Sunday, June 30, 2013

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Deception (Southern Comfort #3) by Lisa Clark O'Neill



Welcome to my stop on Lisa Clark O'Neill's Virtual Book Tour for Deception, the third book in her Southern Comfort series.  Please leave a comment or question for Lisa below to let her know you stopped by.   You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can follow the tour here.  




Just Because I Hear Voices in My Head, It Doesn't Mean I'm Crazy by Lisa Clark O’Neill


“So. You’re a novelist. That’s cool. Where do y ou get your ideas?”

This seemingly innocuous question is the one almost every writer dreads to hear. I’m sure every profession has its equivalent. The question which strikes fear into the heart of the questionee, because the only honest answer is…

I have no idea.

There. That’s the naked truth of the matter, and holds true for almost every writer to whom I’ve spoken. Some authors enjoy giving flip responses such as: “I get my ideas from a big box store in Oklahoma” or “Ebay” or “It’s a state secret.”

If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

In reality, most authors, even the most disciplined among us – you know the type with outlines and plot summaries and character development notecards from which they never, ever deviate (I do not fall into this category) – struggle to pinpoint exactly from where the genesis of their carefully outlined plot may have originated.

The ether, maybe.

Incidentally, people don’t quite seem to believe me when I tell them I’m not sure how I get my ideas. Like maybe I’m lying, or it really is some kind of secret which I have sworn (to the League of Sneaky Underhanded Fiction Writers, perhaps) never to reveal.

They’re often even more confused when I try to explain my writing process.

I am what other people refer to as a “by the seat of your pants” storyteller, or what I like to call a “Brick Wall Writer.” I make it up as I go. I get an idea – usually a specific image in my head – and I write until I can no longer write any more about that particular scene. In other words, until I hit the mental equivalent of a brick wall. Then I sit back, examine what I’ve written, and wonder: What happens next?

Sometimes I have no idea what happens next, and the blinking cursor on the screen becomes the snarky, taunting Eye of Writing Doom. When that happens, I usually just move out of the Eye’s line of vision, taking a walk or a drive or if there is no other possible way to avoid it, cleaning the house. Typically when I am engaged in one of those other activities, one of my characters will pop up on my mental screen, sort of wave to get my attention, and then start telling me what happens next. Occasionally they are so insistent that we move on with the story that they drag me out of bed at 4 am.

This doesn’t happen often, thank goodness. It’s pretty awkward to explain to friends and family the next day that you are grumpy because you spent the very early morning hours giving in to the demands of a domineering fictional human being.

People tend to look at you a little funny when you tell them that.

But wait, I’m the author – don’t I control what my characters think, say and do?

You would think so, wouldn’t you? But memorable, well-developed characters are far less often (at least in my experience) an author’s creation than they are beings – albeit fictitious – in their own right. They often have qualities that I didn’t anticipate when I conceived them. They behave in ways I hadn’t expected. They take the story in directions I had no idea it was going to go. It’s sort of like being on a road trip in which you are the driver, but someone else is in charge of the navigation. Sometimes you end up getting into bitter arguments as you struggle over which highway – or shortcut – is the best to take.

I know the next logical question will be: “If you don’t fully create your characters, then where do they come from?”

I don’t know.

Maybe they all hang out in a big box store in Oklahoma.





Deception
by Lisa Clark O'Neill
Southern Comfort, Book 3

Publisher: Lisa Clark O'Neill
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense/ 
Thriller/Mystery
Length: 511 Pages

Buy Links:  Amazon │B&N 
                       Smashwords



Book Description:


Samantha Martin’s carefully reconstructed life is teetering on the edge of disaster. After surviving an abusive childhood, Sam is only months away from completing her hard-won college degree when she gets devastating news about her brother. Donnie, her protector and best friend, lies in a coma in a Charleston hospital.

