and lifted his hand to the top of her head. “See, you’re—oops, steady girl.” He caught her upper arms when she fell against him. Her hands seized his waist for support. Travis felt pure electricity run through his body coming from every place she touched him.

“I’m so sorry. I—” She fumbled for words but stayed where she’d fallen as if trying to remember how to right herself.

She looked up into his eyes and time froze for Travis. Her sweet breath swept past his chin and his gaze fell to her lips. Their impromptu embrace, no matter how clumsy it was, felt so right, so perfect, so—familiar. His head needed only to dip down to press his lips to hers. When she didn’t remove herself from his arms, and he’d given her ample time to do so, he took a breath, lowered his face and kissed her.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born and reared in Southern California, Genella deGrey longed to be your typical blonde, tanned, surfer girl but failed miserably. Unable to sit idle without falling asleep, she embarked upon several artistic endeavors. Makeup and set dressing for the entertainment industry, Resort Enhancement for The Walt Disney Company and writing sexy historical romance top the list of her favorite activities.

Genella has a keen interest in the spirit world. She loves wandering around in graveyards, traveling to battle fields and other haunted destinations, the older the better. New Orleans is one of her favorite places to encounter the supernatural, as is Tombstone, AZ.

Links:

Twitter: @GenelladeGrey


Website: www.genelladegrey.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ATTE19S




Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Genella to let her know you stopped by.  Genella will be awarding a large goodie grab bag comprised of 'author swag' gathered from the Romance Novel Convention in August 2013 to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour. You can follow Genella’s tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.