Sam struggles with the question of who shot her beloved brother as well as the monumental expenses of his ongoing care, and in desperation seeks ready cash by agreeing to act as the “entertainment” for a local man’s bachelor party – where to her everlasting mortification, she encounters the one man who’d ever meant enough to her to break her heart.

Forensic artist Josh Harding recognizes the butterfly tattoo on the curvaceous hip of the wig-bedecked stripper. After all, he’d spent hours sketching her lovely figure while a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Now here she is, eight years later, and it becomes clear that Sam is in trouble. Seemingly unrelated threads weave into a pattern surrounding her and her brother. Exposing criminal enterprise among the upper echelon of local society and the shocking truth behind the city’s most famous murder, the unexpected connections that neither Josh nor Sam saw coming draw them both into a tangled web of love and Deception.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.






Excerpt

Sam’s mind whirled in confusion as she tried to make sense of what he was saying.  What exactly could Donnie have done considering he’d been in a coma for the past few months?   And the almost… fond way he was speaking to her was in direct conflict with his hold on her arm.  He was gripping her so tightly she’d no doubt have a bruise. But that was the least of her worries.  This guy was clearly psychotic.  Whether he was the man stalking her or not, he was certainly up to no good.  Sam opened her mouth to scream for help but it died in her throat when he squeezed her voice box. 

With the hand that had been gripping her arm he fumbled around in the pocket of the lab coat. 

Justin’s lab coat.

Oh, God.

Was his plan to hurt everyone she cared for in some way?

He eased his grip on her throat and she gulped in a breath of burning air. Just as she felt the prick of a syringe below her ear.

“One push,” he told her softly. “One push from my thumb and its lights out, Samantha.  A shame,” he continued in that conversational tone that was completely divorced from the current reality.  “I didn’t want to have to kill you.”

The tip of the needle pressed into the soft skin of her neck, and though he was obviously threatening her to keep her quiet, her throat was too bruised for her to do much more than squeak.  He dragged her backwards toward the edge of her brother’s bed, heading farther away from the doorway. Sam looked plaintively toward that opening hoping one of the nurses or orderlies would come in.

But given the noise still coming from the hall she figured she was on her own.

Clawing at the arm around her throat earned her a meaty fist upside her head, and after the stars had faded Sam tried to stop panicking long enough to think.  She’d been trained to defend herself, but at the moment that instruction seemed beyond her.  Her thoughts were such a jumble of raw emotions and nerves that it was hard to remember to breathe. 

Angling her head to the side as much as she could, Sam saw him messing with her brother’s IV.  This creep obviously intended to pump something into it that would do God knows what to her brother.  Rage bubbled up so hot and fast that her body stiffened of its own volition.  The man behind her sighed, tightening his grip around her throat.

“We can do this one of two ways,” he informed her equably, all trace of southern honey gone from his voice.  His accent sounded vaguely northern, harsher and more guttural than it’d been before. “I can hit you with the needle, put you in one of these beds and take you downstairs. Maybe leave you behind the hospital in an alley, make it look like a mugging gone bad. Or I can tap you on the head, take you out of here the same way, and then bring you along on a little trip to visit with my partner.  He has a real thing for sexy broads – gets him in a lot of trouble. I feel pretty sure he’d enjoy taking you out for a test spin or two before he decided how best to dispose of you.  Either way, you’re gonna die, but it’s up to you how painful we make it.  Fight me now and I’m inclined to introduce you to my pal.  Be quiet and behave like a good girl and I’ll make sure you and your brother don’t suffer.”

Oh, God.  He was going to kill them.  And he was threatening her with rape to make his job easier.  Whoever this man was, he had no idea what he was saying.

Because instead of making Sam quiescent, that particular threat made her blood burn hotter. 

But forcibly, exercising as much willpower as she possessed, she made herself tremble meekly and nod her head in terrified agreement.  The trembling part was accurate – there was enough adrenaline in her body to jumpstart a turbo jet – and the terrified part wasn’t far off. 

But meek and agreeable she was not.  Like she’d just sit back and let him blithely murder her and her brother?  She had way too much to live for and there was no way she’d sacrifice Donnie.  


About the Author:

One fine day in the not-too-distant past, Lisa Clark O’Neill left Wittenberg University with a BA in English, which she promptly neglected. After working as an interior designer, decorative artist, and Montessori art teacher (there may have been a BA in art as well,) she finally settled into the role of mother to two very fine children.

However, two years of doing the stay-at-home-mom brain cell melt drove her to pull out a pen and one of her old college notebooks.

That turned into six manuscripts.

Lisa spent subsequent years avoiding housework by burying her nose in just about every romance novel she could get her hands on, after completely falling in love with the genre. Her own work falls into the romantic suspense sub-genre, with strong comedic undertones.

Lisa currently lives in the Atlanta area with her family, her dog, her cat and her daughter’s pet rabbit. When she isn’t attempting to keep the rabbit from eating the woodwork, she’s hard at work on her next novel.

Connect with Lisa Clark O’Neill






My Review

A long time lover of romantic suspense, thrillers and mystery books, I could not wait to get my hands on Deception, the third book in the Southern Comfort series by Lisa Clark O’Neill.  Well written characters, smart dialogue, plenty of suspense, and a good mystery are all trademarks of Ms. O’Neill’s writing.  Adding spicy romance, Ms. Clark’s books always have me turning the pages to discover what she’s going to put her characters through next.

In need of money in a hurry, Samantha Martin agrees to act as the “entertainment” at a local man’s bachelor party.  Shocked and embarrassed when she runs into the only man she’s ever really cared for at the party, Samantha finds her carefully reconstructed life falling apart.  Now she not only has to worry about her older brother Donnie, in a coma at a local Charleston hospital, and his rising medical expenses, she’ll have to work at avoiding the only man who’s ever broken her heart. 

Recovering from a gunshot wound, Josh Harding recognizes the butterfly tattoo on the “dancer” at his friend’s bachelor party.  He’d spent hours sketching the model’s figure at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he studied to become a forensic artist.  Realizing Samantha’s in trouble, Josh is determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on in her life.  Especially when it becomes apparent that whatever put Donnie in the hospital is now posing a danger to Samantha’s life.  A life he intends to become a part of.

The scenes between Samantha and Josh are well written, entertaining and have plenty of emotional and sexual tension.  Ms. O’Neill does a really good job developing both characters and I found myself rooting for both of them from the very start.  I also enjoyed how Ms. O’Neill brought in characters from the previous two books and had them play a real part in this book.

The mystery behind who hurt Donnie, and why both he and Samantha are still in danger, is well developed and takes several interesting twists and turns.  Just when I thought I knew who the villain of the story was, something would happen and I would realize I was wrong.  It’s also clear Ms. O’Neill has done her research on police procedures and investigation techniques and also on forensic science. 

Will Samantha and Josh be able to keep Donnie safe while they try to discover what’s going on?  Will Samantha give in to her desires and give Josh a real chance at her heart?  You’ll have to read Deception to find out.  I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next book in this series, which will be about one of the secondary characters in this series. 

While a part of a series, this book can be read on its own.  If you haven’t read a book by Lisa Clark O’Neill - what are you waiting for?  I really can’t recommend her work highly enough.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars







FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour.  I did not receive any additional compensation for my review of the book.  It is simply my opinion of the reading material provided.




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Friday, June 28, 2013

Book Monster Promotions Series Blog Tour & Giveaway for Love's Second Chance Series by Scarlett Scott



Welcome to my stop on Scarlett Scott's Virtual Book Tour for her Love's Second Chance series.  Please leave a comment or question for Scarlett below to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter the tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below and You can enter my blog's separate giveaway by filling out the 2nd Rafflecopter form.

Love’s Second Chance Series




REPREIVE
Love’s Second Chance, Book 1

It’s been a year since Sophie lost her husband and daughter in a car wreck but time hasn’t healed her wounds. A desperate choice leads her to Trevor, the handsome stranger who saves her life and leaves her wanting more than just a few steamy kisses.

Trevor is content living the fast-paced life of a successful NYC entrepreneur. The last kind of complication he needs is a troubled woman like Sophie. But he’s immediately drawn to her even if his bachelor instincts scream for him to run.  
                                                                             As Sophie struggles to fight her growing feelings for Trevor, she’s torn between her past and the future. Somehow, she has to find the strength to finally let go and move on with a man who is everything she never thought she wanted.

Buy Links:



PERFECT PERSUASION
Love’s Second Chance, Book 2

After a wild weekend of passion on a business trip, Claire discovers she’s pregnant with her boss’s baby. It wouldn’t be such a big deal—if Logan wasn’t the world’s most arrogant jerk. She decides to keep the pregnancy a secret, even if it means losing her job.

It doesn’t take long for Logan to realize what’s going on and he isn’t happy Claire tried to hide the truth. To make matters worse, he and Claire can’t seem to agree on anything other than the insane attraction that keeps sparking between them. One minute they can’t stand to be in the same room and the next, they can’t keep their hands to themselves.

Even as their mutual attraction heats up, both are determined to guard their hearts. Claire can’t make sense of Logan’s hot-then-cold personality and Logan wants more from Claire than she’s willing to give. Just when they begin meeting each other halfway, outside interference threatens to tear them apart forever.

Buy Links:


WIN MY LOVE
Love’s Second Chance, Book 3

Wynne Carter’s one-night-stand with Hollywood bad boy Derek Shaw resulted in life-changing consequences in the form of her precious daughter. Years later, she isn’t prepared to face him or his questions when he returns to her small town seeking answers.

With his acting career on hiatus thanks to his wild past, discovering he has a daughter is reason enough for Derek to stick around. Spending timing with her mom isn’t too shabby either, and soon he can’t keep Wynne or her long legs off his mind.

Wynne knows a man like Derek is made for sin, not happily-ever-afters, but resisting him proves pretty darn impossible. For a while, it looks as if the unlikely pairing of the single mom and the heartthrob might make it after all. Until Hollywood wants its leading man back, and their new relationship threatens to fall apart forever.

Buy Links:









ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author Scarlett Scott writes contemporary and historical romance of varying heat levels. Having graduated from swiping her older sister's romance novels to read in secret, she now crafts happily ever afters of her own. She lives in the Pennsylvania countryside with her Canadian husband and is a proud mom to their adorable but occasionally evil dog with a penchant for eating everything he shouldn't.






Scarlett Scott's LOVE'S SECOND CHANCE Series Tour Schedule
June 24 - July 7

6/24- So Many Reads

6/24 - United by Books

6/25- Babbling About Books & More

6/25- Scandalicious Book Reviews

6/26- Scorching Book Reviews

6/26 - Mad Hatter Reads

6/27- Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews

6/28- Love In A Book Reviews

6/28- Books, Books & More Books

6/28 - Queen of the Night Reviews

6/29- You Gotta Read Reviews

6/29 - Crazy Four Books

6/30- Brynna Curry's In Shadows Blog

6/30- Confessions of the Paranormal

6/30 - Reading Infection

7/01- Tiffy-Fits Reading Corner

7/02- Sweet & Spicy Tales (Susan Taylor/Arden's blog)

7/03- Mama's Reading Break

7/04- Sassy Book Lovers

7/04- For the Love of Reading

7/05- Snarkology

7/05 - Book Monster Reviews

7/06- Ramblings From This Chick

7/07- Flirting with Romance



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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Redneck Romeo Release Party Winners!!!!!





And the Winners are...............



Day 1 - ARC of TURN and BURN (Blacktop Cowboys #5) by Lorelei James Continental US only - Terra Oenning

Day 2 - 1 of a kind handmade small Western purse Continental US only – Pat Melendez

Day 3 - Basket of goodies, including a McKay brand fleece blanket and other McKay branded stuff and conference trinkets. Continental US only - Flori Lew

Day 4 - Full set of signed Rough Riders books, Continental US only – Jennifer Zeffer

Day 5 - Redneck Romeo charm bracelet. Continental US only – Veronica De Luna

Day 6 - $100 gift card to amazon.com. – Lori Meehan

Day 7 - Kindle fire. Continental US only - Jessica Nekoranec

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Book Promo - Warrior's Revenge by Coreene Callahan


Welcome to my promotional post for Coreene Callahan's Warrior's Revenge.  Please leave a comment or question for Coreene below to let her know you stopped by.



WARRIOR'S REVENGE

Episode 1: Released on June 25, 2013. 31 pages

Buy Link:  Amazon


About Warrior's Revenge: 

After the death of her parents, Lady Aurora de Marquise is left with no illusions. Stripped of her birthright and betrayed by her uncle, escape is her only option. With her life on the line, she narrowly avoids another murder attempt—only to run headlong into Lord Brigham de Mornay, a man most consider a monster.

With her uncle’s henchmen nipping at her heels, Aurora knows better than to trust a stranger—especially one as compelling as Brigham. Well-honed instincts urge her to flee before his abundant charm takes a nasty turn into aggression—and she ends up neck deep in trouble.

Wary, but undeniably drawn to him, Aurora pits her will against his, challenging his authority every chance she gets. But when her uncle manages to track her, the game of fox and hound takes a perilous turn and she is left with the ultimate choice—surrender to the man who now holds her heart or risk it all trying to escape again.

Gritty and fast-paced, Warrior’s Revenge brings to life the magnificence of the medieval age while exploring the meaning of honor, duty, and nature of true love.


When Aurora de Marquise escapes her vicious uncle and fells one of the most powerful barons in all of England, she knows she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Only one question remains…who will reach her first—the warrior hell-bent on revenge or the uncle determined to see her dead?






Warrior’s Revenge is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains three episodes out of an estimated 10 total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.

Episode List

An additional episode will be delivered every week until the book is complete. New episodes will be added to the same book on your Kindle, keeping your place and retaining your notes and highlights. You'll be notified via email when a new episode has been delivered.


For more information please visit Coreene Callahan's Website, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads pages.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Being Amber (New Atlanta #!) by Sylvia Ryan



Welcome to my stop on Sylvia Ryan’s Virtual Book Tour for Being Amber.  Please leave a comment or question for her below to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can follow her tour here.  




Being Amber (New Atlanta #1)
by Sylvia Ryan
Erotic Futuristic Romance
Category: Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc.
Release Date: March 27, 2013
Heat Level: Sizzling
Word Count: 69,000

Available at:

Description:

Both danger and sex are inescapable in the Amber Zone.

Jaci Harmon was born a Sapphire, but after she’s summoned to receive her final designation, the testing reveals she carries a gene slated for eradication. Within a day, she’s sterilized and dumped in the Amber Zone, where the damaged are corralled away from the rest of New Atlanta. Scared and alone, Jaci would rather die than face her future as an Amber.

Born in the Amber Zone, Xander Dimos is a product of a lifetime spent under the oppression of the Repopulation Laws. Decades of suffering have taught the Ambers to make the zone a place where touch, sex, and unconditional acceptance ease the pain of their fate. Jaci has a lot to learn about her new home, and it’s Xander’s responsibility to guide her through the differences and the dangers safely.

With the simmering undercurrents of sexual chemistry growing between them, and in the midst of discovering the Gov’s true motives, Jaci and Xander must overcome his secret and accept their love as undeniable…even if the time allotted to share it is short.



Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations (including BDSM, light bondage, anal play, sex toys, and f/f/m and m/f/m menage) and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.






Excerpt :

She was a mess. After filling a bowl with warm water and grabbing a washrag, he began cleaning her. With a tentative hand, he tenderly wiped her face with the warm water, washing away the blood under her nose and the grime from her cheeks. His hands trembled with unreleased rage that he forced himself to push away as he continued his task. But that emotion was quickly replaced by another. His throat tightened, the muscles squeezed away his ability to swallow. He cut her shirt off so as not to disturb the IV in her arm. Earlier, he saw the ripped shirt, but his mind, at the time, rejected the direction of that train of thought. But now, he let himself go there. If they’d raped her…

Tears rolled silently down his face while he methodically cleaned her arms and torso. Her wrists were marred by deep bruises and worn away skin from being cuffed too tightly and for too long. When he cleaned the dried blood on the inside of her arm and found the needle mark underneath, the sudden surge of rage that he felt made him want to kill. They drugged her.

This had not been ‘questioning’, this had been plain, old school torture. His hands were shaking as he finished her arms and upper body. He dumped the dirty water in the kitchen sink and refilled the bowl before returning to her.

He braced himself for what he might find when he took off her pants, but he found that the bottom half of her body was in much better condition than the top. As he cleaned her, relief dulled his anger. They’d not let her go to the bathroom. Her pants were stiff with dried urine. But otherwise, she seemed untouched everywhere below the waist.

He dumped the dirty water and pulled off his own clothes. Gingerly, he lay down next to her and pulled her to him. He curled the full length of his body around her to give her the comfort and healing of his touch. He covered as much of her skin as possible with his and held her without moving underneath the soft blanket of their bed.

For hours, he relished the feeling of his skin on hers as well  the even in-and-out of her breaths. What a dumbass he’d been trying to keep her at arms length. It took almost losing her to truly understand the huge part of his heart she owned, and to realize how much of his life was her now.

She was his. He would not leave her vulnerable again.

It was then, in those quiet hours of holding her in his arms, that Xander was finally able to think past getting Jaci back and start considering the larger implications of the events that had taken place. The Gov would expect that Amber authorities had been mollified by Jaci’s return.

He wasn’t. This time was different from every other injustice the Gov had done to Amber. This time they had concrete proof of the Gov’s outright murder of Ambers.

They were growing dangerously brazen after more than two decades of the population’s utter submission to their authority.

The Gov’s absolute authority needed to happen during the dire circumstances immediately following the pandemic. They needed control and cooperation to do the things necessary to create order, provide for basic needs, and protect the survivors flocking to the city.

But their society wasn’t struggling like it had been twenty-five years ago. The genetic qualities that were near extinction back then, were thriving now.

Many of these restrictions, these measures to safeguard humanity, were no longer necessary. If the Gov went unchecked by its citizens much longer, the United States would no longer be a democracy. The country wouldn’t grow as it did the first time when settlers in covered wagons set out to populate the land beyond the borders of their cities. It would be a military dictatorship that never loosened its control over the population.

The more he thought about it, the more he was willing to bet that the Gov controlled the lives of all its citizens, from Ambers to Diamonds, in more ways than anybody realized. The fury faded and determination gathered within him. Changes needed to be made. Now was the time to start.

He looked down at his woman, caressed the hair away from her cheek. Xander was overcome by the intense love he felt for her. He understood why Amber women gave up control, gave up authority to the men around them. Without that small submission, every man in Amber would be impudent with no control on any aspect of their lives. It was a true gift and it was time that the men took that gift and did something with it, did something to truly protect their females, themselves, and their country. 






About the Author

Sylvia lives the life of a run-of-the-mill wife, mother, and professional in Midwest Suburbia, USA. She reads voraciously and loves to lose herself and fall head over heels for the alpha males in her favorite novels.

When she gets the chance to shed the prim and proper persona of average wife and mother, her secret identity, Sylvia Ryan, emerges. This alter ego strives to write original ideas in extraordinary settings for her readers to remember long after the book has been read. Her dream is to transform her racy thoughts and naughty nature into tangible works of erotic fantasy for others’ secret identities to enjoy.

Connect with Sylvia Ryan






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